Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling, Warner Brothers and its various publishers own Harry Potter. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: Thanks for taking the time to read and review!
Chapter 25
The Trouble with Phoenixes
Like a fiery mirage, the phoenix fluttered peacefully in the air. The late afternoon sun slanting through the windows lit the bird's gold and red feathers like the sky at dawn. Ginny and Harry were stunned speechless by the appearance of the amazing creature in the Hogwarts infirmary. For a few moments the phoenix continued to hover, wings beating gently, then she landed softly on Harry's shoulder and began to croon.
After the long, stressful day, the music stirred their hearts and filled them with a sense of well being. When the song stopped, Harry asked, "Where did you come from?" He reached out slowly and smoothed the bird's beautiful feathers. She closed her eyes and sang one long note of approval.
When Harry stopped, the phoenix leapt to a perch on the end of Hermione's bed. Now that she was facing Harry, the bird began to gaze steadily into his bright green eyes. Smiling, Harry could feel something gently looking into his mind, through his deepest thoughts to the very heart of him. His instincts told him that she meant him no harm so he dropped all his Occlumency shields and held perfectly still. When the bird finished her task, she sang again.
Ginny picked up the little stone statue of a phoenix and handed it to Harry who slipped it into the pocket of his robes. The light within had gone out. The statue was black again. Speaking hesitantly, Ginny asked, "Now we know what your statue doesdo you thinkwould it be all right if I touched your phoenix?"
"She's not mine. I don't think you can own a phoenixbut she's beautiful, isn't she? Do you think she has more gold feathers than Fawkes?" He smoothed the feathers on her head, smiling softly.
Giggling as she cautiously reached out to touch the bird, Ginny said, "I do think she's beautiful, and she has plenty of gold feathers, but I don't agree with you. Like it or not, you have a phoenix. She trusts you, Harry."
"Of courseI trust her, tooI just meanta creature like this makes her own choices. She's probably been around forever." He gave the bird such a look of appreciation that Ginny would have been a little jealous if the phoenix had been a girl.
"Wellshe's been around since ancient Egypt anyway. Phoenixes first appeared with the pyramids," Ginny said, continuing to stroke the bird's soft feathers. Even the gold ones were as soft as goose down.
Harry seemed lost in thought as he examined the phoenix closely. "I don't see her in the desert. She belongs somewhere greenlike a lush foresthigh on a mountain where there's plenty of blue sky." The dreamy expression on his face was starting to bother Ginny a little.
Their attention was drawn to Hermione for a moment as she stirred in her sleep. The phoenix fluttered to Harry's shoulder and looked at his sleeping friend. She felt warm and soft, leaning against Harry's cheek.
Turning to Ginny, Harry said, "I haven't had a chance to thank you for covering for me todayand thanks for figuring out the phoenix statue." Harry was looking at her appreciatively now.
Ignoring the bird on his shoulder, Ginny stepped into the circle of his arms. She put her hands on his chest and kissed him lightly. "Anytime" She stopped short, realizing from his expression that Harry had more to say.
He cleared his throat first. "Imaybe I shouldit couldn't hurt. Would you stay here and monitor another short trip with your mirror? I can't sing, but the phoenix can."
"Oh, no" Ginny shook her head. "You've already been in enough danger today. Besides Dumbledore sealed the castle as we came through. The gates and the front door are warded closed. You won't be able to get out."
Looking at the phoenix on his shoulder, Harry said, "I won't be able to get out by myself, but this phoenix should be able toplease?" His eyes were wide and pleading.
"All right, Harry. If you think so." she said, her expression softening. Of course, she had confidence in him. If he had a plan, it would work.
"WellI don't even know if this is possible, but" He looked up at the phoenix and asked, "Would you take me to the fountain outside Myrddin's Den?" Harry didn't know what the phoenix would do or if it even understood what he was saying — or how to find the fountain, but he took a chance.
The bird hovered above him expectantly. Harry smiled and turned to Ginny. Kissing her quickly, he said, "Take care of Hermione. Here." He flipped his D.A. coin to her as he grabbed the phoenix' golden tail and disappeared in a brief flash.
She caught the coin, but if a gold feather hadn't floated into her hand next to it, Ginny wouldn't have believed what had just happened.
The sun was setting as Harry appeared in the clearing near the cave. The remaining snow on the ground took on a golden glow, but the temperature was dropping fast. Harry realized, too late, that he'd forgotten to grab his rucksack. He felt around in his pocket for the small mirror that would connect him to Ginny. Smiling, he called her name as the phoenix settled gently on his shoulder.
Once they'd opened the mirrors, Harry smoothed the phoenix' feathers and asked her to sing. When the song began, he turned expectantly to the fountain. As the song went on, he eagerly pulled the bracken and leaves out of the basin. When the song was done, the quiet of the clearing was broken only by the rustle of branches brushing against each other in the light breeze. But Harry's confidence never wavered. The music had filled him with an unshakeable faith. He was rewarded in a few minutes by a trickle of water coming out of the mouths of the two bird statues, falling to the basin below.
Grinning in excitement, Harry turned to the bird and said, "Thanks! You don't know what this means" Conjuring a bottle identical to the blue one that Hermione had next to her bed, Harry began to hum himself. When the water became a steady stream, he held the bottle underneath and filled it. Between the phoenix' song and finding the water, Harry felt full of hope for the first time since the attack on Hermione.
When the bottle was full, Harry closed the cap and warded the fountain closed. He transfigured the fountain to appear as it had before the water flowed. If anyone came by, Muggle or wizard, they would see an old relic filled with bracken and debris. The sun was completely down, but the sky still held a faint glow. Stars were just beginning to show. Soon it would be completely dark.
Tucking the potion bottle in his pocket, Harry turned to the phoenix. Then he heard it -- the crunch of people walking through the brush off to his left. Someone was coming, probably several someones. They weren't speaking, but they were getting closer. "Hide!" he whispered, wondering how he could possibly hide a rather large red and gold bird.
The phoenix disappeared in a brief flash just seconds before he heard a deep voice whisper through the trees, "Keep it quiet, Padgett. You never know."
Harry cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself and plunged into the thick underbrush, his back flat against the side of the hill. Ignoring the prickly bare branches scraping his hands and face, he held his breath as the men passed by him and entered the cave. He counted five of them. Other than a murmured, "Lumos!" the men didn't make a sound, but Harry knew who they were. Or at least he knew what they were. Their black robes and white masks gave them away.
As soon as they were gone, Harry Apparated to Honeydukes. He'd only stayed to try to get a look at them. Letting himself into the tunnel to Hogwarts through the trap door in the candy store's basement, Harry tried to speak to Ginny with his mirror. "Is Ron back? Can you meet me by the one-eyed witch?" There was no answer.
Harry was concerned when Ginny didn't answer, but kept going until he reached the slide. He opened the witch just a crack to see what was on the other side, and he saw Filch and Mrs. Norris walking slowly down the hall. Distracting Mr. Filch by casting a spell to knock over the suits of armor at the far end of the hall, Harry slipped through the small opening in the witch's hump. Still wearing the Disillusionment Charm, he was almost home free, except for the muddy footprints he was leaving. Mrs. Norris noticed them. The nosy cat left Filch's side and hurried toward Harry. Filch called after her grumpily, "Come backit must have been a false alarm."
Casting a Cleansing Charm to remove the mud, Harry left Filch glaring at the now empty corridor and hurried back to Gryffindor Tower. He wanted to find Ginny. Something must have happened or she would have answered the mirror. He wasn't in suspense for very long. She and Ron were sitting by the fire looking tense.
Because it was just after dinner on a Saturday night, the common room was full of mostly younger students, studying and playing games like Exploding Snap. Harry was unable to stop grinning as he headed straight over to his friends. He shouted, "I got it!" despite the serious look on both their faces. He thought his success would cheer them up.
Ron shook his head at him, his lips a thin line as he leapt to his feet. "You got it! Youyou put my sister in dangeryou got her in trouble with McGonagall and Dumbledoreand you're just so happy because you got it! Bloody hell, Harry." Ron was out of breath, red faced and furious. Lowering his voice he continued. "And if you're thinking about giving my girlfriend some weird water cure that bloody insane ghost told you about, YOU ARE CRAZY!" He shouted the last three words.
Holding her hands out palms up in supplication, Ginny shook her head. "Sorry, Harry. Ron took away my mirror when I told him where you'd gone. II hope everything went all right."
"Went all right! That's rich." Ron began to sputter in anger again. "Anything could have happened to you, Harry. You may not care about putting yourself in danger, but you're not dragging my sisteror my girlfriend along for the ride. Andand you didn't take me with you!"
Ginny swatted his arm. "You prat! Lower your voice. People are starting to stare." The three of them, including Harry, scanned the common room briefly. People were, indeed, abandoning their studies and their games to stare at Ron towering over Harry, red faced with anger. It was quite a sight really.
Parvati, Seamus and Dean walked through the portrait hole. The boys continued walking up the stairs to the boy's dormitories, but Parvati began setting things out on one of the study tables. She looked over at Ginny sympathetically. Remembering that the older girl thought she'd caught her crying over Harry earlier, Ginny shrugged and shook her head.
Ron and Harry ignored the other sixth years completely as they continued to argue. "Hear me out, Ronplease. I couldn't take you. Ginny was never in any danger, butI can't talk here. Too many people are listening." He didn't want anyone to know he was making illegal Portkeys especially ones capable of getting through the Hogwarts' wards. Looking Ron straight in the eye, he asked, "What happened to trusting me? You know I wouldn't hurt Ginny."
Sitting on the sofa heavily, Ron shook his head. "What about you trusting me? I don't know what's happening any more. You don't tell me anything. I spend all my time thinking about Hermione. It's like I'm treading water and I can barely keep my head above the surface."
Harry sat down next to him, thinking of all the things he'd kept to himself lately. "I knowI guesswe should talk more. And you've had to do too much by yourself." Crookshanks jumped on the sofa and nudged his hand. Harry obligingly scratched the ginger cat's ears as he settled into his lap and purred. "Speaking of Hermione, she's not all alone is she?"
Ginny said quietly, "She's sleeping again. Luna volunteered to watch over her. She woke briefly for dinner." Looking nervously at Ron, she continued, "That's when I told them where you'd gone and why"
Seeing that Ron was trying hard to cool his temper, Harry said quietly, "I'm really sorry. I guess I didn't think it through."
His voice finally under control, Ron said, "I know you meant well with the healing water, but seriously, we can't just mess around here. This is Hermione's lifewe have to get it right." Ron stood up and stretched wearily. He had that exhausted, worried look that he tried so carefully to hide from Hermione for the past two weeks.
Ginny put one arm around her brother. Standing on tiptoe, she kissed Ron's cheek and whispered, "It's all going to work out."
"I'll give this to you, Ron," Harry said, handing him the water. "But I think you should ask Hermione what she thinks before you throw it down the drain. She likes to be in charge, you know." His half grin at Ron became a whole grin as his friend smiled, too.
"Maybe we can have it analyzed or something," Ron said, looking at the liquid in the bottle.
Suddenly tired, Harry leaned against the back of the sofa and covered his face with his hands. Ginny sat down beside him and took one of his hands in hers so he had to look up. "I put your rucksack in your dorm room." She smiled gently and began running her wand over his cuts with whispered Healing Charms.
Looking at the two of them, Ron said, "What happened? How did you get all those scratches?"
"I hid in a bush after the phoenix disappeared," Harry said, as if it was an everyday occurrence.
Ginny had finished healing him. "That doesn't sound too good. Why did you have to hide?"
"Someone was coming. Didn't you see them?" Harry asked, worried. She was supposed to be watching his back.
"Ron took my mirror" Ginny answered.
Waving his hand, Harry retrieved her mirror with a Summoning Charm and floated it to her. To the casual observer, it would look like she had summoned it herself since she was the only one holding a wand. Harry looked up at his friend and asked in a tired voice, "What were you thinking, Ron? I"
Ron tried to grab the mirror as it flew through the air. "You know as well as I do that Dumbledore knows about these mirrors. And what about this phoenix?"
"Drop it, Ron. I didn't get into trouble. Professor Dumbledore just asked to borrow the mirror. He was very polite." Ginny rolled her eyes at her brother.
Hoping to avoid a renewed argument, Harry asked, "What's going on with Parvati and Neville?" The others looked across the room to where Parvati was styling Neville's hair.
Ginny said, "Ahthey were talking about it yesterday at lunch. Lavender and Parvati have decided to give poor Neville a makeover. You know, new hair and clothes. Neville said that he wanted to ask Luna out for Valentine's Day, but she never notices him."
"Never notices him? They're together all the time." Ron shook his head. He looked appalled at the sight of Neville having his hair done.
Harry agreed. "What is she doing?" Parvati seemed to be making Neville's hair stand on end with some sort of spike charm.
"I think it lookswell," Ginny said, unable to finish her sentence.
Lavender Brown came through the portrait hole, looking flushed and somewhat disheveled. Her tie was crooked and her robes looked wrinkled. She joined Neville and Parvati at the makeover table.
Shaking his head over poor Neville's plight, Harry changed the subject again. "Only two weeks until Valentine's Day, Ron. What're you doing for Hermione?"
Both Weasleys looked at Harry like he'd grown feathers. "II haven't thought about it yet," Ron answered hesitantly.
Ginny, however, went on the offensive. Turning toward Harry with her hands on her hips, she asked, "So what's your plan?"
Faced with a potentially angry girlfriend, Harry said, "I thoughtwe could go to Hogsmeade again. Just the two of us."
Ginny's expression changed as she pretended to consider his idea. "I can see you've put a lot of thought into thisjust remember, adventure is one thing, but when it comes to Valentine's Daywell, a girl likes to be swept off her feet."
"Give me a chance?" Harry asked, appealing to her. He leaned in so their faces were close.
"Iguess I'll have tosay yes," as if there was ever any doubt. Ginny stood up at that, ignoring the fact that her boyfriend seemed ready to kiss her. "I'm going back to the infirmaryyou better go get cleaned up, Harry. I'll see you later." She flipped her long hair behind her shoulder as she walked slowly to the portrait hole.
Harry looked confused as he watched her walk slowly away. "I'll never understand your sister, Ron," he said as she disappeared.
"At least you have a plan for Valentine's DayI've got nothing." Ron looked down at the two rucksacks at his feet, bulging with all of Hermione's books. Ron had never been so caught up on his homework in his life.
Shaking his head, Harry admitted, "I don't have a planI was bluffing. Do you think she sensed it? She's right. I spend all my time thinking about other thingsadventures andwhacking at training dummies. I haven't spent any time on romance." Harry's forehead furrowed in thought for a moment, and then he stood up and clapped Ron on the back. "You on the other hand, have spent all your time devoting yourself to Hermione's homework. What could be more romantic than that? At least from Hermione's point of view." He grinned at Ron who looked relieved.
Giving a self satisfied nod, Ron said, "Maybe I should arrange a trip to the library for her on Valentine's Day. It's probably her favorite place in the world and she hasn't been there in weeksOf course, I'll need to practice the Mobilicorpus! spell."
"She'll be cured by then, Ron. You could take her anywherebut you may be right. The library might be the best choice."
After a few more minutes of catching up, Ron left to take Hermione the homework he'd collected. Harry took a long hot shower and put on his flannel pajama bottoms and a fresh tee shirt. He spread his Transfiguration homework out on his bed, glad of the quiet. Since it was early on a Saturday night, none of his roommates were around. Wishing Ginny had stuck around, Harry tried to focus on reading, but he couldn't. Just thinking about her brought him a warm feeling. He sat back against the pillows on his headrest.
After reading the steps to change a houseplant into a maple tree for the third time, he decided to give up. It was still early enough that he could get dressed and go find Ginny. Maybe she'd like to make a trip to the kitchens. Unfortunately, he couldn't seem to move his legs. Something heavy was holding him down. He tried moving again and heard a quiet giggle.
Smiling happily he reached forward and removed the Invisibility Cloak, revealing Ginny sitting on his legs. She was wearing the Muggle exercise clothes she liked to wear when she was lounging around the common room.
"How" Harry began. He'd taken his contacts out when he showered so he was wearing his glasses. That and his black hair sticking up in all directions made him look younger.
Ginny put her finger over his mouth to stop him from speaking. "I thought it would be nice to see youface to faceand alone for once," she said.
Harry agreed. They always seemed to be surrounded by classmates and teachers. Now thanks to his Invisibility Cloak, they were alone in his dorm room for who knows how long. Accidentally knocking his book off the bed, Harry leaned toward her. "It's more thannice," he said quietly. He ran his hands up her bare arms and pulled her close. Then he reached behind her head and released the clip holding her hair back. Watching appreciatively as her hair tumbled down around her face, Harry kissed her forehead lightly and said, "I've wanted to be alone with you all day."
"I know, me too," she answered, closing her eyes.
Harry studied her face. She looked so sweet, waiting for his kiss with her eyes closed, her lashes dark against her pale skin. Her lips were parted in a small expectant smile.
In slow motion, Harry touched her lips. As they deepened the kiss, she melted against him. They fell back against his pillows with Ginny on top. Soon their kisses were steaming up his glasses. When he moved his lips to leave light kisses on her neck, she gave a small gasp. "Ohyou like that" whispered Harry huskily.
"IHarry, your bird is watching us," Ginny said, pushing away from him and sitting up.
Harry looked around, straightening his glasses. Sure enough, the phoenix had rejoined them. "WellI didn't ask her to come," Harry looked just as disappointed as she did.
"Do you think she's planning to stay with you?"
"I don't know. Maybe she just wanted to make sure I made it back to Hogwarts. She seems so smart, doesn't she?" Harry moved off his bed to caress the swan-sized bird.
Smiling at him, Ginny picked up his Invisibility Cloak. "I guess I better leave. Goodnight, Harry." He protested, but she insisted that he needed time alone with his new familiar.
After she left, he turned around to the phoenix and said, "Sowhat do you want to do first." The bird sang a short, sweet note and disappeared.
Except for Harry's phoenix, life at Hogwarts settled back into a normal routine. The following weekend Gryffindor beat Ravenclaw in the most boring Quidditch game ever. The Snitch showed up in the first half-hour. According to Ron, who had a bird's eye view of the pitch, Harry caught the tiny gold ball before Cho even noticed.
Busy with classes and Quidditch, Harry didn't have time to work on finding a piece of tanglewood, even if he could think of somewhere to look. As time passed, he began to wonder if the tree was even real. He began to believe that Neville was right. Tanglewood trees were just a myth.
Luna was right about the summons stone, as Harry had almost daily proof. And he didn't have to wait to activate the statue. The phoenix appeared and disappeared whenever she felt like it. She'd show up in a corridor or over his bed, sing a little greeting, then leave. Her visits were sporadic and followed no discernible pattern.
The only time he could count on her appearing, short of using the summons stone, was whenever he found a moment to be alone with Ginny. If they found a quiet spot behind a statue or a suit of armor, the phoenix would show.
"Do you think she's jealous or something?" Ginny asked, about the third time it happened.
Wondering if maybe it was his girlfriend getting a little jealous, Harry said, "I think she somehow knows that my heart's beating fasterso she comes to check up on things."
"Your heart's beating faster?" Ginny asked, pulling him back to her and placing her palm over his heart.
"Whenever we're alone," he answered, his green eyes darkening.
After that, Ginny quit worrying about the sudden appearance of Harry's phoenix. She had an annoying habit of interrupting her alone time with her boyfriend, but maybe it wasn't so bad knowing that she was making Harry's blood pressure rise.
Things changed later in the week. Harry was flying high on his broom during Quidditch practice about to attempt the new "drop off" dive. This time when the phoenix appeared, she grabbed Harry in her strong talons and disappeared without any warning. Lucky that he kept a strong grip on his Firebolt or his broom might have shattered when it hit the ground after she Disapparated with the two of them.
They emerged in a lush green forest, trees bursting with leaves, flowers in full bloom. The phoenix sang happily. She obviously thought she'd done him a great service. But he knew that if he didn't return to Hogwarts quickly, he'd be in big trouble. Harry stroked the soft feathers on her head, and said, "Thanks girl, but it'll have to be some other time."
He Apparated to the gates with the winged boars and flew toward the Quidditch pitch. While the team noticed his absence, they assumed he'd just been flying too high and far.
While they hadn't yet seen the phoenix themselves, Ron and Hermione were sympathetic as always. After talking things over, Hermione doing most of the talking, they decided to have the healing water analyzed before she drank it. Hermione reasoned that if the phoenix made the fountain flow, then it probably was healing water.
So they made up a story about the water being sent to them from Neville's grandmother's friend in France, and asked Snape to analyze it, leaving Harry's name out of it completely. Snape made no promises.
As Harry took his seat in Potions class, Snape looked around the room with his usual glare, daring the students to be less than perfect so he could trounce on them. When no one spoke out of turn or ran in late, he seemed disappointed. Raising one eyebrow, he said in a deep voice, "Your assignment is on the board. Follow the instructions carefully. You have one hour."
Some students scrambled to the supplies set out on the narrow table at the side of the class. Others pulled caldrons and equipment from their storage areas. Ron set up silently while Harry finished reading the instructions. The two of them were sitting in the very back row of worktables.
"Two teaspoons of Streeler trailthat sounds nasty," said Harry.
"Remind me. What's a Streeler again?" asked Ron who wasn't taking Magical Creatures this year.
"It's a giant snail. Harmless really except that the slime it leaves behind burns everything it touches." Pointing to the heavy gloves sitting on the table, Harry said, "Better wear those."
"This isn't a group assignment," said Snape as he passed their table, looking suspicious. "Five points from Gryffindor for talking — each."
Harry and Ron frowned. They hadn't even noticed him patrolling. But after that they worked silently. N.E.W.T. Potions was generally a quiet, focused class. Harry's concoction simmered slowly, a fine purple mist gathering above the mixture, just as the instructions said it should.
Harry noticed Crabbe and Goyle fanning the bright orange steam coming out of their cauldrons while Malfoy looked on with a disgusted sneer.
Harry looked at the clock on the wall. In thirty seconds, he had to add the venomous Streeler slime. He put the heavy gloves on and reached for the bottle and the measuring spoon. But out of nowhere, in a now familiar flash, Harry's phoenix appeared, grabbed him by the shoulders and disappeared. Everyone, including Snape, was too busy dealing with Crabbe and Goyle's overflowing cauldrons to notice the brief flash of light. Of course, Ron noticed, but he kept his head down and continued to work.
Reappearing in the lush forest, Harry could only laugh. She didn't mean anything by it. Maybe she thought she was saving him from the icky venom. She landed on a low branch in front of him. Grinning at her as he smoothed her feathers, Harry said, "You may have gotten me in trouble this time, girl."
Trilling her response, she fluffed her feathers for him. With a low chuckle, he said, "I need a name for youI can't keep calling you girlthanks for looking out for me."
Since the Hogsmeade Dementor warning, the castle had been locked down. The main gates were locked and warded shut. They'd put an intruder ward on the one-eyed witch so Harry tried Apparating to the Shrieking Shack. Relieved to find the tunnel was still there, he pressed the knot in the tree expecting it to still the Whomping Willow's treacherous branches. When it didn't work, he tried a different knot. Then he tried a few spells, like Immobulus! and Freezus! Nothing worked.
Knowing he was risking his life, Harry made a run for it, dodging the branches that were falling and sweeping all around him. He didn't make it very far, but the branch that caught him in the gut sent him flying well clear of the tree. Although he was a little scratched and bruised, Harry counted himself lucky to have survived.
He met up with Hagrid in the courtyard. "There yeh are, arry. My, yeh gave me a fright. Yeh weren't in with Professor Snape soweren't sure what I was gonna do. Headmaster sent me to find yeh. Best go straight away. I've got to go check on the Merpeople. There've been some worries about the Grindylows getting out of hand durin' the cold weather. Ice mice'll get yeh past the gargoyle."
"Ithank you, Hagrid. Say hello to the Merpeople for me." Squaring his shoulders, Harry did as Hagrid suggested and went straight to Dumbledore's office. He figured they'd noticed his absence since it took so much time to get past the Whomping Willow. Determined to face the Headmaster's questions bravely, he hurried past the gargoyle and knocked loudly on the partly open door.
"Come in, come in, dear boy! So nice of you to come so quickly." Cornelius Fudge, wearing a bright green weskit and a big phony smile was sitting with Professor Dumbledore. Looking warily around the room at the mostly sleeping portraits, Harry walked slowly to the seat next to Fudge.
"I'm so grateful that Professor Snape allowed you to leave class before it ended. Busy times at the Ministry." Fudge broke off uneasily. Perhaps he finally noticed that no one but him was speaking. "I'll get right to business. We at the Ministry of Magic, after an extremely thorough investigation into the matter, have declared that Sirius Black was innocent of all charges" Seeing the shocked look on Harry's face, Fudge's voice faltered a little bit before he continued. "As his principal heir that means that you, Harry Potter, will be the recipient of all his confiscated properties and bank accounts."
When he finished, he looked at Harry expectantly. Harry wondered if he expected him to be grateful. When he finally spoke, he kept his voice low, forcing himself to sound calm, but it wasn't easy. "I can't believe this. After all this time, what good do you think Sirius' money will do me?"
"It's a considerable estate, Harry." Fudge's face seemed frozen into a mask of oily charm. His voice sounded magnanimous as though he was presenting Harry with a gift.
Disgusted, Harry's tone took a caustic turn. "Sirius has been innocent all this time. I knew it — anyone close to him knew it. It was only people like you that refused to see. You were the first one on the scene when Peter Pettigrew blew up those Muggles. You railroaded Sirius into Azkaban without even a trial and here you are handing out his money like it belonged to you."
It finally dawned on Fudge that he wasn't going to be able to use the public acknowledgement of Sirius' innocence and subsequent release of his estate to Harry Potter as a publicity stunt. If the boy felt this way, it would be best to keep the whole thing quiet. His junior assistant had warned him that the situation could go sour, so he had come prepared. Pulling out one official letter, exonerating Sirius of all crimes, and another transferring all his confiscated property to Harry's name, he quickly laid the letters on Dumbledore's desk and unceremoniously left by floo.
Tears sprang to Harry's eyes, but didn't fall as his thoughts churned. He stared out the window at the cloudy afternoon. Phoenix song filled the air. Heartened by the sound, Harry reached out and ran his hand along the letter with Sirius' name on it. "Better late than never."
Dumbledore finally spoke. "I'm sorry, Harry. I wish I could have prevented this, or given you some warning that Minister Fudge was on his way. At least we convinced him to leave the reporters out of this meeting. He wanted old Fitz Prewett and a photographer."
Harry sighed, "Small favors" Looking over at Fawkes' perch, he asked, "Where'sdid you hearwhere's Fawkes?" He was sure he'd heard the trill of a phoenix.
"Sadly, Fawkes is out somewhere right now. Probably flying through the forest to stretch his wings. I'm sorry you missed him." Dumbledore didn't seem curious about the song. If anything, he looked full of grandfatherly concern. "Harry" he began.
But Harry wasn't having any of it. He reckoned that the Headmaster stopped confiding in him months ago. Except for what he'd learned staying in Grimmauld Place in December, Harry had no idea what the Order was doing, or Voldemort for that matter. No one had even bothered to explain why Hogwarts was still locked down. If they weren't going to confide in him, he certainly knew how to keep his own council.
So he interrupted Dumbledore before he could begin. "If there's nothing else, Professor? I should get back to Potions. I didn't exactly ask permission to leave." Harry stood up, taking both of the letters that Fudge brought and tucking them into a pocket.
Professor Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, taking in Harry's slightly torn and scratched appearance, including a rather deep cut on his cheek. His fingers were steepled and his blue eyes were creased in amusement as he asked, "Harry, is there perhaps something you'd like to tell me?"
Wondering briefly if one of the portraits had reported his mysterious phoenix friend to the Headmaster, Harry resisted the urge to scan their faces. Instead he tried to adopt a look of wide-eyed innocence and said, "Nothingsir. Thank you." Turning to leave, Phineas Nigellus' portrait gave him a knowing wink. He left feeling like he didn't fool anybody. Dumbledore must know he had a long list of secrets.
Harry had no intention of returning to Potions. He wanted to contact Remus about these letters. But just as he'd taken a few steps away from the gargoyle, a flustered Sophie Moon approached him. "Ohthank heaven, Harry. I was going to go to Professor Dumbledore. It's BlaiseI think Malfoy's done something to him."
Shrugging his shoulders, Harry asked, "Like what, Sophie? Where is Zabini?" Both of the Slytherins had been coming to the D.A. for months now so Harry knew them fairly well.
Still a little out of breath, she said, "That's just it. We were supposed to meetout in Greenhouse Twelve." She blushed furiously despite the fact that her eyes were filling with tears. "I waited for himbut he never showed."
As gently as he could, Harry asked, "Couldn't he have juststood you up or something?" He gave her an apologetic look.
Her mouth crumpled. For a moment Harry was afraid he'd made her cry. Running his hand through his messy hair, he said, "I'm sorrydon't listen to me. What do I know? We can find him. Let me show you something." He pulled a piece of parchment out of his pocket, and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
Sophie gave a little gasp as she watched the lines appear on the Marauder's map. "You really do have a few tricks up your sleeve, don't you, Harry. How did you make this?"
"II can't take credit for it. But it's very useful sometimes."
"There he is!" she pointed to Greenhouse Twelve. "Don't I feel stupid. He must have just been late." In her relief, she didn't notice Harry's puzzled look. "See you later," she called as she began to move away, presumably to go meet Blaise.
"Wait!" Harry called after her. Catching up, he pointed to the map. "There's something strange here. Blaise isn't moving. Even when people sit, their dot usually wavers."
"Maybe he fell asleep?" Sophie suggested.
"It's possible, but if he fell asleep, his little dot would look like this one." He pointed to the dot of Argus Filch in his office with little "zzz's" coming off of it. "Let me walk out there with you. It won't take long."
The two of them found an unconscious Blaise Zabini stuffed behind a bench and covered with a tarp in Greenhouse Twelve. After reviving him with an "Ennervate!" spell, Sophie insisted that Madam Pomfrey check him over. According to Blaise, he'd been hit over the head with a large flowerpot when he walked in on Crabbe and Goyle searching for something.
As they carried Blaise into the infirmary on a conjured stretcher, Harry heard Snape's languid, but utterly sarcastic voice behind him. "So this is where you disappeared to, Potter. Just couldn't stay away from the infirmary." Harry turned around and saw Snape leaning against the doorway. Pressing his lips together, he told himself not to say anything because anytime he spoke, he just irritated Snape. No matter what explanation he gave, Snape would draw his own conclusions.
Crossing the floor in a self assured stride that made his robes billow behind him, Snape continued. "Twenty points from Gryffindor for leaving class without permission. The Headmaster shall hear about this, Potter. Don't be surprised if this time you're expelled."
Harry bit his lip to prevent himself from speaking.
While Snape taunted Harry, Madam Pomfrey floated Blaise onto a nearby bed and began to fuss over him. Sophie followed Blaise, quietly asking the matron questions.
"Professor Snape!" called Sophie. "Thank you so much for coming. We found him, butcan you believe that Crabbe and Goyle would actually do this?"
Harry always knew that the Slytherins saw Snape very differently from the Gryffindors, but this was the first time he'd witnessed it first hand. Professor Snape spoke with both Sophie and Blaise, listening carefully as they told their story. They obviously felt better afterwards, but Harry couldn't help thinking it wasodd.
Snape moved away from the Slytherins after promising to give Crabbe and Goyle a month of detentions. He stopped short, seeing Harry's curious expression. "What is it now, Potter?"
"I just can't believe you gave Crabbe and Goyle a punishment. Seems to me it's a first. I wonder." He stopped himself.
"You wonder." Snape stared at Harry, daring him to finish.
Harry recklessly obliged. "I wonder if there would be any punishment if they'd clobberedoh, let's say, a Hufflepuff?"
"Fifty points from Gryffindor for insulting a teacher, Potter. When will you ever learn?" Snape shook his head. "You're so sure you have all the answers. You know nothing about people like Vincent and Gregory." Feeling like he'd made his point, Snape strode toward the other end of the infirmary.
Keeping his eyes on Snape, Harry followed him slowly to the partition in the corner. As he came around the screen, he saw Snape pouring from a blue bottle. Instead of her usual potion, the glass looked like it contained water.
Hermione was awake. Her eyes heavy with sleep, she said, "Cheers, Harry!" Then she drank the water down and sank back into her pillow.
Smiling at his friend despite the fact that Snape was glaring at him. "What are you doing here, Potter? I've asked you before to leave Miss Granger's treatment to the professionals. You can come back later with Mr. Weasley."
"I'm not leaving, Professor," Harry said quietly, smiling as he watched Hermione's face change. The ashen look of her skin was fading. The dark circles under her eyes were disappearing. Harry watched as before their very eyes, her worn appearance cleared. It was magic at its best. He only wished that Ron were here to see it.
Snape forgot to argue with Harry as he, too, watched the miraculous change in Hermione. Harry moved closer to her pillow. A small smile formed on her lips although her eyes were still closed. "I know you're both still staring at mebut the question is why?" She opened her eyes and smiled. Looking from Harry to Snape and back again, she had her answer.
"So do I look better? Because I feel likelike I couldplay Quidditch without a broom!"
"Where's your coin? We'll call Ron." Harry said, bursting with excitement. "Maybe there's a way to make a school wide announcement."
Hermione sat up in bed on her knees and hugged Harry tightly. "Thanks, Harry. I'm sorry we didn't believe you."
Cracking a big grin, he hugged her back. "There's nothing to be sorry for. Having you healthy is all the thanks I need. It worked!" They forgot Snape was there in their excitement.
Professor Snape was not stupid. He'd examined the water in the blue bottle to find it was ordinary spring water. There was no way it should have cured Miss Granger, yet it had obviously worked. If the water came from Potter, perhaps dark magic was involved.
Calling Poppy over to help, Snape ran the tests necessary to be sure that Hermione was really cured, waiting for his chance to confirm something. The Headmaster didn't like him accusing his golden boy although he didn't seem to trust the boy much himself. He would need some sort of proof of wrongdoing. He saw his opportunity when Neville Longbottom arrived.
The happy crowd around Hermione's bed was a little noisy so no one noticed Professor Snape quietly speak to Neville. "Your Great Aunt will be glad to know that her healing water has been a success. Where did you say she got it? Lourdes?"
As always, Neville was nervous just being in the same room as Snape, but he answered bravely, even if his voice wavered slightly, "Nit was somewherein France."
Snape looked surprised. "ReallyLourdes is in Franceisn't that what you told me before? Perhaps I'm not recalling it correctly."
Neville caved in, hoping to get Professor Snape to leave him alone. "Yesit was Lourdesthat's what I meant to say."
"You're pathetic, Longbottom. It wasn't Lourdes, and it wasn't your Great Aunt. Do you even have a Great Aunt? You know it would be very easy to check. Perhaps a quick owl to your grandmother could clear this up."
Neville began to tremble slightly which unfortunately made his new spiky hairdo wiggle a little. "Please don't owl Gran, Professor. She."
Their conversation had grown loud enough to attract everyone's attention, but neither Neville nor Snape noticed.
His face a furious frown, Snape went in for the kill. "She what? She won't know anything about it? Tell the truth, Longbottom. You had nothing to do with obtaining this water. I'll have you expelled for telling falsehoods." Neville began to hyperventilate.
To save his friend, Harry sighed, and put his hands in the air. "All right. You caught me. I brought the water to Hermione, but we wanted to be sure it was all right so we lied. We didn't think you'd help if you knew I was involved. Neville was just trying to help."
Snape's left eye twitched as he stared venomously at Harry. This was what he'd been hoping for. "You're coming with me to the Headmaster, Potter. I've suspected for some time that you were up to something. Now I have proof. There is certainly no spring with water like this on Hogwarts grounds."
"I'll go quietly, Professor. Just leave my friends out of this. They had nothing to do with it." Harry looked around at his friends. Their faces were serious, ranging from pity to anger. Whispering so only Ginny could hear, Harry said, "Snape sure knows how to suck the life out of a party."
The smile on her face gave Harry the confidence he needed to follow Snape out of the infirmary. He'd been in worse scrapes before this one. "Good luck!" she said quietly. The others echoed her sentiment as he left the infirmary.
Once they were alone in the torch lit corridor, Snape rounded on Harry. They were about even in height now, but Snape was bulkier and much more practiced at intimidating someone. He stepped toward Harry, backing him into the stone wall of the corridor. "I've got you where I want you now, Potter. You're going to have to tell the Headmaster everything, where you've been disappearing, who you've been meet"
In a flash of fire, Harry found himself in the now familiar woodland setting. The phoenix hovered in front of him, her head tilted as she examined him. He smiled. "I'm so relieved to see you, girl. That was a tight spot. I'm not sure what to do. If I try to go back right nowI'll probably just be in more trouble."
Harry looked into her sweet face and remembered that he'd brought her some Ginseng root. Dumbledore had told him that they were Fawkes' favorite. He rifled through his pockets, looking for the package. It was in the same pocket as the letters about Sirius.
By the time the phoenix finished her treat, Harry had decided. His talk with Remus about the letters couldn't wait. Maybe his guardian could help him get back to Hogwarts since the secret passages were blocked.
As the phoenix flew to the top of a nearby tree, Harry called, "See you tomorrow." Then he Apparated to Grimmauld Place. Although he and Remus Lupin were joint owners of Order Headquarters, Harry knocked on the door and waited.
Tonks answered, her wand drawn. "Harry! Whoaget in here! You have everyone in an uproar."
His heart full of trepidation, Harry led the way toward the large kitchen. When Harry visited before Christmas, there were always several members of the Order on hand, especially at tea time, so Harry was surprised that the only people around the large wooden table were Mrs. Weasley, Professor Moody and Remus Lupin.
Mrs. Weasley let out a delighted squeal. "Harry, dear! You're all right." She threw her arms around him in a tight hug. Harry hugged her back, glad that someone seemed happy to see him. Moody and Lupin wore somewhat darker expressions.
From the doorway behind them, Tonks said, "Don't anyone get upI'll call Dumbledore back and tell him Harry showed up here. We can call off the search."
As Mrs. Weasley released him and busied herself making tea, Harry sat down next to Professor Moody. "I'm sorry to worry everyone. It'sit's not something I have complete control over."
Remus asked, "What happened, Harry? Professor Snape's accused you of Apparating away from Hogwarts to get out of trouble. He said you flashed fire in his face to hide your escape."
Laughing softly, Harry said, "He should read Hogwarts: A History, then he'd know that's not possible. Actually, I came here to talk to you about these." He pulled the letters Fudge gave him out of his pocket and laid them on the table.
Remus stared down at the envelopes. "Harry, II have copies of these letters. I was going to try to contact you. Butyou're in pretty big trouble. Leaving school without permission could get you expelled. If you didn't Apparate."
Staring at the envelopes, Harry couldn't help but think that his life was sure complicated sometimes. "I didn't. I couldn'tnot through the wards. There's a different explanation. It's been happening since the last Hogsmeade visit." He set the black phoenix statue on the table and asked, "Do you remember this?"
Moody growled, "You've shown me this a dozen times."
Putting a steaming mug of tea in front of him, Mrs. Weasley said, "Let's give Harry a chance to catch his breath first. How about some nice sandwiches? You should all wait for Professor Dumbledore anyway. He'll be here any minute."
"No need to wait, Molly. As you see, I've arrived." Standing in the doorway, Dumbledore's voice sounded deeper than normal. Behind him, Professor Snape stood in the shadows looking pleased. Tonks followed the two men into the room.
Ignoring their arrival, Remus asked, "Is this from your box, Harry? The one that came from the Potter vault?"
Suddenly worried about discussing everything in front of Snape, Harry became quiet. He would have to consider his words carefully.
As if to confirm that Harry shouldn't trust him, Professor Snape said, "So typical of you to turn up here, Potter, expecting all of us to believe whatever story you've concocted."
Professor Moody stood up and said, "I know Harry better than you, Severus. I'm sure he has a good explanation if we all just take the time to hear it."
"I'm not sure we should talk about this tonight." Remus thought Harry looked frightened and exhausted, like he'd been cornered. He understood that Harry had come to Grimmauld Place, hoping to speak with him about Sirius. Instead he was surrounded by adult wizards, not all of whom had his best interests at heart.
"If nothing else, we need to know how Mr. Potter arrived here tonight," Snape said.
Remus stood up next to Moody and faced Snape. "What makes you an authority over Harry? In this house, he only answers to himself and to me."
In response, Snape sneered. "The last time I saw him we were in the castle. He threw an Incendio! spell at me and disappeared. That's how he treats authority. But of course, you'd defend him. What would any of us expect from a werewolf?"
Moody said, "Careful what you say, Severuswe still have to find a way to work together."
Harry jumped to his feet. "Stop! All of this is my fault. I don't want people arguing because of me. I'm not proud of keeping secretsI just don't know what else to do." Harry looked around the room at the surprised faces of the adults.
Looking pleased, Dumbledore spoke for the first time this evening. "Suppose you start at the beginning, Harry. How did you disappear from Hogwarts tonight?"
Shaking his head because he knew it would sound unbelievable, he said, "It wasn't me, Professor. It was this phoenix that keeps following me around." Harry burst out laughing because it just sounded so ridiculous.
Most of the adults in the room looked as though they didn't know how to take his statement. Snape clearly didn't believe him. Remus and Moody looked at him reprovingly. Tonks and Mrs. Weasley seemed shocked. Grinning widely, Harry sat back down at the table and put his hands around his mug of tea. It was still steaming hot.
Only Dumbledore chuckled along with him. He shook his head and said, "Sometime the truth sounds impossible. Does it snatch you away when it senses danger?"
Nodding, Harry said, "I think so. Sometimes she just shows up to sing for a momentlike she's saying hello. Believe meI have no control over where, or when."
"Has anyone else seen your phoenix?" Dumbledore asked.
With a nervous glance toward Mrs. Weasley, Harry said, "Well" He wasn't sure how to tell them the bird seemed to show up every time he was alone with his girlfriend.
Dumbledore was clearly very amused. "Say no more. I understand completely. Something similar happened when I met Fawkes. So what happened this evening?" He sat down next to Harry and conjured himself a cup of tea.
"Ertonight, when we left the infirmaryProfessor Snape wasn't particularly happy with me. When we stopped in the hall on the way to your office, she came out of nowhere. Suddenly I wassomewhere safe. Then I Apparated here becausetruthfully it's getting harder to get back into Hogwarts."
"Where were you? Where is this somewhere safe?'" Snape asked, his animosity evident in every syllable. He still looked as though he'd like to hang Harry up by his thumbs and make him talk.
Harry looked up at him, surprised by the vehemence of his question. Before he could answer, Remus said, "You don't have to answer that, Harry. I have one for you, Severus. As Harry's guardian, I have to question what you were doing menacing Harry so badly that this phoenix thought he needed saving?"
"You don't seriously believe this ridiculous story" Snape sat down and folded his arms in front of him. "If he has a phoenix, where is it now?" He gave them all a smug look, like he'd found the hole in Harry's story.
Ignoring Snape's question, Professor Dumbledore spoke cheerfully. "This is wonderful news. It explains so much. If I'm not mistaken, your phoenix arrived sometime during your last visit to Hogsmeade. That's when we started to notice your odd disappearances."
"Yessort ofbut she isn't my phoenix, sir. She'sshe first came with the summons stone." Putting the stone back in his pocket, he said, "I'd bring her here now, but she was headed to her nest. It's sort of late. I wouldn't want to disturb her." He looked apologetic.
Laughing derisively, Snape said, "So we're expected to accept thisfabricated story without any sort of proof."
Ignoring Snape's comment, the other adults seated themselves around the table. Remus said, "Harry, you should realizeshe's definitely your phoenix."
With infinite patience, Dumbledore explained. "A phoenix is a rather unique animal. You've seen some of what Fawkes can do. Your phoenix is getting to know you. She's testing your connection. She'll probably continue in this way for quite some time. I'm glad for you, Harry. A Phoenix is extremely loyal. She'll help you. I'm sure of it."
Moody spoke up gruffly, "You're leaving something out here. This phoenix arriving is a sign and you know it, Albus."
Acknowledging him with a brief nod, Dumbledore said, "What Professor Moody means is that with the appearance of this phoenix, we can all set aside any doubt that Harry could ever become a dark wizard. A phoenix will only adopt someone whose heart is pure." He looked amused at the scowl on Professor Snape's face.
In fact most of the adults in the room looked amused at that scowl. Finally Snape said slowly, "FineI can accept thatperhaps I've drawn some of the wrong conclusions."
Grinning Remus and Harry looked at each other, thinking the same thing. Sirius would have loved this.
The conversation soon turned to other subjects as the group ate their tea. Other members of the Order filtered into the room, anxious to sample Molly Weasley's cooking. As Harry ate his sandwiches and a delicious apple tart, he was deep in thought. They'd made a start toward trusting each other tonight. Dumbledore and the others seemed ready to accept him now. But did that mean they'd confide in him? Let him help with the Order again? And he had so many secrets of his own -- so much he'd kept to himself. What would they think if they knew? Should he tell them?
Dumbledore gave permission for Harry to spend the night at Grimmauld Place and return to Hogwarts by floo early the next day. So Harry and Remus did have a chance to talk about Sirius' name finally being cleared among other things. Phoenixes and Order business aside, Harry needed some real advice. Valentine's Day was looming large. Ginny's words were echoing in his head, "Adventure is one thing, but when it comes to Valentine's Daywell, a girl likes to be swept off her feet."
To Be Continued
A/N: Ty Nant Water is the prototype for the healing water in this chapter. The sparkling version comes in a pretty blue bottle and is supposed to have healthy minerals in it.
A/N: Notes to reviewers. Thanks!
Harry/Ginyfan4ever: You reviewed so fast, I thought you must be psychic! Everything you said about the phoenix was right. Thanks for reviewing!
Nightwing 509: Niniane wasn't happy about meeting Ginny. How much trouble can a ghost cause? Thanks for writing!
skeeter 007: Part of the reason for the distance between Harry and Dumbledore has been resolved with the arrival of Harry's phoenix. Thanks for reviewing!
Ghost Magic19: Not an illusion, but I can see why you might wonder. I will try to update faster. Thanks for writing a review!
Silly Gillie: Thanks, I'll try!
Lady of the Dragons2: Thanks for your nice review! History won't exactly repeat itself, but I do think Dumbledore is remarkably like Merlin.
Inappropriate Goat: Sorry about the cliffhanger. They make me crazy when I'm reading a WIP, but that chapter was already so longThanks for reviewing!
OrionTheHunter: I think Ginny is the sort of character who doesn't let anything stand in the way. "Anything's possible if you have enough nerve." Anyway, if they'd only listened to Luna. Thanks for writing!
Hermione Rules7: Thanks for your nice comments. I appreciate your support. Writing is so much fun. Thanks for reviewing!
rosepetal13: I hadn't thought of that torch connection. It's really good! My idea for the fountain was much simpler and not all that original. I read somewhere that the ancient Irish people had underground caves that were supposed to be the entrance to the other world. These caves had a fountain or spring at the entrance where people would bring gifts in exchange for its healing properties. Thanks for writing!
athenakitty: Yes, to all three questions! Thanks for reviewing!
gopha-gurl: Thanks for writing a review!
Marauder4eva: Parvati hasn't forgotten. Harry and Ginny having problems could mean problems for her and Dean. Thanks for reviewing!
KandiG85: Dumbledore has been acting strange. Harry really should stay out of the cave. I won't discontinue this story. Thanks for writing!
Bluemoon52292: Thanks for writing a review!
hpjr: Sorry about the cliffhanger. I'll try to update soon. Thanks for reviewing!
MsMissProngs: Thanks!
corwin: Sorry to be confusing. I was referring to the time Harry was accidentally eavesdropped outside the faculty lounge. Thanks for reviewing!
Elementation: Glad you like it! Thanks for writing a review!
SilverWarrior: Thanks for your thoughtful comments. Since Harry can't carry a tune, phoenix song is perfect for him. Thanks for writing!
Zesuit: Thanks for your nice comments! Thanks for reviewing!
Inversnaid: Thanks for writing a review!
Mrs. Sakura Potter: Ioan played Lancelot and I thought his death came as a bit of a shock. Wow, your family sounds huge! Thanks for reviewing!
Retrieve the Melon: Thanks for your suggestion. And thanks for taking the time to read and review!
A/N: Want to tell me what you think? Please review!