AN- I've done quite a bit of revising on previous chapters, especially chapters 9 and 12, so you might want to re-read those to see what changed. Nothing with a huge impact on the plot, but some of the details had to be tweaked to keep the timeline right. I hope you enjoy this!

All conversations in italics are in Elvish.

PHOENIX and DRAGON: Through the World Gate

Chapter 16

It was the warmth that woke him. It had been so long since he was warm, he'd almost forgot what it felt like. Sirius lay half asleep for a few minutes longer, enjoying the soft bed…bed? His eyes snapped open in shock. There was a rough rock ceiling over him, and when he turned his head he saw a roughly hewn rock wall beside him…was this a cave? How had he gotten out of Azkaban – he didn't remember!

'Where am I? How…Harry!' Sirius struggled with the heavy blankets he was wrapped in and tried to sit up. A slender black haired boy moved into sight, then bent over him and pressed him back down into the blankets. Sirius stared at the ball of light floating over the boy's head…was that a mage light? He looked around dazedly, noticing other lights floating near the ceiling of the cave.

"Please, don't try to get up…you've been very ill for several days and you're not strong enough to sit up yet," the boy insisted softly. "Are you thirsty?" He had a lilting accent, something like Welsh…but not quite. Sirius had heard a similar sounding accent when he'd visited James and Lily in Godric's Hollow, before it all went to hell that is, and he ended up in Azkaban.

Sirius nodded cautiously, staring at the boy. The boy looked familiar, and yet he didn't remember meeting anyone who looked like this. The boy was about 4 foot 5 inches, maybe a little taller, dressed in a tunic like long sleeve shirt and close fitting leggings of a dark brown, soft looking fabric. He looked closer…those green eyes were almost like Lily's, but hers didn't have a golden ring around the iris…the boy's face was slender with runes tattooed on both of the temples in a line almost to the high cheekbones…the pointed chin…it reminded him of James, even with the odd runes…but the hair, silky black, worn long and braided down the child's back, and the pointed ear showing where he'd tucked a stray strand behind it…that wasn't anything he remembered.

Wait…pointed ears?

"Who are you…where's Harry?" Sirius asked in a voice rough from disuse. The boy helped him sit up enough to drink, and held the cup of water to his lips when it was clear his hands were shaking too much to hold it himself.

"I'm Gavin," the boy explained. "My brother is out hunting right now, but he should be back in a little while. I'll be right back with some broth. You need to eat, but I'm afraid your stomach won't handle anything heavy yet. Drink this," he continued, holding a slender wooden tube to the man's lips. "It's a healing draught, you still have a fever."

The black haired man hesitantly swallowed the potion, surprised when it didn't taste as awful as he expected, and then took several sips of water to wash the taste out of his mouth.

Sirius stared at Gavin as he walked to the other side of the cave where a fire was burning in a rough fireplace, still confused. 'Brother? Harry doesn't have a brother, and yet…this boy's magic felt familiar….' He lifted his hand to rub sleep from his eyes, and realized it was clean, for the first time in many years. Someone had bathed him, apparently while he was unconscious. His hair was clean and brushed, laying soft against his neck, and his beard was gone! Where ever he was, and whoever this boy was, he apparently meant him no harm.

Gavin patiently fed Sirius a cup of broth, a spoonful at a time, along with several strengthening potions, and the older man fell asleep as soon as he was done.

The next time Sirius woke, it was to see a large grey wolf trot into the cave carrying a rabbit. The wolf dropped the rabbit on the hearth, where Gavin picked it up and began to skin it.

"You could have at least gutted it before you brought it in," Gavin scolded the wolf, to Sirius's amusement. He couldn't help but laugh softly at the guilty expression on the wolf's face. The wolf turned to look at him then walked over to the bed.

"You're a big one, aren't you," Sirius murmured, holding his hand out for the wolf to sniff, then scratching it behind the ear the way he knew felt good. He laughed again when the wolf licked his hand and seemed to grin at him. "What's your name boy?" He looked over to where Gavin was cutting up the rabbit into small pieces and dropping it into a pot to cook, expecting the dark haired child to answer, and nearly choked when the wolf suddenly turned into another boy, nearly identical to Gavin.

"My name is Gwydion Emrys," he said with a mischievous smile, waving his hand to transfigure a small rock into a three legged stool. "But it used to be Harry Potter," Gwydion added as he took a seat beside the bed, his expression turning serious. "You're my godfather, right?"

"Harry?" Sirius smiled, and hesitantly reached out to touch his godson's cheek. "Yes, I'm your godfather, Sirius Black. You don't look the way I remember you," he said quietly, gazing between Harry and Gavin, comparing them. "Why are you called Gwydion now? I don't understand…"

"Gavin and I did a blood brother ritual – I'm part of his family now," Gwydion explained, shifting on the stool. "Grandfather Myrddin and Gavin rescued me from the people I was living with, my aunt and uncle, when I was four, after they nearly killed me, but the Council was going to send me back, so we had to do something so I could stay. I changed my name because it hurt too much to be Harry anymore. I didn't look the same anyway, so I decided to start a new life with a new name."

Sirius frowned when he heard about the Dursley's abuse. "I'm so sorry Har…Gwydion. You were never supposed to go to Lily's sister. Petunia and her husband were awful people. Do you know why you went to them? I know there was a list with the names of several families who were supposed to take care of you in your parents will, and the Dursley's were never to have you under any circumstances."

"I don't know why I had to live with them, but they weren't very nice to me. They hated me…" Gwydion shook his head sadly. "No, no-one could figure out why I was there. Someone named Dumbledore put me there. Grandfather said there were wards around the house, but nothing special… Why did you get sent to the prison?"

"Dumbledore," Sirius sighed. It all came back to that man; the prophecy, the Potters going into hiding, Harry going to the Dursley's, him not getting a trial... He'd think about it later - this was going to be difficult to explain as it was. "Stupidity, and arrogance I guess." Gwydion raised an eyebrow and stared at his godfather, waiting for him to explain. "You know about magic obviously, so do you know about Voldemort?"

Gwydion nodded. "My parents and I went into hiding because of a prophecy, using a spell that made everyone forget about us."

Sirius nodded. The boy knew more than he expected. "Yes, that's right. It's called the fidelius spell, and it hides the secret inside someone called the Secret Keeper. Your parents asked me to be the Secret Keeper, since James and I were as close as brothers. I thought I was too obvious a choice, and everyone would know it was me. I convinced them to change to another friend of ours, Peter Pettigrew…the rat…." He had to stop for a moment, he was too mad to continue. Gwydion just waited, his head cocked slightly to the side as he watched the emotions flash across Sirius's face. "I was supposed to be the decoy, so Peter could hide and stay safe."

"What happened?" Gwydion extended his senses to read the truth in Sirius's words, and turned to nod at Gavin with a slight smile.

"Peter betrayed us all. He led Voldemort to where James and Lily…and you…were hiding," Sirius murmured, lost in his memories.

"Voldemort killed them…there was a green light…." Gwydion said sadly. "I remembered a little bit when the soul killers got too close."

"Soul killers...you mean dementors? Yes, Voldemort killed your parents," Sirius replied, focusing on Gwydion again. "I had gone to check on Peter, since I hadn't heard from him in a couple days, and I got worried when he wasn't at home. By the time I got to your house, it was too late. A friend of mine, Rubeus Hagrid, had already gotten there – he'd pulled you from what was left of your house. Your parents were dead, but the only injury you had was the cut on your forehead." He looked closer at Gwydion's face and realized he was unmarked. "I'm glad to see it didn't scar."

"It did scar. Lord Herne said it was from an evil curse, and he removed it," Gwydion explained. "Whatever curse is was that hit me, a green one I think, left a bit of something evil in the scar. My Lord said it would cause problems for me, so I'm glad it's gone."

Gwydion's answer raised more questions in Sirius's mind. "Who is Lord Herne?" He asked. "…and what are those runes on your faces?"

"I'll explain later…I'd like to hear how you ended up in prison, Sirius?"

Sirius frowned. He knew Gwydion was keeping something from him, but he owed the boy an explanation. "I was devastated by your parent's deaths, and I guess I went a little crazy. I went hunting for Peter when I couldn't get you, and eventually I cornered him on a street. There were a lot of Muggles, people without magic," he explained. "Peter yelled that I was the one who betrayed James and Lily, then cut off his finger and blew up the street, killing a bunch of people. He must have gone down the sewer…."

Gavin brought a tray over with a steaming pot and pottery cups of herbal tea. Gwydion pulled a small block of wood out of his pocket and waved his hand to transfigure it into a table for him to set it on, then made another low stool for his twin to sit on. Sirius gasped at the casual display of power, adding the wandless magic to the questions he already wanted answers to.

"Do you believe him?" Gavin handed Gwydion a cup and helped Sirius sit up.

"Yes," Gwydion answered absently, watching his godfather. "He's telling the truth."

"How did the man go down the sewer?" Gavin asked as he moved to tuck one of the blankets closer around the gaunt man, then frowned as he saw Sirius shiver and cast a wandless heating charm on the blanket.

"Peter, James and I became animagus' when we were still in school, in order to help a friend of ours," Sirius explained quietly. "James was a stag, Peter was a rat, and I'm a big black dog."

The boys nodded their understanding, and Gwydion handed his godfather a cup of tea before taking a sip from his own cup.

"So Peter changed into a rat and went down the sewer…I think I went blank then…the next thing I really remember the auror's were throwing me into a cell, saying I killed a bunch of muggles, the Potters, and Peter as well," he explained as he sipped his fragrant tea, surprised as how good it tasted. "I never even got a trial…."

"Is Peter still alive?" Gwydion had a hungry expression on his face that reminded Sirius an awful lot of the wolf he'd been earlier.

"Yes, probably…but I have no idea where to find the bastard," Sirius snarled.

Gavin and Gwydion exchanged looks, then started to smile. "If we found him, do you think you could get freed from prison, legally I mean?"

Sirius nodded, unsure why they were asking. "Yes, if we could find Peter I think I could get a trial. All it would take is me being questioned under veratiserum, the truth serum," he explained, "and they'd know the truth."

"I think we might be able to help then," Gavin smirked as he sipped his tea. "He won't get away with betraying Gwydion's parents and framing you, not if I have anything to do with it. Death eaters killed my parents too, the same night Gwydion's were killed, but they were caught and killed right afterwards."

"How can you help?" Sirius could tell the boys were powerful, and they seemed to know quite a bit of magic, but still…they were only nine.

"Gavin's a seer," Gwydion explained with another small smile. "He's quite good at scrying."

Sirius looked from one boy to the other and nodded. If they said they could do it, he saw no reason to doubt them.

"Are you going to explain about the tattoo's and the pointed ears now?"

Gavin grinned as he took a sip of tea. "They're quite normal for elves." They watched with amusement as Sirius's eyes went wide. Gwydion got up and went to retrieve the small iron pot Gavin had put the rabbit into from the fire and another tray with a stack of bowls and some carved wooden spoons on it.

"Elves? But…how? I didn't think there were any left?" Sirius watched as Gwydion spooned the contents of the pot into three brightly colored pottery bowls and slid one to Gavin. "No-one's seen one for hundreds of years!"

"There aren't many left in the human world anymore, mostly just a few guarding the portal between our worlds," Gavin explained, blowing on a spoonful of stew to cool it. "We live in another place, on the other side of the World Gate."

Gwydion nodded and handed Sirius a bowl full of stew, steadying his hands as he took it. "The runes show…our choices, and accomplishments I guess you could say." He watched as Sirius struggled to hold the spoon then reached to take it and the bowl back and began feeding the trembling man. "They show that we are priests of the Lord and Lady, Herd Friends to the Centaurs, shape changers, and allies of the Goblins."

Sirius frowned slightly as he carefully chewed a spoonful of savory stew then took another sip of the tea to clear his throat. "Priests? Aren't you a little young for that?"

Gwydion looked at his brother over the top of his teacup, and smirked as Gavin looked sheepish. "It was sort of an accident…," he mumbled.

Gwydion started smiling when his twin got up to tend the fire, which didn't really need tending, knowing the mistake he'd made about the ritual still embarrassed him. "It happened when we did the pledge that made us brothers," he explained. "We read about it in a book…." Gwydion went on to explain how they'd made a mistake when they copied down the ritual because two pages were stuck together; what they actually did was a ritual that not only claimed each other as brothers, but also pledged them to the service of the God and Goddess. "So you see, we both changed…we'd looked a lot alike before, afterwards we were more or less identical. We're actually half elves now, since I was human and Gavin was nearly full blooded elf, and we can use both elven and human magic. Full elves can't use human magic."

"Don't forget the Centaur and Goblin magics too," Gavin reminded, pouring them each another cup of tea. "We lived underground with a goblin clan for several weeks when we were five, then most of a summer when we were seven, to learn their language and customs; they let us learn some of their magic and a few of their wards. We were too young then to learn any of the harder spells, we had to learn them from books and practice when we returned for shorter visits later, but it was still a lot of fun."

Gwydion nodded agreement. "We trained in forest craft, astronomy, and herbology with the centaurs and they taught us some of their plant and weather magic."

Sirius had choked on his swallow of tea when the boys said that. Goblins never let wizards learn their magics, not even the curse breakers that worked for Gringotts, and he'd never heard that the centaurs used magic at all.

"So...why did you come for me? Not that I'm complaining, mind you…but why would you want to free me?" Sirius set the tea cup down on the transfigured table and lay back on the bed wearily, closing his eyes with a sigh. "I thought about you all the time, Ha…Gwydion, I'm so sorry for what happened. I'll never forgive myself for you having to live with the Dursleys."

"We have a problem…," Gavin began hesitantly, looking at his brother for help in explaining.

"It started with the ritual where we pledged to the God and Goddess." Sirius opened his eyes and motioned for him to continue. "We aren't exactly…priests," he added softly, unsure how to explain. "It's a little more complicated than that."

"We're avatars of the Lord Herne and Lady Donn," Gwydion continued when it was obvious Sirius didn't understand. "We have a more…direct…relationship with them than a normal priest. I serve the Lord Herne, and Gavin serves the Lady Donn…but they will both answer if we call."

Gavin sipped his tea slowly, watching Sirius as he tried to absorb what they were telling him. "They both have other names, depending on what aspect you are calling upon. The Lady Donn is also known as the Ancient Mother, Bright Lady, or Lady of the Moon; in other words she is Maiden, Mother, and Crone. They both guide the cycle of Life, Death, and Rebirth."

Gwydion took up the explanation as Gavin finished his part. "My Lord Herne is sometimes called the Horned God and the Hunter or Forest Lord because he leads the Wild hunt, and Protector of Life and Lord of the Dead because he acts as the ferryman and guards the gates of death so that none pass before their time. Like Gavin said, which name you use depends on why you are calling them."

Sirius nodded. He recognized most of the names from some of the older histories and books about rituals he'd read.

"When you say you 'call' them, what exactly do you mean?" Sirius looked at Gwydion for an explanation. Many wizards swore by some form of the Goddess's name, or by Merlin, who had mostly taken the place of the Forest Lord in people's minds since the Horned God was considered a bit dark due to his very nature and Merlin was said to have been the most powerful Light wizard in the last two thousand years. There were no formal priests or structured religions within the wizarding world, other than private rituals some of the oldest pureblood families still practiced, so neither deity was mentioned much.

"We can call upon them and they will answer, face to face if it is really important." Gavin struggled to explain and Gwydion took up the story once more.

"We learned our animal forms…animagus forms…from Lord Herne. He taught us how to change and then we spent all summer with him, learning how to live as our forms and hunt, since we don't have the instincts of the natural animals. He comes back every once in awhile and we go hunting with him," Gwydion shrugged as Sirius looked at him in shock. "He's usually a big black wolf, though he changes into an eagle to fly with Gavin sometimes."

"A God taught you how to change…." Sirius sighed and rubbed his face, a little overwhelmed by what he'd heard. "You're a wolf," he said, pointing at Gwydion. "What are you Gavin?"

There was the merest whisper of magic and a large golden eagle perched on the stool in place of the black haired boy. A second later and Gavin sat there once more. "A golden eagle. Gwydion was jealous at first, because he wanted to fly too, but I think it would be nice to be a wolf."

"It's the avatar bit that's the problem isn't it…." Sirius frowned as he thought about how people had likely reacted to the boy's status and powers. "Everyone wants something from you, don't they?"

Gavin nodded with a sad expression on his face. "There are several…factions…among the Groves, and the High Council wanted to make us their wards, supposedly so they could train us; all of them want something…and they think we'll help them get it."

"It wasn't so bad until just a few months ago. We had Llygoden, Gavin's godfather, and Grandfather Myrddin and Great Grandmother Etain to protect us." Gavin sighed and looked away, tears coming to his eyes.

Gwydion touched his twin's shoulder comfortingly then continued the explanation. "A few months ago someone shot Llygoden with an arrow and he died…nobody knows who did it, but Grandfather went to some of the other Groves to talk to people. Then we got word he'd gone to the human world, to look for you I think. Nobody has heard from him for weeks, and Great Grandmother said something has happened to him – he's in some sort of healer's hall and he isn't moving."

Gavin sniffed and wiped his eyes. "A few days ago we were with Great Grandmother at the beach… we were attacked as we were leaving …we were… kidnapped…and she was… killed…." He stopped suddenly and got up, a look of pain on his face. Gwydion stood as well and pulled him into a hug, holding him until he relaxed against him.

"Why don't you go fly for a while…I'll explain everything to Sirius," he suggested gently. "You can check the wards." Gavin nodded and hugged his twin for a moment more before walking quickly towards a passageway at one end of the cave.

Gwydion sighed and wiped a tear off his cheek. "I loved Etain," he explained, "but she was the only mother Gavin had ever known." He looked towards the passage his brother had left through with a concerned expression. "They drugged us and took us to some sort of hideout. We were able to escape, then one of our centaur friends helped us get through the World Gate by distracting the guards. We rested for a couple days after we found this place, then went looking for you…we weren't sure who or where you were, but we knew I had a godfather somewhere, and you're the only hope we have of finding Grandfather."

"Why didn't you go back to your…Grove?" Sirius asked curiously.

"There was nobody there who could protect us from the High Council. With no living family left, and us not being 11 yet, they would have the power to take us and there wouldn't be much our clan could do without starting a fight they couldn't win."

"What is so important about being 11," Sirius asked, settling deeper into the warm blankets.

"When an elf reaches his 11th year he is considered to have crossed out of childhood and into adulthood; we're old enough then to make decisions about our future path, including where we live and who we live with. Normally this is the time when a person chooses to follow the path of the Lord or the Lady, what we call The Way. The year between 11 and 12 is called the Year of Passage; we're free to explore all the different occupations to find what fits best for us before we enter an apprenticeship to learn a craft. When we reach 16 we are considered full adult and have all the adult responsibilities. Obviously, that isn't a consideration for us," Gwydion said, touching the rune on his temple. "We've been considered priests since we were four."

"So you didn't have anyone to protect you at your Grove, or at least nobody with enough power to do any good."

Gwydion nodded. "Grandfather could have protected us, but he's missing. Normally, you could as well, since you're my godfather, but you're not an elf so they might be able to take us anyway. Elves take family very seriously, but most don't think very highly of humans. Grandfather is respected, even though his father was human and he's a half elf like we are, because he's one of the more powerful mages in Cymru and his father did so much for our people. His father built the World Gate to save our people from a Dark Lord."

"Who was his father, that the elves feel such respect for him, if he was human?" Sirius asked curiously.

"Merlin Ambrosius Emrys…." Gwydion answered nonchalantly, waiting for the man's reaction. Sirius didn't disappoint him either. The man's stunned expression was one to remember for a long time.

Gwydion looked over his shoulder as Gavin came back into the cave carrying two cock pheasants by the neck. Flying seemed to have cheered him up, and he'd caught dinner for them while he was at it.

"What happened to him?" Gavin grinned, pointing at the wizard's wide eyes and open mouth. Sirius seemed to be trying to say something, but no sound was coming out. "It looks like you broke him!"

"I think he's a little surprised at who our Great Grandfather was," Gwydion answered with a smirk.

AN- Thanks to feurfliege for the spelling corrections...mea culpa. Remember that the boy's grandfather's name "Myrddin" is pronounced (My + rr + thin or Mirth + in) and Sirius has never seen it written down, so the relationship to "Merlin" would not be as evident as you would think.