Remember: Peace, love and be a Marauder! I mean, why wouldn't you be? (Sev included!)
Disclaimer: No I do not own it. I only own the things you don't recognize (like new powers, attitudes and pets and such)
Chapter 26- Happy Birthday!.....Severus? Sweet Merlin, Not More Surprises!
Harry stretched like a cat before letting his body go limp. It was nice for once just to be able to lie in bed and not worry about having to be somewhere. Light slanted through the floor length window and across the covers of his bed, giving them pleasant warmth. He fully intended to waste the weekend, as long as no crises arose. The only problem with today was that his father had gone on mission the night before and would not be back before late evening. So he planned on being lazy, spend time with his godfather if he was around and possibly brew a few potions. He knew one for certain that would have to be done soon: the Wolfsbane Potion. Remus had been looking pekish of late due to the fact the full moon would begin the week after next. Severus had allowed Harry to participate in the last brewing of the potion almost a month before. It was difficult, extremely so, and Harry would have to take the utmost care when he brewed it. As Harry lay there, running through the necessary ingredients, a familiar screech made him sit up. Careening into the room with Tave on her back was Rowena. She settled lightly on the bed.
+What is it girl?+ he asked curiously, wondering what would cause the creature to act in such a manner. Her eyes gleamed with delight as she held up her prize, a torn piece of paper. As Harry took it from her he realized where it was from: his father's planner.
+Ro what have I told you about going through Severus's things? He's already set your tail on fire once, do you want him to do it again?+ The feathered animal puffed up and made an indecent noise in her throat before replying.
+I was only trying to see what he was hiding in his underwear,+ She was referring to the last time she been caught during one of her 'raiding parties'. +You humans always hid the best things in the strangest places. But you can't pin all of this on me, Tave helped too.+ The partner in crime lifted his wedge shaped head.
#True, but we found something of interest. Read young master.# Slightly irritated, Harry did so and gasped. It read:
38th Birthday
"His birthday! Why didn't he tell us!?" Harry leapt from the bed and flew to his dresser, tossing clothes over his shoulder.
+I'm not sure, but my guess would be that he didn't want you to know,+ Rowena replied a bit sarcastically. She was covered by an unidentified flying shirt a second later.
+Or maybe he forgot. It has been rather busy lately,+ Hedwig suggested as she took up a place on the bedpost, out of range of the flying wear. Too true, Harry thought bitterly. Voldemort had been on a rampage since his godfather had arrived. Although the two events coincided, they were not related, yet both important in their own ways. As Voldemort became more active, the Order was busier than ever. That meant meetings and missions every night. Sirius had been amazingly understanding of his work and relationship with Severus. (Harry was at this point holding his breath and counting his blessings, hoping the truce would hold.) Severus himself had graciously allowed the animagus inside his rooms (the living room at least) when he wished to visit his godson. Harry had convinced the reluctant ex-convict that he was being treated with the utmost kindness and that yes, this was indeed permanent. Yes, even if something was to happen to one of them, though Harry had eyed him suspiciously after that question.
The problem with the late Minister had been easily solved. The man's body had been left at the site of the last battle. Its discovery had produced political shockwaves that had ripped through the wizarding community. They weren't certain whom to trust anymore. A great political campaign was going between Lucius Malfoy and surprisingly Arthur Weasley, both vying for the position of minister. Harry sincerely hoped the latter won but at this point, there was no way to tell.
On the upside, Severus and Sirius hadn't killed or seriously maimed one another. They were actually, God forbid, getting along. All right, maybe getting along was too strong of a term. Tolerating one another might be the best way to phrase that one. Harry knew it was for his benefit only and for that he was grateful to both.
Thank goodness he had no classes to worry about, at least not today. His professors were acting increasingly abnormal of late and he intended to find out why. Every time he came close to one to gauge their emotional state he met with a resistance. It was similar to running into a stone wall; it left him with a headache for hours afterwards. He hadn't tried recently but he knew he would have to soon. What was interesting, to him at least, was the fact that not all of the teachers had been affected by this 'sickness' for lack of a better term, at once but rather one at a time. It had started with McGonagall, then spread to Sprout, Flitwick and finally to Sinistra. It might even have gone so far as to effect Trelawny but with that woman their was no way to tell. In the beginning, when the professors had been informed he had taken his O.W.L.'s and shown the results, they'd allowed him to skip classes. Since their change, those professors no longer allowed him this luxury. They demanded that he be present during all of his scheduled class times and work be given to them. As Severus had worked with these people for years he knew exactly what they did for their lessons. Basically, Harry had done all of the work so he merely handed in what he had done over the summer. So far, they had not noticed and he hoped it remained that way. He still had his N.E.W.T.'s to study for after all and wasting valuable study time on homework he had already done was impractical. The only classes he didn't mind attending were Care of Magical Creatures and Potions. CMC with Hagrid was always a treat (and a bit hazardous) for he never knew what the man would bring for them to study next. Even if he'd already taken his O.W.L. for that class, it was still fun. Potions was more a lesson in the patience and practice of teaching than potions. But, as before, he'd already completed the fifth year material on the subject. To give the students as much aide as possible, he had begun a study groups supervised by this father in the dungeon classroom on Fridays. It invited students from all houses and years to join in and many had. Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs mixed well with one another but the Slytherins (the few that came) always separated themselves purposely. It was a rift Harry had to deal with and one he hoped to heal. He knew it would be a long and drawn out process but he was patient; he'd deal with one obstacle at a time.
Just as he clipped the belt that held his staff on and shoved his money pouch in his pocket, a grinning Sirius bounced into the room. The man had filled out in the short time he'd been at the school; his complexion no longer waxen with hunger and the tangled mass of knots that he'd called hair had been straightened thanks to a potion Harry had brewed himself. He now resembled the man in the photographs the Gryffindor possessed.
"Hello Sirius, what are you doing?" he asked curiously as the man attempted to burrow under the room's large bed.
"Hide me from Kit Harry, please?" he whined pathetically as he tried to wedge himself deeper. That's strange, Harry thought, why would he be running from Kit? He voiced this question. The animagus stuck his head out.
"Because she wants me to test her latest potion, that's why. I used to do it in school but now I know better. Please hide me." The mage chuckled as his bed suddenly heaved and his godfather was sent sliding across the smooth wooden floor on his stomach. His bed didn't like people trying to hide underneath it.
"I would Padfoot but I can't, I'm going to Hogsmeade." The black-haired man sat up on his elbow and eyed his godson with open curiosity.
"Why?"
"Because it's Sev's birthday today and I want to give him a present." Harry noted that the man's expression fell and he sighed, knowing why. On the Saturday after Sirius was to leave for his next mission assignment was the man's birthday. He thought everyone had forgotten (since no one had mentioned it) but that was not the case. They were merely planning him a party and had not yet informed him of it. A fact, Harry was about to remedy.
"As to your birthday present," he grinned at the other's startled jerk, "I already have it." Putting two fingers to his lips he let out a shrill whistle. In the next moment the colorful phoenix-like creature that he'd created in Transfiguration waddled in. "I thought you might like Louis here, since you don't have an owl you can depend on." Louis waddled over to the stunned animagus and sat before him, staring at him benignly with his yellow eyes.
"But won't he be easy to recognize?" The man asked after he'd regained his voice. Harry smiled and shook his head. He cleared his throat, taking on the air of a teacher about to give a lecture.
"No, Louis is unique. So that you could keep him as a pet and messenger, I equipped him with several spells. He can grow and shrink so that he'll fit just about anywhere and so that he's not easily recognized he can change the color of his feathers. This way you can send all the letters to me that you like." Sirius, grinning happily, pulled the bird to him.
"Thank you Harry, I couldn't think of a better gift." The boy smiled.
"I just wanted a way for us to keep in touch, and this seemed the best."
"How did you even know about my birthday in the first place?" Sirius demanded playfully, giving the boy a mock shrewd and calculated look. Harry shrugged.
"I should since I've been pestering Remus about it constantly. You give me such wonderful gifts on mine, like Rowena for example," The bird cooed affectionately, having detangled herself from the clothes dumped on her, "and I wanted to be able to do the same in return. That is alright, isn't it?" Sirius blinked at him for a moment, processing all that had been said before drawing the boy in a brief tight hug.
"Yes, of course it's alright. Thank you Harry." The boy smiled.
"Thank you for being there for me Padfoot. You were the first one to offer me a home; a real home and loving family and I will never forget that. Now, why don't you come with me? It'll be nice to spend time with you when we don't have to deal with business with the Order and Voldemort." The man readily agreed and trotted along side Harry (with the colorful phoenix perched on his back), who wore his Gryffindor cloak, as they proceeded to the Headmaster's office. Harry tapped on the door and peeked in. Albus was seated at his desk, ominously tall stacks of paper piled around him.
"Grandpa, we're going to Hogsmeade to find father a birthday present, is that alright?" The elder mage's weary eyes looked up at him.
"What?"
"Hogsmeade, is it alright if I go to get Sev a birthday present?" The lines of confusion around the man's eyes deepened.
"Birthday?" Now it was Harry's turn to be confused.
"Don't you know it's Severus's birthday today?" By the man's expression, that would be a definite negative.
"No! Is it already October 1st? How could he have not told me?"
"Not just you but me as well and I've had a few theories thrown at me from different creatures," Rowena ruffled her feathers importantly and one of his pockets shifted. "Snuffles decided to come along," The dog gave a brief bark, "and I just came to see if it was alright to go." The Headmaster rose from behind the mountains of paper work and snatched his cloak from a near by rack.
"Of course you can go and I'm coming with you."
An hour later found Harry browsing through the various cages in the local Magical Menagerie. Rowena had left his shoulder and was chattering with a few of the birds; Tave was wrapped around his wrist and Snuffles was by his side. This was the last shop and Harry was becoming desperate. He'd found nothing, nothing!-that he wanted to give his father and that fact was beginning to become ridiculous.
"Can I 'elp yeh young man?" Green eyes peered at the plump, cordial man through dark bangs.
"Just a birthday present, I'm not really sure what I'm looking for yet." The man nodded in understanding, making it seem as though he heard this often.
"I'll be behind the counter so give me a 'oller if yeh need anthin'." Harry gave his thanks and went back to his search. There was something here, he could feel it, and it was only a matter of finding it. The part of the shop he was in now had few animals. The majority of the cages were empty and the few that were occupied their occupants were asleep. As he passed yet another empty cage a slight movement caught his attention and he turned. There, in one of the cages he previously thought empty, silver eyes shined out through the darkness. Compelled by an unknown force, he approached, gaze fixed on the silver orbs. When he reached the cage he was astonished to see what possessed those entrancing eyes. The black cat stretched sinuously, the white ankh that graced her forehead glowing. Harry placed a hand on the cage. The creature placed a paw to it. Snuffles gave an inquiring bark, breaking the spell over the Gryffindor. He gave his head a little shake as the shopkeeper appeared beside him.
"Is anythin' wrong sir?" he asked as the student gave his head a little shake.
"No, nothing. I think I would like to purchase this animal." He could feel the creature's intense gaze upon him as the man frowned.
"Well now," he twisted his hands, "I 'ave to warn yeh. This 'ere beastie's been 'ere for many a year and nobody's wanted 'er. She's gotta bad temper, that one. Mean spirited yeh see. Donna like anyone." The cat snorted.
~That's because up to this point there has been not one person of even remote interest to me.~ Harry's head whipped back to her, eyes slightly widened.
~You talk?~
~Ah, so you heard me,~ This seemed to please her. ~You, young phoenix, are the first. Would you please take me from this place?~ Harry smiled.
~Of course.~
"Sir, sir are yeh listenin'?" The shopkeeper found himself under the commanding green gaze, similar to that of the cat at times.
"I'd like to purchase her." The man began to protest.
"But sir....." Harry pushed back his hair, revealing the familiar lighting bolt.
"I'd like to purchase her," he repeated with patience unknown to most fifteen year-olds. The shopkeeper took a step back in awe for he had been unaware whom he had been speaking to the entire time.
"O-of course Mr.-Mr. Potter, she's twenty gallions. Will yeh take the cage or would yeh prefer a leash?" Harry reached out and undid the latch to he cage. The black creature leapt effortlessly on to his shoulder and settled herself there.
"Neither, I think she will be just fine."
"She's wonderful Harry, I've never seen a Veras cat before," Albus proclaimed as he stroked the feline's head. The group was seated in a booth at The Three Broomsticks, recounting their shopping experience.
"According to Su Lin," Harry was referring to the cat, "The shopkeeper thinks she's an ordinary cat with an extremely long tail." The feline nodded.
~I only reveal myself to those who are worthy.~
+Oh really?+ Rowena bit out sarcastically. The two creatures had been at odds with one another since the moment they had met. The whole reason being that Su Lin had taken Rowena favorite perching spot, Harry's shoulder, and had refused to give it up. Rowena was very touchy about certain things, especially when it came to her master whom she was very possessive of. To her, the cat was an unwanted invader. The cat arched her back, fur standing on end.
~One more word out of you bird and you'll be my dinner.~ The falcon let out a screech of indignation, attracting a few of the customers' attention.
+You couldn't eat a baby mouse let alone me!+ That certainly seemed true, the feline was very delicate in stature. Su Lin's pearl white teeth glinted dangerously as she grinned.
~Do not think for one second bird that this is the only form I possess.~ Realizing he needed to end this, Harry seized the falcon and placed her in his lap, beak tightly shut between his fingers. Albus had done the same with the black cat.
"Quiet the both of you!" The Gryffindor commanded firmly. "We have more important matters to attend to. Grandpa didn't you say the twins already knew?" The light mage nodded.
"Yes, apparently they have had better luck keeping up with dates than I have. We discussed it for a bit and both felt that a celebration was in order. What do you think?" Harry grinned and nodded enthusiastically.
"Let's get to it."
Severus let out a bone-weary sigh and commanded his feet forward. It had been a long day, a very long day. He'd seen more death than any man ought to be allowed. Women screaming as Death Eaters dragged them away; children crying because of fear and having been torn from their parents; men yelling shouts of charge as they dove into the fray. It was just too much; he wanted to spend time with his family, knowing they would help soften the sting of the memories. He rubbed his eyes and leaned against the wall.
"Professor Snape?" Merlin asked cautiously. The wizard looked terrible. The dark-haired man waved his hand dismissively, knowing what the portrait was offering. Friendly ears and messengers were nice, but not tonight.
"Wingbrothers Merlin." The portrait nodded and swung open. The room he entered was dark, unusually so. There was neither light from a burning candle nor the warm glow from cooling embers. That was strange; Harry would normally be down here doing his homework (seventh year work) or reading. Anytime to unwind was used lately. The week had been pure hell in every sense of the word. Before he could raise a hand to summon some illumination, it was provided for him. He blinked at the sudden brightness but then in astonishment as he finally saw what surrounded him.
"Surprise!" The group, consisting of Harry, Albus, Remus, Kit and Seri, chorused before descending down upon him. In a daze he accepted the hugs, kisses and thumps on the back. He was still in a trance when he was led to the couch.
"What's going on?" he finally asked, his voice betraying his bewilderment. Seri laughed lightly and put an arm around his shoulder.
"Severus dear, it's your birthday. Don't you remember?" The blank look persisted for a moment before understanding dawned on his pale face.
"Of course; with everything going on it had slipped my mind. But how did you find out?" Harry spoke from his place in one of the room's armchairs.
"Rowena went digging through your things again," Severus shot the bird a murderous look but she returned it with one of innocence, "and in your planner you had today marked down. So we planned this for you." Seri disappeared from his side, coming back a moment later holding a large cake. It was simple, half of it covered in silver and green icing, the other in scarlet and gold. Over both was a silver phoenix in flight, outlined by candles. She presented it before him, grinning like a school girl.
"My mother's recipe," Remus said as Severus stared at it.
"Ready everyone? Happy birthday to you," The others joined in, their voices swelling together in a harmonious chorus, "happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Severus, happy birthday to you." Seri's eyes twinkled merrily as Severus stared at her.
"Blow out the candles and make a wish," the golden-haired healer encouraged. Her gentle command seemed to pull him from his thoughts and he did so. The group gave him a small round of applause as the healer placed the confectus sweet on the table.
"Well," Albus began as the woman took her place beside the Potions Master," What do you want first? Presents or food?" Severus blinked at him.
"Presents?" Again there was surprise. The group chuckled.
"Presents it is. Who's first?" Remus stepped forward, pulling a rectangular package from his pocket.
"I will be, here Severus." The Potions Master accepted the brown paper wrapped packed and pealed away the paper. It revealed itself to be a book on potions. "It's the latest, or so the lady in the shop said and it will update itself every few months." The man smiled, tucking the book beside him.
"Thank you Remus." Kit, unable to take it anymore, jumped up.
"Me next, me next, me next!" She bounced from the room amidst the group's laughter, only to emerge with what appeared to be a large, cream-colored puff ball. She presented it to Severus, who accepted it cautiously.
"What is it exactly?" He nearly jumped in the air when, at his touch, the puff ball began to purr loudly! Kit, grinning ever so much like a maniac, wagged her finger at him.
"Come come Severus, you should know. Think hard now." Of course, she was only teasing, he'd already deciphered what it had to be.
"A Puffskein?" Her grin grew wider and she bobbed her head up and down.
"Righto Sev, your very own affectionate fur ball. I had gotten one from my parents when I was little and thought you might like one too. It is a she and her name is Amanda, meaning worthy of great love. What do you think?" She asked eagerly, bouncing before him.
"I think my quarters are going to be covered in cream fur that's what," His expression softened as the rest laughed, "I like her, thank you Kit." The woman nodded and moved away. Albus relieved the man of the creature, keeping it safely tucked in his lap. Beside him, Seri cleared her throat, drawing the room's attention.
"I'll go next." From deep inside her cloak she drew a large, leather bound album. Carefully, as though she were holding a great treasure, she handed it to him. He accepted it with the same care. Laying it in his lap, he gently opened it. The first page made him gasp. Inside was a picture of him and Seri, holding hands after a Quidditch match. His fifteen year old self was standing proudly with his broom in one hand and the young healer in the other. The fifteen-year-old Seri giggled at the camera and pecked her boyfriend on the cheek. Blinking back the memories that brought to the surface he turned the page. There was another picture of them; only this time it was Christmas. He remembered when this had been taken, only days before they had broken up. His younger version was chasing the healer through the white snow, tossing balls, which she easily dodged, at her. They ran out of the picture's side, only to reappear with him running from Seri. The next several pictures were of their time at Hogwarts as school children. The next set was definitely more recent. The first was of he and Harry as they were practicing DADA. Another of them as they were sitting by the lake talking. Then next made him glare.
"I'm sorry, but Kit insisted," Seri said helplessly, making it seem as though she had had no choice in the matter. Severus let it pass but he still glared at the picture. It was of Harry and him when they had disguised themselves to retrieve the Dursleys. Blonde was most definitely not his color. Moving on, the next was of all three, Albus, Harry and himself, curled up on the couch in sleep. A smile crept over his features at this. After that was one of all of them: Seri, Kit, Severus, Albus, Harry, Remus and Sirius, although he and Sirius were at opposite ends of the picture. He wondered, would they add another to this family portrait soon? Maybe even two? The pages after that were blank.
"I left them that way, so you could add on if you liked." Severus smiled and, to the healer's surprise and delight, gave her a quick kiss on the lips.
"Thank you dear heart, I love it." 'And you,' but he left that unsaid. (A/N: *shakes head at Severus and herself* I can't believe he won't admit that. Oh well.) Harry smiled at the two as he caught the eye of both the Headmaster and Kit. His father and the healer were so obviously still in love that it was positively painful not to see them together. Something was going to have to be done about that and soon. Remus coughed and the spell of the moment was broken. Seri, a faint blush upon her cheek, looked away. Severus sat back and looked around. That was Harry's cue to stand.
"I believe it's my turn now." Tapping the floor once with his cane, the door to his room opened. From the dark depths shot a black blur. It ran up Harry's body and perched on his head, but only for a second. Spotting Severus, the animal gave a mighty leap and landed squarely in his lap. Taken aback by the entrance Severus stared at the creature opened-mouthed. The animal cocked its head to the side.
~Well silver phoenix, are you going to say anything or stare at me like a fish?~ This remark jarred him from his state.
"A Veras cat?" Su Lin preened her whiskers.
~The one and only. My name is Su Lin master phoenix, it would be nice if I knew your's as the fire bird refused to tell me.~
"Severus Snape, a pleasure to meet you Su Lin. Harry where did you find such a creature as her?" His son smiled, delighted that his father was obviously pleased.
"Would you believe in Hogsmeade? She was passing herself off as an ordinary house cat."
~With an extremely long tail,~ Su Lin reminded. Harry rolled his eyes and swatted at the animal's tail.
"With an extremely long tail," he repeated, his tone speaking of exasperation. The cat made a deep noise in her throat, drawing the man's attention back to her.
~I will protect you master phoenix, as it is my duty.~ With that said, she jumped down from his lap and sat herself at his feet. He believed the little creature, as did the rest of the room's occupants. Veras cats could be, ahem, dangerous when their owners whom they chose were threatened. It seemed this one would be no exception. Before another word could be said, there was a faint knocking at the window. Seri, being the closest, stood to open it.
"Silverhoof!" she exclaimed in surprise and stepped back to allow the unicorn admittance. The Barice unicorn leapt lightly from the window to the room's floor. Bobbing her head in greetings to all, she made her way to Severus and nuzzled his cheek then let out a whicker. It's meaning was quite plain: I haven't seen you in a while. He smiled and smoothed a hand along her neck.
"I know, I've just been so busy with school and Voldemort, I simply haven't had time." At the mention of the Dark Lord's name the beast snorted. Su Lin, realizing what this animal was, moved aside. Silverhoof let out a grateful whiny and settled herself at Severus's feet.
"But what are you doing here girl, is something wrong in the forest?" Again the unicorn snorted but rolled her eyes as well. She nipped his leg in reproach. Didn't he understand; it was his birthday today. She had come to see if he was well. Severus blushed at his foolishness but the animal let it go. She suddenly surged to her feet, as graceful as any woman, and stood before him. Around her neck, the Potions Master noticed something he had not seen before. It was a necklace, with a single dark feather hanging from it. He glanced briefly into her blue eyes, saw what he needed to see, and took the necklace from her. It immediately shrunk, now the proper size for him to wear. Knowing what he'd been given Severus gave the unicorn a small smile.
"The Darkwing's Feather. Thank you kind lady." The animal watched him with a mothering gaze before whuffing his hair and taking up a place beside Albus. He laid his hand on her neck and she turned to him, the light in her eyes different than what it had been when she'd watched Severus.
"I've never heard of the Darkwing's Feather," Remus stated as Severus turned it over in his hands.
"Likely not. I wouldn't have heard of it if I didn't know Silverhoof. Darkwing was supposedly the first Barice unicorn, cursed by a dark wizard. Darkwing was originally a man, a wizard just like any other but he made a mistake and turned several wizards against him. He eventually paid the price for his supposed 'horrid' deeds. His punishment was that he and all his descendents were to be unicorns; able to take the form of a human, but only in a time of great crisis, or near death. No one knows whether or not they can become unicorns again once the crossover has been made, it's never been done before. Of course, Darkwing wasn't the only one to be cursed in this manner, merely the first. Darkwing's Feather is supposed to protect any who wears it and inform the rest of the herd of the danger. Silverhoof is a direct descendent of Darkwing." The tale left the others in awe as they gazed at the creature in a new light. She merely shifted towards the Headmaster and, had she been a human, would have blushed. Albus smiled and patted her neck before turning his attention to the Potions Master.
"Well Severus, child, it seems that I am last. I actually wanted it that way. You see, when I realized that today was your birthday, I had no idea what to give you. My mind went totally blank. Then it struck me, almost like lightening. It was simple, and something I already possessed." From the inside pocket of his robes he drew a case and held it out to the Potions Master. Severus accepted the box with reverence. Under the Headmaster's kind, cerulean blue gaze, he opened the box and gasped. Albus smiled.
"Welcome to the Dumbledore family Severus, my son." With trembling hands Severus drew the necklace from the box and held it up to the light. Hanging from the thin silver chain was a silver bumblebee. He knew what it meant, what it signified. Albus had once spoken of the charm. It was a family heirloom, to be passed down from father to son. Albus had been lucky enough to receive it from his father instead of his brother Aberforth. Lord knows what would have happened to it then. To receive such a gift from Albus, it was almost too much to take. He nodded his head, unable to speak. The Headmaster knew what those bright eyes meant and no words were necessary. Severus finally broke the hovering silence by placing the piece around his neck and giving his father a hug.
"Thank you," he whispered into the ear. Albus's smile grew wider and nodded. Having sufficiently gained control of himself, Severus pulled away and smiled courteously to the others.
"What say we tackle that cake now, eh?"
That night, which they had hoped to spend in relative peace, was not to be. Harry had to visit Draco. But he was not going alone everyone was going again tonight. For several days, the boy phoenix had been devising a plan of protection to place around the young Slytherin. After days of agonizing, he believed he had the perfect one. The others, upon hearing it, had agreed. What they planned to do was give Draco a bit of each of them. Like Silverhoof giving Severus the Darkwing Feather, they would give him a feather or fur, depending on what they had. The final product had been, unique to say the least. They only hoped now that it worked. Shifting under the weight of Kit on his back (as a snow leopard) Arrigo spread his wings and took flight. He was soon followed Sureves carrying Tigress and Ladus, the only one not burdened. But he carried their gift. They quickly arrived at their destination and wasted no time in moving inside. Tonight's visitors, besides themselves, included a wolf from a local pack and a large black snake. The snake was draped over Draco's shoulder and the wolf lay lazily at his feet. They all looked up as the group entered. The wolf began to growl but Draco shushed him with a sharp command. He smiled as they formed their usual circle around him.
"Hello, I wasn't expecting to see all of you, but I am glad." Snowball moved forward, glaring at the wolf. Her message was quite clear: move! The wolf, grumbling under his breath, obliged and moved to the blonde boy's side. Snowball settled at her cub's feet and purred in content.
"What brought you all here tonight?" Draco asked curiously. He'd been in much better spirits of late, his father having been too distracted with the Ministry to pay him much mind. Arrigo spoke for them, explaining their purpose. The black snake interpreted.
~They fear for your safety young dragon, they wish to protect you.~
"Protect me how?" The Slytherin asked. Ladus stepped forward and extended out their gift. Draco relieved him of it and stared at it in astonishment. It was a necklace, that much was certain. The strap was made of fur, braided in impossible way that it formed a chain of sorts. From it hung three feathers: one gold, one silver and one white. He looked up at them, confusion showing in his soft blue eyes.
"I don't understand, how can this protect me?" Sureves answered.
+There is something from each of us, a bit of our power. If anything were to happen to you, we would know in an instance and come to your aide. Will you wear it?+ The snake repeated his words. Draco stared at the group of five and wondered what he had done to deserve this from them. This was his family before him. Without another thought he placed the necklace around his neck. Snowball let out an audible sigh.
"Thank you my family, for everything."
Hermione, Ron and Ginny walked silently through the bowels of the castle. Their research was more or less complete and they wished to speak with Harry about it. But the boy had been elusive. They had managed to track him down the day before and had been surprised by his appearance. There had been dark bags under his eyes and the normally bright green eyes had been dull. He looked positively exhausted. At dinner that night a note had appeared at the table, asking them to come to Severus's rooms. Of course, none of them knew the way but the sender had foreseen this and left directions. Three halls over from the Slytherin dormitories. Thank goodness Ron still remembered where they were. An event like the one with the Polyjuice tended to make one remember. In no time they found themselves before a portrait of a dark man. When Hermione cleared her throat the picture sprang to life.
"You must be young Harry's friends, am I correct?" They nodded. He graced them with a small smile.
"Then give me the password and you may enter, I believe Harry is waiting for you inside." Ron, looked at the parchment again. Scrawled across the blank page in familiar slightly messy handwriting was one word.
"Wingbrothers." The man in the portrait bowed and the painting swung open. They stepped inside to a surprising sight. Harry was seated on the floor with hundreds of books pilled around him in teetering stacks. Loose parchment was scattered everywhere as were quill and ink. At the moment, the boy sat in the middle of it all, chewing on the end of his quill. At the sound of their entrance he looked up and grinned happily.
"Welcome to my home you guys, I hope you don't mind the clutter too much. I haven't exactly had time to clean." He waved to the couch and chairs. "Take a seat, it's promising to be a long night already." He rubbed his eyes and gave his head a shake, as though to loosen the hold the cobwebs of sleep had over him. Rowena appeared at his shoulder with a book clamped in her beak. He relieved her of it with quick thanks. Tave appeared at his other side, nudging a glass of water towards him. He accepted it gratefully and downed most of it in one gulp. As a black cat strolled up to him, he gave her a quick mental command. She nodded and scampered away. Seconds later his father appeared yawning from his bedroom. The Gryffindor glared briefly at the small cat.
"I asked you to check on him not wake him." The creature blinked innocently.
"Don't blame her fire child, I was getting up anyway." He threw himself in the chair behind Harry and gazed at the room's startled occupants. He smirked; he must look a sight to them. Wearing gray pants, a white shirt and a black bathrobe, it was difficult to be intimidating. But he didn't have to be.
"And to what do we owe this visit?" he asked lightly, trying to keep the three calm. Harry watched their reactions as he leaned against his father's knee. He, of course was dressed similar to his father, looking as though he was ready for bed. But, then again, he was. Hermione, being the most practical and adaptable of the group, took the situation in stride. Ginny was not far behind her. Only Ron remained a bit suspicious, if brown eyes told anything. Harry didn't need his empathic powers to know the boy was still very wary of the change in the Potions Master. A wariness, that would only disappear with time.
"I asked them down here father, they've been helping me with some research," he grimaced, "To tell the truth they've been doing the majority of it on their own. I simply haven't had the time." Severus nodded in understanding. He did understand; with Voldemort constantly on the rampage, their time had not been spent worrying about much else. Hermione cleared her throat.
"That's alright Harry, we think we've found enough as it is. We were hoping that you would slow down long enough for us to tell you, but you haven't." Harry winced at himself and nodded.
"I've wanted to but that's why I asked you down here, so you could tell me. And also for me to explain some things to you." Severus held out his hand and pulled the purple bell pull.
"Would you like anything to drink, or perhaps to eat?" he asked cordially as the house-elf appeared. Harry noted Hermione's small frown with a grin. Oh Lord, maybe calling a house-elf wasn't the best of ideas but there was nothing they could do now. Winky waited patiently for her orders. Severus, also noting the female Gryffindor's expression, turned to the elf.
"Winky, would you please bring us some tea, and perhaps a few snacks?" The elf nodded, bouncing on her large feet.
"Of course Professor Snape, right away sir."
"Thank you Winky." The elf bowed and popped away. With a small wave of his hand he conjured a table above their heads and settled down between the group. Harry banished the books away to make room for the new piece of furniture. Both tasks were done without wands. By the other three's expressions, they had realized that. Harry gave a small sigh.
"That is one of the things I wish to talk about but I'd like you all to first." He encouraged them shamelessly, wanting to know what they had discovered. Hermione spoke first. From inside her leather bag she drew out a ragged notebook, one that certainly looked as though it had seen better days. She layed it across her lap and opened it to the first page just as the tea and food appeared.
"We looked first for the Trinity of the Phoenix. It is formed by three phoenixes, one white, one silver, and one gold. Legend tells that they will be born in the time of great need. The white phoenix will be first to be born, though last to gain his powers. The silver phoenix is next and he is second to gain his powers. His birth signifies the rise of the dark power that has summoned them. The gold phoenix, though last to be born, gains his powers first. His birth brings about the fall of the dark power but only for a short time. The three are like a family to one another, they will always be drawn together." Harry nodded, as did Severus. That certainly made a certain amount of sense and explained their feelings towards one another. How, even before they really knew one another, the instinct to protect was strong. Hermione continued.
"Each member possesses a staff that Merlin created. He created the three then hid the third, The Staff of the White Phoenix, within the other two. It was to be released when the other two had emerged." Harry held up his hand for Hermione to stop and summoned a familiar object to him, his staff.
"This is one of the canes they spoke of, The Staff of the Golden Phoenix." The three stared at him, not quite processing what he had said.
"I-if you have that," Ginny began, "then you're part of the Trinity." A nod.
"As am I. I am the silver phoenix and Albus is the white phoenix." Seeing the still disbelieving expressions, Harry decided to offer proof. Taking a deep breath he transformed. Ginny let out a gasp and Ron reached out a tentative hand. Arrigo touched it with his beak, causing the boy to jump back in surprise. As Harry became human again, Hermione confronted him.
"Why didn't you tell us this before Harry, why did you wait until now, after we had done all of that research?" she demanded. The boy had been expecting an outburst, but not one quite so strong.
"I would have Hermione, I wanted to. In fact, I planned on it the night of the opening feast but things got out of hand as you may well remember and I haven't had a chance since. If it hasn't been my godfather and father I've been worrying about, it's Voldemort. Believe me you guys," He made eye contact with all three, "I meant to tell you, but there hasn't been time." He took a deep breath to calm himself and Severus laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Hermione, I belong to an organization known as the Order of the Phoenix," The girl's eyes widened, "and by your expression you've read about it before. For the last two weeks we've had a meeting every night, every night!" He paused to think and Ron spoke up.
"That's why you've been so tired," he said quietly. Harry nodded, a sigh escaping his lips.
"Yes, I'm afraid so."
"You see Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, Miss Weasley, Harry was chosen by the ten council members we had at the time to be allowed the chance to become a part of the council. Even with us wanting him to be a part, it was not guaranteed. He had to be chosen and ranked by Fawkes before he could join us. And he was, he is number two, my partner."
"You see," Harry picked up, "We command our own divisions of men and women, trained fighters. We are field commanders; they've been training me to lead them on the field of battle. I've yet to actually go out there."
"You will be soon," Severus promised, "I will be taking your place here with the rest of the planning, though not before I go on a few missions with you." Harry smiled wearily and leaned against his father's knee more. Severus ruffled his boy's hair affectionately, resting his own head against the back of the chair. Silence fell over them for a time as the other three assimilated the information they had been given.
"Is that why you leave and come in late every night?" Ron asked to break the tension. The fire mage nodded. He spent the weekdays in the Gryffindor dorms and the weekends in his rooms in the dungeons.
"That and my visits with Draco." That left the others a bit open-mouthed.
"What are you doing with that slimy Slytherin?" Ron demanded, forgetting for a moment where he was. This remark earned him two identical cold glares.
"Watch yourself Mr. Weasley, you are speaking about one of my students and I still know how to deduct house points," Severus warned, his dark eyes narrow.
"He is also my friend, just like you are. I'll defend him as I would you," Harry added and then sighed. "Though he doesn't know it's me."
"How can that be?" Ginny wondered, eying the boy curiously.
"He knows me in my phoenix form, as Arrigo."
"He knows us all in our animagi forms," The Potions Master put in.
"I've been working with him a while now, I'm hoping I'll eventually be able to reveal myself in my human form. But we seem to have gotten off the original subject. What else have you found?" Ginny took the notebook from the older girl and cleared her throat.
"The members of the Trinity have elemental protectors, formed by the elements they control."
"Which means the members are mages," Ron added. Harry nodded, his eyes closed.
"Yes that's true."
"What element do you control Harry?" Hermione asked. The boy held up his hand and in it ignited a fire ball. That answered their question.
"Those protectors," Ginny moved on, "are called aegises and they represent the phoenixes other animagi forms."
"Other animagi forms?" Harry repeated blankly.
"Yes, sort of what they would have been had they not been the phoenixes." Harry looked at his father, noticed the man was almost asleep and not paying attention any longer and stood. The weight away from the man's knee did catch his attention however. He started and sat up.
"Harry what are you doing?" His tone was cautious, with a hint of demand and authority. The boy gazed at him innocently.
"Only an experiment father, no need to worry." Severus could sense the half-truth in that and grabbed the soft hand.
"Fireling, you are as tired as I, this is no time to be doing this." Harry gave the other, rougher hand a squeeze. His thoughts were brown and lavender with confidence and reassurance. Knowing he could not persuade him otherwise, Severus let the hand go and nodded his consent. The fire mage turned from him and inhaled deeply, closing of his sight and mind to the world. All senses were focused on two words: Transformus Animagi. Over and over, a mantra, a song, the only words to ever exist. They were whispered, shouted, and cried to him. A meadow, alive with every color imaginable, began to take shape in his mind's eye. Gently, like a feather drifting to earth, his feet touched to the ground. His first thought was to panic; he was neither human nor phoenix. But that want passed away quickly, a gratifying peace taking its place. Mindful that this was new, he took a small step forward. Then another. And another.
~I'm afraid you will get no where at that speed,~ an amused voice stated from behind. He whirled around, momentarily forgetting his earlier caution and whinned in surprise. Before him was the familiar shape of the fire beast, head held proud and flaming mane whipping in the breeze.
~It's you.~ Laughter, mirroring the sound of his own, rang through the stillness that surrounded them. With a short trot the flaming Barice unicorn stood nose to nose with him, identical green eyes gazing into his own.
~You mean you. I am you,~ he said patiently. Their horns now touched and Harry was surprised by the click they made as they did so.
~You are my other half.~ It was a statement more than a question. The creature did not answer but stepped back a few paces and leapt into the air. Harry watched in awe as the animal moved with the grace that would put a ballerina to shame. It paused in its flight and whickered to him, calling him to join. Gathering the courage and speed he jumped and found himself airborne. For a time they played, chasing and fighting one another.
~Will you still be there, will you still come if I call?~ The mage asked to break the silence that had fallen over them. The creature cocked its head at him and nipped his nose.
~Of course, all you must do is call.~ The meadow faded, blackness replacing it. ~Do not worry,~ the beast said as Harry looked around him, ~You are merely returning to the real world. I will see you again.~ The last words were a whisper as he too faded from existance.
Reality returned to its rightful place with an almost audible 'snap!'. At least, it seemed audible to him as his knees gave way and he collapsed to the floor. Cries of fright and horror touched his ears but he tuned them out. Concerned hands lifted him from the cold, unforgiving wood and settled him into a warm cushiony lap. Severus's thoughts, cherry red with alarm, intruded into into his consciousness. With his failing strength he pushed them away, weakly reassuring him.
"All right, so maybe that wasn't as necessary as I thought," he claimed with false brightness, "but I'm not going to die Sev." That did not stave the hands from the gentle probing.
"You certainly look it," the Potions Master retorted sharply, but yellow waves of concern that continued to overide the boy's meager defenses softened the rough edge.
"Harry are you alright?" Hermione and Ron questioned in unison, Ginny nodding her head, indicating she wanted to know as well.
"Don't worry about me you guys, I've been through worse. Another issue I need to inform you about."
"How did you do that?" Severus interrupted as curiosity overwhelmed him, "You resembled a relative of Silverhoof's there for an instant." The mage craned his head up to meet the large black eyes.
"You obviously missed the last part of the conversation. Ginny would you...." he looked at her. The girl understood his request and repeated what she had said before. A thoughtful look settled over the Potions Master's expression as he pondered what he'd been told.
"Then that tiger...." he trailed off as Harry nodded.
".....is your other animagi form. As the Veras cat is Albus's." A new voice played out through the gloom.
"Is my what? What have I missed?" The venerable Headmaster summoned a chair and settled himself beside his family. Ron related what they had already discussed.
"Then I take it you have not yet reached the Star of Hope?" he continued. Harry laid his head in the crook of his father's neck, yawning.
"I believe we were just getting to that." He looked at the other three expectantly. Ron took the notes from Ginny and cleared his throat as the three before him had.
"The Star of Hope is formed at the merging of the Trinity of the Phoenix and the Moonlight Cats. Together these five will use the Earth and Crystal as their base in the hopes to retain their earthly forms."
"Earthly forms?" Harry repeated in confusion. Severus ran a hand through the long hair.
"It means that they help to remind us where our bodies are or we might die. Am I correct?" Ron nodded, relaxing a trifle.
"Yes sir. It says that they five must give up all that they are, all their power and life, to defeat the darkness."
"Voldemort." Again another statement.
"It would seem so. They are to summon a sword, it doesn't name it, that will cut the cords of the dark creature's power forever." Severus let out a sigh.
"That's certainly clear enough. But we still don't know who the Moonlight Cats or Earth or Crystal are." Harry tugged at the man's hair a bit.
"I think we know who the Moonlight Cats are, it has been right under our noses all along." This proclaimation earned him curious looks from his two guardians.
"Who?" Albus demanded. The boy rolled his eyes. At times the two could be extremely thick.
"Who else, but the twins." Skeptical looks, "Think about it. Their animagi forms are cats, very large cats at that. They even have crescent moon shaped pendants and have had them as long as they can remember. This all began with them giving me the Staff of the Golden Phoenix, why should they not be involved? It would explain why Seri knew there was something wrong with us that day in Transfiguration. It could be that their connection with us is growing stronger." Albus and Severus nodded in agreement. What the boy said was true, it could be a possiblity. But that still left the question of Earth and Crystal.
"Excuse me, but what do you mean by 'something wrong with us'? Harry, weren't you the only one ill that day in Transfiguration?" Hermione inquired. The dark haired father and son turned to look at the Headmaster accusingly.
"I forgot! Oh dear me." Albus lifted his cane and pointed it at the two. "sev lesyht la everned dih seir omem!" he chanted deeply. The confusion that swirled in their eyes instantly departed.
"Sirius and Fudge!" Hermione squeaked. Ron rubbed his head as though it hurt.
"Why did you oblivate us?" he asked accusingly, earning himself a smack upside the head from the brown-haired girl.
"Would you rather the entire class know about Harry's godfather?" she asked acidly. He shook his head sheephishly.
"I forgot about that, I guess I'm used to knowing that he's innocent." Ginny spoke up.
"Sirius Black, the one you two told me about during the summer?" she asked. They had let the young red-haired girl in on many of their secrets, for they knew they would need her help. They nodded. She sighed and glared at Ron.
"Of course he oblivated the class rock for brains, do you seriously want Sirius to get caught?" Again he shook his head, backing away from the two annoyed females. Harry watched his friend with amusement. It was nice to see them getting along.
"Hermione correct me if I'm wrong but even though someone takes a polyjuice to become another person, they can not take their animagi forms. Correct?" The girl turned her attention away from the other and nodded. Severus let out a sigh.
"Then that means our dearly departed Minister," Albus and Harry snorted, "was an illegal animagi. Why am I not surprised?"
"Of course it fits. Pettigrew is a gray rat and Fudge was a brown rat." Harry reminded, a yawn punctuating his sentence. Severus shifted him a bit.
"Childing as much as I would like you to sleep and I do know how much you need it, as do we all, you did promise to tell them why you were here during the summer." The boy nodded and turned to the three across from him. How would they take this news? Would they be shocked and horrified? That was a given. Would they find it terribly hard to believe? Perhaps, they did not know how cruel a human being, even one's blood, could become.
"I did spend a week at the Dursleys, one that I will likely not forget as it is branded into my skin." Carefully he removed his shirt and closed his eyes. He did not see their reactions, but the sound of a choked gasp, violent swearing, and brief sob told him all he needed to know. He silently replaced his shirt and laid back against his father.
"But why didn't we see those when you went in the lake that day?" Ron asked.
"Simple, I masked them. Revealing this to you is not a problem but to our entire house and that of Slytherin?" He shook his head. "I couldn't do it."
"What did they do to you?" Hermione asked in a strained whisper. He blinked at her calmly.
"They beat me Herm, with a whip. Or rather, Vernon did it."
"How could he do that?!" Ginny cried in horror. The boy reaced out with a tendril of his thoughts and calmed her nature.
"It was easy considering he thought I was the center of everything that was wrong in the universe," he shivered, eyes glazing momentarily from the haunting of past demons. At one touch of his grandfather and father's mind it vanished and he shook his head. "I dealt with it for a week before Hedwig came and I was able to send a letter to Hogwarts."
"Which I received," Severus picked up. "That was the beginning of our relationship. When I found him, he had a broken arm and leg, several cuts and bruises. To top it all off, by the time we left, he had a bullet wound in his left shoulder."
"The same one you told us about after the opening feast?" Hermione guessed. Harry ached an eyebrow.
"I've only been shot once Hermione so I would say that is a definate yes." He reached up to rub the spot. It had begun to ache as they had talked.
"He took they bullet to save my life, I would have been shot through the heart." The three stared at Harry who was staring cooly back. Why was this such a surprise? Didn't they know he would do the same for them?
"After I had recovered I spent the rest of the summer here," he gestured around, "in these rooms. I found out during the course of the summer that the Dursleys had been kidnapped by Voldemort and I knew I had to get them back."
"Get them back?" Ron repeated incrediously, shaking his head. "Honestly Harry you ought to be given a sainthood. Get them back?" he shook his head again. Albus and Severus chuckled as the boy rolled his eyes.
"That is what I said," Severus commented with a smirk.
"Anyway," Harry interrupted, pulling them off track, "I searched for about a month before I had any success. Severus and I busted them out of one of Voldemort's prison in Salazar's Realm. Unfortunately I almost got myself killed in the process."
"Too true," Severus added grimly, "That's when I discovered that I was the silver phoenix written about on Harry's cane." The boy snapped his fingers.
"Which reminds me," he summoned his own notebook, one from a stack of many and held it out to Hermione. "I'd like you to read over this and see if that supports your evidence." The girl quickly scanned the writting, Ron and Ginny peering over her shoulder. After a moment she nodded and handed it back to him.
"Yes, the prophecy does seem to match all that we have found," she agreed. Harry sighed.
"Good, at least we're getting somewhere. As I was saying before, Severus and I rescued them from the prison," A small smile passed over the soft lips, "the same day Severus asked if he could adopt me. We managed to make it back in one piece and to sign the adoption papers."
"As I had asked Severus to be my child," Albus put in.
"True. The next two weeks were heaven; there wasn't a thing to worry about. Voldemort was quiet; the teachers had not yet arrived. But I should know by now that all good things must come to an end. During the week before school was to start, Vernon managed to corner me here, in this room." His voice had gone flat and his eyes had gained a vacant and faraway quality to them. No amount of calling and probing from his family could bring him back from his memories of that day.
"He threw me against the couch and drew out a whip, one so similar to the one he'd used back at Privet Drive. I just froze, found myself trapped inside a nightmare I thought I had escaped forever." He shuddered and Severus wrapped his arms around himself more firmly.
"I didn't want Albus and Severus to suffer, so I cut them off. We share a mind link with one another, quite a strong one actually. They would experience every bit of pain that I did and did not wish them to. So I cut them off," He closed his eyes, his voice barely a whisper now, yet every word was clear, "Again and again, lash after lash. I couldn't run, hide or stop him. Finally the wall that I'd built to separate me from my father and grandfather," Albus grabbed Harry's hand and held it tight with in his own, "crumbled. They came to my rescue. They saved me." He shuddered one final time and shook his head, clearing away the hold of the memories. He lifted his eyes to meet the stunned gazes of his friends.
"That is why I stayed here, and also why I have been hesitant to tell. It is not exactly an easy subject to speak of." Hermione stood and crossed the way between them, engulfing the unsuspecting boy in a hug.
"It certainly shouldn't be," she whispered in his ear, "and I'm sorry to have to make you relive it." He returned the hug. She let go after a moment and gave him a brief kiss on the cheek. Ron came up behind her and placed an arm around her waist pulling her close. She leaned his head against his shoulder and gazed at her friend sadly.
"Sorry to bring that up mate, we won't tell anyone," Ron promised. Harry gave them a small smile.
"That goes without saying, I know you won't."
"Neither will I," Ginny said firmly from her place at her brother's side. He nodded at her.
"Thank you Ginny." A yawn split his face and he curled against his father's warm body.
"I think we can call this meeting to end. You three have classes tomorrow and we need to sleep." It was a gentle but firm command and one that was hastily obeyed. The three gathered their material, said their goodnights, and left. Severus watched the portrait-hole for a moment before looking down at Harry.
"Little one?"
"Hmmmmm?" Yes, definitely needed to rest. Carefully he stood and walked to his son's room. Tucking him under the warm covers he kissed him lightly on the forehead.
"Sweet dreams little one."
" 'night father." Severus returned to the living room to find the Headmaster brooding by the fire.
"Sickle for your thoughts father," he commented lightly as he seated himself once more. The man's gaze remained fixed on the dancing inferno.
"Hearing Harry speak of all that has happened reminds of just that, that it all happened. Good God Severus, all that he's been through, all that we been through together. Will we be able to stand anymore?" Severus laid a hand over his father's arm and looked into the man's cerulean blue orbs, his own black twinkling with a familiar light.
"Of course we will. We will face it together, as a family." They stayed like that a moment before Albus yawned. Severus smiled.
"Why don't you stay down here tonight? The houselves finished adding on another bedroom the other day and I believe Seri, Kit and Petunia were kind enough to decorate it for us." The Headmaster returned the smile.
"Thank you Severus, I think I will."
Several days later found the group in the Great Hall.
"Harry you must eat something, the match is in two hours," Hermione insisted but the boy shook his head. He was not in the mood for food; he never was before a match. This one in particular made him nervous for a reason: the match was against the Slytherins. Which meant he would be facing Draco on the Quidditch field. What was he to do? Let the boy win? No, he couldn't do that even if he wanted to. Draco would know, he wasn't an idiot contrary to Ron's caustic remarks to the wise. No, he would merely have to let Fate take its own course and hope for the best.
"Please Harry, eat." Hermione pleaded again. He frowned and shook his head again when a sudden thought occurred to him. What better way to relieve some tension than......
"Hey Ron?" The boy looked up from his plate.
"Yeah?"
"Want to play a game of chess?"
It had begun slowly, each feeling the other out. Ron made the first decisive move and Harry answered it with one that had made Ron stare in disbelief. From then on it had become more intense, both becoming so deeply immersed in the game they had failed to notice the crowd the event had drawn. It was Gryffindors as they were playing in the common room. Half an hour after they had begun they were down to only a few pieces each and who would triumph was still to be determined. Harry sat back in his chair, watching Ron study the board. He knew he had startled the red-haired boy by how he had played but Ron had done the same by how well he'd played. He would have made an excellent number two. The red-haired Gryffindor had never been pushed to his full potential before, until now.
"Check," Ron stated as he moved his last knight to its new position. The wrong move, Harry thought, and he doesn't he's left himself wide open. He let his hand hover above the board, hesitant to make the last move. With a resolute sigh he made his last move.
"Checkmate." The crowd gasped collectively, not believing what had occurred. Ron had never been beaten by anyone at this game. Ron stared at the board then his friend before extending his hand.
"Great game Harry, never had one better." The Gryffindor grinned and shook his friend's hand heartily. He was glad there were no hard feelings. "Be interested in a rematch after the game?" Ron asked eagerly. Harry, surprised by the request, agreed. The other boy seemed happy to have someone who really challenged him.
"Come on Harry," Fred and George popped up behind the fire mage and dragged him out the door.
"You ready?" Angelina asked as Harry laced his boots up. He nodded and grabbed his Firebolt, joining the rest of the team as they waited to be announced. It was time to fact the music, or bludger in this case. The wood that surrounded them muffled the dull roar of the crowd. He took a deep breath. Any minute now.
"Verses the Gryffindors!!!" Lee Jordon's ampliphed voice echoed through their area and the door swung open. As one they mounted their brooms and flew out, the roar of the crowd almost deafening. They soared around the pitch once before stopping to face their opponents in green, the Slytherins. Draco was directly across from him, sneer firmly set on his face. Harry reminded himself it was only the boy's ruse to keep the others at bay. He was going to say something to the boy when a movement out of the corner of his eye demanded his attention. He swiveled his head in that direction. In the stands was Lucius Malfoy sitting among the teachers. The man had been appointed Minister only two days before and Harry was surprised that he had already not tried to rid the school of the Hogwarts's Three, as his grandfather, father, and he had been called in the papers. Instead Lucius had been cautious, slow to make any sudden changes. Clever move, gain the wizarding world's trust to hide your true intentions. What made the scene even more unusual was Kit. Her sister and Severus were restraining her. Each gripped an arm and Seri whispered into the woman's ear as the dark-haired healer glared murderously at the blonde man. Finally she gave a tight nod and they released her. He saw her take out her wand and point it directly at the new Minister, muttering under her breath. He sent a question his father's way and the man reassured him; the spell was not fatal or one of the Unforgivables. 'Darn,' Harry thought before he could catch himself and his father replied with bright laughter. He turned his attention back to the boy across from him and saythat he was even more pale than normal.
"Father," Draco whispered, loud enough for Harry to hear. He groaned mentally; could this situation get any worse? Don't think that, he told himself firmly, it might just. Madam Hooch stepped out onto the field.
"Alright teams, make it a clean game, I'm warning you." She glared at them all sternly before kicking open the bouncing box, releasing the bludgers and snitch. The gold, walnut sized ball hovered between the two seekers for a fraction of a second before speeding away. Hooch grabbed the Quaffle and tossed in the air, beginning the game. Harry immediately pulled his broom up to a higher position on the field, allowing him a better view. He noticed Draco from the corner of his eye not far from him. A quick glance revealed the intense look of concentration. Draco was determined to win.
"Gryffindor Chaser Katie Bell in possession of the Quaffle and dodges a bludger hit by the new Slytherin Beater, Adrian Sharp," Lee happily reported as the game whirled below them.
"Sharp, parents are Death Eaters," Harry repeated quietly to himself. Severus had in fact met up with them on his last mission. It had not been a happy reunion. The boy was a bull of a sixth year, cut from the same mold as Crabbe and Goyle only he possessed actual brain power.
"Katie Bell whips around the Keeper, she scores! Ten points to Gryffindor!" Harry clapped absently, his eyes darting around the field for any hint of gold, but there was none.....yet.
"Slytherin Chaser Marcus Bodle now has the Quaffle and is speeding toward Gryffindor's new Keeper Ron Weasley. There's the throw-GET IT RON!- YES and he blocks it!" Harry grinned and gave his friend a thumbs up which he returned. The boy appeared shaken and was decidedly white but was still grinning from ear to ear. Still no sign of the snitch and it was easy for the crowd to see that both seekers were becoming ansty.
"Angelina Johnson has the Quaffle and-WATCH OUT ANGELINA!- Oh, she took a bludger right to the arm, making her lose her hold on the ball. The Quaffle is now in the hands of Slytherin Lacey McIntire. She dodges the bludgers from Fred and George. RON LOOK OUT FOR THAT-OOH and the Gryffindor Keeper is hit in the back and McIntire scores. Ten points to Slytherin!" There were boos from the scarlet side of the field and the Slytherin students sent up sparks. 'Tied,' Harry thought, 'Bloody wonderful.' With a thought tendril out to Ron he found the boy fine, only sore. The sigh of relief caught in his throat as he spotted it, the snitch. It hovered only a few feet from the ground near the base of one of the stands. Pushing his broom forward he nose-dived toward it, only to discover Draco ahead of him. He tuned the shouts of the crowd out as he drew alongside the blonde Slytherin, matching his speed. Not far to go now. Each reached out their hands clamping the closed around the snitch. From their brooms they tumbled onto the green grass harmlessly. Harry's green eyes met Draco's blue.
"You don't prove anything Draco, to the Slytherins or your father. Remember that." The boy sneered but it was not quite as potent as usual.
"Why would you care?" He let go. He did not have the gold ball.
"Because I do." Harry opened his hand and there was the golden snitch. He held it up for the crowd to see.
"HARRY POTTER HAS DONE IT!!!! POTTER HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH!!!! GRYFFINDOR WINS!!!!" Lee shouted happily over the deafening crowd. The mage turned to see the blonde standing and grabbing his broom.
"Draco-" The other cut him off.
"You won Potter now leave me alone." The boy glanced up to the face of his father and shuddered. "I have enough to worry about." Not giving the other another chance to speak, Draco hopped on his broom and flew towards the castle. The tremendous elation that usually followed them winning the match did not come for Harry as the house dragged him to the dormitories to celebrate. Harry remained a couple of ours before escaping to the relative peace of his dungeon rooms. As he through himself onto the couch Severus appeared above him.
"Didn't feel like celebrating?" he asked and the boy shook his head no.
"Not in the mood, not after I saw Draco's face and his father. By the way, what did Kit do to him and for that matter, why were you holding her back?" A grin crossed Severus's expression as his eyes twinkled from the memory.
"We were keeping her from strangling him of course. The spell she used was rather.....imaginative. I've only seen it used once before and that was when Sirius turned Seri's skin blue for three days. It makes a person believe their butt is one fire. Not all at once," he added hastily, as Harry's eyes grew wide, "but gradually. It just warm at first but after a while, they really think their butt is on fire." His grin turned wicked. "It was ever so amusing to see Malfoy yell 'Put it out! Put it out!' when there was nothing there. The teachers were staring at him as though he'd grown a second head." The fire mage chuckled. He could only imagine what it had been like up in the stand during the match. Severus's calm demeanor did not fool the young Gryffindor in the least. He'd been itching to do the same to the man. After all Lucius had done to him, it was only fair. But he had not. Sensing the line of the boy's thoughts, the Potions Master nodded.
"I wanted to, but I was too worried about the match to give a thought to him. Once it had begun at least." Rowena settled herself on Harry's hip and Tave wrapped himself around his master's head.
+Who are you two talking about?+ the bird demanded. Harry turned slightly to look at her.
+Draco Malfoy.+ Tave spoke up.
#The dragon?# This was not the first time that the blonde Slytherin had been referred to as the dragon. Any bird or snake that Harry could understand, spoke of the boy in that manner. Why was yet to be determined. He nodded to both.
+Why are you worried about him?+ Ro continued to pursue, her black eyes gleaming with interest. Was it that obvious the two were worried.
"Because his father is here." The falcon squawked in surprise and the albino spitted and hissed.
+That pig! I hope he forgets to bow to a hippogriff,+ she bit out sharply. Tave nodded.
#Are you going to see him young master, tonight, like you always do?# Startled, Harry nodded.
"Of course, I don't intend to leave him alone."
Harry shifted on his mix-matched silver and black hooves, glancing at the waning moon. It was nearing three o'clock in the morning and the blonde Slytherin had failed to make an appearance. That by itself was alarming. Draco always, without fail, came outside to "clear his head," as he once put it. Coupled with the fact that Lucius had been at the school that day and had disappeared immediately following the Quidditch match made the animagus suspicious. Sighing, he was about to settle on the ground when a far off yelling captured his attention. Pivoting on his back hooves he surged toward the Forbidden Forest at a full gallop. He skidded to a halt just at the Forest's edge, peering around a clump of trees. There was Draco.....and Lucius.
"You will come with me to Lord Voldemort tonight," Lucius stated firmly, steel gray eyes hard. Draco glared and sneered in reply.
"Never. I will not join him father, I am not you," he hissed back. He was hurled to the ground a moment later by the force of the blow across his cheek from his father's snake cane.(A/N: Just a regular cane, no powers. If you've seen the second HP movie you know which one I'm talking about.)
"Insolent boy! (A/N: Have I had Vernon yell that at Harry? I can't remember.)" The blonde man roared, grabbing his son by the collar. "You will come with me, now." He began to drag the dazed boy into the woods. Harry had seen enough. With a scream of outrage he leapt from his hiding place, bearing down on the man. Lucius yelled and dove for cover, releasing his son. Pivoting, Harry placed himself between the fallen boy and his 'father'. Lucius shook his head and pulled himself to his feet, taking his wand from his cane.
"Move aside you flea-bitten beast." He waved the dark wood threateningly in the animagus's direction. Harry snorted his contempt and lowered his head, lightening shaped horn gleaming dangerously in the fading moonlight. Draco, eyes glazed with pain, sat up on his elbow. The Barice unicorn, he had encountered a few of the foals before but never a full grown adult, was standing battle ready between his father and him. He tired to call the creature back but at the slight movement of his jaw, pain exploded through the whole left side of his face. Stars danced before his vision and darkness suddenly claimed him.
~I will not go Lucius Malfoy.~ The creature's commanding voice resonated through the grove. ~And you will not take Draco, he no longer belongs to you.~ Malfoy sneered and drew back his wand, the tip of which glowed ominously.
"Oh really? Who are you to say such a thing?" The unicorn lifted its head a fraction.
~I am a part of his true family, one that does not include you.~ The new minister growled and took a step forward but a fire barrier sprang up before him. He jumped back and glared as the animal laughed in amusement. ~Leave Malfoy and do not return. Draco is no longer your son.~ Two phoenixes, one white the other silver, landed beside the unicorn. Faced with this mounting opposition, Lucius had no choice but to run. Before he did, he left them with these final words.
"I will get him back and he will serve our master." An empty threat, but one that angered the already enraged beasts further. Seeing this, he fled hastily into the dark trees. The three remained, as they were, making certain he was gone.
~No need to worry about him tonight,~ Harry said to break the silence, ~the inhabitants of the Forbidden Forest will likely keep him occupied until he can apparate.~ He say that his father was nosing Draco's still form. ~Is he going to be all right?~ The silver phoenix looked up.
~Something's broken, I can't tell what but the pain I sense is enough.~ Harry began to tremble with silent rage.
~I'm not surprised after that whack from his father.~ The two phoenixes traded worried glances. Having gone through abuse himself, Harry did not wish it on others and fiercely protected those that were. To see it done outright was infuriating to him.
~Let's get him inside. It is unfortunate the twins were called away tonight. Harry do you think you can carry him?~ The fire mage nodded an affirmative. Thick green vines slitered from the ground and wrapped themselves around the unconscious body, lifting it onto the unicorn's back. Once that was done they withered away and fire bands replaced them, holding the boy steadfast to Harry's back. Sureves suggested their dungeon rooms and the other two readily agreed. Once through the window Severus transfigured the couch into a bed as Albus began a fire in the fireplace. Harry, still using his element, lowered the boy onto the bed. Once he was there, he became human again and sat down on the bed, going to work. With the twins gone, the closest thing to a doctor was Harry and so he did what came natural: he healed. Sometime later he sat back and wiped a hand across his face.
"Cheek bone was broken, I've reset and fused it but it's going to be sore. Father he's going to need anti-inflammation salves and pain-killing potions," a yawn broke through, "He'll sleep through the better part of tomorrow and," Another yawn, this time the eyes drooped closed, "we should let him." Albus caught Harry as he slid to the side.
"Used too much energy, completely depleted himself," he murmured as he lifted him. Severus opened his arms.
"Let me put him to bed, you and I can watch Draco, though I do suggest one of us watch for the twins, Kit is likely to come storming in here at any moment and not is definitely not going to be happy about what happened." Albus nodded and handed over his grandchild. Severus turned to his son's bedroom then paused, another idea coming to him. Nodding to himself, he snapped his fingers. Harry's bed appeared on the left of Draco's but there was enough space between them that one could sit in a chair, which Severus did. Albus elected to go to guard duty at the castle's entrance. The Potions Master rested his cheek on his fist. This was promising to be a long night.
Light pierced painfully through his eyelids and Draco groaned, attempting to turn away from the source. He found himself unable to move under the heavy layers of blankets, even heavier than the one's in the dormitories. Something soft touched his cheek.
~How are you feeling Draco?~ the voice was gentle and comforting, seeming to convey that it understood everything he had been through in those few words. It sounded familiar and a part of his brain reminded him feverently that he should recall it. There was only one concern on his mind at the moment however.
"Light....." the words were soft and almost inaudible but the other understood immediately. He heard a brief shuffling and the light faded. He heaved a sigh of relief and opened his one good eye. Coming back in his direction was the Barice unicorn from the night before, green eyes watching him closely. Those eyes sent a shiver down his spine, as if they knew his every secret. They possessed a haunted quality that quite frankly frightened him.
"Thank you for saving me," he managed to whisper, though his face ached fiercely from the effort. The dark beast lowered its head in an unmistakable nod.
~You are quite welcome Draco. Now, are you hungry? Or thirsty perhaps?~
"Thirsty," the whisper was now filled with eager anticipation. The unicorn whickered in amusement.
~Just a moment then.~ He trotted to one of the doors which opened for him and closed behind him. Now that the beast was gone, the Slytherin turned his attention to the room he occupied. It was grand to say the least and if he didn't know any better, he'd say this was the Potions Master's quarters. He'd only been here once before for a long talk but it was enough to leave an imprint. Though it appeared the two and maybe even three people lived here regularly now, giving the atmosphere a warm glow. A hissing turned his attention to the left and he found himself under the scrutiny of three animals.
~Hello,~ he called ambically and held out his hand to them. The albino snake flicked its tongue over the hand before cautiously moving forward. The black cat had no such restraints and leapt up to curl around his head.
~Hello young dragon, welcome to our humble abode,~ she greeted graciously and the falcon nodded. Draco became even more confused.
~Where am I? Can you tell me how I came here?~ The falcon ruffled her feathers.
~The first you already now and to the second: the fire mage brought you.~ This did nothing to clear up matters.
~Fire mage, who's that?~ It was a human voice that answered.
"They mean me Draco." The Slytherin turned, blue eyes wide as Harry strolled over to the bed and placed his laden tray on the table beside it. He reached to touch Draco's face but the blonde boy pulled away.
"Don't touch me Potter!" he growled though it was hardly threatening. The dark-haired boy frowned and tried again with little success.
"Draco quite being a bloody asshole and let me treat you!" he spat, becoming a bit frustrated. The boy sneered.
"Oh what wonderful bedside manner you have," he barked but allowed the boy to work with no further movement. Harry passed a hand over the pale brow, a frown creasing his face. Pulling away abruptly he turned to the bottles of potions on the tray beside him.
"What's that?" Draco demanded to know as Harry uncorked it. It was with some surprise that Harry noted a tremor ran through the boy's voice and that he was staring at the bottle with trepidation. What could have caused such a reaction?
*His father more than likely, who else?* Who else indeed.
"It's a salve for your face, to bring down the swelling. Severus made it himself last night." This seemed to calm some of the boy's fears but he still eyed it warily as Harry poured it over his hands. When it first touched his left cheek he hissed. Harry pulled away.
"What?"
"Cold damnit." Harry blinked.
"I'm sorry, I forgot. Just a second." Draco watched as Harry's hand began to glow gold. It faded after a second. Harry reached again.
"Don't worry, it's not cold now." It was not cold, Draco discovered as Harry smoothed it over the place his father had hit him.
"How?" The Slytherin demanded as the Gryffindor pulled away.
"How what?" Harry asked as he re-corked the bottle and wiped his hands.
"How did you find me last night and how did you even now I would be outside." The fire mage sank into the chair beside the bed and ran a hand over his weary eyes.
"I was waiting for you to come to your hiding place in the bushes." Draco's eyes flashed dangerously.
"How do you know about that?!" he demanded, rising from the bed somewhat. Harry put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down. The Slythering was too weak to resist.
"Because Draco I have been visiting it every night for almost two months now," Green eyes met blue, "I am Arrigo." No, no it couldn't be. Arrigo? Arrigo was The-Boy-Who-Lived? The one he had mistreated and cursed all the time during his time at Hogwarts? That understanding creature was Potter? It could not be.
"You're lying," the Slytherin spat venomously, eyes gleaming with a new hatred for the boy, "You can't be an animagus, your too young." Harry closed his eyes against the look in the other's. With a faint 'pop' Arrigo stood before him in all his glory. Draco gasped and watched as the phoenix lifted its delicate head, green eyes arresting him in their intense gaze.
"You...you weren't lying," was all could manage to say. The phoenix nodded.
~Please young dragon,~ the blonde looked at the falcon, ~give him a chance. He wishes to help you. He wishes to be your friend.~ When the Slytherin turned back he found himself looking at a defeated Gryffindor.
"I know I should have told you sooner, but I was afraid that I would get just such a reaction and I did not wish to stop being your friend, even if I could only be it as a bird," the words were spoken quietly and Draco flinched at the slight note of pain within them. This was one of his friends, albeit he did not know till now, but he did not wish to bring pain to them. That meant one thing.
"I'm sorry," Harry looked up in surprise to see the other struggling for words, "I did not know that.....you thought of me as a friend." The smile once more creased Harry's face.
"Just like Ron and Hermione, I am part Slytherin after all." Draco looked up to see Harry's laughing eyes. "The Sorting Hat did wish to put me there, I just didn't want to go." Before Draco could say anything to that the door burst open and a white blur shot through. The Slytherin was not given the time to contemplate what it was before it was beside him licking his face.
"Oi! Snowball! Stop it!" The animal did not seem to hear him as she continued to lick, purring very loudly. Harry, a grin of amusement creasing his face, came to the boy's rescue and pulled her off by the scruff of her neck. She yowled in protest but Harry whispered a few words in her ears and she quieted.
"How did she know I was in here?" The blonde asked as he wiped the saliva from his face. The cat and Gryffindor exchanged glances before Snowball became Kit.
"Because Severus said you were down here," Unable to restrain herself any longer she leapt back to him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.
"I'm sorry my cub that I was not there. The aurors called and I had to leave at ten, we only got in a few minutes ago."
"Cub?" Draco repeated in confusion. She shifted herself and pulled him in her arms. Instinctively he lay against her chest.
"Of course. As I've told Severus, Albus, Harry and Seri countless times before, you are my cub. That is what you are to me. I've always wanted a son, and you are what I pictured him to be." Her eyes held a hint of uncertainty, "You don't mind me calling you that, do you?" Draco's answering smile was all she needed but the words that followed were even better.
"Of course not mother leopard, I don't at all." The dark-haired healer's grin could not have been wider.
"Where will I stay?" he directed this question to Harry.
"Here for now, the rest of the school has no idea where you are and we'd like to keep it that way. You don't mind?" Draco leaned against Kit again, soaking in her loving presence as she kissed the top of his head.
"I don't think I do, at all."
A/N: Well I hope you all like this, its been giving me a headache and demanding that I finish it for about the last two weeks. I did have a whole week to work on it but I couldn't because my mind was blank. The second I got back to school inspiration struck and I typed four or five pages that night and four the next so the majority of it has been written in the last week.
2A/N: Guess what my name means you guys! Your never going to believe it!
Anka (uhn-KAH): Turkish name for either the legendary phoenix or the will-o'-wisp.
I am not lying, that is what it actually said in a book called THE NEW AGE BABY NAME BOOK by Susan Browder. I didn't know it even existed I thought I had just made it up. Well I did considering mine is spelled slightly different but pronounced the exact same way. Funny coincidence.
Review answers!:
Bewitching-Dragon: Thank you. I think that the tape had been read from the first copy of the GOF because mine says that too. But my friends' doesn't. Strange no? It is a miss print, Lily is supposed to come out first.
Dragon_Charmer: I did go there and no matter how many times I sort myself I go into Hufflepuff. I guess that's what I am, but my Slytherin side shows in this story. J
Lily H. Potter: Here you go my dear, another chapter.
Kagome144: I'm glad you like it.
Gil-Celeb: (Authoress proudly wears her "I am a Servant of the King Peanut, the Prince Peanut, and the Emperor Peanut and proud of it!) I love that shirt! I really need to make myself one but then no one but my friends would now what it's from. Oh well. If I did not answer all of your questions with this chapter I know I at least answered some. If you see any unanswered tell me. As to Harry telling them about his O.W.L.'s, he already has. Remember back a chapter or so when they were walking away from the lake and Harry was talking to them? That's when he told them about the O.W.L.'s. Since they had to go to their next class he couldn't tell them the rest.
My friend happens to have read that book, (I swear she has) and it's working because she's working on the first chapter of that story and won't let me read it. She says that if I did before it was posted she would make related to Pomfrey **Shudders** and that's the last thing I want to I'm leaving it alone for now. I do know one thing, she made me the daughter of **Rose pops in and clamps hand over Ankha's mouth. ** Rose: You can't tell them that, it's a secret. AA: Fine. Anyways….. About Draco, you might as well begin on that ending because I'm afraid he is Earth honey. Though, think about it. Draco's family life is so much like Sev's was it's scary. I didn't mean to do that in the beginning it just sort of developed that way along the way. He's not as bitter as Severus was because he hasn't had the chance to be, and he hasn't been through some of the horrors Sev (okay he's been through none if you don't count the father and mother thing) has. But with what he's been raised to believe and act is bound to effect him even if he is resisting it.
About your interpretation of the visions Harry saw, let's just say you're a little off base. Mainly it's the phoenix battling the snake, Fire does not help the twins. Let me just put it this way. All of those visions can be taken literally. Except one because it will never happen. I'm not telling which that would ruin the surprise but after this chapter I think you can determine that for yourself. You are right about Wind and Water (Seri is water, Kit is wind but they don't know that yet.) about Draco and Artemis, I don't want to reveal yet but it will all come together soon, I hope.
When Harry asked for Hermione's help, he didn't truly know all that much about the Trinity and nothing about the Star of Hope. It was in fact the first time he'd ever heard of it. Yes I would very much like to get rid of Trelawny but she might be useful later. Albus came along because he was closer and he sensed that Harry was distressed. You could say that Sev and Albus had a small conference and Albus told Sev to stay where he was, that he would take care of it. And yes, Seri is overprotective.
Did you like what I did to the fake phoenix? I wasn't going to do him in the beginning but then I thought of Sirius and his lack of communication and bam!-instant plan. As to Harry's pets, I'm trying to use them more as if you can't tell by the chapter. I hope that's better.
About that little scene were Harry was about to kill the psuedo- Pettigrew, I sort of messed up on that one and it was supposed to come out this way.
"I will not let you harm any more people," Harry raised his hand, a green light forming in it. Then he realized what he was doing and scowled. He could not kill the man, even if he wanted to. He would be sent to the Dementors and get what he really deserved. He lowered his hand and the light disappeared.
"No, I will not kill, even you."
That's the way it was supposed to turn out but it didn't, oh well, I can always fix it later.
As much as I would like to dump Lucius little white ass off a cliff, I can't right now. Maybe later though. Don't worry about him being Minister, he won't even be there that long. I have a wonderful scandal planned so that he has to leave office and I think you can guess who will get it next.
Seri and Severus got along fairly well until that incident in fifth year. She didn't talk to James and Sirius for the rest of the year because of that but had forgiven them by the sixth year. That doesn't matter with Sirius because she held him more responsible for what happened than she did James because of what Sirius said.
I guess I sort of did mess up with Ron, Hermione and Remus. Let's just say they were too stunned to do anything and leave it at that okay?
I swear Harry didn't see Sirius when he called out his family! He was just out of the boy's field of vision he would have called his Uncle Paddy to join them I swear! **Hands her a tissue** I didn't mean to make you cry. And a phoenix carries three plates on its back strapped down by its magic. And yes McGonagall is suicidal in her current state.
Tigress of the night: I'll fix them later.
Kalih: I would chat with you but I haven't had the time to send e-mails lately.
Purple*Passion: Glad you like it.
Arianne: I have actually tried it three times to, I was sorted into Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw.
Meisako: **Rubs head and glares** You're probably the reason I had a headache that day. But so that you don't think Draco is a complete sissy, I added the wolf and snake. If I take that long again on the chapter I give you permission to Thawp!-me with the book.
abigfan: Here it is.
AA: I can't add any more because I have to leave now but I have read them all so don't worry. I do not know when the next chapter will be up because in two weeks I have a two-week Christmas vacation with no access to a internet computer. I may try to get it to Principessa (Rose) so she can put it up for me. If I'm lucky. Thank you all for being so patient. Monday I am putting up a new story called "The World Through A New Set of Eyes" that the first chapter is already done. In that one Sev is Harry's father but it's not really an answer to Severitus's challenge. You could say I combine the ideas of Severitus and Jazz's ideas. By the way Jazz gave me the idea of Sev being Albus's son from her story The Severus He Saved.