See chapter one for warnings/disclaimers/summaries, etc. *Italics are for parseltongue.
RECAP: Harry has just publicly announced at the victory dinner that he will be leaving and snuck off to Hogwarts to rescue his lover. After freeing Eris, who was trapped as the Mirror of Erised, and Basil, the playful basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets, Harry picks up Fawkes, the Phoenix familiar of the late Albus Dumbledore. Together, they work to find his next lover, the mysterious living weapon...
Fawkes did indeed know.
There was only one place that only he could venture into—the Headmaster's office—where no one else within Hogwarts could enter without permission. The moment he saw the gleam in Harry's eyes, a flicker of his old self returned.
Harry truly did intend to whisk them all very far away from their miserable existences and fulfill the promise they'd all shared in heart and magic so many years ago.
Perhaps it was truly worth the wait, after all this time.
"Can you?" Harry asked, his green eyes glittered with fresh emotion.
There were things that would need to be sorted between them, but for now, this would do. There would be plenty of time for catching up later.
Fawkes nodded at once. "It would hardly take anything," he murmured. And even if it would, he'd make it happen. He always had, after all.
"Good boy," Harry winked, a hint of promise in his gaze.
Fawkes tried not to notice. He would have to make good on that later on. Much later on.
"Eris, Basil?" Harry called, for he'd taken his eyes off of them for a few minutes, but they hadn't really strayed far.
They gathered around Harry, holding onto him as Fawkes placed a hand on each of Harry's shoulders. His eyes flashed a brilliant, vibrant orange and with a powerful twist of magic, they vanished from the hallway and reappeared in the familiar office of the late Albus Dumbledore.
Harry smiled as his magic settled around him once more, stirred from the transportation within Hogwarts—that shouldn't have been possible, but was—and took a look around the office. Fawkes' flashfire was something useful in more ways than one.
Glancing around, Harry took note of a few things here and there, shiny little knickknacks he remembered from his days of visiting Dumbledore.
Who are we looking for? Basil asked, sweetly. She was ridiculously light and Fawkes had picked her up and set her atop the desk, tucking Harry's cloak securely around her. Dutifully, she rummaged through the trinkets on the desk and examined Fawkes' golden perch. It's very pretty, she said, in a slightly different lisping tone.
Fawkes' head snapped up at once, in pleasant surprise and he allowed a smile, small as it was. Thank you kindly, little lady.
Basil matched his small smile with one of her own fanged ones. It's much nicer than my pipes. She admitted, somewhat mournfully.
"You speak parseltongue?" Eris cried. "Harry, that's not fair!" He stopped in mid rummage through one of the bookshelves.
"They're not speaking parseltongue, loveling," Harry said, absently. "They're two magical creatures, they're speaking in silvertongue."
"That's still not fair," Eris pouted. He made his way over to Harry's side and after a moment's hesitation, reached out to hold the hem of Harry's jumper.
Harry smiled, reaching back to offer his hand instead. Eris took it and together, they continued their search, albeit a tad more slowly now.
"It's got to be here," Harry muttered, a few minutes later. Time-wise, they needed to hurry, but Merlin-help him if he left anyone behind. He wouldn't.
He couldn't.
"Fawkes?" Harry looked to him.
The Phoenix looked rather distressed, his feathers all ruffled once more. "It was always kept on the shelf," he said, faintly. "There was never a reason to move it or put it anywhere other than-" he stopped. "Hogwarts' Vault. You don't think-?"
"It's possible," Harry said, grimly. "And if that's what he's done, then I don't think that we have time to-"
"We have time," Fawkes said, roughly. "You promised."
"I did and I intend to keep that promise," Harry said, firmly. "I was only saying that I didn't have time to be discreet about it." He reached out and gently patted Hogwarts' walls. "I'll apologize in advance," he said, lightly.
Fawkes looked relieved and he started faintly, when Basil suddenly appeared, wrapping her thin arms around his waist.
What are we looking for? She asked.
"Sorting hat," Eris said, slowly. "Couldn't the castle tell you? Harry—ask Hogwarts for the Sorting Hat. It likes you." He scowled. "More than me, anyway."
There was an answering ripple of magic.
Eris yipped when a slight snap of that warm energy, surged forward enough to reach him. He rubbed his bum, looking rather offended.
Harry stifled a smile and leaned forward to kiss the top of his head. "Be nice," he reminded. "Lady Hogwarts, if you would be so kind…?"
A loud slurping sound came from the floor and for a minute, it wasn't solid, but rather a swirling vortex of brick and mortar. From the depths, a slightly squashed Sorting Hat was slowly brought to the surface.
Fawkes was the first to react and he lunged forward, swiping it up from the solidifying floor as the magic receded. He managed to pull it away in time, before the floor was back to normal.
Harry came over to inspect the hat, a fond smile on his face. He reached inside, as Fawkes held it open and silently willed the weapon to appear.
Luck was with him this once, it seemed, for from the very depths of its shadowy confines, the familiar, gleaming hilt materialized in his palm.
"Garnet!" He said, drawing it out. "I ask of you to revert to your true form."
For a single beat, everything was silent.
And then all at once, it came.
The Sword of Gryffindor began to glow a bright red, hovering out of Harry's hand to float in the center of the room, tip pointed to the massive, vaulted ceiling.
Magic rushed through the office, tearing at everything that wasn't anchored and blowing fiercely through every nook and cranny.
Eris whimpered and Basil hissed in displeasure—both were equally shielded by Harry and Fawkes in turn.
A brilliant flash of light heralded the actual transformation and when they could all see again, Garnet stood before them.
Just as her namesake, she was dressed in red from head to toe—with shimmering, silvery skin. Her eyes, blood red, her lips the same shade, her fingernails, even, covered in the same bright color as her vivid, garnet-hued hair.
She was petite, much like Basil and her piercing gaze zeroed in on Harry at once. She licked her lips and held out her hands.
Without missing a beat, Harry went straight for her, he caught her up in his arms and kissed her soundly, pouring his emotions into that single gesture.
They broke apart, a moment later and then she nestled her head beneath his chin. "You were so long in coming," she said, softly. "I didn't think that you forgot, but I didn't know if you would remember."
"I couldn't forget you," Harry murmured. He reached around him to pull Eris in front, who had somehow managed to stumble along with him, when he'd moved. "This is Eris-"
"The mirror!" She smiled at him, displaying two even rows of brilliant, white teeth.
Eris gulped. "Hi." He said, faintly.
"Basil and Fawkes," Harry added, gesturing towards them.
Fawkes approached, Basil carried in one arm. She didn't seem to mind at all, instead, keeping a steadying hand on his shoulder, her lips pursed.
"Hello," Garnet said, pulling away. She offered a deep curtsy, showing off flared skirts of rich, silky red and silver. Her brow furrowed and she looked to Harry.
He rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers.
Conjured clothes would have to do for now.
The Slytherin uniform—for Basil would only ever want to wear Green, Harry was sure—materialized on her small form. She wrinkled her nose, but did not comment. A flicker of gratefulness shone in her eyes as she inclined her head to Garnet's curtsy.
"Anything else will have to wait," Harry said, starting to feel like he'd be repeating that line for some time. "Do you need anything from here?"
"Nothing that you cannot provide for me on your own," Garnet said, simply. "I need very little. You know this."
"I do, but I am asking you anyway," Harry said, simply. He took her hands in his and squeezed gently. "Hagrid's next, I think," he said, absently. "Fawkes?"
"Gil's kept low for a bit," Fawkes said, with an inelegant shrug. "There's no telling whether he's been paying attention or not."
"Ah," Harry said, lightly. "I guess we'll see then, won't we?"
A/N: Hey everyone! No, I did not drop this fic, it's just been a while since I've gone through my story files and I found the next installment that I meant to post. The next chapter is half-written, I might work on it a bit tonight, but it needs more editing than this one, so please be patient.
I'm also glad folks liked Fawkes. He's likely going to be my hot and broody character for this fic. LOL. I just love writing that type, so it'll likely be him. As before, y'all are welcome to offer any guesses for who's next, some of you have come pretty close to the available "options". :P Enjoy the madness and thanks for reading!~Scion