Title: Harry Potter and the Queen of Serpents
Author: Sinayah
Distribution: Just Ask
Rating: PG for now but will move up to R in later chapters.
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns everything except the plot and the original characters, creatures, etc.
Authors Note: As always, I want to thank my partner in crime Zenura Ravenscar. Without her support I would've never had the courage to write a single sentence. I'd also like to thank the dedicated fans who gave me so many wonderful reviews for my other fics. I hope you enjoy this as much as the others.
Chapter 2
Successfully completing the difficult apparation and checking to make sure her friends had come through in good condition, Drakkara sighed when she remembered that the doors and windows of the Shrieking Shack were boarded heavily against entry and exit. She took her wand from its sheath and muttered the reductor curse under her breath while pointing at the front door. Swearing at the noise, the woman stepped over the rubble and into the dilapidated cottage. Another quick spell returned the door to its previous state and she made her way into the single bedroom.
Drakkara grimaced at the dust and grime and used her wand once more, this time to remove the dirt from the broken down bed. "Merlin but that was exhausting. Remind me not to long distance apparate again for a while. I hope you don't mind but I'm going to take a nap before we meet with Albus. I want all my strength about me today, I can already tell its going to be difficult."
"Don't worry my friend, I will stay with you today and do what I can to help you through. Take your rest now and I will wake you when it is late enough to find my chosen in his office." Fawkes answered, settling himself on the footboard of the bed. Narasi and Vrisan hissed their agreement with the large bird, stating that they would remain coiled about her arms for the time being.
Drakkara couldn't help but smile as she drifted off to sleep. The coming day might be one of the most difficult of her life, but it would also bring her family back to her, and the raven haired woman would be damned if she'd let anything separate her from those she loved again. Watched over by the crimson and gold phoenix, the weight of her companions on her upper arms reassuring her, the lovely woman fell into dreams that kept the smile on her face even in sleep.
* * * * * * * * * * *
It was a desperate need to empty her bladder that woke the delicate featured woman several hours later. The need was exacerbated by the large, heavy bird who'd taken it upon himself to walk all over her lower abdomen. "Argh," she growled crankily, "Get off you overgrown goose!" Fawkes retaliated to the insult by jumping on her bladder once more before flying back to his makeshift perch.
The phoenix let out a chirping laugh as his human friend raced for the bathroom and called; "I'd almost forgotten how humorous it can be to wake you up my friend! Tidy yourself up quickly. Albus is awake and in his office at the moment, having a meeting with your former transfiguration mistress. I think we should talk a bit more before apparating in."
Ten minutes later Drakkara came back into the bedroom, still grumbling about how annoying it was to have a large talking bird as an alarm clock. Holding up a hand to forestall any conversation, the tall woman drew her wand and conjured a steaming mug of coffee. Bringing it to her cupids bow lips, she blew across the top lightly before taking a sip and sighing in satisfaction as the first hit of caffeine made its way into her system. "So, the old bastard is having a meeting with McGonagall. What did you need to talk to me about?"
"While you were sleeping, a thought occurred to me. Albus has had trouble over the last few years keeping a DADA teacher. Since Harry came to the school it's been one nightmare after another. One had Voldemort attached to the back of his head; one was a glory-seeking peacock, not to mention a fraud. Remus Lupin was excellent until the students found out about his lycanthropy, and the latest was a Death Eater impersonating a paranoid ex-auror. We seem to have had a run of people who are dangerous to your godson."
Sipping at her coffee, Drakkara considered what her friend had said before replying. "You want me to take the position for this year don't you?" she asked finally. The thought hadn't occurred to her previously, but she did have the qualifications.
The phoenix spoke her thought aloud, "I remembered that you had taken a Mastery in DADA, as well as a teaching certificate. I told you last night about Albus defying the Ministry. Well I forgot to mention that the pompous windbag Fudge has passed a decree giving the Ministry the right to appoint a teacher to any positions still open at the beginning of term. Albus and Minerva are discussing what to do about this, since it seems every qualified teacher except Remus Lupin has refused to take the job, and the board of governors won't allow Remus to return unless its with another qualified teacher to work with him."
"Quite a dilemma your companion finds himself in. But what else could he expect of Minister Fudge when he so openly defied him. Your idea has merit Fawkes; at least we know that I wouldn't attempt to kill Harry. I'll talk to Albus about it. Thank you for the suggestion. Now, I don't know about you, but with a cup of coffee in me I'm quite ready to face off with your chosen and make some demands." Drakkara chuckled and rubbed her hands together with slightly sinister glee.
Fawkes laughed with her, though the sound was strange coming from a phoenix. He watched as his friend pulled her hood up and arranged her cloak so that her clothing and body shape couldn't identify her. The phoenix flew to her shoulder and landed gently. "Do you need a visualization?" he asked politely and at the nod of her head sent a mental picture of the headmaster's office as viewed from just inside the doorway.
Once again Drakkara gathered her magic and encompassed her luggage and animal friends within it, preparing for another type of difficult apparation. For she was not going to appear outside the wards of the school and walk up; No, she was planning to apparate directly into the headmasters office, through the heavy wards. This feat was supposed to be impossible, but Drakkara had learned many years ago that what was impossible for most people did not always apply to her. With a mental and magical push, the strange company disappeared yet again.
* * * * * * * * * * *
When the five friends arrived in the headmasters' office a second later, they quickly found themselves in the same situation Fawkes had been in earlier. A soft popping noise had announced their arrival and both Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall had immediately drawn their wands and aimed them at the intruders. Drakkara raised her empty hands in a gesture of peace and spoke softly, but with confidence. "I apologize for startling you both, but I assure you I mean no harm. Please notice that I appeared with Fawkes perched on my shoulder, you should both realize that he would never bear to be carried by someone who sought to harm his chosen. Please, put your wands away so that we can talk."
The older witch and wizard lowered their wands slowly, but kept them in hand as a precaution. "Who are you, and how did you manage to apparate through the schools wards?" The headmaster demanded, his voice firm, blue eyes hard. He watched closely as the woman walked closer, stopped in front of his desk, and reached up to unclasp her cloak.
At the same moment Drakkara unclasped her cloak and raised her hands to throw back the hood, Fawkes took wing, grasping the cloak in his talons, and whipped the covering off to reveal his friend. The bird swiftly dropped the cloak over a chair and returned to Drakkaras' shoulder as she lifted her head and looked his chosen in the eye. "I'm surprised you didn't recognize me by voice alone Headmaster. And you should know by now that what most people consider impossible is not always so for me."
At the sight of the tall woman before them, both the headmaster and his deputy headmistress fell gracelessly back into their seats, shock written across their faces. "Great Merlin." Albus breathed, "Drakkara." And the transfiguration teacher echoed her colleagues' sentiments, "But you're supposed to be dead! You disappeared fourteen years ago!"
The younger witch seated herself casually and crossed her legs before replying, "Yes, I did disappear, though the rumors of my death were rather exaggerated. Albus, I believe you should explain to the professor just why I vanished that night. And then you can explain to me just why you allowed the lives of my loved ones to go to hell from that point to this." Anger, icy as the north wind was laced through her words and the wizened old wizard suppressed a shiver in response.
"Drakkara, you shouldn't have come out of hiding, especially not now. Do you have any idea whats been happening this last month?" He replied, knowing deep in his heart that the womans reappearance meant trouble for him. His blue eyes took in her radiant form as he waited for her answer. She had always been an ethereally beautiful woman, and fourteen years of aging seemed to have barely glanced off her delicate face. Midnight black hair that had not been touched with silver, piercingly bright violet eyes set in a pale, aristocratic face. She was tall and slender, with the generous curves of womanhood, and the grace with which she moved belied her formidable strength.
She was sitting now, casually confident, her guardian serpents present as ever upon her arms, and his phoenix perched on her shoulder. Albus knew that the bird had something to do with the sudden reappearance of the powerful woman, and he anticipated giving his familiar a long lecture later.
The raven-haired woman leaned forward slightly in her chair as she began her reply in a tightly controlled voice. "As a matter of fact I do know whats been happening Albus. Fawkes came to me late last night and told me exactly whats happened since I left this office the night after James and Lily died. I left on your council old man, with your assurances on the safety and welfare of my loved ones. Now I find that Harry has been forced to endure a life with those despicable muggles, Remus kept himself in exile for years after losing all he held dear in one fell swoop, and Siri spent twelve years in Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit and is now on the run from the Ministry."
Drakkaras' violet eyes were glowing with the force of her anger, though otherwise she was perfectly composed. "All these things could have been avoided had you sent Fawkes to me the moment things went astray. You have much to answer for Albus Dumbledore, and I suggest you start now."
Dumbledore realized in that moment just how great were his wrongs against this woman and those she held close to her heart, but he held fast to his reasons for not calling her back. "Drakkara, when you came to me, mere hours after witnessing Lily and James deaths and Voldemorts attempt on young Harry's life, you were holding onto your control by a thin thread. You have an unbelievable amount of power within you, and no control over it at that point. You came to me covered in the blood of twenty Death Eaters and asked for my aid. I counseled you to what I thought was best, and when the plans we spoke of began to go awry, I felt that I if I called you back you would lose that thin strand of control and fall again into mad rage."
He held out his thin, age spotted, wrinkled hands toward the younger witch in a gesture asking forgiveness. "I have no other excuse for my actions. Once Sirius was in Azkaban I had no one else whom I could entrust with Harrys' care, and I'm sorry to say that I believed Sirius guilty as much as everyone else did. I debated with my conscience long and hard before I spoke to Remus and told him I believed you dead, and here is where I apologize for a grave mistake on my part." The old man looked into her unusually shaded eyes and found them bright with unshed tears. After taking a deep breath, he continued.
"We had agreed that he would be told the truth of the situation, but at the time we believed he would have both Sirius and Harry to help him overcome his grief at your leaving. How then, after losing everyone, including Sirius and Harry, could I tell him that you had nearly lost yourself in darkness and had left him willingly so that you could regain your control and at the same time avoid the remaining Death Eaters who were hunting for you. After he disappeared as well, I realized that rather than allow him to believe he had now lost everyone he cared for, I should rather have sent him to you with Fawkes as his guide and that together you might have both recovered your strength and been able to return to us."
Finished with his explanation, the powerful wizard seemed to lose his formidable strength and was merely a very old man, holding his hands out in hopes of being forgiven. "I am sorry child, for the wrongs I have committed against you. It seems that the wisdom of age can, in desperate times, turn to foolishness. Forgive me my young friend, and tell me what I can do to help rectify the damage I've wrought."
Seeing the truth of his words in the sky blue eyes of her old headmaster and mentor, Drakkara rose from her seat and walked around the desk to kneel beside the old wizard. She took the hands he had offered and looked into his eyes as she spoke. "Only in the return to wisdom can we admit our mistakes old friend. If you will help me now to fix what has been damaged, then know yourself forgiven for my part. Set that abominable twinkle back in your eyes and lets talk now of what we will do to bring my family together again. After that is set in motion we will speak of darker issues, for I've returned to you stronger than I ever was, prepared again to assist you in the dark times ahead."
The old wizard smiled gently and tugged on the slender hands clasped in his. Drakkara rose and leaned forward to be embraced by her former headmaster, and returned his smile with one of her own. Separating after a few moments, the two then turned to Minerva McGonagall, who had remained silent up to this point. The older woman clasped her hands together and stated, "Well, I still don't understand exactly whats going on between the two of you, but I imagine I'll find out later. For now I'll say that I'm exceedingly glad that you are not dead Drakkara, and that you've come back to us when we need you most."
The violet-eyed woman took her seat again before replying, "Yes, you do seem to have quite a mess on your hands, don't you? One problem I think I can solve for you now. Fawkes had a rather good idea earlier this morning. If you'll have me, I'll accept the DADA post for the year, and hopefully Remus will join me. That will take the worry over the pompous windbag Fudge off your shoulders, and give Harry time to get to know me."
"My goodness!" Minerva exclaimed, "I'd forgotten you had a teaching degree, and a masters certification in DADA as well! Albus, there's no way the board or the ministry could refuse her the position!" The normally staid and unemotional woman was practically hopping in her chair with happiness. The worry over a new DADA teacher had weighed heavy on her mind since they'd gotten word of the new Educational Decree.
Albus too was smiling, eyes twinkling merrily as he anticipated Fudges' reaction on hearing that he would not be able to thrust some ministry official on them for the coming year. "Yes, that will do quite well. Consider yourself hired Drakkara. Minerva, I will have to be away most of the afternoon. I need to explain Drakkaras' return to Remus and Sirius, and prepare to re introduce her to the Order at tonight's meeting. Would you find some time this afternoon to draft a letter to the board of governors and the ministry board of education, stating that we have found a qualified teacher for the post to work with Remus Lupin if he agrees to return?"
The deputy headmistresses brown eyes filled with sinister glee as she replied, "I'll get to work on it at once Headmaster. Since the post is now filled, I believe our meeting can be adjourned. You have some things to discuss with Drakkara before you leave, so I'll go back up to my office and draft those letters." Minerva stood to leave, saying her good-byes, and couldn't resist taking the younger womans hand in an affectionate gesture before leaving the room.
"Well now," Albus said, sitting back in his chair, "Why don't you tell me what plans you and my beloved but traitorous familiar have come up with. I wouldn't mind hearing also, if you'll interpret for him, Fawkes explanation for his actions last night." His eyes twinkling with mischief as he attempted to sternly remonstrate his feathered friend.
Drakkara laughed and raised a hand to stroke the phoenix, who was still perched on her shoulder. "You'll have to forgive Fawkes, Albus. He only had the best intentions when he came to me. He wanted to make my Harry-loves' birthday wish come true, not to mention bring to you an advisor who'll keep you from making any grievous errors in dealing with our reborn enemy. In support of his actions I'll say this, you told me once that if I couldn't trust in myself I should trust in those who loved me. Fawkes loves you dearly Albus, and he came to me with the hope that I could stop you from making a terrible mistake where Harry is concerned."
Dumbledore nodded, giving a smile to his phoenix, and gestured for the younger woman to continue. "The mistake he's afraid you're making is in keeping Harry in the dark about what's happening since Voldemorts return. I have to agree with him. Considering that Harry is the evil bastards main target, and has been for years, keeping Harry in the dark is only going to make him angry with you and more likely to get himself and his friends embroiled in another life threatening adventure."
"We mustn't forget that even though Harry is a child in body, he's had to grow up faster than others his age. He's faced Voldemort three times in the last four years, and each time he's handled the situation far better than many fully-grown wizards would. Where the dark lord is concerned, I believe Harry should be treated as an equal. Besides ourselves, Harry is the only person still living who's stood face to face with Voldemort and defied him openly. He deserves respect for those actions, not patronizing adults who tell him he's just a child." She finished her speech and sat back, drawing her wand to conjure up some much-deserved tea for herself and the headmaster.
Albus took the proffered cup of steaming liquid with a nod of thanks and considered the opinions his young friend had offered for both herself and his familiar. "You're right of course, I hadn't seen it from that perspective." The old man called the crimson and gold bird over to him and stroked the bright plumage. "I thank you Fawkes, for bringing our friend back and preventing me from making another mistake. If ever you disagree with me again, please don't hesitate to let me know. Having Drakkara back with us will most definitely make communication between us easier."
The old wizard sat quietly, petting his companion lovingly for a few moments. Fawkes turned his head and trilled at Drakkara, asking her to pass a message to his chosen. "He says that he will do as you ask, and sends assurance of his love for you." The witch interpreted easily. She sipped quietly at her tea while Albus and Fawkes enjoyed each other's company, waiting until they were ready to continue.
Eventually, the phoenix returned to his perch on the womans shoulder and began a conversation that Albus could only watch with wonder, not understanding the meaning of the phoenix song or the strange language that Drakkara spoke when she conversed with the magical bird. "Drakkara, we should go soon to retrieve Harry I think." The phoenix began.
"How do you think we should go about it my friend? I doubt that Harry will trust me on sight, though you said he saw me in his penseive last night. And if I'm going to retrieve him from the Dursleys' I need some place to take him. Have you any suggestions?" The woman replied.
Fawkes considered for a moment before speaking again. "The Order is using a large home as its new headquarters. I believe you and Harry could stay there if Albus will tell you where it is, it's under a Fidelius charm, so I can't just give you a visualization. As for gaining Harrys' trust in allowing you to take him from his relatives, I suggest you have my chosen write a letter for him. That, along with my presence, should convince Harry to trust that you came with Albus' blessing."
Drakkara nodded her agreement, "Alright then, that's the plan." She replied to the bird before switching to English and speaking to the headmaster. "Fawkes believes that I should go to Harry with a letter from you to assure him that he can trust me. I hope you won't mind my borrowing your familiar for a while longer, he says that his presence will reassure Harry that I did indeed come from you. Also, he suggests that you tell me the location of the new Order headquarters so that I can bring Harry there for the rest of the summer." She recounted her previous conversation.
The headmaster nodded his agreement and replied, "Yes, that was what I was thinking. Harrys' friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger are both staying at headquarters for the summer, and their support will help him get through learning and accepting all we have to tell him." He took a piece of parchment from his desk as he spoke and began writing. "You do remember, I hope, how the Fidelius charm works? At the end of this letter I will write down the location of headquarters, I believe you'll recognize the address so that you can apparate nearby."
A few minutes later he signed and sealed the letter and handed it to Drakkara, who slid it into a pocket of her cloak. "Thank you Albus. Is there anything else we need to discuss before I go?" She asked, nervous excitement in her voice as she realized that she'd soon be reunited with the child she loved as if he were her own.
"Hmm, just one more thing. Perhaps you could talk with Harry for a while before joining me at Headquarters. I'd like to explain things to Remus and Sirius before you arrive, and I fear that with their tempers it might take a while. Remus especially will be difficult after learning that I outright lied to him." The old man sighed, not looking forward to facing Remus and trying to explain himself. "Come, I'll walk down to the apparation point with you."
Drakkara stood and replaced her cloak about her shoulders, though she left the hood down, and Fawkes landed on her left shoulder again as she walked with the headmaster out of his office. They passed a few portraits and ghosts along the way through the castle, and each looked after them, stunned at the sight of the young woman who'd passed through their halls as a student years before.
When they reached the apparation point, just beyond the school wards, Albus turned to his young friend and gave one more instruction. "When you come to headquarters, please knock softly on the door rather than ringing the bell. We're having a bit of trouble with a rather loud and insulting portrait in the front hall. I'll try to have your friends calmed down by the time you arrive. I just hope they believe me."
The younger witch thought for a second before removing one of her knives from her belt and cutting a small lock of hair from the nape of her neck, gently pulling it out of the intricate bun, and handing it to the headmaster. "Give this to Remus if he doubts your story, he'll know it's freshly cut and that it came from me. I'll give you as much time as I can, though I don't know how long I'll be able to withstand the Dursleys' presence before I feel the need to transfigure them into toads. Be well Albus, I'll see you later this afternoon."
"Be well Drakkara, and good luck. I look forward to seeing you reunited with your family." The old wizard replied sincerely before disapparating with a pop. Turning slightly so that she could address the phoenix on her shoulder she asked, "Fawkes, can you give me a visualization?"
Fawkes gave her the mental picture needed for the jump, and said "This is a point just outside the wards my chosen placed around the Dursley residence, you don't need to tire yourself by going through another set of wards today. Besides, it will royally displease the muggles to see you come walking up the street dressed as you are, with an unusual bird on your shoulder." Both human and avian laughter sounded and lingered for a moment after they'd disappeared.