Lord of the Wind
by Teddylonglong
All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.
COMPLETELY AU! Partly OOC! Time travel! Partly Animagus story!
It is my story, and I intend to write it the way I want it. If you don't like it, don't read it.
Reviews are very welcome, as they inspire my muse. Thanks a lot to the kind readers who commented on the previous chapter!
It was on the first day of the holidays, when Minerva, Severus and Gaoithe were having tea in their living room, that Severus spoke up quietly. "Last night, the headmaster called me. He told me that he had been working together with the elves and the goblins to do some research about Horcruxes." Seeing that Minerva and Gaoithe eyed him in expectation, he explained, "The diary, which for some reason found its way into Ms. Weasley's hands, contained a Horcrux of the sixteen-year-old Dark Lord. It was one part of his soul, which he must have buried in the diary when he was sixteen. The headmaster, the goblins and the elves believe that the Dark Lord might have split his soul into several parts and buried them in various objects. He didn't explain how that's supposed to work though." He let out a long sigh.
"Why I'm telling you this, Gaoithe, is because the headmaster believes that the famous animals in Merlin House might be aware of a way to get rid of these dark objects. Fawkes must have told him that something happened several hundreds of years ago, and the animals were able to get rid of dark objects that had been hidden at Hogwarts. Anyway, Professor Dumbledore asked if you could speak with the animals about the matter." Severus raised an eyebrow.
"Of course I can speak with them," Gaoithe replied, eagerly. "I don't know if they'll be willing to share any information with me though. Some of them are very stuck-up and difficult to handle."
Minerva calmingly laid her hand on his arm. "If anyone will be able to retrieve information from the animals, it'll be you, Gaoithe. However, don't stress yourself out about the matter, and tell us if there's anything we can do to help. The twins should be able to help you, since they're in Merlin House as well."
"Please don't tell anyone about Horcruxes," Severus said sternly. "You should just speak about dark objects, which the twins will surely understand after what happened to their sister. And you will not do anything on your own but come to inform us or fetch us beforehand. Is that clear?"
"All right," Gaoithe agreed and promised, "I'll try to get some information in the morning."
風の力を持つハリー
Right after breakfast together with his parents, Gaoithe left Iro with his parents and stepped through the connecting door into the Merlin House common room. 'It's Christmas Eve,' he mused, 'and the day after tomorrow, we're going to go to Prince Manor. That's going to be so cool, only the three of us, just like a real family.'
"Heya Gaoithe..."
"... Are you awake or asleep?" the twins' voices greeted him, chuckling.
"Good morning. I'm awake," Gaoithe grinned. "There's something that I need to speak with you about." He let himself sink into one of the comfortable seats, and Ginny and the twins curiously gathered around him.
"Let's speak with Marlin..."
"... Maybe he knows something," the twins decided and jumped from their seats.
The three boys transformed into their Animagus forms and approached the animals in the tapestry. #Marlin, do you know anything about a method of getting rid of dark objects?# Gaoithe trilled to the phoenix, who interrupted flashing wildly through the tapestry and caned his neck towards the students.
Marlin thoughtfully cleaned his wing feathers, before he finally replied. #That's a very delicate question, young nestling. I suggest that you speak with the thestral. He's the expert in such matters.#
#The thestral?# Gaoithe looked around in confusion. #Excuse me, Marlin, but where is he? I'm not sure...#
#Maybe you can't see him, nestling. Transform into a thestral, and you'll be able to see him,# Marlin interrupted him, fluffing his feathers.
#But how can I transform into a thestral without even knowing what it looks like?# Gaoithe asked. All of a sudden, he felt desperate and strangely tired.
#Shall we go and ask your parents?#
#...They surely have a book with a thestral in it...#
#...They're the animals that pull the carriages,# the parrot twins told him.
Gaoithe agreed and led the twins and Ginny through the connecting door, where Severus showed them a picture of a thestral and once again admonished Gaoithe to take care of himself and not do anything dangerous.
Back in the common room, Gaoithe transformed into a thestral. 'Ah, there it is,' he thought, looking at the older animal that was engaged in a conversation with the unicorn.
=I'm sorry to disturb you,= he hesitantly addressed the animals. =May I speak with you for a moment?=
=Hello little one,= the thestral replied, looking at him with wide eyes that narrowed as Gaoithe told him about the dark objects and asked if he could help him. =There are two rooms in the cellar of this house,= he finally spoke up, =the Dark Room, which can be used to summon dark objects from all over Britain, and the White Room. For the White Room you have to speak with my friend, the unicorn, though.=
Gaoithe conferred with the thestral and the unicorn for a few more minutes, before he nodded in understanding. =Thank you very much for your help, both of you,= he said gratefully.
=You better not cast the spell but ask an adult,= the unicorn advised him gently. =Your magic is not strong enough yet. The caster doesn't have to be a real Merlin; however, he or she has to be pure.=
Gaoithe stared at the unicorn in confusion. 'Dad will be out then because of his Dark Mark,' he thought and asked hesitantly, =Would Professor McGonagall or Professor Pomfrey would be all right then? Or the Headmaster?=
=Either of them should be able; however, you need to lead them to the respective rooms,= the unicorn confirmed, smiling. =Good luck, my boy, and come back to keep us updated soon.=
Gaoithe transformed back into his phoenix form and further into his human form, before he told Ginny and the twins what he had learnt. Ginny cast him an anxious look as she spoke up hesitantly, "Gaoithe, I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling about this."
Gaoithe looked at the younger girl in apprehension. "It's all right, Ginny," he said in a soft voice. "I'm not going to do anything dangerous."
"Well, let's call your parents and our head of house," George suggested, while Fred approached the portrait of the tortoise that opened immediately and allowed him to step into Pomfrey's office.
Gaoithe quickly went to fetch Minerva and Severus, before he explained to the three adults about his conversation with the thestral and the unicorn.
"Well, I won't be able to cast the spell," Severus said thoughtfully, "and I suppose that Poppy doesn't want Minerva to come near dark objects, right?" He glanced at the Merlin head.
"Definitely not," Pomfrey replied sternly. "It could harm the baby greatly. I could try to cast the spell, or we could fetch Albus."
"We need to inform him in any case," Severus agreed and called the headmaster.
A few minutes later, Professor Dumbledore entered the Merlin common room and made himself comfortable on one of the sofas, offering a round of lemon drops for everyone. 'As if this was the time to eat lemon drops,' Gaoithe thought in annoyance as he hesitantly followed the twins' example and took one of the sweets in order not to attract any attention.
After listening to what Severus told him about Gaoithe's findings, the headmaster offered to cast the first spell that would summon all dark objects into the Dark Room. At the same time, he suggested that Pomfrey should cast the second spell, which was going to transfer everything from the Dark Room into the White Room, where the objects were going to be purified.
Seeing that Marlin seemed to be asleep, Gaoithe transformed into a unicorn and asked the unicorn in the tapestry to open the door to the cellar.
=Of course, sweetheart; I will let you in, but please tell everyone to be careful. It's not good to mess with dark objects,= the unicorn advised him in a gentle voice.
=Thank you. I'll tell them,= Gaoithe replied and proceeded to lead the small group downstairs.
'There are three new doors since we came here the last time,' Severus voice penetrated Gaoithe's mind as they turned from the stairs into the small corridor. Fortunately, the Dark Room was just next to the Safe Room, so that Gaoithe didn't have to reply. He touched the door to the Dark Room that opened on the touch like the thestral had promised. The room was just a normal looking Merlin cellar room, merely consisting of the surrounding stone walls and void of any furniture or other items. He carefully closed the door again and opened that to the White Room.
To everyone's surprise, the White Room was decorated with several wooden bars and ladders, and a magical window was decorating one of the walls. The room was also strangely warm in comparison to the other cellar rooms. 'I wonder what this room does,' Gaoithe thought as the group slowly returned to the common room.
"Messrs. Weasley, would the two of you be so kind and accompany Professor Pomfrey and me and open the doors for us?" Dumbledore asked gently, and the twins nodded eagerly.
"I can..." Gaoithe spoke up, but his father interrupted him firmly.
"No Gaoithe, you will remain here with Minerva, Ms. Weasley and me."
Only very grudgingly agreeing, Gaoithe sat on the sofa next to Minerva after holding the cellar door open for the others. 'Well, Dad is right. It doesn't have to be me all the time,' he thought. 'On the other hand, it's unsettling not to be able to watch what happens.'
"Gaoithe, did the thestral or the unicorn say something about how long it might take for all the dark objects to be summoned?" Ginny asked curiously, causing Gaoithe to frown.
"I have no idea. No, they didn't say anything." Gaoithe looked questioningly at Minerva and his father.
"I suppose that it's going to be quick," Severus replied, glancing at his wrist watch, before he suddenly gasped, threw a terrified look at Gaoithe and mumbled something incomprehensible as he dashed towards the cellar door.
Only an instant later, Gaoithe let out a scream and was whisked away within seconds.
"Severus!" Minerva shouted after her husband in shock.
Severus turned on his heels. "Minerva, Gaoithe is in mortal peril," he said, terrified, "and it's too late. He was probably summoned to the Dark Room as well. Apparently, the Dark Lord must have buried a Horcrux in Gaoithe when he killed his parents. What can we do to help him? Anyway, I'm going to go and see if I can do anything."
"I'll come with you," Minerva said in determination.
"No Minerva, I'm not going to endanger another child today. Stay here." With that Severus turned around and strode towards the cellar, not even realising that Marlin kindly opened the door for him.
"Let me in," he demanded towards the twins, who were standing in the corridor in front of the Dark Room and the adjacent White Room, where Pomfrey was just performing the spell that was supposed to transfer the dark objects and purify them.
"No Severus, you can't go into the Dark Room," the Headmaster said firmly. "We closed the door as soon as the dark objects began to arrive. It would be dangerous to get inside."
"I don't care. The spell summoned Gaoithe. He is in there. Open NOW," he shouted at the twins, glancing at his watch once again. "Here," he held his arm out for the Headmaster to see. "Gaoithe is in mortal peril."
"No, he isn't," Dumbledore replied, smirking, and when Severus examined his watch again, instead of mortal peril it merely showed that Gaoithe was at Hogwarts.
'What happened?' Severus wondered in confusion. 'I'm sure that it showed mortal peril earlier.'
"Come and have a look," Pomfrey suddenly addressed the small group, stepping out into the corridor. "It worked. We have a room full of white phoenix babies."
"Apparently, the spell didn't only summon the Horcruxes but other dark objects as well," Dumbledore said, contentedly popping a lemon drop into his mouth.
Severus dashed into the White Room, looking at the scene in disbelief. "Gaoithe?" he asked, letting his eyes wander around the room, where several dozen naked phoenix babies occupied the bars and ladders. To his great relief, he heard a small baby voice trill back.
#Dad.#
Severus stepped over to the side of the room, from where he had heard the tiny voice.
#Hewe,# Gaoithe trilled, #on de first tep of de ladder.#
"Gaoithe," Severus sighed in relief as he extended his hand in front of the small bird's feet and Gaoithe stepped on his hand. Severus eyed his son with a mixture of relief and disbelief. The bird was completely naked, and only the tips of tiny white feathers could be seen on his wings.
"Severus, you must be very careful. This room is warm enough for the babies, but if you take him out of here, you must keep him warm. If you take him home, you must place him in front of an infrared lamp. It's too cold for him in your quarters," Pomfrey warned him. "I'll ask Misty to take one into your quarters." As soon as Severus left the room with the tiny phoenix buried in his hand, she waved her wand over the animal and cast a warming spell at the bird, who thanked her with a small, grateful trill. "You're very welcome, dear," she said gently. "I'm so glad that you're all right."
"I'll ask Yuki if she is willing to raise the baby," Severus said thoughtfully. "Poppy, do you have an idea if Gaoithe will still be able to transform into his human form, and when will he be able to do so?"
Pomfrey sadly shook her head. "I'm sorry, Severus. I don't know if and when he'll be able to transform, nor do I know if he'll be back to his twelve-year-old self, or if he is going to be a baby again."
Severus let out a long sigh. "It doesn't matter," he said finally. "The main point is that Gaoithe is alive and well."
"Severus! Where is Gaoithe?" Minerva, who was hovering at the open door at the top of the stairs, asked urgently. "Is he all right?"
Severus carefully opened his hand just enough for Minerva to take in the small phoenix that tiredly opened his eyes and trilled, #Mum.#
"Oh Merlin," Minerva gasped. "Is he all right?"
"He's completely well," Poppy said calmingly. "However, you must not allow him to transform back or try to transfigure him back for at least three weeks."
風の力を持つハリー
To Minerva's and Severus' great relief, Yuki immediately began to take care of Baby Gaoithe. She took him under her wings and warmed him, until his white feathers grew larger and covered his naked skin. Only when the baby phoenix was a week old, Yuki grudgingly allowed Minerva and Severus to take him from his perch and cuddle with him.
"I'm so glad that you're all right, Gaoithe," Severus told him as he carefully stroked the small white head feathers.
#I'm sowwy. I messed up youw holidays,# Gaoithe trilled back. #You wanted to go to de Manow.#
"Oh no, Gaoithe; that doesn't matter at all," Severus said, rolling his eyes at the small bird. "We can go at a different time. It was just a bit sad that you missed Christmas, but we're very glad that you seem to be fine." Turning to Minerva, he said, "It is reassuring that he remembers everything."
Minerva nodded gently and carefully extended her hand to stroke Gaoithe's feathers. "That's true. He'll probably be able to transform back into his twelve-year-old self in a few weeks' time," she said absentmindedly, before she continued, "I don't know why, but all of a sudden I can understand Gaoithe's trills."
Before Severus could even ponder the matter, Gaoithe asked, #Mum, Dad, why was I taken to dat woom, and what happened to de Hoxes?#
"We assume that the Dark Lord buried a Horcrux within you, when he gave you the scar, which should be gone now by the way," Severus explained patiently. "The Horcruxes were transfigured into white phoenixes as well, along with several other dark objects. Do you exactly remember what happened?"
The phoenix fluffed his tiny feathers in thought, before he replied, #No, ebyfing was dark, but dewe was somefing golden, but I don't know what it was. And I also heard a snake hiss somefing, but it didn't make sense. It hawt a lot, but den it became light and didn't hawt anymowe.# He let out a huge yawn and once again fluffed his short feathers, so that he looked like a small, white ball as he made himself comfortable on his father's shoulder, which was still his favourite spot.
"Sleep well, Gaoithe," Severus commented, smirking as he observed the small phoenix drift off to sleep.
"He's so cute," Minerva said, smiling, "but why am I able to understand him?"
Severus let out a long sigh, before he said thoughtfully, "Maybe it's because he somehow managed to bond with you as well. Did you notice that he called you 'Mum' again? As far as I know, this only happened once before."
"Of course I noticed. He even said it twice," Minerva replied, smiling warmly at her husband and the tiny bird on his shoulder. "I hope you're right. That would be wonderful."
風の力を持つハリー
Gaoithe remained another week in Yuki's care, but by the time the students returned to Hogwarts, the two-week-old phoenix had a warm enough plum to feel comfortable on his own. Knowing that his parents had told his housemates what had happened, he spent some time in the common room every evening to study together with his classmates.
One evening, he asked Minerva, if she could give him his quill out of his school bag, gaining a questioning look from the professor. #I've been studying together with the others the whole week, but I haven't been able to actually do any of my homework, and no one understands me,# Gaoithe trilled softly.
"So you want to try writing your assignments?" Minerva queried in disbelief. Seeing Gaoithe nod, she offered, "If you dictate me the text, I can write it for you. Otherwise, we could ask Professor Pomfrey to check on you. If she deems you strong enough, I can transfigure you back into your human form, if that's what you want.
Gaoithe pondered the matter for a few minutes. 'I know that she won't harm me, but I'd rather be able to transform on my own,' he thought, wondering how he should explain his thoughts to Minerva without hurting her. He looked up in surprise, when Minerva placed a small pile of parchments in front of where he was sitting on the table.
"Ronald Weasley gave me the notes, which he took for you this week," Minerva explained, smirking.
#He took notes for me?# Gaoithe trilled, horrified, looking at Minerva in disbelief.
"Of course," Minerva said matter-of-factly. "That was his punishment, and I informed him on Monday that he would have to take notes for you until you were back to your human form."
#Oh, all right,# Gaoithe trilled in understanding. #I'm sorry; I didn't want him to take notes for me, only for other students.#
Minerva let out a small snort, before she asked softly, "Now, do you want me to call Professor Pomfrey?"
#I could just flash to her and ask if I may transform. I feel strong enough,# Gaoithe replied, trying to sound as confident as possible.
"No," Minerva decided and called her best friend through the fireplace.
Pomfrey quietly waved her wand over the phoenix. "I am very pleased with your overall condition," she said finally. "It's now the twenty-second day after your... let's call it 'accident', and I think you could try to transform, if you feel up to it."
Gaoithe let out a few happy trills, before he threw Minerva an anxious look. #Err, excuse me, do you think I' ll be naked if I transform, or will I still have my clothes?#
Minerva stared at him in surprise, before she chuckled and quickly conjured robes for Gaoithe. "I suggest that you go into your room together with Professor Pomfrey. I'm sure that she has seen you in your Adam's costume before."
'Thank Merlin I'm a phoenix,' Gaoithe thought, 'otherwise I'd be blushing now. This is too embarrassing.' He flew into his own room, and Pomfrey followed him, instructing him to sit on his bed for the transformation. Gaoithe obliged, and instants later, he found himself back in his twelve-year-old human form. He quickly covered himself with the robes that Pomfrey handed him.
"Is everything all right? Are you feeling well?" the Healer enquired, causing Gaoithe to nod eagerly.
"I feel better than ever before," he said, grinning, and quickly opened the door, knowing from Minerva's behaviour during the last three weeks that she was very worried about him. "Everything is all right, Mum," he said and allowed himself to be pulled into a bear hug.
Minerva and Gaoithe had just returned to the living room to have tea together with Pomfrey, when Severus came out of his lab, where he had been busy brewing several potions for the hospital wing. "Gaoithe," he said in surprise. "I'm glad to have you back, son."
"I've been here the whole time, Dad," Gaoithe said, chuckling, before he turned to Minerva. "Do you think I should send Ron a message and thank him for taking notes for me? I have to tell him that I don't need them anymore anyway," he asked uncertainly, skimming the pile of parchments that he had received from his Gryffindor classmate.
"Well, since it is his punishment, you don't have to do anything about it, and I can tell him that he may stop taking notes for you," Minerva said gently. "However; if you want to thank him, I don't see a reason why you shouldn't send him a message. Yuki surely won't mind taking it to him."
Gaoithe nodded in understanding and quickly scribbled a thank you note, before he engrossed himself in reading through the pile of parchments, unaware of the amused looks the adults shot him.
It was already after curfew, when Severus said strictly, "Gaoithe, I believe that you studied enough for tonight. If you intend to grace your teachers with your presence tomorrow, I suggest that you go to bed."
"I'll do that," Gaoithe agreed and obediently put his parchments away. "Um... Dad," he asked hesitantly, "do you think that the Dark Lord is really gone now?"
Severus thoughtfully pushed an errand strand of hair out of his face, before he replied quietly, "I'm afraid that the Dark Lord is not gone yet, because my Dark Mark is still visible." He slowly rolled his left sleeve up and showed Gaoithe the mark. "Professor Dumbledore and I assume that one of his Horcruxes was used as soon as we got rid of his spirit last year." Seeing that Gaoithe cast him a terrified look, he added, "However, this time, he won't have any Horcruxes left, so that it should be possible to get rid of him permanently."
"Oh no," Gaoithe said, terrified. "Do you think that he's going to possess someone again?" He absentmindedly caressed Yuki's head feathers as he looked from Severus to Minerva.
Severus let out a long sigh. "I'm not sure," he said finally, "but I can't imagine any other method for him to gain a body. Gaoithe, promise me that you'll be very careful and come to us whenever you notice anything strange."
"I promise," Gaoithe reassured his father.
風の力を持つハリー
During the next few days, Gaoithe studied the remaining notes that Ron had taken for him. Although some of the explanations were incomplete and not easy to understand, Gaoithe was surprised at how much the boy had written for him, even if his handwriting was horrible. 'I should ask Mum if she can't just waive his punishment,' he thought. 'He really did a good job and helped me, even if I can imagine that he wasn't happy to have to take notes for me, and nothing happened when he tried to attack me anyway.'
However, before Gaoithe had the opportunity to speak with his parents about the matter, Ron had an accident in his Potions class. Gaoithe knew that Ron had never been good at Potions since the beginning of his first year; however, he couldn't understand how the other boy managed to make a simple healing potion explode all over himself, especially after his father had warned the class that the potion could cause harm if it came in touch with human skin as long as it wasn't finished. Severus pointed his wand at the boy and levitated him to the hospital wing, strictly telling Gaoithe that he couldn't join him, because the green pustules, which Ron was spiking, were very contagious.
After dinner the same day, Gaoithe returned home to enquire how Ron was, and upon hearing that he would be stuck in the hospital wing for a week, he offered in a small voice, "Should I take notes for him like he did for me?"
"You don't have to do that, Gaoithe," Severus replied firmly. "It's his own fault that he was so careless and spilled the potion all over himself." He shook his head in annoyance, mumbling something to himself, from which Gaoithe could only understand, "Dunderhead."
"I'd still like to," Gaoithe said softly. "Maybe that would be a chance to get to know him a bit better. I really hate fighting with anyone."
"Severus, do you think the pustules will be contagious for animals?" Minerva threw in, smiling at Gaoithe. "I know for a fact that Mr. Weasley is very bored, because Poppy is not allowing any visitors. She said he was well enough to study though."
"I don't think it is contagious for Animagi," Severus replied thoughtfully. "Would Gaoithe be able to communicate with Weasley though, if he was in an Animagus form?"
"A parrot would be able to talk," Gaoithe hesitantly informed his parents, before he added in a small voice, "However, I haven't transformed into anything, since I was a baby phoenix. Will I still be able to transform at all?"
Minerva looked at Gaoithe in surprise. "Since you were able to transform back from your phoenix form into your human form, I can't see a reason why you shouldn't be able to change into your Animagus form," she said gently. "I wonder if you' ll be a wind phoenix like before or an ice phoenix like you were as a baby."
"Why don't you just try to transform?" Severus suggested, giving Gaoithe an encouraging look.
Gaoithe nodded, wondering why he was so nervous about the matter. 'I can do it,' he thought to himself and concentrated on his wind phoenix form, sighing in relief when he managed the transformation without any problems. He transformed back and carefully copied his own notes with the copy spell that Minerva had taught him a few days ago, before he changed into his phoenix form again and took the few parchments into his left foot. Very hesitantly, he flashed straight into the hospital wing, where Ron Weasley was quarantined in a corner. 'Thank Merlin,' he thought, seeing that the other boy was asleep. 'It's not as if I wanted to talk to him anyway.' He quietly placed the parchments onto the night table and flashed back home.
During the next few days, Gaoithe took notes for Ron and placed them on his night table every evening, surprised but glad that the other boy was always asleep. At the end of the week, Ron was released and still wondering who had secretly brought the piles of notes on a daily basis. On the one hand, Gaoithe was relieved that he didn't have to speak with the boy, but on the other hand, he was slightly disappointed, because he had hoped to make Ron see reason and not fight him anymore.
A few days later, the twins cornered Gaoithe. "Do you have an idea, who is an Animagus and brought notes to our brother last week?" George asked him.
"Pomfrey has her eyes everywhere; so it must have been an Animagus," Fred added, casting Gaoithe a suspicious look.
Gaoithe sighed and quietly explained everything to his friends, who exchanged a mischievous look and hurriedly dashed away. 'What's wrong now?' Gaoithe wondered, groaning in annoyance as he tried to imagine what the twins were planning now. He shouldn't have to wonder for long though. A few minutes later, the second year Merlins crossed the entrance hall on their way to dinner, and a large group of students was assembled in front of the Hourglasses. So far, Gryffindor and Merlin had been at the same level with House points, and during the last months, both Houses had been observing the Hourglasses with interest. However, all of a sudden, Merlin was nearly one hundred points ahead, and everyone seemed to be wondering why.
"Professor Pomfrey gave seventy points to Gaoithe, because he helped our little brother by taking notes for him for a whole week," the twins informed their housemates loud enough for everyone at the Merlin and Gryffindor tables to hear as soon as they took their seats in the Great Hall.
"She what?" Gaoithe mouthed, terrified, casting the twins an angry glare. 'So much about not letting Ron know who it was,' he thought angrily. 'Now he'll hate me even more. The twins are as meddling as Dumbledore.' Somehow feeling Ron's glare in his back, Gaoithe was still upset when dinner ended and decided to do his homework at home.
Apparently sensing that he seemed to be in a bad mood for some reason, Minerva instructed him in a soft voice, "Gaoithe, come here and sit next to me for a moment." When the boy complied, she said, "Put your hand on my stomach for a moment. You should be able to feel the baby. She seems to be doing flip-flops in there."
Gaoithe looked at Minerva in surprise but hesitantly laid his hand on her robes. Only a short time later, he felt his hand being kicked. "Wow, doesn't that hurt?" he asked in concern. 'That's amazing. The baby must be very strong,' he thought.
"Well, normally, it doesn't hurt. It's just a bit unnerving when she kicks me when I want to sleep or am just teaching," Minerva replied, smiling, before she asked softly, "Gaoithe, would you like to see the baby? I have an appointment with Professor Pomfrey tomorrow, and your father is coming along as well. She will display the baby on a screen for us to watch for a while."
Seeing that his father nodded at him approvingly, Gaoithe hesitantly agreed, although he thought, 'They should go to see the baby alone. I'm only the adoptive brother.' When he returned to Merlin just before curfew, he spoke with Hermione about the matter and asked for her opinion.
"Gaoithe, if Professor McGonagall invites you to come, you should go. You're the big brother. Your parents must love you very much to allow you to participate in such an event," Hermione told him in apparent excitement.
When he met his parents in a small room behind Pomfrey's office after his last afternoon class, Gaoithe still wasn't completely convinced; however, when he saw the baby on the screen, he knew immediately that he was going to love his little sister. 'She's so cute,' he thought as he observed how she contentedly sucked her thumb. 'I wonder what they're going to name her,' he thought, looking up in surprise when Pomfrey just voiced the same question.
Minerva looked at Severus in exasperation, before she let out a long sigh and said, "Finding a name for a child is more difficult than I expected it to be. Severus doesn't like any of my suggestions, and I don't like the names, which he comes up with, either.
Gaoithe couldn't help chuckling, especially as his head of house laughed as well, before she said, "Well, if that's your only problem, you can deem yourselves very lucky. Whom are you going to make the godparents by the way?"
Minerva glared at her best friend. "Since you refused, we have no idea whom to appoint godparents. The only younger teachers are the Longbottoms, but since Alice is already Gaoithe's godmother, we have to think of someone else." She turned to Gaoithe. "Is there anyone among your friends, even if they're a bit young, who would like to become godmother or godfather?"
Gaoithe looked at Minerva in shock. "Uh... I don't know, but perhaps Hermione or the twins?" he suggested vaguely, causing Minerva to let out a snort.
"Minerva, I believe that the twins are well able to take responsibility," Severus threw in. "During the last few years, I spoke with them in private a few times, and they took good care of Gaoithe on several occasions. Apart from that, Ms. Granger would make a good addition."
"Young godparents are definitely better than too old ones," Pomfrey spoke up, smiling.
"Very well then," Minerva hesitantly agreed. "Let's speak with them and ask them tonight."
To Gaoithe's amazement, Hermione and the twins agreed to become his baby sister's godparents. He couldn't wait to see his little sister and help his parents to care for her. 'Thank Merlin they planned it so well that she's going to be born at the beginning of the summer holidays,' he thought happily and hoped that the remaining weeks of the school year were going to pass quickly.
風の力を持つハリー
However, a month before the end of the school year, he became distracted by a completely different matter. One day at dinnertime, Severus thought to him, 'Gaoithe, can you come home for a few minutes after dinner, or are you very busy?'
'No problem,' Gaoithe thought back. He wondered what his father wanted, because it was only Monday, and he had just spent the whole weekend at home.
"Gaoithe, do you think you have time to skim Salazar's book for the wolfscure potion, of which he told us, if possible before the end of the school year?" Severus asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Dad; I should have done that a long time ago, but I completely forgot about it," Gaoithe said, terrified at his own stupidity.
"It's all right, Gaoithe, and it wasn't necessary so far anyway," Severus replied gently. "However, the Headmaster just informed me that he is going to hire a werewolf to teach Care of Magical Creatures from the next school year onwards, and I personally think it would be much safer for everyone if he was cured before the beginning of the school year."
"A werewolf?" Gaoithe gasped. "Okay, I'll try to find the recipe. Err... Dad, do you think we could ask Salazar where I can find it?"
Severus sighed. "I asked him, but he wasn't very helpful. However, he said that the recipe should be in one of the books that you could access and borrow from his library."
Gaoithe agreed and took one of the books with him to Merlin house. During the following weeks, he busied himself translating the titles of the potions recipes in Salazar's books. Whenever he finished a book, he took his notes to Severus, who skimmed the titles and marked those recipes, which he wanted to have translated later on, whenever Gaoithe had time. However, even after Gaoithe had finished the titles of the first dozen books, there was still no sign of a wolfscure potion. Finally, two weeks before the beginning of the summer holidays, he found the potion.
'The Wolfscure,' was the title, and Gaoithe looked at the words, which he had just written, in disbelief. 'That's the potion. Finally,' he thought in utmost relief and hurriedly translated the necessary potions ingredients and the brewing instructions, before he transformed into his phoenix form and flashed home with his notes, knowing that his father would be more than relieved to get his hands on the recipe. 'He's probably worried, because the werewolf might harm the baby,' he thought, while he dashed through the Snapes' quarters, looking for his parents. However, the rooms lay completely in the dark, and he could neither find his father nor Minerva. 'Maybe something happened with the baby,' he thought, terrified. 'She was supposed to arrive in two weeks' time, and we were supposed to go and see her again on Wednesday.' However, when he recalled that Pomfrey hadn't come to the common room that evening, he was sure that something was wrong and hurriedly transformed and flashed straight into the hospital wing.
風の力を持つハリー
When Gaoithe arrived in the hospital wing, he found himself face-to-face with his father. Severus looked very stressed but smiled as Gaoithe appeared in front of him and quickly changed into his human form. "Ah, there you are. I just went to Merlin House to see if you were still up. Your mother had a few problems tonight, and Professor Pomfrey had to call Healers from St. Mungo's to take the baby out..."
"Are they all right?" Gaoithe interrupted his father, looking up in shock. 'How could something happen so quickly?' he wondered. 'She seemed fine to me in class.'
"There were complications. Minerva lost so much blood that they had to fight to save her, but everything went well, and yes, they're both all right," Severus replied tiredly. "Come with me, but you must be quiet."
"I will," Gaoithe promised and quickly followed his father through Pomfrey's office and hesitantly entered the small room, where Minerva was lying in a bed, and a baby was occupying a tiny bed right next to her. Pomfrey was just waving her wand over the baby.
"Mum," Gaoithe said and swallowed hard to fight back the tears that welled in his eyes at the thought that Minerva nearly hadn't made it.
"Come here, my son," Minerva replied, smiling as she reached out for his hand. "You're a big brother now."
"Congratulations," Gaoithe replied, wondering what else he was supposed to say.
However, before he could even think of something, Pomfrey instructed him to go and wash his hands, before she made him sit on the chair next to Minerva's bed and gently laid the baby in his arms. "You must be careful; she is still spitting out a bit of blood every now and then," she said, handing him a towel, before she quietly left the room to give the small family some space.
Gaoithe looked at the baby in amazement. 'She is so tiny, but she's adorable, and she looks so fragile,' he thought, when he suddenly remembered to ask, "Hello little one, I'm Gaoithe, your big brother. What's your name?"
Minerva and Severus laughed. "Do you want to wait for her to tell you?" Severus queried, raising an eyebrow.
Gaoithe rolled his eyes. "If possible, I'd appreciate it if you told me," he replied, chuckling.
"The young lady here is Uisce Lily Snape," Severus informed him, sounding very proud as he observed Gaoithe carefully play with his daughter's tiny fingers.
"Ishka?" Gaoithe tried to pronounce the name in confusion.
Severus smirked. "Exactly. Uisce is Gaelic and means water, just like Gaoithe means wind. We thought it was very fitting as a name for your younger sister."
"It's a nice name for her. And Lily? Lily as in my birth mother's name?" Gaoithe asked softly.
"Yes Gaoithe," Severus explained. "Normally, people give their children the name of their parents or their own name as second name; however, we decided to give your sister your mother's name. As you know, both of us knew her very well, and she meant a lot to us."
"I like the name," Gaoithe said simply as he continued to carefully stroke the baby's soft skin. "Hey Uisce," he whispered gently, before he turned back to his father. "Can we take her home now?"