Heroes among Us

By

Heather Granger

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my original characters. Thanks to the brilliance of JK Rowling, I have been able to write this story.

A/N: If you have, any feedback feel free to e-mail me at hrathert@du.edu. Tell me what you think of my idea and if you have any ideas to make it better.

"Annabelle!" Severus yelled out as he rushed towards her as his eyes and body filled with a green light.

***

Severus Snape awoke with a jolt. He pulled up his sleeve of his night gowned and saw the Dark Mark pulsating on his forearm. He arose out of bed and looked to the window. All he could see was darkness in the vast Scotland sky. Like a flash, he went to his dresser and searched for an item buried deep with in. The contents for which he was searching for he could not find and so he got back into bed with his mind reeling. Thoughts of his past were haunting him, and he was protective to let them invade his mind.

***

"Severus, just the man I wanted to see." Dumbledore said as Snape walked past him in the hall the next morning.

"Professor, I have class, I shall see you afterwards." He replied.

"As you wish Severus, as your classes are what are important to you." Dumbledore said gently.

***

Severus reached the dungeon a good half hour before his class was to arrive. He started to prep the caldrons and the ingredients. He was not in a particularly good mood today, seeing that the Dark Lord disturbed his sleep last night. His wishes of Voldemort's demise were vanished, for he knew that more hardship lie ahead.

The students now began to file in and he noticed that Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were among the last to enter as usual.

"Class today we will be preparing a knowledge potion, but keep in mind that the knowledge that is brewed is not the knowledge that you may have in your minds. Think of this potion more of a clearing of your thoughts and focusing them on an important moment in your life that was at one time blurred." Snape hissed.

Harry and Ron were discussing the recent match of Quidditch between the Chudly Cannons and the Pride of Portree, while their potion brewed. Snape swept past them staring deep into Harry's eyes.

"I am sure Potter you have figured out the memory that is blurred, perhaps you will see the truth, or perhaps you will see the evil that you have fought fate against so many times." Snape said.

Harry shuddered at the thought of seeing the red flaming eyes of Lord Voldermort. He quickly shook it off and stared back at Snape.

"What are you staring at Potter?" Snape snapped.

"Nothing, professor." Harry said trying not to snicker.

"I am watching you Potter, I am always watching you." Snape said as he walked onto Longbottom's mess that was his potion.

There was five minutes until class ended and the potions were ready to be tested.

"Potter! Drink yours first, I want to see if you brewed your potion as instructed." Snape said.

Harry looked at Ron nervously and drank the potion contained in the vile. Harry got a tingling feeling throughout his body, and went into a trance. Harry's memory of October 31st came into view. He saw visions of what he had seen bits and pieces of over the past few years. He saw Voldemort's red eyes through the cloak of black. He saw his father telling his mother to run, and his father die after Voldermort set the curse on him. Harry's eyes began to water, and he started to cry. He saw his mother begging with Voldermort to kill her instead of Harry. His mother was cursed and fell to the ground with a thump, and he saw Voldermort turn his wand on him. He shouted out the words that killed both his mother and father. "Arvada Kadavra" A green light shot out of his wand and Harry saw a purple substance come out of his hands, and Voldemort's body had vanished and his ghostly figured zoomed out the window.

Harry had never seen the scene that he laid witness to in the next few minutes. A purple phoenix soared into the window, and then a green one. The brushed over Harry's body and stopped him from crying. They landed on the floor by his crib and transfigured into wizards. His vision blurred and he could not make out who they were as he was violently thrusted back into Potion's room.

Harry was astonished that two phoenixes were actually witches or wizards. It seemed that they had calmed him and made him feel better after Voldermort had tried to kill him.

"POTTER! What did you see?" Snape asked.

"I saw my parents dying at the hands of Lord Voldermort." Harry said vaguely as the other students gasped as he said He Who Must Not Be Named.

"Anything else Potter?" Snape urged. Harry did not want to say what else he had saw knowing that his memory had blurred at the end.

"No, sir." Harry said.

"Potter, I am guessing your memory blurred at the end, you will receive a C for a mediocre potion." Snape hissed.

***

The bell rang and Harry, Ron and Hermione rushed to grab their things and headed for the Gryffindor common room.

"So Harry, was it horrible?" Ron asked.

"It was horrible of him to put you on the spot like that knowing what your memory would be." Hermione said.

"I saw two phoenixes fly through the window right after Voldermort left. They stopped me from crying." Harry said.

"But Harry, you said that you didn't see anything except your parents, well you know." Hermione trailed off.

"I know, but for some reason Snape knew I was lying. I don't get it, how does he know so much?" Harry asked.

"Maybe Dumbledore told him what had happened." Ron suggested.

"I don't know something tells me that he was there, or perhaps someone he knew was there." Harry said.

"But you said you saw phoenixes, not humans." Hermione said.

"But those phoenixes were not phoenixes at all, they were wizards!" Harry said remembering the last part of his memory. Ron and Hermione gasped.

"What?" Harry questioned.

"There are only 5 known witches and wizards who can turn into phoenixes, Harry." Hermione stated.

"The things you miss when you are shut off from the wizarding world." Harry said.

"Well, who are they Hermione?" Ron asked.

"No one knows, but the ones who posses those powers, are very powerful witches and wizards." Hermione said.

"Why did they visit me? And why didn't they take me somewhere safe, if they were trying to help me in the first place?" Harry asked.

"I don't know." Ron and Hermione said.

****

Severus reached the gargoyle that blocked the entrance to Dumbledore's office and shouted "Sugar Quills." The gargoyle swung back to reveal the spiral staircase. Severus rode the stairs until he reached Dumbledore peering down at a few papers.

"You wanted to see me Headmaster?" Severus questioned.

"Yes, sit down Severus; I am afraid that I must call on you again to help me." Dumbledore said.

"As you know Voldermort is gaining power wherever he might be in hiding. Soon he will call on you to go to him. I must ask you to find out any information that I might use. You were very helpful to me about Professor Qurrill and your ability as an aurora has helped me tremendously." Dumbledore paused.

"Thank you Dumbledore, but I do not deserve your praise." Severus said quietly.

"Now, Severus in the meantime I need you to do me another favor."

"Anything, sir." Snape humbly.

"Obviously you remember Annabelle Figg."

"Yes, what does any of this concern her?" Snape said defensively.

"You must fetch her for me before the start of the term next year. Her mother Arabella has told me that she was in America somewhere teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. We need her here, in order to watch over Harry when you have to leave." Dumbledore finished.

"Sir, you know perfectly well, the manor of our relationship. We have not spoken to each other for years, and you want me to go find her and make her come back to the very place she fled?" Snape hissed.

"Your probably the only on she will listen to Severus. I know that you have feelings that have been untouched, but Severus you and she have a special bond, a bond that can not be broken." Dumbledore said.

"Can't Minivera deal with this? What about Hagrid you're always sending him on field trips for you." Severus said unsteadily.

"If you do remember Hagrid is already trying to complete a task that I sent him on right after the TriWizard Tournament. Minivera has a family that she spends little time with as it is, and well you have no family, Severus. I must ask you that you comply." Dumbledore said finally.

"I will go get her if that is your wish, but do not expect her to walk in her on her own free will." Severus said slyly.

"Severus, I trust that you will persuade her to come and that she makes the decision on her on." Dumbledore said.

"Yes Professor. I shall leave next week." Severus said as he turned to face the door.

"Severus, I believe you were looking for this last night." Dumbledore said as he tossed a necklace with a glowing crystal dangling from the end.

"Yes, I was, how did you know." Severus questioned.

"Severus, perhaps the best thing for us is hidden beneath grudges and self doubt." Dumbledore said.

"Hump!" Severus slumped out of Dumbledore's office knowing the daunting task that lay before him.

***

Across the Atlantic Ocean there was a woman awaking to the passing planes that flew above her bedroom.