Chapter 35
The full moon shone brightly through the windows of the ward. Harry gazed at the white surface briefly then glanced down at Snape again. Even though the potion master's eyes were closed the sallow face reflected the pain inside the man. Almost as an echo Harry's scar burned but he tried to his best to hide the pain as Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey hurried over.
"Please, Headmaster, if you could help me get this down him?" Madam Pomfrey held up a bottle of liquid. Harry thought it looked similar to a warming draft.
"Certainly Poppy." Dumbledore gently lifted Snape's shaking head so he could drink but when the man opened his mouth in a weak protest Madam Pomfrey gasped and Dumbledore cursed Voldemort under his breath. The inside of Snape's mouth appeared burned and only by greatest of efforts could Snape swallow.
"I think he should go to St. Mungo's. This will make his recovery much harder." Madam Pomfrey almost whispered staring at the useless potion in her hand.
"No. He would not be safe at St. Mungo's." Dumbledore said easing Snape's head back on the pillow. He stroked a hand on the man's forehead and gazed at Snape with concern.
"Very well." The nurse sighed and her brow furrowed. "I'll see what I can do." She took out her wand and Snape grimaced in pain when she forced his mouth open. For a several minutes Snape endured her treatment but Harry saw his hands digging into the bed clothes in response. When he could stand it no more Snape struggled to pull away from her. Madam Pomfrey let go of him. "I don't think I did much good."
Harry watched Snape's chest heave and a tear of pain leaked out of his eye. Somewhere inside of him, Harry felt a strange feeling of sympathy for Snape. Taking a deep breath Harry changed to the phoenix and landed clumsily on the bed beside Snape's head.
Madam Pomfrey gasped. Harry sang a couple of pure notes to reassure her then he stretched out his long neck over Snape's mouth. In obvious pain Snape parted his lips as wide as he could. Not sure how he was supposed to make his phoenix tears fall, Harry concentrated on sad memories. When that didn't work Harry focused on the sympathy he felt for Snape's pain. He was rewarded by a trickle of pearly white tears running down his beak. He tilted his head so the drops would fall between Snape's parted lips.
The instinct of the phoenix told him enough and Harry fluttered up and changed back. Harry blinked with relief himself. Turning into the phoenix had relieved his own pain. Snape had closed his eyes and Harry could see him rolling his tongue around, spreading the healing tears thoroughly.
Madam Pomfrey couldn't stand it. "Let me see. Open." She ordered. Obediently Snape swallowed then showed her the inside of his mouth. With the glistening white tears still coating some of the tissue his mouth looked healthy and pink. "Wonderful. Thank you Harry." Madam Pomfrey then insisted Snape take the draft in her hand. As he drank the potion, she shooed Dumbledore and Harry away.
"Go. He'll need to sleep." Both knew better than to argue with the nurse so Dumbledore and Harry retreated to the hall.
"That was quite a gesture Harry." Dumbledore gazed intently at his face. "Fawkes has never offered to heal Severus, even at my request."
Harry shrugged. "He's been through enough." He was going to say more but stopped himself. Harry really didn't know why he had felt the need to help Snape. A flash of red on Dumbledore's robe caused Harry to look down at the headmaster's torn robes. Harry gasped and went pale. "Did Remus bite you?" He dropped to one knee to examine a long bloody scratch on the old wizard's thin pale shin.
"No Harry it's not from Remus." Dumbledore pulled Harry to his feet. "When you dove in to the forest a branch scraped my leg." He assured him.
For a long moment Harry gazed at him then nodded. His thoughts turned to the werewolf. "I'm going to find Remus. He'll need someone to bring him back here when the moon sets." Harry told Dumbledore rather than ask his permission.
The old wizard shook his head. "It will be many hours before he changes back." Dumbledore held a hand when Harry started to protest. "Have you forgotten there are people waiting to hear if we were successful?"
"Yes, I did forget." Harry felt abashed. "I'll go back right now."
"Wait. How do you feel? I know your animagus form seems very natural but the process is still very new to you." Dumbledore eyed him even closer. "Are you at all fatigued?"
The question obviously surprised Harry. "No not a bit." He shook his head meeting the headmaster's eyes.
"Very well, you may go to headquarters. However Harry I do not want you returning to Hogwarts. I will see Remus gets back here safely and back to Grimmauld Place." Dumbledore said gently but firmly. "Believe me Harry. Remus would not want you to see him just after he chances back. Not yet at least." When it looked like Harry was going to argue Dumbledore added. "Give him that much dignity." Harry nodded reluctantly then he clapped his hand on his scar.
"I think Voldemort is hacked off about something." Harry grinned through the pain and saw the amused look in the headmaster's face. In the next breath Harry took his phoenix form and flapped along the hall before a flash of fire brought him to the stone kitchen of number twelve Grimmauld Place.
"Oh my." Mrs. Weasley cried when Harry landed on the table and returned to his human shape. She grabbed him in a hug. "Harry thank heaven you're safe."
"Remus and Snape are safe too." Harry said. "Professor Dumbledore thought I should come back and tell everyone." He headed for the door.
"They took his body to a spare room." Mrs. Weasley said grimly.
Harry whirled around. "Whose body?"
"That traitor, Pettigrew." Mrs. Weasley's eyes blazed. "Tonks killed him."
"Well, I can't say I'm sorry." Harry said. He put a hand on his forehead and suddenly he felt very tired.
"Sit down Harry." Mrs. Weasley pushed him into a chair. "I'll get them." She hurried out of the kitchen and when she reappeared, Hermione, her parents, all of the Weasley and Tonks followed her into the kitchen.
Hermione and Ginny engulfed Harry in a tug of war hug. Many hands patted his back and Harry met Tonks eyes and nodded. He watched her eyes closed and she let out breath it seemed she had been holding it since Remus had been captured.
"Well tell us what happened." Fred poked Harry in the back as he took a seat beside him. Chairs scraped the floor as everyone sat down to listen.
Knowing he couldn't deny them Harry took a deep breath and began.
"My first transfer was above the manor. Like what I saw in my dream. Then I took us to the cell Remus and Snape were in." Harry gave a shake of his head. "It's a good thing I took Dumbledore. I don't know how I would have broken those chains as a phoenix. Once he released him, Dumbledore caught Snape with his wand arm."
Harry's eyes glazed a bit as he tried to remember the details of so few of seconds. "I don't know how he managed to break the manacle on Remus holding Snape in one arm and my tail feathers in the other but he did." Harry shuddered. "Remus had fully transformed by that time. I just dove low leaving it up to Dumbledore to figure out someway of getting a hold of him without getting bitten." There was a gasp around the room.
"The headmaster flung his robes at the Remus and he clamped his jaws on the material and Dumbledore told me to go. I didn't want to bring a werewolf back here or inside Hogwarts. The only place I could think of was the Forbidden Forest."
"Why not the shrieking shack?" Ron asked.
"Not enough room. Dumbledore and Snape would have surely been bitten, the ceilings aren't high enough for me to have kept them out of his reach." Harry shook his head. "Once over the forest I went in low and Dumbledore cut his robes and Remus fell onto the snow and started leaping at the Dumbledore and Snape. But the next instant I took us all to the hospital wing in Hogwarts." Harry sighed.
"Is Severus gong to be alright?" Mr. Weasley asked taking off his glasses and wiping them. His face looked strained and tired.
"I think so." Harry nodded not telling them about his part in the healing of Snape. "Madam Pomfrey gave him a potion and made us leave him to sleep." Harry closed his eyes and rubbed his scar. He wanted to hear what happened here before he was overcome by the pain of Voldemort's anger. "So what happen with Pettigrew?" He looked at Tonks whose eyes blazed with a fury and hate Harry had never seen in her. But her jaw was set and she said nothing.
"After you left Mom had heard the noise and came to see what was going on." Fred took up the events.
"Once she came into the drawing room the runespoor left." George said. "Mom said you had told it not to be in the same room with her." Harry nodded.
"Pettigrew stood there eyeing all of us. We had drawn our wands so he knew better than try to escape, or so we thought." Fred said harshly.
"Dad started questioning him about how he really got in here without us making the connection of scratches and that rat hair." George looked at his father to see if he wanted to take it from there. But his father's face was a set as Tonks' so George continued. "Of course he thought he would come here straight away when he climbed into Ron's trunk on the train. He had gotten on the train at Hogsmeade Station."
"He was in a bit of a pickle when he ended up at Hermione's place." Fred said. "It seems he had with him a befuddlement solution with him. He was to use it on the inhabitants here so he could learn where this place is and leave when you-know-who summoned him."
"Actually the rat had two with him." George corrected. "When the Grangers took Hermione and Ron into London shopping Pettigrew resumed his human shape to send an owl and one of the vials dropped into the trunk without him knowing it. It wouldn't have mattered but the befuddlement solution isn't something that should travel by floo powder."
"The solution opened in Ron's trunk and coated everything. So by just touching them we were affected by it." Fred continued. "And it confused the rat too. That's why it took him a while before he was with it enough to send an owl to tell the death eaters Remus had left the house."
"But wouldn't you have to drink the stuff for it to have an affect?" Harry glanced at Hermione and she shook her head. "And where did he get the owls to send? I don't think Pig would have helped him."
"This was the strongest befuddlement solution it is possible to make. It would have even affected Dumbledore. That's what Voldemort was hoping." She said. "Just opening the vial would cause a person to be confused from the odorless fumes. And it dries almost instantly so when it got over Ron's things he wouldn't notice they were wet or anything." Hermione told him and added. "Pettigrew had several little owls in the pockets of his coat. When he changed into the rat they changed with him."
"The rat had the audacity to admit Snape had made the potion for Voldemort." George gritted his teeth.
"That's when I lost it." Tonks broke her silence. "The way he snorted about Snape making the potion." Her chest heaved and her eyes blazed. "He put his hand in his pocket to bring out the other vial but I thought he was reaching for his wand." A tear rolled down her face. "The only thing I'm sorry for is he didn't suffer more. It was too easy for him to die."
"It wasn't a decision you should have made." Mr. Weasley said quietly. "There are laws and trials to make those judgments."
"How can you say that?" Tonks flared. "After all he did? You feel he even deserved a trial?"
Harry's scar blazed and he felt like he was listening to Tonks and Mr. Weasley argue from the end of a long tunnel. The last thing he heard was Mr. Weasley telling Tonks she shouldn't have killed Pettigrew in front of his children. Curling inward, Harry blanked out to everything but the pain in his scar and the anger raging in Voldemort. The agony grew and the only thing Harry could see were flashes of death eaters writhing in pain as Voldemort cursed them in his anger.
There was no sense of time passing. Harry felt the excruciating pain would go on forever. So time didn't matter all that much. Then with a soft cool touch the pain vanished. The world around him was fuzzy but Harry knew by the red hair and freckled nose Ginny was beside him with her hand on is forehead.
"Are you alright Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked seated next to the bed on the opposite side of Ginny.
Harry nodded and closed his eyes. He was so tired. Idly he wondered if transforming into the phoenix had tired him more than he had realized. Letting himself float along Harry drifted off into a soothing sleep.
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A movement beside him woke Harry the next morning. Still with her hand on his forehead, Ginny lay sleeping next to him. Then he noticed she was on top of his cover and had a blanket of her own. For a few moments Harry watched her sleep, taking in the details of her face, the strands of red hair hanging across her cheek, the sprinkles of freckles on her nose and the fullness of her lips.
Harry touched the hand on his forehead and Ginny opened her eyes. Gently he removed her hand and kissed it. "Thanks."
"Happy Christmas." Ginny yawned and stretched.
"Oh, yeah. It is Christmas isn't it?" Harry had truly forgotten. "How did you get your folks to let you sleep beside me?"
"Well," Ginny broke into a grin. "We're not under the same covers and." Ginny lifted her head to look around the room. "If you haven't noticed, we're not exactly alone."
Harry sat up and gave a snort. Every bit of floor space was taken up by beds with Fred, George, Ron and Hermione in one. Charlie sat in a chair beside Harry's bed, dozing with his wand held loosely in his hand. There were piles of presents at each person's feet. Reaching for his own small pile of packages Harry dug through them.
"What?" Ginny started but Harry put a finger to his lips. He found what he had been searching for and grinning held up a large Weasley Wizarding Wheezes firecracker. Ginny's eyes grew bright with delight. "How?" She whispered. They both knew it took a wand to set it off.
Glancing at the sleeping man on the chair, Harry leaned over and gently prodded the firecracker against the tip of Charlie's wand. It started to fizzle; taking aim Harry lobbed it between the bedsteads and quickly ducked back down pulling the covers up. Ginny dove under her blanket and they lay grinning at each other.
BANG!
Charlie sprang to his feet confused, pointing his wand looking for a target. Fred landed with a dull thud on the floor before scrambling to his feet then cursed as he stubbed his toe. George fought with the bedclothes and only managed to make it to his knees. Hermione was sitting up, her bushy hair even bushier from sleep, eyeing Harry and Ginny who had half sat up to watch the reactions. Still asleep Ron's leg twitched and slid from beneath his blanket. Ginny nudge Harry and pointed at Ron, "See, I told you."
"Harry!" Fred had followed Hermione's gaze. "That's a fine way to pay us for babysitting you through the long cold night."
"You didn't have to stay." Harry eyed him back. "Ginny is the only one that can stop the pain."
"Oh, I don't know." George had won his fight with the covers and started stepping from one bed to the other landing on Harry's. Fred followed.
"Yeah, maybe empathy runs in the family." Fred bowled Harry over pushing his head into the pillow with two hands on his forehead. "Let's see if this helps."
"Get off." Harry laughed struggling against the twins combined hold.
"Stop it." Ginny eyes flashed and she pulled at George's arm. "Just be case he isn't crying in pain doesn't mean his scar doesn't hurt." She gave George a pinch to make him let go. Instantly the twins released Harry looking contrite.
"Sorry Harry." George pulled him up concerned. "We wouldn't do anything t hurt you mate." Fred's face had gone unusually sober.
"I'm fine." Harry glanced at Ginny whose brown eyes were still flashing. "How did you know it still hurt?"
"I saw you flinch when you took my hand away. Ginny said.
"What's all the noise?" Ron's tousled head appeared and he rubbed his eyes as he sat up. Everyone in the room laughed. But Ron didn't pay attention to it. He spotted the presents at the foot of his bed and dove into unwrapping them. Still laughing Fred and George went back to their stack of packages. And they all started tearing off paper.
Before they got very far on the gifts, the door opened. "What is going on in here?" Mrs. Weasley asked sternly. "I told you all to be quiet this morning and let Remus sleep."
Harry felt his stomach drop and he leapt out of bed. "How is he?" Mrs. Weasley stopped Harry from going off to find Lupin.
"He's fine Harry, or he will be with a bit of rest." Mrs. Weasley assured him pushing Harry back toward his presents. "He just needs a good lie in."
"Too late for that." Remus leaned against the door way behind Mrs. Weasley. His skin was grey and he looked much older than the few days that had pasted since Harry last had seen him.
"Remus." Harry grabbed his arm to make sure he was real.
Lupin smiled gently and pulled Harry into a brief hug. "I'm okay, Harry. Thanks to you."
"And Dumbledore." Harry added. He still had a bone to pick with the headmaster but he would give credit where credit was due. Lupin nodded.
"Remus," Mrs. Weasley took his arm. "Please, go back and rest while I get breakfast."
"I thought I'd watch the unwrapping since I'm awake. If nobody minds?" Remus said.
"Come in!" Fred pushed by his mother and pulled Lupin into the room. "You can rest in my bed." Several pillows were tossed over and Hermione arranged them so Remus could watched and rest sitting up. Grinning Mrs. Weasley seemed to approve of his VIP treatment, she nodded and left.
Returning to his own bed, Harry slowly unwrapped Mrs. Weasley's yearly Christmas jumper while watching Ginny out of the corner of his eye taking the paper off the gift he had given her. She opened a deep blue velvet box and gave said "Oh. Harry! It's beautiful." Ginny's eyes were misty as she took out a golden locket. "And it has a phoenix on it. Oh, thank you."
"Look inside." Harry grinned.
Ginny pried open the locket. "Oh, how wonderful!" Her cheeks flushed as she showed Hermione who had leaned over to see the pictures inside the locket. "When did you take a picture of Cleo?"
"Are you kidding?" Harry snorted. "Anytime I picked up the camera when she was around she acted insulted if I didn't take her picture."
Ginny giggled. "I love this picture of the two of us at the dance." She smiled at him.
"It's my favorite too." Harry grinned back.
"Thank you so much." Ginny leaned over to kiss Harry but a hand appeared between them and she ended up kissing George's hand instead. Ginny's eyes flared again but George shook his finger at her.
"No kissing in bed until you're thirty five."
"And certainly not in front of us." Fred added still unwrapping gifts.
Ginny just glared at them then she turned to Harry. "Unwrap the one I got you. I hope you like it."
Quickly Harry found a brightly wrapped rather heavy rectangular package. Harry couldn't imagine not liking anything Ginny had picked out for him. When he pulled the paper off his jaw dropped. "Ginny! Where did you get this?" Harry ran a hand over the title of a large leather bound book, entitled; A Tree Grows in Every Pot. A Potter Family History by J. K. Potter." Harry glanced up at her. "This is great!"
"Do you really like it? I had everyone looking, Remus, Charlie, Bill, Percy, Fred, George, Dad and Mom, Even Dumbledore said he would look through his books." Ginny said.
"So where did they find it?" Harry flipped open the book and glanced over some names.
"Dad found it in a muggle second hand shop." Ginny told him. "Remus confirmed it was actually a genealogy of your Potter line."
"Thank you. This means a lot to me." Harry gave the barest of hints of leaning toward Ginny to kiss her and George's hand rose between them. Annoyed Harry mustered the sloppiest wet kiss he could and planted it on George's cheek. "You pass that on to Ginny since you won't let me give it to her in person." Harry heard Remus chuckle, glancing over he saw the man grinning broadly.
Wiping the kiss off her face George gave Harry a dirty look. "You know we only promised Dumbledore not to use any of our products until the mystery had been solved and it has."
"You'll sing a different tune when you open what I got you." Harry said not worried in the least. The twins exchanged looks and cautiously pawed through the packages for Harry's present to them. They came up with a green envelope.
"Well, there's no accounting for size." Fred rolled his eyes as he opened the envelope. George leaned in to read the card he pulled out. Both responded with identical low whistles.
"Harry thanks, but really this is too much." George looked up. Fred sat down on the edge of the bed in shock.
"I'm just adding to my initial investment." Harry assured them.
"What is it?" Ron reached over and tugged the card from Fred's hand. He read. "A size fifteen brass self stirring cauldron will be delivered to your place of business at your convenience."
"So Weasley Wizarding Wheezes can increase production." Harry explained.
"We were talking about getting a size ten but thought we would wait until we have a bit more cash flow." George gazed at the back of the card as it was passed around then he looked at Harry. "Thanks, mate."
"Yeah. Thanks Harry." Fred nodded.
"You're welcome." Harry rarely saw Fred and George at a loss for words.
They just finished opening the rest of their gifts when a knock came at the door and Tonks came in. "Remus, you shouldn't be out of bed."
"I'm not really he patted the bed he was propped up in. "Don't fuss. Molly is the designated fusser." Tonks laughed and hugged Lupin around the neck and kissed him soundly, while the girls said 'ahhh' and the boys gave a wolf whistle.
With a pink tinged to his cheek, Remus smiled as Tonks sat beside him on the bed. "Molly and Martha said breakfast is almost ready. She gave Remus a wink. "And Harry's present."
"Arthur and Robert got it working?" Remus said enthusiastically. "Excellent."
"My present?" Harry asked, knowing it had to do with what ever was in the drawing room.
"Breakfast first. I'm starving." Tonks stood up and Remus took her offered hand and got out of bed. "Get dressed everyone." He waved his arm as Tonks led him out of the room. There was a general scramble as Harry's night guard scrambled over the extra beds in the room to the door.
"Come on Ginny." Charlie said firmly to her. Reluctantly Ginny waved to Harry and left with her brothers.
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Author's notes: Thanks to all who review!
The last chapter…it was obvious it was the rat wasn't it? I kept trying to make myself believe it wasn't THAT obvious. I should have listened. You see, I had contact with a befuddlement solution...yeah, that's it. I was befuddled, a very powerful potion, I'm surprised all of you weren't befuddled too. Okay, it's a lame way to cover up but at least it wasn't all just a dream. -----American reference to an old TV show that killed someone off then to bring them back made everything that happen since he died a dream he'd had.