A new year. A new beginning. Why did it feel so strange, when everyone came
back? Peter, James, Sirius and Remus had all grown and changed. They seemed
more aloof for a bit, got over that, got in a few fights, and got back
together again. James was clearly desperately in love with Lily.
Christmas came and went, and as it was I began to spend more time with Elbereth. Elbereth had be come a great mysterious figure, and I do believe that Kelvar had come to fancy him. She would never admit it, however.
I finished reading The Two Towers, to my immense delight. Albus Dumbledore seemed to be just as happy as I was, for there were no Dark wizards to be concerned with, few international problems, and a new, promising Minister of Magic. He came to Hogwarts one time, and he stuttered, poor thing, but he had a brilliant mind. I cannot even remember the fellow's name now. He was a genius in the wrong time, for there were no worldly problems that required a genius. However, there would be soon.
Towards the end of the year, I began to detect something unusual in Peter's magical aura. It was not evil, but it was not good, either. I was confused. I had never seen this magic before. I therefore confronted Peter.
It was a quiet night, and Peter was up late studying. He had let his friends go back to bed, and I stayed with him. As he was looking over his transfiguration notes, I spoke.
"Peter, have you heard the rumors of Lord Voldemort's return? They say he has begun a stealthier attack, targeting people in their homes." Peter looked at me fearfully, for he detected a hint of suspicion in my voice. I had left it there that he might know what I meant, for if I wanted to I could have said it with no emotion at all.
"N-no, what are they saying?" Peter stuttered. Poor child, he could not control his fear.
"They are saying that he has begun to draw supporters to his side. There is also a rumor amongst the phoenixes that he has a spy placed in one of the most strategic places. Could you guess where that might be?" I said, gazing into his eyes with a look that could have killed him, if I had wished it.
"I-is i-i-it Gringotts? T-the Ministry o-of Mag-gic?" He was stuttering uncontrollably now. I knew already what I had come to find out. I knew what that strange aura was. It was the aura of a traitor. I will never forget what it looked like, seeing this boy shivering for fear that I would kill him, while he had already betrayed his family, his friends, and the entirety of the wizarding world.
"No, Peter, that place is Hogwarts. Did you not know that Hogwarts is the most secure place in the world? What better place to have a spy than here? And how easy would it be to get one, for there are many children who are to cowardly and unknowledgeable to deny his offer of power, if only they will give him the information that he wants. Do you know what I am talking about, Peter?" The boy stared into my eyes, shaking, and I knew he was too cowardly to break eye contact. That was all I needed. Using powers I had only needed to use once before, I focused my entire mind on his aura. I controlled him now, as long as I did not break eye contact. This would be difficult, and already my energy was draining. I held his mouth shut, so he would not scream, and began the process of burning away the traitorous part of his aura.
Now, change someone's aura without his or her permission is a high crime. It can only be done in the most dangerous situations, and if it is not done properly, it can kill the person. I believe that the only humans who can burn another human's aura are archenemies now. Albus Dumbledore can do it, and so can Lord Voldemort. Neither of these two had gained these powers when I burned away Peter's. Dumbledore was on his way to discovering this secret, and Voldemort would take a few more years.
At this point, I had no idea how I was going to explain myself to Albus. There is no memory wipe for something as terrible as having part of your aura burned, so of course Peter would rush to tell Albus. Then, I assumed I would be finished. However, I had stopped a great evil in doing this, and Peter would not again be able to betray someone. Or so I thought.
Once I had released his mind, Peter stared at me in horror. He looked at his hands, as if trying to detect something, and the gasped "What have I done?" I averted my eyes. This was his to solve. This was his problem.
However, Peter had realized what a terrible thing he had done, and how thankful he should be to me for pulling him out of the hole he was throwing himself into. I knew that he would not go to Dumbledore. I was safe. I also knew that eventually, I would tell Dumbledore of this. Of what happened that night. But I knew it would not be now.
Peter left his studies and went to bed. I do not blame him. Having part of your aura burned away is a traumatic experience, I would expect.
I myself was exhausted from the energies it took to do what I did; so I went for a little swim in the lake. The water was warm, surprisingly, and so I did not have to worry about cold. I swam around for a bit, encountered the giant squid, and then relaxed on my back for a while. When I got out, the air seemed frigid compared to the water, so I flew back at top speed and went to sleep.
I woke up late the next morning, seeing as I had been up until nearly two the previous night. When I awoke, I immediately knew what I had to do. I flew straight to the Great Hall, where Albus was sitting at the head of the Professors' table, like always. I flew over to his shoulder and whispered in a hushed voice "We need to talk."
Dumbledore looked at me quizzically, and said, "Yes, well then, talk away." I looked at him. Why was he playing this game? He knew I meant a private talk. He always knew what I meant. So I flicked my eyes to Professor McGonagall, who was sitting on his right, and to Professor Sachel, on his left, and then back to meet Albus's eyes. He knew what I meant.
"Ah. I see."
"There are great events at hand, Albus, and one of your young students has been involved in these great events," I said. He looked at me. I flew off towards the Gryffindor table, and sat down next to Remus, who looked at me oddly.
"You looked pretty serious over there, Fawkes. Something unusual in the Forbidden Forest?"
"Not in the Forbidden Forest, Remus, right here at Hogwarts. Do not worry. Albus and I will settle it." He seemed not to be content with this answer, but he looked back down at his sausage and continued eating.
After I had finished my bacon, Albus stood up and prepared to depart. His eyes met mine, and I knew I was to follow. I hopped up on the table and ran a little ways before gaining enough momentum to begin flight. I took a different exit, a small side door that would lead me to the stone gargoyle that guarded the Headmasters' room. It was here that Albus and I had first met. It was here that we discussed matters of great importance. It was here that I would one day meet Harry Potter, the son of James Potter, and it would be that same day that I would realize his importance in the world.
Albus was already in his room. He sat behind his desk, looking at the pictures of the old Headmasters and Headmistresses before him. I entered quietly, and he did not hear me. It only occurred to me then how old he was getting. I knew he would see some years before he fell at last, but he would, and it would not be that long, not how we see time.
"You are the best of them all, you know, Albus." He started. He had been expecting me, but was still not prepared for my entry. He turned to look at me and said, "What was it that you wished to discus with me?"
"Peter Pettigrew," I stated flatly.
"What is his significance? I know he has been having trouble with hi-"
"It is not his grades, Albus Dumbledore." I knew that I was perhaps the only being in the world - aside from perhaps a sphinx - that could confuse Albus in this way. I normally did not exploit this advantage over the most powerful wizard ever, but in this case I saw it necessary, to get him to realize on his own what was happening.
"Then. what?" Poor thing. Powerful as he was, Albus was still human, and did not have the powers of aura-vision - or whatever you might call it - as I did.
"Peter has turned traitor. His aura held a dark thing about him, and I detected it last night. It was the aura of a traitor."
"But how?" Albus asked.
"I do not know how he came in contact with the Lord Voldemort. However, fear not, for that part of his aura has been burned away."
It was the most dangerous thing I had ever said. At this point, if Albus had seen fit, he could have had me killed for crimes by a non-human creature against a human. He did not, however, because he knew that sometimes the non-human is wiser than the human. So he listened.
"Do not tell me that what I did was wrong. You know in your heart that it is not. Peter Pettigrew has also realized it, and for that reason he has not come to you or one of the other teachers. What I did was for the good of our entire world, and a good deal might have been lost had I not taken action. Yes, I could have come to you. I felt, however, that this was the only way to teach Peter what a terrible crime he had committed. And thus it was done."
Albus listened and understood. He also understood the deeper meaning in this.
"Do you mean to say. Lord Voldemort has come back?"
"Yes and no. By my reasoning, Voldemort has begun setting up a network of spies in places no one would have believed possible. He has not returned, but he is preparing to."
"Yes, that makes sense. I will send word to the Ministry of Magic immediately. They will have to be on top alert. I will send word to the Ministries of France, Germany, Italy, and Spain as well. They will need to know of this threat." Albus was talking mostly to himself, now for I did not concern myself with the more petty affairs of humans. At this point Albus began talking to me.
"Your sister, Kelvar, she is known for her swiftness of flight amongst your kind, is she not?" I nodded the affirmative. "Send for her, please. I would like a message sent, and it is a very long distance. For the present, you cannot be spared. I will need your powers of reasoning." I nodded again. "What about James and Sirius? They are both thinking about careers as Aurors, correct?" I nodded for the third time. "What year are they?"
"Sixth year. Both have been recommended to Professor McGonagall for Head Boy next year."
"Yes, I have already chosen the Head Boy and Head Girl. However, that is off the subject. Sirius and James will make quite effective Aurors." He was thinking out loud again. I set out for the door. Albus was clearly thinking along the lines of great politics. I needed to go get Kelvar. Albus did not even notice me leaving.
I turned as I opened the door; I had almost forgotten to warn Albus about Peter.
"Albus, you had better keep a close eye on Peter. I will be watching him, but we need to find out how he got access to Lord Voldemort. Because I burned his aura, does not mean that it cannot come back." He nodded. I left.
I gave the message to Kelvar to go to Dumbledore's office. She left, and it was not for a while that I saw her again.
I went hunting with Elbereth that day. He had spotted a sphinx, and the mad wizard that had apparently brought it to this neck of the woods. As soon as we disposed of the sphinx, I led the man up to Albus's office, but he fainted before we could be admitted. I took him up to the hospital wing, and told Madame Pomfrey to give word to Albus of his arrival.
It turned out that the man was a seller of dangerous creatures in Egypt, and was not mad at all. He has simply been in a bad situation with the sphinx, grabbed the wrong wand, and attempted a charm that came out wrong with the wand he was using. The charm had teleported him to the Forbidden Forest, along with his sphinx. Elbereth had a few scratches from it, but nothing extreme.
I nested with Elbereth while Kelvar was away. We talked about many things, gods and goddesses, and mortals. I noted that sometimes humans seemed like mortals to me, while I was almost a god to them. Elbereth sometimes seemed very godlike to me.
I asked Albus where Kelvar had gone, for she was gone quite a while. He told me she was on a trip to Romania, but that she might have experienced some difficulty getting in, for they have very strict policies on incoming and outgoing messengers. For some reason, Albus did not have his usual sincere look upon his face when he said that. It was a hint of something, but I did not know what, until the day Kelvar returned.
It was late February, and a light coat of snow covered Hogwarts. Kelvar flew into Elbereth's nest. Literally. She hit the nest, luckily managing to regain her flight before she fell, and then tumbled into the nest. I could not believe it. Never before in my knowledge had a phoenix hit something it had not intended to. Perhaps she was near Burning Day? No, we had that on the same day. I would be in the same condition, if that were true.
She was hysterical. I could not get a word out of her, and eventually we agreed that Elbereth would go find Albus. I told him the password, and he set off. I tried to calm her down.
"Oh Fawkes, it was horrible! I . I can't. I can't believe they were doing that." But she would not say what.
"When Albus came, eventually, it was on Elbereth's back, for he was large enough to carry him, and far swifter than any human.
"Oh dear." Albus muttered. Kelvar was shaking uncontrollably.
"I was afraid of this," Albus said. "You see, the errand I sent Kelvar on was a dangerous one. I sent her to Romania to take a message to a close ally of mine. His name is Bartemius Crouch. He is a young, aspiring wizard with much promise. He also has powerful friends. However, I knew that forces of the Dark would be seeking him, for he too knew of his power. So when I sent this letter, I was not sure if she would be able to get through.
"It seems that Dark forces have taken over Romania. I trust Mr. Crouch will be able to find me, if he is still alive. However, we dare not risk sending another messenger." Kelvar had fallen asleep. Albus looked at her pityingly. "Poor brave soul. Do not fear, she knew what she was taking on when I told her of this quest. I would not send anyone on a trip such as this without his or her knowledge. It was her decision, and she will not easily loose my respect for that."
Albus was a god amongst humans, for everything he had done. My sister would recover, and the world would be the better for what she and Albus had done together.
Immediately after we had gotten Kelvar bedded down, I consulted Peter. I knew he would not be ashamed of telling me everything he knew about the gathering Dark forces. I berated myself for not asking him earlier.
Peter told me that he had not actually come in contact with Lord Voldemort, but he had seen several of his agents. He had never seen their faces, however, so he could not tell me who they were. He told me that he had not actually had much of a chance at spying, for which I was grateful. Then, he asked me not to tell James, Sirius, or Remus about what had happened that night, and I agreed. In return, he told me everything he knew, which turned out not to be much. The Dark forces were gathering in Romania, he said, which stood to sense. As far as he knew, Bartemius Crouch had escaped, but that was not to say that they had not caught him again.
Dumbledore asked me to keep an eye on Peter, which I did willingly. I checked on him regularly during the nights, and slept a little later each morning. He never knew he was being tracked, for which I was grateful.
I began helping Elbereth on his rounds again. The Dark creatures in the forest were becoming more ambitious, sometimes even venturing onto the open grounds. Elbereth slew a werewolf on the Quiddich field, which I got cleaned up before any of the students noticed, but the fact remained that it had ventured onto the field. And then, one night, I was flying gently through the forest when I saw two great yellow eyes peering out at me. I took great care to act as though I had not noticed and continued flying. I managed to deduce that the creature was another black Phoenix, larger even than Elbereth, and I feared for my friend's safety. I flew at top speed back to his nest.
"Elbereth," I whispered, in our mind-talk, "there's another Phoenix out there!" He nodded.
"Indeed there is."
"You know of it?"
"He has been stalking me for days. He wants to take my territory. I cannot challenge him." Elbereth said this with the manner of one who knew he was going to die, and had accepted this fate as what must happen.
"But we must do something!" Elbereth turned his eyes to mine, and they were no longer warm and friendly.
"You know the law. If he challenges me, I cannot accept any help."
"But you will be alive, and that's what counts, isn't it?" He sighed and turned his eyes back to the forest, watchful to the last.
"I would be alive, but my honor would be dead. I will not challenge him, for to do so would be suicide, but I will fight when he challenges me. I cannot run, for if I do, I lose my honor." He was determined to die honorably. When I thought about it, I realized that he was determined to die.
"I will not let you die alone, my friend," I said, raising my eyes to his. "If you fall, I will take your place." He looked down, and when he looked back up, there were streaks of water running down his beak.
"Come, friend, let us eat our fill, and get our sleep, for we shall indeed need it come dawn."
Christmas came and went, and as it was I began to spend more time with Elbereth. Elbereth had be come a great mysterious figure, and I do believe that Kelvar had come to fancy him. She would never admit it, however.
I finished reading The Two Towers, to my immense delight. Albus Dumbledore seemed to be just as happy as I was, for there were no Dark wizards to be concerned with, few international problems, and a new, promising Minister of Magic. He came to Hogwarts one time, and he stuttered, poor thing, but he had a brilliant mind. I cannot even remember the fellow's name now. He was a genius in the wrong time, for there were no worldly problems that required a genius. However, there would be soon.
Towards the end of the year, I began to detect something unusual in Peter's magical aura. It was not evil, but it was not good, either. I was confused. I had never seen this magic before. I therefore confronted Peter.
It was a quiet night, and Peter was up late studying. He had let his friends go back to bed, and I stayed with him. As he was looking over his transfiguration notes, I spoke.
"Peter, have you heard the rumors of Lord Voldemort's return? They say he has begun a stealthier attack, targeting people in their homes." Peter looked at me fearfully, for he detected a hint of suspicion in my voice. I had left it there that he might know what I meant, for if I wanted to I could have said it with no emotion at all.
"N-no, what are they saying?" Peter stuttered. Poor child, he could not control his fear.
"They are saying that he has begun to draw supporters to his side. There is also a rumor amongst the phoenixes that he has a spy placed in one of the most strategic places. Could you guess where that might be?" I said, gazing into his eyes with a look that could have killed him, if I had wished it.
"I-is i-i-it Gringotts? T-the Ministry o-of Mag-gic?" He was stuttering uncontrollably now. I knew already what I had come to find out. I knew what that strange aura was. It was the aura of a traitor. I will never forget what it looked like, seeing this boy shivering for fear that I would kill him, while he had already betrayed his family, his friends, and the entirety of the wizarding world.
"No, Peter, that place is Hogwarts. Did you not know that Hogwarts is the most secure place in the world? What better place to have a spy than here? And how easy would it be to get one, for there are many children who are to cowardly and unknowledgeable to deny his offer of power, if only they will give him the information that he wants. Do you know what I am talking about, Peter?" The boy stared into my eyes, shaking, and I knew he was too cowardly to break eye contact. That was all I needed. Using powers I had only needed to use once before, I focused my entire mind on his aura. I controlled him now, as long as I did not break eye contact. This would be difficult, and already my energy was draining. I held his mouth shut, so he would not scream, and began the process of burning away the traitorous part of his aura.
Now, change someone's aura without his or her permission is a high crime. It can only be done in the most dangerous situations, and if it is not done properly, it can kill the person. I believe that the only humans who can burn another human's aura are archenemies now. Albus Dumbledore can do it, and so can Lord Voldemort. Neither of these two had gained these powers when I burned away Peter's. Dumbledore was on his way to discovering this secret, and Voldemort would take a few more years.
At this point, I had no idea how I was going to explain myself to Albus. There is no memory wipe for something as terrible as having part of your aura burned, so of course Peter would rush to tell Albus. Then, I assumed I would be finished. However, I had stopped a great evil in doing this, and Peter would not again be able to betray someone. Or so I thought.
Once I had released his mind, Peter stared at me in horror. He looked at his hands, as if trying to detect something, and the gasped "What have I done?" I averted my eyes. This was his to solve. This was his problem.
However, Peter had realized what a terrible thing he had done, and how thankful he should be to me for pulling him out of the hole he was throwing himself into. I knew that he would not go to Dumbledore. I was safe. I also knew that eventually, I would tell Dumbledore of this. Of what happened that night. But I knew it would not be now.
Peter left his studies and went to bed. I do not blame him. Having part of your aura burned away is a traumatic experience, I would expect.
I myself was exhausted from the energies it took to do what I did; so I went for a little swim in the lake. The water was warm, surprisingly, and so I did not have to worry about cold. I swam around for a bit, encountered the giant squid, and then relaxed on my back for a while. When I got out, the air seemed frigid compared to the water, so I flew back at top speed and went to sleep.
I woke up late the next morning, seeing as I had been up until nearly two the previous night. When I awoke, I immediately knew what I had to do. I flew straight to the Great Hall, where Albus was sitting at the head of the Professors' table, like always. I flew over to his shoulder and whispered in a hushed voice "We need to talk."
Dumbledore looked at me quizzically, and said, "Yes, well then, talk away." I looked at him. Why was he playing this game? He knew I meant a private talk. He always knew what I meant. So I flicked my eyes to Professor McGonagall, who was sitting on his right, and to Professor Sachel, on his left, and then back to meet Albus's eyes. He knew what I meant.
"Ah. I see."
"There are great events at hand, Albus, and one of your young students has been involved in these great events," I said. He looked at me. I flew off towards the Gryffindor table, and sat down next to Remus, who looked at me oddly.
"You looked pretty serious over there, Fawkes. Something unusual in the Forbidden Forest?"
"Not in the Forbidden Forest, Remus, right here at Hogwarts. Do not worry. Albus and I will settle it." He seemed not to be content with this answer, but he looked back down at his sausage and continued eating.
After I had finished my bacon, Albus stood up and prepared to depart. His eyes met mine, and I knew I was to follow. I hopped up on the table and ran a little ways before gaining enough momentum to begin flight. I took a different exit, a small side door that would lead me to the stone gargoyle that guarded the Headmasters' room. It was here that Albus and I had first met. It was here that we discussed matters of great importance. It was here that I would one day meet Harry Potter, the son of James Potter, and it would be that same day that I would realize his importance in the world.
Albus was already in his room. He sat behind his desk, looking at the pictures of the old Headmasters and Headmistresses before him. I entered quietly, and he did not hear me. It only occurred to me then how old he was getting. I knew he would see some years before he fell at last, but he would, and it would not be that long, not how we see time.
"You are the best of them all, you know, Albus." He started. He had been expecting me, but was still not prepared for my entry. He turned to look at me and said, "What was it that you wished to discus with me?"
"Peter Pettigrew," I stated flatly.
"What is his significance? I know he has been having trouble with hi-"
"It is not his grades, Albus Dumbledore." I knew that I was perhaps the only being in the world - aside from perhaps a sphinx - that could confuse Albus in this way. I normally did not exploit this advantage over the most powerful wizard ever, but in this case I saw it necessary, to get him to realize on his own what was happening.
"Then. what?" Poor thing. Powerful as he was, Albus was still human, and did not have the powers of aura-vision - or whatever you might call it - as I did.
"Peter has turned traitor. His aura held a dark thing about him, and I detected it last night. It was the aura of a traitor."
"But how?" Albus asked.
"I do not know how he came in contact with the Lord Voldemort. However, fear not, for that part of his aura has been burned away."
It was the most dangerous thing I had ever said. At this point, if Albus had seen fit, he could have had me killed for crimes by a non-human creature against a human. He did not, however, because he knew that sometimes the non-human is wiser than the human. So he listened.
"Do not tell me that what I did was wrong. You know in your heart that it is not. Peter Pettigrew has also realized it, and for that reason he has not come to you or one of the other teachers. What I did was for the good of our entire world, and a good deal might have been lost had I not taken action. Yes, I could have come to you. I felt, however, that this was the only way to teach Peter what a terrible crime he had committed. And thus it was done."
Albus listened and understood. He also understood the deeper meaning in this.
"Do you mean to say. Lord Voldemort has come back?"
"Yes and no. By my reasoning, Voldemort has begun setting up a network of spies in places no one would have believed possible. He has not returned, but he is preparing to."
"Yes, that makes sense. I will send word to the Ministry of Magic immediately. They will have to be on top alert. I will send word to the Ministries of France, Germany, Italy, and Spain as well. They will need to know of this threat." Albus was talking mostly to himself, now for I did not concern myself with the more petty affairs of humans. At this point Albus began talking to me.
"Your sister, Kelvar, she is known for her swiftness of flight amongst your kind, is she not?" I nodded the affirmative. "Send for her, please. I would like a message sent, and it is a very long distance. For the present, you cannot be spared. I will need your powers of reasoning." I nodded again. "What about James and Sirius? They are both thinking about careers as Aurors, correct?" I nodded for the third time. "What year are they?"
"Sixth year. Both have been recommended to Professor McGonagall for Head Boy next year."
"Yes, I have already chosen the Head Boy and Head Girl. However, that is off the subject. Sirius and James will make quite effective Aurors." He was thinking out loud again. I set out for the door. Albus was clearly thinking along the lines of great politics. I needed to go get Kelvar. Albus did not even notice me leaving.
I turned as I opened the door; I had almost forgotten to warn Albus about Peter.
"Albus, you had better keep a close eye on Peter. I will be watching him, but we need to find out how he got access to Lord Voldemort. Because I burned his aura, does not mean that it cannot come back." He nodded. I left.
I gave the message to Kelvar to go to Dumbledore's office. She left, and it was not for a while that I saw her again.
I went hunting with Elbereth that day. He had spotted a sphinx, and the mad wizard that had apparently brought it to this neck of the woods. As soon as we disposed of the sphinx, I led the man up to Albus's office, but he fainted before we could be admitted. I took him up to the hospital wing, and told Madame Pomfrey to give word to Albus of his arrival.
It turned out that the man was a seller of dangerous creatures in Egypt, and was not mad at all. He has simply been in a bad situation with the sphinx, grabbed the wrong wand, and attempted a charm that came out wrong with the wand he was using. The charm had teleported him to the Forbidden Forest, along with his sphinx. Elbereth had a few scratches from it, but nothing extreme.
I nested with Elbereth while Kelvar was away. We talked about many things, gods and goddesses, and mortals. I noted that sometimes humans seemed like mortals to me, while I was almost a god to them. Elbereth sometimes seemed very godlike to me.
I asked Albus where Kelvar had gone, for she was gone quite a while. He told me she was on a trip to Romania, but that she might have experienced some difficulty getting in, for they have very strict policies on incoming and outgoing messengers. For some reason, Albus did not have his usual sincere look upon his face when he said that. It was a hint of something, but I did not know what, until the day Kelvar returned.
It was late February, and a light coat of snow covered Hogwarts. Kelvar flew into Elbereth's nest. Literally. She hit the nest, luckily managing to regain her flight before she fell, and then tumbled into the nest. I could not believe it. Never before in my knowledge had a phoenix hit something it had not intended to. Perhaps she was near Burning Day? No, we had that on the same day. I would be in the same condition, if that were true.
She was hysterical. I could not get a word out of her, and eventually we agreed that Elbereth would go find Albus. I told him the password, and he set off. I tried to calm her down.
"Oh Fawkes, it was horrible! I . I can't. I can't believe they were doing that." But she would not say what.
"When Albus came, eventually, it was on Elbereth's back, for he was large enough to carry him, and far swifter than any human.
"Oh dear." Albus muttered. Kelvar was shaking uncontrollably.
"I was afraid of this," Albus said. "You see, the errand I sent Kelvar on was a dangerous one. I sent her to Romania to take a message to a close ally of mine. His name is Bartemius Crouch. He is a young, aspiring wizard with much promise. He also has powerful friends. However, I knew that forces of the Dark would be seeking him, for he too knew of his power. So when I sent this letter, I was not sure if she would be able to get through.
"It seems that Dark forces have taken over Romania. I trust Mr. Crouch will be able to find me, if he is still alive. However, we dare not risk sending another messenger." Kelvar had fallen asleep. Albus looked at her pityingly. "Poor brave soul. Do not fear, she knew what she was taking on when I told her of this quest. I would not send anyone on a trip such as this without his or her knowledge. It was her decision, and she will not easily loose my respect for that."
Albus was a god amongst humans, for everything he had done. My sister would recover, and the world would be the better for what she and Albus had done together.
Immediately after we had gotten Kelvar bedded down, I consulted Peter. I knew he would not be ashamed of telling me everything he knew about the gathering Dark forces. I berated myself for not asking him earlier.
Peter told me that he had not actually come in contact with Lord Voldemort, but he had seen several of his agents. He had never seen their faces, however, so he could not tell me who they were. He told me that he had not actually had much of a chance at spying, for which I was grateful. Then, he asked me not to tell James, Sirius, or Remus about what had happened that night, and I agreed. In return, he told me everything he knew, which turned out not to be much. The Dark forces were gathering in Romania, he said, which stood to sense. As far as he knew, Bartemius Crouch had escaped, but that was not to say that they had not caught him again.
Dumbledore asked me to keep an eye on Peter, which I did willingly. I checked on him regularly during the nights, and slept a little later each morning. He never knew he was being tracked, for which I was grateful.
I began helping Elbereth on his rounds again. The Dark creatures in the forest were becoming more ambitious, sometimes even venturing onto the open grounds. Elbereth slew a werewolf on the Quiddich field, which I got cleaned up before any of the students noticed, but the fact remained that it had ventured onto the field. And then, one night, I was flying gently through the forest when I saw two great yellow eyes peering out at me. I took great care to act as though I had not noticed and continued flying. I managed to deduce that the creature was another black Phoenix, larger even than Elbereth, and I feared for my friend's safety. I flew at top speed back to his nest.
"Elbereth," I whispered, in our mind-talk, "there's another Phoenix out there!" He nodded.
"Indeed there is."
"You know of it?"
"He has been stalking me for days. He wants to take my territory. I cannot challenge him." Elbereth said this with the manner of one who knew he was going to die, and had accepted this fate as what must happen.
"But we must do something!" Elbereth turned his eyes to mine, and they were no longer warm and friendly.
"You know the law. If he challenges me, I cannot accept any help."
"But you will be alive, and that's what counts, isn't it?" He sighed and turned his eyes back to the forest, watchful to the last.
"I would be alive, but my honor would be dead. I will not challenge him, for to do so would be suicide, but I will fight when he challenges me. I cannot run, for if I do, I lose my honor." He was determined to die honorably. When I thought about it, I realized that he was determined to die.
"I will not let you die alone, my friend," I said, raising my eyes to his. "If you fall, I will take your place." He looked down, and when he looked back up, there were streaks of water running down his beak.
"Come, friend, let us eat our fill, and get our sleep, for we shall indeed need it come dawn."