Disclaimer: Not mine.
Phoenix stands
Chapter One
By Felflowne aka Espion
Rain lashed down hard, soaking the travellers to the skin in a matter of seconds. A little boy sniffed.
There were three of them, all that was left of the group of twenty-three that had started the journey. The man leading turned and his eyes narrowed. He would make sure that the girl and her son got to Phoenix or he'd die trying.
'Do you want to stop?' He asked, and the girl raised her head.
'No, I don't. I want to keep going until I can't walk anymore,' she whispered, her words all but carried away by the gale.
'How far is it?' the child she was carrying enquired.
'I don't know,' the man replied honestly, 'I'm just following the glow.'
A golden-scarlet haze hung in the air on the horizon. The child whimpered.
'But that's miles away! What if they get us?'
'I won't let them get you,' the man said grimly.
'But! But!' The boy's voice rose to a wail, 'But they got Amy and David and Thomas…'
'And that's why they aren't going to get you,' his guide said patiently, 'we'd better keep moving.'
**
'Anything?'
'Nothing. Thanks.'
Harry accepted the mug Ron passed to him with a smile. He was sitting on the edge of the steep drop, which marked the edge of Phoenix, their stronghold against the Darkness.
Phoenix had grown a lot in the last few months. A few weeks back, they'd even welcomed some escaped prisoners from Dox, the hellish city at the centre of all the Dark activity they were trying to fight.
Unfortunately, they'd all died a few days after arriving, worn out with their journey and damaged irreversibly by evil spellwork.
Barring them then, the population of Phoenix stood at around a thousand. Just one thousand witches and wizards to fight the might of the empire of Voldemort.
He sighed. The attack had been so sudden. Voldemort had vanished for nearly three years following his sixth year at school, and the Ministry had become complacent once more.
Then, with shocking speed, the Ministry had been wiped out. Ron's father and eldest brother had gone with it. Dumbledore had called together the Order in haste, and plans for Phoenix were drawn out.
Dumbledore…
Harry thought. Just where was he now? Harry suspected that he was deep underground, trying to destroy Dox from within. No one had seen him for over a year. Harry refused to accept that he was dead.
He sipped at his tea. Good old Mrs Weasley.
**
'I… I don't believe it…'
Elly pointed.
The other two looked up. The haze that they'd been following seemed to be right above them.
'Is Phoenix… up there?' mumbled Tom.
'It must be.'
Elly turned to eldest person there for guidance.
'What do we do?'
'We'll have to climb.'
She blinked, and then nodded.
He watched proudly as she gathered Tom into her arms and reached out, beginning the climb. This journey had strengthened her beyond recognition.
He began to follow, wondering what lay in wait at the top of the steep climb. He was worried. He was glad that they were nearly at their destination, and Elly and Tom would be safe… well, safer, but he didn't expect the residents of Phoenix to welcome her, or him, once it emerged who they were.
They'll be suspicious of travellers from Dox…
**
The wind began to pick up again. Harry stood up and began to walk away from the cliff edge. It was just plain stupid to stand there in the near-hurricane that was brewing.
He walked into the forest, which sheltered Phoenix and waved at several people who leant out of their tents as he passed. Wizard tents were great, he thought, despite everything. He'd never been able to really truly accept something that was bigger on the inside that it was on the outside, but he was very grateful of it.
The storm worsened quickly. Harry stopped walking.
This was very, very quick. Too quick. He looked up at the sky, and to his horror saw that the dark clouds were tinged with crimson.
'Stations!' He cried, using the Sonorus spell to make his voice echo around all of Phoenix, 'a Dark storm!'
**
Elly clung to the rock face, frozen with fear.
'No, no, no, no…' she whispered, 'we're so close…'
Her companion behind her looked at the sky fearfully. There was nothing he could do.
'Keep climbing,' he shouted.
'I… can't… What's the use…?'
'You'll die if you stay still,' he cried, trying to push her. Then he spotted a thin ledge just above her.
'Get on that ledge, NOW!'
Stung, she began to climb.
**
A small group of people ran back to the cliff edge.
'What can we do?' Ron panted.
'I've seen Patronuses work against Dark storms before,' Hermione gasped.
Harry nodded.
'OK, Patronuses on three, ready?'
They all nodded.
'One, Two, Three…'
'EXPECTO PATRONUM!'
At least twenty voices shouted.
They stepped back as their ill-matched guardians galloped, flew, hopped and slithered through thin air towards the heart of the storm.
'Oh my…' Hermione suddenly yelped, pointing, 'look!'
They did.
There were people clinging onto the cliff. A man, his wife and their child, it looked like.
'Oh… We have to help them!' Hermione cried, and Ginny agreed. They began to run along the cliff, but a jagged red light split the ground in front of Hermione's feet, and she fell, knocked out.
'Get into the forest!' Ron roared, pulling Hermione up off the ground, 'NOW! RIGHT NOW!'
Everyone ran except Harry, whose gaze was fixed on the little family trying so hard to hang on. He had to help… But staying on the cliff edge was going to get him killed.
Just then, another bolt of red lightning hit the cliff right above their heads. He saw the woman sway, then pitch forward…
But the man caught her! He pulled her back up, but she was suddenly hysterical. She'd dropped her child, who was sliding inexorably back down the cliff away from them.
Harry heard her scream as the boy lost his handhold and tumbled backwards…
Then blinked in amazement as a rock that jutted out a little further up the cliff suddenly became the biggest eagle he'd ever seen, and swooped downwards. He saw the father controlling the Transfiguration with his wand, his arm outstretched.
The storm began to fade. The Patronuses had done their job, even though it had taken a while. The eagle matched speed with the child, then soared under him and began to ascend.
In the sudden ringing quiet left by the ending of the storm, he heard the woman crying in relief. The eagle flew to the top of the cliff, where it landed. Harry ran over to it. The little boy looked up at him fearfully, and then his eyes went to the scar on Harry's forehead.
'Harry Potter…?' he asked dizzily, '…then… this is… Phoenix?'
Harry nodded.
'Welcome to Phoenix,' he said warmly.
People began to emerge from the forest, now that the storm had cleared.
'Harry! You stupid twit!' He heard Ron's voice, but it tailed off when he saw the little boy Harry was kneeling by.
'C'mon, let's get them up here,' he said to his friends, who had gathered.
He and Ron crawled to the cliff edge and looked over. The woman was craning her head upwards at them.
'Is my baby up there?' she cried hoarsely. Harry nodded.
'He's alright,' Harry said.
'I'll help,' Ron said, standing. Neville and Dean got up too.
Together, all four of them swished, then flicked their wands, muttering, 'Wingardium Leviosa!'
They placed the couple down on the grass and the woman instantly drew her son into her arms, sobbing.
'Are you from Dox?' Neville asked fearfully. The woman nodded against the boy's shoulder.
'Mum!' cried the boy excitedly, 'it's Phoenix! We made it, mum! Tell… oh…'
The third traveller was lying on the ground, completely unconscious.