The Phoenix's Flight
By Moondork

: thoughts
"": Talking

Chapter 1
(Harry POV)

The sun rises in the east as the nocturnal animals begin to rest. While the darkness is overrun by the light of day for a time, movement can be seen throughout all of Great Britain. In one particular quiet neighborhood, in one average looking house, in one small room there is a slumbering disheveled boy and a snowy white owl. This particular boy is dreaming a pleasant fantasy with those that he loves. In this dream there is a large picnic table with a muggle grill and many people around. The boy is beneath the shade of a large tree with his two best friends beside him watching his parents and their friends acting like children by the grill. His mother looks over and waves as does his father, godfather, and unofficial uncle. The boy, Harry turns to hear what one of his friends is saying when his beautiful bubble his shattered by a horrendous screeching noise.

"BOY GET DOWN HERE AND MAKE OUR BREAKFAST!" Aunt Petunia hollered up from the base of the stairs.

Harry groggily opens up his eyes and looks at Dudley's old clock on his nightstand, 7:30. Too early in the bloody morning. It is if they never heard of sleeping late on a Sunday morning. Slowly I rolled over and reached blindly for my glasses on the nightstand. I stood up and slowly rolled his back to rid of all the kinks. I searched for a ragged pair of pants and one of Dudley's old school uniform tops. With a quick hello and goodbye to Hedwig, the snowy owl, Harry grudgingly went downstairs to see what his aunt demanded him to do today.

"What would you like for me to cook for breakfast Aunt Petunia?" Harry asked with well controlled and practiced politeness.

"Your Uncle would like some bacon and two sunny side eggs, I'll have two slices of wheat bread, and Duddleykins will have one scrambled egg. DO Not burn any of the food or break your uncle's yoke. Understand?" She questioned with obvious disdain in his direction.

"Yes, Aunt Petunia." Harry turned towards the refrigerator to start making his family's breakfast. As I began to cook their breakfast I heard my whale of cousin Dudley ask why he only gets one egg to his aunt. Because soon you will be too big to fit out the front door, Harry thought with a snicker.

"Anything funny, boy?" His Uncle Vernon asked while squinting at him resembling a large pig.

"No Uncle Vernon, nothing." Harry replied and finished cooking and served their breakfasts. Harry made one slice of toast for himself and sat down. I wish I could eat some more but NOOO because dear precious Dinky Duddlydums is on a diet I need to as well. Like I really need a diet, Harry thought as he looked at his own bony body. Harry was jarred from his thoughts by his aunt calling his name. "Yes, Aunt Petunia" he answered warely.

"I need some of the weeds to be taken out of my garden. We have company coming in a few days and I would love to show off my lovely garden.. After you wash all the dishes, I want it finished by supper or you get no food.."

"Of course Aunt Petunia," I answered with my eyes cast down. I saw triumpth in my cousins face that Harry would be out in the blistering heat while he watched television and increasing his body mass. I gathered all the dishes and while I was washing them I was grumbling to himself about his aunt. HER garden. PLEASE if I recall correctly I AM the one that bakes underneath the hot sun to make the garden the way it is. Anyway if she even tried to garden all the plants would wilt away from her because of her hideousness. Harry's last though was with a snicker as he imagined all the plants cowering from fear of his aunt.

"What is so funny about doing the dishes, boy," his uncle inquired.

"Nothing Uncle Vernon. Nothing."

"If there isn't anything to laugh about than get started with your work. Understood?"

"Yes." Harry quietly turned himself literally and figuratively back to the task at hand and for the millionth time this summer wished he was back at Hogwarts with his friends.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

I was bent over the garden clearing out the weeds when I noticed a shadow looming over me. I pivoted quickly with my wand aimed and stopped in mid curse. The looming shadow behind me was no threat at all. It was a smiling, aging Professor Lupin behind me.

"I am sorry Harry. I did not mean to frighten you at all." Lupin replied sincerely with a tired looking smile on his well-worn face.

"Lupin!" I shouted as I took the aging man into a gentle hug. I felt that Lupin was the last link I had to my parents and felt a sort-of reasurance when he was near. Also, I had always liked my father's best friend.

"It is good to see you too Harry" Remus replied.

""Why are you here Lupin? Not that…I mean don't think….that is…" I replied and stopped when I realized how much of a fool I was being.

"That is quite alright Harry. I have a few questions that is all. Would you like to stop weeding out the garden and join me in a walk?"

"Oh sure." I replied and dusted my hands on my pant legs as I directed Remus to the front sidewalk. "We can go to the park near my aunt's home. There is barely anyone out there today due to the heat."

"Sounds good. Oh, and Harry, please call me Remus." Remus asked with a small smile on his face.

"No problem, Lu-Remus." I looked at my toes and gave a little smile towards Remus. I replied, "In my head I think of you as Remus now, but for some reason I have the urgency to call you by Professor Lupin. Old habits die hard I guess."

"Understood. I had the outmost difficulty trying to call Professor Dumbledore, Albus. Even to this day I sometimes call him by Professor Dumbledore even though he wishes me to use his first."

Remus and I talked about trivial nonsense until we reached the park and sat on a bench with the shade of a tree on the outskirts of the park. Remus told me that he was able to contact with me because he took over Mundugus' shift of watching Pivet Drive. Remus looked around us and put up a silence spell sorrounding us to make sure that anything we said was not overheard by some nosy muggles. I turned to Remus and waited for what he had to say.

"Harry have you had any odd dreams since you have returned from Hogwarts?" Remus asked carefully.

"Do you mean from Voldemort, then no" I replied with a questionable expression. Remus more than anyone would know the reason why I work double hard on mastering my Occlumency. Especially since…no don't think of that.

"No, not those kind of dreams Harry."

"Oh well, then which ones are you talking about," I asked as I scratched a lock of hair in puzzlement.

Remus sighed, "I have been having some dreams since, well, before your fifth year ended. I am not positive if they are more than dreams. A part of me wants them to be visions or communication but I am not sure about that. I would not be asking you except I do not know who else he would be communicating with. I know that this is probably a bad time and I want to-"

Remus stopped talking when I put a hand on his shoulder. I was so lost in what he was trying to tell me. "Lu-Remus what exactly are you afraid to ask me and what about dreams?"

"Dreams, dreams about Sirius, Harry" Remus replied softly while looking down at his feet.

I was not expecting that. I-I have tried to not think about Sirius and what happened because every time I feel the need to roll in a small ball and cry. I looked at Remus and realized that he truly thought odd occurrences have happened with dreams, him, and Sirius. I turned to Remus and told him about the one dream that I thought I could renember that was abnormal.

"The second night I had left Hogwarts I had a dream that Sirius was leading me somewhere. I realized that it was the Department of Mysteries and I tried to pull away from his grip. However, he was resilent and ended up pulling me to the room with the Veil. He pointed at it and I began to cry and cry as I apologized to him. He looked at me sadly and just shook his head." I looked over at what I had told Remus and he shook his head in understanding.

"Um, the same scenario yet different in some aspects," Remus replied thoughtfully.

"Ah, Remus what are you talking about? Why did you want to know about my dreams? Is there something going on? Please tell me!" I earnestly grabbed on to his right arm and made him turn toward me so he would have to look me in the eye.

"Harry. Please calm down there is nothing wrong. I have been having similar dreams as well. I wished to know if I was the only one." Remus replied soothingly.

"Could-Could the dreams mean anything?" I asked with a tine of hope in my voice.

Remus shook his head at my question and rubbed his nose with two fingers. "No one, other that you may I add, can survive falling through the veil and being hit with the Killing Curse. There is no possibility." He added the last part with a lost look in his eyes.

I nodded my head and tried to think of something to say. Falling into the veil and being hit with the Killing Curse there was-WAIT A MINUTE. "Remus, Sirius was not hit by the Killing Curse. The spell that hit him was a red light, not a green one."

"What! Are you sure" Remus questioned me with a look of astonishment on his face.

"Yes, I was looking straight at him. Weren't you?"

"There were so many fights near us I only saw Sirius go through the Veil and then I tried to hold onto you as strong as I could."

I watched as Remus put his head into his hands and decided to say quiet for a minute. Remus reminds me of Hermione and when she gets one of her ideas to just sit back and wait. I did not have to wait for a very long time. Remus turned to me and looked at me with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"I need to go and check up on some things Harry. I will talk to you as soon as I can." Remus replied in a daze and made sure there were no muggles around and was about to apparate.

'Um, he really thinks I am going to let him leave like that.' "Lu-Remus where in all of great Britain do you think you are going!"

Remus turns to me and looks at me for a couple of seconds before he says, "I would love to take you with me but I can't-"

"Lu-Remus, you can't just show up at my front door, ask me a few questions about dreams and Sirius, then expect to leave. Because if you really think I am going to allow that than you really don't know me at all." I shook my head at him with wonderment.

"I would love to take you with me, but Dumbledore wants you here. You have only been at your aunt's house for two weeks. I will need to wait at least a month, Harry." Remus told me dejectedly. To be fair to him he did look sad at the prospect of waiting for another two weeks to see me.

"Remus, please." I pleaded quietly while looking at him with my secret weapon. Hermione once told me that it was difficult to stay angry with me because of a look I give that resembles a sad puppy with bright emerald eyes. Even Ron told me that for little things I do that may tick him off I only have to pull the look and he forgets why he is upset with me. It appears that Remus does not have the ability to repel the sad puppy look.

"Dumbledore is going to be angry with me," Remus mumbled. Louder to me he said, "Get your things from your aunt's house and I will talk to her about you leaving."

Yes! "All right."

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

After I packed all my meager belongings and grabbed Hedwig's cage I trotted downstairs where Remus was waiting for me. Near the front door was Aunt Petunia with a sour look on her face while Remus talked condescending down to her. I wanted to know what they were talking about, but I wanted to leave more. "Lu-Remus, I am ready."

Remus looks at me with a smile on his face and says, "Lets go then." With a final glare at Aunt Petunia Remus pivots on his feet and exists the door. He raises his hand for the Knight Bus which arrives within a minute. "Marauders Lane, please," Remus tells the driver softly as we are flown to our beds.

"What did you and-"

Remus anticipating what I was going to ask says, "We had come to an understanding Harry. That is all." Remus looks at me in the corner of his eye before he explains some more in detail. "I had actually met your aunt at your parent's wedding. She attended it to let everyone know how much she disapproved with the marriage. I was just reminding her what Lily would do to her if she was still alive."

"Oh."

"Oh, that is all you can say. Cat got your tongue," Remus laughed with a mischievous look in his eye.

"I did not realize that you had met her before."

"Hm, yes well I was not that proud to admit to having met her, if you get my meaning."

"Yeah," I agreed. There was a comfortable silence between the two of us before I renembered something. "Remus," I asked.

"Yes," He questioned me while turning his head to look at me.

"What are we going to do once we reach your home? What kind of research are talking about? What does it all have to do with Sirius?" I rapidly fired these questions to him.

"Harry, the fact that both you and I have had similar dreams about Sirius and their hidden meanings have merit. We are going to research the reason for these and to find out their purpose." Remus replied while holding his left hand over his eyes with a strained voice.

"What can all these occurrences mean? I am confused" I replied more confused then I wanted Remus to know.

Remus slowly turns to look me straight in the eye and says, "Harry, if what I am thinking is correct. Sirius…..Sirius is not dead, but caught somewhere between the world of the dead and the living."

The only thing I could reply with was the one word that was crossing my mind, "Oh."

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

The Knight Bus dropped us at a long driveway that appeared to be in the middle of nowhere. I was still stunned from the declaration that Remus had made on the bus that I grabbed my bags to follow him up the drive. I barely even took in the notice of the sign near the gate that read 'Marauders Lane'. I was glad that Remus believed there may be more to Sirius' death than we originally thought but I had no clue where he was coming from. Sometimes I wish I paid more attention in class so that I might be able to connect the puzzles that both Remus and Hermione put together. Sirius and Ron are like me in which we just sit back and let the ones who know what they are doing do their work.

"Welcome to my home, Harry." Remus replied while opening the front door.

I looked around me and realized that while I was musing we had walked the length of the drive to the front door. I looked around me at the cottage Remus called home. It was a lovely white with small chips from obvious age, a squeaky front door with a small porch and a broken bench swing. I remembered at the gate that the cottage was called Marauders Lane. Inside the house I questioned Remus about it.

"Ah, yes. Your father and Sirius had convinced my parents to change the name during the summer break before out fourth year. I recall my parents asking why couldn't their parent's rename their home that and your father replied, 'Because my parents aren't as cool as you.' My parents always loved having them over. They were so grateful for Prongs, Padfoot, and Wormtail for befriending me." Remus gave a small laugh and appeared to be reminiscencing about times long gone.

I loved it when people reminiscent or added small good natured comments about my parents. I loved hearing about them. "So this was your parent's home," I asked quizzically as I followed Remus to the second floor and he showed me to a room which would be mine for my stay. As I dropped my belongings on the bed and sat down Remus answered my question.

"When my parents passed away about seven years ago they left the cottage and the sorrounding acres to me."

"Oh, I am sorry about your parents. When-when I mean what happened?"

"Don't worry about it Harry. Ask anything that you want to. My parents were very old wizards and died naturally. You know, they never believed any of the articles that were printed in the Daily Prophet about Sirius. They declared that the Sirius they knew would never have betrayed the Marauders and that it was a plot by remaining death eaters. I never believed them. I told them that they were talking rubbish and if Dumbledore said he was guilty and all the evidence was against him there was no way." Remus said the last half in a soft voice thick with guilt that I could also see shining through his amber eyes.

A tense silence filled the room before I asked Remus what kind of research we would be doing. Remus lead me downstairs once again and we entered an average size room that was filled with books along each four walls. There was barely any space on the walls that were not covered by a book. In the middle of the room was a square mahogany table with four chairs on each side of it. In the right corner was another mahogany furniture, a large desk. In another corner was a battered old maroon chair with an end table next to it. With all the books it would be Hermione's dream room and Ron's nightmare.

Remus guided me to the table while he started filtering through the thousands of books looking for what would aid us. "Remus I do not want to look stupid, but I am beyond confused in what we are looking for."

Remus returned levitating a stack of fifteen books or more and placed them on the table in from of me. "I am sorry Harry. It slips my mind that you were not raised by wizards, therefore, do not know what is common knowledge by normal wizard children. When people die their spirits join the powers to be and live in what muggle Christians call Heaven or Hell. You know that wizards have the ability to remain on this world as ghosts if they do not wish to follow the path of the dead. What we have learned from the ghosts is that before one dies there is a tunnel of sorts that leads to the which is heaven. The other side of this tunnel is the world of the living which those with magic in them can return as a spirit while those without can not. Some ghosts have explained that the 'walls' of the tunnels are dark and cold with quiet whispers here and there. Are you with me so far, Harry" Remus questioned.

I nodded as my mind was try to collect and sort out what he was telling me. I must have had some knowledgeable look on my face because he restarted with his lecture. He really is a good teacher.

"Well the theory is that the 'walls' are a separate plane where the darker creatures of our world come from. For example the dementors and the thestrals have been suggested to be originally from this plane. Powerful Seers have the power to enter these planes and from what they have seen and heard that it is the same aura they feel when they are near the dementors and the thestrals. Harry did you know that the dementors came through the veil?" Remus questioned me with a meaningful look.

I knew that we were both thinking of Snuffles fear of the dementors and the coincedence that he falls through where they originated from. "I thought that the Veil was more of a portal than an actual solid object?" I asked remembering what Dumbledore had told me about the Veil at the end of the school year.

"Correct. However, some thinkers believe that the veil is a gateway to the world of the dead and others believe that it is a portal to the second plane. None have ever entered the Veil because there are no spells or enchantments to bring people back. In the beginning there were tests done but all the wizards and witches that entered were unable to come back through. Some people say that they can hear whispers beyond the veil. Some thinkers believe that it is the lost souls that first entered the veil."

I gave a small shudder as I remembered the whispers that both I and Luna heard from the veil. I was beginning to see the connection that Remus was making between the Veil and what the ghost have described. Yet I was still lost in some areas. "I understand what you have told me so far but how does the second plane have to deal with the dreams about Sirius."

"From what I read years ago there were documented events that the loved ones of those that were lost in the Veil all had dreams about the departed. I am wondering if the dreams were not dreams but visions that the lost wizards and witches were using to ask for aid. Harry, what kind of dreams do you usually have?"

"Dreams? Well I gues it depends on the dreams. I have good ones and then I have nightmares." By now any understanding I thought I had was gone.

"Good Harry, good. Our nightmares have the tendency to use our pain and suffereing against us, correct?"

When I shook my head yes with what he was saying so far he continued. "When most people wake up from a dream they have accelerated breathing and fear clouds their eyes. Nightmares are draining of ones energy that people try to go back to sleep or lay awake just resting. A dementor has similar qualities that we can only recall the suffering in our lives and they drain us. You understand what I am getting at now." Remus replied with a smile because awareness had been gradually entering my eyes while he had been talking.

"Yes. In theory our dreams are not just part of our subconscious but a link to the second plane that the creatures of that plane feed off our pain in our nightmares. So if Sirius was in this second plane that the only way he could communicate with us would be to follow the link into our dreams." After I finish with my explanation I looked over at Remus and hoped that I had not misunderstood what he was getting at.

With a large smile on Remus' face and pride shining in his eyes I realized that I had totally understood what he was getting at. With Remus explaining things I grasp the material. I smiled back at him.

"Splendid. I am so happy that you understand what I am talking about. Therefore, with these books we are going to research what knowledge has been gathered over time about the Veil, dreams, and the second plane to find a way to enter and retrieve Sirius or at least a way to communicate verbally with him." Remus told me as he split the large tomes into sections and then gave me one form each.

"Alright. Lets get started then." I gave a genuine smile that had been seen by none since the incident in the Department of Mysteries.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

I arched my back against the top of the chair and cracked my neck. My arse was killing me. Remus and I have been researching for about three hours straight according to the old wizard clock on the end table near the ratty chair. We had gathered some information but it seemed hopeless on a way to communicate with those in the second plane. I had just returned to my old tome when I heard a pop noise to my right.

"My, my, my. You really do believe your above orders like your pathetic father, eh Potter," a gruff voice asked. "Dumbledore is not going to be happy with this disobedience you ungrateful whelp."

Slowly Remus and I looked up from our large books to meet each others eye. As we turned to greet our intruder I saw Remus sit straighter. I was wondering what we were going to say when I caught a glint in my companion's eyes. Remus put a cheerful grin on his face and finally greeted out unexpected in my opinion unwanted guest.

"Hello Severus. How do you do this lovely evening?"

To Be Continued