A/N: I am so sorry about the long wait, especially since people have become
accustomed to me updating every few days or so. Updates will be slower, as
the semester draws to a close and I need to finish a lot of projects. Also,
I'm taking time off to finish writing the story in my hard copy. I know
what I'm doing, I just have to get there. I'm trying for updates as soon as
possible, but no promises. I refuse to sacrifice the quality of the story
just for the sake of updating faster. So thanks for your patience.
Also, I occasionally write poetry and short stories, so check out some of my original stuff. Find something you like and review.
Dedication and thanks to leaf for being my 200th reviewer. You gave me the kick in the butt to post this chapter. And clifjumpr13, you forgot witches. *winks cheekily*
Disclaimer: I own nothing, so give the lawyers a rest.
Chapter 18
The adults left before lunch, heading back to their jobs and lives. As they were saying goodbye, Eva gave Remus a hug then passed him a wrapped package. At his questioning look, she said, "The next full moon's in two days, right?" He nodded and she whispered conspiratorially, "It's a gift. Take this instead of the Wolfsbane, and call me in the morning." She clapped him on the back then turned to the twins. They looked a bit nervous and backed up a step as she grinned and extended a hand. "Good luck with your shop. Oh," she snapped her fingers, "I almost forgot. Here." Eva handed Fred a purple drawstring bag, and George a green pouch. They examined them suspiciously and she laughed at their paranoia.
"My little gift to two very creative pranksters. George has a special hard candy that, after 30 seconds of sucking, recreates what I did to you and Voldemort." She leaned in impishly. "Us that delightful photo as a promotional piece." George's eyes lit up with excitement as figures danced through his head. That could boost their sales another 30% as he calculated it, and considering the immense popularity of the new shop, that was saying something. Fred indicated his bag. "And this?" "Is a special recipe that needs to be put into some kind of sweet or toy, you decide. I believe Harry pulled something on you called the 'chocolate episode,' did he not?" Immediately they winced, then twin evil grins blossomed on their faces. She sniggered and said "Just don't try it on Ginny. I taught her some tips for revenge."
The boys nodded, taking the warning very seriously. Eva then gave each of the adults a small bit of advice and a hug goodbye as they Portkeyed away. Soon only the teenagers were left in the house with a crazy supernatural trainer. Eva and Harry immediately took the others down to the gym to start training. Harry worked with Ron separately to expound on the lessons given during the school year, while Eva started Hermione and Ginny on basic workouts. After a quick lunch they headed to the dueling room to practice magical dueling. Hermione was quite good at this, except Eva had to keep yelling at her to employ more physical facets to combat, such as dodging. Ginny, while not quite as strong on spellcasting as her friend, made up for it with creativity and making herself a tough target to hit. Probably had lots of practice from her brothers over the years.
Eva tested all their limits and weaknesses, and then sent them to the library with different spells and concepts to research. Hermione was delighted, and was soon surrounded by stacks of books that she was poring over with delight. Ron just groaned but started flipping through some old tomes in search of pertinent information. Meanwhile Eva created a training schedule for them to follow over the next two weeks, then a separate one for Harry to supervise while they were at the Burrow and Hogwarts. He helped by giving her input into his friends' personalities and specific weaknesses to be worked on. Weight training, running, and martial arts in the mornings, dueling in the afternoons, research after dinner until bed. She intended to push them hard and far for the short time they were with her. Harry looked over the schedule and grinned wryly. "C'mon, this is nothing like the schedule you worked out for me," he protested playfully. She snorted indelicately. "No shit. I had to transform you from a skinny little schoolboy to a warrior capable of some serious ass kicking. Don't have to do anything so drastic with your friends. So whine all you want about unequal treatment." He just rolled his eyes.
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Two weeks later the fire in the Burrow blazed green, announcing the arrival of three teens by Floo powder. Since Harry absolutely despised that form of travel, he chose to Apparate over with their stuff. Molly came forward to greet her children and gasped at their appearances. Under Eva's strict tutelage, their skills had increased dramatically in different forms of combat, and their physical fitness had improved with it. The girls developed significant muscle tone and more curves, showing off their athletic builds, and Ron had added muscles to his lanky frame, making him appear slightly older and more mature, not to mention that much more delicious in Hermione's eyes. Molly remarked over their changes loudly while the twins gaped slightly in the background.
With a "pop" Harry appeared in the living room with their bags, and was immediately embraced tightly by Mrs. Weasley. He just smiled as he endured one of her infamous breathtaking hugs, and then greeted the rest of the family warmly. She immediately began fussing over them all, and they sat down in the dining room for tea while they chatted about their training and the actions of the Order of the Phoenix. Apparently with the information gathered at the last meeting, several spies had been flushed out and arrested, and the planned attack on the Ministry was thwarted. Unfortunately many of the Death Eaters had managed to escape and avoid identification, so it was a mixed bag of results. Harry turned to the twins. "And how goes your Auror training?" Fred grimaced. "I swear, that Spike Williams is absolutely nuts. You know, the git with the bleached blond hair? He had me doing stuff I never would have imagined," but then he shrugged and grumbled reluctantly, "But he is skilled and a bloody good teacher." Then he grinned. "Ask George what he thinks of his trainer," he sang out with a knowing smirk on his face.
When they turned to the other twin, George blushed a bit and ducked his head. "Uh, yeah, Tori's great. She's really tough and keeps me on my toes, but a good teacher." Fred arched an eyebrow, but his twin ignored him. "She's also a natural prankster." Now his face lit up. "She helped me develop a couple new ideas for the shop, as well as stuff that the Order can use. We got this idea to create these little capsules that store curses and hexes, so you can throw them. You can curse Death Eaters multiple times quickly and from a longer distance." Hermione nodded in understanding. "So it's like a Muggle hand grenade." "I guess. Fred and I are still working on the exact detonation time, but I think it's going to work great."
The days spent at the Weasleys were more relaxed and fun, with Quidditch and Diagon Alley to compensate for the grueling training program Harry kept them on. The annual school supplies trip was much more fun than the previous years, and the teens quickly bought all their supplies as well as new robes before they went and played around. At first Harry tolerated the outright stares and whispers that his presence caused, for after all he had not been seen in public outside Hogwarts in over a year, since the aftermath of the Triwizard Tournament. Soon, though, it became very annoying, especially when they spotted a fan club of sorts following them around. Outside Flourish and Blotts, one girl abruptly darted up, threw her arms around Harry and planted a passionate kiss on his lips. Irritated and flushing bright crimson, he pried her off roughly and fairly fled into Quality Quidditch Supplies. Ron followed snickering, with Hermione and Ginny right behind him trying to hold in their giggles at the scene. Once out of sight and hidden in the back amongst the stacks of team robes and shirts, Harry whipped out his staff, muttered a quick incantation, and his features morphed, the hair shortened, and the clothes transfigured. Soon a stranger was standing in front of their eyes.
"Where do you want to go next?" Harry asked his snickering friends, drawing their attention back from watching out the window at the clustered girls yelping around the brazen one. Ron gaped at his new look for a second, then blurted out, "I'm hungry." "Should we head back to the Leaky Cauldron?" Ginny peeked out and said, "Your groupies are gone. The coast is clear." "Ice cream is better. Let's head over to Fontescue's." Before Hermione could protest at the lack of nutritional value, Ron dragged them all out of the shop and toward the ice cream parlor. Half an hour later they were walking unperturbed along Diagon Alley, savoring chocolate and raspberry ice creams and window shopping. The girls ogled new dress robes at Madame Malkins, while Harry and Ron snuck off briefly to find Hermione a birthday gift. Ron found the perfect bracelet in a store less than fifteen minutes later, and the boys got back while the girls were still trying on the latest fashions, oblivious to the fact that they had left. Ron smiled as he watched his girlfriend twirl around in a silk dress dyed blueberry with slight silver accents and giggle. The rest of the day passed in a blur, and after a delicious supper at the Leaky Cauldron the teens Flooed back to the Burrow. The next day was September 1st, the start of the new Hogwarts term, so everyone was in bed early.
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That night Harry had a dream that, for once, he was looking forward to. As his physical body slept, his consciousness materialized in the ancient city where Death was waiting. She greeted him with a nod which he returned, then started toward the same room where they had parted previously without a word. Harry followed her closely, questions pressing at his mind but he restrained himself, knowing that answers were forthcoming if he could just be patient for a bit longer. Once seated across from each other on the stone floor in the cave-like room, Death spoke.
"What do you know about the Phoenix Lords?" Harry furrowed his brow in confusion. "Just that they were the most powerful war mages and the head of the Order of the Phoenix. They were pretty secretive and died out over a millennia ago. I attained that level and title when I mastered my abilities." Death sighed and shook her head, and Harry blushed a bit. He was the Phoenix Lord, yet he did not really know what that meant. Eva had not been able to tell him a lot, and now that he thought about it, she had managed to deflect many of his questions about that title. "That is not entirely true," Death's voice shook him from his thoughts, and she reached out to touch his forehead. Immediately his vision blanked out.
Gradually a scene came into focus in his mind, a pure white hospital room with lots of flowers, and three people standing there. A young woman with long red hair reclined on the bed, cradling a bundle in her arms, while a man with messy dark hair and glasses stood conversing quietly with an aged man with a long silver beard. The volume slowly rose as if the knob on a radio was being turned up.
"Congratulations James. He's a beautiful baby." "Thank you Albus. I can hardly believe it. I'm a daddy." James ran a hand through his hair and grinned, then stepped over to his wife to cradle her shoulders as they gazed lovingly down at the wrapped bundle. "He's beautiful, just like my Lily. He even has her eyes." He gave her a quick kiss as Albus smiled and glanced around at the flowers and tokens. "I see the rest of the Marauders have already come by. I take it they are just as excited as you are."
James nodded, grinning widely as his eyes twinkled with mischief. "Yep. Sirius was so happy we name him godfather he started running around yelling and shooting off sparks and streamers from his wand. The nurses almost kicked him out of the hospital entirely for disturbing the peace of the ward." Albus chuckled with amusement. "I doubt they had much success." "Nope." James shook his head, chuckling. "Remus had to restrain him before the nurses stunned him, although Remus was nearly as bad. At least he waited until he was outside." Lily giggled as a small fist emerged from the blankets to grab a lock of long red hair and grasp it tightly. "You, my little one, will be so spoiled by your godfather." Albus cleared his throat. "What have you decided to name him?" The new mother spoke softly, almost reverently. "Harry. Harry James Potter. Our son."
The headmaster opened his mouth to comment on the name, but something stopped him. A bright golden light had materialized out of nowhere and took the shape of a phoenix, which fluttered gracefully over to the bed next to Lily and the baby. A trill of song resounded through the room as the bird regarded the green-eyed baby watching it with interest. The adults could only stare as the phoenix laid its pure gold head on the baby's forehead, and the bird vanished. But now the baby was glowing the same shade of gold. He giggled as the aura sparkled around him like a living cloud of faeries, and a deep voice, more sensed than heard, echoed through their minds.
"Harry James Potter, Child of Light. He shall be the Phoenix Lord, destined for greatness, and the warrior for the Light." The glow faded away from the baby boy, lingering a bit on his right hand and left shoulder, then all was normal again, except for the shocked looks on the adults' faces. Lily inspected her baby with concern, but could find nothing out of the ordinary as Harry giggled and reached for her nose. James met Albus' eyes with slight panic and wonder. "What in the name of Merlin just happened?" he demanded. For once in living memory, Albus Dumbledore was at a loss for an explanation.
The scene faded and another appeared, this time of a well-furnished living room. Lily sat with her feet propped up in the armchair, while James held the baby close to his chest, humming softly. They seemed to be waiting for something. That something was revealed when the fire crackling merrily in the hearth turned green and Albus stepped through, brushing soot from his beard. He was carrying a leather-bound book embossed with a golden depiction of crossed swords under a phoenix. He met the parents' eyes with a serious look and sat in an armchair between them, flipping open the book on his lap.
"I have found something that may explain a little bit. How much do you know about the war mages?" James looked clueless, but Lily pursed her lips in thought. "I believe they were an ancient race of powerful wizards, who came from the destruction of Atlantis if I remember correctly." She looked questioningly at Albus, and he nodded in confirmation. "Yes. They died out over a millennium ago, and much of their knowledge has been lost, as well as their culture. Little remains of it, but what we do know is that they were extraordinarily powerful and advanced. Many of their technology that was recovered is still in use today. After searching through the archives I found this." He waved a hand down at the book. "It is a record of a group called the Order of the Phoenix."
James sat on the couch wit baby Harry asleep in his arms to settle in for a long story. "It was an order made up of the bravest of the war mages, all armed with a variety of skills. They were dedicated to fighting the Dark Forces which caused the destruction of Atlantis, sworn to prevent history from repeating itself." Albus looked thoughtful. "I have been considering starting up something similar to this. A group of loyal people to combat these new Dark times, to protect the Light, utilizing every possible skill we could." He cleared his throat. "But we'll discuss that later. The Order of the Phoenix was led by the most powerful of the war mages, whom they called the Phoenix Lord. Apparently they earned the name because this Phoenix Lord always had a phoenix as a familiar. However, I came across this strange passage here . . ." he flipped another page and began to read.
"After Mak'ile left this world, we as the Order had no leader. Who could shoulder the burden, and more accurately, who had the right? No one seemed adequate, for Mak'ile had a sense of tremendous power and wisdom that enshrouded him like a cloak. An almost otherworldly presence hung about him, incomprehensible to us mortals. His parting words still lingered in our ears after he disappeared. 'Take heart, for even as I depart another will come to take my place.' We debated amongst ourselves as to the meaning of these cryptic words, and several times nearly came to blows. But within the week, a stranger appeared in our tribe. He called himself Shona, and carried the same marking our former leader had on his hand and shoulder. That night around the campfire, the phoenix who would only respond to Mak'ile suddenly returned to camp to alight at Shona's side. When we inquired after these strange familiarities, he simply smiled and said, 'I am the Phoenix Lord for this era.' Immediately we sensed the same aura about him, and questioned our leader no more." Albus slapped the book shut and gazed tiredly at the Potters.
"There is more, but this illustrates it the best. These Phoenix Lords were strangers with incredible powers, and there are indications that they were not entirely . . . well, human." Now the new parents looked decidedly alarmed. Lily's voice shook a bit as she said, "But . . . does that mean . . . what about Harry?" Dumbledore shook his hoary head. "I don't know what this all means, but I assure you Harry is human. You should know, you created him." The Potters blushed a bit as Albus' eyes twinkled a bit. "But he does have the faint indications of marking on his hand and shoulder, not to mention what the voice said." He patted the book. ""Every Phoenix Lord in this book was completely unknown until the moment he or she presented themselves at the disappearance of the previous Lord. There is no record of birth or death. They appeared for around 50 years, then just vanished into thin air and the next one popped up. This 'otherworldly presence' or aura seemed to be a prerequisite that the Order members could detect once the Lord was identified."
James gazed concernedly down at this slumbering infant son. "But again, what does that mean for Harry?" Albus sighed deeply. "I have absolutely no idea. Harry is . . . unique. All I am able to offer is what I have just said." The three adults all sat in silence, staring at the oblivious baby. Lily spoke up after a few minutes. "We need to do something." The row makes looked at her, and she explained, "Voldemort keeps gaining more power each day, and he's targeting anyone who is a threat to him. I know we are already on his top ten hit list. What will happen if he finds out about Harry?" James murmured, "Child of Light, Phoenix Lord, destined for greatness, and warrior for the light," his tone soft but his expression horrified t the thought of Voldemort's reaction to those words. "Not to mention the fact that he is a tri-heir." Albus nodded solemnly.
"I don't believe anyone else knows about this, but spies are everywhere nowadays." He sighed and thought for a minute. "This is too dangerous to keep to ourselves. I suggest memory charms." Lily looked startled. "But . . ." He held up a hand to stop her. "I know it is a risk, especially if Harry begins to exhibit new powers that we do not know how to deal with. But there is a greater risk to all our lives if Voldemort discovers this." James walked over to Lily and handed Harry gently to her, then hugged them both tightly. The communicated silently with their eyes the way only those deeply in love can understand, then turned to Albus with resolute faces. "Let's do it."
The old headmaster nodded and drew his wand. "Better put Harry down on the couch. Infants don't have the same tolerance for charms." Lily placed her baby down carefully on the sofa and stepped back over to her husband, yet keeping an eye on her son. Dumbledore muttered a word, and a faint bubble encompassed them. "To make sure we all have the same charm placed at the same time." With a little wave the book vanished from the chair it was left on, and then Albus clearly pronounced, "Obliviate." A flash of light filled the bubble, and then the scene faded, and Harry found himself in the underground room again, face to face with Death.
He swallowed hard through a dry throat, trying to push back a rush of emotions in order to speak, but words failed him in the turmoil of his mind. Death could sense his questions and began to weave her tale together. "After the destruction of Atlantis, the wizards knew they had to separate from the Muggle society and go into hiding. Suspicions ran high and both societies blamed the other for the catastrophe. Yet the Dark forces responsible for the disaster still existed, threatening both of them, so the war mages banded together to protect the innocent. With their divisive nature however, they ended up fighting each other more often than not. The Guardians decided to send down someone to guide them and lead them. The powers have a hierarchy. The beings directly below the Guardians are called the Shamak'la, and they were sent down one by one to manifest as the Phoenix Lord of the Order of the Phoenix of the war mages. They led and shaped the world as you know it, separating from yet protecting Muggles and guarding against the rise of the Dark Arts.
"Gradually as the world settled into a new order, the Shamak'la were no longer needed, and the war mages died out with the disappearance of the Phoenix Lords." Death touched his hand, tracing the small rune there. "However, the Guardians knew that one day they would be needed again. But the cynicism inherent in human nature and the irrational fear of something more powerful than your ken has prevented the reemergence of the Shamak'la. They would be feared and shunned, equated with the forces of evil. So Fate decreed that the new Phoenix Lord would be human, but marked and endowed with the necessary powers when the time came." Inhuman silver eyes met startled emerald ones. "The Shamak'la created the phoenix to be their familiar and to pass down their knowledge to those worthy of it. When you were born, the phoenix sensed that you had come, and joined with you, sharing its soul and powers. You have had them all your life, but you could not use them until you were trained, and then the marking became visible. This is what really saved you that Halloween night."
Harry sat there, absorbing it all a bit dazedly, then a suspicious question popped into his head. "Why me? What makes me so different from the rest of humanity that I got stuck with this job?" Death held his gaze so that he could sense the sincerity of her words. "How is it that you are a tri-heir if your mother was Muggleborn? She actually is of Ravenclaw descent, but somewhere back in the lineage a Squib was born. They still carried the bloodline, and it was passed down, gaining impetus until your mother was born magical. It was the restoration of this bloodline, combined with that of the other two Light founders, which signaled the phoenix to rise again. But the bloodline is nothing unless the soul behind it is worthy. So you have the strength of your ancestors, but your own will."
"But what does the prophecy have to do with all of this?" Death sighed. "I am not privy to that information. Fate and Time do not tell all the Guardians what they have planned. You will have to discover that on your own." Death stood and helped Harry to his feet. "You have a destiny before you, young phoenix. You will face Voldemort again, and the battle will be costly. This is a war between the forces of good and evil, and the majority of the burden falls to you. But stay true to your heart, and the Light will prevail. Remember this: Power is a useful tool, but a deadly master. I give you my blessings as you go. Lo g'kucod." Still holding tight to his hand, Death leaned in and kissed Harry's forehead, her lips freezing but instilling him with a sense of warmth.
The next instant the pressure of her hand on his disappeared as he felt himself fly upwards and slam back to full consciousness in his physical body again. Harry slid a bit shakily out of bed, his mind swimming with new information. Suddenly feeling claustrophobic in the house, he crept silently downstairs and slipped past the alarms and barriers that protected the Minister to the gardens outside. Fighting his way to the stream at the edge of the property, he flopped down at the base of an oak tree, gazing at the moon and exhaling deeply. A long time passed as he simply breathed, each exhalation taking away some of his anxiety until he could think clearly again.
*Destiny, destiny, no escaping not for me,* Harry quoted to himself wryly, the last panic fading on a stray moonbeam. He had always know that he was different, unique, somehow set apart from others around him. Growing up he thought it was as his relatives had said; he was a freak and unworthy of anything resembling a normal life. After he learned that he was a wizard, he chalked it up to his fame. He hated that feeling, and having someone dictate exactly what he really was unnerved him. Or perhaps it was the fact that someone had actually given him a straight answer.
Harry lay there in the garden, calmed by the serenity of the night even as he wrenched his mind away from this new information and began plotting. He could feel the Dark powers stirring restlessly, hungry for blood and power. He knew that Voldemort was getting closer to discovering the original resting place of the talisman. The reaction when he found it was already gone should be very interesting. He chuckled a bit as he felt the dagger in its sheath against the small of his back. He shifted onto his side and pulled it out, careful not to touch the actual knife. It was strange, he admitted to himself as he examined the talisman almost lovingly. Ever since he recovered it, he had never let it out of his sight, and lately it seemed permanently attached to his body.
Nobody knew about this, not even Eva. In truth, Harry would not even admit to himself just how much the talisman had become attached to him, not only physically but spiritually. Its presence grew on him; always just under his conscious thought was the desire to touch it again, the experience again the phenomenon of its magic. He had resisted so far, but failed to really recognize the danger inherent in it. Gradually he pulled his thoughts away from his dagger and replaced it at his back, refocusing on the task at hand. How was Voldemort going to use the new Death Eaters and demons? The strategic part of his mind kicked in, running scenarios like a computer program until he drifted back off to sleep gently. The moonlight lit up the garden and caressed over the tattoos of the Phoenix Lord.
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Ron woke to the annoying buzzing of his alarm clock and the accompanying twittering of Pig in his cage. Cursing the stupid owl under his breath, he grabbed the clock and threw it in the general direction of the owl, not even opening his eyes. The clock hit the cage and knocked it over into the wall before it tottered off the desk onto the floor. The buzzing was silenced, but the crash from the cage and Pig's screeching more than made up for it in volume. Ron tried to block out the noise with his pillow and drift back off to sleep, but soon someone was pounding on his door, yelling at him to shut the stupid bird up.
Groaning, the redhead pulled himself from between the soft and warm sheets to stagger over to the cage and put it back on his desk, stuffing an owl treat to a Pig. He was about to slither back into bed, but the smell of frying bacon reached his nostrils and suddenly he was wide awake and staving. Briefly glad that Hermione had convinced him to finish all his packing last night, he tugged on a pair of jeans and a navy shirt before heading downstairs.
Upon entering the kitchen, he smiled to see his mother cooking up a storm. Some things never change. "Morning Mum." She turned in the middle of buttering toast and greeted him warmly. "Good morning Ron. Go wake up the others, breakfast isn't quite ready yet." Sighing as his stomach rumbled loudly in protest, he mounted the stairs to play human alarm clock. He knocked on Ginny's door first and cracked it open without looking in, calling "Hey Gin, get up!" He heard some mumbling and then something hard hit the door with a bang. Okay, she was awake. Chuckling, he stepped across the hall to Hermione's room, where he knocked briefly and cracked it open. "You awake?" When silence answered him, he dared to peek into the darkened room.
Hermione lay curled up on her side facing the door, sound asleep with a slight smile gracing her lips. The covers tangled around her legs and her hair spread in a curly mess over the pillows. Ron's breath caught in his throat. She was beautiful, absolutely gorgeous. Silently he walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, gazing down at her, admiring the way her eyelashes lay like fans on her cheeks. Slowly, not really aware of what her was doing, he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss on her lips. Hermione's eyes fluttered open and after a moment she was returning the kiss. Ron broke away and met her surprised look with one of his own, then hers melted into a mischievous smile.
"That was much better than any alarm clock I've ever met." Shocked at his own daring and flushing slightly, he stammered, "Morning . . . uh, b- breakfast's ready," then almost bolted for the door. He heard her laugh as the door closed behind him, and he leaned against it with a goofy smile on his face, brushing his lips with his fingers. Amazing how after nearly a year of being a couple, that one kiss could affect him so much.
Shaking himself out of a pleasant reverie, Ron headed for Harry's bedroom and knocked. "Hey Harry, you dressed yet?" Expecting Harry to be up and doing some sort of workout, he was suspicious when no one answered. He opened the door and walked in to find the bedroom deserted. Ron's blue eyes quickly scanned the unmade bed, pillows scattered on the floor, the trunk opened with books and clothes untidily stacked around it, and various weapons spread out over the desk in a heap with Harry's wand on top. The staff was leaning against the far wall next to the open window.
Harry never went anywhere without being armed anymore, so Ron was immediately worried. This was not good. He raced downstairs and checked the barriers, which indicated that nobody had left the house yet that morning. Ron forced himself to calm down and think. ~Okay, he's just in another part of the house. Probably in the loo.~ He conveniently ignored that fact that he had once caught Harry heading for the shower with at least two knives and his wand with him.
Sighing and shaking his head, he considered just going into the kitchen and grabbing some of that bacon that was making his mouth water. But that little protective instinct of his nagged him to find Harry first, and he grimaced. That annoying voice had popped up back in first year, when Dumbledore had carried Harry's limp body out of the third floor corridor, and had only gotten stronger over the years, even though he knew perfectly well that his friend could take care of himself. Acquiescing to it, Ron climbed the stairs again. The first bathroom was empty, as was the next. He knocked on the third door, and Hermione yelled back that it was currently occupied. Even Harry would not risk Fred and George's bathroom, not with all the new prank toiletries they had developed.
That left tow that Harry could possibly use. One was Ron's, which continued the theme of his old room in that the accessories were all bright orange, even down to the taps and towels. That was currently empty. Ron knocked on the door of the last one, and while he did not receive an answer, he did hear the shower running. He hesitated a moment, then pushed the door open. He spotted a dressing gown hanging on the rack, but did not recognize it. As he had seen all his family's clothes at one time or another, he was pretty confident that Harry was in there. Sighing yet again and deciding to repay him a bit for making him worry, Ron crept up silently to the shower and put his hand up to yank the curtain aside.
Just then he heard a feminine moan and a giggle over the rush of water. Ron froze. ~That sounded like Ginny. Oh please God, don't let her be in there with him.~ The was the subtle scent of strawberries and another moan and giggles, then "Oh yes, that feels good." Ron cleared his throat, his face bright red as he called out, "Ginny? You in there?" There was a short squeak of surprise and then his sister poked her head out around the curtain, fiery red hair covered in shampoo bubbles, her face twisted in confusion and slight shock. "Ron! What are you doing? Go use your own bathroom!" He did a remarkable imitation of a Washington apple and stuttered for a moment before he managed, "Is . . . is H-Harry in there . . . with you?" He winced.
Ginny, already flushed from the hot water, turned an even deeper shade of red normally seen in a smoky sunset. She gaped for a moment, then burst out laughing so hard she almost fell. "No! What would make you think that?" "Well . . ." Ron looked down at his shoes, trying to avoid looking at her. "You need proof? Here," she continued to hide behind the curtain as she tugged it open from the other side to reveal that she was indeed alone. Ron nodded and swallowed. "You . . .you haven't seen him today?" "No, I just got up. Why?" He muttered, "Can't find him. I'll see you at breakfast," and bolted out the door, slamming it shut to cut off the giggles.
Ron ran back downstairs and threw himself into a chair at the kitchen table where a steaming plate of piled food was waiting for him. He promptly began to wolf down his breakfast, trying to ignore the weird start to the day. Hopefully the rest of the year would not turn out the same way. As he was starting on second helpings, Hermione joined him at the table, smiling brightly at him and initiating a game of footsie under the table as she ate. Ginny appeared soon after, smirking at her brother as his ears flamed red with remembered embarrassment. Molly looked around the kitchen and frowned. "Where's Harry? Don't tell me he's still having a lie in, because I know he still hasn't packed his trunk." Ron rolled his eyes.
"Honestly Mum, Harry can take care of himself. He's been living on his own for while after all. Don't worry, he's up." Molly fussed over the plates for a moment. "I know. But still, I consider him to be one of my own, and I can't help mothering him sometimes." Ginny snorted into her eggs, and her mother scowled. "Ginny!" "Sorry Mum," she muttered, her face reddening with suppressed laughter. After a couple more minutes, Molly inquired again, "Where is that boy? Ron?" The teen swallowed and refused to meet his mum's eyes. "I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know? Is he in the house?" Ron shook his head. "I searched. And no one's gone past the barriers this morning." Molly huffed and took a deep breath, and recognizing the danger signs Ron and Ginny both stuffed their fingers in their ears. She thundered, "HARRY POTTER! IN THE KITCHEN, NOW!" Even with plugged ears the noise was still deafening, and Hermione was rubbing her ears in pain. "Well, if he was asleep, he isn't now," Ginny commented wryly. But when the boy in question he failed to appear within five minutes, Molly began to be even more concerned. "Did he have to leave for an attack?" she asked worriedly, and Ron had to shake his head again.
"No, all his clothes and weapons are still up in his room, even his wand." Ron frowned. "He never goes anywhere without that anymore. He even takes it to the shower with him." Now Hermione snorted into her food, and her eyes sparkled with mischief. Ginny sniggered as she caught the hidden reference, and after a few seconds Ron realized was he had said. Molly frowned, but the corners of her mouth twitched. Then she sighed. "So where is he?"
At the moment Fred and George came pounding downstairs. "Morning Mum," they chorused cheerfully. "We were going to have a lie in . . ." "But your dulcet voice trumpeting from downstairs compelled us to . . ." "Join our dear younger brother and sister before they depart once more for the hallowed halls of Hogwarts!" Hermione giggled and turned to Ron, "Well, her yells summoned someone, just not the right one." Fred plopped down in a seat and looked seriously at his mother. "So where is Harry, that you so sweetly bid for his presence?" Molly bit her lip. "No one seems to know. He's disappeared again."
Fred and George shrugged and dug into their breakfasts. "C'mon Mum, Harry can take care of himself." "Maybe, but he doesn't even have his wand with him. He never goes anywhere without it." "Yeah, and a few knives, vials of poisons, and a whole bunch of other stuff he doesn't let us see," George piped up with a grin. "Stop worrying." Molly opened her mouth to object, but the slam of the front door and pounding feet was heard from the front room.
Harry dashed through, hair mussed and wearing only boxers and a tee shirt. "Morning all," he called as he ran up the stairs to his room and slammed the door. Ron turned to his mum, "See?" he said pointedly, and was rewarded with a blush and a scowl. In less than two minutes Harry was back downstairs fully dressed and armed again. He accepted a plate of food from Molly with a smile and nearly inhaled it, only to find another plate set down before him instantly. "So Harry," Ron said casually, "Where were you this morning?"
Harry wiped his mouth before responding, "Outside. Had a dream, needed to think, and fell asleep out by the stream." "Why didn't you even take your wand?" Harry looked up a bit sheepishly and ventured, "Um . . . oops?"
Also, I occasionally write poetry and short stories, so check out some of my original stuff. Find something you like and review.
Dedication and thanks to leaf for being my 200th reviewer. You gave me the kick in the butt to post this chapter. And clifjumpr13, you forgot witches. *winks cheekily*
Disclaimer: I own nothing, so give the lawyers a rest.
Chapter 18
The adults left before lunch, heading back to their jobs and lives. As they were saying goodbye, Eva gave Remus a hug then passed him a wrapped package. At his questioning look, she said, "The next full moon's in two days, right?" He nodded and she whispered conspiratorially, "It's a gift. Take this instead of the Wolfsbane, and call me in the morning." She clapped him on the back then turned to the twins. They looked a bit nervous and backed up a step as she grinned and extended a hand. "Good luck with your shop. Oh," she snapped her fingers, "I almost forgot. Here." Eva handed Fred a purple drawstring bag, and George a green pouch. They examined them suspiciously and she laughed at their paranoia.
"My little gift to two very creative pranksters. George has a special hard candy that, after 30 seconds of sucking, recreates what I did to you and Voldemort." She leaned in impishly. "Us that delightful photo as a promotional piece." George's eyes lit up with excitement as figures danced through his head. That could boost their sales another 30% as he calculated it, and considering the immense popularity of the new shop, that was saying something. Fred indicated his bag. "And this?" "Is a special recipe that needs to be put into some kind of sweet or toy, you decide. I believe Harry pulled something on you called the 'chocolate episode,' did he not?" Immediately they winced, then twin evil grins blossomed on their faces. She sniggered and said "Just don't try it on Ginny. I taught her some tips for revenge."
The boys nodded, taking the warning very seriously. Eva then gave each of the adults a small bit of advice and a hug goodbye as they Portkeyed away. Soon only the teenagers were left in the house with a crazy supernatural trainer. Eva and Harry immediately took the others down to the gym to start training. Harry worked with Ron separately to expound on the lessons given during the school year, while Eva started Hermione and Ginny on basic workouts. After a quick lunch they headed to the dueling room to practice magical dueling. Hermione was quite good at this, except Eva had to keep yelling at her to employ more physical facets to combat, such as dodging. Ginny, while not quite as strong on spellcasting as her friend, made up for it with creativity and making herself a tough target to hit. Probably had lots of practice from her brothers over the years.
Eva tested all their limits and weaknesses, and then sent them to the library with different spells and concepts to research. Hermione was delighted, and was soon surrounded by stacks of books that she was poring over with delight. Ron just groaned but started flipping through some old tomes in search of pertinent information. Meanwhile Eva created a training schedule for them to follow over the next two weeks, then a separate one for Harry to supervise while they were at the Burrow and Hogwarts. He helped by giving her input into his friends' personalities and specific weaknesses to be worked on. Weight training, running, and martial arts in the mornings, dueling in the afternoons, research after dinner until bed. She intended to push them hard and far for the short time they were with her. Harry looked over the schedule and grinned wryly. "C'mon, this is nothing like the schedule you worked out for me," he protested playfully. She snorted indelicately. "No shit. I had to transform you from a skinny little schoolboy to a warrior capable of some serious ass kicking. Don't have to do anything so drastic with your friends. So whine all you want about unequal treatment." He just rolled his eyes.
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Two weeks later the fire in the Burrow blazed green, announcing the arrival of three teens by Floo powder. Since Harry absolutely despised that form of travel, he chose to Apparate over with their stuff. Molly came forward to greet her children and gasped at their appearances. Under Eva's strict tutelage, their skills had increased dramatically in different forms of combat, and their physical fitness had improved with it. The girls developed significant muscle tone and more curves, showing off their athletic builds, and Ron had added muscles to his lanky frame, making him appear slightly older and more mature, not to mention that much more delicious in Hermione's eyes. Molly remarked over their changes loudly while the twins gaped slightly in the background.
With a "pop" Harry appeared in the living room with their bags, and was immediately embraced tightly by Mrs. Weasley. He just smiled as he endured one of her infamous breathtaking hugs, and then greeted the rest of the family warmly. She immediately began fussing over them all, and they sat down in the dining room for tea while they chatted about their training and the actions of the Order of the Phoenix. Apparently with the information gathered at the last meeting, several spies had been flushed out and arrested, and the planned attack on the Ministry was thwarted. Unfortunately many of the Death Eaters had managed to escape and avoid identification, so it was a mixed bag of results. Harry turned to the twins. "And how goes your Auror training?" Fred grimaced. "I swear, that Spike Williams is absolutely nuts. You know, the git with the bleached blond hair? He had me doing stuff I never would have imagined," but then he shrugged and grumbled reluctantly, "But he is skilled and a bloody good teacher." Then he grinned. "Ask George what he thinks of his trainer," he sang out with a knowing smirk on his face.
When they turned to the other twin, George blushed a bit and ducked his head. "Uh, yeah, Tori's great. She's really tough and keeps me on my toes, but a good teacher." Fred arched an eyebrow, but his twin ignored him. "She's also a natural prankster." Now his face lit up. "She helped me develop a couple new ideas for the shop, as well as stuff that the Order can use. We got this idea to create these little capsules that store curses and hexes, so you can throw them. You can curse Death Eaters multiple times quickly and from a longer distance." Hermione nodded in understanding. "So it's like a Muggle hand grenade." "I guess. Fred and I are still working on the exact detonation time, but I think it's going to work great."
The days spent at the Weasleys were more relaxed and fun, with Quidditch and Diagon Alley to compensate for the grueling training program Harry kept them on. The annual school supplies trip was much more fun than the previous years, and the teens quickly bought all their supplies as well as new robes before they went and played around. At first Harry tolerated the outright stares and whispers that his presence caused, for after all he had not been seen in public outside Hogwarts in over a year, since the aftermath of the Triwizard Tournament. Soon, though, it became very annoying, especially when they spotted a fan club of sorts following them around. Outside Flourish and Blotts, one girl abruptly darted up, threw her arms around Harry and planted a passionate kiss on his lips. Irritated and flushing bright crimson, he pried her off roughly and fairly fled into Quality Quidditch Supplies. Ron followed snickering, with Hermione and Ginny right behind him trying to hold in their giggles at the scene. Once out of sight and hidden in the back amongst the stacks of team robes and shirts, Harry whipped out his staff, muttered a quick incantation, and his features morphed, the hair shortened, and the clothes transfigured. Soon a stranger was standing in front of their eyes.
"Where do you want to go next?" Harry asked his snickering friends, drawing their attention back from watching out the window at the clustered girls yelping around the brazen one. Ron gaped at his new look for a second, then blurted out, "I'm hungry." "Should we head back to the Leaky Cauldron?" Ginny peeked out and said, "Your groupies are gone. The coast is clear." "Ice cream is better. Let's head over to Fontescue's." Before Hermione could protest at the lack of nutritional value, Ron dragged them all out of the shop and toward the ice cream parlor. Half an hour later they were walking unperturbed along Diagon Alley, savoring chocolate and raspberry ice creams and window shopping. The girls ogled new dress robes at Madame Malkins, while Harry and Ron snuck off briefly to find Hermione a birthday gift. Ron found the perfect bracelet in a store less than fifteen minutes later, and the boys got back while the girls were still trying on the latest fashions, oblivious to the fact that they had left. Ron smiled as he watched his girlfriend twirl around in a silk dress dyed blueberry with slight silver accents and giggle. The rest of the day passed in a blur, and after a delicious supper at the Leaky Cauldron the teens Flooed back to the Burrow. The next day was September 1st, the start of the new Hogwarts term, so everyone was in bed early.
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That night Harry had a dream that, for once, he was looking forward to. As his physical body slept, his consciousness materialized in the ancient city where Death was waiting. She greeted him with a nod which he returned, then started toward the same room where they had parted previously without a word. Harry followed her closely, questions pressing at his mind but he restrained himself, knowing that answers were forthcoming if he could just be patient for a bit longer. Once seated across from each other on the stone floor in the cave-like room, Death spoke.
"What do you know about the Phoenix Lords?" Harry furrowed his brow in confusion. "Just that they were the most powerful war mages and the head of the Order of the Phoenix. They were pretty secretive and died out over a millennia ago. I attained that level and title when I mastered my abilities." Death sighed and shook her head, and Harry blushed a bit. He was the Phoenix Lord, yet he did not really know what that meant. Eva had not been able to tell him a lot, and now that he thought about it, she had managed to deflect many of his questions about that title. "That is not entirely true," Death's voice shook him from his thoughts, and she reached out to touch his forehead. Immediately his vision blanked out.
Gradually a scene came into focus in his mind, a pure white hospital room with lots of flowers, and three people standing there. A young woman with long red hair reclined on the bed, cradling a bundle in her arms, while a man with messy dark hair and glasses stood conversing quietly with an aged man with a long silver beard. The volume slowly rose as if the knob on a radio was being turned up.
"Congratulations James. He's a beautiful baby." "Thank you Albus. I can hardly believe it. I'm a daddy." James ran a hand through his hair and grinned, then stepped over to his wife to cradle her shoulders as they gazed lovingly down at the wrapped bundle. "He's beautiful, just like my Lily. He even has her eyes." He gave her a quick kiss as Albus smiled and glanced around at the flowers and tokens. "I see the rest of the Marauders have already come by. I take it they are just as excited as you are."
James nodded, grinning widely as his eyes twinkled with mischief. "Yep. Sirius was so happy we name him godfather he started running around yelling and shooting off sparks and streamers from his wand. The nurses almost kicked him out of the hospital entirely for disturbing the peace of the ward." Albus chuckled with amusement. "I doubt they had much success." "Nope." James shook his head, chuckling. "Remus had to restrain him before the nurses stunned him, although Remus was nearly as bad. At least he waited until he was outside." Lily giggled as a small fist emerged from the blankets to grab a lock of long red hair and grasp it tightly. "You, my little one, will be so spoiled by your godfather." Albus cleared his throat. "What have you decided to name him?" The new mother spoke softly, almost reverently. "Harry. Harry James Potter. Our son."
The headmaster opened his mouth to comment on the name, but something stopped him. A bright golden light had materialized out of nowhere and took the shape of a phoenix, which fluttered gracefully over to the bed next to Lily and the baby. A trill of song resounded through the room as the bird regarded the green-eyed baby watching it with interest. The adults could only stare as the phoenix laid its pure gold head on the baby's forehead, and the bird vanished. But now the baby was glowing the same shade of gold. He giggled as the aura sparkled around him like a living cloud of faeries, and a deep voice, more sensed than heard, echoed through their minds.
"Harry James Potter, Child of Light. He shall be the Phoenix Lord, destined for greatness, and the warrior for the Light." The glow faded away from the baby boy, lingering a bit on his right hand and left shoulder, then all was normal again, except for the shocked looks on the adults' faces. Lily inspected her baby with concern, but could find nothing out of the ordinary as Harry giggled and reached for her nose. James met Albus' eyes with slight panic and wonder. "What in the name of Merlin just happened?" he demanded. For once in living memory, Albus Dumbledore was at a loss for an explanation.
The scene faded and another appeared, this time of a well-furnished living room. Lily sat with her feet propped up in the armchair, while James held the baby close to his chest, humming softly. They seemed to be waiting for something. That something was revealed when the fire crackling merrily in the hearth turned green and Albus stepped through, brushing soot from his beard. He was carrying a leather-bound book embossed with a golden depiction of crossed swords under a phoenix. He met the parents' eyes with a serious look and sat in an armchair between them, flipping open the book on his lap.
"I have found something that may explain a little bit. How much do you know about the war mages?" James looked clueless, but Lily pursed her lips in thought. "I believe they were an ancient race of powerful wizards, who came from the destruction of Atlantis if I remember correctly." She looked questioningly at Albus, and he nodded in confirmation. "Yes. They died out over a millennium ago, and much of their knowledge has been lost, as well as their culture. Little remains of it, but what we do know is that they were extraordinarily powerful and advanced. Many of their technology that was recovered is still in use today. After searching through the archives I found this." He waved a hand down at the book. "It is a record of a group called the Order of the Phoenix."
James sat on the couch wit baby Harry asleep in his arms to settle in for a long story. "It was an order made up of the bravest of the war mages, all armed with a variety of skills. They were dedicated to fighting the Dark Forces which caused the destruction of Atlantis, sworn to prevent history from repeating itself." Albus looked thoughtful. "I have been considering starting up something similar to this. A group of loyal people to combat these new Dark times, to protect the Light, utilizing every possible skill we could." He cleared his throat. "But we'll discuss that later. The Order of the Phoenix was led by the most powerful of the war mages, whom they called the Phoenix Lord. Apparently they earned the name because this Phoenix Lord always had a phoenix as a familiar. However, I came across this strange passage here . . ." he flipped another page and began to read.
"After Mak'ile left this world, we as the Order had no leader. Who could shoulder the burden, and more accurately, who had the right? No one seemed adequate, for Mak'ile had a sense of tremendous power and wisdom that enshrouded him like a cloak. An almost otherworldly presence hung about him, incomprehensible to us mortals. His parting words still lingered in our ears after he disappeared. 'Take heart, for even as I depart another will come to take my place.' We debated amongst ourselves as to the meaning of these cryptic words, and several times nearly came to blows. But within the week, a stranger appeared in our tribe. He called himself Shona, and carried the same marking our former leader had on his hand and shoulder. That night around the campfire, the phoenix who would only respond to Mak'ile suddenly returned to camp to alight at Shona's side. When we inquired after these strange familiarities, he simply smiled and said, 'I am the Phoenix Lord for this era.' Immediately we sensed the same aura about him, and questioned our leader no more." Albus slapped the book shut and gazed tiredly at the Potters.
"There is more, but this illustrates it the best. These Phoenix Lords were strangers with incredible powers, and there are indications that they were not entirely . . . well, human." Now the new parents looked decidedly alarmed. Lily's voice shook a bit as she said, "But . . . does that mean . . . what about Harry?" Dumbledore shook his hoary head. "I don't know what this all means, but I assure you Harry is human. You should know, you created him." The Potters blushed a bit as Albus' eyes twinkled a bit. "But he does have the faint indications of marking on his hand and shoulder, not to mention what the voice said." He patted the book. ""Every Phoenix Lord in this book was completely unknown until the moment he or she presented themselves at the disappearance of the previous Lord. There is no record of birth or death. They appeared for around 50 years, then just vanished into thin air and the next one popped up. This 'otherworldly presence' or aura seemed to be a prerequisite that the Order members could detect once the Lord was identified."
James gazed concernedly down at this slumbering infant son. "But again, what does that mean for Harry?" Albus sighed deeply. "I have absolutely no idea. Harry is . . . unique. All I am able to offer is what I have just said." The three adults all sat in silence, staring at the oblivious baby. Lily spoke up after a few minutes. "We need to do something." The row makes looked at her, and she explained, "Voldemort keeps gaining more power each day, and he's targeting anyone who is a threat to him. I know we are already on his top ten hit list. What will happen if he finds out about Harry?" James murmured, "Child of Light, Phoenix Lord, destined for greatness, and warrior for the light," his tone soft but his expression horrified t the thought of Voldemort's reaction to those words. "Not to mention the fact that he is a tri-heir." Albus nodded solemnly.
"I don't believe anyone else knows about this, but spies are everywhere nowadays." He sighed and thought for a minute. "This is too dangerous to keep to ourselves. I suggest memory charms." Lily looked startled. "But . . ." He held up a hand to stop her. "I know it is a risk, especially if Harry begins to exhibit new powers that we do not know how to deal with. But there is a greater risk to all our lives if Voldemort discovers this." James walked over to Lily and handed Harry gently to her, then hugged them both tightly. The communicated silently with their eyes the way only those deeply in love can understand, then turned to Albus with resolute faces. "Let's do it."
The old headmaster nodded and drew his wand. "Better put Harry down on the couch. Infants don't have the same tolerance for charms." Lily placed her baby down carefully on the sofa and stepped back over to her husband, yet keeping an eye on her son. Dumbledore muttered a word, and a faint bubble encompassed them. "To make sure we all have the same charm placed at the same time." With a little wave the book vanished from the chair it was left on, and then Albus clearly pronounced, "Obliviate." A flash of light filled the bubble, and then the scene faded, and Harry found himself in the underground room again, face to face with Death.
He swallowed hard through a dry throat, trying to push back a rush of emotions in order to speak, but words failed him in the turmoil of his mind. Death could sense his questions and began to weave her tale together. "After the destruction of Atlantis, the wizards knew they had to separate from the Muggle society and go into hiding. Suspicions ran high and both societies blamed the other for the catastrophe. Yet the Dark forces responsible for the disaster still existed, threatening both of them, so the war mages banded together to protect the innocent. With their divisive nature however, they ended up fighting each other more often than not. The Guardians decided to send down someone to guide them and lead them. The powers have a hierarchy. The beings directly below the Guardians are called the Shamak'la, and they were sent down one by one to manifest as the Phoenix Lord of the Order of the Phoenix of the war mages. They led and shaped the world as you know it, separating from yet protecting Muggles and guarding against the rise of the Dark Arts.
"Gradually as the world settled into a new order, the Shamak'la were no longer needed, and the war mages died out with the disappearance of the Phoenix Lords." Death touched his hand, tracing the small rune there. "However, the Guardians knew that one day they would be needed again. But the cynicism inherent in human nature and the irrational fear of something more powerful than your ken has prevented the reemergence of the Shamak'la. They would be feared and shunned, equated with the forces of evil. So Fate decreed that the new Phoenix Lord would be human, but marked and endowed with the necessary powers when the time came." Inhuman silver eyes met startled emerald ones. "The Shamak'la created the phoenix to be their familiar and to pass down their knowledge to those worthy of it. When you were born, the phoenix sensed that you had come, and joined with you, sharing its soul and powers. You have had them all your life, but you could not use them until you were trained, and then the marking became visible. This is what really saved you that Halloween night."
Harry sat there, absorbing it all a bit dazedly, then a suspicious question popped into his head. "Why me? What makes me so different from the rest of humanity that I got stuck with this job?" Death held his gaze so that he could sense the sincerity of her words. "How is it that you are a tri-heir if your mother was Muggleborn? She actually is of Ravenclaw descent, but somewhere back in the lineage a Squib was born. They still carried the bloodline, and it was passed down, gaining impetus until your mother was born magical. It was the restoration of this bloodline, combined with that of the other two Light founders, which signaled the phoenix to rise again. But the bloodline is nothing unless the soul behind it is worthy. So you have the strength of your ancestors, but your own will."
"But what does the prophecy have to do with all of this?" Death sighed. "I am not privy to that information. Fate and Time do not tell all the Guardians what they have planned. You will have to discover that on your own." Death stood and helped Harry to his feet. "You have a destiny before you, young phoenix. You will face Voldemort again, and the battle will be costly. This is a war between the forces of good and evil, and the majority of the burden falls to you. But stay true to your heart, and the Light will prevail. Remember this: Power is a useful tool, but a deadly master. I give you my blessings as you go. Lo g'kucod." Still holding tight to his hand, Death leaned in and kissed Harry's forehead, her lips freezing but instilling him with a sense of warmth.
The next instant the pressure of her hand on his disappeared as he felt himself fly upwards and slam back to full consciousness in his physical body again. Harry slid a bit shakily out of bed, his mind swimming with new information. Suddenly feeling claustrophobic in the house, he crept silently downstairs and slipped past the alarms and barriers that protected the Minister to the gardens outside. Fighting his way to the stream at the edge of the property, he flopped down at the base of an oak tree, gazing at the moon and exhaling deeply. A long time passed as he simply breathed, each exhalation taking away some of his anxiety until he could think clearly again.
*Destiny, destiny, no escaping not for me,* Harry quoted to himself wryly, the last panic fading on a stray moonbeam. He had always know that he was different, unique, somehow set apart from others around him. Growing up he thought it was as his relatives had said; he was a freak and unworthy of anything resembling a normal life. After he learned that he was a wizard, he chalked it up to his fame. He hated that feeling, and having someone dictate exactly what he really was unnerved him. Or perhaps it was the fact that someone had actually given him a straight answer.
Harry lay there in the garden, calmed by the serenity of the night even as he wrenched his mind away from this new information and began plotting. He could feel the Dark powers stirring restlessly, hungry for blood and power. He knew that Voldemort was getting closer to discovering the original resting place of the talisman. The reaction when he found it was already gone should be very interesting. He chuckled a bit as he felt the dagger in its sheath against the small of his back. He shifted onto his side and pulled it out, careful not to touch the actual knife. It was strange, he admitted to himself as he examined the talisman almost lovingly. Ever since he recovered it, he had never let it out of his sight, and lately it seemed permanently attached to his body.
Nobody knew about this, not even Eva. In truth, Harry would not even admit to himself just how much the talisman had become attached to him, not only physically but spiritually. Its presence grew on him; always just under his conscious thought was the desire to touch it again, the experience again the phenomenon of its magic. He had resisted so far, but failed to really recognize the danger inherent in it. Gradually he pulled his thoughts away from his dagger and replaced it at his back, refocusing on the task at hand. How was Voldemort going to use the new Death Eaters and demons? The strategic part of his mind kicked in, running scenarios like a computer program until he drifted back off to sleep gently. The moonlight lit up the garden and caressed over the tattoos of the Phoenix Lord.
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Ron woke to the annoying buzzing of his alarm clock and the accompanying twittering of Pig in his cage. Cursing the stupid owl under his breath, he grabbed the clock and threw it in the general direction of the owl, not even opening his eyes. The clock hit the cage and knocked it over into the wall before it tottered off the desk onto the floor. The buzzing was silenced, but the crash from the cage and Pig's screeching more than made up for it in volume. Ron tried to block out the noise with his pillow and drift back off to sleep, but soon someone was pounding on his door, yelling at him to shut the stupid bird up.
Groaning, the redhead pulled himself from between the soft and warm sheets to stagger over to the cage and put it back on his desk, stuffing an owl treat to a Pig. He was about to slither back into bed, but the smell of frying bacon reached his nostrils and suddenly he was wide awake and staving. Briefly glad that Hermione had convinced him to finish all his packing last night, he tugged on a pair of jeans and a navy shirt before heading downstairs.
Upon entering the kitchen, he smiled to see his mother cooking up a storm. Some things never change. "Morning Mum." She turned in the middle of buttering toast and greeted him warmly. "Good morning Ron. Go wake up the others, breakfast isn't quite ready yet." Sighing as his stomach rumbled loudly in protest, he mounted the stairs to play human alarm clock. He knocked on Ginny's door first and cracked it open without looking in, calling "Hey Gin, get up!" He heard some mumbling and then something hard hit the door with a bang. Okay, she was awake. Chuckling, he stepped across the hall to Hermione's room, where he knocked briefly and cracked it open. "You awake?" When silence answered him, he dared to peek into the darkened room.
Hermione lay curled up on her side facing the door, sound asleep with a slight smile gracing her lips. The covers tangled around her legs and her hair spread in a curly mess over the pillows. Ron's breath caught in his throat. She was beautiful, absolutely gorgeous. Silently he walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, gazing down at her, admiring the way her eyelashes lay like fans on her cheeks. Slowly, not really aware of what her was doing, he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss on her lips. Hermione's eyes fluttered open and after a moment she was returning the kiss. Ron broke away and met her surprised look with one of his own, then hers melted into a mischievous smile.
"That was much better than any alarm clock I've ever met." Shocked at his own daring and flushing slightly, he stammered, "Morning . . . uh, b- breakfast's ready," then almost bolted for the door. He heard her laugh as the door closed behind him, and he leaned against it with a goofy smile on his face, brushing his lips with his fingers. Amazing how after nearly a year of being a couple, that one kiss could affect him so much.
Shaking himself out of a pleasant reverie, Ron headed for Harry's bedroom and knocked. "Hey Harry, you dressed yet?" Expecting Harry to be up and doing some sort of workout, he was suspicious when no one answered. He opened the door and walked in to find the bedroom deserted. Ron's blue eyes quickly scanned the unmade bed, pillows scattered on the floor, the trunk opened with books and clothes untidily stacked around it, and various weapons spread out over the desk in a heap with Harry's wand on top. The staff was leaning against the far wall next to the open window.
Harry never went anywhere without being armed anymore, so Ron was immediately worried. This was not good. He raced downstairs and checked the barriers, which indicated that nobody had left the house yet that morning. Ron forced himself to calm down and think. ~Okay, he's just in another part of the house. Probably in the loo.~ He conveniently ignored that fact that he had once caught Harry heading for the shower with at least two knives and his wand with him.
Sighing and shaking his head, he considered just going into the kitchen and grabbing some of that bacon that was making his mouth water. But that little protective instinct of his nagged him to find Harry first, and he grimaced. That annoying voice had popped up back in first year, when Dumbledore had carried Harry's limp body out of the third floor corridor, and had only gotten stronger over the years, even though he knew perfectly well that his friend could take care of himself. Acquiescing to it, Ron climbed the stairs again. The first bathroom was empty, as was the next. He knocked on the third door, and Hermione yelled back that it was currently occupied. Even Harry would not risk Fred and George's bathroom, not with all the new prank toiletries they had developed.
That left tow that Harry could possibly use. One was Ron's, which continued the theme of his old room in that the accessories were all bright orange, even down to the taps and towels. That was currently empty. Ron knocked on the door of the last one, and while he did not receive an answer, he did hear the shower running. He hesitated a moment, then pushed the door open. He spotted a dressing gown hanging on the rack, but did not recognize it. As he had seen all his family's clothes at one time or another, he was pretty confident that Harry was in there. Sighing yet again and deciding to repay him a bit for making him worry, Ron crept up silently to the shower and put his hand up to yank the curtain aside.
Just then he heard a feminine moan and a giggle over the rush of water. Ron froze. ~That sounded like Ginny. Oh please God, don't let her be in there with him.~ The was the subtle scent of strawberries and another moan and giggles, then "Oh yes, that feels good." Ron cleared his throat, his face bright red as he called out, "Ginny? You in there?" There was a short squeak of surprise and then his sister poked her head out around the curtain, fiery red hair covered in shampoo bubbles, her face twisted in confusion and slight shock. "Ron! What are you doing? Go use your own bathroom!" He did a remarkable imitation of a Washington apple and stuttered for a moment before he managed, "Is . . . is H-Harry in there . . . with you?" He winced.
Ginny, already flushed from the hot water, turned an even deeper shade of red normally seen in a smoky sunset. She gaped for a moment, then burst out laughing so hard she almost fell. "No! What would make you think that?" "Well . . ." Ron looked down at his shoes, trying to avoid looking at her. "You need proof? Here," she continued to hide behind the curtain as she tugged it open from the other side to reveal that she was indeed alone. Ron nodded and swallowed. "You . . .you haven't seen him today?" "No, I just got up. Why?" He muttered, "Can't find him. I'll see you at breakfast," and bolted out the door, slamming it shut to cut off the giggles.
Ron ran back downstairs and threw himself into a chair at the kitchen table where a steaming plate of piled food was waiting for him. He promptly began to wolf down his breakfast, trying to ignore the weird start to the day. Hopefully the rest of the year would not turn out the same way. As he was starting on second helpings, Hermione joined him at the table, smiling brightly at him and initiating a game of footsie under the table as she ate. Ginny appeared soon after, smirking at her brother as his ears flamed red with remembered embarrassment. Molly looked around the kitchen and frowned. "Where's Harry? Don't tell me he's still having a lie in, because I know he still hasn't packed his trunk." Ron rolled his eyes.
"Honestly Mum, Harry can take care of himself. He's been living on his own for while after all. Don't worry, he's up." Molly fussed over the plates for a moment. "I know. But still, I consider him to be one of my own, and I can't help mothering him sometimes." Ginny snorted into her eggs, and her mother scowled. "Ginny!" "Sorry Mum," she muttered, her face reddening with suppressed laughter. After a couple more minutes, Molly inquired again, "Where is that boy? Ron?" The teen swallowed and refused to meet his mum's eyes. "I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know? Is he in the house?" Ron shook his head. "I searched. And no one's gone past the barriers this morning." Molly huffed and took a deep breath, and recognizing the danger signs Ron and Ginny both stuffed their fingers in their ears. She thundered, "HARRY POTTER! IN THE KITCHEN, NOW!" Even with plugged ears the noise was still deafening, and Hermione was rubbing her ears in pain. "Well, if he was asleep, he isn't now," Ginny commented wryly. But when the boy in question he failed to appear within five minutes, Molly began to be even more concerned. "Did he have to leave for an attack?" she asked worriedly, and Ron had to shake his head again.
"No, all his clothes and weapons are still up in his room, even his wand." Ron frowned. "He never goes anywhere without that anymore. He even takes it to the shower with him." Now Hermione snorted into her food, and her eyes sparkled with mischief. Ginny sniggered as she caught the hidden reference, and after a few seconds Ron realized was he had said. Molly frowned, but the corners of her mouth twitched. Then she sighed. "So where is he?"
At the moment Fred and George came pounding downstairs. "Morning Mum," they chorused cheerfully. "We were going to have a lie in . . ." "But your dulcet voice trumpeting from downstairs compelled us to . . ." "Join our dear younger brother and sister before they depart once more for the hallowed halls of Hogwarts!" Hermione giggled and turned to Ron, "Well, her yells summoned someone, just not the right one." Fred plopped down in a seat and looked seriously at his mother. "So where is Harry, that you so sweetly bid for his presence?" Molly bit her lip. "No one seems to know. He's disappeared again."
Fred and George shrugged and dug into their breakfasts. "C'mon Mum, Harry can take care of himself." "Maybe, but he doesn't even have his wand with him. He never goes anywhere without it." "Yeah, and a few knives, vials of poisons, and a whole bunch of other stuff he doesn't let us see," George piped up with a grin. "Stop worrying." Molly opened her mouth to object, but the slam of the front door and pounding feet was heard from the front room.
Harry dashed through, hair mussed and wearing only boxers and a tee shirt. "Morning all," he called as he ran up the stairs to his room and slammed the door. Ron turned to his mum, "See?" he said pointedly, and was rewarded with a blush and a scowl. In less than two minutes Harry was back downstairs fully dressed and armed again. He accepted a plate of food from Molly with a smile and nearly inhaled it, only to find another plate set down before him instantly. "So Harry," Ron said casually, "Where were you this morning?"
Harry wiped his mouth before responding, "Outside. Had a dream, needed to think, and fell asleep out by the stream." "Why didn't you even take your wand?" Harry looked up a bit sheepishly and ventured, "Um . . . oops?"