Phoenix sat down and leaned against the side of the fireplace, letting her feelings melt away until all she felt was calm. She heard the door creak and closed with a quiet click.
"Phoenix?" the man asked.
Phoenix sighed heavily, letting the stress leave her body, falling into the gentle rhythm of the flames. "I'm here."
"I thought you would have left," he said, sitting in the farthest chair, unsure of what to do.
Phoenix closed her eyes as a tears fell down her cheek. "Did you really not know me?" she asked.
"In the back of my mind," he replied. "I should have known, I should have guessed."
"Tell me your name," she murmured.
"You know who I am."
"I have to hear you say it." She replied.
"Rodolphus Lestrange," he said.
"Who are you?" she rasped. Rodolphus heard the beg in her voice.
"Your father," he said staring down at her form.
"Papa," she whispered, standing up. Rodolphus watched her cross the room towards him. He stood up, wondering what she would do. She stood in front of him, sizing him up, her eyes brimming with tears ready to spill. "Papa," she repeated, staring at him. Then, she hugged him. "My Papa," she muttered holding on with all her strength.
"I'm not going anywhere, Nixen," he promised. "Not again."
"Swear to me," she begged. "Swear you won't do that again."
"I swear to you, I will be here for you."
"If you break this swear, I will hunt you down and murder you," she mumbled, burying her face in his chest. Her father's chest shook as his booming laugh filled the common room. Phoenix felt the last of her troubles melt off her shoulders with his laugh. She pulled away, a soft smile on her lips.
"You are so beautiful Nixen, just like your mother," he smiled. Everything rushed back, the grief, the pain, and the tears. Her father looked on in worry as her smile faded and she groped the air for support. He grabbed her hand gently and guided her to the chair before she collapsed.
"Phoenix, what is wrong?"
"Mum," she sobbed. "She's gone."
"Oh Phoenix," he said, holding back his own tears. He had forgotten her problems with the Headmaster, the same ones he had, Bella had died last May. "What happened?"
She sobbed hard into his shoulder, not wanting to revist those memories in the waking world. "Lucius," she sobbed. "H...he d...did it. H...he k...kill...lled her."
Rodolphus held her tight to him as her words sunk in. Lucius Malfoy had always been a dear friend. The husband of Bella's sister, my friend in school, introducing me to Bella. Phoenix's uncle and his son her best friend. They were family, friends, how could he have done the deed? How could he have killed Bella?
It took an hour to calm Phoenix down again, an hour before she could complete her sentences without stuttering. She knew her father wanted answers, and she wanted to give them to him, but she could not revisit that night again, not in the waking world.
"Phoenix," he spoke gently. "Are you okay?"
She nodded, wiping the last of her tears away. "You are a Legimens," she said.
"I am."
"Look into my mind, I'll show you what happened." She said.
"Phoenix, I can't, not to you..."
"Please," she begged. "If you love me, you will look for yourself."
"I do not need to know child," he spoke gently, kissing her hair as if she were small.
She curled into him, addicted to the touch, brought back to the mind of a small child, scared an alone.
"You want to know, I open my mind for you to see this," she whispered. Rodolphus sighed heavily and touched his wand to his daughter's temple.
At once he found himself in his former department, spells flying around him. Bella was across the room, graceful as ever, firing off spells the way he taught her. He looked to his right and saw Phoenix, her mother's exact replica firing off cutting curses and fireballs at every enemy that flew into her path.
"Sectesempra!" Phoenix cried in his direction. He went to dodge, but the curse passed through him, hitting the man coming at his back. Then she turned to her mother. Rodolphus turned as well and watched Lucius send a distinct curse at Sirius Black, his old friend. Phoenix sped in his direction, but Bella was faster.
"Mum!" Phoenix cried as his wife stepped in front of Sirius and was hit directly in the chest.
"Mum!" She cried again, and watch her mother fall to the ground. Tears flooded her eyes and poured down her cheeks. Her muscles froze and her eyes showed only grief, knowing her mother was dead.
"No!" Phoenix rasped and fell to the ground in shock. "Mum. Why?"
It felt like minutes before Phoenix stood, anger filling every pour of her body. She rushed to Sirius's side and sent a fireball at Lucius, which the man dodged. Sirius turned to her, but he missed what the man said. Darkness overwhelmed him. The last thing he saw was his daughter turning from the fight.
He opened his eyes and found himself back in reality. Phoenix was standing by the fireplace, swirling the flames around her arm, letting them caress her skin gently.
"You have amazing control over the flames." He commented.
"I've had amazing teachers," she replied. She wouldn't be the first to branch the topic, she refused to be.
"What are you feeling?" He asked.
"Lost, confused, scared, how should I feel?"
"She's dead,"
"Since May."
"How do you feel about it?"
"I miss her, but I have to keep going. Too many people rely on me."
"You also need to think of yourself Phoenix."
"I've grieved plenty," she snapped. Her eyes fell to the floor, realizing what she'd done. "I'm sorry."
"No, don't be," her father whispered. "You don't have to hide from me. I can see the pain you hide."
"Uncle Bastan helped a lot this summer. I spent a couple days talking with him about a lot of things. It's what I needed."
"Rab? How is he?"
"He's doing well," Phoenix replied.
"Hard to say what he'll feel about this."
"I think he knows. He seemed to hide something when we last talked."
"When is your next day off?"
"Sunday, but I have to go to the Ministry," she replied. "Haven't been since I was promoted, been too busy."
"Why do you have to go to the Ministry?" her father asked, his distaste obvious.
"I'm the ambassador for Romania, Mike has gone in my place the last few times, but now I have Sundays off and I have to resume my duty."
"Any chance you could ask him to meet you there?"
"You want to spend the day out of the castle with us," Phoenix smirked, knowing exactly what he wanted.
Her father nodded. "I should have known you would guess."
"I'll floo him later," she promised. "First, are you friends with Sirius Black?"
"I knew him through Bella. James didn't like your mother, but Sirius and Bella were close family. They cared a lot for each other. Why do you ask?"
"I felt you panic when the curse was sent at Sirius. Until Mum stepped in."
"I had a guess about what would happen," he said.
"He is the DADA Professor this year. Would you like to see him?"
Her father went silent, thinking about the option. "I don't think I should be walking the halls."
"I will deal with Albus. We should go see Madam Pomfrey. She can report to the old man for me."
"Isn't that a bad idea? I am supposed to be dead."
"Small details. It's been five hours. The students should be at dinner. Now would be the time to go to the Hospital Wing. Let Madam Pomfrey give you a check of her own."
"What, am I not good enough?" Abby snapped.
Phoenix smirked. "Hardley, but Madam Pomfrey can report to Albus about our guest and you know she'll want to check him over herself."
Abby nodded, agreeing with her captain. "You are forgiven then."
Phoenix smiled and moved to the fireplace. With a little powder, the flames turned bright green. Phoenix stepped inside and disappeared, Rodolphus followed reluctantly.
The two stepped out of the fireplace in the Hospital Wing to see Madam Pomfrey cleaning up the bed of her last unfortunate guest.
"Miss Black!" Madam Pomfrey cried seconds later. "Do not tell me you have come to me with something your friend cannot treat."
"Not at all," Phoenix smiled. Madam Pomfrey looked her up and down and believed her.
"You then," she pointed to Rodolphus. "Mr. Lestrange, sit here please."
Rodolphus, his glamour still firmly in place, just gaped at the nurse. "Did you think she would forget a patient, father?" Phoenix chuckled. The man glared at his daughter and did as he was told.
"Remove your spell," Madam Pomfrey demanded. "I can't perform my check-up while you have it on."
Phoenix couldn't help but chuckle at her father;s grumbing as he allowed his illution to fall.
"She's a Healer, you can't think she would miss the magic surrounding you," she smiled. Without his glamour, her father looked just like the pictures she had acquired over the years.
After an hour of being in the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey stepped back and smiled. "You are very healthy Mr. Lestrange, and welcome back."
"Thank you Madam Pomfrey, once again, for your wonderful healing powress."
The woman stood tall, smiling at the comment. "Like father like daughter, can't stay out of fights."
"My father was a fighter?"
Madam Pomfrey nodded. "Up here every month because another Gryffindor insulted a friend. Then his fifth year, twice a month thanks to your dear mother."
"What did my mother do?" Phoenix groaned.
Rodolphus groaned, Madam Pomfrey just smiled. "She was in a different fight every week because of her damn temper," Rodolphus grumbled.
"Your daughter has that same temper," Madam Pomfrey smirked.
"I happen to rein it in better though," Phoenix replied with a smirk. Madam Pomfrey didn't seem to believe her, but said nothing against the girl.
"Albus will be up here any minute now." Madam Pomfrey said as she moved into her office. Phoenix shrugged and sat don next to the bed Rodolphus had been placed on. Madam Pomfrey stepped out of her office and handed Rodolphus a potion just as Albus walked in.
"Albus, didn't take you long to get here." Madam Pomfrey said.
"How is your patient?" Dumbledore asked looking at Rodolphus.
Phoenix stayed silent, her eyes trained forward.
"His body is healing nicely. He needs to stay here another night, but he will be up and about in no time."
"Then he won't mind me asking him a few questions," Dumbeldore stated.
"Your questions are not necessary, Albus," Phoenix stated. "He was found outside of the wards and Madam Pomfrey was the closest Healer. We brought him here for that reason alone. When he is healed, Kingsley and I will escort him to the Village and allow him to leave from there."
"What are you doing here Miss Black, shouldn't you be around the school?"
"I had my shift this morning at your Quidditch game, this afternoon is my time to do as I wish."
Albus stared at her stiffly. "Well, I do not see why you need to be here at this time. Do you not have paperwork?"
"Is there some reason I am not allowed here, Albus?" Phoenix replied cooly.
"Only family and a Healer should be around a patient when they are recovering from such heavy magical and physical exhaustion as this man has gone through."
"Then why are you here? You are no family of ours. Madam Pomfrey realized who he was and called me as soon as he woke. I have every right to sit beside my father's bedside when he is sick."
"Miss Black, you father died when you were but a child," Albus pointed out.
"And whose fault is that?" she spat. Rodolphus watched in fascination as Phoenix kept herself calm as Albus baited her. "I will ask you to please leave so that I may talk to my father alone. I almost lost him once, I will be the first to talk to him."
"Is that truly appropriate? If he is your father, which he is not, then shouldn't you have Kingsley or Dawlish question him."
"Get out of my face, Albus, and stop telling me I don't know my own father. For Madam Bone's sake, I put up with you trying to discredit me, because she asked for me personally, but I will not put up with you trying to tell me I don't know my father when my fire remember's his magical signature."
"Miss Black, I have never..."
"Albus, you know this is Rodolphus Lestrange and his daughter has very kindly asked that you leave. As you so kindly mentioned earlier, only the Healer on hand and family members should be around a recovering patient after this kind of recovery. As the Healer, I must ask you leave the wing so Mr. Lestrange may recover. And don't you dare tell me I do not know this man for who he is after I spent may years as a good friend of him mother's and as a Healer to him and his brother for seventeen years."
Albus stood up straight, hiding his fury, but Madam Pomfrey's word was law in the Hospital Wing. As soon as Dumbledore was gone, Phoenix stood and thrust her fist against the stone, leaving a fist sized crack in the brick. She pulled her hand back and dropped into her chair once more, her energy spent holding back the biting anger raging in her stomach. "Thank you," she whispered. Madam Pomfrey smiled lightly at the girl and handed her a vial of clear potion.
"Calming draught," she told the girl and turned to Rodolphus. "Get some sleep tonight and you should be fine to leave in the morning after a spot of breakfast."
"Thank you," Rodolphus nodded.
No sooner had the man stood up, the Hospital Wing door slammed open.
Phoenix's energy surged back to her as she spun on her heels to meet the next challenger.
"Is it true?' A voice asked, trying not to sound too hopeful. "Is he really back from the dead?"
"He never died." Phoenix relaxed.
"Sirius Black," Rodolphus greeted. "How are you?"
"How am I?" he asked. "Fifteen years dead and you ask, how am I?" Sirius looked about ready to hit something, then just grinned. "That's the Lestrange I know. Good to see you alive and well."
"It is good to be back, my friend, especially now that I have heard of what has happened."
"You've spoken with Phoenix."
"All afternoon," the girl replied. "Mind coming to the common room, Sirius. It is a bit more comfertable and we'll be less likely to have unwanted guests."
"Sure thing Phoenix, you look absolutely spent." Sirius smirked.
The girl just nodded and stood slowly.
"Use the floo." Sirius suggested. Phoenix nodded and disappeared into the fire. The two men followed her in and appeared to find her sitting down on the couch holding a leather bound book, a box sitting on the table before her.
"This belongs to you," she told her father. "Your journals, from the cottage in Romania."
"What about the other properties?" Rodolphus asked. "Your mom left you everything."
"I told Harry I sold them all. I was in the process of getting them sold, but at the last minute, I took them off the market. It didn't feel right, selling them all."
"Someday I'll take you around to them and see what you kept." He smiled.
Phoenix nodded. "I'd like that."
"Go to bed Phoenix," Sirius smiled. "You are going to collapse."
"Madam Pomfrey will have my head," she muttered.
"We'll talk to her, go to sleep."
"I have night shift today."
"We told Michael that we would take your place." Alice told her from the stairs. "You will be no help to us in this state, listen to your uncle."
Phoenix nodded and moved upstairs. Alice followed her up and made sure she got to bed okay. Phoenix had fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Alice smiled at the sight, pulled the blankets over her and kissed her forehead.