Chapter 13 ~ The Arrival of Beauxbaton

It is the night of February 22. Harry and Ani were in the Common Room, waiting for the time to come when they were to descend to the ground floor and out to the front courtyard of Hogwarts to greet the Beauxbaton Quidditch team. Hedwig flew in, holding a roll of parchment. Another owl followed her. Harry took the parchment from Hedwig and Ani from the other owl. Harry pulled out his wand.

"Padfoot and Prongs Jr."

Ink appeared on the parchment. This is what it read:

Dear Harry,

Congratulations on making the All Star team. That is wonderful. I am so proud. I will be at the tournaments, in my animagus form, of course. I want you to be looking after yourself. The times are very dangerous and you can't be caught off guard. Please be careful, my son.

                                                            With all of my love,

                                                                        Sirius

Harry rolled the parchment, planning to write him later. Ani was still reading her's, but she didn't fail to tell him exactly what was going on once she was done.

"That was my mother," she began, "She told me that she is proud of me for making the All Star team and she will be here for the tournament. She says she can't wait to meet you. She also told me that she will be here, filling in for Professor Roberts on the weekend we go to America."

Harry nodded, "Sirius is going to be here this weekend as well," he looked at the Grandfather Clock sitting in one corner of the room, "I think it's about time we get down to the Entrance Hall."

Anistasia nodded and they grabbed their brooms and headed down. Their Thunderclaps had been personalized with their name, Hogwarts Quidditch and their positions. Harry and Draco put some money together and bought the entire team Thunderclap 2003s. The two of them walked out into the front of Hogwarts and saw their team, dressed in the new Hogwarts Quidditch robes. They were black silk with a navy blue inside and the Hogwarts crest was over their left chest. Harry made his way to the front of the group, where Marcus stood as they awaited the arrival of Beauxbaton.

Just before Ani fell asleep standing up, a boat emerged from the lake. It was, undoubtedly, the arrival of Beauxbaton. A plank extended from the door of the boat and fourteen people stepped off of it. First two were their coach and their headmaster. Harry noticed that it wasn't Karkaroff, but someone else. The last twelve of them were Quidditch players; they were dressed head to toe in coats, scarves, hats and gloves. They had small duffle bags of clothes and cases slung over their shoulders, no doubt carrying their brooms. Once they were all off, they placed their stuff in a pile on the snowy ground and assembled in front of the Hogwarts team. The captain stood in front of his team. He was short for a seventeen year old with hazel eyes, thin lips and a hooked nose. Harry stepped forward.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," he said, "I am Harry Potter, captain and Seeker of the Quidditch team. This is Marcus Flint, the assistant captain and Head Chaser."

"I am Bryan Kei, but everyone calls me Stryker," the captain of Durmstrang's team replied, "I am also Seeker of this team. It is nice to meet you."

The two of them shook hands and Professor Dumbledore stepped up.

"I see that you have met each other. Mr. Kei, I am honored to welcome you and your team to my school. You shall be residing in Gryffindor Tower, with Harry and most of the team. I am sure that he and Ms. Willow would be more than happy to show you to your rooms."

Harry nodded. While the rest of the team went and prepared for dinner, Anistasia and Harry helped the Durmstrang team with their stuff and showed them to Gryffindor Tower.

"Ani! I knew you'd be here," Stryker exclaimed, hugging her tightly, "I just knew you'd be on this team. They'd be crazy not to pick you."

Ani smiled, "What can I say? You taught me everything I know."

"That is why I am so scared to try to score on you tomorrow."

"Scared of me," she asked, looking at him, "Whoa, buddy, not me! You should be scared of Harry. He and the Snitch have some sort of relationship he's not telling me about."

Harry blushed; Stryker laughed, "Is Harry your boyfriend?"

"Yeah," Anistasia answered as they walked down the corridors, "Watch out…the steps move and disappear."

Stryker nodded and looked at Harry, "You must be a good man, Harry. This girl wouldn't choose just anybody to call her love. Boy, she had guys all over her at Beauxbaton ---"

"Bryan, shut up!"

"--- but nope, she refused most of all of them."

"Lemon pansy drops," Anistasia said to the Fat Lady and the portrait hole opened, "Here we are."

"Harry, let me tell you something," Stryker said, pulling Harry close, "Anistasia is like my sister. If you hurt my sister, I will hurt you."

Harry looked a bit scared, but Stryker laughed and patted him on the back. They entered the Common Room.

"This is the Gryffindor Common Room," Anistasia announced, "Please remember the password to the house so you'll be able to get back in. The girls' dorms are up the stairs and to your right and the boys' are the same to the left. The girls will be rooming with me and the guys are with Harry. If you have any questions or need anything, please ask us. Again, welcome, and we hope you enjoy your stay. Dinner will begin in twenty minutes."

Ani thought that she would be able to poke her head into Transfiguration before dinner, but this wasn't the case. Her former teammates walked over and greeted her.

"Hey, Ani," Rachel, the Keeper, said, "Wow, I love those robes!"

"Thank you," she replied.

"Anistasia, please tell me all of those brooms you were holding weren't Thunderclaps," the Chaser, Tony, begged.

Ani nodded, "They were."

"We are going to be torn up tomorrow," Julie exclaimed.

"You'll do fine," Ani assured her, "You have a great team put together."

"Yeah, you'll say that, but you wont tell us that we'll win, will you?"

"Yell, Stryker, I don't know if you'll win. It just matters who catches the Snitch, doesn't it?"

Anistasia looked over at Harry and smiled. Soon, the bell rang for dinner and Anistasia lead the team to the Entrance Hall. Once the rest of the Hogwarts team appeared, they entered the Great Hall. Silence overcame the Hall as they sat down at a fifth table; parallel the Head table and perpendicular to the house tables, which had both a Hogwarts and Beauxbaton Coat of Arms hanging above it. The headmaster stood.

"May I have your attention please?"

The already silent hall turned their attention from the Quidditch teams to the head table. In addition to all of the same faces, the new headmaster of Beauxbaton was sitting on one side of Dumbledore and the Beauxbaton Quidditch coach sat next to Madam Hooch.

"I would like to welcome Beauxbaton back, once again, and their new Headmaster, Darren Hayes, who sent their Quidditch team to play with Hogwarts this weekend."

Dumbledore's announcement made it sound like Beauxbaton was here there for a small, friendly play date. Nothing in his voice suggested that a rough, action packed, no mercy Quidditch match was about to take place the following afternoon.

"I would also like to remind all teachers and team members that the Quidditch team is exempt from all classes on Saturday afternoon and possibly Monday, though they are required to make up all work missed by Wednesday. Classes will let out at two in the afternoon tomorrow as to allow everyone to view the Quidditch match if so desired. Again, I would like to welcome the Beauxbatons Quidditch team, Monsieur Hayes and Madam Miles and encourage them to make themselves at home."

Professor Dumbledore sat as applause filled the Hall. It ceased quickly as food filled the plates.

"This is quite the set up you have here," Stryker said to Harry, who was sitting across from him, "This castle looks nothing like Beauxbaton. I wish you could come visit us sometime."

"If we reach the final tournaments, we probably will," Harry replied.

"So, do you care to join us in class tomorrow morning," Ani asked, "We have Potions with Slytherin and Divination with Hufflepuff."

"Slytherin and Hufflepuff," Tony asked, confused.

"Oh, right. You don't know," Ani exclaimed, "How stupid of me! Over a thousand years ago, four wizards came together to create this school. Their names were Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff. They each created a house that students would be sorted into, each with their certain preferences. Godric Gryffindor gave his hat and each creator put the certain requirements into the hat, now called the Sorting Hat. Each new student must put on the hat and it tells you which one of the four houses you will be placed into. I was sorted into Gryffindor. Harry, Angelina our Chaser and Fred our Beater are in Gryffindor as well. Marcus, Adrian a Chaser and Derrick a Beater are from Slytherin. Slytherin and Gryffindor were known as enemies until Harry and Marcus called a truce. Made history, the two of them did."

Stryker smiled, "History, yeah. That's what Beauxbaton needs. Brilliantly dull school if you ask me."

"That's not Fleur Delacour was saying about it last year," Harry said.

Stryker shook his head, "You can't listen to her, Harry. She is as egotistic as they come. In addition to being half veela and all…I was one of the only guys not under her terrible spell. She and Anistasia hated each other. Fleur couldn't stand the fact that Ani had all these guys hung up on her – 'and ze iznt even part veela' she used to say. They were the heartthrobs of the school. Now they are both gone and our school is stuck. Not a pretty girl in sight."

They talked for a long time about this and that: Quidditch, school, teachers, girls, guys, friends and things. Ani, Harry and Stryker sat up long into the night on the Common Room couch catching up on old stuff and talking about new stuff. It was nearly three in the morning before the three of them retired.

The entire school seemed still and quiet as Harry drifted off to sleep. Little did he know, there was a secret meeting taking place in the Dark Forest. The Order had been sitting around a dim fire for almost five hours now, waiting for the thirteenth and final member of their group.

"Are you sure that we should be expecting this member to show up tonight? We have been waiting for him or her for several hours now," Remus asked as he leaned against a nearby tree.

Dumbledore stood, unmoving, next to the fire, "I feel that he is very close, yes."

The other Order members were around, staying within the circle of light that covered the clearing floor. Snape and Wall sat on the very edge of this light, far from everyone else.

"Severus," Wall whispered quietly to him as he held her in his arms, "you have no idea how worried you make me every time you have to leave to meet with Voldemort."

Snape held her tighter to make her feel more secure, "Whatever could worry you? I am a grown man and can take care of myself."

"I am afraid that Voldemort will discover your loyalties to Dumbledore and…I am afraid that, on the day that you leave, it will be the last time I see you."

"No, Lauren, do not think about that. Albus and I have everything well planned. Nothing could happen to me."

"Are you sure? Do you promise?"

Her last words were sharp and urgent. Snape took his chin and placed it on her shoulder. Wall leaned her head against his as he spoke. The dark, velvet words gave her assurance and peace.

"I promise you, my love, that nothing will keep me from coming back to you."

Wall smiled and relaxed, and sunk into Snape's warm, protective arms. Not five minutes passed before Dumbledore called the group together.

"He is about to arrive."

The Order formed a circle around the fire that was now quickly and rapidly blazing. Overhead, a small ways in the distance, there was a shrill cry…the cry of the phoenix. Fawkes soon came appeared in the sky, just a few feet above their heads. The large, crimson bird landed on Albus' shoulder.

"Fawkes," he spoke softly, "you have completed your mission at Mount Sapphire. Now, we must see if you did your job correctly. Return to us and complete the Order."

Fawkes blinked once and, without warning, dove into the fire. The members of the Order raised their arms at their sides and joined their palms. The song of the phoenix filled the night air, sad and mysterious. A whirlwind of air picked up around the Order as they stared into the fire. After a moment, the fire began to fade away and smolder. Then, there was nothing but smoke.

"Oh, Fawkes…" Dumbledore mumbled, shaking his head.

"He didn't fail…did he," Katrina asked.

"I am afraid so," he replied, looking sorrowfully into the smoking ashes.

Before Albus was able to dismiss the meeting, the fire spontaneously started again. A smile spread across his face and the Order reassembled around it. A figure could be seen, rising up from the mist of the fire – from within the flame. Anxiety swept across the faces of some of the members as they waited to know the identity of the figure. They didn't have to wait long, however, for it didn't take long for the figure to complete its transformation and step out of the fire. He was tall and handsome and had black hair that was pulled back into a small ponytail. The fire reflected in his blue eyes the faces of some of the mystified witches and wizards and hinted that he had a playful and creative personality. His robes were crimson with bronze trim, like the feathers of the bird that he had just risen from. Dumbledore stepped forward and bowed deeply to him. Then, he turned to the Order, smiling like he had never done so before.

"I am pleased to finally be able to introduce to you all the final member of the Order and the one who picked all of you to be a part of this group. This, my friends and colleagues, is Godric Gryffindor."

The night was completely silent and still as though the trees themselves couldn't believe whom it was who was standing there.

"How…"

The sound of Sybil's voice broke through the silence and some of the Order jumped as though they had been scared out of their thoughts. Her incomplete question was given no reply. Silence once again rested upon the Order as they searched for the right words to say. For the first time, Gryffindor spoke.

"You all seem surprised to see me."

A broad smile spread across Godric's face – a broad smile.

"Gryffindor, you have been Fawkes this entire time," Arthur asked.

"Yes, Mr. Weasley, that I have. For the past nine hundred and seventy two years, I have been Fawkes, the phoenix. I have lived, burst into flame and have been reborn from the ashes time and time again. I have failed to age a day in human years, I being thirty eight, because I was transformed into a phoenix through a special process. I have seen Headmasters, students and teachers come and go, and I have seen evil – an evil that I didn't think any human being could be responsible for. In 1989, the key was born, and I knew that this world, both Muggle and Wizarding, were doomed if I failed to act. Therefore, I established this Order to protect the child and the world from the wrath of Voldemort."

The Order was silent. Seeing that nothing was left to be said, Dumbledore adjourned the meeting.

"Mr. Gryffindor," Dumbledore said to the man, "I am privileged to have you here in your human form. Let us go up to the castle. We have several things to speak about."