A/N: Hello everyone. *waves at the still rabid readers* I have a perfect explanation for the last chapter, really I do. See I'd written up to that point and beyond it, cause originally this chapter and the last chapter were supposed to be one. Buuuut.... I suddenly realized how long it was going to be plus I had this nice, neat cliffhanger handy so I cut it off. I hope you're not too mad. Uh, if this one seems a little choppy, it's because I was having some trouble with it. Anyhoo...on to the story!
Disclaimer: I own NOTHING, as I've stated before. And that includes Harry Potter.
/.../ means italics
.... means Phoenixus
~....~ means telepathic speech
Chapter18- The Second and Third Binding
(Harry's Point of View)
The distant shouts of the battle propelled me to greater speeds. I had to get there, I had to help Severus. When I burst through the door I saw the man hurl another curse, completely knocking the Death Eater it hit off his feet.
"Severus!" I shouted. The man whirled around and paled. A second later I knew why.
"Avada Kedavra!" Oh damn, there was no way I could dodge it, this was it. Goodbye Severus. As the green light sped closer, time slowed. Severus shouted my name and ran towards me but I knew he wouldn't make it. By the look on his face, he knew it too. As he ran, he grabbed the silver pendant around his neck and tossed into the air. I watched in fascination as the pendant glowed, then flair silver. When the light faded a cane fell back down. Severus smoothly caught it and drew it back, a perceptible glow forming at the head.
"Phoenixius Glacius*!" he bellowed. A silver mass of energy slammed into the Death Eaters. I blinked at them; they were frozen solid. Still the green light was coming and still Severus was running. It's okay Severus, I know this is it, don't get yourself killed too. Just as the life taking light reached me, I was swept up into the air. My eyes, that I had shut tightly, snapped open and I looked up. An /enormous/ silver phoenix had me in his beak by the scruff of my neck.
"Severus?" I breathed. The bird did not answer but flew to the roof and set me down.
Go Harry, transform. Put the Dursleys on your back and fly out, I'll cover you, The creature assured. I nodded, then hesitated.
Severus? I asked again. The phoenix turned back to me; I could have sworn he smiled.
Yes childing, it's me, now go! With that he nose dived off the roof, straight into a gaggle of Voldemort's followers. They shouted, scattering to avoid him. Severus screeched loudly, not the lovely melodic sound a phoenix usually made, but a battle cry, fierce and scary. From his open beak issued balls of ice, freezing everything in their paths. I watched in a daze as he circled and dived, again and again. Shaking myself, I turned my mind to transforming.
'I knew it! I always knew he was the silver phoenix.' With that thought in mind I transformed and pulled the Dursleys onto my back. After spreading my wings and looking back one more time, I took off.
************
"NO!! HARRY!!!!" I shouted. The boy realized what was happening, it was all on his face. Fear, pain, regret and finally acceptance. Well don't accept it yet Harry, I don't intend to let you die. I started running towards him but I knew I could not reach him; not in time to push him out of the way and not in time to jump in front of him. On impulse, I grabbed the phoenix pendant and ripped it from it's chain, tossing it into the air. I didn't know why, it just felt right. Power surged through my body like ice in my veins. I was going to save him. Sensing the object coming back down, I reached up and caught it, barely registering what it was before drawing back and shouting a spell I'd never heard before in my life.
"Phoenixius Glacius!" The ice in my veins coursed almost painfully through my arm and out of the cane. I smiled in satisfaction when I saw my targets hit the ground, little more than popsicles now. My attention returned to Harry; the curse was almost upon him now. Still running on pure instinct, I leapt into the air, and stayed there. At that moment there was no more surprised person than me. I could fly! The power inside me was building the closer I came to Harry. Just before that damn curse could connect, I plucked him off the ground. It was a second or two before he reacted. He looked up at me and whispered,
"Severus?" I couldn't answer, I had my beak full. I knew what I was now, a phoenix. Though what that meant and what kind of effects it would have, I didn't know yet. Nor was I particularly worried about it. I set him down lightly on the roof and prepared to take off again after instructing him to leave, but his voice called to me again.
Severus? I turned to him and would have smiled. Who knows, maybe I did.
Yes childing, it's me, now go! With that, I leapt off the roof and did a perfect nose dive. Right into the center of the Death Eaters, causing them to scatter in every direction. I let loose my battle cry; these Death Eaters, who had dared to hurt my child, were about to have hell brought to them on a silver platter.
(A/N: Okay that's the end of the Point of Views for now, I may do it later in the chapter so be prepared.)
(2A/N: Ooooooo Sev is pissed. Those D E's have had it. Not that I'm particularly hurt. hehe silver platter, get it, silver platter. *falls over laughing*)
********
He wasn't sure in which direction he was going, it didn't matter at this point. He just had to get away. The sooner he got away from the forest, the sooner Sev would join him. After a few more minutes of hard flapping he slowed his pace to a stand-still. He didn't have to wait long; in the distance, coming towards them, was Severus. When Harry saw him he trilled happily, and was delighted when the Potions Master trilled in response. By the sound of it, his voice was deeper. Not surprising, his own hadn't fully changed yet but it was promising to be just as deep. When Severus reached him he stopped and jerked his head forward. Harry nodded and they started out.
~Severus are you alright?~ He thought to the man, not even realizing what he was doing. The teacher cocked his head to the side, surprised.
~Yes Harry, I'm fine. What about you? Did they get you?~ Harry smiled fondly at the man's worried mental tone.
~No Sev, they didn't. But I have another question: how did you transform into the silver phoenix? You do know that means you're the silver phoenix from the prophecy.~ Severus nodded.
~I do realize that and no, I don't know how. It just seemed like the right thing to do. When I jumped into the air I didn't expect to stay there!~
~I guess that means that your part of the connection has been activated,~Harry said to himself more than to Severus.
~What do you mean Harry?~ The gold phoenix looked at him.
~Seri had a theory that you and I were connected, that being the reason I'd blank out every time you left.~
~I didn't know you did that,~ Severus interrupted. Harry grimaced.
~I was going to tell you when you got back from that last mission, but I never got the chance. The only reason Seri knows is because she was there when it happened. The others know by now; Seri told Kit and I told Albus. Back to Seri's theory. She thought that we were connected and that your half of the connection wasn't activated so my half was more or less grabbing at air.~
~Now my half is activated and we can talk fine but there's one more thing. Don't you feel like we're still missing something?~ Harry agreed and they flew the rest of the way in silence.
********
Several hours later they were still a good distance from Hogwarts. Harry panted, he wasn't use to this kind of weight. Severus noticed his discomfort.
~You okay?~
~Just tired. They may have lost weight while they were in prison but there's still three of them, and they're heavy.~ Severus nodded sympathetically and flew closer.
~See if you can hold on just a little longer, the Forbidden Forest is just up ahead.~ Harry felt an inkling on telepathic support and accepted it gratefully. Twenty minutes later they were over the forest.
~There,~ Harry jerked his head at a clearing. Severus clicked his beak in agreement and both circled the spot. Severus landed first, then Harry followed. Harry eased the Dursleys off his back and with a small pop was back to his human form. It was then that he got his first real good look at Severus' animagi form. It was built like his own, if not bigger and the silver feathers shone like a mirror in the sun. Intermixing with the silver at the tips of the tail and wings were ebony black feathers. Even on the main body, among the sea of endless silver, a black feather would show itself now and again. The beak, which had snatched him from death, was black as well, and deadly. The eyes were still black, but now from their depths shone an inner fire, or was that ice? At the moment he was at ease and friendly, but still looked ready to fight at a moments notice. Around his neck hung a phoenix on a silver chain.
What can I say except that I wish I had a camera, he shrugged. Severus trilled in laughter and Harry looked up at the sky.
You better change back, it's close to three now. Albus will have been back long ago and looking for us. Severus grimaced at the thought and hopped back. Taking a deep breath he focused on being human again. As Harry watched, Severus slowly shrunk back, but as he did a silver thread shot out of his chest. The phoenix pendant detached itself from the chain and floated along the connection. When stopped it began to glow as it had before then flashed. When the light faded a cane was in it's place. It was almost identical to Harry's own, silver at the top and bottom and the dark wood in between. The only real difference was the phoenix head itself and the eyes. The feathers were ridged and pointed, like an ice sickle. Harry's wavered back, like a flame. The eyes, instead of being ruby red like Harry's, were a light blue. Slowly, ever so slowly, Severus became more human and yet the silver thread did not waver. Finally he was human again, and still connected to the cane. Harry began to worry; what was happening? Severus raised his hand, fist up. When he opened his hand a tiny flicker of a ball formed on top of the palm. It grew larger with each passing breath until it matched the size of a grapefruit, a /large/ grapefruit. As it did, Harry suddenly realized just what the ball was, /ice/. Eventually the thread disappeared, but the ice remained. Severus opened his eyes and gave his head a quick shake.
"What happened?" he asked thickly. Harry went over and supported him as he staggered sideways.
"Looks like I'm not the only mage any more," he pointed to the ball in Severus' hand. He stared at it dumbly. He controlled ice? What a minute, he was a mage? First Harry agreed to let him adopt him, then almost gets himself killed and now he was a mage.
"This has been one hell of a day," he whispered as they made their way along a path leading back to the school, the Dursleys in tow. Harry snorted and rolled his eyes, suddenly tired too.
"Yes it has been," he agreed whole-heartedly. They walked for a time in silence when suddenly a high pitched whistle blasted through the forest, causing them to turn their heads.
"Silverhoof," they said in unison. Seconds later the afore mentioned animal burst through the foliage and pranced up to them. Her every movement gave off an annoyed air. She stopped in front of them and gave them both a stern glare. The look was plain. Where have you two been?
"Oh don't look at us like that Silverhoof, we had to go," Severus pleaded. She snorted and tossed her head. Translation: I'll just bet you had to.
"Seriously Silverhoof, we did. And we succeeded, we got the Dursleys," Harry gestured back at the still floating family. She sighed, came forward and nuzzled both of them in forgiveness.
"Thanks for understanding girl." She stepped back away from them and kneeled down.
"I think she's offering us a ride," Severus hazarded a guess and climbed on, tucking his cane in his belt.
"But what about the Dursleys?" Harry asked. Silverhoof swished her tail in response.
"What? Do you want me to tie them to your tail?" She nodded and he shrugged, doing as she suggested. When he finished he took Severus' arm and jumped on her back.
"Let's go," Severus stated. Silverhoof set out through the woods at a brisk walk, picking her way among the numerous tree roots.
"Is Albus worried about us?" Severus asked as they continued along. Silverhoof snorted and stamped her foot. Meaning: Of course he is, why wouldn't he be? Severus sighed.
"I didn't want to worry him," he whispered sleepily as he leaned forward against her warm body. Harry blinked, desperately trying to stay awake, but knowing it was a futile battle. Sighing in defeat, he leaned against his teacher and quickly followed Severus' example. Silverhoof felt both of them drop off to sleep and sighed again. Carefully, she raised her wings up around them, forming a barrier. Her action did not disturb them, they slept on.
Meanwhile the Dursleys followed silently behind. Vernon was boiling in rage, how dare this boy treat them this way. After all they had done for him. He didn't want his family mixed up in the affairs of...the affairs of these freaks. Where ever they were taking them, he didn't plan to stay.
Petunia, she was tired. She didn't really care any more, whether Harry was a wizard or not. It didn't matter that her sister had been a witch and had paid the ultimate price for it. The only thing that did matter now was, they were safe.
Dudley, Dudley was not mad and he was not tired. He was curious. What had his cousin turned into? What had he done to that guard? How had he made himself look like someone else? Who was that man with him? What was that creature they were riding? Why did they address her as though she were human? Where were they going? So many questions, maybe he might find just a few of the answers.
*******
Something tickled his nose. He absently batted it away and pushed down harder into his pillow. What a minute, that wasn't his pillow, his pillow didn't have horse hair on it. He awoke with a start as again Silverhoof tried to tickle his face with one of her feathers. He rubbed his eyes and looked around; they'd made it to the edge of the forest. He reached back and lightly shook his boy.
"Harry, wake up, we're here." Harry sat up and stretched.
"Hogwarts?" he asked. Severus smiled.
"Hogwarts," He answered. Just before they reached the break in the trees, Silverhoof stopped and kneeled. Both hopped down and Harry untied the Dursleys.
"Thanks girl, I don't think we'd have made it this far with out you." Silverhoof whickered and nuzzled Severus neck. A pink tongue snaked out, giving him a very wet kiss.
"Hey," he protested, startled, and pushed her nose away. Harry laughed, until she came to him and did the same thing.
"Uh, thanks girl," he stated. She bobbed her head up and down and headed back into the forest, the sound of unmistakable laughter following her.
"I swear, sometimes," Severus muttered as they trudged out of the forest. Minutes later the great oak doors were visible and they could just make out someone pacing back and forth in front of them.
"Albus!" Severus hailed, raising his hand into the air. The man stopped pacing and immediately appeared in front of them. How he could apparate on Hogwarts grounds was still a mystery to Harry. The first thing he did was grabbed them both in a bone crushing hug.
"Are you two alright?" he whispered as he released them.
"We're fine Albus, you don't have to worry," Harry assured. Severus nodded in agreement, putting a hand on the older man's shoulder.
"We're not only fine, we got what we went after," he jerked his thumb back at the Dursleys. Albus looked at them and his expression darkened. Apparently he had not forgotten what they had done to Harry.
"Yes I can see that," he said coldly. He returned his gaze back to Harry and Severus and his expression became stern.
"I don't want you two doing anything like that ever again, is that understood?" he chided both. They had the good grace to look ashamed of themselves.
"We won't Albus," the intoned together, sounding like the scolded children they were. The headmaster maintained his stern look for a moment longer then let it melt into a warm smile.
"Come on you two, Dale is waiting up in my office for us and Severus I have a little surprise for you," his bright smile widened at the Potions Master's confused expression as they made their way into the castle. Once they were in the Great Hall Albus stopped.
"Might want to release them Harry, I'm sure your tired of pulling them and they have two good feet to walk on," he suggested. Harry nodded in agreement and did as the headmaster suggested. Once he untied them he performed the counter-curse. The family immediately began moving about, shaking out numb limbs and flexing stiff muscles. Harry watched nervously as Vernon eyed him the entire time and he moved closer to Severus. The man sensed Harry's nervousness and placed his arm around him challengingly, giving Vernon a warning glare. Vernon paled and turned his face away, not daring to look at Harry again.
"If you will follow me please, we have some other business to attend to," Albus said politely, though it was bare politeness, nothing cheerful behind it. The family consented and tromped behind the trio as they made their way up to Dumbledore's office. On their way there, Harry wondered. Now that they had the Dursleys safe and sound, what were they going to do with them? He knew the answer, but he hoped there was another way. The only really safe place for them was Hogwarts. That brought up another question: Would they leave him alone while they were here? Certainly they wouldn't try anything, not with Severus and Albus with him. Plus the fact that he'd already proven he could stop them if need be, but would that make a difference? He wasn't sure, but he hoped so.
When they entered the office, the only occupant Harry didn't recognize was the man. A large, lumbering blonde man with clear brown eyes sat on the couch drinking tea and talking amiably with the twins.
"Ah Dale," Albus said as the man stood, "I'd like you to meet Severus Snape and Harry Potter." Dale gripped both of their hands heartily.
"It's an honor to meet you, Albus talks about you both constantly," his voice rumbled as he spoke. Harry and Severus turned identical expressions of amusement on the headmaster who blushed slightly and coughed.
"Really Albus, I never knew," Severus teased, raising a speculative eyebrow. Albus blushed deeper and coughed again.
"Well, why don't we get down to business? Dale, I believe you have the paperwork." He tactfully changed the subject and directed them to his desk. They all sat down around it in the chairs available. Almost immediately Harry was assaulted by his pets. Hedwig on one shoulder giving him an ear full, Rowena on the other, doing the same, and Octavian perched on his stomach, hissing scornfully. He held up his hands in defeat.
"Okay, okay, I give. Could you lay off, I've heard this once today and I don't need it three more times." He glared at all of them in turn. Hedwig hooted her apology and nuzzled his neck; Rowena did the same from her side, giving his ear a half-hearted nip. Octavian hissed one last time then slithered up onto the back of the chair and settled down for a nap. There was a moment of silence before Dale cleared his throat and brought out a briefcase on to the desk. After rifling through it he found what he was looking for and spread it out in front of them.
"Now, what you have to do is sign here Professor. That turns over legal rights to Harry and makes you his guardian in all legal affairs," Severus took the proffered quill and scratched out his name on the line. Dale nodded and turned to the student.
"Now Harry, this is where you sign saying you agree to all this, here," Harry quickly signed, "This is where your name is changed." Dale printed Harry James Potter-Snape at the top of the document and pushed it over to Harry. The student signed his name to the bottom and then his new name bellow it. Dale took it from him and notarized all of the parchments.
"That's it. You are now Harry James Potter-Snape and Severus, he's your son." Both looked at one another and grinned, hugging one another fiercely. The twins laughed, Albus' eyes twinkled brighter than normal and the Dursleys gawked at them. They finally broke apart but they were still grinning from ear to ear.
"There still one more thing to be taken care of," Dale looked at Albus expectantly. Suddenly the headmaster became extremely nervous and squirmed under the curious gazes of the others. He swallowed before beginning.
"Severus, there's something I want to ask you. I've been thinking about this for some time and....well.... Severus would you let me adopt you?" Silence hovered over the office like fog. What had Albus just asked?
*To adopt you; now, what are you going to say?* the ever-present voice asked. He wanted to say...but could he?
*Your vocal chords are still working, I think you can,* the voice answered sarcastically. The voice had a point. He had no family besides Albus, Harry and the twins. That is, if his parents could have even been called a family. They didn't treat him like Albus did, with love and caring. Oh good grief, he didn't even want to speculate on what the other teachers would think when school started. They'd have a jolly good time teasing him, and the press would have a field day as well. Did the man really want to do this, did he really want him...as his son?
*Now that's a stupid question. Would he have asked if he hadn't wanted you to be?* No.
*Then what are you going to say?* He knew.
"Albus...are you sure? I mean, I'm a lot of trouble as you know," he said weakly. Albus chuckled.
"Yes Severus and don't worry, I've always wanted a problem child to keep me on my toes." The Potions Master took a deep breath.
"Yes Albus, I'd love for you to adopt me." Harry beamed at both of them as they hugged and the twins wiped their eyes, Kit sniffing.
"Well then, Albus, sign here and Severus you here. Harry, it looks like were adding another name to the end of this list you seem to be acquiring. There we are. Severus Salazar Snape-Dumbledore and Harry James Potter-Snape-Dumbledore. That's a mouth full. Thank you," he stood up and shook Albus' hand.
"Thank you Dale, I can't tell you how much we appreciate this," the headmaster said. Dale smiled sadly.
"Don't thank me yet. I can keep this from the Minister for a while, I'm not sure how long but when he finds out I've got a feeling he's going to be hoppen' mad," he grinned wickedly, "I always like putting a thorn in that old buzzard's side. Though, now that every thing's signed and legal he can't do any thing about it. Though I have a feeling he'll try. Probably even try to burn the documents. Here's you a copy," he tapped the parchments and they doubled. He handed one set to the headmaster, "They're protected, so if he does try to burn them there's no way he can; they're practically indestructible. I have to go now Albus, but watch out. I'd expect him to find out and come down here in an hour or two or tomorrow. Good luck." He waved at them one final time and left. When the man was gone Albus clapped his hands together.
"I say this calls for a celebration, don't you?" he smiled when the others nodded enthusiastically and tugged on the bell pull. With two cracks Dobby and Winky appeared bowing in front of them. Petunia stifled a gasp.
"You called sir," Dobby squeaked.
"Yes, we're going to have a small party up here." Winky bounced.
"Small feast for small party sir?" she asked hopefully. The headmaster nodded.
"You get the idea; enough for five people."
"What about the Dursleys Albus?" Harry inquired. The headmaster looked over at them.
"You're right Harry. They're being so quiet that I forgot they were here. Better make that enough for eight," he amended. The two elves bowed again and popped back to the kitchen.
"Now for someplace to sit." The headmaster briefly twirled his wand and a table with eight chairs dropped themselves in the center of the office. Just as they were sitting down the food appeared and the table groaned audibly under it's weight.
"I ask for a small feast and this is what I get," Albus muttered as he looked at it. Not that it wasn't appetizing, far from it. There was just so /much/ of it. There was meatloaf, sausage, cold cuts in one section. Eggs, bacon, turkey, chicken in another. Bread in every shape and form, from rolls to the loaf. The fruit was the center piece, set up in an elaborate sculpture of a phoenix.
"I always thought elves had their hearing doubled, this isn't a feast for eight, it's a feast for sixteen!" Severus exclaimed.
"What do they think we have, two stomachs?" Harry wanted to know as they continued to stare at the assortment.
"Seems a pity to eat that, doesn't it?" Kit said as they began to eat. She pointed at the phoenix. Severus leaned over the table and plucked a banana off it's back.
"Not if it food it's not," he said in between chews. Kit rolled her eyes while the others laughed. The Dursleys continued to watch them nervously, only picking at their food. He grinned at her and lifted another bit of food to his mouth. Just as he did, his face paled. His sharp intake of breath caught everyone's attention.
"Severus?" Seri put a hand on his shoulder. He did not acknowledge her but dropped his fork and stumbled up and out of his chair, clutching his left arm.
"He's calling, he knows about the Dursleys, and he's calling," he hissed out through clenched teeth. Seri grabbed on elbow and Harry grabbed the other and both led him to the couch.
"Shhh Severus, you're going to be just fine," Seri soothed, wiping away the beads sweat that had already formed on his forehead.
"It's...never hurt...like this...before," he panted, his nails digging in to the skin of his arm. Harry placed his hand over Severus'.
"I need you to let go. I'm going to try something new okay?" He looked at Seri pointedly. She got the message and moved away, allowing him more room to work. Harry pulled the older man into his lap, tucking his head under his chin and wrapping his hand around the Dark Mark.
"Fawkes," he called. The bird lifted it's head at the sound of his name and flew to perch on Harry's left shoulder. He began to rock the shivering man back and forth, trilling softly like a phoenix. Fawkes caught on and joined him in the soothing tune. For an eternity it seemed they did this; until finally Severus ceased to shiver. When he did Fawkes dropped out of the duet and leaned his elegant head forward. He laid his head on Harry's hand and thick, pearly tears leaked out, splashing down on the boy's skin. There it stayed for a moment before being absorbed through. While they had been singing, a golden aura had appeared around him and had strengthened with each passing note. When Fawkes began to give his tears Harry stopped singing.
"Take the dark poison from his body and bring it into mine. Once there, let it be destroyed. Take the life from me and pour it into him. Let him make it his own. Together we will bear this burden until it is no more," he whispered so softly that only Fawkes or Severus could have heard him. As he said this the golden aura began to seep into Severus, mixing with his own silver. Once all of it had bled over to Severus, Harry stopped trilling and Fawkes flew back to his perch. Severus opened his eyes and looked up into Harry's smiling face.
"It worked," he managed to say before collapsing forward. Severus panicked, scrambling out of Harry's lap and pulling the limp boy into his own.
"Oh God, Harry, Harry wake up." He shook him, even slapped his cheek gently but received no response either time. He laid his ear against Harry's chest and paled.
"There's no heartbeat," he looked around wildly at all of them, "What do I do?" he asked, his voice betraying his desperation.
"His life child, give him his life. He poured it into you now you have to give some back," Albus said. Severus blinked at him in confusion.
"How?"
"Just try Severus," Seri pleaded. Severus bit his lip then placed his hands on Harry's chest and forehead. Once he concentrated he could see it; Harry's life force, pure gold, mingling with his own silver. He gathered it together, with some of his own, and fed it back into Harry's body. It glowed around Harry for a moment before receding into him. The boy groaned and opened his eyes.
"That's not what I thought was going to happen," he said weakly. Everyone let out a sigh of relief and Severus gathered Harry to him tightly.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again; do you hear me?" he scolded. He felt Harry chuckle.
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to," he stated. Severus frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"In order to complete the spell we have to do this four more times and it only works when he calls you," Harry explained. Severus glared at him.
"Exactly when were you planning on telling me this?" he wanted to know.
"Right now," Harry said meekly, giving the Potions Master his best pathetic look. The black-haired man moaned and cradled Harry tighter to his chest.
"Look, you may want to be stuck with that Dark Mark forever but I don't," Harry continued.
"What do you mean?" Harry lifted the sleeve of his left arm and held it out. There, on his forearm, was a faint but still recognizable Dark Mark.
"How did you get that?" Severus demanded.
"It's part of the spell. Both of us have to bear it until it's completely gone," Harry explained.
"Great, now everyone will think I've been training you to be a Death Eater. Just lovely," he said sarcastically. He looked down when Harry let out a face-splitting yawn.
"Tired?" Harry nodded.
"Why don't you get some sleep." Severus settled back against the couch and shifted Harry into a more comfortable position in his arms. Harry yawned again and snuggled down against the man's warm body.
"Good night father," he whispered as he drifted off. Severus' breath caught in his throat. All of his hopes at one day being called that were now a reality. It was like being set free from some burden and caused the last of his emotional walls to come crumbling down. Harry had called him...father.
"Sleep well my child." he whispered back lovingly as he too fell asleep.
The twins and Albus watched fondly as both fell asleep in each other's arms. Quietly, they went back to their dinner.
"It's about time this happened," Seri said. Kit nodded in agreement.
"Yeah. I was beginning to wonder if we'd get them this far before I strangled them both for being so stubborn," she put in.
"You mean, you set them up to be....father and son?" Dudley asked. Albus nodded.
"When Harry first came to this school Severus hated him, or at least, he thought he did. He also was under the misconception that Harry had been pampered all of his life so he didn't want to treat him special. When he found out he wasn't spoiled the way he thought," Dudley shifted self-consciously under the headmaster's stern gaze, "his attitude slowly changed. He learned to love the Boy-Who-Lived." Just as the headmaster finished a low beeping sound filled the room. Seri cupped her hand over the pulsing pendant.
"Sorry we have to eat and run, but the Aurors are calling," she said, standing to leave. Kit downed what was left of her pumpkin juice and headed out the door, Seri close at her heels. She paused before the two as she passed the couch. Quickly she leaned down and kissed Severus on the forehead before following behind her sister. Albus stood and closed the door after them. With a wave of his wand the food disappeared back down to the kitchens and the table and chairs went back to where they had come from. He turned to the Dursleys.
"Since there is no other safe place for you to stay now that Voldemort is after you, you will have to remain here," he stated. Vernon didn't look to happy about it, but nodded all the same. Albus pulled the bell pull once more and the two elves popped back in, with out the usual crack. Apparently they could sense the sleeping mages.
"Dobby, Winky, I'd like you to escort the Dursleys to rooms on the other side of the castle. I believe the Red room should do, it has two bedrooms," he instructed. Both elves bowed to him.
"Yes sir, we will do that sir," Dobby promised. Winky eyed the family.
"Sir, should Winky and other elves get family new clothes?" she asked. Albus nodded.
"That will be fine. Also tell them that once school starts they must eat in the Great Hall with everyone else." The two elves nodded again.
"Very well sir, right away sir," Dobby whispered. The two elves jumped off of his desk and marched up to the family.
"You will follow Winky and Dobby," Dobby commanded. The family looked at the elves then at the headmaster, then back at the elves. They went to the door and opened it.
"Come," Winky ordered.
"Quietly," Dobby added. Seeing as they could do nothing else they followed the two creatures down the staircase and into the hall. Once there Vernon stepped in front of them.
"I want you to take us out of here, right now," he said in his best intimidating manner. The elves barred there teeth at him.
"Will not do so, Headmaster Dumbledore has ordered us to take you to Red room and that is what Dobby and Winky do," Winky insisted. Vernon growled, reaching down to grab Winky by her throat. With a loud crack he was thrown against the wall with a sickening thud. He slid to the floor, clutching his head. Dobby shook his finger at the man in a scolding manner.
"You will not hurt Winky. Winky is Dobby's friend, you will not hurt her," he repeated. Petunia cowered back away from them but Dudley did not. He thought his father deserved what he got, he had tried to hurt her.
"Now, follow Winky and Dobby, we show you to Red room," Dobby said, heading in that direction. Once they were far enough away Petunia rushed over and helped her husband to his feet.
"Maybe we should just follow them dear," she suggested. Vernon only grunted and lurched forward, trailing after the two distant elves.
*******
Severus slept for a good two hours; the best and most peaceful sleep in his life. Only to have it interrupted by someone opening the door so forcefully that it banged against the stone wall. He awoke with a start and stared at the blurry image of a livid minister.
"Dumbledore what have you done?!" the little paunchy man demanded to know. The headmaster drew himself up to his full, imposing height.
"I don't believe I know what you speak of Cornelius," he said with an air of innocence backed by the bare politeness. Fudge growled and stuck his finger at the Potions Master.
"You've allowed that...that.../Death Eater/ whose committed crimes to horrendous to speak of to adopt Harry Potter! How can you stand there and pretend to not know what I'm talking about?" Spit flew from the man's mouth as he spoke and he punctuated each sentence by stabbing his finger at Severus. Albus' cerulean blue eyes grew frosty and he dropped all pretenses of politeness.
"Watch yourself Fudge, I will not have you speak about my child in that manner."
"Your child? What are you raving about?"
"I have adopted Severus," the headmaster said simply. The minister was shocked into momentary silence.
"You WHAT?!" he cried when he regained his voice, "Have you lost your mind? He's a Death Eater, a servant of You-Know-Who!"
"It's Voldemort Fudge," the little man flinched, "and Severus no more serves him than I do. I will say it again; Severus is my child and Harry is my grandchild," Albus maintained. Fudge rounded on the two on the couch.
"You. I will not allow this," he proclaimed. Severus gave him his trademark sneer.
"I don't recall asking for your permission /minister/," he remarked nastily. The man puffed up in indignation.
"I will not be spoken to that way," he snapped back.
"There's nothing you can do Fudge; everything's already signed and finalized. It's all perfectly legal," the headmaster stated, holding up the parchments.
"We'll just see about that," the man muttered, pointing his wand at the documents, "Inflamara!" The fire shot from the end of his wand and bounced harmlessly off the papers. Albus smiled grimly.
"They're indestructible minister, you can't touch them."
"Oh yeah, Incinerace!" The second spell meant to incinerate the parchments was shot down by another, stronger spell. Fudge whirled to face the couch where Severus had his cane drawn.
"Don't try it again minister," he said. Fudge saw red.
"Are you threatening my Snape? With your record I could just haul you down to the ministry," he glanced at the headmaster, "one way or another, and have the Dementors administer the Kiss." Severus paled. Fudge smiled wickedly and took a menacing step forward.
"We wouldn't even have to go down there, we could just bring one up here and...WHAT THE HELL?!?!" he yelled as a barrier of white light sprang up in front of him, cutting him off from the Potions Master.
"Fudge," the headmaster growled. The minister turned. Albus Dumbledore stood behind his desk, shaking in un-controlled rage, the same white light out lining his body.
"I will not, I repeat, I will not have you threaten my child." His finger was pointed firmly at the barrier.
"I think you better go minister," Harry suggested as the man turned to him, "You're surrounded by three armed people who, at the moment, are extremely pissed off at you," Through the barrier Fudge could see the boy raise his own cane and point it at Fudge's chest. "Go," he said.
"I will go, but don't think this is the end of this, I'll be back." With that final veiled threat the man turned on his heel and stomped out of the office. As Albus lowered his hand the barrier lowered itself. The two on the couch watched the headmaster carefully.
"Albus are you...." Severus trailed off, uncertain of how to finish the question. Even as the barrier winked out of existence the light around the headmaster did not.
"Do you think he's a....a mage?" Harry wondered. To answer his question Fawkes let loose a sharp whistle and flew over. He landed on the man's shoulder, reached out with his beak and plucked a thread of white hair from his beard.
"Ouch! Fawkes, what did you do that for?" Albus groused. The phoenix ignored him and hopped down on the desk where he dropped the thread from his beak. Three pearly tears fell from his eyes and onto the white hair. It flashed a blinding white and when it faded the thread had become a cane. With trembling hands Albus picked it up.
"Go ahead and finish Albus, transform," Harry urged. He nodded and laid the cane back on the desk, then closed his eyes. The white light surrounded him completely, blocking him from all view. When it faded it left behind, a white phoenix. The creature opened his eyes and stared back at them through a dazed cerulean blue. He was much like Severus, with black at his wing tips and tail, even his beak was black. Though his body was a blinding, unsoiled white. His most distinguishing feature, however, was the black around his eyes in the shape of his half-moon glasses.
"Impressive," Severus said approvingly. The phoenix rolled his eyes affectionately.
"Try turning back now," Harry suggested. Albus closed his eyes and once more his image began to melt. As he did so, his cane stood up on the desk. A beam of light shot out of the diamond clear eyes and connected with the headmaster's chest. There it stayed until he was wholly human again. He lifted his hand and in the open palm a tiny white ball flickered to life, growing to the size Harry's and Severus' had been. Finally the thread wavered and disappeared, releasing Albus from his cane. He blinked at them.
"That was certainly different," was all he could say. Harry and Severus let out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, each of their right hands began to glow in their colors. When they stopped, something was on them.
"What is that?" Harry asked as he poked at the mark. Imprinted on the back of his hand, as well as Severus' and Albus', was a triangle. Each side was a different color; one gold, another silver and the last white.
"What does it mean?" Harry tried again when no one answered his first question.
"I think it means," Severus said slowly, "that we are the Trinity of the Phoenix." Silence followed this statement.
"You mean the Trinity of the Phoenix from Trelawny's prophecy," Harry asked. Severus nodded, "I think you were right Severus, this has been one hell of a day. I'm going to sleep." To prove this he buried himself back against the Potions Master, fist clutching tightly to his clothes. Severus and Albus stared at one another for a moment.
"I think he's got the right idea," Severus said. Albus nodded in agreement and stood up. Severus reached down to shake Harry but found that he was already fast asleep.
"That didn't take long," he said, his voice peppered with amusement. Carefully, so as not to wake the boy, he stood up and followed the headmaster into his bedroom. He laid him down on the bed.
"Let's get him into some pajamas," Albus whispered in the man's ear. Severus nodded and the headmaster levitated Harry up. Severus quickly stripped him of his clothes and slipped the black silk pajamas on in their place. When he was done, the headmaster lowered Harry back on to the bed. None of this seemed to bother him, he slept on.
"I'll be back," Albus said as he headed to the bathroom with his own night clothes. As Severus levitated Harry once more to pull back the covers he could hear the shower run briefly. After only ten minutes the headmaster emerged from the bathroom.
"My turn." Severus grabbed his set of black silk pajamas and closed the door softly behind him. As the warm water's cleansing spray washed over him he thought about the day's events. First Harry had agreed to let him adopt him. After that they had tricked Albus and gone on a mission to save the Dursleys where Harry was almost killed. Then, he'd become a mage. Fourth, he'd officially made Harry his son and had become Albus' son all in one fell swoop. Finally, Albus had saved him from the minister and proved that he was a mage as well. It had been a long, long day, he decided as he went back into the bedroom. He smiled at what he saw. Albus had apparently fallen asleep as well and Harry had curled up to him, unconsciously seeking the man's protection. He crawled under the covers and waved off the lights, snuggling down beside them. He was, he reflected as his eyes drooped closed, glad this day was over.
*Phoenixius Glacius: It means phoenix ice. I borrow phoenixius from polaris I think and glacius is the Latin word for ice. I claim that spell. If any of you want to use it, ask.
A/N: *collapses from complete exhaustion* I understand Sev, I'm glad this chapter is over. I've never had so much trouble with this, I fought it the entire way. And I won. *Looks at the bed, wondering if she'd fit in it too* Budge up you guys and make some room. *They ignore her and continue to sleep. She sighs* Well it was worth a try. Aren't you glad, no cliffhangers! This chapter is loooong with a capital L. The longer I work on this the longer it gets.