Chapter 7: The Shopping Trip

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A day's shopping trip for our freed house elves in Lisbon. What fun! As you've probably noticed, I just love house elves and wanted to give them their own special shop. Hope you enjoy it!

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Meanwhile, the three house elves had arrived at the flat in Lisbon. Rico and Rica had not been completely good because their ears were singed and slightly smoking from playing with the fire breathing snap dragons, and the snarling tiger lilies were making a noise fit for the big cat house at the zoo. Chica stared at the two crups with a very disapproving air on her face and they sank to the floor covering their snouts with their paws looking very ashamed. When Chica was satisified that they had been 'punished' enough she ordered them into the kitchen where she cleaned them up. "Bad crups, you knows you shouldn't play with the plants; they fight back!"

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Mara and Mauro quieted the angry tiger lilies by scratching their petals lightly until they purred contentedly. The fire spitting snap dragons were a whole other cauldron of ripplies (TMQ #81): not content with a scratch on their petals, the two elves had to resort to spraying them with water. After the steam cleared, they were calm again. The rest of the plants hadn't been bothered.

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"It's a good thing they didn't go for the mimbulous mimbletonia; that stinksap really stinks," Mauro said knowingly.

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After the crups were brushed and watered, Chica invited Mara and Mauro into her bathroom where she opened her closet full of clothes: dresses, shorts, shirts, shoes and--of course--bandannas.

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"Pick out something to wear, yous can't go walking around in a tea towel in muggle land," Chica said to the newly freed elves with a twinkle in her eye.

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Mara and Mauro looked at each other for a moment and then they giggled, "You go first, Mara," Mauro said as they both turned to check out the contents of the closet.

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Mara picked out an outfit similar to Chica's--only in yellow--and Mauro put on a pair of red shorts, a striped T-shirt, red flip-flops and a red baseball cap. They were ready to roll.

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They strolled down the muggle street with Rica and Rico to the Albatroz cafe and entered St. Vincent's Square through the hidden back door. On a side street they came to a little shop called "Dona Mafalda's Elf Wear Ltd." situated between "Dona Ana's Ice Cream Parlour" and "Petra's Shoes and Boots", left the crups tied up outside and entered.

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"Good afternoon, elves, come on in," Dona Mafalda herself said to the three elves. "How are you, Chica? Who are these two, I don't think I've ever met them before," she asked as she stood up from behind the counter and went around: her greying hair was swept nto a bun and her brown eyes twinkled as she stood waiting to be introduced.

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"Good afternoon, Dona Falda, this is Mara and Mauro who have been freed and need some clothes. They will also need work smocks on top of all the regular stuff," Chica informed Mafalda.

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"How nice to make your acquaintance. Come over here and we'll see what we've got." Mafalda ushered them through the shop which had a section of tea towels as well as proper clothes. Mara got some dresses like Chica's. They both wiggled their toes into colorful flip-flops. They had a look at smocks and picked out some for hot weather. After that, they had a longer look at head gear: Mara picked out bandannas right away but Mauro tried on all the different hats.

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After trying on a fireman's hat, a police cap, a crown (with fake jewels), a bonnet with cloth roses, a tricorn and a beret Mauro tried on a hat that resembled a flower pot.

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"Does I look nice in this hat?" Mauro asked as he stood in front of the mirror with the silly hat on his head.

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Mafalda cocked her head to one side and closed one eye, "Personally, I think the baseball cap is the best."

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"Me too," Chica and Mara said in unison.

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"Then I will get the cap," decided Mauro.

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After getting some socks and underwear, Mara and Mauro looked wistfully at the tea towels and got one each.

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'Some habits die hard', thought Mafalda to herself with an understanding smile as she took the tea towels and added them to the pile of clothes. Chica had everything charged to the Silva's account.

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"Don't forget to come back in a few months when we get our shoes and boots in stock. We should also have our winter collection as well," Mafalda said as she handed over their shopping bags.

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"Don't worry, we won't!" Mara and Mauro said cheerily as they went out the door with Chica.

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After untying the crups, the three elves went next door and bought some ice cream cones which they ate happily as they made their way back through the Albatroz cafe.

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As they walked slowly towards the flat finishing their cones, Chica went into the local butcher shop after tying up the crups outside, "Good afternoon, Sr. Alfredo, I would like some pork chops, please."

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"Of course, Chica. Would you introduce me to your friends," Sr. Alfredo said as he sharpened his knife. He was a big man, with a full black moustache and black curly hair.

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"This is Mara and this is Mauro. They is visiting me today," Chica explained as Mara and Mauro stood silently by.

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"Nice to meet you, hope you have a nice stay," Alfredo said as he cut six pork chops from a piece of pork.

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"Oh, thanks, we will," said Mara.

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"Those are really good looking chops," said Mauro appreciatively.

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"Well, thank you very much, have a tasty dinner," Alfredo replied with a pleasant grin on his face. "Hope to see you again, any friend of Chica is a friend of mine."

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They left the butcher's and entered the grocery store next door to get some red peppers and onions to go with the chops.

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"Well that be all, Chica?" Dona Teresa (the owner of the store) asked as they went to the check out counter. As it was late afternoon, she was feeling a little frazzled, it had been a long, hot day. Her short hair drooped and her blue eyes were tired.

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"Yes, Dona Teza, that will be all for today. May I introduce my friends? This is Mara and this is Mauro. They is visiting me today," Chica explained.

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"Nice to meet you," Dona Teresa smiled at the two elves. "Staying long?"

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"No, we is going tomorrow," answered Mauro.

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"These red peppers be really juicy looking! Where does you get such good peppers?" asked Mara politely.

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"Yes, they are rather nice, aren't they? I got them at the market this morning, I think they come from the Algarve," Teresa replied, glad to have satisfied customers; she sat a little straighter and a sparkle came into her tired eyes.

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"Thank you, Dona Teza, see you tomorrow," Chica beamed at Teresa as the three left the shop and untied the crups and continued on their way home.

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As Chica started on dinner, Mara and Mauro tried on all their new clothes again before folding them up neatly and putting them back in the bag. They then donned their tea towels and helped Chica in the kitchen.

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They had a good time cooking, setting the table and talking about this and that until Diego and Tiago came home. Then they all sat down to dinner.

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"Something smells awfully good," Diego sniffed with appreciation.

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"Yum, there's nothing better than a delicious meal after a long day at the office," Tiago added.

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"So, how was your day, elves?" inquired Diego as he served himself.

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The three elves talked about their day; all the travels between the school, the forest and Lisbon, Mara and Mauro related their brief trip to the centaur settlement. They filled Chica in about the 'earrings of the princess' plant as she hadn't seen it.

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"Oh, I wish I had seen that plant, so fantastic it is," Chica exclaimed with wonder, her eyes alight.

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"Yes, it's a marvel alright. Don't tell anyone about it, we have to keep it secret," Diego admonished her as he took a sip of red wine.

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"Sure thing, Menino Iego, I keeps the secret," Chica mimed buttoning her lips.

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Then they launched into a detailed report of their shopping trip, Diego and Tiago grinning as they pictured Mauro trying on all the hats at 'Dona Mafalda's'.

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After dessert; a lovely fresh fruit salad, and a coffee, Diego and Tiago thanked the elves and went out for a stroll and maybe a drink somewhere. The elves cleaned up and settled on the veranda chatting while Chica worked on her rug.

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"What a lovely rug," Mara commented.

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"Yes, it is, isn't it?" Chica replied proudly.

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"When we gets to the Island of the Crow, we can makes rugs too," Mauro said.

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"Yes, let's do that," Mara looked at her brother suddenly feeling a little apprehensive. She could tell that he felt the same. She looked at Chica and asked, "Do you think wes is doing the right thing? Will we be alright?"

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Chica put down her rug, remembering what it was like for her as a young freed elf: it had been very hard at first, she was all alone except for Bernardo who was out all day. She used to be really scared of shopping in 'muggle land' every day; in the forest, the house elves never went shopping, they just tended to the house and the forest. One day, she went with Bernardo to St. Vincent's Square and they had a look in 'Moura's Menagerie' and she fell in love with the mokes: small silvery green lizards, they would shrink to the size of a knut if they felt threatened. 'That's how I feels sometimes' Chica said to herself, taking out her little purse and buying the pair that had slithered up her arm and were looking curiously at her face. Since that day, she would always take her mokes with her when she went shopping. They made her feel more confident, even if nobody could see them, she knew they were there. Chica took good care of her pet mokes and pretty soon there were lots of little baby mokes running around the flat in Lisbon; so many in fact, that she started selling them to 'Moura's Menagerie' when they got too numerous.

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Out of the corner of her eye, she could see one of her mokes peeking at her from the vases containing the herbs she used for cooking, she winked at him and he winked back. Looking at the twins she said, "When I was freed, I be afraid too, just like yous. All you has to do is take it one day at a time. When yous get set up at the garden center, go out and meet all the local people and shops. Be nice and friendly. Always remember to wear clothes in muggle land. No magic except inside. I be all alone and I's ok. You will be too." She smiled encouragingly at the two of them; they seemed to feel better after Chica's speech.

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"That's it, one day at a time," Mauro repeated.

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"We be two, we always be together," Mara said as she took her twin's hand. Their slight fear vanished as they took heart from each other.

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"Can yous teach us to make those rugs?" inquired Mauro with interest.

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"Certainly," replied Chica and she happily explained the ins and outs of arraiolas rugs. The two newly freed elves picked it up quite quickly and were soon practicing on their own. It was a little late when they stopped and got ready for bed. Chica summoned three little elf beds onto the veranda and they went to sleep.

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The two brothers came in later to find the elves fast asleep. They quietly went to their own bedrooms and were astonished to find that the crups had curled up and fallen asleep, one in Diego's room, the other in Tiago's room: the crups usually slept on the veranda with Chica.

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"I guess they haven't gotten over the 'plant' episode," remarked Diego with a chuckle.

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"No, I guess not. I wish I could have seen that," Tiage grinned.

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They got ready for bed and were soon fast asleep. It had been a long day.

Chapter 6: A Sardinhada/The Sardine Roast

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This chapter is a chance to describe one of my favorite things about this country; sardines grilling outside in the company of family and friends during the summer. We also get a description of an interesting form of transportation; Professor Pitt's Portable Pumpkin, an invention of mine that was originally intended for The Magic Quill but didn't make it into the story. Never mind, I'll use it here in my story.

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As Bernardo was putting the final touches on the bath rooms, (one side had wizard fixtures, the other had fixtures designed for house elves and were both divided into two sections-men and women) a white van drove up and parked by the pigsty. As the side door opened a veritable parade emerged: the Pereiras, the Carvalhos, the Figueiras, the Limas and a host of house elves. Besides providing all the ingredients for the sardine roast, they brought all sorts of household items: sheets, blankets, cauldrons, cutlery, china, glasses, some tables and chairs and a few beds to name a few. The very last thing to exit the van was a muggle washing machine; because of its bulkiness, the four house elves carrying it were having a bit of a problem.

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"This thing be so big, I can't get a grip!" whimpered one of the four elves trying to manouver the washing machine.

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"It be heavy, too," groaned another of the four as his legs threatened to buckle underneath him.

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"Watch it! Don't yous tip it over on top of me!" yelled another one as he felt the weight shifting to his side of the machine.

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"HELP!" shouted the fourth one as he felt the machine slipping through his fingers.

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Some wizards heard the anguished cries of the four house elves and ran over to catch the machine before it crashed to the ground. They lifted it up and carried it away, putting it by the side of the other household items. As the four house elves were horrified that they hadn't been able to carry it; they started banging their heads on the side of the van.

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"Bad elf! Bad elf!" they muttered as they banged away. After a minute of this self torture, they stopped, then staggered groggily over to the other elves cross-eyed.

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Bernardo was overwhelmed by this show of generosity.

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"We all got together and decided to donate all this material," explained the head of the Pereira clan (Sr. Jaime Pereira), "You have always helped us in the past, now it's our turn to help you out."

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"Hear, hear!" chorused the rest of the group.

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"In that case, I accept, and I speak for all of us when I say thanks," croaked Bernardo as unbidden tears filled his eyes, and his throat suddenly squeezed very tight. Wiping his tears away with the side of his hand, he laughed and joined in helping put all the things in sort of order.

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While some folk put the household things to one side, others fired up the four charcoal barbeques and covered the grills with peppers that would be roasted first. Others set up a three bedroom wizard tent and used the kitchen inside to prepare sangria (both red and white), gaspacho, salads, potatoes for boiling and for slicing loaves of bread.

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As the potatoes were put in the cauldron to boil, the drinks, including lots of non-alcoholic beverages like juice, water and lemonade, were poured into perma-chilled jugs, the sliced bread arranged in baskets, the gaspacho and salads found their way into bowls and everything was placed on an awaiting table complete with a white table cloth. An anti- bug charm was applied to keep insects away and a huge cloth was conjured over the table to keep the sun off.

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Meanwhile, Julia had arrived from a quick check-up on Ursie, her baby and Bica--they were fine--and greeted her guests. After showing her gratitude by hugging anybody in reach, she pitched in with the rest getting the things ready for the roast and storing all the household goods inside one of the tent's bedrooms. She was flummoxed by the muggle washing machine.

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"Who donated this thing?" she asked.

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"I did," said Dona Amelia Carvalho, "We found it by the side of the road the other day and brought it home. I have to admit I didn't have a clue as to what it was at first; so we put it just outside the kitchen door, and the next morning an augurey had made its nest inside, and then it made perfect sense!"

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"What made perfect sense?" Julia asked with a puzzled look on her face.

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"Washing machine, of course. When it's going to rain, the augurey sings--if you can call that singing--and then you have time to take in your washing!" Dona Amelia beamed.

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"Oh," understanding flashed on Julia's face. She peered inside and sure enough there was an augurey nestled in the drum fast asleep, its greenish black feathers clearly visible. She thanked Amelia for her thoughtfulness, even though she knew exactly what a muggle washing machine was.

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Bernardo then started work on the chimney with the help of the rest of the men; they used both muggle methods and magic to erect a fireplace tall enough for a man to stand in. With so much assitance it was finished in a flash. A fire was started and Bernardo threw in some floo dust and flooed to the ministry to reconnect his fireplace to the floo network. The fireplace was situated in the area designated 'kitchen', so there might not be a kitchen as such but there was a fireplace--the rest could be finished later.

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"All hooked up! I thought I would go down to check on the dragons, bring them some sardines. Does anybody want to join me?" Bernardo asked as he stepped out of the fireplace. There were quite a few who wanted to go so they all grabbed their broomsticks from inside the van and flew off through the forest towards the beach. They alighted at the same place Bernaro had stopped the day before with Mojo and Jojo. There they were, Omar, Marisa, Jojo, Mojo and the seaweed nest full of shell pink eggs. It was hard to see the two dragons because they were resting and the color of their scaly skin was the exact color of the surrounding sand. The only give-away was Marisa's bandaged paw.

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"They seem to be alright," Bernardo said softly.

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He caught the eye of Mojo and beckoned him to come up to the cliff with Jojo. When the two house elves reached the pine covered cliff Bernardo inquired, "How's everything with the dragons?"

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"Everything fine, Sr. Nardo," Mojo and Jojo said in unison.

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"Good, I've brought a little treat for all of you," Bernardo said as he handed over a flat basket full of already salted sardines and some salad, bread and drinks.

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"Wow, thanks, Sr. Nardo!" exclaimed Mojo.

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"The dragons can roast these when they wake up," Jojo said with a smile.

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After the elves went back down to the beach, the rest stayed for a while admiring the sleeping beasts.

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"I understand you are going to take the dragons with you when you leave," Sr. Pedro Carvalho (head of the Carvalho clan) stated.

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"Yes, they are coming with us. As you can see, there are dragon eggs down there and they happen to be the first ones Marisa has ever laid. Julia and I just can't bear to leave the dragons behind. I am their keeper; it's my job, but it's more than that-they're family," Bernardo uttered with feeling.

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"There's just one problem, how am I going to get them to the Açores? I don't want to put them with the birds and all the rest. They should be seperated; they may be a little on the tame side as far as dragons go but they are dragons all the same. I wouldn't want to make the same mistake I made yesterday. I should never have brought Marisa to the clearing by the house; it would have been more sensible to summon Julia to the beach," Bernardo admitted to his guests shaking his head sorrowfully. "But what's done is done and now I'm at a complete loss as to how to transport them safely. Would any of you have a suggestion?"

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The head of the Lima clan (Sr. Oscar Lima), enthusiastic breeder of flying Lusitano horses, piped up immediately, "When I have trouble transporting my horses to sky races and aerial dressage competitions, I use a flying carpet with horses embroidered on it. They settle right down and enjoy the ride. Just be sure that there is something from their paddock that smells like home to them on the rug. It could be a curry brush or a blanket. Of course, the problem now is to figure out what would smell like home to a dragon."

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Sr. Antonio Figueira (head of the Figueira clan) spoke up, "I have the same problem with my hippogriffs when I take them to shows. Usually I dig up some dirt from their paddock and put it inside the traveling box; the smell reminds them of home."

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Bernardo looked at each of his friends in turn, a smile appearing on his face and exclaimed, "That's it! We have an arraiolas rug in our Lisbon flat covered with blue bellies and beach scenes; we'd have to get permission to enchant it to fly, of course."

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"That shouldn't be too much of a problem," Oscar said. "They are always sympathetic at the department of transportation, and as it's a one time deal, you should be alright."

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Smelling the sardines, Omar lifted his head and saw the delicious treat. He gently nuzzled Marisa awake and the two of them stared at the basket of fish. Omar picked one of the sardines up delicately with his fingers and gently roasted it for his mate, who ate it happily. Then she roasted one for Omar. They continued their roasting, giving some to the house elves, who ate theirs on a slice of bread while the crowd on the cliff looked on.

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"They are so nice to each other, it does my heart good to watch them," Pedro remarked with a smile.

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The group stayed for another minute, enjoying the sight of the dragons eating their sardines so daintily, before taking off again on their brooms to have their own roast.

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Chica had arrived while Bernardo and his group had been down at the pine covered cliff, her pink ensemble visible from afar. She was happily helping her mother Trina, and the other elves set the table with dishes and cutlery. The oranges that she had bought were already in a bowl on the table.

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Lena had also arrived with Mara and Mauro. They were arranging the fruit and vegetables that had been graciously donated by the centaurs.

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The peppers had already been roasted and were now being peeled and torn into strips to be eaten as a salad. Cruets appeared on the table full of olive oil tp put on the salads and the 'to be' roasted sardines.

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The barbeques were ready now for the sardines; so they were put on the grill a few at a time, and turned over when ready. The wizards took care of this operation, levitating the trays of roasted sardines to the table where all could partake in the treat. Some ate their sardines on a plate with boiled potatoes and salad, some ate their sardines one at a time on a slice of bread with a dash of olive oil on top. Everywhere was a party feeling-everybody talking and having a good time.

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Lena, who was eating her sardine on a slice of bread with her fingers, said to her father, "Seta was very pleased to get the egg. I've spoken to Mara and Mauro and they've agreed to come with me as free house elves." She licked her finger tips. "I'm going to send them later to get all our stuff from the school," she added taking a sip of her red sangria.

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"Excellent. I'm going to need the rug from our house in Lisbon. I'm thinking of sending Chica later for it." He speared a potato with his fork.

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"Hey, wait a minute! Mara and Mauro could go with Chica to Lisbon and get some clothes at that special place in St. Vincent's Square that caters to house elves. They are going to need regular clothes and work smocks," Lena ate a soup spoon of gaspacho.

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"Right you are. First the school, then Lisbon," Bernardo drank some white sangria.

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"Chica, Mara, Mauro!" Lena summoned the elves and proceeded to explain the plan to go to the school first, then Lisbon. The three agreed and finished their lunch before they vanished only to reappear within minutes with a trunk and two crups: Ollie and Rosa. The two crups scurried over to Lena and sat down wagging their stumps.

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"Hello, you two cruppies! Did you miss mama? I missed you. I saw your babies yesterday, yes, I did! I saw Rica and Rico, they are just fine. Here, let me get you a plate of food," Lena gave each crup a pat on the head and then started putting together a plate of food for them--sardines, a little salad, some potatoes all cut up into tiny bits. They waited until Lena had placed the plate on the ground and said, "Alright, go for it," before they attacked the plate of food with gusto. Lena looked on amused.

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"Sr. Nardo, we go now. Is there anything else you want from Lisbon?" Chica inquired with Mara and Mauro by her side.

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"No, Chica, I just need the rug with all the blue bellies and beach scenes embroidered on it. You can charge the clothes to my account, alright, Chica," Bernardo explained.

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"Mara and Mauro, you don't have to rush back today. Take the rest of the day off and come back tomorrow morning," Lena instructed her friends with a smile.

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"Thanks, Menina Lena, see you tomorrow," Mara and Mauro echoed.

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So, after Chica gave her mother, Trina, a hug and a kiss they were gone with a crack.

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Later, when everybody had finished their excellent meal and were getting ready to leave, Sr. Pedro Carvalho came over to where Lena and her father were sitting, "There's just one more thing I would like to donate to Lena," he said with a smile. Beckoning them to follow him, they went to the white van parked by the side of the pigsty and he ushered them over to the driver's side of the van.

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"This van is a 'Professor Pitt's Portable Pumpkin'. It can be used as a muggle van, or by pushing this button, it can be a wizard's vehicle complete with invisibility switch, underwater drive and boat features for traveling on the surface of the water. It doesn't fly. By throwing this switch on the outside of the van it shrinks to the size of a small pumpkin," he threw the switch and the ordinary van shrank to a small orange pumpkin right before their eyes.

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Pedro held up his hands to stop Bernardo from saying anything, "I know what you're going to say--this is too much--well, it isn't. If it hadn't been for Lena, I would have lost my cork trees to disease. Now, thanks to her, I have the best cork in the Algarve and I have been able to buy the latest model of portable pumpkins (it's able to fly, too) so, in reality you are doing me a favor by taking this old model off my hands."

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"How do you turn it back into a van?" Lena asked curiously as she stared at the pumpkin.

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"Oh, that's simple, just drop it on the ground and it turns into a van," Pedro explained picking up the pumpkin and dropping it on the ground where it expanded into a van.

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Bernardo sat down in the driver's seat and started throwing switches and pushing buttons to see how it worked. He was impressed.

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Lena groaned, "I don't have my driving license yet! I only turn eighteen on the first of September." She wrung her hands. "I'd better pass the first time around," she muttered as she ran into the tent where her trunk was, took out her books on 'muggle' driving and started studying. 'I must remember to check where they give driving tests near here,' she thought frantically to herself as she opened her book, 'First thing tomorrow morning,' she promised herself as she started reading.

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After Bernardo tore himself away from the van he gave each family an ashwinder egg--which they all appreciated--and bade them good bye. They went into the van to retrieve their home bound transportation--some had brooms, there were a few motorcycles and one small muggle car--and left.

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When everybody had gone, Bernardo and Julia cleaned everything up with the help of their house elves. Then they all decided how big the kitchen should be and where the windows and doors should go. Following that they started discussing where to put the living and dining rooms. This was the plan for the ground floor. The bedrooms and another bathroom would be on the second floor.

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"That wizard tent will be really handy to stay in until we get the second floor finished," Bernardo remarked to Julia, who completely agreed, nodding her head.

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"Yes, it will. Who's going to help us put up the walls?" Julia asked.

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"I was thinking of hiring 'Costa's Magi-Constructions'; they have a good reputation," Bernardo looked at his wife.

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Julia thought for a moment and then said, "Yes, that's a good idea. Why don't you owl them and set it up?"

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So, Bernardo sent an owl to Costa's Magi-Constructions and they owled right back saying they would be delighted to come by the next day to have a look and discuss costs.

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With that out of the way, Bernardo and Julia went to check up on the pigsty which was now quite homey: each cubicle had its own elf bed already made up and a bed side cupboard where each elf could put their tea towels.

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Trina came over, "We is almost done, Sr. Nardo, Dona Ju. All we needs now is the roof."

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"The builder will be here tomorrow, you should have a roof soon," Bernardo said.

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Trina smiled, her wrinkled face beaming, "That be good news!"

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Bernardo smiled back, We'll be going for a walk now. Could you make something light for dinner later?"

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"Sure thing. We'll put something together from the left-overs, be that fine?" Trina looked at Bernardo for an answer.

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"Yes, perfectly fine," Bernardo smiled at Trina.

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So, holding hands, Bernardo and Julia strolled over to have a look at Ursie, her baby and Bica. The house elf was dozing with his back against a tree, the rope tied to his wrist moving slightly. There was a half empty bottle of butter beer by his side. Not wanting to upset them, they stopped before they got too close and sat down.

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"We should have brought something to drink," Julia said.

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Bernardo said, "Accio beer bottle!" and the bottle of butter beer flew into his hand. "We can borrow this, Bica won't mind," he whispered in Julia's ear.

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Julia laughed and they both had some butter beer. The thestramule came into view in all its pink glory. It flapped its wings managing to lift itself a few inches off the ground.

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"Imagine that! Already able to fly a little," Julia gazed at the pink baby.

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"It's so cute. I wonder what it's going to look like when it grows up," Bernardo mused.

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Ursula came into view; she had been for a walk herself. She went over and nuzzled her baby tenderly. So pure and white, she was really a beautiful sight, positioning herself to feed her baby.

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Bernardo and Julia both looked on enthralled as Estrela had some milk. Bica snored and the noise woke him up.

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"Sr. Nardo, Dona Ju, I be good elf!" he slurred as he fell back to sleep. They chuckled.

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"Now that we've seen this little family, I'd like to have a look at the blue bellies. Would you care to join me, handsome husband of mine?" Julia asked Bernardo, her hazel eyes alight with love.

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"Absolutely, lovely wife," Bernardo answred, his brown eyes full of love as well.

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They apparated to the pine covered cliff and sat down as they regarded the dragons. The sun was setting; a giant globe of fire falling into the horizon. The sky was all colors of the rainbow at once; deep purples above their heads, reds, yellows, pinks, greens and oranges splashed all over the rest of the sky. It awesome. The dragons were active: Omar was flying over the sea as Marisa breathed a gentle fire over her precious eggs. Omar dived in and came up with a sand dab clutched in his paw. He flew back to shore and presented it to his mate. As she started roasting it, Omar flew out again to catch something for himself. The two house elves rested on the sand. They looked up and waved.

.

Bernardo and Julia waved back. They took one last look at the marvelous spectacle and apparated back to the area by the tent. Lena was playing with her crups, throwing a ball for them to catch.

.

"Hi there, I decided to take a break, we're having a good time running around after the ball," Lena explained as she tossed the ball for the two crups to chase.

.

"Well, good. I'm going to check with Trina about dinner," Julia said as she went into the tent.

.

Bernardo sat down at the picnic table and joined in, taking turns with Lena at throwing the ball for the crups to chase.

.

Soon afterwards Julia came out of the tent with a tray which she set down on the table. Trina came out with some plates, glasses and cutlery. Another house elf came out carrying two jugs of sangria; one white, the other red. After washing their hands in the tent's bathroom, Bernardo, Julia and Lena sat down to have a light meal: it was just a salad made with the left-overs from lunch bit it was tasty none the less. Ollie and Rosa curled up, by Lena's feet.

.

"I'll be going to Monchique tomorrow to check out where to have my driving test," Lena informed her parents.

.

"That's a good idea. Will you be taking Mara and Mauro with you?" Bernardo asked after swallowing his mouthful of food.

.

"I was thinking of leaving them at the house in town while I go ask around," Lena answered before she put another forkful of salad in her mouth.

.

"You be careful. We'll be busy here, the construction man is coming tomorrow," Julia added after taking a sip of her red sangria.

.

"Oh, mama, I'm always careful, you know that," Lena rolled her eyes, exasperated.

.

"I know dear; I'm a mama--I can't help but worry," Julia giggled and continued her emal.

.

They finished their meal as night fell around them, watching some lit up fairies flitting around in the darkness.

.

Bernardo excused himself, "I'm going to have a closer look at that van of yours."

.

Lena and Julia took the dishes to the tent where Trina washed them in the kitchen.

.

"I be going now, you wants anything else, Dona Ju?" Trina asked as she wiped her hands on a towel.

.

"No, thank you, Trina, have a good night and see you in the morning," Julia responded as Trina left the tent to go to the elves' quarters in the pigsty.

.

Lena had already put on a light weight short night gown, the crups had followed her into her room in the tent and were settling down to sleep. Julia looked in, "Good night, love, your father is still out there, come and have a gander."

.

The two women tiptoed to the tent's flap and peered out; there was Bernardo looking over the engine with the hood up. As they watched, he lowered the hood and got in the cab and gleefully started pushing buttons: he was like a little kid.

.

"Honestly, men and their toys," Julia and Lena giggled as they watched. Lowering the tent flap, they said good night with a kiss and went to bed.

.

Bernardo crawled into bed several hours later.

Chapter 5: Ebano and Marfim

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Back to the magical forest we go! This time we get an inside view into the local centaur settlement. As centaurs are such expert archers I couldn't help but have an archery contest. I agonized for a long time as to whether female centaurs would have breasts and decided they wouldn't have them. I have no idea whether they do or not. I couldn't find all white and all black centaurs pictures so imagine the male centaur as all black and the female one as all white.

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Two figures suddenly appeared on the blackened earth. Tiago was fine and unruffled however Lena looked quite nauseated and sweaty.

.

"How I hate apparation!" she groaned, "I'm going to be sick!" she retched but nothing came up, "Thanks Merlin I only had a bit of toast for breakfast," she remarked.

.

We're here now, if apparation is good for something it's good for getting you where you are going fast," putting down the pot Tiago helped his sister steady herself.

.

"You're right of course, I'm fine now, let's go find mama and papa," Lena straightened up and they both started walking in the direction of the pigsty carrying the pot between them, where a lot of work was going on: the house elves were busy scrubbing the floors of the various cubicles. The walls were clean already and just waiting for a lick of whitewash.

.

"Menina Lena, Menino Tiago, how is you today? We is busy cleaning up!" a number of house elves greeted them.

.

"We're fine. The pigsty looks really good! You are all doing a fine job," Tiago exclaimed, "Where are our parents?" he asked.

.

"They is at the house looking for anything usable." they said.

.

So leaving the pot they went up to the house and saw their parents rummaging in the blackened shell of their former home. They didn't have much to show though: just a cauldron and some kitchen utensils.

.

"Good morning, you two!" Julia smiled at her children ruefully, "There isn't much left I'm afraid."

.

"Listen, all the forest families are coming for a sardine roast today for lunch," Bernardo informed his kids, "So the sooner you move the plant the better."

.

"I completely agree, where do you want me to move it to?" Lena asked.

.

"When I got all the owls from the forest families inviting themselves over, your mother and I thought about just that and the only place we could think of was the centaur settlement. We've already got in touch with Seta and he is expecting you," Bernardo explained.

.

"Well, I'll get started on that right away but first I'm going to call for some help," Lena proclaimed then shouted, "Mara, Mauro!"

.

There were two pops and two house elves appeared; they were both wearing tea towels emblazoned with Tambangaisa School. Except for the fact that they were different sexes, they were completely identical: they both had big blue eyes and noses shaped like ski jumps. They were twins and had been born at round about the same time as Lena; the three had always been together so they were more friends than anything else.

.

"Yes, Menina Lena," they chorused.

.

"I'm going to need your help with a plant," Lena explained.

.

"Sure thing!" they said.

.

"By the way, Tiago, I completely forgot about the ashwinder eggs yesterday. There were two hundred of them, I'm going to keep six to give away so that leaves one hundred and ninety four for you to take to the bank," Bernardo exlained.

.

"Absolutely, pai, where are they?" Tiago looked around for any evidence of the eggs.

.

"I've put them in a corner of the pigsty for safe keeping," Bernardo explained as they all went to the pigsty that was still bustling with activity, while some elves painted the walls others swept the damp floor.

.

Sure enough in one corner there were two baskets of grey ashwinder eggs which Tiago gathered in his arms, he then said good bye and with a pop he was off to work.

.

Bernardo gave a brief tour of the pigsty. "The kitchen area will be at this end," he indicated with his finger, "And the bath rooms will be at the other end." He surveyed the activity with happiness. "It's looking good, elves, you're doing a great job." The house elves beamed.

.

Picking up the pot, Lena turned to leave with Mara and Mauro, "We better get started on that plant."

.

"Do you remember how to get to the centaur settlement? I want to give one of the ashwinder eggs to Seta; would you give it to him?" inquired Bernardo holding an egg in his hand.

.

"Yes, pai, I remember, and I will be happy to give Seta the ashwinder egg for you," Lena remarked as she walked away with her elves, the egg and the pot.

.

Soon they came to the fabulous plant sparkling in the sunshine. "Could you hold the plant steady Mara while Mauro and I dig carefully?" Lena requested. She walked around it very slowly admiring it as it twinkled; it was so beautiful and it gave off feelings of hope and peace. Even now she could sense the good feelings emanating from it. As she took a deep breath and exhaled, a feeling of utter contentment invaded her entire body. Lena noticed her two friends smiling as they stood gazing at it, "Can you feel that too?"

.

"I feel peaceful," admitted Mara.

.

"And I feel calm," admitted Mauro.

.

"I feel that too and I also sense that I could do anything I wanted to. It seems to me that this plant gives me confidence."

.

Lena gazed at it in wonder and could have sworn that the plant gave her a wink, or was it just a twinkle? She suddenly remembered the night before when she had blurted out her thoughts of starting a garden center and how well it had been recieved. For someone who was rather shy and didn't say much as a rule last night was a complete departure.

.

That reminded her that she hadn't asked her elves to move with her to the Açores. She looked at them, her friends that had always been there from the time she was a baby. It would be almost impossible to make a go of it if they didn't come.

.

"I have something to ask the two of you and I want you to think carefully before you say anything," Lena began. "I'm going to leave school and open up a garden center on the Island of the Crow, to start tree seedlings and other plants for the forest; I would like you two to come with me. There's a catch, however. Since we'll be dealing with muggles too, you will have to wear clothes, therefore you will have to be freed." Lena finished speaking with her heart in her mouth; what would they say?

.

The two house elves stared at each other for a long time as though reading each other's mind; then they smiled, "Yes, Menina Lena, we goes where you goes."

.

"Even if it means clothes," Mara shuddered.

.

"And getting paid and one day off a month," Mauro grimaced.

.

Lena kept her laughter to herself and stated, "Well, that's settled."

.

With the help of her two friends she carefully dug up the sparkling plant and Mauro waved it into the awaiting pot. Mara levitated it with her hand and they were off to the centaur settlement.

.

They walked through the forest admiring the trees: fig, almond, carob, cork, oak, pine and others. It was shady and peaceful; Lena could tell that they were a little parched but otherwise fine.

.

They came to a stream that had once been full of water but was now barely a trickle. The other side of the stream was oddly misty for such a hot day.

.

Lena turned to Mauro, "Would you ring the bell, please, Mauro?"

.

He reached out and rang a bell that only a witch, wizard or other magical being would be able to see and two centaurs appeared out of the mist.

.

The taller one was a vibrant male as black and shiny as ebony. His torso glistned in the sunlight. A happy smile appeared on his chiseled face as he swished his long silky tail and shook his head flicking his black shoulder length hair.

.

The smaller one was a sensuous female as gleaming as polished ivory, with long white tresses flowing down her back and a red poppy stuck behind one ear. She, like all female centaurs, was poetry in motion. Although female centaurs do not have breasts, they do have a lot of graceful curves unlike the males who are all muscle; in fact most males have wash board stomachs. Swishing her tail, she waved at the people on the other side of the stream.

.

They both had beautiful blue eyes and a bow and a quiver of arrows slung on their backs.

.

"Good morning to you!" greeted Ebano, the black centaur.

.

"We've been waiting for you!" greeted Marfim, the white centaur.

.

The two centaurs crossed over the dry bottom of the stream and approached Lena and her elves.

.

"Long time, no see!" they both greeted Lena and her elves by giving each a friendly nuzzle.

.

"It has been a long time since I've seen you," Lena admitted as they started walking across the dry bed to the other side, "Do you remember when we used to play in the forest together?"

.

"Yes, we had such fun," Ebano remarked, "Do you remember when you got stuck in the fig tree and Mauro had to use magic to get you free?"

.

"How can I forget!" laughed Lena, "What about the time when you almost ate that poisonous mushroom, Marfim?"

.

Marifm chuckled, "If it hadn't been for you, I might have eaten it!"

.

"I've finished school now, what have you been doing?" inquired Lena.

.

"We are both still studying about foretelling the future," Ebano muttered swishing his long black silky tail with annoyance, "It's really complicated."

.

"Bit our srchery skills are top notch!" Marfim proclaimed proudly with a toss of her long white hair.

.

"Mara, Mauro and I are going to start a garden center to help replenish the forest," Lena stated.

.

"That's a wonderful idea! I know you will be successful and it has nothing to do with star gazing, you are so good with plants!" Ebano regarded Lena with pride.

.

She blushed, "Thank you, Ebano."

.

They walked through the magical mist which wasn't a mist at all but a protection devised centuries ago to keep out unwanted visitors: a smoke screen that had powerful anti-muggle spells, it could only be traversed in the company of centaurs. Passing through the dry mist, which didn't take long, they found themselves in the middle of a grove of fruit trees: all the citrus fruits, peaches, nectarines, almonds, hazelnuts and a gigantic persimmon tree covered with small unripe fruit. This was part of the centaurs' food supply and Lena used to come from time to time to help maintain it with her elves.

.

"The fruit trees are looking really good, those peaches and nectarines are ready to pick, they are mouth-watering!" Lena exclaimed.

.

"We'll pick some for you later to take back with you," Marfim smiled as she took Lena's hand and tucked it through the crook of her arm giving it a pat.

.

They came to the settlement at last. In the middle of a circle of houses was a huge clearing where a dozen very young centaurs ran around with play bows and sticks for arrows practising their archery. They dropped what they were doing and ran over to greet the newcomers, "Hello! Welcome!" they shouted jumping up and down.

.

Seta appeared and welcomed them as well, "I see you have brought the wondrous plant. I was thinking of placing it over there, next to my house, so I can keep an eye on it," he indicated a house on the right: it was barn like-the bedroom was full of straw mattresses to rest on, there were lots of brushes and combs and neatly folded blankets and ponchos (which were worn in winter). They placed the plant near the window.

.

"I also have an ashwinder egg that my father wanted to give to you," Lena handed over the egg.

.

"Thank your father for me; this will be good for malaria potions, we sometimes have outbreaks," Seta said gratefully as he put the egg carefully inside his house.

.

"Come with me for a moment, I have been reading the mallowsweet fire over here and it is full of good omens for your endeavor," Seta beckoned the group over to a small fire and they respectfully waited while he finished his reading, "Yes, you will be successful in your garden center, and I also see love finding you within three years."

.

He gazed at Lena with affection, "You have a great gift with plants; you will do well. I don't like wand magic but the special magic you have with plants is something I can really admire and respect! This community has flourished with your gentle help. You and your elves will be welcome here any time you wish to come," he proclaimed with a smile.

.

"We are going to have an archery shoot in the meadow, won't you join us?"

.

"I'm afraid my archery isn't very good, I haven't practised in years but I would love to watch!" Lena exclaimed happily.

.

So they gathered all the very young centaurs and walked slowly through the trees until the air was filled with the sounds of pings, zings, whishes and thunks. Leaving the cover of the trees they came to a meadow where various targets were set up at different intervals. About thirty adults and numerous youngsters were shooting at the targets trying to get a re'em´s eye. There were centaurs stationed by the targets removing the spent arrows. They stopped when they noticed Seta arriving with Lena and her elves.

.

"Now that I'm here, the contest can begin. I will sit on the side lines with our guests and the very young," Seta announced as he sat down surrounded by Lena, Mara, Mauro and all the little ones.

.

The centaurs divided themselves into groups according to age and waited for the signal to start. A majestic honey brown centaur trotted to the middle, the sun bouncing off his sculpted torso and stated, "Each archer will get three shots, whoever gets closest to the re'em's eye wins! On my signal!" He trotted over to where Seta wa sitting, drew an arrow and shot it into the air-zing!: the contest had started.

.

As this was a very serious event for the centaurs, there was no laughing or fooling around. Lena was fascinated by their skill and also by their courteousness to each other. The sound of the arrows flying was intoxicating. Each archer got his/her score from the centaurs stationed by the targets and then would move back giving the next archer a fair chance. Ebano and Marfim shot their three arrows in to the middle of the re'em's eye so they were in the top scorers. At the end of the shoot there were four with equal scores so there had to be a tie break. A single target was set up further away and each of the four would shoot at it. It was tense-everyone was staring at each of the four in turn as they loosed their arrows with a 'zing' and the following 'whish' as they flew through th air before they hit the target with a satisfying 'thunk'. Although they were very close the winner was Ebano who had managed to shoot his second arrow right through his first!

.

Everyone cheered Ebano and Seta smiled at him, "That was some of the best shooting I've ever seen! Well done! What would you have as a prize?"

.

If Ebano hadn't been completely black the furious blush would have been noticable, but he managed to stammer, "I don't know. I really have no idea." He stole a shy look at Marfim who gazed back at him and her blush was really noticeable on her whiteness. They both looked away and brushed the ground with their front hooves. The awkwardness wasn't lost on Seta (or anyone else) but he kept his silence believing that they should settle that matter between themselves. 'Ah, young love', he thought to himself.

.

"That was brilliant, Ebano," Lena congratulated him warmly.

.

"Yes, it was," echoed the two elves.

.

"Thank you for letting us witness the contest, Seta. I have to get back soon but before we go I'd like to have a look at your vegetable garden if that's alright with you," Lena said.

.

"Certainly, follow me," Seta led the way to the vegetable garden which was full of all sorts of delicious fruits and vegetables: tomatoes, peppers of every hue, beans, strawberries, raspberries. pumpkins, the list went on and on and it was well tended Lena could tell.

.

"Hello there, come to see the garden, have you?" asked a merry old female centaur who had been weeding the cabbages; her name was Verbena and she was Seta's wife of many years. Old, grey and a little stout she had shiny, yellow eyes, a long braid of grey hair and a perpetual smile on her wrinkled face.

.

"Verbena my love, the garden looks wonderful, is there anything we can spare to give to Lena and her family?" Seta asked his wife tenderly.

.

"Of course! The peppers are ripe and so are the berries and some of the tomatoes. Please take some for your family and you must have some of the peaches and nectarines from the fruit grove. If I remember correctly you love nectarines, don't you?" Verbena smiled as her yellow eyes twinkled and she flicked her tail.

.

So, baskets were filled with delicious things from the garden and the fruit trees and Lena made ready to go home, "Thank you so much! You are really kind. And thanks for watching out for the plant; I'm sure my father will be in touch with you about that. See you soon," Lena hugged Seta and Verbena.

.

Ebano and Marfim walked arm in arm with Lena and her elves until they passed through the 'mist' and crossed to the other side of the stream. They both gave Lena and each of her elves a little nuzzle.

.

"Good bye, see you soon," the two centaurs turned and walked back to their home, their tails swishing back and forth in harmony.

.

Lena watched them leave and set off for home with Mara and Mauro levitating the food baskets.

.

"Oh, before I forget, the 'earrings of the princess' plant is a secret. When they ask where we've been, just say that we went to visit the centaurs to give them the ashwinder egg," Lena looked at each elf in turn; they nodded.

.

"Yes, Menina Lena, don't worry, your secret is safe with us," they said earnestly.

.

"Alright then." She stole a look at the basket of fruit drooling. "Those nectarines are so tempting, I'm going to eat one," she said as she grabbed a particularly ruddy specimen, "Yumm, that's delicious!" she uttered as juice ran down her chin, "Why don't you have something too?"

.

Mara and Mauro's eyes lit up with joy as they picked out some tasty strawberries to eat. Munching on the fruit they all walked happily home.

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*Ebano and Marfim-Ebony and Ivory

Chapter 4: Lisbon

(Lisbon's coat of arms)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since the story had to go to Lisbon, I decided to imagine what wizarding Lisbon would be like. So, I have a brief description of various shops, the ministry, hospital and the bank. There is also a description of the Silva's Lisbon flat complete with the freed house elf, Chica.

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On an ordinary street in Lisbon there is a two bedroom flat belonging to the Silvas. On the outside it looks like any other flat in the city; however, on the inside it's a bit different. For one thing, there are electrical appliances but none of them are plugged in. It has a huge antique fireplace, various exotic looking plants and an owl perch on the glassed-in veranda, there is an arraiolas* rug in the living/dining room depicting beach scenes, Blue-Belly dragons and various sea creatures. Each bedroom has its own bath room en suite. Off the kitchen is a tiny door opening up to a dainty bath room with all the fixtures close to the floor with a tiny frosted window overlooking the garden. It's a comfortable place just perfect for when any of the Silvas come to Lisbon on business, pleasure or shopping.

.

Two brothers live there now with someone the neighbors think to be a midget but is in reality Chica the house elf. Chica has big green eyes, olive skin and she is also a 'freed' house elf meaning she wears muggle clothing, is paid a salary and has one day off a month. Her nose looks like a parrot's beak just like Trina, her mother's. She is very happy tending the flat for Diego and Tiago Silva just as she had been for Bernardo years ago when he was a young man. Around her head, to disguise her ears and cover her baldness, she wears a bandanna that matches her outfit. Chica has no problem going shopping at the local market, everybody knows and likes her, she also has two little dogs named Rico and Rica, Jack Russell terriers, who apparently had had an accident when they were puppies leaving them tailless. She walks her crups often and it's plain to see that the crups adore her but don't take kindly to anybody else.

.

That summer evening she was with Rico and Rica on the veranda overlooking the garden embroidering unicorns and hippogriffs on an arraiolas rug as she sat listening to the wizard's wireless. As is common in some parts of Lisbon this street of apartment houses encloses some ground where each tenant can have a bit of garden all to themselves; Chica had a lot of things planted there; tomatoes, green beans and other vegetables, some flowers too, all non-magical of course. It was really nice and peaceful on the veranda when there were two pops and she knew the two men had come home. Rico and Rica scurried to investigate, running around the newly apparated people.

.

"How is you two? Does you want some dinner?" she asked as she put her rug away and went into the kitchen. She stopped in her tracks because there were three, Lena had come as well. "Menina# Lena, how is you? You is looking so good! I is glad to see you!" She ran over and gave Lena a hug somewhere in the vicinity of her belly button.

.

"It has been a while, hasn't it? I'm glad to see you too," returning the hug. "I'm afraid there's some bad news though," Lena sighed, "Maybe we should all sit down, could I have a glass of water, I'm so thirsty."

.

So Chica got a jug of cold water from the ice box and glasses and Lena and her brothers told her all about the fire as they sat at the kitchen table. Chica was very sad and tried not to cry. "Is you sure my mother is ok?" she asked wringing her hands.

.

"Yes, Trina is fine, don't worry," Diego assured her.

.

"The thing is, I need one of those pots guaranteed to promote good growth no matter what plant it is and my brothers told me that they had some here," Lena explained. "Would you mind lending me one of them?"

.

"No, not at all! Come over to the veranda and take what you want," Chica motioned them all to the veranda where there various pots, some big, some small. All had some kind of plant residing in them: a mimbulous mimbletonia that glowed and twisted eerily, a bunch of honking daffodils, fire breathing snap dragons, blue bells that actually tinkled in the breeze and snarling tiger lilies to name a few. The largest pot held a miniature shrivel fig tree.

.

"The one with the shrivel fig tree is the one I need, give me an ordinary pot to put it in," ordered Lena.

.

Chica went to get it from the pantry and with her hand transplanted the tree to the ordinary pot. "There you goes! Want to eat? Is Menina Lena staying the night?"

.

"I don't want anything to eat, thanks, we already had dinner, I'm so tired, it's been a long day and I just want to sleep." Lena admitted. "Is that alright with you, Chica?"

.

"Alright? Of course it's alright! Chica be happy to see Lena, no problem!" she gushed and waved her hand to make a bed appear in the corner of the living room completely made up with sheets and pillows, Rico and Rica immediately ran over to lie curled up beside the bed.

.

"Oh, thanks, I think I'll turn in. What about you two?" Lena asked her brothers.

.

"That's probably a good idea, we have a lot to do tomorrow and I know I'm bushed," Diego remarked. "What about you, mano?"

.

"Yeah, that sounds good to me, I guess I'll say good night then," Tiago said trying to hide a yawn.

.

After she was sure that her charges were asleep Chica conjured her little bed on the veranda with a wave of her hand, gave a prayer of thanks that her mother was alright and went to sleep too.

.

At about 5:30 the next morning the sun woke Chica and she went to her dainty bath room for a quick shower before donning a pink shift dress with matching bandanna and flip-flops. The Silvas woke up as Chica was making breakfast, they all had some coffee and toast in the kitchen. Diego had urgent business at the ministry so he left on foot dressed in muggle pants and a short sleeve shirt. Since they lived so close to the ministry he usually walked to work, he knew he would probably be stuck inside all day and wanted to get some fresh morning air. Lena couldn't apparate so Tiago was going to side along with her to the forest before he too would be going to work at the bank. Lena bent down and scratched the crups' ears, bade Chica good bye and was off with her brother.

.

Chica watched them fondly as they left and then went to the market with the crups keeping her company. She bought a lot of fresh oranges at the fruit stand, went home and advised Rico and Rica, "You two be good now, I is going to visit my mother and I will be right back, guard the flat until I'm back." She patted each of their heads, grabbed the oranges, snapped her fingers and was gone in a puff of smoke. The two crups curled up and went to sleep.

*************************************************************************

Diego walked the empty streets until he came to a dim and dingy bar called "The Albatroz"; it was situated between an electrical appliance store and a book shop, he walked in, said good morning to the bar tender, Manuel, who was wiping down the counter and walked out the hidden back door into St. Vincent's Square which was the center of the wizard section of Lisbon.

It is a large square with citrus trees; oranges, lemons, tangerines, limes and grapefruit planted down the middle shading benches; the square is cobbled with different colored stones depicting the ship carrying the matyred Saint Vincent& with the famed two crows accompanying it.

.

First on the right is a store called "Escrivaninha%" where wizards can buy books and writing materials like parchment, quills and ink, first on the left is the "Portuguese Association of Alchemists" that has a stock of every known potion ingredient and also a section of ready-made potions. Further down on the right is "Moura's Menagerie" that sells owls as well as magical pets, facing that is "Oliveira's Wands" and "Ferreira's Broom and Quidditch Supply". There are also small shops, tea houses, cafes and restaurants on the square and down the narrow side streets. At the end of the square is the Ministry of Magic on the right, the "Wizard Hospital of Lusitania" in the middle and Gringott's Bank Lisbon Branch on the left. Both the ministry and Gringott's have only one story visible from the square, the rest is all undergrouind. The hospital, however, is an enormous building by far the tallest in the square.

.

Diego paused for a minute, waved his hands over his clothes which immediately changed into light weight cream colored wizard robes and strolled down a side street to "Zeca's Cafe" for a quick coffee before entering the ministry.

.

"Morning to all," he greeted the pleasant cafe which was empty except for Zeca who was tending the coffee maker.

.

"You're early today, Diego," remarked Zeca as he poked his wand at the coffee maker getting it started. "I'll have a brew for you in a moment." When the coffee was ready, Zeca served Diego.

.

"I know, but I prefer coming in early while it's still cool," Diego took a sip of his coffee. "I also like missing the breakfast hour when it's packed," he admitted to Zeca.

.

"True, true," Zeca said with a laugh.

.

"Well, thanks, see you later," Diego said as he put some change on the counter and left.

.

Diego continued on his way stopping to check out what dish for the day was at "Va a Fava+" restaurant; octopus salad, 'sounds good, I'll come here for lunch if I get a chance,' he thought to himself as he continued on his way to work stopping to buy the D.D. at the newstand.

.

He also paused at "Ferreira's Broom and Quidditch Supply" to have a look (drool) at the team poster of the "Lisbon Love Birds"; an all female team with the best looking women Diego had ever seen flying around tossing the quaffle to each other smiling. There was nothing lovey dovey about these women! The most impressive player was the seeker, Eusebia, she was as black as a panther and just as sinuous, but the other players were just as good: the chasers Luisa Figo, Simone Sabrosa and Nina Gomes were superb, the beaters Pauleta and Cristiana Ronaldo didn't look like they would hurt a fly but they were savage to say the least, and their keeper, Vitoria Baia, didn't let too many quaffles in that's for sure:$

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As the shop hadn't opened yet for business he took his time admiring the team in their shocking pink uniforms until they noticed him and started blowing kisses at him through the window. He blew a kiss back, waved and cntinued on his way.

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When Diego arrived at the ministry, he pushed open the front doors and walked past the fountain which was a pretty thing with four fish statues spouting water from their mouths, waved a geeting to the receptionist, passed the floo fireplaces and the apparation point and entered the ministry itself. It had cork flooring, antique hand-painted tiles on the walls and the ceiling was enchanted to resemble water flowing back and forth. He approached the elevators and pushed 5: where he and the minister of magic had their offices.

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He arrived at his office which was small and cramped with barely enough room for a desk and filing cabinet. He pulled some parchment to him and began to write:

*****************************************************************

From: the desk of Diego Silva, secretary to the Portuguese Minster of Magic, Jacinto Horta

To: the IFMAS (Imternational Federation of Magical Animal Sanctuaries)

On the 31st of July 1980, a fire destroyed the Silva family's area of the Magical Forest of the Algarve. It has been decided that the Silvas will move to their vacation home somewhere off the coast of the Açores where they will set up a magical bird sanctuary. Please notify all known sanctuaries.

****************************************************************************

He got up, went to the owlery and dispatched the note. He then returned to his office, picked up some parchment and quills and knocked on the minister's door.

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"Come in," he entered the lovely spacious room full of antique furniture with a hand-embroidered arraiolas rug depicting flying Lusitano horses and portraits of former ministers hanging on the wall, they were all sleeping. Jacinta Horta was sitting behind her magnificent desk with her reading glasses on. She was about the same age as his parents; they had gone to school at round about the same time and they wre still good friends. Jacinta had never married. She was still a good looking woman with kind brown eyes and a little grey in her dark brown hair. She was also a very able minister running the magic governmemt with gentle control. She looked up at Diego as he entered the room and smiled at him over her glasses.

.

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"Good morning, minister," he greeted Jacinta Horta. "I've already sent an owl to the IFMAS about the new bird sanctuary and I'm ready whenever you are to contact the Department of Mysteries."

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"First off, I'll dictate a note," she proceeded to dictate the following note:

****************************************************************************

Inter Departmental note:

from: the minister of magic, Jacinta Horta

to: the department of mysteries

On the 31st of July 1980, a fire destroyed the Silva's area of the magical forest of the Algarve. A plant was discovered that has fabulous jewelled earrings instead of flowers. Albus Dumbledore was summoned arriving that very day at sunset. After perusal of said plant, Dumbledore proclaimed that the plant in question is not dangerous or dark in magic but filled with the purest of positive magic. He urged us to guard and protect said plant. It has been decided to move it and the Silva family to their vacation home off the coast of the Açores. There will be monthly updates on the status of this plant.

***********************************************************************

"Now you and I have a date with the department of mysteries," the minister rose and they both proceeded to the elevators where they went to the ninth lever, the bottom most floor and got out. Diego had never been here before, it was very dark with only a few torches lighting the way. Diego shivered. Jacinta knocked on a section of the wall and a door opened.

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They entered a well lit room that only had a desk and some chairs, the minister sat down and motioned Diego to do the same. Diego looked around trying to find the light source but he didn't discover anything.

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Diego had worked in just about every department in the ministry; the misuse of muggle artifacts, transportation, the legal section, aurors, muggle liasons and now the minister herself. The only department he hadn't worked in was sports and games; he was looking forward to that; he loved quidditch.

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A minute later, a door opened in the wall behind the desk and a wizard entered the room; Diego was surprised to see that he looked quite normal; he was expecting the man to have horns or a tail from all the stories he had heard. In fact the man was dressed in light weight pastel green wizard robes; he was quite handsome and tall with grey eyes and greying black hair that seemed to wave as though he was in an invisible breeze.

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"Good morning, minister," he greeted Jacinta. "We've been expecting you."

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"Good morning to you too, Sr. Mistral," handing over the parchment.

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Sr. Mistral read the parchment and then placed it carefully on the desk, "We will also need a copy of your memories of this plant," he moved his hand slightly and a magical device appeared before him; it looked like a pensieve. "If you wouldn't mind removing your thoughts for a moment, this won't take long."

.

So Diego put the tip of his wand to his temple and extracted the memory of the plant during the afternooon and also the memory of the plant at night and deposited them in the basin, a vial popped out into the waiting hands of Sr. Mistral and Diego retrieved his memories and replaced them. Jacinta Horta did the same. Sr. Mistral emptied Diego's vial into the basin, prodded it with his wand and the memory of the plant came into view first in the sunshine then at night. He repeated this with the minister's memories. It was awesome seeing it like that.

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Sr. Mistral noticed the amazement on Diego's face and declared, "I see you have never seen a memmor§ before; it's a device used to copy prophecies; it's also useful in situations like this where we need a record of the event for study." He smiled at them, bade them good bye and exited through the same door he entered from.

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Diego and the minister left the room, made their way to the lift and went back to the minister's office. Diego didn't want to admit it but he was relieved to be back upstairs, it was really creepy down there.

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"Well, that's it for now," Jacinta remarked. "I hope I don't have to go there again so soon, it gives me the willies," she wiped some sweat off her face with a handkerchief.

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"Is there anything else?" Diego asked.

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The minister looked at her secretary, "Not right now, why don't you finish whatever's on your desk and then get back to me."

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"Yes, minister," Diego returned to his cubby hole and got on with his paperwork. When he was finished he knocked on the monister's door and entered, "Do you need me for anything else?"

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"No, Diego, why don't you go to lunch as I'm going to eat something as well and then meet up here later," Jacinta suggested.

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"Good idea, I'll do that," Diego went to the door, "See you in a bit." Diego walked out of the ministry to the 'Va a Fava' restaurant which was now full of customers and had an octopus salad.

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*arraiolas rugs are hand embroidered rugs depicting flowers, plants, geometric designs or animals

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+va a fava translates as 'go pick some fava beans', or something along the lines of 'go jump in the lake'

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#menina/menino-miss/master

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$the quidditch team members are named after some Portuguese soccer stars present and past: Eusebio, Luis Figo, Simão Sabrosa, Nuno Gomes, Pauleta, Cristiano Ronaldo, Vitor Baia

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&the coat of arms of the city of Lisbon has the ship that carried Saint Vincent and the two crows that stayed with the craft from the Algarve to Lisbon

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%escrivaninha-Portuguese for 'writing desk'

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§memmor-combination of 'memory' and 'mirror'

Chapter 3: Earrings of the Princess

(images downloaded from google)

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In this chapter we are introduced to some more characters: The Portuguese Minister of Magic, Jacinta Horta, the head goblin of the Gringotts Bank Lisbon branch, Panduro, the headmistress of the wizard school Tambangaisa, Alice Fonseca, Seta the centaur and we see a character from the Harry Potter series-Albus Dumbledore. A mysterious plant is discovered and the Silvas will discuss what to do next with the help of everyone else.

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For many centuries the mountain ranges seperating the Algarve from the rest of continental Portugal were nearly impassable to muggles thereby making this particular area a stronghold of wizard folk. They spent their lives happily tending the forest, there were herds of hippogriffs, thestrals, unicorns, moon calves and also a flying horse bred from the Lusitano#; a lovely strong and gentle breed full of courage. There were birds of every description magical and non-magical. There were trees of every kind and magical plants galore.

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As time passed there were more and more people and roads were built through the mountains. The wizards and their forest were split up into seperate areas. At the time of this story, there were only a handful of families still living and working in their designated areas. One of these families was the Silvas and they had just witnessed the end of their area of the forest.

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Black, charred earth as far as the eye could see with little islands of green sticking out like sore thumbs was all that was left of the Silva's area. The only remaining building was the roofless pigsty which was made of stone now backened. A series of pops broke the silence and suddenly the desolate landscape was filled with men, women and one goblin. The Portuguese minister of magic, Jacinta Horta, placed her arm around the shoulder of her secretary, Diego Silva, speechless. The director of Gringotts Bank Lisbon Branch, Panduro** the goblin, looked around revealing nothing of his feelings as his assistant, Tiago Silva, nearly fainted with shock. The headmistress of the wizarding school, Tambangaisa, Alice Fonseca, held tightly on to the hand of her assistant greenhouse caretaker, Lena Silva, lending her much needed support in this awful hour.

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Two figures were approaching from the south, covered in soot and their hair was full of grey ash. They walked slowly towards the new arrivals. The three Silva chidren ran to their parents and hugged them fiercely, "Thank Merlin, you're alright!" they cried with joy. Tears of relief were in everybody's eyes even Panduro's.

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"I'm afraid our part of the forest is destroyed and it will take many years to recuperate," Bernardo sighed. "All of the birds and animals managed to escape. We spoke to the local leader of the centaurs, Seta***, and he has agreed to a meeting later at sundown."

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"If you are wondering about Marisa, she is fine now, Julia conjured a 'globus memoria felice' spell," he looked in admiration at her, "It was perfect; the invisible bubble with just the one thread attaching to Marisa's brain hrough her ear, making her relive the happiest moments of her life, she settled right down with a happy look on her face," Bernardo chuckled at the memory. "I helped Julia reattach her paw and now she's back at the beach with Omar and her eggs. Jojo and Mojo are there as well just in case."

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Bernardo turned to look at Julia and she added with a slight shiver, "We came across the most wondrous plant just now, I don't know how to explain so it's better if you see it for yourselves."

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On that curious note, they all walked south until they came upon one of the green islands where there was a shimmering glow and the air was filled with sparkles. To their astonishment it was a fuchsia plant but instead of pink and purple flowers, it had pairs of earrings fit for a princess dangling from its branches: diamonds, opals, sapphires, emeralds, rubies and all the other precious and semi-precious stones twinkling in the sunlight. Nobody said anything for a long time.

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Finally Panduro broke the silence, "I have never seen anything like that in my life! The value of all those jewels is priceless. Does anybody have any ideas about what to do with it?"

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Everyone was stumped.

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Jacinta Horta cleared her throat and said, "I'll contact Albus Dumbledore immediately, he might be able to shed some light on this mysterious plant." Jacinta aimed her wand north and an Iberian lynx patronus shot out of the end, turned to face Jacinta and after a brief exchange of thoughts leaped up into the sky and was gone.

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The rest of the morning was spent checking on the damage. Although their part was destroyed, the rest was untouched. 'It could have been a lot worse if we hadn't kept the ground clear of debris,' thought Bernardo to himself: he was adamant that the forest floor should always be kept clear and it turned out he was right. All of the birds had lost their nests and some had lost their eggs and young ones. This really hurt the Silva family, it wasn't the birds' fault that there had been a fire.

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They came across Bica and Ursula. "Estrela be safe! It be here!" he slurred as he patted the empty air at his side.

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Julia threw out her arms to keep everyone from getting too close to the unicorn as Ursula gave a start to see all those people so near."Oh, of course, I forgot to mention it! Ursula gave birth to a thestramule right before dawn! I've named it Estrela," exclaimed Julia as she smiled at the memory, "if you want to see it, you'll have to drink some beer or wine," Julia explained.

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She summoned Trina and requested some beer, wine and glasses to drink to the health of the thestramule and its mother and also to be able to see it. Trina returned with some of the other elves all bearing drinks or trays with glasses.When every last person and elf had a glass of drink they raised them and toasted Ursula from a safe distance of course.After they had all had a drink they gasped as they were finally able to see the tiny pink beast with their own eyes! It was looking at them all curiously, flapping its tiny pink wings.

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"That be one beautiful baby, Ursie!" Trina exclaimed. "Is all as should be, Bica?" she cast her stern eyes on the soused house elf.

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"Yes, all be fine, hic!" Bica managed to utter quaking a little under her gaze.

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"Then we be off to make dinner, Dona Ju," Trina announced, as she led the way back to the burnt out shell of the house, the other elves following her carrying the empty bottles and glasses.

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Feeling a little cheered they continued their survey until sunset, the sky was turning all deep reds, oranges and yellows; it was as if the sky was on fire now, it was breath takingly beautiful.

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Seta came walking through the trees; he was old and grey. He bowed a greeting to all and then gazed up at the sky; after a minute he pointed at something that was coming closer; everyone looked up at the sky as Dumbledore was arriving on his thestral; he landed looking rather windswept but otherwise splendid in his purple robes embroidered with stars and planets. They all said hello, happy to be with each other.

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Bernardo pointed his wand at the ground, muttered, "manta brota", and an enormous beige blanket started to sprout from the earth and spread out and out like spilling water until it covered a lot of ground, he then uttered, "basta", and it stopped growing. He turned to the others and invited them to sit down.

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Trina appeared with a group of house elves, "I is sorry, but this is all we scraped together from the cans and jars in the underground cellar," looking sadly down at the trays heaped with bowls of tuna and black-eyed pea salad, tuna and chick pea salad, sardine sandwiches, black and grees olives, fruit salad, assorted biscuits, mint humbugs and some jugs of orange juice made from powder and water. All the house elves were looking at some point on the ground.

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"That looks like a veritable feast to me! You've outdone yourselves, elves!" Berardo exclaimed, "Why don't you join us?" he patted the blanket and smiled at them and they smiled back. He waved his hand to summon dishes, glasses and cutlery and they all sat down to share in the impromptu feast. Everybody had something to eat and drink, the meal was calm and silent; everyone was lost in their own thoughts.

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Dumbledore finally spoke after the meal was over, "now that we have all been fed and watered, I would like to see this wondrous plant.!"

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Everybody rose, the house elves went back to the shell of the house with the dirty dishes and Bernardo invited the rest to follow him and they went to the plant which could be seen quite clearly now that the sun was down. As Dumbledore neared it seemed to shine even more intensely filling the night with brightness. It appeared to be on fire, there was something phoenix-like about it; it had after all been born from a fire. He took out his wand and waved it over the plant chanting under his breath, staring intensely at it to see any reaction. He pocketed his wand and smiled, "This plant is in no way dangerous or black in magic, it is filled with the purest of positive magic. I have no idea how it came to be but it is something very good you must all guard it well."

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"How can we possibly do that? Our part of the forest is in shambles!" Bernardo remarked with anguish.

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"It's very valuable, how can anyone protect it from being stolen or destroyed?" added Panduro.

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"Venus is rising on the horizon," offered Seta.

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"Lena, can this plant be transplanted?" Alice Fonseca asked as she turned to Lena.

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The greenhouse caretaker crouched to take a closer look at the plant's stem and roots; after careful scrutiny she rose and said, "I believe so, is there a pot around? One of those great pots I brought home last time that will guarantee good growth no matter what plant it is." Lena stopped speaking and was almost on the verge of crying, "I'm sorry, they're all gone, aren't they?"

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"Actually, we have some of those pots at the flat in Lisbon, mana%," Diego remarked as he turned to his brother, "don't we?"

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Tiago nodded, "Yes, Chica was thrilled! Now she has no problem with some of her more difficult plants. We can go there later on tonight, I know she'd love to see you."

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"Fine, but where are you going to move it to once you've got it potted?" insisted Panduro.

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The Silva family all looked at each other, finally Bernardo spoke, "We could move it to our vacation home off the Açores, Jula and I could move in with some of our house elves and plant it there. We would have to leave some of our elves here to keep an eye on the forest; they could fix up the pigsty and live there."

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"I will also keep an eye on the forest, it will take a long time for it to recuperate but I and my herd will be here and we pledge out honor to take care of it," Seta solemly proclaimed.

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"Thank you, Seta, I am not afraid to leave this part of the forest in your capable hands," Bernardo whispered to the centaur visibly touched.

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Seta bowed solemnly and disappeared into the dark forest.

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Julia spoke up, "If we're moving to the Açores, I think we should take all our birds with us as they have lost their nests, Ursula and Estrela too, and the dragons could be set up on a beach by themselves. I don't like the idea of leaving them now that Marisa has finally laid some eggs!" Julia sobbed, "They are part of our family!"

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Bernardo hugged Julia very close. "Shhh, don't worry my love, we will figure it out," he rubbed his hands up and down her back holding her very close.

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"I'm sure all these problems will iron themselves out. Stay united in this hour of need. I must go now, even though Hogwarts is closed for the summer, there is a lot to be done," Dumbledore spoke to each in turn, then mounted his thestral and was off.

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"I can lend you the school transport if you like," Alice Fonseca offered after Dumbledore had vanished north, "That way, you can take everything in one go."

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"That would be wonderful, thanks for the offer!" Bernardo said as he held on to Julia who smiled at Alice, "Yes, thanks, now we have to gather the animals over the next few days and decide which elves stay and which go."

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"If you are bringing all your birds why don't you transform your home into a bird sanctuary?" Jacinta Horta inquired. "That way you would have all the protective spells that all sanctuaries have, plus some added protection for the plant and no one would be suspicious," she turned to Panduro, "What do you think?"

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Panduro didn't say anything for a while deep in thought. Finally, he said, "I think that is a very good idea and I will look into protective spells and charms with my colleagues at the bank. I take it that this home has all the usual muggle-repelling spells and is unplottable?"

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They assented.

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"Well, then, we'll just have to toughen up any existing charms and add a few of our own, it will be as well guarded as if it were in Gringott's itself," he smiled showing his sharp teeth. "Tiago will take care of it himself," gazing at his assistant, "Alright by you, Tiago?"

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"You can count on me, sir," Tiago proclaimed.

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"Well, I'll be going now, see you in the morning, Diego," Jacinta Horta bade everyone good night and apparated.

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"Tiago, Lena and I will stay in Lisbon tonight and one of us can escort Lena back with the pot tomorrow morning," Diego added looking at his siblings, "It will probably be you, Tiago, as I want to start on the paper work on wizard kind's newest bird sanctuary first thing tomorrow morning."

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"I have to get back to the school to get everything ready so I'll say good night and see you soon, " Alice Fonseca hugged Bernardo and Julia, then turned to Lena, "If you want to stay with your parents just say the word, we can get along without you at the school and they might like having you around."

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Lena gaped at her employer, 'how did she guess that? Has she been using legilimancy?'

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"You are very perceptive, headmistress! I don't want to sound ungrateful but I really would like to accompany my parents," she calmed down a bit. "Only I was thinking that my so-called green thumb would be better use in a garden center where I can get some seedlings started to replenish the forest; I was wondering if it would be possible to rent or buy a garden center on one of the islands of the Açores. The Island of the Crow would probably be best as it's the smallest one and it wouldn't attract so much attention. I'd take Mara and Mauro as well: they would look after me and I would insist they be freed and wear clothes as we will be interacting with muggles there," she looked around nervously,"What do you think of my idea?"

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Nobody said a word, they were all digesting the idea. Finally Bernardo spoke, "That is a brilliant idea and I think we can work it out!" He turned to Panduro, "Do you think you could find a suitable property there?"

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Panduro appeared to be deep in thought, "I will do my best to find something, it should be feasible as the island is so small amd out of the way. I'll get back to you as soon as I have any news." He gave a little bow, turned and disaparated.

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Alice Fonseca gave Lena a little hug, "I'm sorry I won't see you as much now but you are doing the right thing, I have a feeling that all the forests in this country will be needing tree seedlings and other plants; we are in the middle of a drought, as you know," she smiled, turned and disappeared.

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The Silva family gave each other warm hugs, they were sad of course but there was a feeling of hope too as though this move was the right thing to do. The three children said good bye and vanished, Bernardo and Julia went to their shining earrings of the princess plant, summoned their house elves, conjured sleeping bags and went to bed right there under the stars next to the plant which filled them all with hope and peace.

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*the fuchsia plant is commonly known in Portugal as "brincos de Princesa" which translates as "earrings of the princess

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**Panduro is a mix of "pão"meaning bread and "duro" meaning hard: hard bread or hard tack

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***seta is Portuguese for arrow

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#the Lusitano is a Portuguese horse breed

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%mana/mano-sis/bro

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Spells:

Globus memoria felice-globe of happy memories

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manta brota-spring forth blanket

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basta-enough