AN- None of the people in this story are mine, except Gavin, and I'm not even sure about that. I don't own any part of the HP world. Darn…

Conversations in italics are in Elvish.

PHOENIX and DRAGON: Through the World Gate

Chapter 20

"Sirius, can I ask you a question," Gavin said softly, handing the older man a cup of tea and sitting down across from him at the kitchen table. He looked down at it with distaste as he reached for a napkin to wipe at a sticky spot before he set his elbow into it.

"Sure kiddo," Sirius answered absently and dumped a fourth spoonful of sugar into his tea. He started to stir the syrupy liquid as he watched Gavin's attempt to clean with amusement. It had taken two days of work to make the room clean enough to even think about preparing food in there, and Gavin still wasn't satisfied with it. No matter how much scrubbing they did on the table, the sticky spots came back.

"About last night…is it always that painful for a werewolf to change?"

Sirius stopped stirring and looked up at the boy, considering his answer. "How much do you know about werewolves?"

"We were taught that they were once normal people who were infected with a magical curse. Once it's in their blood there is no cure; they change every full moon. There are ways to control it though…there's potions we use to make the wolf quiet…so it doesn't hurt as much…while the half-elf is dieing…," Gavin admitted reluctantly. "Full elves can't be infected, but half-elves can…and they always die."

Sirius sighed, a bit sickened by that information. "It's always that painful, yes. That's why Remus looks older than he is…I was born in January, and he was born in March of the same year, so he's actually younger than me, but he looks at least ten years older."

"So he goes through this every month…," Gavin mused, getting up from the table and checking on the pan of scones Sirius had put in the oven a few minutes earlier. One of the things they'd found buried under all the mess in the kitchen was a cookbook. They'd been taking turns preparing recipe's out of it…to varying degrees of success. This morning Sirius had tried his hand at baking. "Well," he said hesitantly, holding up the pan to show Sirius the results of his latest effort. "I don't think we'll be eating these."

Sirius stood and scraped one of the misshapen blobs of scorched dough off the pan, picking it up gingerly and taking a small bite off one side. "Well, they're not scones…but they aren't bad," he shrugged, and sat back down, dunking the failed scone into his tea to soften it.

"Sirius, you eat rats, you think anything is edible," Gavin said with disgust, scraping the rest of the…scones…into the trash bin.

"You do too!" He retorted with a grin. "And what about the lizard you told me about?"

Gavin just grimaced. "That was nasty. I didn't think it'd taste that bad."

"I have a question for you," Sirius asked, changing the subject. "How did Gwydion know how to make Moony calm down? I don't think I've ever seen him that calm, even when James and I were with him."

"Gwydion's his Alpha…he'll do as he's told or he knows he'll get punished. It's instinct."

"How did Gwydion know how to do that though?" Sirius got up and went over to the trash bin, but Gavin glared at him when he reached for one of the scones in the bin, so he got a plate full of the eggs and sausage that were sitting on the counter under a warming charm instead.

"Lord Herne took Gwydion to the forest and put him in a wolf pack. He lived with them for weeks and used to go back and hunt with them pretty often. They treated him like one of the pack, the lowest member of the pack at first. He got tired of being picked on and learned to fight. Eventually he beat everyone but the Alpha and became the pack Beta. He knows how to make a rival submit without killing him." Gavin got up and started another pan of sausage as he heard a stirring upstairs. Gwydion would be hungry when he got up since they'd all missed their dinner the night before.

"Ohhh, bloody hell…," the man with sandy brown hair moaned from the end of the bed, curling up tighter as the pain of his transformations washed over him.

Gwydion sat up, pushing the blanket someone had put over him partway off so he could move and changed out of his wolf form. The man lay on his side looking ill and shaken, naked except for the shreds of a robe and a blanket similar to his own. He watched with no expression as Remus tried to sit up, making no motion to help him. "You're Remus Lupin."

Remus froze, startled because he hadn't realized he wasn't alone. He turned slowly, raising a shaking hand to brush his shaggy hair out of his eyes. A black haired boy with brilliant green eyes, looking about nine or ten years old, sat at the head of the bed, watching him. "Who…," he began, and then raised his hand to feel the partially healed wound on his neck. "You were the wolf?"

Gwydion nodded, with no expression on his face, but his eyes were wary and almost wolf like as he waited to see what the man would do.

"What should I call you…," Remus said hesitantly. "Sirius called you…Harry?"

Gwydion sat silently for a moment then shook his head. "You may call me Gwydion…or Alpha. Harry doesn't exist anymore." He pushed the blanket all the way off and slid off the bed, turning to look at the werewolf as if considering what to do with him. Finally, he picked up a small wooden tube off the side table and tossed it onto the bed beside Remus. "Sirius left you some clothes on the chair, and the bathroom is across the hall. Take that," he pointed at the tube, "then come downstairs when you are finished, there will be food in the kitchen."

Remus watched as the boy walked gracefully out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him, before reaching for the tube. He pulled the cork carefully out, breaking a wax seal as he did so, and sniffed. The potion wasn't familiar to him, and he dipped a finger into it then touched it to his tongue to taste it. 'Awful. Why does every potion taste awful?' he thought, then sighed and tipped it back, swallowing it in one reluctant gulp.

Almost instantly he started to feel better, and he looked in amazement as a large gash on his forearm started to heal. "What…but how?" He felt his throat and then got up, moving shakily across the room to where a mirror hung on the wall. The cuts on his throat were almost completely healed, the smaller ones were only pink marks, and the larger ones scabbed over as he watched. "Amazing…what was that? I thought I knew all the healing potions…." He stood for several minutes longer; watching as the largest of his wounds disappeared, leaving only faint scars.

Sirius and Gavin looked up as Gwydion came down the steps and walked over to the counter, grabbing a plate and stacking sausage and eggs onto it as if he were starving.

"Well, how is he?" Sirius asked, pouring Gwydion a cup of tea and sliding it across the table to him as the boy dug into his breakfast.

Gwydion shrugged, reaching for the sugar bowl and tipping a generous amount into his cup, stirring it with the handle of his fork because he'd forgotten to pick up a spoon. He'd picked up the habit of over sugaring from his godfather, much to Gavin's disgust.

"He seems alright. Hurting, of course, but I gave him one of the archoll meddyglyn potions, so he should be fine in a little while."

"…Did you talk to him any?" Sirius asked hesitantly. "He used to be one of my best friends…your father's too."

Gwydion shook his head. "Not yet." He looked at Gavin and raised his eyebrow. "Do we tell him everything?" The other boy looked at him for a moment then set his tea down, sat back, and closed his eyes, breathing in a steady in, out, manner. Gwydion watched for a minute then went back to eating.

"What's he doing?" Sirius asked curiously, watching as Gavin sat silently, a calm expression on his face.

Gwydion looked back up. "Talking to the Lady. Asking her opinion I think." He shrugged. "I don't care either way. There are ways to keep him silent if he doesn't take it well."

Sirius looked at his godson, his eyes widening at the boy's casual comment. "What would you do to him?"

"Modify his memory, put a control on him…or kill him if he's too big of a threat," Gwydion answered pragmatically, looking steadily at his godfather. "There's too much at stake here, we can't take a chance if he can't be trusted."

"He can be," Gavin answered in Elvish as he opened his eyes again and reached to pick up his tea. "We need to tell him everything," he said and gave a look at his twin that Sirius couldn't interpret. "There may be something we can do about the furry issue too if Lord Herne agrees."

"By 'everything' do you mean about the prophecies too?" Gwydion asked skeptically. He'd have to ask his Lord what Gavin meant about the 'furry problem'. "I thought we agreed not to tell anyone else?"

"She said to tell Lupin. He can help us; nobody will suspect him so he can go out in public if we need something. We're going to need him to rescue Grandfather."

Gwydion sighed, but nodded agreement. "If that is what She said, then so be it."

Remus hesitated as he came down the stairs leading to the kitchen, staring at the boys sitting with Sirius. He had heard them talking as he came into the entry way but he didn't recognize the lilting language they were speaking, even though he prided himself on his linguistic knowledge.

"Remus," Sirius nodded to his old friend cautiously, waiting to see how he reacted. To his surprise the man didn't say anything, merely moving to the counter and getting a plate full of the breakfast food waiting there. He waited until Remus sat down across from Gwydion before trying again. "Would you like some tea?"

Remus nodded, and reached to take the cup Sirius offered, but Gwydion stopped him, taking the cup and putting several spoons full of sugar into it before passing it on, causing a faint look of disgust to appear on the werewolf's face. "You need the calories, you're too thin," Gwydion insisted with a raised eyebrow.

"Sirius…." Remus looked at his once friend with a weary frown. "Explain to me why I shouldn't kill you right now?"

"Because I wasn't James and Lily's Secret Keeper?" Sirius answered. "We changed it to Peter at the last minute because I thought I was too obvious. Peter was supposed to go into hiding, and I would pretend to be the Secret Keeper and draw off anyone trying to find them. I thought if I couldn't tell the secret, nobody could torture it out of me." He sighed sadly, heartbroken at what his decision had cost the ones he loved like a brother and sister. Sirius looked up at Gwydion, pain in his eyes.

"It would have worked…if Peter hadn't run straight to Voldemort," Sirius admitted with a sigh. "I went to check on Peter that evening, and when he wasn't there I apparated straight to Godric's Hollow…but…it was already too late when I got there. James and Lily were dead, and the house was a smoking ruin. Hagrid was there already…how he found out so fast what had happened I don't know, but he wouldn't let me have Harry, said he'd been ordered by Dumbledore to take him. By the time I got finished with the…bodies…," he choked out, "…I couldn't find Harry."

Gwydion reached across the table and laid a hand on his arm reassuringly as he continued. "By the time I started looking for Harry, Dumbledore had already hidden him behind wards," Sirius explained sadly. "I started searching for Peter…Severus sent word the next day that he'd been seen leaving Diagon Alley, so I apparated there…I found him on a little street just off Charing Cross Road. The bastard started yelling that I was the one that betrayed James and Lily then blew up the bloody street. He must have changed into a rat and gone down the sewer…." Sirius stopped talking for a moment and wiped a tear off his cheek. "I lost it, Remus. I went crazy…I don't even remember the auror's arresting me. I must have been in shock because the next thing I remember is being in a cell and the dementors showing up. From what we've been able to find out, I never even got a hearing, let alone a trial. All the witnesses were muggles, and that fool Fudge was the first on the scene – he ordered them all obliviated because 'it was clear I was guilty' by the way I was acting. Dumbledore…," he stopped again, an angry expression replacing the sadness. "Dumbledore convinced everyone that I was guilty, and that it wasn't necessary to have a trial, so they sent me straight to Azkaban."

Remus sat quietly as he thought about what Sirius had said, than finally responded. "I believe you, but it's going to be hard to prove, especially if Dumbledore was involved." He held his hand out, and then pulled Sirius into a hug when he reached out to shake it. It took a long time for them to regain their composure and both were wiping tears off their faces when they finally released their hold on each other.

Gwydion took Remus's plate of congealed eggs and sausage from him and replaced it with a plate of hot food, gesturing for him to keep eating.

Gavin stood and took his dirty plate over to the sink, then walked back, stopping behind Remus. He held his hand out, barely touching the man's back. "Sit still," he ordered as Remus started to turn. "Nabod afiechyd."

"Wha…," Remus gasped, dropping his fork. Gavin's hand began to glow and a blue haze enveloped the werewolf, flowing across his body like liquid smoke. "What are you doing?!"

Sirius watched in fascination as Gavin ran a diagnostic spell over the werewolf, a slight smile on his face as Remus tried to look over his shoulder to see what was happening. He recognized it from the multitude of times the boys had used it on him in the last week or so; it looked different when it was done on someone else, he thought.

"There's extensive damage to your nervous system, inflammation in your joints, scarring on your kidneys, and your immune system is almost nonexistent," Gavin murmured, his eyes unfocused as he concentrated on what his spell was telling him. "Some of the readings are different from last night when you were transformed, but they're worse if anything, like I suspected they would be." He turned to look at his brother. "The archoll meddyglyn you gave him helped, Gwydion, but I don't think anything short of a cyflawn iacha will repair all the damage." He stopped the diagnostic and reached for the refilled cup of tea Gwydion offered him. "I'd like to get another reading in a couple days and see how much of the damage heals on its own. The healing rate may determine the best way to fix this."

"Archolth metheegeln? Ceefoun Eaka?" Remus asked in confusion. "Would someone mind explaining what is going on? What language is that, and how…," he stopped as he watched Gwydion reheat his cup of tea with an effortless wandless heating spell. "How did you do that wandless!?"

"Well you see, Remus," Sirius began, but Gavin interrupted, not liking the mischievous grin on the man's face.

"Dirymu," Gavin said, waving his hand toward his brother, dispelling the charms Sirius had set to conceal the pointed ears and the runes on Gwydion's face, and revealing the burnished gold ring around the iris of his brilliant green eyes. A second wave dispelled the charms on himself as he took a seat beside his brother once more. "We're elves."

"Half-elves if you want to be precise," Gwydion added, reaching up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind his pointed ear. "That was Elvish, Remus."

Remus sat as if he'd been stupefied, his mouth opened in shock. He looked at the boys for a long moment, and then reached cautiously across the table to touch Gavin's ear, then one of the runes on his temple. "How did this happen," he said finally, turning to Sirius in confusion. "I thought he was," he pointed at Gwydion, "…Harry?"

"Blood adoption," Sirius explained calmly, enjoying the sight of the werewolf's confusion. Remus was normally extremely controlled, and it was hard to read him. Right now, however, he fairly radiated shock and confusion. "Gavin's Grandfather saved 'Harry' from Lily's sister Petunia and her bastard of a husband after they nearly killed him. He took him back to wherever the elves live now," he glanced at the boys with a slight frown. "Still not really clear on that yet, so don't think you're getting away with your vague explanations forever," he told the twins.

Both boys looked at him with no hint of comprehension on their faces, much to Sirius's frustration. He continued his explanation after Remus gestured impatiently. "Gavin and 'Harry' did a blood adoption ritual, which changed them both to half-elves, instead of a full elf and a human, and then 'Harry' changed his name to Gwydion." He sat back, waiting for Remus's reaction to his next statement. "Oh, and did I mention their Great Grandfather was Merlin?"

"Haa ha, ha, haaa," Remus laughed, thinking Sirius was joking. "Riiiight." He looked at the boys, expecting them to be laughing too, but his eyes met only serious expressions. "You're not kidding, are you?"

Gavin shook his head. "No, he's not."

Gwydion smiled slightly at the werewolf's astonished expression. "He didn't mention we're avatars of a God and Goddess either."

Remus just sat there for several minutes looking at them, opening his mouth as if to ask a question then closing it without saying anything several times. Finally he managed to ask a question.

"Why did you come 'back' to the human world?"

"Our Grandfather went missing here, and it caused us some problems because we no longer had a guardian when our Great Grandmother was killed a couple weeks ago. He was looking for Sirius, or rather my Godfather or Godmother," Gwydion said, "since we didn't know about Sirius then, we just knew I had one."

"We think he's in a…hospital," Gavin said, stumbling over the unfamiliar word as he looked at Sirius for confirmation.

"From their description of where he's at I'd say its St. Mungo's," Sirius answered. "The problem is, his room is being watched by Order of the Phoenix members, if Gavin's description of the guards is accurate. That means Dumbledore is involved." He stopped for a minute and rubbed his chin with one hand. "I don't like what I've been reading in the Prophet lately either. It seems Dumbledore's been busy in the Wizengamot, trying to invoke the 'Tutela pro thema oraculum' clause in the Ministry Charter in order to take the Longbottom boy away from his Grandmother."

Remus drew in a deep breath and looked at his old friend in disbelief. He'd been staying with a werewolf pack in Ireland for most of the last month and he hadn't seen a newspaper in weeks. "But…," he looked at Gwydion, his eyes drifting to his unmarked forehead. "Harry…Gwydion… was the one Voldemort marked, not Frank and Alice's son! What is he playing at! The 'protection clause' for the subject of a prophecy hasn't been invoked for 400 years!" He sat silently, thinking through what he'd heard. "He must be desperate; he thinks your dead Gwydion, so obviously you weren't the one in the prophecy and it must have been Neville all along. He's lost his weapon against Voldemort so he's grasping at straws…."

"The entire wizarding world thinks I'm dead," Gwydion nodded in agreement. "When I changed my name, it made it seem like Harry Potter died, as far as magic was concerned. From what Sirius has said, Dumbledore must have had tracking spells on me, and they stopped working. Another thing…Dumbledore has tried several times to get the Goblins to release the Potter estate to him; he's somehow gotten papers saying he was my, Harry's, guardian after Sirius was sent to prison."

Remus stood and began pacing slowly around the kitchen as he thought. "There's no way he should have been able to do that…I know that James and Lily talked about naming Amelia Bones, Minerva McGonagall, or Arthur and Molly Weasley as secondary guardians if something happened to Sirius, and I'm sure they chose someone in the end. Things were too dangerous then for them to not have taken that precaution. You were never supposed to go to Petunia, under any circumstances…and it's illegal to ignore a will like that."

"It's illegal to place a wizarding child in an abusive household too, but that didn't seem to have stopped him," Sirius added. "The goblins are looking for a copy of the will, but they have to do it quietly because the Ministry has sealed the Potter's files."

"How convenient," Remus sighed and rubbed his face wearily. "I tried to find you, Gwydion, but Dumbledore refused to say where you had been placed, and threatened to send me to Azkaban if I didn't let it drop." He looked sorrowfully at his best friend's son. "Werewolves are considered Dark creatures and in the last few months of the war the Wizengamot passed several new laws that made it nearly impossible for us to find work; we had to submit to having our homes searched any time the auror's wanted, as well as request permission from the Ministry any time we wanted to go to a public place like Diagon Alley, or more than 10 miles from our homes. If we resisted, we could be killed without a trial. I know a lot of the muggle werewolves were killed when they didn't register with the Ministry. They've relaxed the law since then, but we are still treated as half-human, barely better than animals."

"The more I learn about the wizarding world," Gavin said morosely, "…the less I like it."

Gwydion nodded agreement and got up, clearing the rest of the dishes off the table and taking them to the sink. "Kreacher?"

There was a small 'pop' and the house elf suddenly appeared in front of him, already in mid bow. "Please clean up the dishes, and try to get the table cleaner – it is still sticky." Gwydion sighed as the demented elf dropped to his knees, banging his head on the floor as he shrieked about failing his Great Lords.

"STOP!" Kreacher jerked back up onto his feet, as if on strings. "No punishing yourself, just do the cleaning like I asked," Gwydion scowled as Kreacher hesitated, still determined to punish himself for not getting the table clean enough. "Just clean…I'll tell you when you may punish yourself."

"Great Lord?" Remus asked curiously as he followed Sirius out of the kitchen.

"Let me just tell you about it…," Sirius began with a grin, steering Remus towards the drawing room with an arm around his shoulders. "It was the funniest thing…." The twins followed with a resigned expression on their faces, knowing the animagus was going to tell Remus about their first reaction to the crazed house elf.

AN- Here's the translations for the non-English phrases in this chapter.

archoll (wound) + meddyglyn ( medicine/drug)

nabod (identify) + afiechyd (illness/disease)

cyflawn (complete or full) + iacha (heal/save)

dirymu (nullify/cancel)

[Latin Tutela pro thema oraculum (protection for a person in a prophecy). This clause allows the Ministry to appoint a special guardian for someone judged vital to the fulfillment of a prophecy - in order for them to be protected and trained, of course. Dumbledore wants to control Neville, the only one the prophecy could apply to now, in order to manipulate him into the perfect weapon. The fact that he is the heir to the Longbottom estate doesn't hurt either…after all, Augusta is quite old and accidents do happen.