Chapter 8: Wedding Plans
Harry awoke abruptly, sitting upright, panicking because of the complete blackness in front of him. A soothing hand on his shoulder caused a wave of calmness to wash over him.
"It's ok, you're fine, your eyes need to adjust, that's all, and you're not blind so don't worry." An oddly familiar voice called from behind him, though he couldn't remember hearing it in his life.
Harry stopped squirming around and turned to the voice. More voices could be heard whispering around him. "Where am I?" he asked as his vision slowly adjusted to the darkness.
"This is where witches and wizards go when they die." Another voice called.
"Ginny?"
"Yes, Harry. I'm here. Your parents and Sirius are here too."
"Mum, dad? Sirius? Why am I here? Am I dead?"
"What do you think you're doing here, Harry? I mean we all wanted to see you, but this is too much." Sirius laughed. "Don't worry, you're not dead."
Harry could see everything now. He was in the same place as before, but different. He could see shadows of four birds and a woman crying over a body but they seemed distant and untouchable. He could also see his parents, Sirius, and Ginny smiling at him.
"If I'm not dead, why am I here?"
"That's a hard question to answer. I suppose it's because you've been given the Phoenix Flame." James said, waving his hand and creating five chairs.
"So that's what they were doing?"
"Yes, and now they're crying over your body to heal the burns and revive you. The young lady is crying for an entirely different reason." Lily beamed before indicating the shadows Harry saw before.
"She loves you Harry, trust me, I know all the symptoms of something like that." Ginny said laughing. "Take care of her. She needs you."
Harry nodded to his friend. His father started talking again.
"Harry, the Phoenix Flame is a way to give you a great source of power. You'll be able to summon phoenixes to help you and you can understand their language, though you can't speak it, you need not bother with Occlumency anymore, the phoenix magic in you will protect you from Voldemort, even if you were prowling in his mind he couldn't touch you, and other useful things. You're human, though, so if you die you're stuck with us, no resurrection from the ashes for you."
Harry nodded; this would be an interesting new experience. "Oh, and you're going to have a nice little tattoo on your chest." Sirius added, earning him a punch in the arm from Lily.
A flash of blue light signaled the arrival of another person, a man who looked remarkably like both Harry and James. He handed something to Lily and kissed her cheek before smiling at Harry and disappearing in another blue flash. Lily turned and smiled at Harry. "Harry, would you like to meet your sister?" she handed a baby girl to him. "Her name is Karen."
"What… how… sister?"
"I was pregnant when I died. When I got here, the baby continued to develop and I eventually gave birth." Harry looked puzzled, if that was the case, shouldn't the baby in his arms be sixteen years old or so? "I was pregnant for seven years, dear. Time passes differently here. A day here can be a year in the living world or it can be a second, a month, or a decade, whatever. You don't notice when you're dead. When you have a half-living baby growing inside you, however... The nine months became seven years, and in nine more years she has aged about four months." Lily smiled; eternally raising a baby seemed to make her happy.
"She'll grow up, grow old, and eventually die. Since she was born here, she is actually alive, but not alive. Much like you now." James said, smiling as his son held the baby. "Then she'll be reborn in the living world. They told us you were the same. People born here are born to fulfill prophecies in their next life. Time here gives them what they need. Their powers remain when they're born in the living world."
Harry's jaw dropped. He looked at the small girl in his hands. "Why us?" he said, smiling at his sister.
A pull from behind him, similar to a portkey, caused him to jump. "You're about to wake, dear." Lily said, retrieving her daughter. "We love you, Harry. Take care of yourself and Amanda." Lily kissed his cheek.
"You've done so much for the world… more than anyone should have to do… and there is still so much to be done. Don't let it become too much. Let your friends help you." His father said, wrapping him in a fatherly hug.
"Tell Moony and Tonks that I'll be there, they'll know what you mean." Sirius said, clapping him on the shoulder. The other's agreed wishing Harry to tell them the same from each of them.
"Don't worry about what happened to me, Potter! It wasn't your fault in any way. Take care of your girlfriend. Tell my family that I'm in good company. Your family, Sirius, my uncles… I'm never bored, I help your mum take care of your sister a lot." Ginny hugged him. He was jerked out of her grasp toward the shadowy form of his body.
The Great Hall was the same as always, though the Gryffindor table was a bit subdued. Breakfast had come and there was still no news about Harry or Amanda. Ron and Hermione sat up in the common room all night hoping that their friends would return. Their bloodshot eyes and constant yawning were obvious proof of that.
A few students had already approached them, asking endless questions. A fifth year Hufflepuff even asked if Harry and Amanda had run away and gotten married. The poor girl had tears in her eyes, but she seemed composed until Ron laughed. She burst into tears and ran away. Ron was slapped in the back of his head and glared at.
Dumbledore had graciously cancelled lessons, being the last day of term and all, for students to do some last minute Christmas shopping and packing. Ron and Hermione would be sending Hedwig off with a letter to Harry and Pig with a letter to Amanda, both asking where they are, if they're together, and what happened.
Neither could eat, so Ron and Hermione trudged back to the common room to write their letters and maybe try to sleep.
Amanda squealed with delight when Harry started to stir. It was midday and he had left his parents, Sirius, and Ginny nearly six hours before. Tears were still pouring down her cheeks and pooling on Harry's charred robes. When Harry's arms wrapped around her, she gasped and moved her head up to cover his lips with her own. After a long moment she broke away.
"Merlin Harry! Don't scare me like that! When you wouldn't wake up… I thought…" she started crying again.
Both of them looked up when the four phoenixes trilled softly. Harry heard the familiar sound Fawkes always made, but his mind could comprehend it as human speech. How do you feel, fledgling? All four asked.
"Like I've fallen from my perch." Harry replied, not knowing where the words came from.
That is to be expected. Tell me, fledgling, is this one the one who lays your eggs? One of the phoenixes indicated Amanda. Harry gazed at her.
"What?" she demanded.
"They want to know if you are the one who 'lays my eggs' whatever that means." Harry shrugged.
"It means, you thick-headed dolt, am I the one who bears your children." She blushed furiously. Harry remembered what his family had told him and looked into her eyes.
"What should I tell them?"
"Whatever you decide is fine with me, I plan on making you spend the rest of your life with me after that little stunt you pulled." She hugged him tightly and kissed him.
Harry looked back at the phoenix that asked the question. "Eventually she will be."
Shall we give her the Shadow Flame? Another phoenix asked.
Harry had never heard of the Shadow Flame, but he knew what it was. He looked down at Amanda. "Do you want to be marked with the Shadow Flame? It will bond us together and allow us to feel the other's emotions and pain and in some cases it can cause a telepathic link to form."
Amanda thought for a moment. "I told you that I would never let you get away from me, and what you described sounds like a great way to make sure of that. If you want to, I'll do it."
Harry thought about it. "Yes." He said, looking back at the phoenix.
A blue flame rose from each phoenix and moved to Amanda's back, burning a hole in her robes and moving into her skin. When she had absorbed the fires, a blue line appeared on her back and formed itself into a moving blue outline of fire. Harry was reminded of what Sirius had said and looked down at his own charred clothing. Ripping the front slightly, he could easily see a moving pattern of gold and red. It was hypnotic and reminded him of gazing into the Gryffindor common room's fire.
It is done. You are connected, Phoenix Flame to Shadow Flame. The third phoenix said. It turned to Fawkes. There is nothing more we can do for the fledgling. Guide him until he earns his true wings. Fawkes gazed down at Harry but didn't reply. The other phoenixes left in a flash of flames. Fawkes flew to Harry's shoulder.
Harry told Amanda what had happened when his body was mostly dead, expressing his relief that she hadn't had to go through that. Fawkes moved his talons slightly, digging them into Harry's shoulder. Are you ready to return? It has been more than a full day since I brought you here. Harry nodded and wrapped an arm around Amanda's waist and grabbed Fawkes's tail feathers. They disappeared in a flash of flames.
Ron and Hermione had fallen asleep while writing their letters. The rest of Gryffindor, those who weren't in Hogsmeade, had decided to let them sleep through lunch. They were the only ones in the tower when a bright flash of fire erupted and deposited Harry and Amanda in the floor. Picking himself up, after Amanda had disentangled herself from him, he glanced around and saw his friends asleep, Ron with a quill in his hand.
A surge of inquisitiveness passed over him, followed by mischief. "Don't they look cute?" Amanda jabbed Harry in the ribs. He realized at once that the feelings he felt before were hers.
"Like babies." He laughed. "Let's wake them up…" He walked behind Ron and saw the parchment. "They were writing to us." He announced.
"Ok, I was going to suggest letting them sleep, but now I think we should tell them we're back." Amanda said before shaking Hermione's shoulders gently.
Hermione's eyes fluttered open and through her blurred vision she spotted her friends. "Harry? Amanda? Ron! Wake up!" she kicked her boyfriend under the table.
"Tell Snape I'm in the hospital wing."
"He won't care, mate. He's not exactly worried about our health." Harry said, placing his hand on Ron's shoulder and pulled him up from the table. "You know how he is, Weasley! Detention for daring to be sick! Then you'll spend hours disemboweling toads or something." A croak from Trevor, Neville's toad, told them that there were some who disliked Harry's comment.
"Hmm? Harry? Zat you?" Ron's eyes flew open, "Harry! Amanda! When… how… what?"
Hermione finally noticed Harry's charred clothing and the hole burned into Amanda's robes, as well as the patterns on their skin through the holes. "What happened to you two?" she pulled at a scrap of Harry's clothing.
"Oh you know, I was burned to death by phoenixes for protection, marked by phoenixes, talked to some people while they healed my mostly dead body with their tears, then Amanda was marked. Nothing unusual." Harry inwardly laughed at Hermione's eager yet shocked expression.
"We'll explain later. Right now I think we should shower and change clothes. We can't go around like this, can we?" Amanda said, tugging at her own robes. While hers weren't burned like Harry's, they were still dirty and ripped from their trek through the forest.
Dumbledore was most interested in their tale. After showering, they went directly to Dumbledore's office to inform the headmaster of their return. This wasn't necessary, however, as he seemed to be expecting them. Fawkes was resting on his perch, so their arrival was most likely announced before Ron and Hermione were woken.
"May I see these marks?" Dumbledore asked curiously when they had finished their story. Harry had omitted the part of his tale in which he had spoken to his family and Ginny, and Dumbledore didn't ask about it.
Harry pulled down the front of his robes and allowed the headmaster to inspect the Phoenix Flame. "Interesting…" was all he would say. Amanda asked Harry to pull the back of her robes down so Dumbledore could see her Shadow Flame. Again all he would say was "Interesting…"
Of course it's interesting. This magic has not been done in nearly six centuries. Amanda gasped, realizing that she could understand Fawkes. Harry laughed and looked at Dumbledore.
"Am I to understand that Fawkes agrees with me?" Dumbledore's twinkling eyes turned to the phoenix. Fawkes trilled his agreement.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Amanda took a Portkey to Grimmauld Place for the holidays. They had missed the train due to Harry and Amanda being in Dumbledore's office. Tonks, Remus, and Molly were the only ones there. None of them had been given word of Harry and Amanda's return. When the four appeared, the adults were quick to pull Harry and Amanda up and berate them with questions. Harry cleared his throat and they all stopped talking. Ron and Hermione pulled themselves up and laughed.
"You should have expected this, mate." Ron said, laughing.
Harry turned to face the adults. Worry, fear, relief, and a host of other emotions danced across their features. Harry asked them to sit down, feeling that they would need to. Especially Molly and Ron when they learned that Harry had spoken to Ginny. He and Amanda started their story again, telling it for the second time that day, again omitting the part about Harry speaking to his family, Sirius, and Ginny. When they had finished, Harry looked to Molly.
"Can you call the rest of the Weasleys to join us?" he asked. Molly hesitated for a moment before nodding. Moments later the twins, Arthur, Percy, and Bill had joined them. Charlie was in Romania. Harry looked at each of them in turn, and judged from their faces that they knew he and Amanda went missing.
"You all know that we were gone, but since we've told the story twice today, I think we can spare the details for now. We were given some protection from phoenixes, in short. I asked Mrs. Weasley to call you because I was given a message for you." Amanda squeezed his hand, feeling his nervousness and apprehension. She already knew what had happened in the land of the dead and knew that it wouldn't be easy for him to deliver the messages.
"When I was given the Phoenix Flame, my body was mostly dead. I went to the place that witches and wizards go to when they die. I saw my parents, Sirius, and Ginny." A collective intake of breath from the Weasleys steeled his nerves. "Ginny told me to tell you that she's ok. She said she's in good company, that her uncles, my family, and Sirius were taking care of her. She said that she helps my mum take care of my sister." Harry laughed.
The Weasley family looked immensely grateful to Harry. Ron broke the silence first. "You had a sister?" Everyone glanced at him, eager for an explanation.
"Kind of. She was born in the land of the dead. My mum was pregnant when she died. Time passes differently there, so she's only four months old." Harry turned to Remus and Tonks. "Oh, and I have a message for you too. Sirius, Ginny, and my parents said that they would be there." Harry shrugged as Remus and Tonks looked at each other with shocked expressions.
"Well, since everyone is present and accounted for, we've got an announcement to make. We're getting married on Christmas Eve." Remus told everyone.
"We were going to push the date back, but now that these two have decided to come back home… The ceremony will be at my house, on the beach. You're all invited, even Charlie if you can get him away from those dragons." Tonks was nearly knocked out of her seat as Amanda and Hermione hugged her. Molly smiled widely.
At least they found happiness in times like this. More than one person thought.
A/N: Ok, the part about Harry's sister isn't important in any way… I don't even know what possessed me to put it in there. It's part of another fic I planned but never started. Lily gives birth while dead, and for creating life in the land of the dead, she and the baby came back to life… yeah, weird… anyway… I hope I didn't confuse anyone… I confused myself, so… lol… The next chapter will be about the wedding and Christmas… keep me supplied with reviews and I'll try to have it up sooner.