Freedom, Flight and Fight - A NaNoWriMo Story
an excerpt

Freedom, Flight and Fight
By Muirnin Cocan

Disclaimer:
All characters and related references to incidents in Books 1 – 7 that are associated with Harry Potter and HIS universe are all owned by J. K. Rowling. All additional characters and the storylines are created and owned by Muirnin Cocan. Any type of recognizable storyline could be configured by any number of fan fiction writers and in no way is it an intentional copying. There are just way too many fan fictions out there that have covered any number of speculations of the characters created by J. K. Rowling. As such, there is just only so much originality that we can write from.
Acknowledgements to some fan fiction authors who have given me inspiration as well as a desire to continue writing … especially given my chosen desire to read and write stories based on what I saw as being what was RIGHT over the way that it was written in canon which was an easy way out. The authors I have to acknowledge at this time are Kinsfire and his wife Dorothy, as well as Bob & Alex, Canoncansodoff, Chemprof, and many others that I may name later.
My disappointment in the Harry Potter series is full, not only because of the outcome of the relationships and friendships involved, but also because it proved that even writers with as much fame as J. K. Rowling can be swayed by fan based emotion.
There were so many unbelievable aspects to the last couple of books that caused me to take a step back and wonder why she would write what she did … even with the relationships that she ended the book with, she still disregarded much of the continuity of the original work in books 1-4 and in my humble opinion, ruined a fine base of work.
This story is my 2007 NaNoWriMo piece that unfortunately is not up to my normal writing. I got a very, very late start on writing due to the fact that I did not have a computer to work on nor did I, in all honesty, have the passion and desire to write due to personal problems that are still plaguing me as of this writing.
Every time, I would start writing anything it would just not go anywhere and I would find myself uninspired to continue writing. It was very discouraging and I sincerely considered not participating in this years NaNoWriMo … despite my egotistical desire to share my writing with others. What can I say … I love any type of positive criticism. As long as it is positive … I have no problems with what my reviewers write. What I do have a problem with are people who just want to flame or trash for no reason at all. If you do not like what I write, don’t read!
Anyway, it was the recommendation of the writers in the NaNoWriMo Utah Elsewhere forum (whom I am just getting to know and find a kinship with) that convinced me to write what I am comfortable with and as I have noticed with others … to start from where I feel that changes needed to be made from ... Hence the reason for my starting from here starting at the end of Book 5. While it had potential to be a totally awesome book, some things in the book bothered me really bad … especially after reading book 6.
I, unlike a few authors, have read all 7 books and while I am disappointed (as I have mentioned earlier … can I say that often enough?) I do find a few things quite good within the plot structure of the books. A few things I dislike and have decided to rewrite to my own imagination … The part of Sirius Black is now being played by an older Hugh Jackman … because he is so fantastic. It was a toss up between him and Pierce Brosnan.
Some of the following may be of an adult nature and discretion should be used and is highly recommended. I make no promises that I will get my entire 50,000 words written by the end of November but I will try.
Wish me luck …
As Always,
Muirnin – who will continue to strive to write … what is RIGHT over what is EASY … If life was easy … Many people would find that all their dreams would come true.

Chapter 01
Freedom!
The sound of a howling dog startled Áláinn Sclábhai, causing her long fingered hands to skid over the hunk of clay, that spun round and round upon the potter’s wheel. The liquid clay known as slip was splattered everywhere … a mess upon the area around the large cement slab that held the clay. It wasn’t everyone who could throw a pot, but the Sclábhai had used this form of creative effort in connection with her meditation … establishing a trance as she let her fingers slide over the slick surface of the item that she was creating.
Sometimes, she would not see anything upon the slippery surface … however, this time she did. At the moment of the howling of the distant dog, she distinctly saw the image of a man wizard battling a witch of dark features. The wizard was handsome in a roguish sort of way. The witch was showing such anger and resentment towards the wizard … who was in his own right confidently cocky.
After a number of calculated comments from what appeared to be cousins, the witch fired a red tinted spell at the wizard who was caught unawares and fell backwards through a veiled arch … disappearing into the ether.
It was at that moment that the howl of the dog startled Áláinn causing her to gasp at the feel of the handsome wizard’s death.
“GAYLORD!” Áláinn screamed in terror. “GAYLORD!” she screamed again trying to find the hesitant house-elf whom served her.
“Aye, Mistress … what troubles you so?” Gaylord said with a trembling voice … bowing low before the raven haired witch.
“Alert the mistress of the mirrors … I will need to go attend to a death.” The Sclábhai stated with composed stature … in direct contrast to her earlier state.
“Aye, Mistress … how much time should I tell her to expect you?” Gaylord asked.
“Tell the Banbha that I will floo over in 20 minutes. If what I suspect has happened we will need to act within the hour.”
Áláinn Sclábhai watched as the finely dressed house-elf bowed deeply and scurried off to alert the Banbha. As the Sclábhai she was a unique individual within the Wizard community.
She was tall, thin and beautiful defying her 40 years of age. She had extremely long black wavy hair and startling sapphire blue eyes ... Her ancestry was of Irish descent and her foremothers, in the dark ages, had been slaves to the English wizards … prior to enslavement of the present day House-elves. Even her name recognized her ancestry … Áláinn Sclábhai meaning beautiful slave in Irish.
The women of the Clan Sclábhai had suffered through a bitter history, whose ancestral beauty and magical talents had rivaled not only the Veela, but also many of the other Dryads and Nymphs over time.
They were Succubus by birth, enthralling men both Wizard and Mundane. They were gifted with providing pleasure in the most intense and intimate way possible. Other gifts that Áláinn had been born with were a form of empathy, divination skills, as well as an acute magical power. The American born witch was extremely talented and caught on to spells, curses and jinxes faster than any other in her class at the San Francisco School of Mystical Education.
She immediately changed her clothing for the floo to her former school. Hurrying through the halls of her Napa Valley home, she grabbed hold of a brass door knob and tossed floo powder at the wooden door and said “Mystic School” then pulling open the door walked through into the entry way as if she had walked up the stairs to her present location. Anyone seeing her enter this way would have just seen her appear out of thin air and not think anything out of the ordinary as this was a common way of floo travel in the United States. Any floo network connection was a doable portal, while only in the states were the oaken doors used rather than the European fireplace floo network.
Looking around quickly, she then closed her eyes and popped up to the Divination tower. She found herself in a room that was filled with many crystals of various colors along with bunches of drying herbs hanging from the ceiling as well as candles, incense and bottles of other herbs and spices.
Everywhere you looked you could see some form of magical quotient that was used in divining the future or looking into the past.
The Banbha that was in the room was similar in many ways to the woman, who had just entered the room, that she had a history that was formed in the dark ages. However, the Schools Mistress of Divination did not involve herself with her heritage the way that the Sclábhai had.
“Liesel, I need to have access to the Mirror of the Veil. A man went through it who was not supposed to die.” Áláinn said as she strode to the area where the blonde haired, brown eyed woman sat behind a desk.
“Áláinn are you sure that he was innocent when he went through?” Liesel asked cautiously.
“Have you ever known my powers to be wrong?” Áláinn asked as she stood before her friend.
Liesel stood up and walked towards a curtained area of the room. “No, but you do realize I had to ask.”
“I know … I would rather not cast the spell because there were witnesses to his death. However there is something about the man that went through the Veiled Arch ... Like I have …”
“You don’t mean the one that is at the British Ministry of Magic … Oh Goddess; those Brits are a careless bunch. They can’t even integrate themselves with the world of the Mundane like we have been able to.”
“What can I say … We are Americans … we believe in freedom of religion as well as being able to accept others no matter what their race, creed or …”
“Yeah, Yeah, I know the political propaganda as well as anyone. We’ve had enough of a civil rights war right here in the states. We magic users have suffered our share of resentments as well what with the witch burnings. But over time, we have learned to live with each other and be able to incorporate their technology with our own magic.” Liesel said with confidence.
She pulled the golden cord that held close the burgundy velvet drapes exposing a huge mirror with a golden frame around it. Along the top of the arch of the mirror frame was the inscription ‘liev eht hguorht derettacs era stirips nehw ereh si esaeler … ylno stneconni rof stsixe erutuf a’.
There was a shadowy image of a man whose surprised features seemed to glow. “You know how this is supposed to work Áláinn … just translate the incantation that is above the frame. I will get with the healer to make sure we have potions on hand in case there is a problem.” Liesel then left the room.
Áláinn nodded and held up her rosewood wand in her right hand, the ruby embedded in the tip glowed as she spoke confidently “A future exists for innocents only … release is here when spirits are scattered through the veil.”
The frame of the mirror seemed to glow an intense red glow that echoed the curse that the man had been hit with and then a bright flash as the man flew through the mirrors surface. He flew towards the immobile Sclábhai and knocked her to the ground landing on top of her, gasping for breath. Her arms had reflexively wrapped around his body
His dark grey eyes flew open and he stared intently at the woman pressed under his body. “Hello beautiful, fancy meeting you here.”
“Well I can see that we don’t need any healers … yet, unless you plan on crushing me … especially since I just released you from your death.”
Still in the compromising situation, the black haired man gave her a genuine smile “Well I appreciate that, since we are here and you obviously can’t get away … and I from you since you are holding me … Let me introduce myself … I am Sirius Black.”
“So, you’re Sirius Black … nice to finally meet you, my name is Áláinn Sclábhai … do you mind if we get up from the ground now?” She responded … her sapphire blue eyes sparkling as she reluctantly released her hold on him.
“Ah so I was right … you are beautiful … definitely not a slave anymore but beautiful so fits your name.” He said as he stood up and then gave her his hand to help her up. “How ever did you know I had just gone through the veil? I thought I was dead.”
“You were dead Mr. Black. You are not now. I know … your name … I know if you were not innocent of the crimes of years past that you would never have survived the release and been able to come out of the mirror … so I know you are innocent and now because you had died,” she smiled “you are now free … and nothing that your ministry does can change that. Your being freed by the Mirror of the Veil is proof positive that you are an innocent man.”
“I’m free? Oh, Merlin!” He whispered and grabbed Áláinn in a tight embrace and kissed her deeply and passionately.
She felt her body respond to his ministrations as she deepened the kiss until breathlessly they broke apart.
Sirius blushed as he looked into Áláinn’s blue eyes, “I really want to apologize … I normally do not do that to a woman that I just met. I couldn’t help myself … and before you say it was from your pheromones … it was not. Ever since I was a youngster I have been immune to all forms of succubae. But I am honestly and sincerely attracted to you. Do you believe in the legend of soul mates?”
Áláinn smiled, “Of course I do. I’ve never known of anyone with that kind of immunity.”
“My Godson has also shown that same type of immunity … he actually knows a Veela and has had no enthrallment from her.” Sirius said, still holding the Sclábhai in his arms.
“He must have a special relationship with a single woman in his life … perhaps even his own soul mate.”
“I would say so … Oh, I need to get in touch with him … he has got to think I am dead now.” Sirius spoke with a bit of fear tingeing his voice.
“No worries. What has happened in London has happened …” she closed her eyes for a moment then said, “I sense that there is information that an old man with … deception about him … there is a greater need to be shared with your Godson, first and then you can contact him.” Áláinn said, not really wanting to be released from this mans arms.
“So you are a true Sclábhai then? You have the divination skills?” Sirius asked.
“Well, it was during my meditation that I saw you and your cousin I think, battling and then she caught you off guard and hit you with a stunner and you went through the arch. Are you an Animagus? I could have sworn I heard a dog howl right when you went through the veil.”
“You are good. Yes, my form is a dog … looks like a grim.” Sirius said with pride. “James, Peter and I became Animagus so we could keep our friend Remus company while …” He stopped talking all of the sudden as if realizing that he has spoken too much.
“While he transformed into a Werewolf …” she finished for him surprising him. She was breathing heavily “Sirius, I do believe you were right …”
“Soul mates?”
“Soul mates … Oh, Goddess …” She said as tears filled her eyes … she felt him press her body closer to him, pulling her head towards him, gently kissing each of her eyes. She could feel the passion and love in him like she had never felt before, reflective of her own sudden feelings of love she felt for him.
“Is there somewhere we can go to talk? I feel like I need to fill you in on all the details of my life.”
“You won’t need to fill me in; I can probably … I could tell you all about your life.” She lowered her eyes slightly as if ashamed, “I have known about you my entire life … just not met you yet; until now. I was about 3 years old when I felt your presence come into the world.”
“I wish I could say the same about you … the only time I have ever seen someone so in love with another individual was with my best friend James and his wife Lily … although she did hate him for the longest time.” Sirius said holding her close, finally feeling the same thing that James had felt for Lily. “What ever magic that has caused this, I know that I am finally free … both in body and spirit … and I can now love that same way … with you.”
“Sirius, let’s go home … I’ll show you a technique that will teach you all about my life … as if you had been a part of it all along.” Áláinn said kissing him gently on the lips then softly whispered, “It may be for the best that we contact your Godson from home later today. I have some … information about his future as well as the young woman who he is attached to … she was severely injured tonight in London … he was really shaken up when she got hit by the slicing hex … but she and the others will be fine.”
Sirius kept his arm around her waist as they turned to leave the curtained area, to the other room where they found a note:
Áláinn & Sirius,
Now I can see why you were so intent to get him out of the mirror. My friend you have found your Soul mate and I wish you the best of luck. I honestly do not think you will need my help, but if you do … you know where I can be found and what answers to questions you are lacking (Honestly … you two are already sickening and if you don’t know how to do certain things by now … I will be more than happy to embarrass you both)
Love always,
Liesel
“Who is Liesel?” Sirius asked as they headed towards a wooden door similar to the one she had in her home.
“You know about the Sclábhai … well she is a Banbha … similar but not the succubae that the Sclábhai are. She has more telepathic skills as well as more intricate divination skills.” She said as she repeated the action to go home by tossing the powder and saying ‘Valley home’. Opening the door, she took Sirius by the hand and led him towards their future … a future that if what she had seen in her past meditations could mean a change for her that she had feared for the evil it possessed.
As they passed over the threshold of her home in the Napa Valley, Sirius felt as if he had come home. For the first time in a decade and half, he was a free man and he was learning what it meant to be in love. Love at first sight was a supposed myth and yet … here he was completely in love with a woman whom he had just met … but that wasn’t quite right either, because he had felt that she had always been a part of his life.
It was probably because of the mystic influence of love that he had not turned dark like the legions of his other family members. It could have been so easy to do just that when internally he felt a directed need to do what was right … and that was to not be dark.
He looked over at where Áláinn was standing talking to a very well dressed house-elf. The elf spoke very well … much clearer than any house-elf that he had ever seen or met. He thought about his own house-elf Kreacher and shook his head at the huge differences between the elves. Just in appearance between the two Gaylord won hands down. In manner of speech it was also apparent that Gaylord had been well educated … unlike his English counterpart.
Gaylord had nodded his head and headed out the door after his Mistress had finished discussing with him her plans for the rest of the evening. Áláinn had turned around and saw Sirius staring at her.
“Sirius … why don’t you follow me into the living room, and we can talk.” She said quietly. Leading the way he followed and entered into a large, elegantly decorated room in golden tones, medium woods, rustic colors and soft beiges. The leather sofa and love seat were placed cozily in front of a stone faced fireplace.
They cuddled together on the love seat quietly for a short time. Finally, Áláinn looked at Sirius and said “Have you ever studied legilimency?”
“They taught us occlumency in the Auror’s academy. I have only used legilimency on a couple of occasions when I was questioning a death eater … why?”
“Well, the easiest way to learn more about me would be for you to see it in my mind. There are other techniques that I could teach you but that would take too much time. With you knowing how to do legilimens … we can kill two birds with one stone. You can learn about me and also see what I know about your Godson … Harry.”
Sirius stared at her, he had not said Harry’s name at any time and yet she knew who her Godson was. Not many people had that information. “How did you know that?”
“I trust you Sirius … just look into my mind and you will see how and why I know what I do. I have had many meditative sessions … visions if you will, that have involved Harry Potter since his parents had been killed.” She hesitated for a moment then added, “I even had a vision about what happened between you and Peter. It’s part of the reason why I have such contempt for the British Ministry of Magic. I contacted them, told them what I had seen … Sirius … they treated me as if I wasn’t even human. I even contacted the Headmaster at the School there in Great Britain … I had heard he was some big-wig and had a lot of power within your ministry. Anyway, he told me that what I had seen in my vision was of no substance even though I …” She was showing such discomfort at this revelation.
“Don’t worry about Dumbledore now … I know what a manipulative bastard he can be.” Sirius said holding her closer.
Áláinn nodded, “I knew you were not the secret keeper and told this to Dumbledore. I’m so sorry … he said that everything was happening according to his plan and that everything I knew would be ignored until the time was right. It bothered me for years after. But it was like I had a window into Harry’s life, so I watched over him as best I could … seeing what he went through with his Aunt and Uncle. I even tried to report his situation to the Child Protective Services; you weren’t kidding when you said that Dumbledore was manipulative. He memory charmed any social workers that came to Harry’s home … making them believe that everything was hunky-dory.”
“Let’s do this … I need to know everything.” Sirius pointed his wand at Áláinn’s head and said “Legilimens”.