"It is little by little
we find courage for it all."

Sunlight slipped in through the crack in curtains, casting a soft glow onto Kira's face. She scrunched her eyes together, turning onto her back. She opened each eye, squinting, and let them adjust to the light.

Her hands ran over the quilted blanket that covered her and she stared at the ceiling. It had a pattern of flowers sprawling across it like an overgrown garden. It looked magical. It felt magical.

The house itself was a vessel for magic, one filled to the brim with it, much like Hogwarts. She suspected there was magic deep within the walls, in every aspect of the home. Some, she may not have ever seen before. It reminded her of Hogwarts. When she used to wander the halls in the dead of night she could feel the magic in them, but also the silence. Not true silence. It was as if the castle were speaking to her in another language, one not heard, but felt. The house gave her the same feeling.

She sat up, wondering what Regulus would say about the whole situation. Would she even be investigating her magic if he were still alive? Or would she be continuing her life with him? Would she have children? They would be married already.

Her hand ran up to the chain around her neck that carried her engagement ring. She never removed it from it's place resting against her chest. Some days it was a comfort, something that grounded her. Reminded her that Regulus was with her. Some days it reminded her that he wasn't. He never would be again.

She closed her eyes and shook her head as if to get rid of the thoughts, dropping the ring from her hand. Aurelia was right. She could not live in the past and the what-ifs for the rest of her life.

She got up and found some clothes to put on and when she was brushing her hair, she heard three quick knocks on her door. "Come in," she called, recognizing the rhythm of Aurelia's knocks.

She walked in and closed the door behind her, walking towards Kira. "Morning." She sat on the bed.

"Morning."

"Kira?"

"Yeah?"

She shifted on the bed, her tone uneasy. "Something about this place feels off."

"Off? How?" She turned to face her, furrowing her eyebrows. She had not noticed anything. Perhaps Aurelia could sense the magic in the house, the power.

"It's weird. I don't know." She look down and back up again, unease filling her features. "Something feels wrong. I don't like it."

"Oh. I haven't seen anything weird." She sat on the bed next to her and grabbed her hand. Aurelia looked at her. "We won't stay long. We'll talk to her a bit and as soon as we've learnt enough, we'll go."

"I don't know, Kira, I really don't think we should stay."

"We won't stay much longer. Two more days."

She inhaled and closed her eyes. Sighing, she said, "Okay. Two more days."

Two more days.

~~~

Kira and Aurelia walked into the living room at midday and got comfortable on the two-seater couch. Anna walked in, giving them a smile, and setting a tray of tea and biscuits onto the table. The tea set had small flowers over a pale blue porcelain. Each cup had a variety of flowers consisting of red roses, lilies, and what looked to be either heather or thistle. Or maybe it was lavender. The flowers swirled around in various shapes and lines, dancing around the cups and teapot.

Anna sat down in the armchair across from them, picking up a teacup and taking a sip. "You like the set?"

"Oh, yes." Kira looked up, smiling. She must have been staring at it.

"It has been in my family for many years."

She picked up a cup and turned it around, examining it. "It's in very good condition."

"Magic is useful for many things."

She set down the cup and crossed her hands in her lap. "What can you tell me about Dhara Horne?"

Anna sat back in the chair. "Dhara Horne was an incredibly powerful witch. Her magic was beyond just wandless, it was ancient. It had been lost to everyone but her line. Many think she created all of her spells, but there are some that existed long before her."

"It feels like a force, like a physical thing."

Anna nodded. "It is. That is how Dhara described it in her diaries."

"Her diaries?"

"Yes. I have one of them here. The others were destroyed, but she mentions them in this one. You are free to read it some time."

Kira leaned forward, on the edge of her seat. She was on the edge of so much discovery. "What else did she say?"

"She believed the magic was a living thing, that lived in her. That it had somehow chosen her. She described it as a force that guided her and in turn she guided it when casting spells. It is quite complicated."

Her magic did feel alive. Like it was talking to her. It made sense. What other theories existed?

"How did she learn to control it? How did you?"

Anna thought for a moment. "Practice. Becoming one with the magic inside her. Dhara believed it was something that could not be controlled, but rather something that worked with the magic user."

Aurelia sat forward, her gaze intense. "What about her magic artefacts?"

She chuckled. "Oh, most of those are stories. But there are rumors that she hid a few items that were riddled with magic. Experimentations. Some say they are incredibly powerful. Some say she hid them to protection the world."

"Where are they?"

"No one knows. We can talk more about them tomorrow."

Kira nodded. "What about the stories about her? Ones where she worked for kings and queens or tamed an entire flock of dragon."

"Many are fables or false from years of being told. But her diary does mention a few journeys from different kingdoms on the backs of dragons." She winked. "I'll leave the diary in your room for you to look over later. For now, I must tend to my garden." She took a last sip of tea and left.

Kira leaned back into her chair and turned her head to look at Aurelia, her mouth open in pure excitement. "Can you believe this? There is so much information about her in this very house." She sat forward and turned her body towards her, leaning forward. "Imagine how much her diary will help me understand what's happening."

Two months ago her magic had began to feel more intense. She could sense when it was going to rain, long before it did and knew when someone was using magic nearby. Not to mention the continuous feeling that something was going to happen. It was if her magic had been building up to something but she did not know what. It irked her that she did not know, did not understand it.

She did know, however, that something was going to happen. She could feel it. In the magic, in her gut. It was a sense so powerful she could not doubt it. Something was coming and her only option was to learn more about this magic because she did not know if it was good or bad.

________________________________________

So Anna Horne. How do we feel about her?

– walkingmasterpiece xx