Email: Just Ask
Rating: PG and R in most cases, any higher and I'll let you know ahead of time.
Authors Note: As always, many thanks to my readers, and especially my reviewers. Much to my dismay I've been unable to work on this fic as much as I would like, this goes for my other story Sirens Song as well. Unfortunately my boss at work won't accept "Need to write or the lynch mob will come after me" as an excuse for missing work. The same goes for those 'lovely' companies who provide me with utilities. Also I've been caring for my elderly mother a lot over the last few months. I hope my humble apologies and this new chapter, which I admit isn't much more than a filler, will brighten all your hopes and keep you watching for the next update. As I post this, chapter 16 is about a third of the way complete and I promise I will work on it when I can.
Chapter 15
Late that night, Harry dreamed. The dreams started out ordinary enough, a backyard game of quidditch with the Weasley boys and his other friends at the Burrow. It didn't seem odd to the raven-haired teens sleeping mind that Draco was also playing, along with Hermione and Neville; after all it was just a friendly game of quidditch. But just as he and Draco went into a dive for the snitch, the dream changed.
The sunny sky darkened and clouded over as he dove, Draco by his side. It was a game of chicken between them now, which of them could face the danger of crashing the longest, who would run the snitch down at all costs? The ground was coming closer, just ten feet, now five. Draco fell back; pulling himself out of the dive as Harry put on an extra burst of speed, reaching out to grab the elusive golden ball before he crashed.
With his emerald eyes firmly fixed on the snitch, Harry didn't see the green grass of the playing field swirl and darken to black, didn't see that blackness reach up for him, didn't hear the cries of his friends for him to return to them. And then the snitch was gone, disappearing into the tarry black substance. Harry tried to pull up, jerking his broom to come out of the dive, but it was too late. The darkness reached up further and enveloped him.
Swirling through the dark. Blind, deaf, and numb. His broom evaporated beneath him and the oppressive blackness absorbed all his attempts to fight. It pulled at him, tugging him toward an unknown destination and despite his attempts, Harry knew he was going with it.
He landed with a thud on a marble floor. A long hallway lay ahead of him, a plain wooden door at its end. Harry was drawn toward that door, he wanted the thing that lay behind it, desired it beyond anything. He lifted his foot and took a step towards it, then another. He ran for that door, feeling the object behind it coming closer to him with each step.
One foot, then the other, but no, something was impeding his progress. He looked down; the floor was sucking at his feet, the white marble clinging to his shoes. And there was a shield in front of him now, keeping him from what he wanted. He whirled around, searching for a way around the obstacle.
And found himself in a dingy looking room. Anger surged through him and he yelled, "You told me that stupid fool could get it Avery! A simple matter of putting him under Imperius you said! Why then don't I have what I want you useless scum! Why is it still safely within the Ministry building in the hands of the Unspeakables? You are treading on thin ice with me, both yourself and Macnair. I think you need a reminder of what happens when you disappoint your Lord. CRUCIO!"
The Death Eater writhed on the ground under the malevolence of the curse, but it was not enough to calm the fury raging through the serpentine Dark Lord. Curses spat from his thin lips, accompanied by bursts of light from his wand and all followed by the screams of the curses victims; and inside the mind of Lord Voldemort Harry Potter became aware of himself and screamed with them.
Pain. Unspeakable pain ripped through his body. Tortures beyond tortures were these curses. Fuelled by hate and malice, they were fire and ice, sharp stabbing and blunt blows. Searing agony radiating from the lightning bolt scar on his forehead. Lightning bolt scar…
Harry screamed as the pain of the curses and the burning of his scar pulled him out of the dark world of his dream visions. Four male voices sounded in the dark, startled into wakefulness by the cry of unbearable pain. "Harry!"
The deep crimson bed curtains were ripped open and Ron, Neville and Seamus appeared, the latter two with wands at the ready while Dean loudly called, "Lumos!" to light the room. All five teens covered their eyes for a moment as the sudden light momentarily blinded them. When they recovered their sight and looked toward the only boy still abed, the picture he made was heart wrenching.
The slightly built young man was sitting up with his legs curled up as close to his body as they could get. His head was bowed into his hands, clutching at the scar on his forehead. Ron came and sat down beside his friend, having become quick to respond to the smaller boy's distress over the summer. "Harry, mate what happened? Was it a vision or a nightmare? Do you need Kara?" He said in a soft, soothing tone that was laced with worry for the other teen.
At the sound of his godmother's name, the raven-haired teen nodded emphatically. "Yeah, get Kara. Tell her to bring the potions." The effort of those few words cost Harry and his energy was spent. The after effects of the curses became more apparent in the uncontrollable trembling of his body.
"Shit, Bugger, and Blast! Okay Harry, I'll get Kara for you. But listen mate; I need to know how to get to her rooms. Can you tell me where her room is?" Ron replied, standing up and running a hand through his hair.
Harry lifted his head again with great effort. "Behind…classroom…office. Up stairs…Tell mum…forever."
Ron nodded, getting the gist of the instructions. "Right then. Guys, stay with him. Don't let him pass out, keep him sitting up and awake. I'll be back soon." The other three teens nodded and Neville and Dean climbed onto the bed with their friend while Seamus set about lighting the wall sconces that lit the room until bedtime.
The gangly redhead left the room at a run, taking the stairs to the common room two at a time. The portrait of the fat lady started yelling as he burst out of the portrait hole, but he ignored her, knowing that the sooner Harry got the anti cruciatus potion the better he would be. Though the DADA classroom was on the same floor as Gryffindor tower, it still took five minutes to get to the right corridor. Luckily, the only obstacle he met on the way was Mrs. Norris, and the cat hurried off in the other direction the moment she saw him. 'Probably to get Filch.' He thought in a disgusted manner.
He reached the DADA classroom door and skidded to a halt against it. He pulled on the door, but it wouldn't budge. "Come on you stupid door, open up already! Kara, Remus, Snuffles, anyone! Let me in, Harry needs you!" He exclaimed breathlessly and felt the wards keeping the door locked fall. Opening the door he ran through the classroom and adjoining office. He saw the door leading to the Professors quarters after a quick glance and went through it.
'Bloody stairs, always bloody stairs! At least they're not moving.' He thought, huffing and puffing his way up the two flights to the portrait. Without really looking at the occupants of the picture he said the password and pulled the door open, making the person behind the door stumble into him.
"Whoa there. Ron, is that you?" A male voice came out of the darkness as the two people regained their balance. Ron recognized the voice as belonging to Professor Lupin and heaved a sigh of relief.
"Yeah, it's me Professor. Harry's had one of his visions. He needs Kara to bring him some anti cruciatus potion." A light came on inside the suite and Remus guided the teenager inside. The redhead caught a glimpse of Drakkara as she opened the lid of her trunk and disappeared inside. He stumbled over and leaned in, "Eh, you might want to grab a few doses of calming potion for the guys if you have any. We forgot to warn 'em about the visions and I think Harry scared the crud out of them." He called down.
A minute or so later, the ebony-haired woman emerged from the trunk. She carried a potions case and pair of slippers in one hand and had a dressing gown thrown over her arm. After she stepped out of the trunk, she slipped the ankle length robe on and slid her feet into the high-heeled slippers. "Right then. We'll take the floo back, follow after me Ron." She said in a no nonsense voice that reminded the boy of his mother.
She took a pinch of floo powder and threw it into the fire Sirius had lit. "Take care of him Kara, I'll wait up until you get back." The Remus said as his mate entered the green flames with Snuffles beside her. Drakkara nodded and offered him a strained smile before she clearly stated, "Gryffindor Common Room!" and disappeared.
Drakkara and the dog were already jogging up the stairs when Ron tumbled out of the fireplace in his common room and he ran to catch up with them. As they neared the open door of the fifth year boys dorm they could hear Neville's soft words of encouragement. "Come on Harry, just another minute or so and Ron will be back with…er…Kara. Just keep your eyes open a little bit longer.
They entered the room swiftly and the boy motioned Dean and Seamus away from the bed as the tall woman approached with her canine companion. The trio of boys had obviously had problems keeping Harry awake as he was at the moment being held up by Neville, who was sitting behind him rubbing circles on his trembling back. The shy teen made to get off the bed as the professor climbed on but a soft voice stopped him. "No Neville, stay where you are. You can help me get this potion into him."
"Harry, listen to me Sweetling. It's Ama, I'm here and I've brought your potions." The violet-eyed woman said, keeping her voice soft to aid in calming not only her godson but the other boys as well. "I need you to lean back against Neville now Love." She leaned in and took hold of the teens arms, helping him to uncurl from his fetal position. "That's right Harry, lean against your friend. Now tilt your head back against his shoulder so you can take your potion."
Quickly, she flipped the locks on her potions case open and reached for a large bottle. This was the longest she'd ever taken to reach her heart-son after one of his visions and she hadn't known how much she'd need. "Mister Finnegan, get me an empty glass please, quickly. Ron, find Harry some more pyjamas, he's sweated through these. And Mister Thomas, if you could, run to the bathroom and bring me back a damp washrag." She gave out orders in a calm tone, hoping to make the teens feel as if they were helping their friend.
Seamus got the glass quickly, having simply emptied the glass of water on his nightstand out the window. Drakkara had the sandy-haired boy hold it for her while she poured the correct dose, then exchanged the glass for the bottle. She turned back to Harry, still being held loosely and kept awake by Neville. "Alright Precious, I've got your potion here. Open your eyes for me now."
Harry opened his eyes reluctantly, showing uneven pupil dilation that was another symptom of the Cruciatus curse. Drakkara leaned in and carded her fingers through his sweaty raven locks, placing her hand behind his head and lifting it carefully. She placed the glass against his parched lips and watched him drink the potion slowly, as if it pained him to swallow. "There's a love. You know the drill now, keep your eyes open for me and let me know when you start to feel better." She said, smiling down at the teen.
Ron had found an extra set of pyjamas in his friends' trunk and placed them on the edge of the bed before he sat down on his own bed and beckoned Seamus to join him. Dean rushed back in with the washrag a moment later and joined the others once he'd delivered it. They watched Drakkara dig through her potions case again until she came up with a vial of brownish colored paste. She dipped her finger in the mixture and spread a bit of the stuff on the rag before placing it over Harry's scar.
The raven-haired professor gave her godson a quick checkup, testing his pulse and looking into his eyes to check his pupils. The trembling in the boys body was beginning to ease now and he allowed her to straighten his legs out. When asked a question in a soft voice Harry answered, "It's better now Ama. Can I go to sleep again?"
This brought a smile to the lovely womans face and she nodded. "Yes Harry-love, you can go to sleep now. But first we need to get Neville out from under you alright?"
"Umm, oops. Sorry Nev, forgot you were back there." With a wan smile, the emerald-eyed boy allowed his godmother to lift him up and rest him against her body while his roommate got out of the bed.
Drakkara laid him down against his pillows and took her wand from the ever-present wrist sheath. She muttered a spell that switched the boys sweat soaked sleepwear for the clean items Ron had found. She tucked him into the bed and brushed his hair off his forehead, "Sweetling, I need to know if what you saw is something I need to alert the headmaster about right away or if it can wait until morning."
Harry nodded, knowing she wouldn't ask unless she had to. "It can wait, it wasn't an attack or anything. Just old Moldywarts being pissed off at his servants and some weird stuff that has no meaning to me."
The older woman nodded, "Alright then, go back to sleep. Snuffles came up with me, do you want him to stay for the rest of the night?" Drakkara asked and when the teen nodded she gestured the huge black dog up onto the bed where he promptly cuddled up beside the boy and licked his cheek.
She watched the pair for a minute, smiling as Harry curled his arm around his godfather's furry body and closed his bright eyes. Turning around, she faced the four boys crowded onto Ron's bed. She reached into her potions case once more and brought out small vial of sky blue potion. "Here you go Ron, take this and get back to sleep. I'll explain to the others what happened. Thanks for coming to get me."
Ron took the vial from her hand and drained it before handing it back. "No problem Kara, you know I'd do anything for Harry. Goodnight." He said softly as the other three boys got up so that he could lie down. They watched as their professor smiled and ruffled the boy's red hair before turning her attention to them and beckoning them to follow her out of the room.
Drakkara grabbed her potions case once again and led her three students out of their dorm room and down to the common room where their conversation wouldn't disturb the sleepers upstairs. She watched as they sat down stiffly on the couch and turned confused and slightly fearful eyes on her. The ebony-haired woman gave the trio a reassuring smile and extracted three vials of the same sky blue potion from her case and handed them around.
"That is a mild calming draught, Ron felt you might need it. I have no doubt that Harry gave you a scare tonight." She explained in a soothing tone. When the boys looked at the liquid warily she rolled her eyes at them. "Go ahead, I promise I'm not trying to poison you."
The boys seemed to shrug and downed their potions; feeling the effects as their tense muscles eased and they relaxed back into the couch cushions. "Professor, what happened to Harry? Is he going to be okay?" Came Seamus' Irish brogue after a moment.
The violet-eyed professor sighed and leaned back in her recliner before answering. "Harry will be fine. But before I can tell you what happened to him I need your word, as Gryffindors and as Harry's friends that the information I give you goes no further than the three of you, the Weasley's and Hermione. Will you give me that promise?"
The teens voiced their agreement without hesitation and were rewarded with a smile from the woman before she began her explanation. "Thank you for that. Now, you all know what happened to Harry at the end of last term. Harry saw the Dark Lord reborn and the Death Eaters recalled. Since Voldemort's return, the curse scar he left on Harry has begun to show its full effect."
She paused, taking a deep breath and leaning forward before continuing. " The scar on Harry's forehead acts as a link between he and the Dark Lord. Now, this does not mean that Harry is turning Dark or going mad or anything of the sort. To put it simply, when Voldemort is feeling strong emotions, especially hate and anger, Harry is drawn through the link and sees whatever is happening that is causing those emotions."
"So far, this has only happened when Harry is asleep. Another effect of this link is that during these episodes, or visions as we've taken to calling them; Harry feels the pain of any strong curses the Dark Lord performs, most especially the cruciatus curse. When the pain becomes too great, it forces him to wake up feeling the after effects of the curse or curses, as well as a searing pain in his scar. What you witnessed tonight was one of those visions." She finished her explanation and a tear fell unbidden down her cheek as she thought of the pain her beloved godson went through.
Needless to say, the three teens were appalled. Not at the thought of their roommate being linked through his scar to the man who murdered his parents, but that the link made Harry both a witness and a victim of the dark wizard's cruelty yet again. The boy's exchanged glances with each other before Neville spoke up in a soft, shy voice. "Is there anything we can do to help him Professor? What do we do if he has another umm, vision?"
Drakkara sighed in relief and gave the trio a tired smile. "I'm afraid there isn't much anyone can do about the visions, though myself and others are researching a way to block the link. Until we can find a way to block it, I'm afraid all we can do is help him when he wakes up from them. You three did very well tonight. You didn't panic and stayed with him until I arrived."
Despite their eagerness to help, the raven-haired woman could see the boys were practically asleep by the time she finished speaking. She thought for a moment and then continued, "I think we should let this be for now. I'll see about setting up a meeting later this week for the five of you with the Headmaster, Professor McGonagall and myself to talk some more about it. Right now though, you boys need to get back to bed."
The trio nodded their heads in agreement and got up, stumbling back up the stairs with the older woman following behind. When they entered the dorm room, the boys immediately fell back into their beds, the calming potion they'd taken easing their way into sleep. Unlike his friends though, Harry was not still and silent. The dark-haired young man was restless, twisting and turning in his sleep. Sirius, still in canine form, was doing his best to soothe the teen, but looked up at Drakkara with pleading eyes.
The violet-eyed woman walked over to her godchild's bed silently and sat down, reaching her pale, slender hand out to brush the boy's cheek. Mewling softly, Harry leaned into the touch and then turned completely toward the new source of comfort, his arm reaching for his heart mother. Knowing instinctively what he wanted, Drakkara swung her legs up and settled against the headboard of the bed before reaching over and pulling the slight boy into her embrace.
Harry snuggled into the warmth of his godmother's arms and sighed contentedly. His slender arm snaked across her waist and his fingers found and twined in her loose raven locks. Drakkara tightened her arm around his shoulders slightly and brought her free hand up to card through his hair. Not even thinking about the sleepy audience in their beds she began to hum and then sing softly to help soothe Harry into a deep sleep.
Why are there so many
Songs about rainbows
And what's on the other side?
Rainbow's are visions
They're only illusions
And rainbows have nothing to hide.
So we've been told and some chose to
Believe it,
But I know they're wrong wait and see.
Someday we'll find it
The rainbow connection
The lovers, the dreamers and me.
Five boys, mostly asleep smiled at the images provoked by their professor's song. Her voice was soft and sweet toned and when combined with the lyrics to the childrens song brought up happy memories for her audience. Curled protectively against Harry's back, Snuffles nudged and licked his friend's hand in affection as he felt the tension drain from his godson.
Who said that every wish
Would be heard and answered
When wished on the morning star?
Somebody thought of that
And someone believed it
And look what it's done so far.
What's so amazing
That keeps us star gazing
What do we think we might see?
Someday we'll find it
That rainbow connection
The lovers the dreamers and me.
All of us under its spell
We know that it's probably magic.
Drakkara's lilting voice had managed to soothe all the teens into dreamland and she looked down at her godson to find him smiling softly at hearing the word magic. This particular song had become one of Harry's favorite lullabies over the summer when he awoke from a nightmare or vision and needed to be coaxed back to sleep.
Have you been half-asleep
And have you heard voices?
I've heard them calling my name.
Are these the sweet sounds that called
The young sailors?
I think they're one and the same.
I've heard it too many times to ignore it
There's something that I'm supposed to be.
Someday we'll find it
The rainbow connection
The lovers, the dreamers and me
The violet-eyed woman finished her song and listened for a few moments, hearing the deep, even breathing and soft snores of five sleeping boys. Curled in her arms, Harry was now resting as peacefully as his friends she was happy to note. Slowly she extricated herself from the teen's grasp and stood up. She tucked the warm quilt around his shoulders and murmured, "Keep watch over him Siri, and sleep well. I'll leave his morning potions on the night table, make sure he takes them when he wakes up."
Glowing sapphire eyes looked up at her and the animagus woofed softly in agreement before laying his head down beside the sleeping teen. Drakkara watched her heart-son's peaceful face for a moment and stroked the Great Dane's head before opening her case and extracting two potion vials containing Harry's standard 'morning after' medicine. She sat them on the bedside table next to his wand and glasses and left the room with a soft swish of her silken robe.
Drakkara flooed back to the suite she shared with Remus and Sirius and found her mate awake and worried for Harry. She calmed him with reassurances that the teen would be fine as she dropped onto the couch and rolled her head and shoulders to work out the kinks. "We really need to set up a better way to get help for Harry when he has one of these visions, at least until we can find a way to block the link. How are you and Albus coming along with that?" The tawny-haired werewolf asked after hearing her summary of the event.
Drakkara shook her head sadly as she replied, "The only thing either of us can come up with is to teach him occlumency, but it's too hard a discipline for a fifteen year old boy to learn. Albus and Severus are skilled at it but neither of them even attempted to learn it until they were fully matured wizards, so how can we expect Harry to master it?"
The couple discussed that option for a while, coming up with nothing new but feeling better for the effort. After about fifteen minutes Drakkara could tell that weariness was catching up to her lover and sent him back to bed. He gave her a curious look when instead of following him into the bedroom she went towards her trunk. "I'm going for a walk, I feel like I've been inside too long, you know how I get." She said, answering the question in Remus' amber eyes.
The tawny-haired man nodded in response and asked if she wanted company, which she declined, knowing that her mate was tired and needed his rest after the long week of classes. She wished him a good sleep and after changing into a pair of sturdy jeans and a baggy jumper the violet-eyed woman left the suite.
She walked through the castle slowly, not really in a hurry; just knowing she wanted to be outside. The dark forest, the lake, the grounds and the cliffs that encompassed the school were as much 'home' to her as the castle itself. In her time as a student, she'd often roamed the grounds after curfew and given her head of house fits when he'd eventually found her at the lakeshore or up a tree at the edge of the forest.
As the violet-eyed woman exited the massive castle doors and breathed in the crisply cool autumn air she felt her tense muscles start to relax. She strolled across the lawn with no destination in mind, just letting herself wander wherever her feet decided to take her. Lost in the refreshing feeling of being outdoors after too much time spent cooped up, Drakkara didn't notice she was nearing Hagrid's cottage until she was startled back to her senses by the loud barking of a dog.
"A'right dog, I've had just about enough of this for tonight! Out ye get!" Came the grumpy voice of a recently woken Professor Grubbly-Plank. Drakkara saw a lantern come on inside the cozy house and a moment later the substitute professor opened the door and shoved an eager boarhound out.
Figuring that she had caused the dog to bark she called out to apologize as she walked closer to the lighted house. "Wilhemina? It's Drakkara Vanimaer. I'm sorry, Fang must have scented me."
The older woman raised her lantern to spread the area of light and Drakkara stepped into its glow. "Eh? Drakkara? What are ye doing out here this time of night girlie?" She asked, beckoning her colleague closer.
Drakkara gave a friendly smile as she approached and barely managed to turn Fang aside as the dog tried to jump up on her. "Easy Fang old boy, stay down. Just taking a walk Wilhemina, I'm sorry I woke Fang and made him interrupt your sleep."
"Bah, not your fault. That mutt's been acting barmy all night. This be the second time he's woken me up tonight." The gray-haired woman replied, taking her pipe and wand out of her night robe and lighting the foul smelling tobacco.
The younger professor cocked her head and looked down at the hound that was currently beating her thigh with his tail. "Really? I wonder what's gotten into him. Maybe he's having a night like mine, too much energy to sleep. If you like I'll take him with me, give him a good walk and leave him here under the steps when I go back inside."
Professor Grubbly-Plank gave her colleague a grateful look through the haze of smoke. "Aye, I'd appreciate it Drakkara. It's been a rough week it has, convincing the kids I'm not gonna hand 'em something that'd be better off taught about in your class to take care of."
The two shared a chuckle over Hagrid's taste in creatures and parted soon after, The elder woman to bed and the younger continuing her walk with Fang at her heels. Drakkara walked slowly, waiting for the light in the hut to go out. When it did, she knelt down beside the dog and patted him, scratching behind his ears as she spoke, "Alright Fang, what's got your fur in a tangle tonight?"
The graying old boarhound wagged his tail a bit more vigorously and turned his head toward the forest. "Something in there huh? Okay show me, but I warn you now if it's a girl you're after I'm going to be mad. I'm not out here to chaperone doggie dates." She shook her finger jokingly at the dog before gesturing him to lead her to whatever had caught his attention.
Drakkara followed Fang into the forest, keeping her senses alert. She wasn't afraid of the creatures that inhabited the wood, but neither did she want to run into a few species, namely the acromantulas. She kept track of the direction they were going; noting that the dog was thankfully heading away from the hollow the giant arachnids lived in. "Okay Fang, no nasty spiders thank Merlin, but the last time I was in here the centaurs lived in this direction and I don't much want to see them either. Keep that in mind will you?"
Of course, the boarhound didn't answer, but she felt that she'd gotten her point across. They kept walking for a while, traversing the rough ground in relative silence. Drakkara became increasingly curious the deeper they went into the forest. "Just where are you leading me Fang? We're getting close to the edge of the wards." She commented to her canine companion.
The raven-haired woman was very close to turning around when Fang went still and perked his ears up. The woman listened as hard as she could, trying to figure out what the dog was hearing. A soft croon, not something she would normally expect to hear in the forest, and with it came words. "Over here, in the birch Drakkara."
She looked around and spotted a birch tree a few feet ahead. Looking up into its branches she spotted something red. She walked over and stopped directly under the tree. "What in Merlin's name are you doing up there you dimwitted bird?" She asked in a whisper.
"I'm in a bit of a pickle Drakkara. Would you mind coming up here and bringing me down? I would dearly love to go home. And try to be quiet about it, I don't think either of us would like to meet the centaurs just now." Came the softly vocalized reply.
Shaking her head and wondering just how she managed to find herself in situations like these; Drakkara looked around for the lowest hanging branch and leaped up to grasp it. She pulled herself up onto the thick branch and proceeded upwards, muttering under her breath, "I hate climbing trees. You know I hate climbing trees damn it. If you had to get into a 'pickle' why couldn't you do it on the ground?"
Finally she reached the spot where her avian friend was waiting. "Will you hush Drakkara. Just get me down and out of this forest."
The woman glared at the swanlike bird and straddled the branch. "Damn you get cranky when you get old, but I see your problem. I'll need both hands to get us down so I hope you don't mind being strapped to my chest for a few minutes." Not waiting for the creature's consent, Drakkara drew her wand and conjured something not unlike a baby carrier with straps to go over her shoulders and another around her waist.
She lifted the large bird carefully and placed him gently inside the pouch part of the carrier. "You'd better not decide to kick the bucket while I'm climbing down, I don't fancy the spectacle we'd make." She whispered to her passenger as she started the descent to the ground.
The avian trilled a disgruntled note but refrained from commenting as his rescuer climbed back down to the ground. Drakkara landed softly on the damp earth a minute or so later and breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't afraid of heights, in fact she enjoyed being in the treetops, she just had a serious problem with the actual climbing bit. Without needing instruction on what to do now, the violet-eyed woman clicked her fingers to bring Fang to her side and set a good pace back towards the school.
When they were well out of the centaurs hearing range, Drakkara looked down into the makeshift carrier and spoke in her native language. "Okay Fawkes, why don't you tell me what possessed you to go for a flight over the forest this close to a burning day?"
"I'll have you know Drakkara, that my burning was not nearly so imminent when I decided to take a flight during the dinner hour this evening. I had a good day or two left at least." The phoenix replied in a cranky tone that one could attribute to the very old and weary.
Drakkara considered this, knowing that her friend wouldn't risk being caught out for a burning and asked, "Alright then, what happened to speed things up to this point? I'm rather close to putting a fire repellant charm on this carrier incase you go before we get back to the castle!" Her voice was only half joking as she examined the phoenix who did indeed look to be only moments away from a rebirth.
The scarlet plumed bird raised his head up out of the carrier and rested it against his friends chest before replying, "I've got just about enough time for you to get us back I think, but you'll want to pass this on to my chosen when we get home. There's been a change of leadership in the centaur herd. The new leader detests wizards and any magical creature that associates with them."
The woman turned worried violet eyes on her friend and lifted a hand to stroke his feathered head. "I was just gliding over the forest this evening and happened to pass over their clearing. Unfortunately for me, the warriors recognized me as Albus' companion and started slinging rocks towards me. I don't think they meant to harm me, just drive me off. I managed to swerve away but one of the stones barely clipped my wing. I decided to disapparate out of their line of sight and ended up in the birch."
"And let me guess. Between the injury and the energy expended disapparating you were too weak to fly back to the castle. Ooh those centaurs are going to catch some major hell over this. I believe Albus and I should pay a visit to the new herd leader and inform him of our feelings about harming wizard friendly creatures." Drakkara finished for her injured friend. Now she was very glad of the adrenaline and claustrophobia that had brought her out for a stroll this night. She didn't want to think of a newly reborn Fawkes stranded in the forest, especially so close to the suspicious and now violent centaurs.
The phoenix crooned agreement to both her conclusion and sentiment and let his head drop back into the carrier to curve around beside his injured wing. "Yes, I think a visit might be appropriate. If this new leader riles the warriors up they might start in on the owls or the childrens familiars who sometimes wander in the forest. Let alone what they might do if your mate were to spend a night of transformation in there. Don't get me wrong, I normally like the centaurs but the last few years they've become more reclusive. The incident in Harry's first year…"
Drakkara shushed the phoenix before he could continue. "Hush Fawkes, conserve your strength. I remember you telling me about that. Voldemort slaying the unicorns and feeding on their blood would have infuriated the centaurs, as well as Harry being allowed to ride to safety on a centaur warrior's back."
There was no more need for conversation between the woman and phoenix and Drakkara picked up the pace as she felt the heat steadily rising from the carrier on her chest. By the time the odd company passed back into the pasture near Hagrids cabin the woman knew Fawkes was going to burn before they got back into the castle. 'At least we're out of the forest now.' She thought to herself, hurrying towards the cabin where she could lay the now very uncomfortable heat of her friend down for his burning.
She stopped as soon as she reached the bare patch of ground in back of the hut and slid the carrier and its occupant off her shoulders, laying the magical creature down carefully. "Sorry old friend, you've gotten too hot for me to hold any longer, you'll have to burn here. I'll take you up to Albus when you've cooled off a bit."
Fawkes crooned his agreement softly, opening his onyx dark eyes to see his friend lower herself gracefully to the ground near him and beckon Fang to lay beside her. She patted and spoke softly to the dog as they waited, "Sometimes Fang old boy, I'd swear you had some magic in you. You're a wonderful pup, looking after our Fawkes. I wonder how you knew he was in there, did you see him fly off and not return? Hagrid will be proud of you when he hears about this."
Even as she praised the canine for his loyalty and effort to rescue Fawkes, her vibrantly colored eyes were trained on the phoenix. She watched as he lifted himself slightly, just enough to raise his wings, which were beginning to smolder. Once it reached that stage, a phoenix burning was a fairly fast affair. He smoldered and a pure, sweet smelling smoke issued from his body, then the flames appeared and quickly engulfed him. With a final bright flash the majestic phoenix was gone and in its place was a pile of ashes on the scorched dirt.
After giving the ashes a minute or so to cool off Drakkara leaned in and brushed them away from the softball sized baby bird that was attempting to shake his way out of the soot. "Well, it's been quite awhile since I've seen you like this my little friend. I rather think we should get you inside out of the cold now don't you?" She addressed the newborn phoenix as she lifted him up.
The small bird cooed at her, being unable to speak again this soon and she smiled and stroked the scarlet fuzz on his head. With nowhere else to conveniently place the baby phoenix she pulled the neckline of her jumper out and tucked the little bundle into her bra while muttering under her breath. "If you ever tell anyone I let you ride about under my shirt I will transfigure you into a common pigeon and let you loose in Hyde Park, are we clear on that?" With no response forthcoming from the phoenix and feeling distinctly embarrassed at having a sentient creature she considered a friend tucked between her breasts Drakkara swiftly gave Fang a command to go and sleep under the cabin steps and headed back towards the castle.
The violet-eyed woman made the trip to the headmaster's office in good time and gave her password to the gargoyle before stepping onto the revolving stairs. She did not like the thought of disturbing the old wizard's sleep and was relieved to see light coming from the crack under his office door when she stepped onto the landing. Albus must not have been looking for a visitor though, as she had to knock on the door before being called into the office.
When she saw Severus sitting across from her mentor, Drakkara felt a little more tension ease out of her. The potions master could tell both herself and Albus anything that happened at the Death Eater meeting and she wouldn't have to ask Harry to relive it. "Hello Albus, Severus. I should have expected I'd find you both here." She greeted the men as she sank into the chair beside her colleague.
"Really my dear? Did Harry have a vision of tonight's events?" The white-haired man asked as he poured a cup of tea for her from the service on his desk.
Drakkara nodded and took the cup, sipping the hot drink before replying. "Yes, an hour or so ago. It was a rather bad one as far as the amount of pain he was in when I arrived in the dorm room, but he said he hadn't seen anything that couldn't wait for morning to discuss. I actually only came up here to deliver someone you may have missed and pass along information from him."
It was refreshing to see the elderly wizard with a confused look on his face, she decided as she set her teacup down and excused herself to a corner. She reached down into the neckline of her jumper and attempted to remove the baby phoenix without much success. "Oh come on Fawkes, this is embarrassing enough, just come out already." She muttered down at the ball of downy fuzz nestled securely against her body and quite unwilling to be removed from his impromptu nest.
She felt the weight of two pairs of eyes on her back and decided to retreat from sight altogether before further arguing with the phoenix. "Eh, I'll be back in a moment." She said to the two men who were eyeing her with confused amusement.
Once locked in Albus' bathroom away from nosy colleagues and paintings she was able to lift her blouse and extract the sleeping bird after gently removing his tiny claws from her bra. "You just had to make a big production out of it didn't you? You realize those two are going to be laughing at me for weeks about this? Not to mention they'll have to pass on the joke to Siri and Remy." She would've continued her exasperated rant but the little bird woke up and looked at her with his big, innocent black eyes. Sighing deeply and shaking her head, Drakkara fixed her jumper and left the bathroom with the phoenix cradled in her hands, cooing sweetly as she petted his scarlet fuzzed head.
When the two men saw their friend returning with her small burden they couldn't help but chuckle as they realized what had happened, or rather Albus giggled and Severus smirked annoyingly. "I'd suggest you quit laughing and remove those disgustingly amused looks from your faces if you'd like to remain human males. I assure you my predicament wasn't that funny." She said in a deadpan tone, though her lips were curved in a slight smile.
Paying no heed to the woman's threat, the headmaster got up from his chair still chuckling and proceeded to take off his night cap and transfigure it into a soft nest like bundle of cloth which he placed in the clean ash basin of Fawkes perch. Drakkara laid the baby bird into his new home and placed a warming charm on the cloth before retaking her seat. "Now my dear girl, how did you come to have my newly reborn companion this evening? I was sure he had a few days left before his burning." Albus asked lightly when he joined his colleagues.
Drakkara took a sip of her tea and leaned back as she related the events of her night from the time she, Remus, and Sirius had been awakened by Ron setting off the password alarm to their suite. Her pride in Harry's friends was evident as she discussed with her colleagues how the quartet of boys handled their roommate's distress and the information she'd given them about the situation.
She gave particular credit to Fang for his effort to alert someone and then leading herself to the weakened phoenix when she came to that part of the tale and then repeated Fawkes story which brought an angry gleam to the headmaster's normally twinkling eyes. The violet-eyed woman ended by suggesting that a visit be paid to the centaurs in the near future and waited for his response.
"I believe the suggestion has merit Headmaster. If we allow even this one discrepancy there is no telling what the centaurs will do next. There are many creatures here touched by magic, and Salazar forbid an angry centaur should come across any of those members of staff who go into the forest. Floriana Sprout and myself make regular forays for different plants, and I imagine Remus and Sirius will spend at least one full moon prowling in there." Severus spoke up.
The headmaster nodded and cast his eyes toward his beloved avian companion for a moment before he replied. "Yes, I agree. I would like to wait until Hagrid returns next month as he has always gotten on well with the centaurs. Until that time, I believe we should renew the warning to the students about going into the forest and Drakkara, perhaps you could pass the word among the magical creatures in the castle to stay away until we resolve the matter."
Both professors nodded their agreement with the plan and were about to turn their conversation to other topics when a pained expression appeared suddenly on Drakkara's face. When Albus asked what was wrong she took a deep breath and replied, "I just realized that the quickest way to pass information among the various magical creatures in the castle is to talk to Mrs. Norris. That bloody beast knows them all." The woman's pained expression turned into one of supreme annoyance as her friends once again got a good laugh at her expense.
After spending another half an hour or so discussing the events of the evening and listening to Severus' report of the Death Eater meeting the two younger professors left the older wizard to his rest. Drakkara let Severus take the floo first, having noticed him moving carefully and favoring his right leg when he stood. She expected him to go to the infirmary and was worried and annoyed when he called for the green flames to take him to his own quarters instead.
With a growl in her throat and muttering about the mans stubbornness she said a last goodnight to the headmaster and readied the floo, calling her destination as she stepped into the fire. After a thankfully short swirling journey through the castles floo network she landed with a thud in the potions masters quarters to find her colleague attempting to get up off the floor in front of the fireplace. Obviously, his injured leg had collapsed when he landed and sent him sprawling.
"You're a bloody stubborn idiot Severus. You should have flooed to the infirmary so that Poppy could heal you." She stated as she stepped off of the hearth and knelt beside her injured friend.
Severus looked up and attempted to give her one of his patented death glares, to which he got only an arched eyebrow and a wand drawn on him in response. Drakkara muttered "Mobilicorpus" and the now indignant man floated up off the floor to hover in front of her. She turned, maintaining the spell by pointing the wand at him over her shoulder, and led the way through the living room and into his bedroom where she laid him on the bed with a gentle wave of her wand. "Where do you keep your healing potions?" She asked in a business like tone, as if she played mediwitch to her colleagues as a matter of course.
The onyx-eyed man growled, his pride bristling at having to be tended to. He opened his mouth, started to dismiss her help as unnecessary, but caught the look in her eyes and sighed before replying, "The Xaler draught and Skele-mend are in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom, both are labeled."
She nodded and left the room for a few moments, during which Severus could hear her rummaging through the dozens of healing medicines he kept on hand for occasions such as these. The raven-haired woman returned with the requested potions and handed them over. She had a sad look on her face as she watched him down the liquids and grimace at their taste. "I don't need or want your pity Drakkara." He said quietly after seeing the expression.
"I wasn't offering it Severus. It's just depressing to see all those jars and vials of healing remedies and knowing you've probably had to use them all since his return. No, I don't pity you, but I am grateful and appreciative of the work you do." Drakkara replied in an equally quiet voice.
He was obviously uncomfortable with her words and huffed out, "Sentimental as a Hufflepuff. Go on with you then Kara, I'll be fine now that I've taken the potions."
The violet-eyed woman shook her head and smiled softly. "I'm a woman, not a Hufflepuff, and if you weren't already flat on your back with injuries I'd put you there for that insult. As it is, what else do you need? I know there's more to your injuries than a couple cracked ribs and a sprained knee."
Severus glared, inwardly cursing the woman's keen eyes. "It's nothing Kara, don't worry about it." He said, hoping she wouldn't pursue the matter. He really didn't want her seeing and fussing over the injury on his back. He was fiercely independent and hated anyone seeing him in less than perfect condition, but having this woman out of anyone tending to his injuries brought old feelings of guilt and self hatred rushing back to him.
She pursed her lips and arched one delicate eyebrow. "Severus, do not lie to me. You're uncomfortable on your back, which means there's something wrong with it. Merlin knows you've got potions and salves for just about everything in that cabinet so if you need me to put something on it, tell me. You know me well enough to know I'll vanish your clothes if I have to."
"Damn it woman, you don't know when to leave well enough alone do you? Fine, go get the bloody jar of antiseptic healing salve. It's the red one with a silver lid." He said angrily and watched her turn and leave before he stood and jerkily removed his robes and the black shirt he wore beneath. By the time she returned he had managed to strip down to boxer shorts and climb back into bed, leaving his back exposed while keeping himself covered below the waist.
Drakkara started cursing, fluently, in more languages than Severus could claim to know when she saw the state of his back. The milk pale flesh had been reduced to a throbbing, bleeding mass of welts. Each welt was approximately a quarter inch wide and ranged from three to twelve inches in length. "Lashing hex or did the sadistic fucking bastard actually take a cat o nine tails to you?" She asked, her voice low pitched with icy hatred laced through it as she accurately diagnosed the cause of his injury.
He felt her weight settle on the bed next to him and her soft hand, covered in healing salve, gently smooth over his right shoulder. "Hex of course, the Dark Lord would never demean himself by using a muggle weapon. As you can tell, he held it on me for a while. It's no wonder Potter was hurting badly with the sheer number of pain curses he was throwing around tonight." The raven-haired man replied as he felt the pain in his back ease a little more with each pass of Drakkara's hand.
The violet-eyed woman made a soft noise of agreement as she continued spreading the potent healing salve over the potions master's back. Without thinking about it, she allowed some of her own healing powers to surface and transfer to the injured man. The combined effect of the potions, salve, and healing magic soon had the usually paranoid and wary spy sleeping deeply.
When she'd finished with the salve Drakkara put the jar away and doused the wall sconces with a wave of her wand before flooing back to her suite. She entered her trunk in the dark and changed back into her previously abandoned nightgown before making her way to the bedroom she shared with Remus and crawling under the thick blankets to cuddle up with her mate for the rest of the night.