Jesi was not her real name. Of course - elves and spirits didn't have names like that. But none of the wizards and witches she knew had names like Je'hezbahalanoza'rajasz. Well, maybe some in the couple hundred years before her birth, but not modern ones.

Modern wizards were Harry and Randall. Witches were Iris or at most Sineus. Long unpronouncable names were a fasion statement that her elfin mother clung onto almost as much as she'd clung onto Jesi before letting her go to Domina's for education. Clung like ice on the trees in the far north where she was from.

Because she was only half-spirit, her father could only imbue a certain amount of his abilities in her before leaving on his journeys. Where did ice spirits go? They followed the winters. Since the muggle world was corrupting the weather of the world, he had to hide in more and more remote locations. Even more so than the elves and other forest creatures that used to run wild across every terrain.

Jesi missed her father - he had a low, full voice. Like the voice of a creaking tree in the weight of full snow. She looked almost nothing like him, save for her hair which was that icy-tipped white. His too had frosty blue ends - but he wore a big beard and his hair wasn't straight. Her mother's was like that, she kept it quite short and looked very pretty that way. Her fair skin and bright eyes were mirrored in Jesi. She was a wild elf, not one of those long-domesticated horrifyingly ugly House elves. A true elf, of lore. She parted with her daughter carefully, but did not have the courage to come to the school herself.

Upon her entry to House Domina, and begining to take classes in regular human magic, Jesi discovered not only that her name was too long for her friends, but that she was at a terrible disadvantage. House elves were not allowed to weild wands. And, since she was not human in the slightest, Jesi was not going to be allowed to buy one for herself. She had gold, that was hardly difficult to come by. But her oddly mixed heritage was now putting her in a bad spot.

Pouting, Jesi wandered the halls of House Domina, and noticed in the back of her mind that snow was falling outside. It would blanket everything nicely, just like home.

She felt also, the presence of an odd member of the student body. His footfalls told her who he was right off.

"Svedok," she said, tilting her head a little and turning like a snowflake on the wind. "What brings you out of class?"

"Well," he said, "I thought you could use a little cheering up. I heard about that whole wand thing."

"It doesn't make any sense, I mean, magical creatures need a focus just like humans."

"Sure, but magical creatures can do so much more than them without one, and that's what they're afraid of." Svedok, the half-dragon 'taur shaped son of Lucas Kalkin plopped his hind end down to sit when they'd reached the corner of the hallway. Two large windows looked out to the back of the castle, where the new quidditch pitch was being covered by snow. "They're always afraid of us, when it's really the other way around. There are so many humans..."

"But you're half human," Jesi said. She gave him one of those girl-eyes, "sort of."

"See?" He said, flexing his wings. "You could pass for human, just cover your ears a bit and don't do any magic without thinking about it. I can't - I can shapeshift," he tried it for a moment, "but it doesn't last long without concentrating on it..." he gained back his wings and long tail. He hadn't even lost his hind end.

"Yes, but what do you need a wand for anyway? You're half dragon, and you've got that beautiful black dragon for a partner!"

"Dairruinth is a lot of fun, now that we're studying books from Earth mages," Svedok said. "He only ever had access to his native Eien books. And he doesn't need a wand either," the dragontaur pointed out.

"Yes, yes... But that doesn't make me want one any less..."

"Well, how about you concentrate on a familiar instead?" Svedok suggested after a moment of just watching the snow fall. "You could find a pet, maybe a dragon-flit, or ..."

"Are you thinking what I hope you're thinking?" Jesi asked, and a big smile spread across Svedok's oddly inhuman lips.

***

"Welcome to Fukeru Ukuure," said a pleasant voice. Suddenly a flurry of feathers bombarded Jesi and Svedok, and caused the human-shapeshifted Dairruinth to chuckle.

Jesi stood in awe, the Fukeru was blanketed in snow too - but this was not her home. This was a place far far away! The colorful furred and feathered Fedra that Svedok told her about were flying everywhere. They were not large, not ridable like Dairruinth was in his dragon shape. But...

"They are beautiful," she told Danin, who had introduced himself and his own Fedra in greeting them. "We've got a few days for winter break, so... Do you think that the eggs will hatch before the break is over?"

"Don't worry about that, Jesi," Dairruinth said. He was towering even while human, and with ebony black skin almost wholly opposite hers. "We will take care of getting home in time." Then he glanced up at one of the signs near Danin and muttered, "hmmmm, library..." And moved away to go look through their books.

Svedok nudged Jesi when Danin asked for her name. "Je'hezbahalanoza'rajasz," she blurted out, "but you can call me Jesi."

"Thank goodness," Danin chuckled.

Jesi practiced her incantations while she was rooming at Ukuure, less disappointed now because she simply had all the snow and ice around her she could manipulate with her own innate magic. Snowball fights? Forget it - if she started one it would be the last thing you'd do. Ice sliding? Of course! She built a half-pipe.

She spent her days and nights in the blissful chill - not wanting to get too close to the fireplaces and heaters, her father had insisted she remain cool if her powers were to be used. She didn't mind, she never shivered or caught a cold.

Though, when someone dared another local to lick her and see if his tongue would stick...

There were so many eggs, Jesi couldn't count them all. But while she was there enjoying her time off from school, all winter long, they didn't stir an inch. It was only after the first dripping warmth of Spring that they began to shake. And then, they began to hatch!

All manner of colors and combinations hatched, from dusty violet to stunning cyan... And the eggs kept breaking... But they didn't come over to where Jesi stood. She wondered, maybe since they'd taken all winter to mature, maybe they didn't want any more winter in them. And that's all she was about!

There were apparently only a handful of eggs left, and all but a couple people - Jesi included - were left standing alone waiting. Worried, she gazed around. But there had been two eggs which hatched, and one trundled off to its bond.

The second fedra was light, light blue in colour. She padded up to the half-elven girl and smiled. I'm Lajaheth, Je'hezbahalanoza'rajasz, and I think your proper name is quite lovely, she said. Jesi laughed.

“You may, but then you don't have to twist your tongue around it. You just think it,” she replied, grinning. Lajaheth pondered this, then grinned back.

I suppose you're right, she said, and the last pair of bondeds headed off the field. Actually there was one solitary further bonding, but Jesi and Lajaheth missed it.

The moment that she could, Jesi began to research what kind of Fedra she'd bonded. While Lajaheth was busy eating and drying out her feathers, she commented, Ice and Weather, of course, and Jesi was quite happy with that.

Lajaheth flew overhead with glee, as they arrived back at House Domina. Since it was coming up on fall, and the place was warm and dry, the pair decided to put a little winter back into the house's landscape. Between the two of them, they'd soon covered the grounds, trees, and the whole of the castle with a fine white snow powder.

"So.... that's how it is, huh?" Said Zora from the large doorway, arms crossed and grinning madly. "When Leny gets back, you two should have a ball..."

Jesi laughed when Lajaheth asked who this Leny person was, so it was a complicated afternoon of explaining the weather-witch, and how some witches and wizards could control their stronger powers, and others couldn't.

I can control mine just fine! The fedra announced, fluffing her wings and perching on the outcropped gargoyle carving near the entrance. It growled at her, and momentarily she was found flying about the campus examining every single thing she might not want to sit on...

Jesi sat in on classes with more interest now. She had much to learn, and enjoyed hanging out with the others who had found draconic friends. Potions was working well for her, as a class, though she had to overcome her outright fear of fires and warmth to really benefit from the class. But Zora encouraged her to do so, because in many other ways she seemed confident and capable. "Conquor this, and you'll be able to move on to new things more easily," Zora said. Jesi took that information to heart.

With high scores in Potions and some Charms, Jesi was busying herself with History and Arithmancy. Neither of those were seemingly of much use to her, but history at least was a bit more fun than the weirdly behaving numbers... As she was ending the semester, Jesi felt sure that she would at least pass all her exams. Her reward for that would be something very special indeed.

Lajaheth had discovered there was a place that had dragons and snow all at the same time... Nidus Ryslen! If they could get everything ready, for Winter break they'd be visiting a lovely snowbound dragonry!

Struggling with the squirmy numbers, Jesi groaned and stood. She sought out the help of a 2nd year student, Fausto Salvatore, who was probably the school's best Arithmancy practicioner. Other students might have scoffed at a mere second-year, but House Domina was very different than other places, and encouraged kids to take the classes they'd be able to succeed in. Faust looked up, happy to have Jesi as a visitor, because she'd helped him out in Charms earlier in the year.

"What can I help you with, Jesi? And how is Lajaheth? She seemed really excited when I saw her this morning." He scratched his head, grinning, "And whatever it is, can I get in on it too?"

Jesi gave off a musical laugh, "Well she's found a dragonry, I think you'll have to ask Zora if you can come with me there. Right now, I need some help with these equations." At the mention of dragonry, Fausto's face brightened up. Obviously he wanted to go, so he helped right away.

"Oh these are the Diamante formations," he said looking at her scroll. "They're really good for analyzing properties of distance and depth." He helped explain this or that formation, and eventually Jesi felt that she understood well enough to put one or two into use, and into her exam later that week. She thanked him and ruffed his shaggy red hair, promising that she'd put in a good word with Zora about coming along to Ryslen.

By the time the weekend rolled around, and Winter Break was starting, the dragonry was full up with kids waiting to be flown home - what a great way to travel! And Zora had found her own dragon at last, what a beautiful gold! It was to her that Jesi walked, and found Fausto standing beside her already.

"Are you ready?" Zora asked. Jesi nodded, and Lajaheth flew overhead chittering and causing a downpour of prickly icicles. Jesi and Fausto nodded in unison, and were helped to mount the gigantic golden dragoness Calmath. Fausto was happy to sit between Jesi and Zora, he might have been so fidgety he'd have fallen off otherwise! The trip into the air was a thrill ride for the boy and both women - who could ever tire of riding a dragon?!

"It'll be easier to go through the Nexus, than to apparate," Zora said, "So hang on, hold your breath, and try to keep relaxed." She hunkered down a bit and the others did likewise, and Calmath went into a climb. She didn't have to, the fact is she just liked flying out in the open so much she just couldn't help it! At the peak of their arc, she shifted her attention on their destination in her mind, and then began her teleport.

The Nexus was quiet, chilled to the bone... but lit up like a holiday tree! It appeared that the souls of the dead, the travellers through the Nexus, and whoever else was visiting this space-between-worlds were glowing as brightly as stars. Perhaps a billion of them, moving in strings from place to place, time to time... It was clear that Zora was crying, but Jesi held together. Fausto hugged Zora tighter, unblinking and with a spreading warmth.

Outlines of 'spaces' such as a Nidus, the Den, and a variety of other places became visible, though none of those places really existed 'in' the Nexus. It appeared as though thousands of pink, yellow, blue and green lights moved around strung from one locale to the next. A brightness stood at the center, at least one of the brightest areas, and Zora had to guide Calmath away from it. Not their destination, Alabaster wasn't on their agenda just now. They began to emerge from the Nexus but it was almost as though they hadn't left!

Nidus Ryslen was dolled up and covered in snow, and had lanterns strung about casting colorful light upon the evening scenery. Lajaheth was already there, it looked as though the journey through the Nexus hadn't phased her at all. They landed laughing and hugging each other - it was something special indeed to have seen what they saw in the Nexus, and even Calmath shifted into her human form to hug the others. "It was beautiful," she said, "I couldn't help myself from dawdling there.

"It was pretty, Ryslen is too," Jesi said, scratching Lajaheth's neck and settling into the snow with comfort.

"Are all those lights... people? Dragons?" Fausto asked quietly. Zora nodded, explaining that only some people were able to see through the darkness of the Nexus, mages like them often could, but psionics and very special technological effects could do it too. It didn't detract from the idea that they'd been let in on a secret viewing place for a gorgeous light display.

Jesi took Fausto's hand and they went to Ryslen, hoping that the clutch hadn't begun to hatch just yet...

to be continued