Malfoy sits with his feathered friend, both of them enjoying the Harper's skill. He asks her if she would sing the song that she had sung earlier and she grins widely. "Of course, Lucius, I would be happy to. Now," Chanteuse says, nodding to her Piper companion, "it will be even better." As they begin, another musician, this one with a bodhrán, asks if he may join them and they welcome him warmly. With harp, pipes, Irish drum, and the lady Harper's beautiful voice, the experience could not be more magical.
"Ride it on out like a bird in the sky ways
Ride it on out like if you were a bird
Fly it all out like an eagle in a sunbeam
Ride it on out like if you were a bird
Wear a tall hat like a druid in the old days
Wear a tall hat and a tattooed gown
Ride a white swan like the people of the Beltane
Wear your hair long, babe you can't go wrong
Catch a bright star and a place it on your fore-head
Say a few spells and baby, there you go
Take a black cat and sit it on your shoulder
And in the morning you'll know all you know, oh
Wear a tall hat like a druid in the old days
Wear a tall hat and a tattooed gown
Ride a white swan like the people of the Beltane
Wear your hair long, babe you can't go wrong..."
The swan trumpets loudly and stretches his wings as if applauding the musicians, and Malfoy thanks them as well. He smiles at his friend and wonders if the swan thinks the song was made for him, then notices suddenly that the swan is not the only bird who enjoyed the song. Cambion, Anubis, Johnny Rook and Loki had settled in beside the comfy nest before the trio began singing. Now the ebon birds seem to be actually discussing the song. Malfoy smiles to himself, marveling at how remarkable his life has become, then remembers the bread. "Oh, yes, I have this..." he says, offering it to Chanteuse, and she takes a cloth and a knife out of the small basket beside her. She thanks him, then asks who baked it, telling him that it smells familiar.
He tells them where it came from, and the Piper chuckles. "I've always loved his rolls and cakes," he says as Chanteuse cuts open the loaf. She gasps suddenly and stops, then asks Malfoy who the bread was given to. "Well," he says, concerned, "Ellie chose it for Beltane...we'd all had bread earlier and she didn't want him to be left out. Is there a problem?" The Harper's eyes mist up and she tells him, "Lucius, this is Heart Bread; a very special jelly is baked into it, and the custom is that the first slice is shared by the one who gives it and the one who receives it; when the custom is observed, the bond between the two is sure and true." Malfoy glances at the swan, then nods. "As long as the jelly is alright for him to have, then, I would like to follow the custom."
Tabor offers his bodhrán to the White Wizard as a tray and Chanteuse places the cloth and loaf on it. She hands him the knife and as Malfoy cuts the first slice, then offers Beltane half, the musicians softly play, and all in the Court are content.
***
Therion finds the Petra as the music fades from his hearing; he's never been this deep into the Garden of Dreams, and the silence here is almost eerie. He remembers his time in the library at Hogwarts and imagines Madam Pince would be quite happy in this place. He knows these extraordinary granite tomes have been here for a very long time and he's not precisely certain of what he's looking for. He pauses for a moment before a huge monolith with a face covered in Ogham, and hopes he recognizes what he's looking for when he comes to it.
***
Layne passes quietly into the Shaded Court, his fair skin covered with goosebumps. This is such a sacred place and he's come for a deeply profound reason; he's not sure what he will do when he finds his ancestor's grave, and he has no idea who else he may find buried within. He passes through the same gates Elsbet did and feels the living mist clinging to him. They do not guide him, those that choose to dwell here; they merely accompany him so that he does not have to face his challenge alone. He is loved, so dearly loved, though he does not yet know it...and he does not know that some of his own family now drift formlessly behind him...
***
Elsbet runs toward the whinnies, elated to see her friends again. They're healthier than they have been in many, many years, healthier and happier, and they know they have her to thank for that. They wouldn't be here otherwise. As she slows her pace they draw toward her, and as she comes to a stop they gather around her. They touch her gently with their velvety muzzles and answer her giggles with little, high-pitched squeals. They are as excited to see her as she is them, and as the great Mother Mare, the mare who caught Elsbet when she fell through the roof of the cave, who carried her back to her loved ones, greets her, she nearly jumps for joy. With them, she is like a little girl again, safe and surrounded by love; with them she is closer to her truest self than she ever is any other time. She knows in her heart that her parents and brother are with her here, with these horses, and she knows that today, they will help her reclaim another part of her self.
***
In the Darkness, in the Shadows, Severus Snape feels at ease. In many ways, he is home. He enters with no doubts about himself or the role he is playing in the greater scheme of things. He is certain he possesses the strength and will to carry himself through to the end. What he is uncertain of is that end...and how will he deal with the one part of the plan that he never suspected. That the son of Lily Evans must freely offer himself up to Death. And as if that isn't bad enough, he himself must assist the boy in that sacrifice. The boy...Snape muses bitterly. Harry is making choices that grown men would have difficulty making. But there's something else, something deeper, that has been needling him, eating at him, and here in the Darkness of the Garden of Secrets, he knows he has to face it. He knows there is nothing he can do to prevent Harry Potter from facing Tom Riddle and death. That is beyond him.
What he struggles with now is the very real possibility that the fates of Harry's friends may rest in his hands. Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley. What will he do if he is forced to choose between them? Which child would he save? He sits down and slows his breathing and calms his racing heart; with the skill of an expert he allows himself to relax deeper and deeper into a meditative state. As the thickness of the Shadows close in around him, he concentrates on that one question.
How will he cheat Death?
"Ride it on out like a bird in the sky ways
Ride it on out like if you were a bird
Fly it all out like an eagle in a sunbeam
Ride it on out like if you were a bird
Wear a tall hat like a druid in the old days
Wear a tall hat and a tattooed gown
Ride a white swan like the people of the Beltane
Wear your hair long, babe you can't go wrong
Catch a bright star and a place it on your fore-head
Say a few spells and baby, there you go
Take a black cat and sit it on your shoulder
And in the morning you'll know all you know, oh
Wear a tall hat like a druid in the old days
Wear a tall hat and a tattooed gown
Ride a white swan like the people of the Beltane
Wear your hair long, babe you can't go wrong..."
The swan trumpets loudly and stretches his wings as if applauding the musicians, and Malfoy thanks them as well. He smiles at his friend and wonders if the swan thinks the song was made for him, then notices suddenly that the swan is not the only bird who enjoyed the song. Cambion, Anubis, Johnny Rook and Loki had settled in beside the comfy nest before the trio began singing. Now the ebon birds seem to be actually discussing the song. Malfoy smiles to himself, marveling at how remarkable his life has become, then remembers the bread. "Oh, yes, I have this..." he says, offering it to Chanteuse, and she takes a cloth and a knife out of the small basket beside her. She thanks him, then asks who baked it, telling him that it smells familiar.
He tells them where it came from, and the Piper chuckles. "I've always loved his rolls and cakes," he says as Chanteuse cuts open the loaf. She gasps suddenly and stops, then asks Malfoy who the bread was given to. "Well," he says, concerned, "Ellie chose it for Beltane...we'd all had bread earlier and she didn't want him to be left out. Is there a problem?" The Harper's eyes mist up and she tells him, "Lucius, this is Heart Bread; a very special jelly is baked into it, and the custom is that the first slice is shared by the one who gives it and the one who receives it; when the custom is observed, the bond between the two is sure and true." Malfoy glances at the swan, then nods. "As long as the jelly is alright for him to have, then, I would like to follow the custom."
Tabor offers his bodhrán to the White Wizard as a tray and Chanteuse places the cloth and loaf on it. She hands him the knife and as Malfoy cuts the first slice, then offers Beltane half, the musicians softly play, and all in the Court are content.
***
Therion finds the Petra as the music fades from his hearing; he's never been this deep into the Garden of Dreams, and the silence here is almost eerie. He remembers his time in the library at Hogwarts and imagines Madam Pince would be quite happy in this place. He knows these extraordinary granite tomes have been here for a very long time and he's not precisely certain of what he's looking for. He pauses for a moment before a huge monolith with a face covered in Ogham, and hopes he recognizes what he's looking for when he comes to it.
***
Layne passes quietly into the Shaded Court, his fair skin covered with goosebumps. This is such a sacred place and he's come for a deeply profound reason; he's not sure what he will do when he finds his ancestor's grave, and he has no idea who else he may find buried within. He passes through the same gates Elsbet did and feels the living mist clinging to him. They do not guide him, those that choose to dwell here; they merely accompany him so that he does not have to face his challenge alone. He is loved, so dearly loved, though he does not yet know it...and he does not know that some of his own family now drift formlessly behind him...
***
Elsbet runs toward the whinnies, elated to see her friends again. They're healthier than they have been in many, many years, healthier and happier, and they know they have her to thank for that. They wouldn't be here otherwise. As she slows her pace they draw toward her, and as she comes to a stop they gather around her. They touch her gently with their velvety muzzles and answer her giggles with little, high-pitched squeals. They are as excited to see her as she is them, and as the great Mother Mare, the mare who caught Elsbet when she fell through the roof of the cave, who carried her back to her loved ones, greets her, she nearly jumps for joy. With them, she is like a little girl again, safe and surrounded by love; with them she is closer to her truest self than she ever is any other time. She knows in her heart that her parents and brother are with her here, with these horses, and she knows that today, they will help her reclaim another part of her self.
***
In the Darkness, in the Shadows, Severus Snape feels at ease. In many ways, he is home. He enters with no doubts about himself or the role he is playing in the greater scheme of things. He is certain he possesses the strength and will to carry himself through to the end. What he is uncertain of is that end...and how will he deal with the one part of the plan that he never suspected. That the son of Lily Evans must freely offer himself up to Death. And as if that isn't bad enough, he himself must assist the boy in that sacrifice. The boy...Snape muses bitterly. Harry is making choices that grown men would have difficulty making. But there's something else, something deeper, that has been needling him, eating at him, and here in the Darkness of the Garden of Secrets, he knows he has to face it. He knows there is nothing he can do to prevent Harry Potter from facing Tom Riddle and death. That is beyond him.
What he struggles with now is the very real possibility that the fates of Harry's friends may rest in his hands. Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley. What will he do if he is forced to choose between them? Which child would he save? He sits down and slows his breathing and calms his racing heart; with the skill of an expert he allows himself to relax deeper and deeper into a meditative state. As the thickness of the Shadows close in around him, he concentrates on that one question.
How will he cheat Death?