Distribution: Just Ask
Rating: PG 13 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. The language Quenya and most anything elven related is the creation of J.R.R. Tolkein.
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 8
The evening passed quietly among the group at Grimmauld Place. Soon after finishing their tour Kingsley and Tonks left for their own homes, and after Severus finished his talk with Albus, the headmaster, deputy headmistress, and potions master prepared to depart. Before they could apparate away, Drakkara asked each of them to come up to her room to receive the gifts she had for them.
Albus went up first, and Drakkara handed him his shrunken trunk. "I think you'll enjoy your gifts Albus. There are quite a few additions for your library, as well as some other items I thought you might find useful."
"Thank you my dear, I'm sure I will enjoy your gifts immensely." The old man placed his gifts in a pocket of his robes and hugged the younger woman tightly. When he left the room Drakkara asked him to send Minerva up for her box of presents which he did happily.
The raven-haired womans gifts for her former transfiguration professor, though of lesser monetary value than the books and trinkets she'd bought for Albus, were none the less special and distinctly suited for the Head of Gryffindor. Minerva received several books on transfiguration and animagi that Drakkara had translated from their original languages, as well as a lovely piece of sculpture showing the transformation of a young woman into a large cat.
Severus was the last to visit Drakkara in her room, not believing that she would have thought enough of him to procure a gift for him on her travels. But when she turned back from her bed to face him, the onyx-eyed man saw that she did indeed have something for him. "This ties in with the magic of stones that we were talking about earlier Severus. I designed this amulet using black coral, cats eye, and black jade imbued with several spells to enhance their natural powers. This is a powerful protective amulet Severus, and its main purpose is to absorb negative energy. Specifically, it absorbs the effects of the Cruciatus curse. If you can fake being subjected to that spell well enough to fool the Dark Lord, then you need never feel the pain of it again."
The tall man took the jewelers box and opened it to reveal the amulet. It was a golden, circular disk with several stones set around the edge and the runic symbols for protection, strength, and willpower engraved into the center. He looked up from the amulet with gratitude in his eyes. "Once again, I thank you Drakkara. This is a truly wonderful gift for someone in my position. Considering our past, I don't know what drove you to create this for me, but I thank you for your thoughtfulness."
"You're welcome Severus. Our past is just that, past. Though the things that happened will never be forgotten, they can be forgiven. Wear the amulet with my sincere wishes for your safety." She replied, somewhat formally.
They descended the stairs together in silence and separated in the entrance hall. When the headmaster, deputy headmistress, and potions master had departed, she returned to the sitting room and passed the rest of the evening with her friends and family. They ate their dinner together in the kitchen and the adults watched over the children as they played one of their new board games before bed.
* * * * * * * * * *
A few hours after being tucked into bed with a hug and kiss from his godmother, Harry drifted from a deep, peaceful sleep into a dream filled with pain.
Harry found himself in a large chamber, sitting on a throne with a large serpent coiled about his feet. Several men in black robes and expressionless white skull-like masks formed a half circle around the throne, each coming to kiss the hem of his robes before taking their place in the circle.
"My loyal Death Eaters, tell me of your progress in retrieving my prophecy from the Ministry of Magic. Lucius, what have you to report?" Came a hissing voice from Harrys' mouth. The teen realized he must be having a vision through the eyes of the Dark Lord and paid close attention to what was said.
The Death Eaters came forward, one at a time, to give their reports to the evil being who was their Lord. It quickly became obvious that Voldemort was not pleased with their lack of progress in getting what he wanted, as he was very liberal with his use of the Cruciatus curse. Harry felt the searing pain of the Unforgivable curse throughout his body and dearly wished he could wake up, but the vision had him trapped.
Forced to endure several bouts of the Cruciatus, Harry was barely aware of what was going on around him when the Dark Lord called forth Severus Snape. "Snape! What have you to report to me on the situation at Hogwarts and the activities of that muggle loving fool Dumbledore? I warn you Snape, you had better have something of use to me this time or you will suffer the consequences of my displeasure." Voldemort hissed.
"My Lord, I do indeed have information for you, important information that threatens your rise to power. My Lord, Drakkara Vanimaer has returned to Hogwarts." The potions master said as he stepped forward from his place in the circle.
Harry felt his, or rather Voldemorts mouth drop open and his serpentine eyes widen in shock at the younger mans words. "Severus Snape, you had better be able to provide proof of your claims. Lucius has informed me that the bitch Vanimaer is dead, and has been since the night I went to kill the Potters."
Snape seemed to cower in the face of the Dark Lords anger, but his voice was steady as he elaborated. "I have seen her My Lord. Dumbledore has apparently had her in hiding since that night. She returned yesterday, and the old fool appointed her to the DADA post for the coming school year. I believe he was as shocked at her return as I was, but they seem to be on good terms."
The red eyes of the Dark Lord narrowed, and Harry felt the evil man concentrate on something for a few moments before abruptly calling, "Malfoy! What say you to Severus' claim, which I know to be true? You informed me of her death, and I made my plans under the belief that one of my most powerful opponents was no longer a threat. CRUCIO!"
As Harry felt the pain curse rage through him again he felt a pulling sensation and knew he was waking up. Thankful for the relief, he allowed the sensation to carry him into wakefulness.
The messy haired teen woke abruptly and immediately tried to sit up in bed. His spell-abused body vehemently protested the movement, causing him to cry out. In the bed next to Harry, Ron grunted and rolled over, the cry of pain from his best friend not being enough to wake him. Knowing that it would take more effort to wake his red haired friend than it would to force his pain filled body out of bed and up the stairs, Harry slowly got up on his own.
He clutched at the walls for balance as he painfully ascended the stairs to the third floor and stumbled down the hall to his godmothers' bedroom. Harry knew he needed to tell one of the adults about his vision, and he hoped Kara would have something in her trunk to ease the pain he was feeling. Reaching her closed door, he rapped on it a few times and waited for her to answer.
Drakkara had just climbed into bed when she heard someone knocking on her door. She got out of bed and opened the door with a curious expression that changed to shock as she saw her godson leaning against the wall, obviously in pain. "Harry-love, what happened? What's wrong with you?" She cried softly, putting her arm around the teen and leading him to her bed.
"Vision…I had a vision of Voldemort. He cast the Cruciatus on some of the Death Eaters and I felt it. Snape told him that you were back and he did something in his head. After he yelled at Lucius Malfoy and hit him with the Cruciatus, that's when I woke up." Harry explained as the older woman helped him into her bed and covered him with the blankets.
She sat down at the boys' side and performed a cursory examination of him. She looked into his eyes and found his pupils contracted to mere pinpricks of black amidst the bright green. Taking his hand and placing her fingers over the pulse point in his wrist she felt his blood racing through his veins harder and faster than was normal. Small tremors were coursing through his slight body.
These symptoms were the trademark after-effects of being put under the Unforgivable pain curse. Drakkara smoothed back the boys sweat soaked hair and kissed his forehead gently. "I'm sorry Sweetling, no one should have to see what you did or experience that pain. I'll go get something to make you feel better."
Leaving the boy in her bed, Drakkara swiftly opened and entered the tenth chamber of her trunk, heading for the potions lab. One of her experimental potions was an improved Anti-Cruciatus. She'd only tested the potion on animals, unwilling to subject a human to the curse, but she knew it would help her godson. Even if the added amethyst and peridot powder did nothing to improve the effects of the potion, it would do no harm to the boy.
She grabbed a medium sized vial of the yellow green potion with purple flecks and rushed back up the ladder into her bedroom. She found her godson curled up on his side, silent tears of pain coursing down his cheeks. The raven-haired woman knelt down beside the bed to look into the brilliant green eyes of the teen. "Harry-love, it's alright. Let's get you back onto your back and I'll give you this potion to ease the pain."
Drakkara helped the boy ease onto his back and propped him up with pillows. She uncorked the vial of potion and tipped it slowly into the boys' open mouth. She watched attentively as the potion took effect almost immediately and was pleased to see Harrys' pupils dilate to normal size and feel his pulse slow under her fingertips. She gave the potion a few minutes to work before asking, "How do you feel now Sweetling? Are you still in pain?"
Harry cautiously tensed his muscles and was pleased to feel only a residual soreness, as if he'd run for a long distance. "Lot's better Ama. Whatever that stuff was worked really good. Didn't taste half bad either, just kinda like rock and plants."
"Very good. Harry-love, I want you to stay in here with me tonight in case you have another vision. I need to go downstairs and use the fireplace really quick, would you like me to go get Siri to stay with you while I'm gone?" She asked, stroking the teen's messy hair.
The raven-haired teen nodded in reply and Drakkara hurried out of the room to fetch his godfather. She found both Sirius and Remus in the animagus' bedroom, sitting in a pair of wingback chairs chatting. She quickly explained what had happened and both men followed her back to her room. "Hey kiddo, Kara take care of you alright? Do you need anything else?" Sirius asked as he sat on the bed next to Harry.
Drakkara left her godson with the two Marauders and made a quick firecall to Albus, finding the headmaster awake, waiting for Severus to return from the meeting. She told the old wizard of Harrys' vision and informed him that the boy had suffered the Cruciatus along with the Death Eaters. The headmaster asked if he should send Poppy Pomphrey over to look at the teen and was relieved when the younger woman declined, saying she'd already taken care of her godson.
After pulling her head out of the fire on the conclusion of her call, she hurried back upstairs to check on Harry. Entering her room, a smile graced her features when she saw the boy cuddled into his godfathers' chest. Sirius had gotten into bed with the boy and was now telling him some story from the Marauders school days. Remus was sitting on the edge of the bed, listening to the story.
She waited until her friend had finished his tale before announcing her presence. "Well, you guys look cozy. I hate to break up the party but we need to get some sleep." The two men said their goodnights to the woman and boy before heading off to their own rooms. Drakkara slipped her robe off, revealing a peach silk sleep set and climbed into bed beside Harry.
The boy turned over to face his godmother and cuddled into her welcoming arms, laying his head on her shoulder. He closed his eyes and asked quietly, "Will you sing for me Ama? Maybe it'll keep the nightmares away."
"Of course I will Love. Hush now, and don't worry over bad dreams." She replied. Drakkara adjusted the blankets over them both and used some wandless magic to turn out the lights. When only the moonlight coming through the window bathed the room, the raven-haired woman closed her eyes and began to sing Harrys' lullaby in her native language.
She kept singing until she felt her godson relax completely into her and his breathing evened out, one song flowing seamlessly into the next. When she was sure Harry was deeply asleep, Drakkara let her voice fade out in a whisper. Turning slightly, she cuddled the sleeping boy closer to her body and let herself ease into sleep.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Mum!" Ron Weasley yelled as he came running down the stairs the next morning. He skidded into the kitchen, nearly colliding with his mother. "Mum! Harry isn't in his bed!" The young redhead tried to explain, fearing that something had happened to his best friend.
Remus Lupin walked through the door just in time to hear Rons' almost frantic tone. "Stop worrying Ron, he's okay. Harry had a vision of Voldemort last night and went up to Karas' room. He stayed up there with her last night, I imagine they're both still sleeping."
Both mother and son sighed in relief, knowing Harry was safe. "Well, breakfast will be ready soon. Perhaps the two of you could go back up and wake everyone while I finish this batch of pancakes." Molly said, turning back to her skillet.
While Ron woke the other teens and his father on the second floor, Remus headed back to the third floor. The werewolf went into his own room and retrieved his camera before walking across the hall to the room where his mate and her godchild were sleeping. He opened the door quietly so as not to disturb the occupants and smiled widely at the sight they presented.
Lying on their sides, facing each other, were Drakkara and Harry. The teenage boy had the side of his face pressed to his godmothers chest and his arms loosely wrapped around her ribs. Drakkara in turn was resting her cheek against the boys kitten soft black hair, her own dark locks falling over the back of Harrys head, making it hard to tell whose hair was whose. Her pale arms were crossed over the teen's back, one hand resting against his neck and the other over the small of his back. Each was smiling contentedly in their sleep, making for a lovely picture when Remus clicked the shutter on his camera several times.
The soft clicking noise woke Drakkara and she lazily opened her violet eyes. "Good Morning Remy, I want copies of those." She greeted sleepily. The womans voice and the movement of her chest under his cheek woke Harry, who blinked sleepily at his godmother and professor, causing the latter to take another picture.
"Good morning you two. How are you feeling Harry?" Remus asked, coming to sit at the foot of the bed.
Harry tried out his movement capabilities and found that while his muscles were still a little sore, it was a vast improvement from the previous night. "Much better thanks. Still tired and a little sore though, I feel like I could sleep the day away."
Both the teen and his godmother sat up and leaned against the pillows, Harry keeping Drakkaras' arm around him and his head against her shoulder. "That's good to hear, you weren't looking your best last night. I'm sure if you ask her nicely, your godmum could come up with something to get rid of the soreness and lethargy. Molly says breakfast is almost ready and she's made pancakes so you'll want to hurry down and get some before the bottomless pit that is Ron Weasley eats them all." Remus announced, a teasing smile on his handsome face.
"Pancakes, yummy!" Harry said as he turned a puppy dog expression on Drakkara. "Can you give me something that'll make food sound better than more sleep Ama?" He asked pleadingly, not wanting to miss out on Mrs. Weasleys' pancakes because he couldn't force himself out of bed.
The violet-eyed woman nodded and released her godson to climb out of bed. "A bit of energizing potion and a mild healing draught ought to do the trick. I have some in the trunk, be back in a minute." She replied, walking over to the magical trunk and climbing in.
True to her word, she was back a few moments later with a vial of each potion she wanted the boy to take. Harry downed the potions quickly, grimacing with disgust at the taste. "Eww, blech! How come those two potions tasted like troll dung and the one you gave me last night didn't?"
Drakkara laughed and ruffled the boys' hair. "Secret ingredients Harry-love. The anti-cruciatus I gave you last night had a few improvements in it, the others didn't. Come on now, up you get. I want pancakes!"
The trio went to get Sirius up before they went down for breakfast, which inspired some more pictures and a good bout of laughter. The animagus was a difficult person to wake up as it turned out. Remus tried calling and shaking his best friend; Harry yelled "Food!" and tried jumping on his godfather. When that failed he tried tickling before standing back with the werewolf and declaring that it was impossible.
"Bah, you two just don't know how to go about waking a difficult man. Watch and learn, but if you ever try it on him yourselves, I don't want to know about it!" With her former fiancé and godson watching, Drakkara sat down beside Sirius and leaned over him. She brushed her lips over his cheeks, nose, and forehead, looking up and grinning cheekily at the other two when Siri began to stir.
Leaning back down, she kissed the animagus again, just softly brushing her lips over his. When she pulled back again she saw his eyes beginning to open and stood up from the bed, placing her hands on her hips and opening her mouth to yell, in her sternest teachers voice. "SIRIUS ORION BLACK! GET YOUR LAZY SELF OUT OF BED NOW! YOU ARE MISSING MY TRANSFIGURATION CLASS AND I WON'T STAND FOR IT! TWENTY POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR!"
Sirius practically leaped from the bed, bright blue eyes wide as he scanned the room for Minerva McGonagall. Seeing only his two best friends and his godson leaning against the wall laughing at him, it slowly dawned on him what had happened. "Merlin's Balls Kara! Did you have to scare me like that?"
Still gasping with laughter, the raven-haired woman nodded emphatically. "You bet I did! Harry and Remy had absolutely no luck waking you and I want some of Mollys' pancakes! Come on you lazy mutt, I'll make your coffee if you hurry."
Drakkara led the way down the two flights of stairs and entered the kitchen to find a full table. Molly and Arthur, along with the children and surprisingly, Albus, were well into their breakfast. Giving them a cheery good morning and pointedly ignoring the three teenage boys gaping at her peach silk tank top and boxer style sleep shorts, she headed for the coffee pot while Remus filled four plates with pancakes and set them in the open spaces around the table.
The group enjoyed a leisurely breakfast; eating silently for the most part but enjoying each other's company none the less. When they'd finished and were just sitting around with cups of tea, coffee, or pumpkin juice, Albus spoke up to explain his presence. "Harry, how are you feeling this morning?" The old wizard asked first. After receiving the boys' assurance that he was feeling no ill effects, thanks to his godmothers' potion making skills, Albus turned his twinkling blue eyes on Drakkara.
"As you were informed by Harry, Severus did indeed report your return to Voldemort during the Death Eater meeting last night. As you're now free to announce your return to the wizarding world, I wondered how you wanted to go about it." The headmaster asked.
The dark haired woman considered for a few moments before replying. "I suppose it would be easiest to just go into the Daily Prophet office and talk to someone there. I don't want to take all day about it; I need to take care of some things here today. If you have time Albus, I'd like you to go with me. We'll announce my return and taking of the DADA post at the same time."
The older wizard agreed to accompany his new professor readily, "I believe that would be best Drakkara. We can refrain from giving too many details of why you left and where you've been if we concentrate the announcement on your taking of the DADA post. I can spare an hour or so this morning to go with you."
Drakkara agreed with Albus and hurried back upstairs to dress. She entered her wardrobe and set out to find something that wouldn't give an impression that she was a skilled warrior. When Voldemort saw the photograph that would no doubt accompany the announcement, he would see a once powerful opponent that seemed to have softened over the years.
Eventually she chose a pastel green sundress with white roses embroidered around the hem and square neckline. She chose a gold necklace with an opal pendant and matching bracelet, anklet and earrings for jewelry, and white sandals. Her long black hair was combed out and clipped up at the sides, leaving the rest to fall in a smooth mane down her back.
After activating the strong shielding charms imbued in her jewelry, Drakkara climbed back out of her trunk to find her godson sitting on her bed. The boy had a pensive and sad look on his face, which concerned the older woman. "Harry-love, what's wrong?"
Harry stood and walked over to his godmother, wrapping his arms around her. She returned the embrace and waited for him to voice his fears. The teen gave a small sigh, "I dunno, I guess I just don't want to share you with the rest of the world yet. The last couple days you've been just mine and Siri and Remys'."
"Oh, Precious. Do you think I'm going to leave you once the world knows I'm back?" She asked softly, keeping the teen in her arms as she moved them to the couch. She sat down and pulled Harry into her lap, holding him close and murmuring reassurances in his ear. "Harry, you and Remy and Sirius are my family, you won't lose me. I can't keep Albus waiting much longer, but when I get back I have something to show you, something that will show you just how special you are to me."
Reassured, Harry loosened his hold on the older woman and got off her lap, though he didn't object when she wrapped her arm around his shoulders as they walked downstairs. "You look really pretty Ama." He complimented, taking note of her outfit.
She squeezed his shoulders and replied, "Thank you Sweetling. Being such a famous person yourself, do you have any suggestions as to how I should handle the interview?" Drakkara teased mildly.
The messy haired boy nodded, "Watch what the reporters' quill is writing. The nasty reporter who wrote a lot of the stories about me last year used a Quick Quotes Quill that made up a lot of crud."
Thanking her godson for his advice, they joined Albus in the entrance hall. Before they apparated out, Drakkara crouched down to look into Harrys' brilliant green eyes. "I love you Harry. I promise I'll come back." She gave him a tight hug, which he returned fiercely, before stepping away and disapparating with the headmaster.
* * * * * * * * * *
Albus Dumbledore appeared a moment later with his younger companion in the small courtyard at the back of the Leaky Cauldron. Despite her worry over Harry, Drakkara couldn't hold back a smile as she saw the wall that opened into Diagon Alley. It was in this courtyard in 1967 that she had met her best friend, Lily Evans. Stepping forward, she took her wand from its sheath and tapped the correct bricks to open the passageway.
As they stepped through the passage, Albus noticed that his young friend was lost in her memories. 'My poor child, what have I done to you? I forced you away from this world, your home, your friends and loved ones when you needed them the most. Now you're back, so strong, so powerful and confident. Again taking care of everyone before yourself, ignoring the memories that must pain you badly.' The old wizard thought to himself, gazing at the unfocused violet eyes that shone with unshed tears.
Feeling the weight of the headmasters' gaze, Drakkara broke away from the memories that had overcome her. "Sorry Albus, I couldn't help remembering. The courtyard was where I first met Lily." She explained and received a nod from the old wizard.
"Well, as the muggles say, let's get this show on the road. I want to get this over with as fast as possible. I need to spend today with Harry, Remus, and Sirius. Now, if I remember right, the Prophet office is just down this way." Without further ado, she looped her arm through Albus' and they strode confidently down the cobblestone street.
The offices of the Daily Prophet were chaotic on any normal day, but became even more so when Albus Dumbledore stepped through the front door accompanied by the loveliest woman many of the Prophet employees had ever seen. The editor of the wizarding newspaper, a man named Wilfred Rumormill, stepped out of his large office to greet the pair in person. "Headmaster Dumbledore, it's a pleasure to see you. What can we do for you today?"
Albus shook the hand offered to him. "Ah, Mr. Rumormill. I believe I have a newsworthy story for you. If you wouldn't mind meeting with my companion and I in your office?" The headmaster gestured toward the office and with a quick nod, the editor led them through.
After seating his illustrious guest and the mans companion, Wilfred Rumormill sat down behind his large desk and asked, "Well Headmaster, I'm quite interested to find out what you'd like to tell me, but would you mind introducing your lovely companion first? I must say, she looks quite familiar."
"As well she should Mr. Rumormill. I believe it may have been leaked to you from the Ministry that I have found a well qualified DADA teacher for this term at Hogwarts?" The editor raised his eyebrow curiously but nodded and waited for the older wizard to continue. "Good, good. Then I shall first introduce my companion as the holder of that position. She will be sharing classes with Remus Lupin when school starts on the first."
Both of the editors' eyebrows raised now, and he pulled a quill and parchment from his desk. "Really, Remus Lupin you say. The same Remus Lupin who taught two terms back, and resigned when it was found out that he was a werewolf?"
The headmaster nodded, "Yes, quite unfortunate that. I didn't want to accept his resignation; the man is a wonderful teacher."
Mr. Rumormill turned to Drakkara before the headmaster finished his comment. "And what are your feelings about working beside a dark creature, aren't you afraid that he might harm either you or the students?"
Violet eyes glared coldly at the man as Drakkara spoke for the first time. "Remus Lupin is not a dark creature, Mr. Rumormill. He is a man who was unfortunate enough to have been bitten by a werewolf when he was a child. As for my feelings, I'm quite happy to find myself in his company again. Remus is a kind, caring man, one I love dearly; and as Albus said, he is an excellent teacher. I have no fear that he would ever harm myself or the students."
"Well, you are certainly a brave woman Miss…" The editor trailed off, hoping to finally receive the womans name. He was sure he knew her face from somewhere, she was so ethereally beautiful that he was surprised he'd forgotten the name that went with the face.
Albus broke in again, chuckling. "Ah, this is where our true reason for coming here lies. You see Mr. Rumormill; my companion disappeared from the wizarding world fourteen years ago and has been presumed dead. She now wishes to announce her return, along with her new job. My young friend here is none other than Miss Drakkara Vanimaer, Defense Against the Dark Arts Master, Member of the Defense Masters Guild, and now Professor of DADA at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Wilfred Rumormill had his mouth hanging wide open in shock. It had been the series of articles he wrote fourteen years ago about the Halloween Slaughter that had gotten him the promotion to editor. He'd written of the Potters deaths and how it was possible that the woman before him had witnessed the Dark Lords fall. He'd done a detailed piece about the womans disappearance, initiating the rumor that after witnessing the fall of the Dark Lord she'd been kidnapped and tortured to death by his followers. Also insinuating that there had been nothing left of her body to find when they'd finished, nothing solid to prove her death. To this day Drakkara Vanimaer had not been declared legally dead, was listed merely as Missing, Presumed Dead.
The man shook his head to clear it. "Headmaster, Drakkara Vanimaer has been presumed dead for fourteen years. Do you have any proof that she is who she claims to be?"
Dumbledore answered easily, "Of course. Drakkara became one of my close friends after her graduation from Hogwarts, as did the Potters. When she turned up in my office two days ago, I recognized her immediately. She also had detailed knowledge of things known only between the two of us. I can assure you without hesitation that this woman is Drakkara Vanimaer."
"And before you start asking questions Mr. Rumormill, where I have been and what drove me away are none of the publics business. What brought me back is simple. It was widely known that I opposed the Dark Lord during his first reign of terror. Now he is back to make a second attempt, and I returned to oppose him again. Lily and James Potter were two of my dearest friends. Harry Potter is my godson, and Albus Dumbledore is as a father to me. Voldemort has taken too much from me and those I love; I will not allow him to take anyone else." The raven-haired woman spoke every word clearly, and her comments about Voldemort had ice cold hatred in their tone.
Drakkara stood after she'd finished, and Albus joined her. "I believe that concludes the purpose of our visit Mr. Rumormill. Should you choose to print this story, I warn you to print only the words I spoke, not the ones you wish to put in my mouth. Should I see any propaganda, false quotes, or slanderous comments against myself, Headmaster Dumbledore, or any of the people I care about, you will find yourself and this newspaper being sued for everything you, and it, are worth."
Leaving the stunned man sitting behind his desk, Drakkara and Albus strolled casually out of the office, and then the building, taking note of several camera flashes as they passed. As soon as they were far enough away that the Prophet employees wouldn't be able to see them, they burst out in laughter. "Oh my! Drakkara dear, it would almost seem as though you didn't like Mr. Rumormill!" The bearded wizard said through his chuckles.
The lovely woman leaned back against a nearby wall and fully gave in to her merriment. "Oh! Did you see his face Albus? I believe he may have wet himself when I said Voldemort!" After her comment, it took several minutes for the pair to calm themselves enough that they could continue on their way.
Knowing Albus had to get back to the school, Drakkara suggested that they separate once they exited Diagon Alley. The older wizard agreed and said their good-byes in the courtyard. After Albus had disapparated, Drakkara stepped through the door into the pub. Wanting to get a case of butterbeer to take back to Grimmauld Place with her, she walked up to the counter and waited for Tom, the barkeep to notice her.
It didn't take long for the old bartender to make his way over. "What can I get for you today?" He asked, not looking up from the glass he was cleaning.
"Humph! After fourteen years you could manage a bit more enthusiasm at seeing an old friend Tom." Drakkara said, faking annoyance in her tone while she grinned at the old man.
Tom whipped his head up as he heard the familiar voice. One look into the lovely face and unusually shaded eyes confirmed what his ears had told him. "Merlin's ghost! You're supposed to be dead!" He exclaimed, rushing around the bar to embrace the younger woman.
She returned the hug, laughing at his astonishment. "Not quite Tom. It's good to see you again by the way."
It was now Toms' turn to sound annoyed as he replied, "Good to see me again, indeed! You get yourself behind that bar and start talking Little Girl. Where in the nine hells have you been?" He asked, leading her around the bar and gently pushing her onto a stool.
Drakkara shook her head, still smiling. "Sorry Tom, can't go into details right now. I've been here, there, and everywhere. Now I'm back, going to be teaching DADA with Remus at Hogwarts this year."
The bartender nodded agreement to her wish to keep the details of her disappearance quiet. "Teaching at Hogwarts you say? Well, good for you my girl. Always thought you'd make a good teacher. I'll let you off without telling me the whole story this time, but you better promise you'll come by here some night and tell me in private."
"I will Tom, maybe I can get Albus to give me a weekend away after the term starts so I can come visit. For now, I better get back home. Ring me up a case of butterbeer and a bottle of Ogden's would you?" The dark haired woman asked, standing up again and pulling a money pouch out of her purse.
Tom shook his head at his long time customer and sometimes tenant, "Put that pouch away Drakkara, it's on me this time in honor of your homecoming. You know where I keep the stock, go get what you want."
She gave the old man another hug and thanked him, then went back into the pub storeroom. Drakkara levitated a case of butterbeer and had it follow her back out into the pub, grabbing a bottle of fire-whiskey on the way. She said her good-byes to Tom and exited the pub, back into the courtyard. After putting a lightening charm on the case of butterbeer and lifting it, the newly returned to the public witch disappeared.
* * * * * * * * * *
After Albus and Drakkara had gone, Molly enlisted the aid of the teens to finish off cleaning the drawing room. Arthur went back up to the bedroom he shared with his wife so that he could play with his new muggle gadgets in peace. When only Sirius and Remus were left in the kitchen, the animagus gestured to his friend to take his coffee cup and come upstairs.
Knowing Siri probably wanted to take the opportunity to have a private talk, Remus followed behind his friend. They entered the animagus' bedroom and after the werewolf had shut the door, both men put up several locking and silencing charms. Turning to the golden-eyed man, Sirius asked, "How are you holding up Remy, seriously?"
"You get right to the point don't you Padfoot? Honestly, I think I'm still in shock. Part of me, most of me is so overjoyed to see her again, alive and safe. But there's still a small part of me that feels hurt, angry, and betrayed. She left Siri, just walked out of my life, all our lives, when we needed her most. She didn't even come back to our flat and tell me what had happened, I had to hear everything from Albus. I damn near went crazy when the old bastard told me she and James and Lily were dead. I think I did go mad for a while after you were arrested and Albus told me I couldn't have custody of Harry. I just don't know what I feel." The werewolf replied, his tone hoarse.
Remus sat down heavily on the sofa, his head in his hands. Sirius joined him a moment later. "Can't say I understand how you feel Moony, but I understand why you feel like this. She was such a big part of our lives, knowing she was able to just walk away from us, no matter that there were some really good reasons, hurts like hell."
The werewolf nodded, "And you Siri? How do you feel now that she's come back?" He asked.
Sirius sighed and leaned back against the sofa. "Me? I'm happy to see her again; happy to have another of my best friends back. It doesn't matter to me that, like you, there's a small part of me that feels hurt and angry that she left. She did what she did for the right reasons. Like we told her the other night, all that really matters is that she's back and we won't let each other go again."
"Yeah, you're right Padfoot. The past hurts don't matter as much now that she's back and doing what she always did best. Merlin, she's back two days and she's already taking care of us again. I still can't get over her inventing that bloody potion to help my transformations, and naming it after me on top of that!" Remus shook his head in fond exasperation over his mates' antics.
The raven-haired animagus chuckled as he replied, "Yeah, she always was good at taking care of us. Sometimes I think the reason it took us so long to really grow up is because she and Lily took care of us too much." Sirius' blue eyes clouded over in memory as he continued, "I never told any of you this, she asked me not to. Kara is the one who got me out of this house the summer after fifth year."
Looking over and seeing his best friend gaping, he explained. "We all separated at Kings Cross like usual remember? But none of us thought to ask where Kara was staying for the summer. A couple weeks later I went to Diagon Alley with my mother and found her boarding at the Leaky Cauldron, apparently that's where she stayed for most of the summer holidays every year. My mother insisted she come home with us, only after hearing that she was a Slytherin and a really powerful one. She wanted Kara to get together with Regulus."
Remus laughed at the thought of Kara and Sirius' little brother together. Especially seeing as Kara and Remus were already a couple by then. He gestured for Sirius to finish his story, curious as to what had happened. "For about a week, everything was fine. I think my mother was trying to impersonate Molly, she treated all three of us really well. One day she asked Kara and Reg to go down the street to get something from the store for her…"
Sirius broke off and loosed a shudder. He rubbed his right hand with his left, circling a particular spot on the back of his hand. "Treating me well must have been killing her. My mother was a bitch Remy; she enjoyed hurting me, both magically and physically. As soon as Kara was out of the house, she started in on me. For about ten minutes she beat the living crap out of me with her fists, then she started using magic. Unfortunately for her, Kara forgot something and came back."
"If you ever wondered what the saying 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' looks like, it looks like Kara did when she walked into the drawing room that day. My mother didn't see her come in, she was concentrating on burning a hole through my hand with her wand. You remember the other day she threatened the portrait with a flaming hand? That day, her whole body lit up with purple fire. She muttered some incantation in Quenya and that same fire engulfed Mothers' hands, and cuts and bruises came up on her body wherever she'd hit me." The blue eyed man gave another shiver at the power of the memory he was reliving.
Remus was seething with animalistic rage, his normally warm gold eyes glinting with fury. "Good. Bloody good on Kara. Merlin Siri, if we'd known how bad it was for you during the summer we would've made sure you stayed with one of us."
The animagus nodded, knowing it was the truth. "I know, but I couldn't tell you guys. Anyway, my mother ran from the drawing room, screaming her head off in pain and anger. The purple fire faded off Karas' body and she came over to kneel beside me on the floor. Merlin Remy, I was hurting so bad, and there was Kara leaning over me with tears running down her cheeks asking why I'd let my mother do that to me. She started wiping her tears off her face with her fingers and putting them in my mouth and on my cuts. I didn't realize they were healing me. She said some spells in Quenya again and after a few minutes I didn't hurt anymore."
"She told me I had to leave, that she'd take me away from here so my mother couldn't hurt me anymore. I said I couldn't leave, that Mother wouldn't pay my tuition to Hogwarts if I ran away. I'll never forget what she said to me then, she said 'Siri, if the only thing keeping you here is the money to pay for tuition and school supplies, then you're coming with me. I'll do whatever I have to do to get you away from this hell. I'll pay your tuition and buy your school supplies until we finish Hogwarts, just please Siri, let me get you out of here!'"
"And I let her. Some part of me knew I wouldn't survive the rest of the summer if I stayed, not after what Kara did to Mother. She took me to the Leaky Cauldron and we stayed in the room she had there until I was completely well. She saw my tuition paid and bought my supplies when the letters came, and when she went to stay with Lily the last two weeks of summer, I went to James and asked his parents if I could stay there the next summer. You know the rest." Sirius finished his story, and felt Remus take hold of his right hand.
The werewolf looked closely at the tanned skin of his best friends' hand, and finally saw a slightly paler spot in the center, all that remained of a burn scar the size and shape of a wand tip. "I always wondered why you and Kara were so close when we started sixth year. I mean, sure you two were friends after what happened with Snape and after she and I got together. But after that summer, the couple 'Remus and Drakkara' seemed to become the trio 'Remus, Drakkara, and Sirius'. I'm sorry you went through all that hell with your mother Siri, so sorry I didn't see how bad it was for you here."
The animagus shrugged, "It's okay Moony, it was a long time ago. After Azkaban, my life here doesn't seem so bad. Anyway, we didn't come up here to relive my horrible childhood. We came up here so we could have a sappy, male form of 'girl-talk' and you could get your feelings off your chest. I mean, bloody hell, the love of your life just came back from the dead."
Remus shook his head slowly from side to side. "Yeah, the love of my life. And damned if I know what to do about that part of this mess in my head. I never stopped loving her Siri. I grieved for her every day for the last fourteen years, and losing her never stopped hurting. Now she's back and I want her just as much as I did before she left. She's my mate Padfoot, the only one for me. The only question is, does she still want me?"
"You must be getting old Remy, if you haven't seen the way she looks at you. She still loves you, as much as you love her. Hell man, like you said before, she invented a potion that's just short of a cure for lycanthropy and named it after you. If that doesn't show you that she loves you then I don't know what will." Sirius said confidently.
The two men sat in silence, lost in their thoughts. After a long while, they heard the rumbling noises of people coming up the stairs and realized their private time was over. Sirius stood up and squeezed his best friends shoulder affectionately. "Remy, stay up here as long as you need. I'm going to go give Molly a hand with the kids. Give yourself some time to think about everything, and make a decision about what you want and what's important to you. If you decide you want her back, go for it and just ask her how she feels, I don't think you'll be disappointed."
* * * * * * * * * *
Sirius left the room, closing the door softly behind him and headed downstairs to see what all the commotion was about. He found the Weasley twins trying to stifle their giggles as they hid out in their room and continued down to the first floor to see what the identical terrors had done and to whom. Just as he got to the entrance hall, the subject of his and Remus' conversation walked through the front door, trying to carry a case of butterbeer at the same time as opening the sometimes stubborn door.
The animagus hurried over and relieved Drakkara of her burden. "Ah, I see you went by to see Tom over at the Leaky Cauldron. How did your meeting at the Prophet go?" He asked candidly as they walked together toward the kitchen.
"It went quite well if I do say so myself. Albus and I had to hurry out trying to contain our laughter when we'd finished. The editor, Mr. Rumormill, is quite frightened by me, though I have no idea why? Am I a frightening person Siri?" Drakkara asked, giving him an overly innocent and disarming look.
Sirius burst out laughing, "Merlin, don't look at me like that Kara. You looking innocent is more frightening than when you're being intimidating. I can only imagine what you did to the poor reporter."
They entered the kitchen as Drakkara quoted her last comments to the editor of the Prophet, which caused Sirius to laugh again and brought the attention of the rooms occupants to them. "Ooh, Butterbeer! Thanks Kara, we were almost out!" Ron exclaimed after seeing the case in the raven-haired mans arms.
Drakkara walked over to where Harry was sitting and gave him a one armed hug. "You're welcome Ron." In a lower voice, she addressed her godson, "See Harry-love, I told you I'd come back."
The group sat around for a while, talking about Drakkaras' meeting with the editor of the Prophet. After about half an hour, Molly had her children head upstairs to do some more work on their summer assignments and Sirius took a plate of raw meat and bones out of the fridge. "What on earth is that for Siri?" Harry asked, eyebrows raised in curiosity.
"Thought I'd take Buckbeaks lunch up to him and give the poor guy some company. The last few days have been too hectic to spend any time with him." The older man replied.
Harry gaped at his godfather. "You mean he's here? I thought you'd let him loose to find a herd or something."
Drakkara was giving the man and boy a look that said she was doubting their sanity. "Who, or rather what, is Buckbeak?" She asked.
The messy haired teen quickly explained about Buckbeak being the hippogriff he and Hermione had rescued from execution and in turn used to rescue Sirius from the Dementors. The woman caught on quickly, having heard the story from Fawkes. She said she'd make a point of going up and introducing herself to the hippogriff in the next few days.
When Sirius had left with the plate of meat for the animal, Drakkara turned to Harry. "Well Sweetling, would you like to see that thing I told you about this morning?"
The boy nodded emphatically and followed his godmother up to her room. Once inside, the woman opened the second chamber of her trunk and pulled out a pile of photo albums. After closing that chamber she opened the one next to it and ushered Harry inside. They stepped down into a large office and sat together on the couch in one corner.
Drakkara handed the albums to Harry and said, "These are all pictures from my Hogwarts days. Your mum and dad, as well as Sirius and Remus are featured quite prominently. Why don't you take a look while I prepare the things I brought you in here to see."
Harry nodded and dove eagerly into the first album. The pictures were labeled and Harry was quickly absorbed in the first image, which was entitled 'The Evans family and Drakkara Vanimaer'. For the first time, Harry saw his maternal grandparents. His grandmother Iris was a redhead like his mother, and greatly resembled the pictures he had of his mother when she was older.
The teen was so involved in flipping through the pictures of his mother and godmothers first year at Hogwarts that he didn't notice Drakkara sit back down beside him a few minutes after she'd left. "Oh, I remember that. Lily was so angry at James you could hear her yelling in Gryffindor Tower from the Slytherin common room." She commented about a snapshot of his mother sporting silver hair and green freckles. "I'm afraid that prank was due to her being friends with me. We got him back eventually, there should be a picture in there of James and Sirius coming out of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom in nothing but their boxer shorts."
She sat the album aside and pointed Harry towards a penseive that was now sitting on her desk. "In there is what I wanted to show you Harry. Let's go in and I'll explain what you're seeing." The teen walked over to the large stone bowl filled with silvery liquid, and after Drakkara brought up the correct memory, they went in together.
Looking around, Harry found himself standing in a hospital room with his mother and Drakkara. "This is my memory of our first meeting Harry-love. Remus, Sirius, and Peter had just taken your father out for a celebratory drink at the pub." Silently, they watched Lily examine her baby boy, cooing at him and smiling, while the younger Drakkara watched from the door.
The memory of his godmother came to stand beside her best friend and the two women spoke for a few moments. "Congratulations Lily, he's beautiful. What are you going to name him?" The memory Drakkara asked.
"We decided to name him Harry. Harry James Potter. Kara, I want you to be his godmother. You're my best friend, and I know if anything happens to me or James you'll take care of our baby. Please say you will Kara, I need to know he'll have you to look after him." Lily held out her hand towards the raven-haired woman, and Drakkara took it with a bright smile on her face.
Clasping her best friends' hand in hers, Drakkara replied, "Of course I will Lily. But nothing is going to happen to you and James, not if I can help it. Can I hold him?"
The redhead gave Drakkara a relieved smile and handed the baby over. The real Drakkara, standing with her arm around the teenage Harry whispered, "Watch."
As the memory of the violet-eyed woman took the newborn in her arms and lowered her eyes to look at him, the baby's bright green eyes opened, and something happened. As the eyes of the woman and baby met for the first time, a golden glow surrounded them and tinkling voices like bells sounded through the room. The glow and the voices only lasted a moment, but as they faded away, a golden thread seemed to come out of both their chests and tie together.
Lily was watching the scene with wide eyes, "Good Merlin, that was a heart bond forming." She whispered with awe. "He's ours now isn't he Kara? Not just mine and James, he's your son too."
"Yes Lily, he's ours now. Harry James Potter, son of Lily and James Potter, heart-bound child of Drakkara Vanimaer." The raven-haired woman said, her joy and love obvious in her voice.
The redhead nodded her agreement to her sons' title and replied, "I'm glad. You've always been my sister Kara, in heart and soul if not in blood. My Harry couldn't want for a better heart-mother."
The memory started to fade away, and Drakkara pulled Harry out of the penseive. She sat down in the large chair behind the desk and opened her arms to her shocked godson. He sat down in her lap and curled his arms tightly around her neck. After a few minutes, Drakkara reached out and pulled two pieces of paper from the desktop.
Showing the official looking documents to Harry, she explained. "These are my copies of your birth certificate and christening certificate. See here on the birth certificate where it says Mother and Father? Look just below at the Secondary Connections box."
Harry read the document where she'd indicated, "Secondary Connections: Drakkara Vanimaer: Heart-bound mother. Magical Bond formed 07/31/80." Glancing over at the christening certificate, he saw the same notation under the place where she was named as his godmother.
"Now you see what makes you so special to me Harry. I'm not just your godmother, which is just a term for a person chosen as a child's secondary guardian. What you saw in the penseive was a magical bonding, a heart bonding. Basically what that means is that when our eyes met, our hearts recognized that the other was its equal in all things. It's pretty rare for the bond to form between an adult and child, but when it does, the adult becomes like a third parent to the child." She explained, having researched heart bondings after being joined with Harry.
Holding the boy close, Drakkara closed her eyes and felt for the magical tie that bound her heart to his. After the fourteen-year separation, the bond was thin, but after locating it she was able to send her love through the link, telling Harry in a way more effective than any words how she felt about him. "Do you feel that Harry? That is my love for you. No matter what happens to either of us in this life, no matter how far apart we are, that connection will always be there. All you have to do is look into your heart and you'll find me."
Using her words as a guide, Harry tried to feel the area in his chest that was still pulsing with the warmth of Drakkaras' love. When he thought he'd located the thread, he tried sending his own feelings through it. He watched his heart-mothers' face and smiled happily when her eyes closed as his love and contentment reached her. "Now you see Harry-love, you can never lose me." She whispered.