A/N: All characters and places belong to J.K. Rowling and affiliates. Only the plot line and OC's belong to me. From here on out we have quite a few words from Minerva's native language, Scottish Gaelic, which I find really enhances the story. Let me know what you think of the latest chapter. I've also posted a new little five shot series titled "Twinkling". Check it out and let me know what you think. Thanks and please review. Happy 20th chapter everyone!
That Night
Fawkes had always been proud of his feathers.
They were of a beautiful plumage; the darkest of red, the richest of oranges, and the highlights of yellow. Each as soft and well groomed as the other. Fawkes always made sure to take good care of his feathers.
He was always a good bird. Yes, always looking out for his Albus and those around him that he loved and right now, his Albus was very upset.
Albus was throwing books and boxes around his office and Fawkes watched his favorite wizard carefully from his perch. He seemed flustered Albus, as if time was of the essence. This was unlike him.
Fawkes watched as all the others that his Albus taught with filed into the room, even the frail looking man with the large, pointed hat and the grouchy blonde woman who always called him 'bird'. No, he did not like her one bit.
Why were they all here, disturbing his Albus while he was clearly looking for something important?
It was then that he felt the tug around his middle. A familiar thumping that had occurred a few times in his extensive life. Yes, something was wrong. He tilted his feather head sideways, concentrating, feeling that tugging.
Then he suddenly knew. It was Albus' Minerva; the pretty thing with the long hair and the green eyes; the one who made his Albus so happy when she came to visit.
Fawkes trilled loudly, catching everyone's attention.
His Albus turned halfway to face him. His blue eyes seemed to be in disarray, yet he turned towards Fawkes like a flower to the sun. Fawkes noticed carefully how the lines on his face seemed to more angled, older somehow.
Then Fawkes began to sing.
*Hogwarts 1954*
Albus turned to greet the other professors when Fawkes began to sing.
Albus had found Fawkes when he was a young man just after joining Nicholas in his apprenticeship. He and the Flamels had gone to the mountains to find some rare roots for a potion that both Nicholas and Perenelle were working on.
The air was snowy as was ever surface of the mountain. The wind was snappy and the ground packed with white. He had gone up the face of the mountain higher up than his mentors.
There he had heard the soft trilling of a bird. It had been Fawkes. The poor underfed little bird had been abandoned by his family. Left all alone in the wilderness hadn't been kind to the baby.
Albus immediately wrapped his up in his jacket and towed his back to Perenelle who was able to feed him. Nicholas was shocked, phoenixes were rare, and it was even rarer for them to allow humans anywhere close to them.
They were faithful birds.
The little bird had become attached to Albus and rarely left his side after that. People made the mistake that Albus was the bird's master, yet it was a mutual choice for the bird to remain with Albus after so long.
The notes swelled and seemingly filled the room.
It was a song that Albus recognized. It was Minerva's song. The melody was soft and powerful. It's tones haunting, but hopeful and it rose and fell like title waves in an ocean.
The others, too, seemed to be enraptured by the song. He had heard it from a siren many years ago playing near a lake outside his family's home in Godric's Hallow. The creature had only sang it once and then disappeared without a goodbye at all under the waves of the nearby loch. The then young Albus searched for the rest of the summer trying to discover where the creature was, but never found her again.
Years later when an eleven year old Minerva came to Hogwarts, Fawkes sang the same song again and without a shadow of a doubt, Albus knew that that little girl was special.
"Will you protect her for me, old friend?"
Fawkes trilled again in response and with a crack of fire, he was gone to find her.
Dumbledore turned towards the others.
"Jason and I will take Hogsmeade. Young Mister Hagrid and Ogg will cover the grounds. Catherine, Horace, if you will stay here; Fawkes may teleport them directly here depending on their conditions. Everyone else spread out. We'll need to keep eyes on the rest of the exit, entrances, and on all the common rooms."
They had to find them.
Losing her wasn't an option.