Moira's Cottage
6:21 pm

Moira leaned back against the kitchen counter and took a drink of her coffee, still spiked with a hint of WideEye Potion. Her hair hung wet and heavy over her shoulders, having not bothered to dry it yet after her shower. That was her excuse, anyway.

Thanks to the curse she was under[1] the witch had been getting a lot of practice in casting spells nonverbally, much more than she ever had in school. Now, she was tired of practicing all the time and she was tired of talking 'as often as possible' to try and break the curse to get her voice back fully. The curse wasn't breaking. However, over the past few days it had become noticeably easier. Except right now, her voice wasn't working at all. So her hair hung wet.

Two of her friends, the only two really, would be arriving at any moment. After having a sleepover with them during the last full moon, suggested by a somewhat paranoid werewolf hunter[2], Abby Reid had claimed they should make it a monthly ritual. The squib never needed an excuse to have a sleepover, but now she had an excuse at least once a month. A full moon sleepover. Neither Moira or Sasha had seen a good reason decline the idea.

At the end of the Full Snow Moon, the witch had made sure her friends knew they didn't need an invitation to stop by if they ever wished, so long as she was at home. Fortunately, her work schedule was consistent. Then, while she did make the occasional trip to town to buy supplies she did not take random week long 'business trips' like some people she knew[3].

The witch's stomach growled in complaint at a lack of food and she ignored it. Moira had only gotten off work at six, so her immediate concern had been to shower and feed Casper. At this point, the witch had decided to wait until the prince and princess arrived. More than likely, Sasha would have already eaten. The wizard was very careful about what he ate. Abby she wasn't so sure about. There was a chance she might have waited in the hopes that her wix friend would cooked, or she might have eaten so as not to be rude. She might have even taken some time to eat with her boyfriend. There was no way to really know until they arrived.

A short while later Moira heard a noise outside. After checking the wards she took another drink of coffee and went to open the door.

1.	Moira touched a tree that had been poisoned with a curse by Lorelei Hunt in The Grave
2.	Shoot The Moon
3.	Referring to her uncle Duncan when Kurby went to visit him in the second note's thread

Nose to the ground, Baldur trotted down the path ahead of them, his wagging tail picking up speed whenever the shepherd caught a whiff of rabbit or fox trail.  But, the scent only distracted the dog for a moment.  By the time Sasha and Abby had caught up with him, Baldur had garnered whatever information he'd needed and moved off down the trail in front of them. 

Sasha held the plastic bag of takeaway Thai food in one hand and Abby's hand in the other, though perhaps a bit more firmly than was the norm.  The last rays of sunlight had just dipped below the horizon though they had about a half hour before the full moon would start it's journey across the sky.  Just enough time for them to add a few more defenses and barriers around the small cottage. 

"Bettina was in line behind me, going on about how often Smith[1] has been finding reasons to drop by Lockhart's[2] office.  You know how she is, always wanting to find succulent gossip where there isn't any to be found."  Sasha wouldn't openly admit that he found the Ministry shop gossip amusing but it wasn't an uncommon topic of conversation.  And, not only because it was a decent distraction from the full, orb-like elephant lingering just below the horizon.  "But, I have seen him down there every time I've stopped by the patent office." 

Sasha had taken quickly to the idea of hunkering down for full moons as a group.  Despite years dedicated to learning to protect himself against werewolves using both lethal and less-lethal methods, the event still made him nervous.  He was already in the habit of keeping vigil every month; doing so at a new location was easy enough.  There was also a benefit to be had in keeping together as a group. 

A slit of light cut through the grey dusk ahead and Baldur lifted his head.  With an exuberant wag of his tail, he trotted ahead to greet the young witch standing in the doorway to the cottage. 

"I keep telling you, we're missing out on prime movie marathon opportunities," Sasha offered with a grin.  "Next month, we're going to have to dedicate the night to a Back to the Future trilogy."

1.	Adam Smith - member of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad on Level 3
2.	Flash Lockhart - Head of Magical Games & Sports on Level 7

Though shadows stretched across the misty hills in one last farewell to the sun, and Abby's shoes sank into the mud with every step she took, Abby had never felt safer on the short walk to Moira's cottage. Baldur bounded not too far ahead, and Sasha's hand was warm in hers.

And the land had not yet been disturbed.

They passed by the grave of Moira's mother, the tree solid and strong, still a sentinel for those dead and living.

But Abby directed her gaze ahead. To Moira. They were here to worry about werewolves. No, they were here to make sure that Moira was safe and Sasha could relax with friends and Abby had a tradition to look forward to. Baggynold was a secret softie! The next time Abby saw the werewolf hunter, she'd have to tell him that he'd started a tradition of inviting too many people over to the most introverted person's house.[1]

"Oh wow, that's so terrible of Bettina," Abby commented, her eyes sparkling, fully aware that Sasha was participating in gossip just by talking about Bettina gossiping, but he was being oh so cute and earnest about it, she'd let him. Besides, Bettina did enjoy speculating a little too much.

The first thing Abby noticed upon seeing Moira in the doorway was that her hair was wet.  If Sasha weren't here, Abby would shamelessly offer to braid it. She still might.

"Next month, we're going to have to dedicate the night to a Back to the Future trilogy."

"We're just going to have to talk to each other!"

Abby grinned, hurrying up the steps after Baldur to offer Moira a quick, not-too-intrusive hug. Movie or no, she and Sasha would help her talk again and keep her company. Abby had brought games and a few other surprises in her bag.

"We brought food and our lovely selves! I bet you haven't eaten yet."

1.	In Bones and Ashes, Bagnold was stuck hosting the blond brigade and Duncan

Moira watched the three figures approach the house and gave a small smile and nod in greeting. The two of them were holding hands while they walked, as to be expected. When the big dog bounded over the remaining distance to say hello her smile widened into a grin. She crouched down to greet the dog properly - a kiss on the nose and sloppy return kisses - and spoke to him with words that had no sound.

Fondling Baldur’s ears once more, the witch rose to her feet just in time to accept Abby’s considerate hug. Her friend looked much better than when they last saw each other, more like herself. It was a good sight to see and Moira took it as a good sign for the night ahead of them.

At Abby’s mention of food, Moira’s stomach growled in response and she had to shake her head. Glancing curiously to the bag Sasha was carrying she noted the logo on it but couldn’t make out what exactly it was. She raised her eyebrows questioningly before shrugging and motioned them all inside with a nod of her head.

They doorway led into the living room where it became obvious the cabin hadn’t changed at all in the way of items. It was furnished just enough to be liveable and decorated just enough to not look bare. The latter would have been even more sparse except Abby had helped pick several of them out when they went shopping back in December[1]. Moira’s friend had been kind in keeping her particular tastes in mind. Everything looked natural, no funky colors, and especially no glitter.

There also wasn’t much in the way of electronics. With all the magic being used daily, including the constant presence of the wards, even a landline phone - which had nothing to connect to - wouldn’t survive for long.

Motioning for her friends to make themselves at home she looked to the door and reset the wards for the lock. This particular task her uncle had made sure she could do, able to speak or not. One never knew where that skill would come in handy.

1.	The Princess and The Wolf

"We're just going to have to talk to each other!"

Well, of course they would.  Sasha pondered this very obvious response as Baldur then Abby offered Moira a proper greeting.  Back to the Future marathon and talking weren't necessarily mutually exclusive; he wasn't wholly opposed to pausing the movie to discuss the broader implications of time travel and butterfly effects. 

However, he did keep those thoughts to himself while carefully surveying the grounds behind him before following the two young women and dog inside. 

"Vegetable curry," he offered in answer to Moira's questioning glance.  "And spring rolls.  I think something noodl-y, too ... or ..."  He thought he spotted Abby adding a dish or two to the online ordering app right before he'd checked out.  "Hope you like peanuts." 

He added a few of his own wards and protections to the assortment of McBoid defenses.  Between the two of them, a werewolf might be able to attempt to get in but he'd probably slink away, sorry he'd bothered.  Once confident in Fort Knox-McBoid's security, Sasha set the bags on the kitchen table.

"I think that's a pretty safe bet," Sasha added, with a grin.  "I'd recommended doing some competitive pad thai eating - you know, get versions of all five levels of heat and see who can get the furthest - but I got overruled.  Maybe next time."

Moira adored Baldur and Baldur adored Moira, which was to be expected. Abby smiled at her friend, glad she'd ordered a bunch of extra dishes to try, as the curse of silence hadn't affected Moira's appetite.

As Sasha and Moira fortified the cottage, Abby took the food out of the bags and set the table for three, having convinced Moira that she needed more than one glass and one plate and one knife and fork the last time she was here. The plates were a dark teal with a subtle Celtic pattern texture built into the stoneware. Abby had also pointed out some simple woven placemats to 'protect the table', she'd told Moira practically, and to make it pretty, she hadn't said.

"So many noodles," Abby agreed with Sasha. "I sneaked in a few desserts, too. And a boba green tea with Moira's name on it."

Abby could smell the coffee in the air, but Moira might like the bubble tea, if she tried it. Abby was obsessed.

With a grin at Sasha, Abby picked up the small bonsai tree from the middle of the table and placed it on the kitchen counter for now, so they could look at each other while they talked and ate. She'd gifted Moira the tree last month, partly to prove that it made an excellent housewarming gift for someone who would actually take care of it. And she had!

"What can I say? I can only handle Level Two heat," Abby took the seat beside Sasha. "More show than spice."

Moira considered her two friends when Sasha mentioned a contest of who could withstand the most heat when it came to spicy food. Taking her own seat the wix shook her head, “Sor-” she paused momentarily, surprised her voice chose now to work before continuing, “Sorry, Sasha. I think we’d just establish you as the automatic winner before we even started.”

Spicy food was more than an enjoyable meal for her. However, killing her taste buds in a contest was less enjoyable.

“Thanks for the food.”

A short while later

As per the usual McBoid style, there were no leftovers to put away when the trio finished eating. Moira sat back with a satisfied sigh, her stomach pleasantly full for the first time since Boxing Day.[1] There were no instances of starvation in her routine, only sometimes she did miss lunch while working or only ate enough to keep her going.

During the meal her voice cut in and out as usual when she did speak. Abby’s encouragement did end up on the receiving end of a small scowl from the wix - though the cause was really her dad and uncle’s fault for pestering her since she had been cursed to ‘keep trying’ and ‘not give up’.

Intending to be a good host, Moira pulled out her wand out of her sleeve and concentrated. The levitation spell was easy enough, one of the first spells they had learned in school, and she’d had some success casting it wordlessly. There was no reason for the process to not go smoothly, so long as she only focused on one spell at a time while she cleaned the table.

The trash went into the bin. The silverware went to the sink, followed shortly by the plates.

Crash!

Followed by all but one of the plates, anyway. Moira frowned slightly in annoyance.

1.	People Make Holidays Special

A trio of bellies were filled and no tastebuds had been sacrificed to the pyre of stupid, juvenile entertainment.  Aside from the occasional soft rustle of bushes or cry of a passing fox, the meal had gone pleasantly uneventfully. 

While Moira had taken the lead in cleaning up the dishes, Sasha set himself to making a fresh batch of coffee.  Or, rather, he’d had the intention of making coffee until he was reminded that his familiarity with magical home economics was quite limited.  At least he’d caught himself moments before asking Moira where she kept her espresso and milk frother machines. 

Well.  Tea.  He could handle tea. 

Sasha had started to add water to the kettle on the fire when a sudden crash made him jump.  He turned to see shards of teal ceramic scattered across the floor from the broken plate. 

“Oh no, I’m sorry-“ he offered, setting the kettle down.  Distracted as he was by the shattered dish, he didn’t notice something outside had captured Baldur’s attention.  The Shepherd’s nose was pressed firmly against the crack along the bottom of the door, taking rapid, short sniffs of the outside world.  Still oblivious, Sasha had hurried over with his wand in his hand. 

He started to point it at the fragmented dish but then hesitated.  He didn’t want to injure Moira’s pride by jumping in to fix it for her.  Deftly, he changed tactics and gathered the scattered constellation of ceramic into a pile and moved them back onto the table. 

“I’m happy to stitch them together,” he offered, leaving the option with Moira.

Crash!

Abby glanced up from the table she'd been wiping down, pursing her mouth to keep from giggling at Sasha who apologized for a plate he didn't break. When he knelt, she walked over to hand him the dish towel so he could protect his hands. Abby gave him a small, warm smile, recognizing his hesitation. He often hesitated with her too, waiting to see if she wanted him to fix it with magic or figure it out herself. Or better yet, together.

She appreciated his hesitations.

"Aren't you glad I convinced you to buy more than one plate?" Abby teased Moira, fully expecting the scowl she'd earned a few other times earlier in the night. But Moira had at least tried! Moira had talked a little, between mouthfuls of delicious Thai food.

Leaving Sasha and Moira to the plate dilemma, Abby glanced around for something else she could help with. Even Baldur was helping! Baldur was staring intently out the window, sniffing at the sill, his ears pricked. It was so funny when pets played defender.

"What do you see out there, Baldur?" Abby chirped at him, her voice soft so as not to interrupt Moira's attempts to speak.

"Is it a rabbit, a fox? A rustling, rowdy shrubbery?"

She went to the window and put her own face next to Baldur's, looking more at Baldur than the view outside. His eyes softened when she gave him a pat on the head. Abby finally peered out into the darkness. Though the moon was full and the stars were visible, she expected to see nothing more than her blond hair reflected in the glass, and the smudges of Baldur's nose.

Abby blinked. In the distance, amongst the shadowy tall forms of the trees, a tiny light twinkled.

"Is it a falling star? A pixie? A..."

The tiny light drifted and bobbed around a short, small tree. A tree with no branches.

Abby kept squinting. Maybe it wasn't a tree. It was a strange, shadowy shape in the dark.

The shape moved. A little to the side, a little to the other side. Edging forward.

Abby edged back, glancing around the light-filled cottage. Her blue eye gave a twitch. She rubbed at her eyebrow absently.

"Are you expecting anyone else, Moira?" Abby knew full well she was not, but she smiled anyway, not wanting to alarm her. It could be Duncan or Angus checking in on them.

"A wand light's bobbing out there. At least, I think that's what it is." She tilted her head toward the window.

Baldur let out a low 'harumph'. Yes, he'd seen it too!

---

A wand light was indeed bobbing out there.

When the blond girl turned her face from the window, the figure in the distance raised her wand.

Nox. The wand light went out.

Moira gave Sasha a grateful nod at his offer to fix the plate. He had always been considerate in that way, sparing her pride and helping her save face even among friends. Had she tried to repair the broken plate, likely nothing would have happened or something would have caused it to break into smaller pieces in her attempt.


At Abby’s question and the followup mention of a possible wandlight, the witch’s grateful-to-Sasha but annoyed-at-herself expression turned serious and focused as she rose from her chair, moving to the window beside her. Moira hadn’t mentioned to either of her friends the times when she had felt watched, something the others in her family had only admitted too after the desecration of Iona’s grave. They might have heard about it through Ministry gossip though.

There were no lights that she could see, but that didn’t mean one hadn’t been there. Moira gave Abby’s hand a squeeze of support and glanced at Sasha. She tried to tell them what she was going to do, but again her voice didn’t work.

With a shake of her head, she attempted again through body language, pointing up at the cottage lights a moment before she put them out. It was easier to see into the light from out in the darkness while those in the light had a very limited view. Better to not give any foe such an advantage.

Moira looked back out the window again, letting her vision adjust to the dark and the light of the moon.