Act II

scene 1: after so many years...
Legolas

He reined his horse to a stop, almost unseating himself. He had grown so used to having Gimli with him that he was still riding like so. His dwarven friend, however, had decided to stay in Rohan, entertaining Eomer's oldest son. The boy lived to hear stories about the dwarves of old, and Gimli had gladly stayed to tell them.

A groom ran out of the stables, the white tree embroidery glittering in the sunlight. Legolas watched the young man lead the white horse as he took the opportunity to stretch. Since the War of the Ring, roads had improved so well that travel between lands was far less, but it did take its toll on elves who were made to walk among the trees.

"Legolas!" Aragorn greeted as he entered the family rooms an hour later. The king was seated next to his son, who had matured into a wide-shouldered young man. Near him was Arwen, a serene smile on her lips. "It is wonderful to see you again. We had almost started to think that the sea had finally called you."

He shook his head. "No. I will lay your fears to rest and tell you the sea is but a bittersweet note that does not beckon."

Aragorn laughed. "With the sound of a flute once played by a boy who had no ear for music?"

Legolas joined him. "Yes. And that same boy became a man who barely held a tune for his own coronation."

The dark haired man shook his head, even as Arwen agreed.

The group settled down as Legolas relaxed in a soft chair. "What is new in Minas Tirith?" he asked.

Aragorn sighed. "One of the Advisors has suggested we send troops to Minas Cingol to reclaim the city."

Legolas started. "The Dead City? Why?"

The man shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"There has also been word of another wizard," Eldarion said. "Masters Sirius and Harry left to investigate a month ago and have yet to return."

Legolas remembered haunted green eyes and pained gray eyes.

"Have they been well, otherwise?"

Aragorn nodded. "They have. Both wizards have helped with the last of the repairs here and at Osgiliath. Harry has also persuaded many of the young men to train as soldiers. They still remember leaving the city with their mothers before the seige. Many of them did not think we needed soldiers because we won and do not remember that we lost so many."

"And Master Sirius has been teaching me how to make healing salves," Eldarion said. "Father teaches me the plants, and Master Sirius teaches me on how to use them."

Legolas was impressed by the fact that the wizards were most willing to teach a man their craft. Gandalf had kept his magic hidden, a secret to guard against even with those he trusted most.

scene 2: sunset
Sirius

He panted slightly. He hated mountains, especially climbing them.

"Coming, slowpoke?" Harry called down to him.

He glared up the fifty feet that separated them, refusing to make a lewd joke when he was considering taking a nap. He knew he was slowing Harry down, but it couldn't be helped. Sirius was resigned to getting old. Even though Harry told him regularly that he wasn't.

Harry came scrambling back down the rocky path. "Did you want to rest for a little while?" He wrapped an arm around Sirius' waist and pulled him tight. "Hungry?"

Sirius leaned his weight into the solid form holding him. "Just tired. And please tell me that this is the last mountain we need to climb?"

Harry laughed. "Yes, it is." He looked up at the sky. "I know it's a little early, but let's set up came on that ledge where I was standing.

There's enough of a hollow for shelter if it starts raining, but not really a cave."

He nodded. "Sounds good. But I'll be glad that we can apparate back."

111
A fire was warming his face that evening as the two of them watched the sun set behind the mountain off to the west. Sirius liked camping this way much better than the house-like tents the wizarding world used. Out in the open, he could use being cold as an excuse to cuddle up to Harry.

"What are you think about?" Harry asked.

Sirius turned and smiled at him. "Excuses to be close to you."

Harry chuckled. "You don't need an excuse, Sirius. You know that."

"I know."

Yes, he knew that. He had been amazed when Harry had asked him, ten months after his arrival in Middle Earth, if he liked him as anything other than a godson. Sirius hadn't felt like that since seeing Harry that first time in Rivendell, and he had told him so. Even then, it had taken them almost another year to make the full transifition from what they were – friends, rather than godfather/godson - to lovers.
Several times, Sirius had told Harry that he should be with one of the men here, one who was his own age, of which there were many of good standing. But Harry had shook his head and told him that this was what he wanted, and that the age difference was negligible. They were wizards and naturally had a long life span, so a decade or two didn't really matter in the end.

Sirius loved the warmth Harry put off, even at this altitude. When the weather turned cold, they would sit in front of the fire, reading or talking long into the night. But, more often than not, they were content to just hold each other and take comfort in knowing that this was special. It hadn't lost its luster, even after seven years together.

It was strange, Sirius thought, that so much time had passed since he went through the veil, and yet it seemed to have flown by. He wondered, though, just how much time had passed by on the other side of the veil.

scene 3: nothing more than a cold wind
Harry

The pale blue and yellow sky reflected off the water that lay far below him. They had made good time the last two days, and their journey was almost at an end. He was happy that there wasn't much further, for Sirius had been drooping yesterday. Harry suspected he had caught a chill in the rain, but refused to admit he could get sick. Harry smiled as he looked at Sirius' sleeping visage.

He could feel the pull of magic coming from the valley. It was human magic, and it was undisguised, powerful even. The magic also had a taint to it, and Harry felt a shiver run down his spine whenever it went off. Harry had been hoping it was a child showing signs of magic, but it was too controlled, too regular to be a child with accidental magic.

But he was prepared for the worst situation possible, and he would be glad for it in the coming days.

111
Harry searched the brush for the last herb he needed. He needed to make a fever-reducing potion for Sirius, who had indeed grown more ill over the day. It wasn't very bad, but they were still a day's walk from the valley below. Even with magic, it would take quite a while before they would arrive down there, and with the possibility of this wizard being dark, he wasn't about to take a chance.

He really wished Hermione were here to give him instructions. It had been almost ten years since he had last brewed this particular potion, and he was uncertain that it would turn out correctly. Since arriving in this land, he had gladly left all potions to Sirius, even if he did have a tendency to blow things up on a regular basis. But his lover was the one who needed the potion, so Harry did the best he could.

"Harry?"

He looked over at Sirius, whose eyes were shiny with fever. He had also been having mild body shivers, enough for him to lose his blankets twice. Harry worked as quickly as he dared to get the potion made. He didn't like to see Sirius like this - it tore at his heart - and wanted... no, needed him to get well.

The potion was simmering at last, and Harry sighed in relief. The sky had grown dark very early this evening, and there was more than a hint of rain in the air. Their shelter was little more than a small cave on the south-facing slope, with no overhead clearance for a fire. He would have to improvise once he gave Sirius the medicine.

"What's this?" Sirius asked as Harry held the cup to his lips.

"It's for your fever, Sirius."

"Okay."

Harry managed to get most of it in him, and as he watched the potion begin to work, he pressed a kiss to Sirius' brow.

"Thank Merlin," he murmured. "Please get well soon."

scene 4: rebirth
Legolas

He had spent much of his time since arriving in the city with Eldarion. Aragorn's son had wanted to escape from his sisters, who were much younger, and had used Legolas as an excuse. Legolas had understood, and had asked his young host to show him the improvements to the White City. Eldarion was more than happy to show him around, from the new garden built for Indria and Linduin, his sisters, to the renovated horse stables on the third level.

"When is Master Harry going to be back?" asked one of the bolder grooms as they finished their tour of the stables.

"He and Master Sirius set not time on their journey," Eldarion told the grooms gathered around. "The two went to search for another wizard, if there is one in the land."

"I hope they are home soon," the groom said. "Fawkes has grown most of his feathers and has been trying to fly. We're afraid that he may try and injure himself before he has reached maturity."

"Just watch out for him, Thandin," Eldarion cautioned. "I am sure they will return soon." He turned to Legolas after the grooms dispersed. "Would you like to meet Fawkes? He is a magnificent creature."

He nodded, intrigued by what he had heard. "What is Fawkes?" he asked Eldarion as they ventured into a small garden behind the furthest-most stable.

A soothing note met his ears at the same time Legolas spotted the red and gold feathers amid the green foliage. A dark, glittering eye watched him approach as the bird dipped its head, as if nodding.

"What is he?"

"A phoenix," was his answer. "He is Master Harry's companion. The reason he is here and not with Master Harry is because he is growing old once more."

"Once more? How is that a bird can grow old more than once?"

"Twice a year, Fawkes dies and is reborn from the ashes."

Legolas was amazed by such a bird. The wizard Harry must have been blessed by the Valar to have a wonderful bird as a companion. He reached out to pet the bird and found smooth, silky feathers. The bird suddenly reared back and grabbed his hand with a gentle talon. With a puff of fire, they were gone.

scene 5: wisdom
Sirius

He woke abruptly, uncertain of where he was. A shiver shook his entire body as his eyes scanned their makeshift shelter. He remembered Harry giving him something to drink, but everything was blurry before that. The last he had known of the world, it had been dark, but now the sky was the murky gray of a rainy day.

An explosion sounded down the mountainside, even as a flurry off to the side took place.

"What?" a shocked voice softly cried.

Sirius blinked as he caught sight of a confused elf and a phoenix, who was already taking off on down the mountain. "Legolas?" he croaked, struggling to sit up. His arms felt like lead, but he got them to work.

"How did I get here?" the blond elf looked at him, bewildered.

Sirius hid a chuckle. "Fawkes brought you, correct?"

Legolas nodded. "I was petting him." He looked over his shoulder, down the slope. "He is now far below, where there are many bursts of light."

Sirius held his breath at that. Where was Harry? He knew Harry should be here, so where was he? The elf had said that there were lights down the mountain, and a loud bang had woken him. All of a sudden, he knew that Harry was fighting against the unknown wizard. He felt his entire body protest, but he managed to stand, albeit shakily. Legolas came over to help steady him. "Would you please help me down there?" Sirius asked.

The blond elf nodded and slowly guided him to the edge of the path. From this point, he could see two figures below, sending spells back and forth. He could just make out his lover's long hair, but the other person was wearing a long robe with the hood up.

"Can you carry me?" Sirius asked. "Down there?"

"Yes."

The elf easily picked him up, carrying him on his back. Sirius held onto his shoulders as tightly as fever-weakened hands could as the elf nimbly leapt down the rocky slope. He closed his eyes as the rocks blurred slightly, glad that he wasn't the one 'driving' so to speak. He heard Fawkes cry loudly above him as another explosion shook the mountain.

scene 6: battle
Harry

He was hot, tired, and frustrated. Everything that he shot at this bastard was smoothly sidestepped. Only when he used his own shield to bounce spells did it hit, and of those that did bounce, a paltry three had actually hit the other man. It was almost as if the... other wizard... knew all of Harry's moves... before him.

He stopped as he realized the wizard was reading all of his surface thoughts and almost got hit by a blasting hex. Harry closed his mind and sent back one of his own, followed by a rapid, repeating boil curse. He had only used this particular motion on a troll five years ago.

The last two curses hit, and the other wizard let loose a loud curse. The voice was familiar underneath the hood, but it wasn't friendly. Harry swiftly used a reveal spell written down long ago by the Istarii.

Shoulder-length, light blond hair framed a pointed face covered in boils. Cold, gray eyes narrowed as the man straightened.

"Potter," the other wizard spat.

"Malfoy," Harry calmly said. Now that he knew the identity of the other wizard, he knew that he would defeat him.

"Figures," Malfoy sneered. "You show up wherever I go. First Hogwarts and then here." He raised his wand.

"I would not do that, wizard," a smooth voice said off to the side.

Harry looked over to find Sirius standing next to the elf Legolas, who had his bow drawn.

"Are you feeling better, Sirius?" Harry asked as he watched his lover shake slightly.

"What's the matter, Potty? You worried about your dogfather? I would have thought he was put down long ago for being rabid."

Harry sent a swift and silent binding hex, followed by a silencing charm at Malfoy. As he watched Malfoy teeter as the bindings upset his balance, he felt dizzy. He hurriedly sat down as black spots jumped in front of his eyes.

"Harry? Are you okay?" Sirius asked as footsteps approached.

A pair of gray eyes and one of light blue looked at him in concern.

"I'm alright," he slurred with exhaustion, just before he fell into the blackness.

scene 7: waiting
Legolas

He caught the dead weight of the green eyed wizard and looked at Sirius. "Is he well?" he asked.

The black haired wizard waved his wand before nodding. "He's actually sleeping. And other than a few bruises and the cut on his cheek, he is healthy."

He laid Harry down on the ground gently, cradling his head. Harry's hair was silky, reminding Legolas of Elrohir's hair, before his lover had sailed. Warmth flowed through his fingertips with the same tingling feeling he had gotten from carrying Sirius down the mountainside. It must be the wizards' magic, he thought, and wondered what he would feel when he touched the strange wizard.

"What should we do with the wizard named Malfoy?" he asked.

Sirius frowned as he looked over at the bound man. He turned to Legolas. "How far of a walk is to the valley?"

Legolas eyed the distance. "It would take about four hours, at a normal pace."

Sirius shook his head. "I can't manage that today, and I'm not trusting Draco for anything."

"Draco?"

He nodded. "Draco Malfoy. His mother is my cousin."

The blond wizard thrashed against his bindings.

"Was, then," Sirius amended.

Legolas was intrigued by a family that was so divided, though he would keep his questions to himself for the moment.

111
Legolas had always been fascinated whenever Gandalf had used magic, and watching Sirius use it now was no exception. He could do many spells in a row, but some seemed to tire him out more. Sirius explained that it was because he was sick that he needed to rest when it came to extending the tent over the cave's mouth, or it would disappear when they needed it most.

The bars Sirius had created now housed Malfoy. The blond wizard had been very insolent after Sirius had taken his wand away and lifted the spells Harry had cast upon him. There was a small pallet made from the sparse weeds that grew among the rocks, but Legolas had seen him shift uncomfortably, so it hadn't been made as well as the one Legolas himself was now laying upon.

All three wizards were asleep, their even breathing a quiet noise in the background. Next to Legolas, though, Fawkes was chirping as he slept, head under one wing, as he perched on a branch Sirius had fashioned. The sound reminded him of Eldarion's baby talk - a comforting thought when he was surrounded by so much power.

scene 8: silence
Sirius

The eastern sky was just beginning to lighten when Sirius woke. His left arm was weighted down, and he looked down to find Harry still sleeping. They were curled together in their usual position, even though they were miles from their bed.

He looked out the mouth of the cave, finding that it had rained during the night, though it was mostly clear now. A tall figure stood to one side, with a red and gold bird perched on his right shoulder. Sirius smiled at the sight, with Fawkes' feathers gleaming in spite of the sun having yet to peak over the horizon. Legolas actually looked relaxed - well, as relaxed as Sirius had seen him - which was often a side effect of being a phoenix's perch.

A noise behind him unfortunately reminded him of their uninvited guest. He slowly extricated himself from Harry's arms and turned to face his cousin, sitting up at the same time. Sirius was thankful that he had silenced Malfoy last night, and the only noise was that of the blond throwing tiny pebbles at the bars.

"You can stop that anytime," Sirius said in a quiet voice. "In fact, if you do it much longer, I'll remove your fingertips for the time being."
Malfoy scowled, but dropping the small pile of pebbles.

Legolas came over and gracefully sat down next to Sirius without disturbing Fawkes.

"What are you going to do with this wizard?" the elf asked softly.

Malfoy made an obscene gesture as Sirius thought about it. He looked behind him at Harry, who had moved onto his back, his head to one side. The soft black hair had drifted across the tan features, particularly his mouth. A strand moved with each breath, and Sirius gently moved it from the slightly parted lips.

"I'll talk with Harry when he wakes up, which should be soon. For now, I think breakfast is the first order of the day."

The elf nodded and Fawkes crooned in response. "Would you like some help?"

"Sure." Sirius grinned. "You can help me keep the food from burning. Harry's the cook in our house."

scene 9: comfort
Harry

He felt like a lorrie had hit him. Harry could have sworn he hurt in places where a human should never hurt. Still, the bed he was in was comfortable, and there was the scent of good food in the air.

Must be a dream then, because if it didn't involve a cauldron, Sirius burned anything over a fire.

A loud metal clang brought him to full awareness. The scent of food was still there, along with an ache that started at the soles of his feet and went to the top of his head. Even his eyelids hurt as he lifted them.

"Hey, sleepyhead," Sirius greeted as Harry's eyes met his.

"'Mornin'," he croaked. Harry slowly rolled onto his side, mystified like always on just how he ended up on his back. His muscles pulled, but the soreness didn't increase. He managed to sit up with only a minimal numbers of cracking joints, but he still winced at the sound.

"How're you feeling?" Sirius asked as he knelt in front of Harry, waving his wand about through various health spells.

"Sore," Harry said. "Other than that, nothing else."

Sirius picked up a bowl he had set down when he knelt. "Have some of this before you get up. Your body needs some fuel."

Harry carefully spooned a piece of meat up and bit into it. A burst of flavor met his tongue and suddenly he couldn't get enough food into him.

"Hungry much?" Sirius joked as Harry scooped up the last bit of liquid.

"Starving." Harry looked up. "So, where did you get the food?"

"Ha ha," Sirius laughed sarcastically. He pointed to the front of the cave, where a cheery fire was burning as Fawkes bathed in the flames. Above the fire was a black pot, tended by Legolas. "Your chef, sir."

Harry smiled at the elf as he turned to look into the cave. "Thank you, Legolas. It was delicious."

"Your welcome," came the reply.

"Did you want any more?" Sirius asked.

Harry pat his stomach. "I think I'd better let this bowl settle for a while." He looked around and found Malfoy glared at him. "What about him? Did Malfoy get something to eat? Use a tree?"

"Yeah," Sirius said. "We got him settled. He's just in a bad mood because he failed to get his wand back."

Harry eyed the blond man for a moment.

"What should we do with him?"

He shrugged. "Take him back to Minas Tirith for the meantime. We need to find out what Ferret Boy here has been up to."