(14) The Ire Of The Fire

The moment the two lovebirds stepped into the room where the other Marauders lay resting, there was a burst of flame in the air. Phoenix Song filled their ears, this time sounding like panpipes in the distance. Fawkes descended gracefully to the floor. From his beak dropped a rolled up scroll.

Being the closest & the Alpha, Remus got out of bed to pick it up. Fawkes pecked him viciously. "OUCH!" Remus recoiled. Fawkes turned his back to the Moon Dog, batting the scroll with his tail to send it rolling to the werewolf's feet. Remus huffed & picked it up at last.

The Headmaster of Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft & Wizardry extends his compliments to the Marauders & thanks them for bringing an end to this war. The youngest Marauder is currently sleeping in my office.

Now ...

Would the five of you kindly come over for tea to explain yourselves? Whatever the Potters did caused a migraine that affected the entire Wizarding World! Also, would the Lady of the Marauders kindly please return my wand & explain herself? I would be very much obliged.

Enclosed you will find your release papers from St. Mungo's Hospital.

~Signed: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

PS: Fawkes is in a very bad mood. Be careful.

Remus looked up, glaring a vivid amber at James. "The ENTIRE ... Wizarding World?"

"Ok, I'm not to sure how that has to do with us," James said.

"Prongs!" Remus gritted his pointed teeth.

"I don't!" James held up his hands defensively. "I honestly don't."

Remus shook his head, then whirled on Sirius & Orion who had come to stand behind him. He held out his free hand, palm up. After a moment, he snapped, "Well?"

"Well what?" The Sirius pair asked.

Remus rolled his eyes. "You heard the scroll. Lily has the wand. 100 Galleons please." Remus blinked. The Sirius pair blinked. "Each!"

"I hate you." Sirius & Orion began digging around in their wallets to pay up. "You suck Remus! You really suck!"

"Wouldn't either of you like to know?" Remus teased, suddenly sly. The Sirius pair gaped at him. Fawkes strutted in between them & began pecking. They hopped on the spot, bemoaning their pain & frustrations. Orion finally kicked 'Pyro-Pigeon' square in the chest, making Fawkes burst into flame. He snatched up the chick & threw it hard onto the nearest bed. It promptly bounced beak over pinion feathers right off the far edge too land with a pitiful—SQUAWK!—onto the floor out of sight.

"You bet on me?" Lily asked.

Remus looked back over his shoulder at her & winked. "Please, you think I'm stupid enough to go against the one & only bitch in my pack?" If it had been anyone else using that word, they would have been in pain but the Wolf at least, was instinctively using its natural meaning.

"Well, before we go," James began after Lily stopped laughing. "We better come up with what we intend to tell him."

Once the pack had organized their plan, they found themselves in Hogwarts at the foot of the spiralling staircase, feeling as if they were going up for detention or possibly expulsion even though they had finished school a few years ago. Remus whined, licking his chops & finally stepped forward after Professor McGonagall spoke the password. He led his pack upwards. The Marauders paused just inside the office, their eyes landing on Fawkes. He must have imploded into the room before they arrived. He was already half-grown.

"Come in, come in," Dumbledore said cheerily. "Do sit down."

"Why is he already so big?" Orion pointed at Fawkes.

"His true burning day isn't for several years," Dumbledore explained. "He is merely bursting into flame due to stress. When that happens he grows much faster."

"He's ugly as hell as a chick," Orion sat down first, the other four taking up chairs nearby.

"Ah yes," Dumbledore laughed. "But he's a handsome fellow when he's older." He put out some tea, biscuits & chocolates before sitting down behind his desk. Then he went serious. "First, my wand if you please?"

Lily handed over her original wand & held the Elder Wand in hand, lowered to her side so as not to initiate a challenge. After casting the disarming spell, the Elder Wand sailed back into Dumbledore's hands. He passed Lily's first wand back to her that he had taken for safe-keeping while she was passed out in the hospital.

"Good, good," Dumbledore sighed. Fawkes chirped, happy that the wand was back. "Now, why did you take it?"

"A bet really," Remus began. He pointed at the Sirius pair. "They lost. I knew Lily could win it over."

"Surely there is more to it then that?" Dumbledore encouraged, noticing the sudden nervous ticks in more than one Marauder. Lily looked anywhere but at Dumbledore.

Remus shook his head & half shrugged. "Just a bet."

Dumbledore decided to move on. For now. "I remember when, uh, you four," He pointed at the others, excluding Orion, "were here during your Seventh Year. All of you suffered a mental shift."

"Yeah," James nodded. Hang on. He didn't say migraine. "What?"

"Didn't Snivelus feel it to?" Orion offered.

Dumbledore glared at the name-calling but said nothing. He half smiled. Once again, Orion had betrayed himself. "Yes, he did. Indirectly."

"Then why isn't he up here with us?" Orion went on.

"Because we all know why he suffered," Dumbledore said. "His telepathic link to Lily was the only reason he felt the mental shift. There is no need to interrogate him further. However," he gazed over his half-moon spectacles at him. "The rest of you are somehow linked to these shifts. I would not be surprised if Orion told us now that he felt one during your Seventh Year."

"Yeah," Orion shrugged. "So what?"

Dumbledore looked at him before going on. "Now why do you think that the mental shift of last Halloween affected everyone?"

"We didn't know that until Fawkes gave us your scroll," Remus said.

Sirius leaned forward. "Why do you keep calling the migraines mental shifts?"

"Because that is exactly what they are," Dumbledore said. "When you lot passed out during your finals here, I naturally had each & every one of you examined, even Severus & Remus."

"Wait a minute," Remus cut in. "That night was a Full Moon. That's Wormtail's Moon. How could you have examined me?"

"We made sure you stayed down," Dumbledore said. "You don't remember transforming into your Wolf that night, do you?"

"Only the dawn's transformation," Remus admitted. "I remember hitting the ground the day before with a severe headache & the next thing I know it's the middle of the night & I'm in my old den here."

"Precisely," Dumbledore nodded. "We had you drugged most of the night to examine you. Once finished, you were placed in your lair & left to sleep it off." As the pack remained quiet, Dumbledore went on. "I must say I was dismayed, even a bit worried, at the results of your examinations. A mental shift. An odd sort of magic."

"So you know who did this to us?" James asked.

"Yes," Dumbledore looked back at Orion. "Awful things happen to wizards who meddle with time ... ... ... Sirius." Orion suddenly found the floor very interesting.

"Ha!" Remus scoffed. "I knew it." He settled back, feeling like he would get his answers a little earlier than planned.

James felt his throat go dry. This was NOT the way this conversation was supposed to go. At all! "He's a Black," James tried to deflect the focus away from Orion's first name. "nothing more. But what about everyone else? Who all felt this ... this mental shift?"

"Mister Potter," Dumbledore called out disapprovingly. He was not to be sidetracked. "You all were out for nearly three days this time."

"What?" The Marauders looked up as one, then glanced at each other.

"That includes Harry Potter," Dumbledore went on, waving a hand towards the crib at the side of his desk. "He cried so much & then past out. I knew the shift was affecting him but I myself was on the floor in my own hell. I could not help him any more than I could help myself. Fortunately, everyone else affected was only down for several minutes. That's what tipped me & a few others off that you Marauders are the primary cause." Lily was looking whiter by the moment. Dumbledore again focused his attention on her. "Again, I ask you, why did you capture my wand? Oh yes! I know you actually captured it, turning its allegiance fully to you. That's why I waited to confront you about it so I could properly win it back. Usually, when one duels my wand, they lose, but since you were willing to give it up, I merely requested its allegiance back to my hand. But there must be a reason you took it, surely? No?"

Lily cast around, looking at James for help. This was so not the conversation they had all rehearsed! "James?" she whispered, but he only shook his head.

"Fine, I'll tell you," Dumbledore gave up. "Do not be fooled into thinking I don't know my own wand. It is in fact the Elder Wand." He waited for the shocked gasps from James & Lily to sink in as the other Marauders stared at the Potters inquisitively. "Do not be fooled that I wouldn't recognize Death's own Cloak when it has been in service in my own school for seven years straight." He glared at James, who suddenly found Remus's fangs very interesting. Remus was sitting stock still, baring his teeth at his pack-mate. He knew James had been involved in whatever mess his entire pack was in. He just knew it! The silence was broken by Fawkes chirping & the crackle of real fire in the hearth. "The only one I knew about but never laid eyes on is the Stone. I assume you, Mister Potter, were the one to have found it?"

Still staring at the werewolf's perfect sharp teeth, James nodded mutely. Dumbledore sat back, spreading out his hands. Fawkes came to perch on his arm, sending a hiss at the pack. He puffed up pompously. His Master was right. His Master was ALWAYS right. Marauders! They had to learn the hard way, didn't they?

"I found it in Harry's nursery when we took you & Lily to the hospital. The Stone is now in the Snitch here for the time being." After a moment, Dumbledore went on. "Now before we continue, I must say, I am pleased the war is ended & that you all are safe & sound, but the first time around, someone died. Didn't they?"

"Lily & I," James admitted. "But not Peter. This time, Peter died but not us. How come no one besides us felt the mental shift when Peter died?"

Dumbledore sighed, looking at James & Lily. "The two of you living this time around, you both being Aurors, you have affected & will continue to affect many lives around you, being known by many people. Being Marauders & pack-mates, constantly looking for attention, only amplifies that fact."

"That's why," Sirius said. "Peter, being a Marauder, a pack-mate, but not yet an Auror in the war, was cut out & therefore affected no one. James & Lily did not get cut out of the picture & will go on to live with others."

Dumbledore smiled. "Mental shifts happen to people tampering with time or who are closely involved with people who do. All of you are caught up in changing events."

"So why did everyone feel it this Halloween?" James asked.

"I don't know," Dumbledore admitted. Then looked at Orion. "But you do."

"What? No I don't."

"You are the link to the other side of the time loop," Dumbledore explained. "What happened on your Halloween?"

"Peter betrayed Jim & Lily, blew up a street, killed a lot of muggles," Orion said.

"Did Harry survive?"

"Yes," Orion nodded. "He became the most famous wizard. He survived direct contact with the Death Curse coming out with nothing but a scar. Everyone heard about that night & what happened with the Potters & their baby."

"That's why everyone felt the mental shift," Dumbledore said. "The Potters are famous for that night. Even in this timeline. Even more so here since they ALL survived. There is one thing left unsaid then." Again, he looked at Orion. "While you were out, I had another examination done an all of you. Something interesting appeared in your results, Orion."

"What?" Orion dared to ask.

"Your body is much older than you should be," Dumbledore began. "unlike the others, you are in a constant shift. It doesn't hurt you since you are the one who tampered with Time. But that's to be expected. What wasn't expected is a certain mark you bear. Please come here a moment."

Orion stared at him but stood up & slowly made his way over. "What?"

Dumbledore glanced to the rest of the pack. "One moment please." He put up a shield & the pack no longer heard their voices. He turned Orion & himself away so the others couldn't even read their lips. "There is also a curious tattoo found on your right shoulder. I feel it is inappropriate to include your friends in this conversation at the moment but it seems ... Sirius ... that you are from Azkaban. As I can hardly fathom that you of all people are some sort of criminal, I have asked to have your, shall I say second? Arrest stayed."

Orion nearly fell to his knees. "Sir!"

"Relax, relax," Dumbledore held him up. "Seeing as how the prison has no escapees to speak of, they are just as confused as you & I are. I am sure that this is nothing more than a mere mix-up. Tell me ... Sirius. I can help you."

"It's a Marauder's prank gone horribly wrong," Orion said. "Honestly, it is."

"Then why did you nearly faint with fear just now?" Dumbledore wasn't convinced.

"I mean it," Orion insisted. "The worst prank we ever did!" He looked up into Dumbledore's eyes. Suddenly, he blurted out the whole story. By the time Orion was finished, Dumbledore was in his chair, face in one hand & Remus was up & pacing back & forth, hating the separation. His pack-mate was obviously in trouble somehow but he had no way of reaching & protecting him. The Alpha inside screamed to get out.

After a long moment, Orion asked, "Are you going to send me back to Azkaban?"

Dumbledore looked up at him as if he were crazy. "How could I? I've already checked with Azkaban. You don't exist."

"That's a relief," Orion smiled.

"But you admitting to committing at least one of those murders ..." Dumbledore sighed before going on. "Do any of them," He nodded to the pack beyond the barrier. "know who killed Peter?"

"Yeah," Orion said. "All except Remus; though, we plan to tell him everything in 1994."

Dumbledore steepled his fingers, thinking. The Wolf began to pace faster than before. He hissed softly at the barrier, wanting to get through. "When the timelines merge." Orion nodded. Dumbledore remained silent for a while. "Very well. We'll wait for then." At Orion's horrified look, Dumbledore added hastily. "I doubt you'll be sent back to Azkaban. But your Alpha on the other hand, might want to deal with you."

"I'm more afraid of that then those Dementors," Orion admitted. "I hope he doesn't hate me as much as the first time around."

"Let's hope not," Dumbledore lowered the shield.

Orion attempted to go back to his seat but Remus was on him, wrapping his arms around Orion's waist & sniffing his hair & neck. "Are you alright?"

"Never better," Orion pulled Remus along until he got to his chair. He sat down. Remus knelt on the floor beside him.

"There is one more point of interest before you all head home," Dumbledore turned to Harry who was just waking up. He picked the boy up & fussed over him for a moment. "Ah delightful little lad. He'll be a fine addition to Hogwarts when the time comes." He handed the baby to his mother, then turned away & ruffled Fawkes's feathers. "You all should return home now. With this war over, it's time to start rebuilding."

Lily followed the pack downstairs. As she stepped off at the bottom, she paused to tuck the blanket more firmly around Harry. "James! Look!" She held the baby out to him. James looked down at his son.

A perfect lightening-bolt scar cut into his forehead.