The peaceful skies above Bogano were broken by the familiar roar of engines.
The sound rolled across the fields, causing everyone working outside to pause. Farmers shaded their eyes against the afternoon sun while children immediately looked upward, searching for the source of the noise.
"There!"
One of the younger Jedi trainees pointed excitedly toward the sky.
"It's Dobby!"
Luke recognized the ship before anyone else.
Without another word, he dropped the basket of vegetables he had been carrying and sprinted toward the landing grounds. The other Jedi children quickly followed, abandoning their work with equal enthusiasm. Seeing their excitement, several adults simply laughed and shook their heads.
Even the Nightsisters who had remained behind smiled knowingly.
"The expedition team has returned."
High above, the silver transport descended in a wide circle before slowly lowering itself into the grassy clearing beside the growing fleet of ships that Bogano now possessed. Dust and loose grass swirled outward as the engines powered down, and after a few moments the landing ramp slowly lowered.
For several seconds...
No one appeared.
Then Dobby marched confidently down the ramp with his chin held high.
His clothes were dusty from weeks of travel, his boots stained with mud, and there were a few small tears in his cloak that hinted at more than one difficult encounter. Yet none of that diminished the pride shining in his large green eyes.
Behind him came nearly every Nightsister who had joined the expedition.
They looked just as exhausted.
Several carried bundles of herbs tied neatly together with woven vines. Others guided crates floating gently through the air, packed so full of plants that leaves and flowers spilled over the edges.
Dozens preservation trunks floated down the ramp one after another, each carefully sealed and protected by magic.
Harry stared.
His eyebrows slowly climbed higher with every trunk that appeared.
Finally he looked toward Dobby.
"Dobby..."
The little house-elf looked up proudly.
"Yes."
Harry gestured toward the mountain of luggage now covering half the landing field.
"...What exactly did you bring back?"
Dobby's smile widened until it seemed to stretch from one ear to the other.
"Everything, sir!"
Harry blinked.
"...Everything?"
Dobby nodded enthusiastically.
"Everything that grows on Bogano."
Luke scratched his head.
"You mean..."
He looked at the towering stack of trunks.
"...everything?"
One of the younger Nightsister girls stepped forward proudly.
"We collected every kind of grass."
Another raised her hand.
"Every flower."
A third girl smiled brightly.
"Every mushroom."
"And every tree seed!"
"Moss too!"
"And vines!"
"Water plants!"
"Even swamp reeds!"
Each answer made Harry's expression more incredulous.
When the excited chorus finally stopped, he slowly rubbed his forehead.
"So..."
He looked back at Dobby.
"...you literally collected every plant you could find."
Dobby nodded without the slightest embarrassment.
"We did not know which ones were magical."
He spread both arms dramatically.
"So Dobby thought..."
"...take them all."
Even Master Yoda let out a quiet chuckle.
"Simple solution..."
His ancient eyes twinkled with amusement.
"Very effective."
Harry laughed and shook his head.
"I suppose I can't argue with that."
The unloading continued.
Curiosity quickly overcame everyone as the first preservation trunk was carefully opened.
Inside rested hundreds of flowers arranged with astonishing care. Brilliant reds, deep blues, glowing violets, and blossoms unlike anything anyone had ever seen filled the interior.
The second trunk contained fungi.
Hundreds of carefully wrapped mushrooms occupied every available space, each labeled with neat handwritten notes.
The third contained nothing but seeds.
Thousands of them.
The fourth held young saplings growing inside magically enriched soil that kept them perfectly healthy despite the long journey.
More trunks followed.
Aquatic plants collected from rivers and lakes.
Medicinal herbs.
Tiny floating lilies that hovered several inches above their water containers.
One particularly unusual plant slowly turned its leaves toward Harry the moment the trunk opened, almost as though it had noticed him.
The entire settlement gathered around in amazement.
Harry crouched beside another strange flower whose silver petals slowly unfolded before releasing tiny glowing spores into the air.
"I've never seen anything like this."
One of the Nightsisters smiled proudly.
"It only blooms after sunset."
Another woman nodded.
"And it sings."
Harry looked up.
"It sings?"
The women nodded together.
"You'll hear it tonight."
Nearby, another group carefully opened several enchanted preservation cases.
Unlike the earlier trunks, these contained animals.
Strange fish floated peacefully inside magically suspended water spheres. Colorful birds rested within enchanted sleeping charms. Curious insects crawled through transparent containers, while several small mammals slept soundly beneath preservation spells.
There were even a handful of dangerous predators carefully secured inside reinforced magical cages.
Harry looked toward Dobby again.
"You collected animals too?"
Dobby nodded happily.
"For studying."
"And experimenting."
Harry smiled with obvious approval.
One of the elder Nightsisters stepped forward.
"It wasn't only Dobby."
She looked around at everyone gathered before smiling warmly.
"He insisted every member of the expedition should have a purpose."
Another elder continued.
"We divided ourselves into groups."
"Some searched for plants."
"Some hunted."
"Some mapped rivers and forests."
"Others prepared food."
"And some recorded everything we discovered."
Harry looked curiously toward one of the youngest Nightsister girls carrying an enormous leather-bound journal almost half her own size.
"What's that?"
The little girl hugged it proudly.
"Our history."
Every page had been filled with meticulous handwriting and beautifully detailed sketches.
Plants.
Animals.
Maps.
Descriptions of rivers.
Dangerous regions.
Even drawings of creatures they had encountered along the journey.
Harry slowly turned several pages.
Every entry had been organized with remarkable care.
His smile gradually widened.
"This is incredible."
The little girl blushed.
"Dobby said..."
She glanced proudly toward the house-elf.
"...every great expedition needs a historian."
Harry laughed.
"He was absolutely right."
Not far away, Luke and the younger Jedi trainees had already surrounded several Nightsister girls.
"What was the deepest forest like?"
"Were there monsters?"
"Did you fight anything?"
One young Nightsister answered immediately.
"The mosquitoes were bigger than bograt!"
Another interrupted before she could continue.
"And Dobby defeated a giant beast with one spell!"
"No."
A third girl quickly corrected.
"It was two spells."
"I'm telling you it was one!"
Within seconds, all of them were talking over one another.
The adults watched with amused smiles until one of the elder Nightsisters finally raised her voice.
"You should have seen him."
She looked at Dobby with genuine admiration.
"We have lived with magic all our lives."
"We believed ourselves powerful."
A gentle smile crossed her face.
"Then we watched Dobby fight."
Another elder nodded slowly.
"There were creatures larger than houses."
"They charged without fear."
She demonstrated with one hand.
"Dobby simply stepped forward."
"One spell."
"They fell."
Another woman continued quietly.
"When beasts surrounded us..."
"He always stood between them and us."
A younger Nightsister shook her head in disbelief.
"And his lightsaber..."
"I've never seen anyone move that quickly."
Dobby scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Dobby only did what Harry Potter taught Dobby."
Harry walked over and rested a hand gently upon the little elf's shoulder.
"No."
"You did what you chose to do."
Harry smiled proudly.
"I'm proud of you."
Dobby lowered his eyes, clearly struggling to hide how much the words affected him.
Before he could say anything, another familiar figure pushed through the crowd.
Winky.
She had not even bothered removing her cooking apron.
The moment she reached Dobby, she stopped in front of him.
Her eyes immediately became watery.
She folded both arms across her chest.
"You naughty elf."
Dobby blinked.
"Winky?"
"You were gone for weeks."
"You didn't even call every day."
"I..."
"You promised!"
Before Dobby could defend himself, Winky suddenly threw both arms around him in an enormous hug.
Around them, the children burst into laughter.
Luke leaned closer to Harry.
"I think she really missed him."
Harry smiled knowingly.
"The very next day after Dobby left, she kept asking when he would come back."
After several moments, Winky finally stepped back.
She wiped her eyes quickly before pretending nothing unusual had happened.
"Hmph."
She looked Dobby up and down critically.
"Dobby looks thinner."
"I cooked enough food for ten elves."
Without waiting for permission, she grabbed his hand.
"You are eating."
"Now."
Dobby looked helplessly toward Harry.
"But the trunks..."
"They can wait," Winky declared firmly.
Laughter echoed across the settlement as Winky practically dragged Dobby toward the kitchens.
The little house-elf looked back over his shoulder with an expression that silently begged for rescue.
Harry simply waved him onward.
"Go."
"You've earned it."
As the laughter slowly faded, Harry turned back toward the enormous collection spread across the landing field.
Hundreds of unknown plants.
Unknown fungi.
Unknown trees.
Unknown medicines.
Unknown poisons.
An entire world's ecosystem now rested before them, waiting to be studied.
Long before Dobby's expedition returned carrying hundreds of magical plants and strange creatures, everyone in the Bogano settlement had already declared the journey a complete success.
The reason was surprisingly simple.
Kyber crystals.
By sheer accident, Dobby and the Nightsisters had discovered one of the largest naturally occurring Kyber crystal deposit on Bogano. The discovery alone was enough to change the future of the settlement.
The crystals they had already collected were enough to power the settlement for many years. There was no need to strip the planet of one of its greatest natural treasures simply because they could.
More importantly...
Every Jedi trainee now possessed a Kyber crystal of their own.
For nearly two weeks, Master Yoda, Obi-Wan, Harry, Quinlan, and Ahsoka devoted almost every spare hour to helping the children build their first lightsabers.
No one complained about the long hours.
If anything, the children wished the process would never end.
Each lightsaber became something deeply personal.
Every hilt was different.
Every crystal responded differently to its owner.
Every weapon reflected the personality of the child who had built it.
Luke proudly carried his blue lightsaber everywhere he was allowed.
Every day he polished the hilt until it gleamed.
Friga treated hers with almost ceremonial respect, carefully cleaning every surface before placing it beside her bed each night.
The Nightsister girls were no different.
Some admired the elegant craftsmanship.
Others spent hours practicing how to draw the weapon smoothly from their belts.
Even the youngest trainees could barely contain their excitement.
"Master Harry!"
"When do we begin lightsaber training?"
"Can we spar tomorrow?"
"Does this mean we're finally Jedi?"
Harry answered every question with the same mysterious smile.
"You'll find out."
The following morning, Harry gathered all sixteen trainees in the large clearing outside the settlement.
Master Yoda stood quietly upon a nearby tree stump, leaning on his cane with an expression that suggested he already knew exactly what was about to happen.
Obi-Wan watched with folded arms and an amused smile.
Quinlan looked entirely too interested.
Harry slowly walked before the assembled children, his hands clasped behind his back.
Every one of them stood proudly with a lightsaber hanging from their belt.
Every face radiated confidence.
Perhaps...
A little too much confidence.
Finally Harry spoke.
"Activate your lightsabers."
Sixteen hands moved almost simultaneously.
Brilliant blades burst into existence one after another.
Blue.
Green.
Yellow.
The clearing filled with shimmering light.
The children smiled proudly as they admired their own weapons.
Harry slowly nodded.
"They're beautiful."
Several children stood a little straighter.
Luke couldn't stop smiling.
Neither could Friga.
Even the normally serious Nightsister girls looked delighted.
Harry waited until the excitement settled.
Then his smile slowly changed.
"Now..."
Harry turned toward the distant forest surrounding Bogano.
"You have a mission."
He pointed toward the towering trees beyond the Ward Stones.
"Survive until sunrise."
Silence.
Luke blinked.
"...That's it?"
Harry nodded.
"That's it."
The children exchanged confused looks.
Friga cautiously raised one hand.
"What do we get if we succeed?"
Harry smiled.
"You get breakfast."
Laughter spread through the group.
Even Obi-Wan chuckled quietly.
Harry allowed the laughter to fade before continuing.
"But there are rules."
Immediately every child became serious again.
"You will carry only your lightsaber."
"No food."
"No blankets."
"No tents."
Several Nightsister girls exchanged worried glances.
Harry continued calmly.
Then came the final restriction.
"No fire."
A murmur spread through the trainees.
"But it gets cold after sunset."
"I know."
One of the younger boys hesitantly raised his hand.
"What if we only make a very small fire?"
Harry simply pointed toward the forest.
"The giant mosquitoes love fire."
Every child immediately stopped arguing.
Harry nodded in satisfaction.
"I thought that might answer the question."
Harry resumed.
"You will remain outside the protection of the Ward Stones."
"You may work together."
He paused before adding firmly,
"In fact..."
"...you must."
"This is not individual training."
"If one person failed while everyone else survived..."
"...the mission has failed."
Ahsoka smiled proudly.
"Now that's beginning to sound like Jedi training."
Obi-Wan nodded.
Yoda gave one of his quiet chuckles.
"Much complaining..."
"There will be."
The children looked considerably less enthusiastic than they had only minutes earlier.
Harry's expression became completely serious.
"There is one final rule."
The clearing fell silent.
"If anyone chooses to quit..."
He looked directly into Luke's eyes before slowly sweeping his gaze across the others.
"...they are quitting Jedi training."
"You may return to the settlement whenever you wish."
"No one will stop you."
"But if you cross back inside the Ward Stones before sunrise..."
Harry's voice remained calm.
"...you will not continue training as Jedi."
This was no game.
Harry meant every word.
For several long moments, no one spoke.
Finally Luke stepped forward.
His blue eyes never left Harry's.
"We'll do it."
One by one, the remaining trainees stepped beside Luke.
"So will we."
"We stay together."
"We'll make it."
Harry looked at each of them before smiling.
"Excellent."
He stepped aside.
"Then begin."