~ Chapter 50: Sirius's Black Day ~

Back in the 'infirmary'…

Madam Pomfrey grumbled slightly as Sirius helped her in removing Fenix's black leather shirt. Luna had cast a temporary shield so no one else would take a peek on the half naked Fire Master, if you ignored the fact that Fenix was wearing her black sports bra. The nurse was muttering under her breath just how lucky the Fire Master had been, to be saved by the stranger, and also healing her reproductive organs before it was too late. Most of the students were asleep except for Luna and a handful of others, who had complained that they were far too keyed up to sleep. That was fine with Dumbledore, as they kept watch on the Hall while the Headmaster, Aberforth, Snape and several of the elves went with them to investigate if the hospital wing was intact, and also to move most of the medical supplies into either the Hall or one of the dungeons.

: Don't get any ideas, Padfoot, : the Fire Master's fiancé spoke firmly, feeling slightly annoyed at the way that Sirius was looking at his oathsister. It was lucky that only Remus was watching. If Snape had been there with them, he would be gravely insulted and start a brawl with Sirius for the sheer fun of doing some damage to the handsome Black.

: I'm not, but she has a rather nice stomach, doesn't she? Had you ever noticed it, Moony? : Sirius answered absently, looking at Fenix's slim waist and admiring the subtle muscles then winced when Madam Pomfrey whispered harshly.

"Mr. Black!" the nurse objected, her eyes flaring widely in disgust and Sirius apologized profusely to her.

: I did get to see her sword mark in great detail, you know. Several times, in fact, : Remus replied flippantly. Sirius looked at the werewolf, aghast. Sirius uttered several curses at his best friend by silent communication, with 'carnal' being the mildest of them all.

: I will kill you, if you happened to get her pregnant even before you marry her, : Sirius threatened seriously as he examined the tender scar just slightly before her navel, scowling blackly at the werewolf, who was trying to muffle the low growls of amusement coming from his throat. Wind nipped him gently at his side to remind him to behave himself. Remus's amusement subsided, embarrassment now filling him. Madam Pomfrey handed him a bottle of salve that Snape had rescued for her just for Fenix, handing the precious bottle to one of the house-elves that had tagged along to help Dumbledore. They-- the house-elves-- seemed terribly fascinated by the Elven warriors that accompanied them.

Winky seemed to be smitten with Cadriel. Her eyes often strayed to his handsome face, staring dreamily at his pair of deep blue, catlike eyes. The elf was not displeased with the attention he was gaining so he moved right along, looking at the state of the hospital room with pity. The house-elves and the Elementals helped to stabilize the floors of the wing with their magic, as elves, house-elves and wizards moved briskly in emptying the hospital wing of its medical supplies.

Sirius carefully applied the salve, strongly smelling of chamomile and other fragrances, gently onto her scar. Fenix suddenly levitated, supported by unseen hands. Wind informed him that it was just the Sylphs and Sirius quickly applied the salve to her back. The nurse was not surprised at all at the floating Fire Master; she quickly scoured the bags of bandages and finally came up with one that she wanted. The two humans, and other invisible hands, began wrapping the bandage about Fenix's tender abdomen briskly.

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In the dungeon…

The two students in the dungeon fell silent after fifteen minutes of conversation. Harry had asked the Slytherin how he was able to replicate Fenix's blue fire but all they were able to do was contemplate and made several wild guesses. Draco was just as clueless as Harry was, regarding to the sudden transition of his gray eyes to silver ones.

: Draco… about just now… : Harry began, fidgeting uneasily on the bench.

: I was acting irrationally, Four-Eyes, : Draco said brusquely, referring to the hug he had given Harry impulsively. The latter however, was glad that the hug he gave the Slytherin was a brotherly one, much like the kind of hugs he exchanged with his best friend, Ron.

: I knew you would say that, : Harry said in feigned disappointment and Draco gave a derisive snort.

: I think if we were to question Fenix, she would confirm that a period of absurdity generally occurs after a battle or a major case of adrenaline rush or something. I knew I've read something about temporarily going 'mental' after major dueling somewhere in a history book… : Draco mused. : That doesn't mean I don't care about you though. But what do I know about love between siblings? I'm the only child. :

: I guess that's a way to explain it… but brothers? : Harry grimaced. : With you? :

: I'm supposed to be the one to ask that question, : the Slytherin argued, his mindvoice was thick with resentment, making Harry grin widely. Draco gasped suddenly, clutching his head and Harry felt disconcerted for a moment due to the immense pain that traveled down the link from the Slytherin to Harry. Draco went limp and Harry moved in quickly to catch the Slytherin. A quick examination told Harry that the boy was still alive; he had just fainted. Great… I know Sirius would think very creatively if he finds out that I had been with Draco, in a dungeon that was barely lighted. But it will be fun if he did…

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Sirius straightened his back as he finished helping Madam Pomfrey fastening Fenix's bandage, then covered Fenix with a thick blanket. He saw that Remus had inevitably fallen asleep, and then looked around to inspect the vast room that was punctuated by the snores of the students. He frowned when he found that Harry was not in the Hall. His eyes narrowed and scanned the Hall once more, but still, no Harry.

: Sirius? : Harry's mindvoice called out rather urgently.

: Harry, where are you? : His godfather was still scowling as he strode forward to the entrance of the Great Hall. Aldren, who was standing guard by the door, gave him a sly look and Sirius did not like what the look portended.

: I'm in one of the dungeons, : Harry's mindvoice faltered, almost afraid that his godfather might explode. Sirius went down the narrow steps of the dungeons and bumped into his godson. : Drake had just collapsed… he's too heavy for me to lift. :

: And what were you two doing? : Sirius's mindvoice said darkly, so filled with suspicions. Harry just gave him an innocent look and just stated that they had been talking-- which was true. He controlled the laughter that was bubbling inside him when he felt Sirius's various feelings that came down through their link and he gave a slightly audible sigh because his godfather had assumed the worst. He led his godfather back into the room where he and Draco had spent several minutes talking, and winced when Sirius's eyes widened at the darkness of the room. I wonder why he's thinking too much about that… maybe he should have a girlfriend. Harry stared at his godfather's back in amusement.

Sirius in the meantime felt a headache building up in his head. Although he could not see Harry's face, he was able to tell by the link that his godson was profoundly embarrassed by something and Sirius was not sure if he wanted to know why. Of course Harry felt embarrassed! His godfather was thinking that Draco had seduced him, and what an apocalypse it would be if Sirius interrogated Draco under pressure before he had the time to make the truth known. Sirius's wand lit up, giving it to Harry as he examined the oblivious Slytherin, where Harry had laid him on the bench. His hand snaked out to feel the boy's forehead and as he had expected, Draco was having a high fever. It was either that, or he had lost his control of fire again. Critically examining the boy, Sirius reckoned that not even he could lift the Slytherin. Dobby and another house-elf appeared at Sirius's silent request, holding up a stretcher in their hands.

Sirius silently commanded Harry to lift Draco's legs and they heaved the boy down to the stretcher and carried the Slytherin back up to have him examined by the nurse, or better still, have the Elven Lord to do it. They went up the narrow staircase with no difficulty at all, and Harry met the same elf that had informed him the whereabouts of the Slytherin prefect. As Harry was holding the rear of the stretcher-- which was where Draco's feet were-- Sirius was the first to face Aldren. The violet-eyed elf was still gazing slyly at him and Sirius muttered a curse and the elf shot a wink at Harry as they passed him and entered the almost-silent Hall.

The Elven Lord broke off his muted conversation with Firenze, walking quickly over to them and peered down at the pale face of the boy. Mineif pointed to an unoccupied pallet in between Fenix's pallet, and the pallet that was shared by Ginny and Dean. The Elven Lord gracefully sat down and waited for them patiently to load the unconscious boy to the makeshift bed. When they did, he began his examination and ten minutes later, he concluded that Draco was just suffering from a great deal of stress. Mineif rattled off the causes before any of them could impose questions on the elf. One: by taking the full brunt of the Cruciatus Curse, two: using his Wild Talent to overcome the Curse and then use the talent to attempt at making a bonfire out of the Death Eaters, and three: straining his mind a little to bring Fenix back to them. At the same time, Mineif was communicating silently with Harry, who was acting as if nobody was conversing with him the other way.

: It was just as well that this friend of yours had called Fenix back over to the living side. The loss of the oathsister might just drive your godfather mad and he might become suicidal. So no point taking chances, : Mineif informed the young boy gravely. "So, this one should be all right, but he needs plenty of rest for the next three days. I reckon that it will also be when Fenix will finally regain her consciousness…" His soft, musical voice trailed off when Harry looked doubtfully at him and then at the form of the sleeping Fire Master. Mineif gave an encouraging look to him.

"Would Fenix try to go for the light?" he asked solemnly. Mineif gave a brief start of surprise before he started to scowl.

"How did you know about the light?" the Elven Lord questioned him sharply.

"Draco was the one who found it. I guess it has got something to do with him being a Mindhealer…"

"He is?" the Elven Lord exclaimed, then rechecked Draco. "You're right," he said absently, peeling Draco's right eye open then suddenly gave a sharp breath. "His eyes…" Mineif automatically stared at Fenix.

"His eyes were gray, but somehow after he let the flames engulf him earlier just now, his eyes changed," Harry answered.

"Enough talking." Madam Pomfrey suddenly interrupted them. "Sirius, Harry, go and get some sleep," she instructed firmly, and the Elven Lord nodded in agreement.

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Thursday, 1st November. Mid-morning…

Sirius was feeling irritated as he helped Madam Pomfrey, Sprout, Cadriel and Snape rearrange the medical supplies in one chilly dungeon. The Salamanders had politely declined to heat up the room, as most of the medicines were stored best in chilly conditions. What on earth is going on between Draco and Harry? He thought, ignoring Snape's contemplative look. Remus had escaped to one of the isolated dungeons where Winky attended him as he changed back to his human form. Sirius had introduced him to Aldren and they seemed to get along well with each other, for the werewolf and the elves were back to scouting about the castle while Aberforth, Hagrid and some of the elves searched for a place where the Elven steeds would be safe. Sirius was thinking about the rooms available and safe on the ground floor when the Potions Master interrupted his brooding.

: Does it bother you so much? : Snape's thought reached him.

: What on earth are you talking about, Snivellus? : Sirius evaded the Potions Master's question with one of his own, feeling rather testy.

: Well, if you're too blind to see… there's no point in enlightening you up. : Snape calmly rearranged the set of clean bandages into a cupboard that had been wiped sterile with the antiseptic potion that Fenix had concocted months ago and totally ignored Harry's godfather. Somehow, that sentence made Sirius more edgy than ever.

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That evening…

Flickers of lightning flashed through the windows of the Hall, creating an eerie atmosphere in the vast room. The temperature had dropped greatly and the Salamanders had no qualms about using their magic to heat the room up to a more comfortable temperature. Murmurs of soft conversation filled the Hall with Lee's group being the loudest. Draco, who was still having a fever and looked it, kept glaring at whoever who suddenly spoke up too loudly. The high-pitched sounds that suddenly ripped the air made his head pound even more. Alamanda whispered something to Hermione, and the prefect announced clearly that she would cast the Silencing Charm if they would not behave themselves. Draco was whispering so softly to Harry about the elves but the latter was not able to tell him much about them and the Slytherin was constantly fretting about his eye color, while Harry pondered how long Fenix's shield would stay up. Draco had reassured him that it was still holding and probably the Elven Lord had laid another shield as a fail-safe.

Sirius kept giving uneasy glances at the softly speaking forms of Draco and his godson, as they all lounged after dinner. Why isn't he talking to Alamanda? Sirius did not know that Alamanda was sulking because Draco seemed totally engrossed in his debate with The Boy Who Lived, and had failed to catch her boyfriend's attention or understand what their debate was about. Sirius strangely felt tired, but that was to be expected as most of them had to cast a Freezing Charm on the carcasses of the dead giants because the only way that they could be disposed was through Fenix's Fire. However, since she would not be able to function without killing herself, they had to devise a spell that would prevent the giants from rotting until she was completely Healed. Sirius could not keep his silence any longer. He stood up, then began to create a shield about himself, his godson and the Slytherin prefect, surprising Alamanda, Hermione and the rest of their close friends. Harry looked at him in horror as he realized what his godfather had just done while Draco stared at both of them in puzzlement.

: Sirius! Wait! : Harry yelled but his godfather ignored him and began questioning the puzzled Slytherin impassively. Draco paled even more, eyes narrowing as his head began to pound painfully, after hearing the most offensive question he had ever been asked, then calmly requested Sirius to explain how he had arrived at that particular conclusion. Draco wore a look of sufferance and sarcastically commented, looking at Harry as he said it.

: And you got this man to be your guardian? : Draco shook his head sympathetically.

: It wasn't exactly my idea you know, : Harry sighed.

Hermione and the others were looking at the silent profiles of three of their friends. "What on earth are they doing?"

"Don't bother with them, Hermione." Ron shrugged, lying down on his pallet.

: We're family, right? Except for Fenix and Lupin who are engaged, and Granger and Weasley who are an item. Since Snape is technically, Fenix's brother, and you are also her brother, right? I'm Snape's godson, which puts me in the same rank with Harry, right? Doesn't that mean the both of us are… like cousins? Possibly brothers? : Draco finally came down to the conclusion, sadistically enjoying Sirius's increasing embarrassment. : Even if you don't object, I'm quite sure that my godfather would heartily disapprove of incest, : the Slytherin said icily.

: All right! : Sirius's handsome face was red with embarrassment, not hearing Ginny's comment on how dashing the blushing man actually looked. : I apologize! : Sirius then swore, and Harry chuckled lightly as his godfather was extremely dunked in total embarrassment.

: Hey, Drake, : Harry said as he casually threw a Chocolate Frog at him, : are you giving Snape his latest ammunition? : he asked, eyeing his godfather teasingly and the Slytherin looked thoughtfully at him.

: I think I'll save it until Fenix awakens. It's more profitable by the way, : Draco answered earnestly.

Harry's godfather looked at them in alarm. The two boys then laughed heartily when Sirius lamented, "Why am I so stupid to be trapped by a pair of kids?"

: Who the hell are you calling kids? : Draco broke off from his laugh, feeling rather insulted at Sirius's comment, while Harry doubled up, laughing uncontrollably.

Hermione looked hopelessly at the three silent figures then gave a long sigh. "Just as well that Sirius had built a soundproof shield."

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