AN - I made some edits to chapter one, so it might be worth reading it again. Also the beginning of this chapter references the letter heavily, so having it fresh in your mind would be helpful. Enjoy!

Chapter 2

Headmaster of Hogwarts and leader of The Order of the Phoenix, Albus Dumbledore, was sitting in his office, contemplating his next move, when he was startled by a flash of flame. His eyes shot to Fawkes, his phoenix companion (the word pet definitely didn't apply), who was resting on his perch. Realizing it wasn't him, he instinctively reached for his wand, but then stopped, seeing Lily Potter standing in his office with a phoenix on her shoulder.

"Good evening, Lily. That was quite the entrance. I'm glad to know how impressive that looks," the headmaster said with a twinkle in his eye.

"Wow, that was... amazing! Albus, I have no idea why you still apparate. I've never felt anything like that!"

"It is quite the pleasant experience, isn't it? May I ask how you came to encounter a phoenix? Has," Albus examined the phoenix for a moment, "she chosen you?"

"No, but the one she has chosen has come to be in my care. I think that's why she's willing to help me."

Albus' eyes widened. "Are you saying she's the familiar of a child?"

Before she could reply, Fawkes started chirping. Then the other phoenix made a series of chirps. When she finished, Fawkes briefly sang, the song filling them with sadness and happiness in equal measure.

"Um, yes she is. Were they... speaking?"

"Yes, I believe that to be the case. It seems whatever he learned was a mixed bag. And that is quite unusual. To have a phoenix usually requires... well, at the risk of sounding immodest, it requires a rather heroic deed. The only way to have one without that is to be so innately good that the phoenix is drawn to you. They also have to judge you capable of doing the good that's in your heart. I have to admit I'm quite curious about this child. Did you need help finding a home for...?"

"Adrielle. And no, we know we're in danger, but she's staying with us. Read this," Lily said, handing him the letter. "It will make things clearer. I have more to tell you when you finish."

Albus wanted to try and dissuade her from her decision, but thought it would be doing her a disservice to do so without doing as she asked first. So he began to read.

He found almost immediately that he was unprepared. An elf! He hadn't given the supposedly mythical race much thought before, but now, knowing they were real, and that he could speak to one, he couldn't help but be intrigued.

The letter writer's intent was immediately obvious, and he wondered if a mistake had been made, despite Lily's determination to keep the child. But then they knew about the prophecy, and had their own. His heart sank. Albus was rather sick of prophecy. Bracing himself, he read over the prophecy.

When he got to the end of the prophecy, he was baffled, hopeful and concerned. He'd never heard of one prophecy referencing another before. And how could a child, who he assumed was quite young, prevent a true prophecy?

He couldn't help but be disturbed by the part that says she will gather followers, not after Tom, especially when she wasn't guaranteed to be a force for good. But what he told Lily about phoenixes was true, so he knew something quite extreme would have to happen for her to go another way. That brought some comfort.

But if she stayed on the path of light, the two words prophecy breaker made him think that she would be the saviour of his people as well as her own. It was his duty to aid in the first, but it would be his privilege to aid in the second. He realized that would make him one of her followers, and thought with amusement that that would be a nice change.

Master of dual magics was interesting. It seemed obvious to him that she was meant to master not only her native magic, but the human brand as well. He had a feeling that to make that possible, it would take action on the Potter's part, but he'd keep that to himself. It should be done for the right reasons. This part also made him aware of the first thing he would have to do to help this Adrielle. Ensure that she could legally own a wand, and that she could attend Hogwarts.

Albus suddenly realized he had already committed himself to a rather daunting task while still having one in front of him. He wasn't particularly surprised. Many thought he was being humble or simply trying to make himself look good when he said he valued his position of headmaster over his other, politically powerful ones. He wasn't. Aiding and guiding the young towards their potential was his passion. And it wasn't in him to let a child destined to have a hand in the fate of her race figure it out on her own.

Coming out of his thoughts, he knew he was getting ahead of himself. He needed to let the evening play out before he started making plans. He returned to the letter.

Adrielle's ability fascinated him. He had never heard of a more useful magical gift. He was both curious and apprehensive about what she would sense about him. It occurred to him that she would be able to sense the dark mark, and he had a bad feeling about what Lily had to tell him.

Putting that thought aside, he read on. This part was information about elves, and he soaked it in. An entirely female race made Albus think of the Veela, but they were so insular and secretive he wasn't even certain if they were all female, so it was hard to make a comparison. But he did know they had relationships with men, and reproduced with them. He was under the impression that wherever the elves went, they were the only sentient beings there so he doubted the same could be said about them. They were a monogendered race designed for multiple partners, and that was fascinating, but he worried that that natural desire would make things difficult for Adrielle. Developing feelings for someone while in a relationship would likely be natural for her, and wouldn't feel wrong, but she would be hard pressed to find someone who could accept it, let alone be willing to invite a third into the relationship. She was at least lucky that being gay in the magical world wasn't seen as a big deal. Even if you're expected to participate in an arranged marriage and produce heirs, there were magical solutions and marriage laws that meant all that was expected of them was to live together and raise kids. They were otherwise free to be with who they wanted and live as they like. The only problems she might see on that front was from muggleborns.

As he read on, he couldn't help but be excited, learning about a new species. And he had to say that the specifics on elves were particularly engaging.

When he got to the part about bonds, he thought they sounded like a major weakness. But it also meant elves put a lot of value in those they're close to, and that could only be for the good. Albus noticed that the letter writers assumed that Adrielle would be able to bond with humans. He wondered if there was a reason, or if it just never occurred to them that she might not be able to. He supposed that just because there were no records of humans and elves together here, that didn't mean they didn't have them. He also wondered if they were right, and the bond would have an effect on humans, and what that would be.

He read about the spell on Adrielle, and concluded that trying to convince Lily to give her up would be fruitless. Besides, he was reconsidering his opinion on that, though he still felt it was dangerous. Albus assumed the other mother was Alice Longbottom, and couldn't see either woman blaming parents for taking precautions.

Albus appreciated the information on how prophecies could conflict, and had more hope that both Harry and Neville would be spared. He hoped Adrielle's interference was as passive as her parents had suggested earlier in the letter.

The mention of the goblins was intriguing. It didn't surprise him that the goblins would remember the elves. He just hoped they were remembered as friends.

He was ambivalent about the memory spell. He agreed that it would make things easier for Adrielle, but now the only example of her race she would have was herself.

Having finished, Albus looked up and caught Lily's attention. "Well, it looks like I owe James and yourself congratulations. And the Longbottoms, too, I assume?

Lily smiled widely at that. "Thank you. And yes. Definitely not how I imagined having another kid, but I'm genuinely happy about it."

"Then you're making the right decision. Tell me about her?"

"She's so sweet," Lily gushed. "She could sense Remus' lycanthropy, though she just knew he was sick, and she wanted to make sure he was alright. Then, she found out it was the boys' birthday, and conjured them toys. Apparently, they won't fade. I guess I should be awed by her power, but I'm just proud that she made her brothers happy."

Albus smiled. "She is truly already your daughter, as far as you're concerned, isn't she?"

"Yes. Alice is the same. I know it's the spell, but I can't be angry about it, not when she's so... perfect. It sounds wrong, but I wish the spell had affected the men too. They went along with it, but I think they knew that we would never give in."

"Give them time. They're good men. They'll come to love her as much as you do. I do not believe they are capable of anything else with a child in their care. And don't blame the spell too much. I think I know you well enough to say that you would be enamoured with her actions, spell or not."

Lily smiled softly at the headmaster. "Thank you for the reassurance, Albus. I think I needed it."

"It was no problem at all, my dear. Now, I believe you had more to tell me."

A hard look appeared on Lily's face. "Yes. Adrielle found the traitor. Peter."

Albus was shocked. "I would never have thought."

"There's more. Sirius isn't our secret keeper. Peter is. We think if Voldemort hasn't attacked yet, he's waiting for something."

Albus sighed. "Well, that was clever, even if it backfired. I'm guessing you want to set a trap?"

"Yes. I thought either you could get some veritaserum, or you could take the information from his mind, then we could obliviate him."

"It's risky, because Voldemort could discover the obliviation, but I believe it's our best chance. I think veritaserum is best. I believe the remaining marauders would appreciate hearing his answers. Luckily, I am in the habit of keeping some available." He grabbed a vial from his desk. "Let's go. Fawkes."

"Take me back, please... phoenix."

With that, they disappeared from the office.

They reappeared in the Potters' living room. "Wow," Lily said. "I don't think I'll get used to that."

The men had disappeared, but Alice was there, keeping the children entertained.

"Hello, Albus." She picked up Adrielle. "Lily, I put the boys down in Harry's crib." Lily nodded in acknowledgement. "Adrielle, this is Albus Dumbledore. He's a friend of ours."

"Hello, Mr. Dumbledore."

Albus took her appearance in his stride, and responded, "Hello, Adrielle, how are you?"

"I'm good! I have brothers!" She turned her attention to Lily. "Mommy! I'm glad you're back! You too, phoenix!"

"I'm glad, too, sweetheart. You really need to think of a name for her."

"I know. But it's hard!" She turned her attention back to Albus."Mr. Dumbledore, why do you look like that? Were you cursed?"

Before anyone could respond, Fawkes started chirping, and Adrielle focused on him. When he finished, to everyone's shock, she responded. "Oh, okay, I understand. Thank you, Mr. Phoenix." She looked to Albus. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude."

"That's... quite alright, my dear. You understood what Fawkes- that's his name- was saying?"

"Hi, Fawkes! Yes. I understand all languages. All elves can."

"That's quite a handy ability. English is new to you then?"

"Thanks! I didn't know what it was called. Yes. It's kind of weird, but I like it."

Lily facepalmed. "We should've realized that it was weird that she sounds perfectly British."

"Baby, if you know every language, why didn't you know what English was called, or the word infected?" Alice asked.

"We still have to learn one language, and if we don't know a word in that language, we don't know them in any."

"Huh. Logic and magic can go together," Lily mused.

"Very interesting. Would you mind sharing what he told you?"

"He said that humans don't stop aging when they become adults, and humans who are old look like you. Then he told me it was rude to ask about."

Albus smiled kindly at her. "I could never fault someone for trying to understand. It is quite alright. Now, I hear you can use magic. Would you mind showing me?"

"Okay! What should I do?"

"Can you make the table float?"

"Yeah!" She turned her attention to the table and a look of concentration appeared on her face while Albus carefully observed her. The table lifted into the air, and after a moment, it gently touched back down.

"Very good! Can I ask how you make your magic work?"

"Umm... I think really hard about what I want to happen, and it does."

Albus' eyes widened. If she could do that, he wondered why she would even need wanded magic. But then he had an idea.

"Adrielle, if I now made the table float, would you be able to tell the difference between what you did, and what I do?"

"I think so."

"Let's try, then." When he was sure Adrielle was ready, he levitated the table.

Adrielle gasped. " You used a lot less magic than me! Cool!"

Albus had had a feeling that that was what she would say. "That's very interesting. Thank you for doing that for me."

"You're welcome. I like helping."

"That's very admirable."

Adrielle stared at Albus for a moment, looking as though she were studying him. "You're confusing."

"Oh?"

"You're kind, but also not. You're trusting, but also secretive. You don't think you're better than anyone else, but you also think you always know what's best and don't like asking what others think."

"That's... quite illuminating. I understand your confusion, but I think you'll find people are rather complicated. Being one thing does not mean they cannot be another. For example, a woman might scream in terror and scurry from a room upon seeing a mouse. But that same woman might face down a dragon to protect her children. I do not believe it to be unusual to have opposing aspects in your personality. I find that what aspect you show depends on the situation. Do you understand?"

"I... don't know. It's confusing."

"I would not let it concern you right now. Understanding tends to come with time, and I believe you have quite a lot of it. Anyway, it was lovely meeting you, Adrielle, but I'm afraid I have to help your parents with something"

"Come on, baby, you and I will play down here while mommy Lily and Professor Dumbledore do what they have to do."

"Okay. It was nice meeting you, too, Professor!"

Albus acknowledged her with a smile, and Lily lead him away "I'm sorry about that, Albus."

"No need, my dear. The occasional reminder that I'm not perfect is good for me. And I meant it when I said it was illuminating. Apparently, I'm not quite as self-aware as I thought I was. Something to ponder. That being said, it might be advisable to suggest to Adrielle that she keep her evaluations to herself in the future. I imagine that not everyone will have the same appreciation of it that I did."

"Yes, we'll definitely have to talk to her."

"Now, I believe we have business."

"I guess we should get in there before we have to dispose of a body. Hopefully, Frank kept them in line"

They entered the room to find the men standing quietly, surrounding Peter, who was bound to a chair, still unconscious.

"Hello, Albus, Lily," Frank said. "I managed to convince the others that waking Peter up for a chat was ill advised, but I'm glad you're here. I don't think they could hold off much longer."

"Understandable, but I think it's for the best that you waited."

James sighed. "You're probably right, Albus. I'm not sure we could listen to whatever excuses he has and not do something."

"I cannot blame you. Betrayal is not, and should not, be easily accepted. But we do need to hear what he has to say. I brought veritaserum to aid in that. I'll wake him."

Albus gave a silent wave of his wand, and Peter jerked awake. He realized he was tied up and tried to transform. When he couldn't, he resorted to begging.

"G-guys, come on. I-I had no choice. He's going to win-"

"Shut your bloody mouth, you fucking traitor! We trusted you, and you were going to trade James, Lily and Harry for your safety! Does a decade of friendship mean nothing, you coward!? All we want to hear from you is what a little veritaserum makes you say."

Peter looked truly panicked now. "You can't do that! If he finds out, I'm dead!"

"Maybe you shouldn't have followed him, then," James quietly replied. "Give him the veritaserum, Albus."

"NO! NO!" Frank and Remus held Peter while Albus gave him the veritaserum. It quickly took effect and he stopped struggling.

"What's your name?" Albus asked.

"Peter Edmund Pettigrew."

"Who are you loyal to?"

"The dark lord Voldemort."

"Did you give Voldemort the location of the Potters?"

"Yes"

"Why hasn't he attacked yet?"

"He's waiting for Halloween."

"Why?"

"He didn't explain."

"Is the house under surveillance?"

"Yes."

Albus turned back to the group. "Anyone have questions?"

"Why did you betray us?" James growled.

"He's winning. I don't want to die."

"Pathetic," Sirius said with disdain.

"Did you plan to report Adrielle to him?" Lily asked.

"Yes."

"Do you feel guilty, enabling the murder of children?" Lily asked in a dark tone.

"No. It helps me. That's all I care about."

Lily reached for her wand, but James grabbed her arms. "You can't. We need him." They stare each other down for a moment, but then Lily shakily nods.

"Did you know James and Sirius thought that I was the traitor?"

"Yes, I encouraged it."

James and Sirius look down in shame at that.

The room sits in silence for a moment. "Does anyone have anything else?" Albus asked.

Everyone shook their head, and Albus applied the antidote, and put him back out.

Aren't you going to obliviate him? Sirius asked.

"Yes, but first we must discuss what he will remember. Unfortunately, you can't cease contact with him, that would be too suspicious. Which means we have to figure out what we want him to know. The truth is out of the question, obviously, but we should figure out what we want him to know about Adrielle, if anything.

"I think Alice needs to be a part of this conversation," Frank said.

"Then shall we adjourn downstairs?"

Everyone agreed and followed Albus out of the room. When they got down the stairs, they saw Adrielle sitting on Alice's lap, happily chattering away while Alice listened intently with a smile on her face. Lily couldn't help but envy Alice the extra time, even while her logic argued the time was negligible, and they were all close enough that everyone involved would ensure equal time.

"Hi, mommy Lily! Hi, daddy James! Hi, daddy Frank! Hi, uncle Remus! Hi, uncle Sirius! Hi, Professor Dumbledore! Hi, Fawkes!" Fawkes chirped cheerily, obviously happy to be acknowkedged with everyone else.

James chuckled. "We all appreciate the attention, honey, but it's okay to greet us all at once. It'll save some time."

"Okay, daddy," Adrielle said, and then yawned.

"You tired, sweetie?" Lily asked. Adrielle nodded.

"Okay. Let's get you to bed. We'll transfigure what you need tonight, but we'll get you your own stuff as soon as we can, okay?

"Alright."

"Albus, can you give us a few minutes?"

"Not a problem, my dear."

"Good night, everyone," Adrielle said, and with that her and her parents left the room.

The Potters and the Longbottoms re-emerged about twenty minutes later. "She go down alright?" Remus asked.

"Yeah. I think we were lucky she was so tired, though. She was excited when she realized she didn't know any of our children's stories," James answered.

"Ha! I definitely got the impression that her personality could be described as exuberant."

"I think you're right. Once she's settled, she's gonna be a handful, not because she misbehaves, but because she'll just be so excited and curious all the time. I didn't know you knew that word, by the way."

"Ha ha. But we should get on with it. You four still need to figure out things amongst yourselves after we figure out what we're doing with the traitor." The last part came out in a growl.

"So what did you find out?" Alice asked. They quickly filled her in.

After considering the information, Alice came to a conclusion. "This place is compromised. There's no guarantee he won't change his mind about the time of the attack. You can't stay here."

Albus spoke up. "The house is being watched. I think it's best-"

"I'm not talking to members of The Order of the Phoenix. I'm talking to my co-parents. This doesn't concern you," Alice said in a dangerous tone.

"Then we should save it for our private conversation," Frank said in a calm tone, putting a hand on her arm.

"Fine."

Albus, realiziing that, with their new relationship, what Alice wanted held infinitely more weight with the Potters than what he wanted did, conceded. "I'll go ahead and work on a way to make it seem like you're still here."

"I think that would be best," James replied.

Alice was relieved. She knew Lily would agree, but she simply didn't know James well enough to be sure.

"Alright," Remus said, "what should Peter remember?"

"Well, since it seems like we'll only be here when we have to host Peter, and it would be irresponsible to bring Adrielle at those times, I think he should remember celebrating the boys birthdays, and falling asleep on the couch." Lily suggested. "Wait, he doesn't know your location, does he?"

"No," Frank replied, "there was never a reason to inform him."

"Good. In that case, I don't see how he could inadvertently meet her."

"Alright, I will alter his memories so he simply remembers a pleasant birthday party, and falling asleep. But I suggest preparing a story, just in case. Second obliviations of the same knowledge tend to be easier to break. Before I do that, I'd like to ask that you stay here, just for tonight. I can get everything set up to make it appear you're still here tomorrow. I just need to reaffirm my knowledge in a few things. I will set up a ward for tonight that will inform me if anyone enters it, and I will be here immediately."

"Alright, Albus, one night," Lily said.

"Fine," Alice said, "but we're not leaving."

"You are, of course, welcome, Alice," James said.

"Thank you.. Now, I will modify Peter's memory and float him down to the couch."

Everyone agreed, and Sirius and Remus prepared themselves to leave.

A little while later, the Potters and the Longbottoms sat together, wondering where to begin.

"How about we start with something simple? Where will you live?" Frank inquired.

"The Potters aren't the richest purebloods, but we have a few properties scattered around, just as a consequence of existing so long. We'll be alright."

"I think..." Alice started. "I think we should live together. At least for the short term. Adrielle should be around all of us as much as possible until our relationships with her are solid. And it would be easier for Neville and Harry to grow attached if she's not going back and forth."

"I'm for it," Lily immediately agrees.

"You make good points," James said. "And safety in numbers is another consideration."

"While I don't disagree, we should consider that changing the arrangement later will likely make all of our children unhappy," Frank reasoned.

"I think we have to cross that bridge when we come to it," Alice said.

"Alright, I'm on board, then. I think our current safehouse is the best option, as it's already protected. There's a guest room for you, Neville sharing the nursery with Harry isn't a problem, and we can convert the office for Adrielle easily enough."

James sighed. "Alright, but we pay rent."

Alice looked affronted. "This is for our daughter. I won't make money off it!"

Frank agreed with Alice, but knew he would say the same thing if the roles were reversed. Deciding they didn't need an argument right now, he stepped in. "Perhaps we can shelf this conversation for when we're out of danger?"

"That's fine," Lily quickly agreed. James nodded after a moment of consideration.

"I guess we should discuss Adrielle's name," Lily continued. "Is there a way for her to take both names?"

"I... don't know. But the goblins would. We have to see them anyway so we can ask," James responded.

"In that case, I think we can all agree that Adrielle should have both of our names, if it's possible, right?" Frank asked. Everyone nodded. "Then I think we should hold off on a conversation about one name or the other until it proves necessary to have one." Everyone agreed with that. "Then is there anything else before we move on to what needs to be done?"

"I'm going to state something kind of obvious, because I need to know where everyone stands. When Adrielle is older, she is almost definitely going to be interested in women romantically, probably exclusively."

"That had occurred to me," James said. "I have no problem with it. There's no real issue with it in the wizarding world. If she falls for a pureblood, she might have to accept being a part of the woman's marriage contract to someone else, but I think that's the biggest issue she'll face."

"Do you have a problem with it, Lily?" Alice asked seriously.

James saw Lily flinch at the question. He looked at Alice, who he saw was watching Lily intently, like she wanted to see her face when she answered. Why would Alice think Lily would have a problem? And why was Lily acting like her question was valid?

"No, I don't. I swear, Alice, I don't."

"Alright, I believe you. Just... had to check."

Lily sighed. "I know."

"Okay. What was that?"

"Shit. Sorry, Lily."

"It's fine. I really should have told him, I just never thought to."

"Tell me what?"

"Alice and I... were interested in each other at Hogwarts. When she eventually asked me out, I said no. I told her I didn't want to be like that. Didn't want to like girls like that, and definitely didn't want to do anything about it. I still liked guys, so that made it easy enough."

"Is this the fight nobody ever knew anything about?" James asked softly.

"Yeah. I'm sorry I never told you. It just... never came up."

"I understand. Our time together has been rather busy. And I'm always happy to learn something new about you."

"We should also be prepared for her to attempt a three-way relationship," Frank said.

"Do we... forbid that?" James asked.

"No. If she can find willing people, we shouldn't interfere. It's clearly natural for her species and we should let her be herself. But maybe warn her of things like jealousy and unequal feelings," Alice said.

"I agree. And now that we're talking about it, it occurs to me that Adrielle probably assumes we're all together."

"She'll bring it up eventually," Alice said. "Now, we need to figure out what we need to do to be able to care for Adrielle."

"Yes, perhaps a list? Frank suggested.

The conversation went on for quite a while, determining what needed to be done, who should do what, and how to get it done safely. They were determined to do this properly.