A.N.: See first chapter for Disclaimer. Plus, does anyone know how I can keep the ellipses from disappearing?!
Albus Dumbledore gave a supremely wearied sigh. His normally twinkling blue eyes gazed dully at the piles of parchment littering his desk as he absently unwrapped a Lemon Drop, thinking over the events so recently transpired. It seemed like such a long time had passed…. His decision to withhold the damned Prophesy from Harry, and the tragedy that it lead up to. The pain that even now had not dulled in the slightest… He lifted a piece of parchment from a pile.
'Muggles remain unawares…Privet Drive safe…Potter fine though depressed, often unresponsive…almost lifeless…'
Losing his godfather, knowing it was partly his own fault that Sirius had been at the Ministry that day, had caused him to withdraw into a shell. Not even his best friends could provoke much response from the grieving young man. Remus, the only other person who truly knew what Harry was going through, was the only person who could even remotely get Harry to stir, but he had his own problems to deal with. Dumbledore placed the daily report on Harry's condition aside, and picked up another letter; this one an official Ministry one, with an attached Order report.
'Successful raid of reported Death Eater gathering…minimal casualties among Aurors and Order Agents…key figures captured: MacNair, Pettigrew…'
'Mr. Remus J. Lupin…most profuse apologies on behalf of the Ministry of Magic…your partner, Sirius Black, cleared of all crimes accused…'
Almost bitterly, Dumbledore tossed both articles aside. Bloody lot of good it did, apologizing and pardoning a dead man. Sirius Black was gone, through the Veil at the Department of Mysteries, and his life-mate left behind once again. Remus Lupin and Sirius Black had been 'married' before the Potters' death, therefore the letter being addressed to Remus, but there was more than that. Werewolves mated for life; it had very nearly killed Remus the first time, when Sirius had been accused of betraying the Potters and murdering the Muggles, and thrown in Azkaban. Only Harry's presence this time around had prevented the man from following his mate through the Veil. The werewolf transformations since that day had been exceedingly difficult, even with the Wolfsbane potion. Before, Sirius had at least been alive. But the werewolf portion of Remus' mind could sense that its mate was truly gone now. Dumbledore knew well that the only reason that Remus had not given up was because of Harry…the young man, arguably last of the werewolf's 'pack,' needed him, as the last true member of his family. Even so, the sheer agony that the werewolf exuded, backed by both the man and the wolf's grief, broke the hearts of all who heard the howls.
Hogwarts had become the temporary Order headquarters, as 12 Grimmwauld Place was no longer secure with the Lestranges' freedom. This made Molly Weasley express her desire to bring Harry to headquarters to celebrate his birthday, which was in five days. Dumbledore agreed that Harry might need some cheering up, and though he knew that it would probably do little good, seeing as the only thing Harry could possibly want was impossible to obtain, acquiesced to Mrs. Weasley's demands. Even at this moment, Molly, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione were preparing for the surprise birthday party.
Fawkes gave a trilling chirp, bringing Dumbledore out of his reverie. It was then that he realized there was a tiny silvery orb floating above his desk. The phoenix flew from its perch, and pecked at the orb, causing a bright spark. When the spots faded from his eyes, Dumbledore saw a sealed scroll, saturated with an unusual magic, on his desk atop the piles of parchment and reports. Fawkes picked at the scroll with its beak when Dumbledore made no move towards it, and taking the hint, Dumbledore shook himself out of his shock and picked it up. The seal was vaguely familiar; an eight pointed Silver Star with a gold crescent moon center. It was made of an unidentifiable crystalline metal, and came off easily in his hands. Dumbledore unrolled the scroll, fingering the medallion as he read the flowing script. He soon sat back in shock, trying to process what he'd read. Something tugged at his memory, and on impulse, he pocketed to seal and left his office, intent on retrieving something from the Restricted section of the Library. He left the scroll on his desk, and Fawkes took the opportunity to peer at it while chirruping at Dumbledore's strange behavior. The symbol next to the signature on the bottom gave a red flare as a feather brushed against it, and sparkling silver misty shape came from the center.
"It is almost time. Fawkes, Phoenix of Fire and Light, now is the time to summon the rest of the Guardians. Remember the Four Kings…" the tiny figure said. Fawkes gave a cry of understanding, and as the silver sparkles disappeared, the Phoenix flew out the window.
