Chapter Text
Free Falling
Now let us truly begin...
Prologue
Long, long ago when the world was still young the Magi roamed the planet freely. Their magic a gift of the Mother Magic herself, she who created he planet also known as mother Nature, a power that was used in harmony. The Magi created seven objects of power to commune with their Mother, to seek her guidance and bask in her love. The first and oldest was the mirror of souls that allowed one to commune with the Mother and those she harbored, the second the ring of fortune allowed one to speak the Mother's thoughts to other magi, the third object the bowl of knowledge which allowed one to share in the consciousness of Mother Magic. The fourth and fifth objects were both lost soon after their making as Mother Magic was displeased with their form and powers. The sixth object created was the orb of commitment which allowed one to sense the bonds between all living things. The last object was created in secrecy and was said to have a piece of Mother Magic herself, one that allowed you into her realm if she wished it. For many years the Magi lived in peace, but one day a new life appeared on the planet. One not of Mother's design. This life called themselves humans, the Magi called them muggles. At first there were no problems and the Magi taught the muggles how to survive. They looked like the Magi but had none of their gifts, and so the muggles began to resent the Magi. The population of muggles grew rapidly and soon in their jealousy and rage the new life forms attacked the Magi overwhelming them and killing many. The Magi hid themselves, but over the years many were found and killed and with them the objects of power were destroyed. Soon the objects passed into myth and legend until they were forgotten even among the oldest tales. Until only one object remained... Here is where this story truly starts.
Ministry of Magic
Sirius Black had no thoughts when he tried to save Harry, all he new was that his godson was in danger. He could not let anymore of his family die, he didn't want to feel the loneliness again. He had only just found Harry again and he couldn't lose him now, not when he was turning out to be one he loved like a son. He just could not let that happen. When Harry jumped toward the veil to save Sirius he had no plan as to how to stop himself from falling in. His only thought being that he could not stand to have someone else he loved leave him behind. His mind whirled with pain at the thought of being without someone who cared again. And when he started to fall in with his godfather he never expected to feel someone else try to grab him. When Remus grabbed Harry his only thought was that he could not let the last of the people he considered family die, and inside Mooney roared for his pack members. He refused to be alone again. He had lost James and Lily. Peter had turned on them all. He couldn't let the last two people he truly cared about leave him behind, he didn't want to be alone again. With these thoughts the three men fell into the Veil. Never knowing that behind them Voldemort shrieked and began to burn as the Veil's power shredded through him, following the connection from the horcrux to it's creator and all of it's other pieces. Thus did the plague of the wizarding world die, killed by the power he knew not. And Harry Potter was celebrated as a hero, for many thought he knew what would happen if he jumped in, and no one was there to tell them otherwise. It was a few years later that they started noticing the loss of magic. Certain people and families were losing their magic entirely, while others were gaining more. And this time they had no scapegoat to blame.
The Mother
It had been a very long time since any of Her children had come into her realm, and even longer since any had spoken to Her. She knew that the Magi had long forgotten the past and those who had known of Her had not been able to teach their children before their passing. Their souls apologized for failing to do so when they had come back to Her. She also knew that the true power of the veil had been forgotten over the ages. There had been a few misguided attempts to use it but those who had come through the veil had not been worth Her attention so She had promptly banished them. Long had she mourned the fact that She could no longer directly help Her children in their struggles. Having no true physical form She could only urge those children most connected to Her to help.
She had been saddened to know that Her youngest children were unable to speak with Her. The loss of lore and objects causing an uncrossable rift between Her and the Magi children still surviving, even for one such as Herself. So She was quite pleasantly surprised when three of Her children fell through Her door. Touching their minds She judged them worthy of Her attentions and gladly opened Her doors. But on closer inspection She noticed the injuries and the soul deep pain Her lovely children were suffering. Even unconscious as they were now the pain was there. This would not do.
She started with the poor little were-cub on Her floor, curing the madness that had twisted the magnificent beast inside into thinking it was of wolf form, stopping the blood lust and removing the scars that littered his body. Next she worked on the pup next to him. Once again curing the madness that had been caused by the twisting of power and loneliness, then correcting the physical imperfections, the malnutrition and the scars as well as that horrible brand. Last She turned her attention to the small cub with them, seeing the cursed scar and Her anger mounted. There on the cub was an evil She would not permit in Her realm, quickly she used Her power to Burn the impure soul that had plagued the poor child for so long, watching as the evil creature who had done such a horrible thing writhed in agonizing death. Her brother Death would welcome Her gift of this evil soul She knew. This soul would no longer drain Her precious child of his gifts. Then she started on the physical problems this poor child has, the malnutrition, the many scars, and the blocking spells that separated him from his true power.
Finished with their healing She gently gathered Her children into her “arms.” Sadly She knew that Her children could not stay here. And while healing them She had learned of their lives on her planet. She was greatly displeased with what she saw, it seems that the corruption within the Magi bloodline had gone too far for Her to fix. She would have to withdraw some of Her gifts as there were many who no longer deserved them, but first She'd care for Her three mistreated children. So She called on Sister Eywa asking if would care for them. After a small exchange of information Eywa agreed to care for the children on the condition that She could change them so the could survive with Her own children. Gently Mother Magic transferred the three to Her Sister, brushing an incorporeal kiss to each of their foreheads. “ Goodbye my children, may you find peace with Sister as you could not find here.”
Eywa- The New Mother
Eywa studied the three small forms Her sister had entrusted to her. They had curled around each other as though to protect each other and themselves even in the healing sleep Magic had put them in. Gently touching their minds to learn of them, Eywa gazed in sadness at the much abused children in front of her. Wrapping them in her aura she spoke to them, soothing their fears as they slept on. Knowing that they would hear and remember when they woke.
“New life, you shall be safe here. Your Mother has passed you care to me, and I will make you mine own. Mine own Children will love you as you should have been loved by your own people. You will look different when you wake as I know not how Sister Magic designed you, I must alter your forms to be that of mine own child. SLEEP. You will wake in time.”
With a last gentle brush of power she began their changes, first enlarging and shaping their bodies to be sleek and swift and strong. Next she began to change their bones, their teeth, their blood, and their organs to allow them to breathe and eat as her children did. Next she worked on their eyes and ears, once again enhancing them for survival. Then she commenced her last step, pushing her power into them creating a queue and neural net that made all of her children hers. Gifting them with the knowledge of her children and their language.
She left many of the gifts that Magic had given them, but changed the form of the animal they shifted into. The were cub would also no longer be forced to shift, instead he could choose to do so. He would run as a palulukan when he so chose. The other would also run as a palulukan as it was most fitting for the two men were meant to be mates. The last child though was not one meant to be grounded, his was a soul of water and sky thus She gave him the form of those he saw with love as well as another form. A form with which to fly. An Ikran. He would be able to run with his family and still fly with Her other children. Eywa was pleased with the results of forming Her newest children. She could not wait for them to wake. She placed them in a small clearing in her forest and watched. Waiting for them to awake.
With Our Favorite Wizards
Sirius was the first to wake. Stiff and aching slightly from lying in the same position for far too long. Gingerly he uncurled himself from the warm bodies he was wrapped in and around. As he became more aware of his surroundings he began to wonder where he was. He knew he was in a forest, but this was like no forest he had ever seen. The trees towered at heights he had never dreamed possible, and plants of every describable shape and shade grew in lush banks around the clearing he'd found himself in. He stared in awe at the sheer magnificence of it all. Millions of greens, flowers of every colour, and plants such as he had never imagined. Then he noticed the natural sounds of the forest, somewhere nearby there was running water, strange bird calls, and animal noises rushing into his ears in a low rush of sound.
He stood uncertainly to investigate the clearing he'd awakened in, but as he stood and walked a few steps he noticed something that his awe of the forest had blinded him to: something was WRONG with him. His balance was off and when he looked down at his feet to see why he had to stifle a shout of shock. He wasn't human anymore. Instead of pale pinkish-white skin he found himself staring at legs and arms covered in an alarming shade of white banded with silvery gray jagged stripes that blended seamlessly into the white at the tips. Looking closer revealed that he was also covered in mottled black and white spots reminiscent of a snow leopard he'd seen in a muggle zoo once.
He also noted that his legs and hands were shaped differently than the used to be. It seemed as though he'd lost a digit on his fingers and each was tipped in a feline claw. And his toes were longer, seeming almost prehensile. That's when he noticed something that made him giggle with an almost panicked edge: He had a tail, and not just any tail. A long catlike tail that ended in a club like manner, once again reminding him of the leopard he'd seen. Bringing his hands to his face to stifle his hysterical giggle he noticed that his face had changed as well, but with out a mirror or pool of water he couldn't see just how that had changed. Just as he felt himself getting ready to scream an echo of a gentle but powerful voice pressed itself forward in his memory:
“New life, you shall be safe here. Your Mother has passed you care to me, and I will make you mine own. Mine own Children will love you as you should have been loved by your own people. You will look different when you wake as I know not how Sister Magic designed you, I must alter your forms to be that of mine own child. SLEEP. You will wake in time.”
The voice in his memory calmed him as he allowed the knowledge that the voice had given him to sink in. Mother Magic had saved them from the Veil. Or had the Veil brought them to Mother Magic? He wasn't sure, but he knew that Mother Magic had passed them to whatever power had change him into the form he was in now. He also knew that the Gentle Voice had only changed them so that they could survive here. Wherever here was... And was that a giggle? He could have sworn he just heard a woman's giggle. He shook his head. “Never mind that, I should check on Harry and Remus.”
With that thought in mind he walked carefully back to the two figures he'd woken up with. Relearning his balance quickly he squatted next to the two, almost tripping as he forgot to move his tail. Gently he checked them over, making sure they were okay and noticed that the two echoed his own changes with the only difference being size and locations of their stripes and spots. Looking closely at their faces he evaluated the changes he could see there. Their noses had flattened and widened slightly making their their faces catlike, and their eyebrows had mysteriously gone AWOL. Their eyes were much larger, and he could see that they had elongated canines, but both still looked like themselves. Harry still looked like Harry and Remus was Remus, even with the changes. He figured that he must look pretty similar. That's also when he noticed that none of them had a stitch on. ` After a momentary debate with himself he couldn't contain his snort of mirth. This would only happen to them. He stood and wandered over to the plants edging the clearing, stripping three large leaves off of one and wrapping himself in one of them. He laid the other two over the still sleeping pair and settled down to wait for them to wake. It wasn't long before Remus began to stir and Sirius couldn't wait to see his reaction, his inner prankster was bouncing in the back of his mind as he tried to stay silent and watch.
Remus woke confused. Mooney wasn't howling for blood in his mind like he usually did. In fact he was purring if Remus wasn't mistaken. Quickly becoming alert Remus sat up and curiously observed his surroundings remembering a gentle voice telling him he'd wake up different and that he would be safe. He quickly took stock of the forest around him, and then he looked down at himself. Shock made his mouth fall open as his expression blanked. He gently lifted a hand to his face staring and the change in color and shape, his mind quickly processing all that had changed but having difficulty registering just how much he had changed. Then something behind him moved. Moving quicker than he had ever thought possible he stood and whirled around crouching over in a defensive stance, his mind absently noting that he had a tail and filed that away for later thought. Quickly bringing his attention to the matter at hand Remus looked back at the creature moving in front of him. Staring back at him was a face that was both familiar and alien. Those gray eyes belonged to only one person he could name. It was Sirius... and yet it wasn't.
“Sirius?! Padfoot is that you?” He gasped.
“Hey Mooney! What do you think of your new self?” Sirius couldn't help bouncing in place as he asked his question. Remus had made such interesting faces as he'd looked around and at himself , his golden eyes widening in shock.
“I'm not sure yet. It's... different that's for sure. But it seems like the blood lust is gone for good now. And THAT I do like.”
“Hey at least we aren't fuzzy right? That would be weird. Also you might want to put your leaf back on... Not that it's a bad view or anything.”
“Sirius!” The embarrassed were shouted, “You perverted idiot!”
Sirius couldn't help laughing at the look on his friend's face as he blushed and lunged for the large leaf to cover himself. The barking laughter waking the last member of the trio of travelers.
Both men rushed over as the boy they would give anything to protect stirred. Harry shot up with a shout of Sirius' name. Sirius gently grabbed the boy and pulled him into his arms, shushing the sobs as he rocked back and forth gently. Remus wrapped his arms around Harry from the other side. Muttering to and soothing the teen who was burying his face into Sirius' chest and clinging to him for dear life. As if he'd disappear if he let go.
“Shh Harry I'm here, I'm okay, it's okay. We're fine, different but fine. Shh it's alright. We're here. Remus is here, I'm here, we're safe. It's going to alright. You're going to be fine. Shh stop crying now,” Harry slowly calmed down, realizing that Sirius was here, alive and speaking, and that Remus was with them as well. He slowly opened his eyes having never realized he'd closed them. And then stared, and stared before shouting in panicked disturbance.
“What the hell? What happened?! Why do you guys look like that? Where are we? Why do I look like this?”
Remus grabbed Harry's hands as he swung around. “Harry, Harry! Calm down! Do you remember what happened after we fell into the veil? Think. Do you remember a voice?” Remus cupped his hands around Harry's face, gently forcing the teen's green eyes to link with his own golden gaze. “Try to remember what happened.” As Harry calmed again, trying to recall what had happened Remus released his grip on the boy's face. Finally after a few moments Harry remembered the gentle voice.
“She said we'd be different, that she had to change us into her children. That she didn't know how Mother Magic made us...” Harry breathed. “But who was she? And where are we?” Harry looked around the forest clearing for the first time in wonder. He'd never seen anything so beautiful before.
Eywa
She watched as her newest children woke giggling at their shock and basking in the awe She saw in their faces for the beauty of Her creations. When the youngest of the children woke and calmed She decided it was time to introduce Herself, and to unlock the knowledge that She had placed into each of their minds.