Disclaimer: Thanks to J.R.R. Tolkien for the idea of the creature mentioned in the below text. Some scenes are gruesome so you are all warned.

Visitors

"Excuse me, madam but could we please enter the establishment? We have a warrant to search the premises for six kids." The policeman pushed his way into the house without waiting for Mrs. Granger to even reply. "Is there anyone else here?"

"No, officer." Mrs. Granger managed to remain calm despite the rudeness of the officer. "My daughter is visiting her friends in San Francisco and my husband is at the office."

The policeman radioed in and about three minutes later an entire squad had entered the house. Mrs. Granger watched them for a few minutes before going off to sit by the pool. A younger officer suddenly approached her.

"Do you know Brendin Will?"

Mrs. Granger nodded. "He's a friend of my daughter's—and before you ask, so are the rest of the children you are looking for. No, they are not here and I do not know where they are."

The officer left quite baffled.

Secretly, McGonagall watched the Muggle law enforcement search through the house. She made sure that they did not enter any of the rooms they should not. She also had remained behind in order to help Mrs. Granger should things turn ugly. The police left after thoroughly search the house; they had found no evidence of the children being in the house that would not normally be there. Fingerprints and hairs were out of the question to prove the case one way or the other. More personal items, such as toothbrushes or clothing, had to be found before the police could do anything more.

"Dumbledore better be right." Mrs. Granger whispered to McGonagall. "These guys are just begging to be given a reason to tear this place apart."

"The Order will not allow that." McGonagall reassured Mrs. Granger. "We will be dealing with the situation before it gets out of hand."

Daelan awoke to an unfamiliar scene. He panicked, thought about it, and finally remembered. They had all "run away" to the Order's safe house until such time as Dumbledore returned to talk to their parents. He looked around the bedroom that would most likely be his home for the next week or so. It was fairly large and had a complete bathroom that was shared between him and Brendin. Both boys chose to have adjoining rooms in order to settle a dispute the night before when they had arrived. Everyone had bathrooms all to themselves but a pair had to share a bathroom. All six of the stowaways had refused to volunteer. Everyone thought that it was only natural that Brendin and Caleb share the bathroom; they were brothers after all. Brendin and Daelan ended the debate by volunteering; they were exhausted and did not feel like arguing.

Daelan got out of bed and dragged himself to the bathroom and saw that the light was on. He knocked on the door.

"What's up, Dae?" He heard Brendin's voice over the sound of falling water.

"Can I come in?" He asked lamely.

The water turned off. The shower door opened. "Sure."

He walked in to see Brendin brushing his teeth and a towel wrapped around his waist. He smiled and shook his head.

"You didn't need to rush."

Brendin spat out the foam. "I know, but I thought you might like some privacy." He picked up a comb and began doing his hair. "I'll be done in a sec."

Daelan put toothpaste on his toothbrush. "No hurry."

Daelan was not a skinny boy, but he hardly looked like a bodybuilder either. He had a six-pack, but that was about it in having super defined muscles. While he did not look like much, he was capable of besting almost any of his friends in a joust except for Harry and Wyatt. Those two seemed to be able to turn any strength into a weakness without moving a muscle. His blonde hair was still cut in the same way so he could make the front stick up but his complexion had become a lot darker. He no longer rivaled Snape and Draco as vampire look a likes, although he was still a lot paler than the rest of the group.

He blinked and cursed under his breath. He had forgotten to remove his contacts. He carefully removed the lens from his blue eyes and placed them in their container to sit in the solution for the few minutes he would be busy in the bathroom. He looked down and rubbed the three small scars on his chest and smiled sadly. He had only been a week old when the surgery was done, but the scars were a constant reminder that he had lost someone before ever getting to know him. The surgery that saved his young life failed to save his twin brother's. His brother died a week later.

Brendin smiled at his friend in the mirror. "It wasn't your fault."

"What?"

Brendin pointed at the scars. "You could not have done anything to save him."

Daelan nodded. "I know. I just miss him sometimes."

Brendin nodded. "That's perfectly normal."

Harry and Kyle walked around the Manor. The sun was barely rising over the roofs of the houses around them.

"So, how are you doing?"

Kyle half smiled. "I hated it."

"I'm…sorry?" Harry said with confusion. He didn't know quite what to say.

Kyle looked up and smiled. "Don't worry Harry, I'm not about to freak out or anything. I just don't like having to do this to my dad. He's been through enough without me still putting him through hell."

Harry nodded. "He's an adult; he'll manage. Dumbledore will explain everything as soon as he gets back."

Kyle shrugged. "Sure. This city doesn't help any."

"Why?"

Kyle shivered. "He was from here. Kept on telling me how so many of his friends would be happy to see me…" Kyle choked back tears. He turned to look at the sunrise.

Harry patted his cousin on the shoulder. "Err…ahh…rrr."

Kyle touched Harry's hand gently. "You don't have to say anything. I know it all already. Heard it a thousand times after all."

"So why did you come here so early?" Harry changed topics.

Kyle pointed at the attic window. "I wanted to see the Book of Shadows but I got distracted by you."

Harry's brow furrowed. "Why did you want to see the Book?"

Kyle shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. I thought I'd compare it to our own Book."

"You are way too much like Hermione!"

Kyle put on a pained expression. "You don't mean that."

"Yes I do." Harry carried on with a serious face.

Kyle shook his head with a smile. "You need to learn more about your friends, Harry. Hermione'd copy the missing sections into the Book."

Harry laughed, his eyes watering. "Too true, Kyle."

Wyatt sat at the dead quiet breakfast table. There had been an attack during the night and neither Piper nor Leo had returned yet. Phoebe and Paige returned just before Wyatt woke up and were surprised to see that Leo and Piper had not followed them. The battle was not over but Piper had not wanted to scare the kids by not being there when they woke up. Wyatt and Chris were morose and almost sick with worry about their parents. Harry, Draco, Hermione, and Kyle did not know how to comfort their friends so they just sat in silence.

"I'm sure they're fine, Wyatt." Phoebe broke the silence. "They probably just got pulled away by the Elders to discuss the battle or…something…"

Wyatt shook his head. "I should be able to sense them, then."

Osric ran through the door and into the kitchen. "Well, they aren't in the Underworld. And as far as I could gather, none of the demons know where Piper and Leo are. They are missing two of their own: Barbas and Nihilus."

"Who's the last one?" Chris asked. The first time he had spoken since waking up.

"The Lord of Pain and Hunger." Osric shivered as a chill ran down his and everyone else's spines. "He has the power to cause excruciating pain with a firing of one neuron and he will cause his victims to eat themselves alive. He is so powerful that the last Source locked him away in a similar fashion of Zankoo. From what I heard, Eyad awoke him so that he could be his personal bodyguard."

"What about William?" Hermione blurted out.

Osric shrugged. "Voldemort killed him for failing to fulfill his duties."

Wyatt frowned. "Ash Goth couldn't have liked that. William was one of his hand picked servants."

"I doubt that occurred to Voldemort at the time. Besides, it sounds like his replacement is much more powerful." Harry interrupted Wyatt.

Osric ignored them and turned to face Phoebe and Paige. "Did either of you see a person dressed in red robes that covered the entire body except the face?"

Phoebe shook her head, but Paige nodded slowly. "The face was completely white except for two lighting bolt tattoos just under both eyes. I orbed out just before he spotted me."

Osric nodded grimly. "You are lucky; that's him."

Piper and Leo appeared in a swirl of orbs seconds later. Their clothes were tattered and both had gloomy looks of their faces but seemed to be unharmed.

"What the hell happened to you!" Wyatt shouted as he stood up. He went over and hugged his mom tightly.

Leo sat down. "We were pulled back into the battle by a very powerful demon. One that the Elders believed vanquished…"

"Nihilus." Several said with little surprise in their voices.

"How did you—?"

Wyatt answered the question. "Osric."

"He is one devilish being. I was barely able to freeze his attacks and you can forget about him blowing up." Piper whispered. Her voice was hoarse. "He hit us both with lighting that shot straight out of his eyes. We got up only to fall down in such pain not even the Cruciatus curse could compare to it…"

Piper and Leo lay on the floor screaming. Towering over them was Nihilus, motionless. After a minute, he released them from his power and waited patiently for them to stand up.

"Is that the best you got?" Piper spat defiantly.

Nihilus ignored her and walked away to join a battle between a Death Eater and a thirteen-year-old girl. She was a native and was defending her baby brother who sat crying in the tent behind her. Nihilus walked right up to the Death Eater and place a hand on the dark wizard's shoulder. The wizard burst into flame and turned into a pile of smoking ash. Nihilus turned his attention on to the girl and raised his hand with a fireball in it. The girl fired off a ripping curse before being hit by the fireball. She flew back into the tent and lay dead. Nihilus approached the tent and picked up the baby.

Piper screamed as Nihilus opened his mouth and let out an ear-piercing yell. When Piper looked up again Nihilus had disappeared and on the floor lay the dead infant.

Leo took over the story. "Every single vessel had burst."

Hermione ran to the kitchen sink and the boys' faces paled. Even Osric who was used to hearing such macabre stories had to take deep breaths to stop himself from throwing up. Phoebe and Paige sat there in shock and Piper had silent tears running down her face.

"This demon feels nothing. He can kill and torture without sadness or pleasure." Leo continued. "He is worse than Ash Goth or Voldemort. He must be stopped."

Wyatt shook his head in disbelief. "How?"

"With the Power of Three or…" He darted a sheepish glance at Piper.

Piper shook her head. "I'm not going out to hunt this thing, Leo. And I certainly am not going to allow my sons and their friends to face him."

Leo closed his eyes. "I don't like it either, but he has to be stopped."

Phoebe and Paige shook their heads. "We're all for protecting the innocent Leo, but this guy sounds like he is too powerful for us to just go and vanquish him. Even the Source could only lock him up and the last time we dealt with a demon like that we all were almost killed. That was still when it was just Zankoo acting alone, and this demon will have thousands of followers to throw at us."

"So you are just going to allow him to kill and rampage around?" Leo could not believe what he was hearing, but inside he was happy that they were refusing.

Piper nodded. "He will come after us sometime and then we will fight him with everything we've got, but until then—" Piper released an edgy sigh. "—Not before. Definitely not before."

Harry and Wyatt sat in front of the green fire. Dumbledore's fiery-formed face floated in the emerald flames with a look of deep concern on it. "…This is an unfortunate turn of events, but not one we did not foresee."

Leo voiced his worry again. "It was one thing for William to be replaced; it is entirely another for Nihilus to take his place."

Dumbledore nodded. "I agree that Nihilus is much more of a threat than we deemed Voldemort possible of releasing, but that does not change my mind on the matter. If the Elders choose to act, they will do so without the Resistance's help, and quite possibly without the help of any of the other members of Phoenix Council."

Leo sighed in defeat. "I will inform the Elders of your decision, but they will bring it up before Council at the next meeting."

"As it is their right," Dumbledore stated, "I will also voice my opinion of my own. Voldemort and Ash Goth are not going to use Nihilus again until the occasion calls for it. Nihilus will be wielded in a similar fashion as they use Eyad."

Leo nodded again before orbing out.

Dumbledore focused his attention on the two teens. "As an answer to your question Harry, I am almost done here. I will return shortly and will continue my work in the Resistance. But do not hold me to that; I fear that the Resistance may not be the best way for me to continue to fight Voldemort. With you now of age Harry, my role in matters has changed." The fire died down without Dumbledore saying good-bye.

"Looks like Dumbledore is losing hope in the Order." Wyatt commented as they made their way up to Wyatt's room.

Harry shook his head. "I think he means that he no longer wishes to be the one everybody turns to. He feels that his time might be better spent doing whatever he is doing."

They both shared a look. "We need to make sure to be there when it happens." They said simultaneously.

"Are we going or…be where for what?" Hermione was extremely annoyed. They were an hour late for their group outing. First they had been held up so that Order members could disguise Brendin, Caleb, Casey, Daelan, and Ethan. Kyle had out right refused to be disguised and when Tonks tried to change his hair color from behind; he hit her with such a powerful telekinetic push that Wyatt and Harry had to pool their magic to make sure she stopped. Then Harry and Wyatt got pulled away for a meeting with Snape and McGonagall on what to do if anything happened, and finally Dumbledore had phoned.

Harry and Wyatt smiled. "Nowhere and nothing."

Hermione glared at the two boys. "Sometimes you two are more childish than Ron."

"Hey!" Ron stepped out of the door. "Don't compare me to these two. Try Prue, and even that's being lenient."

"How long did it take you two to practice? Two, four, five days?" Wyatt asked.

Harry just shook his head and pushed passed Ron to get into Wyatt's room. "You look fine, Daelan."

Daelan was standing in front of the mirror conjured by one of the adults who helped with the disguises. He nodded but continued to mess with his hair.

Harry sighed and pulled out his wand, "Reducto!" The mirror shattered.

"I was using that!"

Harry pocketed his wand. "I know."

"What's your problem then?"

Harry lay back with his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling. "Mirrors. They always show exactly what is wrong and never what is right."

Kyle and Caleb burst out laughing. "Deep, Harry. Very deep."

Harry smiled. "I have been playing with the idea of writing a book and becoming a philosopher."

Wyatt stepped into the room. "Please don't. We already see your face enough in bold, bright lights without you becoming a famous book series. Harry Potter and What Not to Say."

Harry sat up. "Hey, I like the sound of that."

"You can carry on your musings later, Harry." Hermione snapped. "If we're going to go and explore the town, then we need to start now. We only have four hours left."

Wyatt frowned. "Since when?"

"Since forever." Hermione shook her head. "Or did you forget the fact that they have to be back by dark." She pointed at the six teens standing in the corner.

Harry quickly moved to stop the brewing storm. "Fine. Let's not waste anymore time."

Harry parked the car in what felt like the last available spot in the entire city. He had dropped off his passengers in front of this fancy restaurant. Wyatt had convinced Kyle and him that they should spread some of their wealth among those less fortunate. Wyatt had found a parking place right in front of the joint and Harry let him have it as he had the most people in his car. Harry told his cousin, Draco, Brendin, and Daelan to jump out. Five blocks away Harry finally found a spot.

"What are you going to have to drink?"

Harry shook his head. Wyatt was not a very patient person when he was hungry. "A Coke will do." Harry looked around to find a place where he could Apparate from, but the street was teeming with people. He decided that the easiest thing to do would be a Disillusionment Charm. Careful to not attract too much attention, he tapped himself on the head with his finger. The feeling of having a raw egg run down his head and over his face and back let him know the spell had worked.

"You could've waited two more seconds." Harry hissed as he took his seat at the table.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "The point of the cha…thing, is to not attract attention." Hermione clarified by pointing to the spoon on Harry's place mat.

Harry smacked himself on the head when he saw Hermione's point. He closed his eyes and created the illusion of him walking in to take a seat. The disillusionment disappeared as the fake Harry sat down. "What was the rush anyway?"

Kyle leaned across the table. "The waiter wanted to serve us so we could be on our way. I don't think the management thinks we can behave ourselves."

"I don't blame them." A familiar voice issued from Harry's right. Sitting next to Brendin was Leah. "Wyatt almost knocked over that fish tank before we were even asked our party number."

"Hi, Leah." Harry paused to collect his thoughts. "I didn't realize you'd be joining us."

Leah smiled. "Brendin invited me. I'm up here visiting some friends from Magic School and I bumped into him just now."

Harry nodded. "Well, that was a welcome coincidence. Are you going to Magic School this year or will you be joining us, like Chris?"

"I'll be going to Magic School. My parents believe that I'll receive the best protection there. But I think it's really because my father doesn't like Brendin and his family. Thinks they're the reason him and my mom spilt."

"…Thank, sir." The waiter said when he saw the tip Harry gave him. The entire bill had come to $450, which was extremely good considering there were fifteen people, and this was among the most expensive restaurants in town that you did not have to book three days in advance for.

"So we'll all meet back here in three hours?" Harry looked around the group. They all nodded.

Hermione, Ron, Brendin, and Leah went off almost immediately. Harry, Kyle, Casey, Chris, and Caleb left soon after that to go see if they could go visit Alcatraz. Ethan, Osric, Draco, and Daelan left with Harry, but were not keen on getting on a boat. That left Ginny and Wyatt standing in front of the restaurant.

"So…what do you want to do?" Wyatt asked, though not quite meeting Ginny's eyes.

Ginny shrugged. "You're the one that lives here. You choose."

"What to go see Pier 39?"

Ginny nodded. It soon began to rain. Wyatt, without thinking, removed his jacket and placed it over Ginny's shoulders. The redhead smiled and the embarrassed young man half smiled back. They walked briskly to their destination and entered one of the shops. It was a clothing store and with a laugh, Wyatt followed an excited Ginny further into the store.

"So, how are you?" Wyatt asked.

Ginny turned her head over her shoulder, her hands still gripping the sweater she was looking at. "I'm fine." She turned back to the clothing rack. "And you?"

Wyatt's palms got a little sweatier. "I'm doing ok."

"That's nice." Ginny moved to the next rack of items.

An awkward silence fell between the two. Ginny continued to peruse the merchandise and Wyatt followed her aimlessly. Ginny picked up a silver chain with a tiny lighthouse dangling off it. "I want to get a trinket to remember this town by."

Wyatt looked up. "Do you like the necklace?"

Ginny shrugged. "It'll do."

"No, it won't." Wyatt took Ginny's hand. "I know this jeweler that has the perfect one." He pulled her into a corner and they orbed out. They reappeared in a tiny little shop with dim lights.

"We're closed." The man behind the desk said gruffly. "Can't you—"

"Hello, Jamil." Wyatt said evenly. Ginny stuck close to Wyatt.

Jamil looked up from the newspaper he was reading. "Wyatt! I didn't think I'd be seeing you for another few weeks."

Wyatt nodded; his eyes grew dim. "My plans changed. I forgot to mention it to you."

"Plans?" Ginny asked. "What plans?"

Wyatt looked at her in the eyes. "It doesn't matter now." He returned his gaze to Jamil. "Is it ready?"

Jamil pulled a box from under the counter. "This must be the girl?"

"Yes," Wyatt whispered. His cheeks grew a bit red.

"So what's with the change of plans?"

Wyatt took a breath and muttered dangerously, "Drop it, Jamil."

Ginny frowned. "I'd like to know that myself!"

Wyatt sighed. "I was planning on giving you this necklace to you on our one year anniversary. But then we broke up and I just forgot about it."

Jamil laughed. "I guess you are richer than I thought, my young friend. This necklace cost a pretty penny."

Wyatt glared at Jamil. "You blundering blabbermouth!"

"How much, Wyatt?" Ginny commanded.

"Three-thousand." Wyatt prepared himself for the coming onslaught. But the next thing he knew, Ginny was hugging him.

"You didn't need to, Wy."

"What are you so happy about?" Jamil asked. "You haven't even…" Wyatt sent the man toppling to the floor by pulling the chair out from under him.

"It was nothing, Ginny."

"So lets see it!"

Wyatt picked up the box and opened it. The chain was bright silver and very thin. The dime-sized pendant had a small diamond set in the center with emeralds forming a heart around the diamond. On the back was engraved, "With love from SF boy." SF boy had been Ginny's nickname for Wyatt when they had first met until they began going out.

Ginny stared at the gift. "It…it's…beautiful." She kissed Wyatt passionately and Wyatt almost toppled over.

"Ahhh…You're welcome." Wyatt stammered.

Ginny smiled and stared at the chain again. Wyatt came out of his stupor. He took the chain out of the box and carefully put it around Ginny's neck.

Harry and Wyatt, as members of the Phoenix Council, were fairly able in the Order's method of communication, but lacked actual status, as Order members, were not as competent as Dumbledore, Snape, or McGonagall. The Phoenix Council was made up of the leaders of numerous species as kingdoms who had pledged to fight against the threat of darkness that engulfed the magical community. Six Elves, four dwarves, an Elder, a nymph, five humans, and the fairy king represented their various species and their allies. The dwarves, Elves, and humans only spoke for their own species. The nymph represented the remaining nonhuman magical beings. The Elder acted for Elders, whitelighters, Wiccan witches, and the Greater Good. All the little people backed the fairy king's decision.

The Council was supposed to meet on a bimonthly basis or at least the core members were, but due to events, the Council had only met as a whole twice so far. The first time was to form the Council and the second was to plan for the protection of England, which failed. The Elders and Dumbledore had both asked that the Council meet in order to discuss the plans for the rest of the year and to update every one of the changes in the war.

The day arrived for the meeting and by the time breakfast was served the majority of the members had converged on the Granger house. Mrs. and Mr. Granger had gone on a holiday to Hawaii for the remainder of the summer holidays: well, one week was a holiday and the other was a dentist convention. Harry sat chatting to Uurande's great-great-grandmother. She was telling him about the how the kingdom of Elves split into three kingdoms and how her husband had died because of it. Uurande was talking to Wyatt under both of their father's watchful gazes. Leo was to be the spokesman for the Elders at this meeting. The dwarves stuck to themselves although the eastern kingdom's queen was talking to the nymph and fairy.

"Attention," Dumbledore's calming voice washed over all conversations. "Your attention, please. We should really get started; most of us have other places to be and I would prefer not to hold any of you back."

"…Nihilus is not our only problem." Uurande-tur spoke up. "Both my kingdom and that of the Ruby Dwarves have been attacked by powerful demons, ancient ones." Everyone was listening intently now. "These demons burn with an almost unquenchable fire and walk in the darkest shadows where they cannot be spotted until it is too late. To borrow a line from a Muggle, they are demons of 'shadow and flame. A balrog.'"

"That is impossible. Those were locked away under spells and charms only the Suxen could destroy." The king of the Emerald Dwarves shouted.

The Ruby Dwarf King shook his head. "The dark lords have truly been able to unleash balrogs. Thanks to the combined memories of Elven and dwarven alchemists, we were able to vanquish the balrogs before they entered too far into our kingdoms. That does not mean we can forget about them. Halcyon eggs are rare and the other ingredients in the potion are not easy to come by either."

Dumbledore was visibly struck by the news. "Does that mean that It has escaped?"

The High Lord shook his head. "The Suxen have not been disturbed, so that is out of the question. But it does mean that the sooner the wards are placed, the better. Voldemort is becoming more able with controlling and manipulating nexuses."

Everyone in the Council wore grave expressions when they concluded their meeting. While plans had been set in action to slow down the dark, things were looking grim. With the rise of two new major enemies, things had never looked bleaker despite the fact for the first time since the beginning of magic, all magical species were creating a united front. Soon everyone had left to attend to other matters and only Dumbledore, Harry, Wyatt, and Uur remained in the meeting room.

Dumbledore smiled. "Well, not all the news was bad. I believe that the information collection is going much better than planned. I should be able to start using it sooner than I expected." He looked pointedly at Harry. "I must be off. I've business concerning the Order." He left.

Wyatt watched the old wizard leave the room. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing." Harry said a bit too quickly. The other two boys gave him quizzical looks. "You know as much as I do, so drop it."

Wyatt changed the subject. "So why didn't you leave with your mother and father?"

Uur smiled. "I convinced them that I would be of more use if I remained close to you and Harry."

"But aren't you the High General of the United Elven Forces?" Harry asked not sure if he was happy with the reason Uur gave.

"Correct; but I handed over the everyday reins to my sister. She is well trained in leadership and should have no problem. Should anything arise, I will retake the title." Uur smiled.

Wyatt grinned. "Well that's excellent news!"

Harry nodded in agreement. He would just have to accept the fact that Uur was probably sent here to help protect him. He was very happy to have his friend join them for the year. "So do you know anything more about those balrog creatures?"

Uur's smile faded. "They are the Elves' and dwarves' worst enemy. They are well equipped to fend off our magics and weapons. They carry a single flame outside of their shadow-covered giant bodies. That flame can become a fiery sword or an explosive whip. They have huge wings that they use to block all light as they fight and if all else fails, they have a razor sharp tail that simply destroys anything and everything in its path. They leave death and destruction in their wake and can only be vanquished by an almost impossible to make potion."

"But they said that they were able to fend off the attack." Wyatt whispered.

Uur nodded. "We lost two battalions and the dwarves lost four of their best, but we did kill the five that attacked our two kingdoms. From what little knowledge we have of the beings, ten thousand of these demons were made. They were led into battle against the ancients by a huge balrog known as Malarauko, who was invincible. The ancients were able to defeat the army and lock away Malarauko and his remaining minions inside certain powerful centers of magics, nexuses. Malarauko was locked up in the great nexus prophesied to be the defender of the Light, the Suxen. Over the years, these demons would escape their tombs, but most died seconds later because their leader was no longer with them. This is the first time that they have survived the reemerging."

"So what happened this time? What made it different?" Harry asked.

"My father said it was because they were more powerful, which is scary. That means that if anyone of them is still alive, they can help Voldemort reactivate the rest and quite possibly, their leader. If Voldemort is able to convince Malarauko to serve him, we are doomed. Elves and dwarves will shut their kingdoms from the world in hopes that Malarauko would not be able to break through the wards. Without our help the rest of magic is pretty much finished. We can barely hold our own now, so add a new breed of demon and remove the two most numerous members of the Light and," Uur paused. "Well, you get the picture."

Wyatt nodded. "Do you know the potion?"

"Why?"

Wyatt looked at Harry who nodded. "Well, if we knew the ingredients we could try and make a stockpile and possibly make adjustments so it is not so difficult to brew."

Uur nodded. "I know of most of the ingredients." He was hesitant to carry on and dragged Harry and Wyatt in to the battle.

Wyatt guessed what was bothering their Elven friend. "We're already a part of this battle. The more we know the better."

Uur nodded. "Well then, it would be easier if you see it."

"Like a Pensieve," asked Harry.

"Yes; but without the Pensieve."

Uur reached out and touched Harry's temple; Harry collapsed in his chair. Wyatt stared at his friend and gulped as Uur tapped his temple. Uur sighed and placed both of his hands on the side of his head.

The three appeared in front of a giant tree filled with green, red, and turquoise leaves. As they looked up, a spiraling staircase climbed up in the canopy and disappeared from sight. The air smelled of something sweet and welcoming. Everything was peaceful, relaxed, reassuring.

"This is the center of the Southern Kingdom. The tree is the product of the grafting of three unique trees, one from each kingdom. It is the symbol of our unity once again. We spilt up ever since the fourth kingdom was seduced by Ash Goth long before he rose to power." Uur explained. "At the top is the home to the High Lord and his Queen. I live in the opposite tree; the one that symbolizes the vitality of the Southern Kingdom."

They saw the giant tree that was to the right of the multicolored one. It was covered in red leaves but looked as if it was flourishing. Not like the color suggested of it preparing for the winter. Unlike the center tree, this one had a beautifully adorned entrance to the center of the tree. They carefully entered the tree. Two royal guards dressed in full attire guarded the entrance but paid no attention to the three teens. An elevator opened its doors to reveal Uur and his personal bodyguard and friend.

Uur's green eyes stared straight at his present self for a second before a smile crossed his lips. Uur's long black hair was tied up in a ponytail and a golden crown with the phoenix crest drawn in glowing red ink sat on his head.

"That is the crown of the king of the Southern Kingdom. My father wears the High Lord's crown. My mother wears no crown, but has a necklace with the three crests of the three kingdoms engraved in truesilver. And my twin sister wears the crown of the Southern Kingdom."

Uur's bodyguard bent down and whispered something in the prince's ear. Uur's past self paled.

Uur's next words were urgent. "Find my pet immediately. Explain to her what is going on. She will lead you to the nest area; collect only one—I repeat—one egg from each nest. Collect anymore and they will no longer provide us with their eggs so willingly."

The bodyguard nodded. "Where will I find you once I deliver the eggs to the alchemists?"

"Follow Malakite." Uur said evenly. "Protect yourself."

"Stay safe, milord." The bodyguard departed through a back door.

"Halcyon eggs are one of the ingredients to the potion. They are extremely rare, even here where the species flourishes. Malakite is my pet halcyon. She lost her life partner the day I was born and for some reason she attached to me. Halcyons usually commit suicide by drowning themselves when they lose their partner."

"Why are halcyon eggs, part of a vanquishing potion?" Wyatt asked.

"Halcyons embody the opposite spirit of a balrog. A balrog is aggressive, explosive, and controls fire. A halcyon is calming, relaxing, soothing, and controls water."

"What exactly is a halcyon?" Harry asked, completely bewildered. The scene around them whirled and changed to one of darkness and shouting and screaming like that of the Quidditch World Cup.

Uur frowned. "It is like an African bird known as a kingfisher. They are tiny birds with beaks that look out of proportion with the rest of the bird's body. Halcyons are closest in resembles to a Malachite Kingfisher of Southern Africa."

A shadow behind them all of a sudden moved and grew into a smoking shadow with a clouded-over burning fire. The shadow stood to its full height of twelve feet and snarled. Flames of white-hot air issued out of the demon's nostrils. The face was similar to that of a mixture of a human's and a horses face. Its skin seemed to move like whiffs of smoke, but its face was solid except for the cracks in the skin that showed what looked like glowing molten rock swirling underneath, barely held back by the hardened larva that made the face.

Without warning, the demon stepped out with out its shadowy cloak. Or rather, lifted the cloak up into the form of bat-like wings. Its tail struck down the five Elves that had been desperately trying to injure the beast with their arrows. The demon roared in triumph and its skin stretched to its limit, showing all around him the extent of his power. The evil spirit turned and headed back in the direction it came from.

"Those were among the best warriors my father has. They were just weeks away from being promoted to Royal Guards."

"Why didn't they use magic?"

Uur frowned. "Their magic would have been no use against that thing. Charms and spells rebound off the skin. They did use telekinesis to add more punch to the arrows but that did not help."

The scene whirled again this time they were looking straight into the eyes of Uur's father. Beside the High Lord stood the Southern King of the Dwarves. Both were using fire to hold the balrogs at bay while alchemists carefully levitated the potions toward the demons.

"The potions will only work if they are drunk or absorbed through the eyes." A dwarf shouted.

"YOU MAY DEFEAT US, BUT SOON OUR MASTER WILL AVENGE US!" Everyone blocked his or her ears as the sound was deafening. The potions hit their targets. The ground shuddered as one by one the balrogs collapsed and melted away.

"Dispose of the waste quickly and properly." Uurande-tur shouted. "That liquid is as dangerous to nature as the balrogs are."

The scene whirled again, but this time Harry felt as if he had touched a portkey. He opened his eyes and found himself back in the meeting room.

"The five balrogs that attacked did not wreak as much havoc as they could have. They seemed content to remain on the fringes of the two kingdoms." Uur said quietly. "My father believes they were only a distraction for something even more heinous."

"He did not say anything in the meeting about that…"

"I know. Even in the Council my father does not trust everyone. He will inform Dumbledore of his suspicions without the prying ears of some of the other Council members." Uur's eyes glowed in anger but the look vanished as quickly as it came.

Harry sat in the lounge right next to the empty fireplace as far away from the TV as physically possible. Ron and Ginny had become addicted to the television set; every second they did not have something to do, they were in front of the Muggle contraption. Hermione had given up on arguing with the two and had taken to avoiding the lounge unless absolutely necessary. Harry refused to give in so easily despite the fact that it drove him insane and there were a lot more quiet places to read in the house: namely, the library.

He brought up the page on wards from the electronic library privy to only those in the Order and two other students. He had been spending more and more of his time away from practicing strengthening his control over magic and more with his nose either in a book or before the laptop. He only had a week and a half before they would be returning to Phoenix Hall and Dumbledore was expecting him to resurrect the ancient wards that protected the Hall while no other Potter was alive that knew it existed.

I could construct new wards in a snap and even reactivate ones that went off line due to an outage. Harry squeezed his eyes shut. Voldemort must be on the move again.

To manipulate existing wards to change their programming—as he had to do—was very difficult. The only witches and wizards that had survived doing such were ones that do so to their own wards and Hogwarts' headmaster and headmistresses. Harry knew that in order to do it correctly he had to know the reason the ward existed and exactly what affected it. The problem was that whoever constructed Phoenix Hall had not left anything to help Harry in his search.

"Perhaps you are looking in the wrong place." Hermione said helpfully.

Harry looked up to see the female Gryffindor standing above him. Harry sat up and Hermione sat down next to him.

"What do you mean?" Harry moved the page down so he could continue reading.

"I mean that the information you need may not be written down." Hermione said evenly.

"What?"

Hermione passed Harry a thick tome; the name had worn off the cover. "I bought this book in LA a few weeks back. I didn't realize at the time it had anything to do with magic. I just thought it was a history book or something."

Harry shook his head. "You buy books without knowing what they're about?"

"Yes." Hermione replied indignantly. "As a matter of fact, I do. But never mind that. One of the last chapters is about ancestral magic."

Harry frowned. He hated repeating himself. "What?"

Hermione sighed. "The relationship between blood and magic. It is the study on how magic is passed down through the generations and why it can spontaneously appear in Muggle families."

Harry's eyes glazed over. Hermione rolled her eyes and stood up.

"If you're going to be like that, then read about it yourself!" Hermione stormed off.

Harry looked at the tome and jumped up forgetting the laptop was in his lap. He froze it seconds before it hit the ground. Cursing himself he plucked it out of the spell and placed it on the couch. Picking up the fat book, he rushed after Hermione.

"Hermione, wait!"

Hermione turned around. "Are you going to listen?"

"Yes." Harry looked at his feet. "Sorry for not listening earlier."

Hermione smiled and jumped right back into explaining ancestral magic. Harry rolled his eyes and smiled.

"…you see?" Harry nodded although he had not understood. "But here's a point that really got me excited. Wards seem to respond readily to direct blood descendents of their makers. Even when the descendent doesn't know everything that is normally needed. The ward seems to guide the heir through the process. It is as if the ancestor left a part of him- or herself behind in the ward."

Harry's eyes lit up. "That's great news!" But then reality struck him. "The only problem is, we don't know who built the Phoenix Hall."

"Yes we do." Hermione explained excitedly. "Or at least you do."

"I do?" Harry frowned. "How?"

"You told me once that when you first entered the Phoenix Hall, that it felt like all the collective knowledge of the previous inhabitants poured into your mind."

Harry closed his eyes and nodded his head. "But as time passed, so did the knowledge."

Hermione shook her head. "That isn't true! You just repressed it; you needed to have a clear mind. All you have to do is call it up again."

"Easier said than done, Hermione." Harry scoffed. "I'll sooner be able to recall my parents deaths. Repression can't just be reversed by flipping a switch."

"True; but that is without the help of magic." Hermione drew her wand out of her pocket.

Harry raised his hand. "Stop!"

Hermione lowered her wand and cocked her head. "It's a simple charm."

"And I'm sure you'd perform it perfectly." Harry said. "I just think you may over do it."

"What do you mean?"

Harry sighed and shivered slightly. "You might awaken memories I'd prefer not to relive."

"Oh!' Hermione pocketed her wand. "Perhaps we should consult Dumbledore."

Hermione was about the knock on the door when Harry stopped her. "Listen," was all he did not explain himself.

"…She may be older than me but I have more experience, Dumbledore." Snape's silky voice sounded angry.

McGonagall's heavy accent shot clear through the closed door. "That's a laugh. I have fought beside Dumbledore against two other Dark Lords and during Voldemort's last attempt to grab power. So don't try and sell yourself as any better of a candidate than me, Snape."

Hermione fell back from the door. "I've never heard any Professors go at it like that and in front of the Headmaster."

Harry waved his hand to shut her up. "…I know the Dark Lord's ways and—"

"Only because you kiss his stinking feet." McGonagall snapped.

Harry smiled gleefully.

"Enough," Dumbledore's voice boomed. "Minerva, no matter what is going on, you know better than anyone else that Professor Snape does not serve Voldemort. Severus, you would serve the Order better in the position you are in. I would not want to place you in any more danger by making you the leader."

Harry jumped back just in time. The door flew open and out billowed a wrathful Snape. He glared at the two teens, who shrank back into the opposite corner. He stormed down the corridor and with a loud pop, Apparated. Soon after, a sobered McGonagall left the room completely ignoring the two Gryffindors.

"Come in Harry, Hermione." Dumbledore sat in a chair similar to that in his office at Hogwarts. He looked tired and shaken, but pleased. "What brings the two of you here at such a late hour?"

Harry and Hermione quietly sat down in chairs opposite Dumbledore as if a desk existed between the teens and the headmaster. Harry closed the door with a twitch of his finger.

Hermione spoke up. "Harry and I have possibly found a solution to the problem with the wards at Phoenix Hall."

Dumbledore smiled. "I did not know that there was a problem."

Harry gave Hermione permission to explain things with a nod. "Well you see sir, Harry's not been able to find the proper information necessary for him to perform the changes to the wards you want him to. But I've found out that he might not need that information; but we've got to find out who built Phoenix Hall."

"I see." Dumbledore smiled. The famous twinkle almost reappeared in the blue eyes. "You have read up on ancestral magic, Miss Granger."

"Yes, sir." Hermione blushed. "Harry has the information but he can't access it. He doesn't trust me to perform the charm…"

Dumbledore held up his hand for Hermione to stop. "I understand." He faced Harry. "Even I cannot guarantee that I will not awaken unwanted memories, Harry."

Harry gulped. "I understand, Professor."

"Do you still want to go through with your and Hermione's plan?"

Hermione looked carefully at Harry. Slowly Harry nodded. "It is the only way to protect everyone at the Hall."

"Alright." Dumbledore pulled out his wand. "Tell me if it becomes too overwhelming."

Harry simply nodded.

Dumbledore placed his wand right in the center of the back of Harry's head. "IPNOSI."

Harry felt bizarre. He knew that he was sitting in a chair with Dumbledore behind him and Hermione squeezing his hand. At the same time he was seeing ghostly images of people he had never seen but looked vaguely familiar. In front of him lay a cobblestone street leading to a giant mansion that sat on a hill. Everyone seemed to be heading for the mansion, so he followed them.

As he got closer to the mansion the people around him whispered in his ears, all sorts of different facts about completely different topics. None of it made much sense to his mind, which felt like it was working overtime. He carried on walking, doing his best to ignore the headache and the muttering voices. He eventually had to close his eyes and walk blindly in order to be able to concentrate enough to place one foot in front of the other. He took a step, slipped, and fell down on top of someone else.

"Well, excuse me!" The stranger said in a heavy English accent. The stranger was a male and his voice sounded way too familiar.

Despite himself Harry opened his eyes. In front of him or rather standing in front of him was his double except for the eyes, which were hazel, and behind elegant glasses. Harry stared at his father and his father stared back at him. Harry pushed himself off the ground muttered an apology.

"Did you just call me, 'dad'?"

Harry nodded.

James shook his head. "That's impossible. You couldn't be my little Harry."

Harry nodded dumbly.

"Lily…Lily!" James yelled. "Lily, where are you?"

"Right here, James." Lily's soothing voice carried into Harry's ear. "Oh, sorry I thought you were…my…James?"

James came and hugged Lily. Harry collapsed again to the floor his legs could no longer carry his weight. "Lily, I would like you to meet your son."

"NO!" Lily exclaimed. "Harry is just a baby."

James whispered in his wife's ear. "We've been gone a long time, sweetheart."

Lily kneeled before Harry and hugged the limp teen. "Oh, Harry, I'm so glad to see you."

James paled. "You're not dead are you?"

"JAMES!" Lily admonished. "Could you not give us two seconds?"

Harry tried to talk but could not. He resorted to shaking his head.

Lily frowned. "What are you doing here, baby?"

Harry opened his mouth but his throat was too sore from struggling not to cry. He closed his eyes and tears ran down his face. Lily hugged her son again and comforted him by patting his back gently. "It's alright, Harry, take your time."

Harry sniffed and looked up. His dad smiled encouragingly. "I miss you so much."

"And we miss you, Harry." James said. "But you need to tell us why you are here, son."

"I need information."

James nodded. "And you blocked it off when you entered the Phoenix Hall."

"Yes." Harry said. "It was…"

"No need to explain, sweetheart," Lily went on to explain, "Most do the same thing. You father did so as well that he actually forgot most of the information."

James smiled reminiscently. "Probably one of my most proudest moments. My parents were so furious…"

"Not now, dear." Lily interrupted.

"I have to find out who built Phoenix Hall." Harry said when his parents fell silent.

"Oh, that's an easy one." James said enthusiastically. "It was Merlin himself. That is who resides in that house on the hill."

"Are we directly related to Merlin?"

Lily nodded. "Actually both of us are direct descendents of Merlin. That is why I was included in the presence at the Hall."

"Oh," Harry mumbled. He felt Hermione trying to wake him up. "Not yet."

Lily smiled sadly. "You need to go, Harry."

"Yeah, champ." James smiled. He wrapped his arm around Lily who was crying by now. "We'll see you again."

"We're very proud of you, Harry."

"I love you, mom, dad." Harry felt himself slipping out of his own brain.

"We love you, Harry…"

Harry snapped wide-awake. He closed his eyes and took a few deep, calming breaths. "It'll work."

Dumbledore grabbed Hermione by the shoulder as she started to follow a fleeing Harry. "He needs to be alone."

"But no one should be alone when they experience something like that." Hermione said angrily.

Dumbledore smiled. "He didn't see his parents die, Hermione."

"Then why—"

"He did see his parents, though."

"Have you heard, Harry?" Wyatt snapped Harry out of his daydream during breakfast.

"Heard what, Wyatt?" Harry questioned lazily.

Wyatt shook his head at Harry's lack of interest. "Dumbledore chose a replacement. I wish I could've taken a picture of Snape's face when he heard."

Hermione leaned in close. "Believe me you wouldn't have wanted to be there."

"What do you mean?" Wyatt asked. Harry and Hermione had told no one about what had happened three nights prior.

"We were there, Wyatt." Harry said in frustration. "He was damn scary."

"And you didn't invite me?"

Harry rose from the table and scowled. "We had other things on our mind than your entertainment." He left the kitchen.

"What's up with him?" Wyatt asked Hermione.

Hermione shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

Kyle took Harry's vacated seat. "He's been crabby the past few days. He bit my head off for accidentally using his deodorant this morning. He could very easily take Snape down if he remains in this mood much longer."

Hermione slipped out of the kitchen without anyone noticing. She headed up to Harry's room. She knocked on the door.

"Who's it?" Ron asked.

"It's me, Ron."

"Come in."

Hermione entered and closed the door but didn't see Harry.

"He's in the bathroom." Ron explained.

Harry came out of the bathroom, groaned and headed straight back into it.

"Harry we need to talk." Hermione called through the bathroom door.

"Why?" Harry's hoarse voice questioned, "I already know what you're going to say."

"Fine then, just listen." Ron said. "Something is bothering you and we just want to help you."

Harry opened the door. "You can't help."

"Why not, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Because neither of you have lost your parents." Harry said quietly. "You don't know what it's like to have no one to run to when you feel down."

"You've got us." Hermione said almost hurt.

"I know, and I'm eternally grateful to have friends like you two, but it still isn't the same." Harry lay down on his bed. On the nightstand sat the picture book Hagrid had made for him during his first year at Hogwarts. "I don't understand why I feel like this. I mean I was too young to even remember them much." He vented.

"They're your parents, Harry." Hermione said. "No one can replace them, but you have the Weasleys, Lupin, the Order, us, and Kyle as your family. You know that."

Harry remained silent. "I saw them."

Hermione nodded but Ron looked shocked.

"I ran straight into my father; he looks exactly like me. He called my mother over and…and…and all I could do was cry." He finished with anger. "I have not seen them for sixteen years, and the only thing I could do was cry!"

"Harry," Hermione implored, "That's exactly it. You haven't seen them for sixteen years, what did you except…?"

Harry laughed. "They told me the answer. They were able to remain levelheaded."

"Harry they…" Hermione looked to Ron for help but he shrugged.

"I know they're dead, Hermione." Harry snapped. "I don't need to be reminded that magic can take life away without a second thought, but when it comes to being just…" Harry sighed. "It fails…utterly."

The final week before school was spent shopping for supplies and rushing around here and there to try and explain things to the parents of Brendin and company. At night, the teens sat in the lounge and read up on hexes, jinxes, curses, and charms that may come in handy should there be a battle. Lupin, Moody, and many other Aurors joined them and helped them practice. On the night before the last day of holiday, everyone else had gone to bed; but Harry had remained awake to perfect a jinx that should destroy an attacker's wand.

He was exhausted, but he simply refused to give in to the needs of his body. If he could perform the jinx it would mean that he would not have to injure the Death Eaters. Without their wands, most of the Death Eaters would be as helpless as Muggles. It was a nonverbal spell and it took a hell of a lot of concentration.

"Go to bed, Potter!" Moody yelled from down the hall. "You're of no use to us asleep in battle."

Harry ignored the ex-Auror. He finally collapsed in the chair in front of the TV around three in the morning. His eyes had barely closed when he found himself pulled into a nightmare.

"Quickly, Wormtail." He hissed. "It won't take Black long to figure out that you've betrayed them. I'd prefer not to fight tonight. I want Black and the rest of Dumbledore's merry men to suffer in sorrow. With the Potters dead, no one will stand in my way."

"Wh-wh-what ab-ab-out D-d-d-dumb-Dumbledore?" Wormtail inquired. He was walking in front of Harry, leading the way to the Potter's secret hideout.

"He is so old that he'll die of grief and regret." Harry hissed. He kicked Wormtail when the pathetic excuse of a wizard stopped in his tracks. "If he does not, then our spy in the Order will finish the old man off."

He kicked Wormtail again. The man simply fell to the ground. "Why have we stopped, Wormtail?"

"I heard footsteps, milord." Wormtail got up but did not carry on forward. "We are being followed."

Harry turned around but then pointed his wand at Wormtail. "So you think you can save yourself if the person is one of your old friends?"

"N-n-n-n-…" Wormtail fell silent when a man stepped out of the shadows.

The man had black greasy hair and was wearing the mask of a Death Eater. "Forgive me, milord, but I thought you would like to know that Black has figured young Peter out." The silky voice of Severus Snape issued out from behind the mask.

"Remove your mask, Snape." Harry said. "We do not wish to be singled out."

Snape removed the mask with a flick of his wand. "Should I go back to following Black, Lord Voldemort?"

Snape was the only one he allowed to live when they used his name in public. "No, no," He smiled, "I have a new assignment for you. It seems like I cannot trust Peter to be of much more use tonight." Wormtail was shaking in his boots, completely spooked by the appearance of the Order's spy. "Move, Wormtail. You heard Severus; Black is catching up."
Wormtail moved again but more slowly and remained hidden in the shadows as much as possible. They entered the town of Godric's Hollow and a tiny little cottage appeared on the top of what had been an empty hill seconds before. "Return to the castle, Wormtail."

Harry and Snape continued up the hill and came to the fence separating the town from what was to become a deathbed. Harry pushed the gate open and sensed the alarm go off. He smiled. "So this is the beginning of the end for the Potters."

Harry pulled out his wand; he could hear the father yelling to the mother to take the boy and run. With a flick of the wooden instrument the door burst open. And Harry was met with a powerful Stunning Curse. "Too noble to kill even me, James?"

James Potter stood his ground, blocking the staircase to the upstairs. "Severus, take my wand and kill him."

"Milord?"

Harry caught the Impedimenta in his free hand. "I promised you James' life when you joined my cause. I do not break my promises."

Snape smiled and took the wand from his master's hand. "I have waited a long time for your destruction, Potter. I never dreamed that I would be the one to bring it about."

"I always knew you'd never turn on the Dark Arts. Dumbledore never listened."

Snape laughed; he looked to be Harry's twin. "Dumbledore is a Muggle-loving fool. He never wanted to believe that one of his own prized students would turn on him. Making him believe I did it all so I could be a spy for him was a snap."

Harry grew impatient. "Hurry up, Snape. I must complete that last one before midnight."

Snape nodded; he did not show any fear in hearing his master's anger. "Avada Kedavra!" He bellowed.

Harry laughed, as James looked surprised at the curse hurtling at his heart…

Harry shot up from the couch. He coughed so hard that he swore he broke a rib or two. Impossible. Snape was never there. I know he wasn't. I heard Voldemort scream the curse. No you didn't. You heard someone cast the curse who sounded like Voldemort. You heard Snape's scream; and he sounded very similar to Voldemort.

AN: So what do you think?

Next Chapter: Phoenix Hall and news from home