Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.
Fate.
That night, lying safely at Doctor Matt's house, the three teenagers dreamed again. The Phoenix once again waited until they had approached him and then spoke softly. "I'm glad you're safe." The three teens nodded absently, wondering what he wanted now. "I'm sorry to say that the time has come for you to make an important decision."
The three teenagers tensed at those words, what could the ancient phoenix mean? The bird looked at them for a long moment, then he spoke again. "The three of you have had the nightmare about Hogwarts, have you not?"
Exchanging a glance, they nodded.
"It was a small glance into the future, and I fear that that is what's going to happen if you return to Hogwarts with your loved ones. You see, from the moment I healed you all those months ago, you gained a lot of power from me. You're powerful on your own right, of course, but my powers have been added to yours, making you formidable wizards. But as you have noticed, you still lack the control to use all that power safely. There's no one at Hogwarts that will be able to help you, for they would not understand it. They have taught you everything they could, now I'm afraid it's time to move on."
They looked at each other and then Hermione spoke. "Where should we go then, Grand Phoenix?"
The bright bird looked at them for a long moment. "There are many places around the world that teaches things not commonly known at Hogwarts; you need to find them, and I'm afraid you'll need to do it alone."
Dragon winced. "So I have to leave Sirius again?"
Another long silence fell upon the group. "You misunderstood; when I said on your own, I meant it literally. The three of you are too dependent on each other, you each have your own qualities and while one place may be right for you, Dragon, it might not be right for Phoenix or for Griffin."
The three teenagers paled. Griffin hugged his arms around himself. "You want us to separate? You want each of us to go to some strange place alone?"
The Phoenix seemed to sigh while looking at their pale and scared faces. "I'm afraid so; I wish it could be different, I wish I could say you can take your time, but it's not true. You have less than six months to prepare for the final battle, and this time it will be for real, either you or Voldemort will die. You need to train at your fullest, you need to be ready, and you will only stand in each others way if you go together."
Reluctantly, they nodded in understanding. He had a point of course, the reason they worked so well together was because they complemented together. Griffin couldn't imagine himself studying and reading like Phoenix did, even if he had become much better at it. Nor could he imagine himself sitting silently on his own, trying to control his power as Dragon often had done. The bird was right; he just couldn't study the same way his friends did. They would have to go alone. Looking over at his friends, he saw that they had reached the same conclusion. Finally, it was Harry who spoke. "Very well, you're right, even if we don't like it. Are you at least going to tell us where we need to go?"
The bird seemed pleased at those words and nodded his golden head gently. "Phoenix, your strength rests in your intelligence; there are many important wizarding civilizations that have existed over the years. One of the most powerful were the Mayas; I trust you've heard about them."
The girl nodded, an excited glint started to shine in her eyes. "Their magic was powerful, and I think it will suit you very well. There are several ancient temples that have not been tampered with by muggles. As a Phoenix you should be able to reach them without trouble, the wards that guard them were never meant to keep phoenixes away. There you will find what you need." After the girl nodded, he turned to Griffin. "My fiery warrior, you strength rests in strategy, for that you shall travel throughout Europe. Rome and Greece have hosted some of the strongest magical armies; go there, their old wizarding world remembers all their past glory, and they will be able to help you improve for their magic is not only organized, it's also powerful and hot tempered, much like you are."
Ron nodded; a little relieved he wouldn't be going too far away. Finally, the Grand Phoenix turned to Harry. "Dragon, the powerful one, your teachers await you at the ancient country of China. Their knowledge is vast and they know how to properly deal with powers like yours. You will be able to learn a lot of their secrets as long as you remain willing to share your own. There are many schools there, they are much older than Hogwarts and their teachings are very different. Go there, young Dragon."
Once the dark-haired boy had nodded, the Grand Phoenix bowed towards them and they awakened abruptly.
Panting, they sat up in their bed, looked at each other in a mix of fear and anticipation. The fact that they were going to learn some of the most ancient secrets their world had to show was only shadowed by the fact that they would have to leave their brothers, their family, behind. Phoenix suddenly hugged them hard. "I know we have to do this, but I don't want to, I'm going to miss you so much. I don't want to be alone."
Harry returned her hug and gently tapped her temple. "We're not alone, never alone." Then he smiled. 'No matter where we are, we will always be together."
The other two nodded while hugging each other tighter. Griffin then spoke again. "When are we going to leave?"
The girl looked at them for a long moment. "My guess is in a few days, we still need to recover all our strength."
But Harry shook his head. "If we stay we'll have to tell Dumbledore, and you know he'll never allow us to go on our own. Not to mention Sirius, Remus, Griffin's parents, and even my parents. If we stay we'll be shipped off to Hogwarts before we know it, and they have every legal right to do that."
Hermione looked at him disturbed. "You want us to leave without saying anything to anyone?"
Harry looked uncomfortable and slipped out of their arms. "I can't see them, especially Sirius, or I'm not going to be leaving anytime soon. Please understand."
Hermione stood up and went to hug him from behind. "We do understand."
Ron nodded and stood at their side. "Then leave, Dragon."
The boy looked at his friends for a long moment, and then drew them in a hug. "I'm going to miss you both."
The other two didn't answer, they just stayed still for a long moment, and then backed away. With a small movement of the hand, Harry had packed all his things in a small bag. Then he silently got dressed in comfortable muggles clothes. Once he was ready, he turned his gaze towards his friends.
"We'll meet up at Hogwarts a week before the end of term, ok?"
They both nodded and Phoenix smiled. "Take care of yourself, Dragon."
The boy nodded and hugged her. "You too, Phoenix." Then he turned to Griffin. "Take care, brother."
The taller boy smiled. "I will. Do you want me to say anything to Sirius?"
Harry thought about it for a few moments and then shook his head. "No, just tell him I'll be back and that I'll write to him as soon as I can." After a moment of hesitation, he added, "Tell my mother and father that I love them, and that I'll see them in six months."
The other boy patted his shoulder gently. "I will."
Without another word, Harry disapparated, leaving his two friends behind. Ron and Hermione stood silently side-by-side. Finally, Phoenix turned around and went to sit on the bed.
"Will everything turn out ok, Griffin?"
The boy shrugged. "That depends on us, Phoenix, and I will do as much as I can to ensure that we succeed."
The girl nodded, a small smile on her face, and lay back on the bed. "I'm going to sleep a while longer before leaving."
Ron smiled and joined her on the bed. It was going to be a hard time, but if they succeeded, they were going to have peace at last.
The end.
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and for my beta reader, Vinnie. Before you ask, yes, there's going to be a sequel, I have no idea when but it will come out. There's still going to be the epilogue but after that it might take a while before I continue with this fic.
Fate.
That night, lying safely at Doctor Matt's house, the three teenagers dreamed again. The Phoenix once again waited until they had approached him and then spoke softly. "I'm glad you're safe." The three teens nodded absently, wondering what he wanted now. "I'm sorry to say that the time has come for you to make an important decision."
The three teenagers tensed at those words, what could the ancient phoenix mean? The bird looked at them for a long moment, then he spoke again. "The three of you have had the nightmare about Hogwarts, have you not?"
Exchanging a glance, they nodded.
"It was a small glance into the future, and I fear that that is what's going to happen if you return to Hogwarts with your loved ones. You see, from the moment I healed you all those months ago, you gained a lot of power from me. You're powerful on your own right, of course, but my powers have been added to yours, making you formidable wizards. But as you have noticed, you still lack the control to use all that power safely. There's no one at Hogwarts that will be able to help you, for they would not understand it. They have taught you everything they could, now I'm afraid it's time to move on."
They looked at each other and then Hermione spoke. "Where should we go then, Grand Phoenix?"
The bright bird looked at them for a long moment. "There are many places around the world that teaches things not commonly known at Hogwarts; you need to find them, and I'm afraid you'll need to do it alone."
Dragon winced. "So I have to leave Sirius again?"
Another long silence fell upon the group. "You misunderstood; when I said on your own, I meant it literally. The three of you are too dependent on each other, you each have your own qualities and while one place may be right for you, Dragon, it might not be right for Phoenix or for Griffin."
The three teenagers paled. Griffin hugged his arms around himself. "You want us to separate? You want each of us to go to some strange place alone?"
The Phoenix seemed to sigh while looking at their pale and scared faces. "I'm afraid so; I wish it could be different, I wish I could say you can take your time, but it's not true. You have less than six months to prepare for the final battle, and this time it will be for real, either you or Voldemort will die. You need to train at your fullest, you need to be ready, and you will only stand in each others way if you go together."
Reluctantly, they nodded in understanding. He had a point of course, the reason they worked so well together was because they complemented together. Griffin couldn't imagine himself studying and reading like Phoenix did, even if he had become much better at it. Nor could he imagine himself sitting silently on his own, trying to control his power as Dragon often had done. The bird was right; he just couldn't study the same way his friends did. They would have to go alone. Looking over at his friends, he saw that they had reached the same conclusion. Finally, it was Harry who spoke. "Very well, you're right, even if we don't like it. Are you at least going to tell us where we need to go?"
The bird seemed pleased at those words and nodded his golden head gently. "Phoenix, your strength rests in your intelligence; there are many important wizarding civilizations that have existed over the years. One of the most powerful were the Mayas; I trust you've heard about them."
The girl nodded, an excited glint started to shine in her eyes. "Their magic was powerful, and I think it will suit you very well. There are several ancient temples that have not been tampered with by muggles. As a Phoenix you should be able to reach them without trouble, the wards that guard them were never meant to keep phoenixes away. There you will find what you need." After the girl nodded, he turned to Griffin. "My fiery warrior, you strength rests in strategy, for that you shall travel throughout Europe. Rome and Greece have hosted some of the strongest magical armies; go there, their old wizarding world remembers all their past glory, and they will be able to help you improve for their magic is not only organized, it's also powerful and hot tempered, much like you are."
Ron nodded; a little relieved he wouldn't be going too far away. Finally, the Grand Phoenix turned to Harry. "Dragon, the powerful one, your teachers await you at the ancient country of China. Their knowledge is vast and they know how to properly deal with powers like yours. You will be able to learn a lot of their secrets as long as you remain willing to share your own. There are many schools there, they are much older than Hogwarts and their teachings are very different. Go there, young Dragon."
Once the dark-haired boy had nodded, the Grand Phoenix bowed towards them and they awakened abruptly.
Panting, they sat up in their bed, looked at each other in a mix of fear and anticipation. The fact that they were going to learn some of the most ancient secrets their world had to show was only shadowed by the fact that they would have to leave their brothers, their family, behind. Phoenix suddenly hugged them hard. "I know we have to do this, but I don't want to, I'm going to miss you so much. I don't want to be alone."
Harry returned her hug and gently tapped her temple. "We're not alone, never alone." Then he smiled. 'No matter where we are, we will always be together."
The other two nodded while hugging each other tighter. Griffin then spoke again. "When are we going to leave?"
The girl looked at them for a long moment. "My guess is in a few days, we still need to recover all our strength."
But Harry shook his head. "If we stay we'll have to tell Dumbledore, and you know he'll never allow us to go on our own. Not to mention Sirius, Remus, Griffin's parents, and even my parents. If we stay we'll be shipped off to Hogwarts before we know it, and they have every legal right to do that."
Hermione looked at him disturbed. "You want us to leave without saying anything to anyone?"
Harry looked uncomfortable and slipped out of their arms. "I can't see them, especially Sirius, or I'm not going to be leaving anytime soon. Please understand."
Hermione stood up and went to hug him from behind. "We do understand."
Ron nodded and stood at their side. "Then leave, Dragon."
The boy looked at his friends for a long moment, and then drew them in a hug. "I'm going to miss you both."
The other two didn't answer, they just stayed still for a long moment, and then backed away. With a small movement of the hand, Harry had packed all his things in a small bag. Then he silently got dressed in comfortable muggles clothes. Once he was ready, he turned his gaze towards his friends.
"We'll meet up at Hogwarts a week before the end of term, ok?"
They both nodded and Phoenix smiled. "Take care of yourself, Dragon."
The boy nodded and hugged her. "You too, Phoenix." Then he turned to Griffin. "Take care, brother."
The taller boy smiled. "I will. Do you want me to say anything to Sirius?"
Harry thought about it for a few moments and then shook his head. "No, just tell him I'll be back and that I'll write to him as soon as I can." After a moment of hesitation, he added, "Tell my mother and father that I love them, and that I'll see them in six months."
The other boy patted his shoulder gently. "I will."
Without another word, Harry disapparated, leaving his two friends behind. Ron and Hermione stood silently side-by-side. Finally, Phoenix turned around and went to sit on the bed.
"Will everything turn out ok, Griffin?"
The boy shrugged. "That depends on us, Phoenix, and I will do as much as I can to ensure that we succeed."
The girl nodded, a small smile on her face, and lay back on the bed. "I'm going to sleep a while longer before leaving."
Ron smiled and joined her on the bed. It was going to be a hard time, but if they succeeded, they were going to have peace at last.
The end.
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and for my beta reader, Vinnie. Before you ask, yes, there's going to be a sequel, I have no idea when but it will come out. There's still going to be the epilogue but after that it might take a while before I continue with this fic.
