The great roundhouse at the center of the village was far brighter than before when Harry returned for the gathering of the Nightsister elders.
Orange flames burned steadily inside large stone bowls positioned around the circular chamber, filling the room with shifting shadows. The massive ritual circle painted across the floor seemed almost alive beneath the flickering glow, its crimson markings and ancient symbols pulsing faintly with lingering magic.
The entire village had gathered.
Children crowded near the entrances, whispering excitedly while peeking around older women to catch glimpses of the outsiders. Survivors lined the edges of the chamber in silence, their expressions guarded but curious. Some carried tools from interrupted work. Others still wore hunting leathers stained from the forests beyond the village.
And at the center of it all—
The council waited.
Harry slowed slightly after entering.
Because this was not what he had expected.
When Ahsoka first mentioned elders gathering, Harry had imagined ancient practitioners guarding forgotten knowledge. Wise women who remembered old rituals and hidden secrets lost to the galaxy.
Instead, most of the council looked young.
Far too young.
Several appeared barely older than Ahsoka herself. Only three women in the entire gathering looked older than thirty, and one of them was Mother Veyra.
Harry's surprise must have shown on his face.
Beside him, Ahsoka spoke quietly enough that only he and Quinlan could hear. "Most of the real elders died."
"The clone troopers slaughtered nearly everyone," she continued softly. "These are the survivors. Mostly the ones who escaped carrying children."
Harry looked around again, this time more carefully.
Now he noticed the exhaustion hidden beneath their composure. The uncertainty. The grief. Many of them stood like people pretending confidence because the alternative was collapse.
"These are all the magic users left?" Quinlan asked quietly.
Ahsoka nodded. "Not everyone here can use magic."
She gestured subtly toward several women standing farther back beside the walls. "Some are simply survivors. Family members. Children. People who had nowhere else to go after the massacre."
Harry's gaze drifted briefly toward the younger children clustered near the entrances. Some looked excited. A few stared at him with obvious fear whenever their eyes lingered too long on the lightsaber hanging at his belt.
Mother Veyra suddenly raised her staff once against the stone floor.
The chamber fell silent immediately.
Then the old Nightsister gestured toward Harry. "This is the outsider," she announced calmly. "The one who wields magic."
Every eye in the room turned toward him at once.
Harry stepped forward calmly into the center of the ritual circle. "I came here to learn."
His answer was direct and completely honest.
A younger Nightsister frowned immediately. "Learn what?"
"Magic," Harry replied.
Quiet murmurs spread through the chamber almost instantly.
Another woman lowered her eyes sadly. "There is little left to teach."
Mother Veyra's expression darkened at those words. "Our scrolls were burned. Our archives destroyed. Our great practitioners slaughtered."
Her grip tightened slightly against her staff.
"The Empire did not simply attack us," she continued coldly. "They erased us."
Silence settled heavily across the hall.
Even the children near the entrances became quiet.
One younger witch spoke softly after several long moments. "We only remember fragments now. Potions. Small rituals. Basic enchantments."
Another added bitterly, "Most of what we know survives only in stories."
Harry felt something twist uncomfortably inside his chest.
Because he understood this feeling far too well.
People hunted because of power they were born with.
In some ways, the Nightsisters were not so different from the wizarding world he had grown up fearing.
Mother Veyra studied him carefully for several seconds before speaking again.
"Show them."
Harry blinked once. "Show them what?"
"What remains possible."
The children straightened instantly at those words, excitement spreading rapidly through the chamber. Even many of the adults leaned forward slightly now.
From the side of the room, Quinlan smirked faintly. "Oh, this should be interesting."
Harry sighed softly beneath his breath before raising one hand.
A tiny burst of smoke appeared in the air.
Then suddenly—
A small puppy landed gently in the center of the ritual circle.
The creature barked happily before immediately racing across the chamber with uncontrolled excitement.
The children erupted instantly.
One little girl squealed so loudly that several adults jumped. Another dropped to her knees while trying to catch the puppy as it raced between people's legs.
"It's alive!"
"How did he do that?!"
"Can it stay?!"
Even some of the younger Nightsisters stared openly now.
Harry smiled faintly before lifting his hand again. Tiny sparks burst into existence above his fingers before shooting upward toward the ceiling.
Then the sparks exploded.
Miniature fireworks filled the chamber in brilliant bursts of red, blue, gold, and green. The lights danced harmlessly across the roof like living stars while children shouted excitedly beneath them.
"Make bigger ones!"
"Again!"
One child pointed upward so excitedly she nearly fell backward into another girl.
Harry waved his hand once more.
Objects around the chamber began floating gently into the air. Feathers drifted upward beside bowls and cloth scraps while one surprised child suddenly lifted half a meter above the floor before drifting slowly back down again amid delighted laughter.
The room transformed completely.
For the first time since entering the village, Harry heard genuine joy instead of cautious silence.
Then he pressed his palm lightly against the ritual circle beneath his feet.
Magic surged quietly outward.
A moment later, a small tree erupted upward from the center of the chamber floor. Branches spread rapidly while green leaves bloomed across them within seconds.
Mother Veyra slowly rose from her seat, staring at the growing tree with visible disbelief. "…Impossible."
Harry shook his head calmly. "No."
He looked around the chamber slowly. "Nothing is impossible in magic."
That sentence struck the room harder than any display of magic.
The children stared at him like he had performed miracles. Some of the younger Nightsisters looked shaken. Others openly fascinated. A few older survivors simply looked sad, as though remembering what their people once possessed before the Empire came.
Harry let the silence settle before speaking again.
"I cannot stay here forever."
The excitement dimmed slightly throughout the chamber.
"But I can offer you something."
Now every person in the hall listened carefully.
"I have books," Harry said calmly. "Magic. Knowledge. A safe place."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"The Empire already knows Dathomir. You can rebuild here. You can grow stronger. But the moment the Empire decides you are dangerous again…"
His eyes moved slowly across the chamber.
"…they will return."
Nobody argued.
Because every person in the room already knew it was true.
Harry continued quietly, "If you come with me, I will protect you. I will teach you what I know. And I will help you rebuild what was lost."
One younger Nightsister frowned cautiously. "Why?"
It was a fair question.
"Because someone once tried to destroy people like me too."
That silenced the room again.
"I know what it means to be hunted because of power."
He looked directly toward Mother Veyra.
"And no one should face that alone."
The old Nightsister stared at him for a long time after that.
Finally, she spoke quietly. "…You offer much."
"I know."
"You may also bring danger."
Harry nodded once without hesitation. "Yes."
Mother Veyra leaned slightly against her staff. "We will consider your offer."
"That is all I ask."
The formal gathering slowly dissolved afterward into scattered conversations and quiet whispers. Some survivors looked hopeful for the first time in years. Others remained deeply suspicious. Several younger witches already looked openly fascinated by the possibilities Harry described.
Harry turned toward the exit—
Only to immediately find himself surrounded by children.
"Can you make the puppy again?!"
"Can you teach us fireworks?!"
"Can you make people fly again?!"
"Can you summon monsters?!"
Quinlan burst into laughter from the far side of the chamber while Ahsoka folded her arms with obvious amusement.
"You're doomed," Quinlan said cheerfully.
Harry allowed the children to drag him toward the doorway while sighing in defeat.
"…I'm beginning to realize that."
After Harry left the great roundhouse surrounded by a crowd of excited children demanding more magic tricks, the atmosphere inside the chamber changed completely.
The laughter slowly faded from the walls. The excitement settled. Reality returned.
The elders remained seated around the massive ritual circle while firelight flickered across their tense faces. Some looked hopeful after what they had witnessed. Others looked uncertain. A few still looked deeply afraid.
For several long moments, nobody spoke.
Then finally one of the younger Nightsisters broke the silence.
"He speaks truth."
Her voice carried quiet tension as she glanced toward the entrance where Harry had disappeared moments earlier.
"Our location is compromised."
Another witch nodded grimly. "The Empire already knows Dathomir. They attacked us once."
Her expression hardened slightly.
"They can do it again."
One of the older women tightened her grip around the carved staff resting beside her seat. "And if they return now?" she asked quietly, though fear trembled beneath the question. "What do we truly have left to defend ourselves with?"
The silence that followed felt heavy enough to suffocate the room.
Ahsoka Tano remained near the edge of the chamber with her arms folded loosely across her chest while the discussion continued around her. She had stayed quiet since Harry's departure, listening more than speaking.
Finally, one of the Nightsisters turned toward her directly.
"You trust this outsider?"
Ahsoka considered the question carefully before answering.
"…I trust Quinlan."
"He would not stand beside someone truly evil," she continued quietly. Then, after a small pause, she added dryly, "At least not willingly."
Several women exchanged uncertain looks.
Another witch frowned. "But the lightsaber—"
Ahsoka sighed softly and rubbed her forehead slightly. "Yes. That part is still ridiculous."
The confusion spreading across several faces almost made her smile.
"He insists on carrying a red lightsaber even though he clearly isn't Sith," she explained. "Honestly, I think he enjoys confusing people."
That earned a few small laughs throughout the chamber.
Weak laughter.
Mother Veyra remained silent through most of the conversation, her glowing eyes focused not on the council—but on the small tree still standing at the center of the ritual circle.
The tree remained alive.
Healthy.
One Nightsister whispered softly, almost to herself, "Magic without chants…"
Another continued quietly, "…without rituals."
A third stared toward the tree with visible disbelief. "He created life."
"And fire."
At that, several younger witches lowered their eyes slightly.
Because among the Nightsisters, light magic was difficult. Rare. Most of their surviving practices focused on shadow, spirit rituals, life manipulation, and illusion magic. Pure illumination spells were nearly nonexistent within their traditions.
One of the women spoke quietly. "He could restore what we lost."
Another answered bitterly, "Or he could lead the Empire directly to us."
And so the debate continued.
Long.
Painfully honest.
Some wanted to remain on Dathomir no matter the danger. This world was their home. Their ancestors were buried beneath its forests and mountains. Every ruined temple and burned village still carried pieces of their history.
Leaving felt like surrender.
But others—especially the younger mothers—kept glancing toward the children gathered outside the roundhouse.
And slowly, fear outweighed pride.
"We cannot raise them among graves forever," one woman admitted quietly.
Another nodded slowly. "Our children deserve more than survival."
"They deserve a future."
Ahsoka listened in silence.
Because deep down, she already knew which way the discussion would end.
Then suddenly—
The entrance curtain shifted aside.
A small horned girl hurried inside the chamber.
She looked almost unable to contain herself, excitement radiating from every movement.
Mother Veyra blinked in surprise. "Lira?"
The child hurried forward eagerly. "Look!"
Lira raised one tiny hand proudly, squeezed her eyes shut in concentration, and spoke with complete seriousness.
"Lumos!"
For one brief second, nothing happened.
Then suddenly—
A brilliant white light burst into existence above her palm.
The entire roundhouse illuminated instantly.
Not Nightsister sorcery.
Pure white light.
Warm.
Gentle.
Beautiful.
Gasps echoed throughout the chamber. Several witches rose from their seats in shock while others stared openly in disbelief.
Even Ahsoka's eyes widened slightly.
Lira beamed proudly as the glowing orb floated above her hand. "I did it!"
One of the older witches suddenly covered her mouth as tears filled her eyes.
"…Light magic."
Another whispered shakily, "She learned it in less than an hour…"
Lira looked around proudly before raising her hand again with dramatic seriousness.
"And there's more!"
She pointed toward the glowing orb above her palm.
"Nox!"
The light vanished instantly.
Darkness returned to the chamber.
No one spoke afterward.
Because no one needed to.
Mother Veyra slowly lowered herself back into her seat while her ancient eyes drifted toward the doorway where Harry had disappeared earlier surrounded by children.
Then toward Lira.
Then finally toward the council itself.
And in that moment—
She understood.
They all did.
The decision had already been made.
For the first time since the massacre of Dathomir, the Nightsisters had seen their future growing instead of dying.
One of the younger witches finally spoke softly.
"…We leave."
Another nodded slowly. "Yes."
A third whispered almost reverently, "We rebuild."
Mother Veyra closed her eyes briefly before speaking the words aloud herself.
"We will go with the wizard."
Ahsoka released a slow breath she had not realized she was holding.
One of the women looked uncertain again. "Where?" she asked quietly. "We do not even know where he intends to take us."
Mother Veyra opened her eyes once more.
For the first time that evening, true calm rested within them.
"No," she admitted softly.
Then she looked toward the doorway again.
"But I believe…"
Her voice became quieter.
"…wherever he takes us…"
"…our children will finally have the chance to live."
Author's Note:
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