Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or any of the publishing rights here. The all belong to Raincoast books and J.K Rowling. However, I do own the plot, and that, in itself, is mine.

Chapter Four: Wings of Fate

It felt as though the world was swallowing him whole. His head felt as though a thousand tiny fists were pounding on his temples, and all that he was truly sure of were the strong arms around his midriff, and the suitcase clutched tightly in his hand.

Then, as soon as it started, it stopped, and he swayed dangerously on his feet, his stomach coming up to meet his throat. Severus glared at the boy in his arms, holding him a moment longer to make sure that he was steady, before abruptly releasing him. He began to walk away, and Harry gathered his things quickly, making to chase after his Professor.

However, as he turned around, he stopped suddenly in his tracks. His skin prickled as he took in his surroundings, not noticing as Severus turned around angrily.

They were standing inside a dense forest, the heavy tree canopy blocking out all stars. About ten feet behind him, there was a vast iron fence, which stretched out as far as Harry could see (which wasn't all that far, mind you, because it was so dark, he couldn't see much).

"Come along Potter." The Potions Master snapped, grabbing Harry's arm and startling him. The boy nodded dumbly, and followed behind him, casting nervous glances into the darkness around him. After only a few minutes, they stopped, and Harry looked up at the large manor home before him. A black, wrought iron archway marked the beginning of a large stairwell, leading up to the front door. Not a single light shone from any windows, so all that Harry could see by was the dim light of his Professor's wand.

The stone of the walls seemed old, and Harry knew that this house must have been in the Snape family for many generations. True, it was not as big as he would have guessed a pureblooded wizarding family to have, but surely no less grand, in it's own way. As they ascended the stairs, he noticed that the air grew steadily colder the closer they got, and he began to feel very much like he wanted to be back in Privet Drive. As they reached the door, he realized that there were two, human-like statues guarding the entrance. Their features were heavily weathered down, and rounded by time, but he could make out large wings coming from their backs. He shuddered, then jumped violently at the sound of a third, very scratchy voice.

"Welcome home, Master Severus, son of Tobias." It came from a brass knocker on the large door, shaped like the head of a gargoyle.

"I am not in the mood for idle chit-chat, Caedes." He grumbled, glaring vehemently at the knocker. "Licet Pennae Fortuna rector nos ut nostri."

The door swung open, and Harry stared at Severus, confusion etched on his face. The man cast him a glare, which clearly said 'It's none of your damn business.' With long strides, he entered the Manor, Harry following quickly behind. As soon as the boy's foot landed on the large entry rug, the door slammed shut behind him, and all the lights came on with a loud crack!

Harry jumped from shock, causing Snape to smirk.

Harry, wide-eyed, took in the grand foyer, wriggling his toes on the large rug beneath his feet. It was a deep red, with gold trim, and the walls were some kind of deep blue stone, or so it looked. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting sprinkles of light across the surfaces of the room. Harry smiled admiringly, surprised that Snape, of all people, would live in such a….well…such a welcoming home. As Snape opened his mouth to snap at him to close his mouth, a tall, brown-skinned woman came rushing from a door off to the far right.

As she spotted Harry, she gave a little squeal of excitement, running over and tugging his clothes, patting his hair, and asking if he needed anything. She turned to Severus, her deep chocolate eyes shining. "Is this the little boy you mentioned, Severus?" At his nod, she turned back to Harry, who stood still, shocked by the onslaught of this stranger. Snape looked bemused, and his lips were violently twitching at the sides.

"Isn't he just the cutest?" The woman laughed, and Harry blushed considerably. Her face grew serious, and wiping her hands on her apron, she ran them through her greying hair. "Are you not going to introduce me to the young Master?"

Severus sighed, and turned to the shaken teen. "This is Priyadarshini Kanthasamy; she's my housekeeper. You may address her as Madam Kantha-"

She waved her hand in irritation, and playfully slapped the taller man on the arm. He scowled, but otherwise did not react. Harry was stunned. He simply could not believe that this woman was still alive, if she spent her time teasing Professor Snape! "Nonsense! You may call me Priya, darling, as long as you are in this house." She winked at him suddenly. "And don't you listen to a word he says about me; I'm much more a competent cooker then he is. I changed his diapers when he was young (and let me tell you, that wasn't the best job in the world), and I know him like the back of my very own hand, and I have had that since I was a babe myself. I remember once how-"

"Priya." Snape ground out between clenched teeth. "Why don't you bring Mr. Potter's things up to the room we have prepared for him? I should like to show him around before he retires, so that he know his boundaries." He glared heavily at Harry by the last world, implicating that he would not accept any ifs, ands, or buts, about the rules that were going to be laid down. Harry gulped, and nodded absently.

The small woman bustled off, and Snape turned back around, leading them down a long corridor.

Harry sighed and rubbed along his face, glaring daggers at the straight back of the man before him. It had been an hour already, and he had so far seen all the rooms there were to see on the first and second floors. Rules had been laid down ("Do not, under any circumstances, go past the door at the back of the Study. That door leads to the-…well…Don't go in there, all right?"), and Harry was beginning to wonder if he would be allowed to do anything in this godforsaken manor.

After being shown his room (a large guest room, with it's own bathroom and walk-in closet, his bags propped against a trunk at the foot of the bed), Snape led him down the long hallway to a spiralling, metal lattice-worked staircase, leading up to a large black door. It had a plain, smooth surface, but the ordinary-seeming handle looked to be made of pure silver.

Severus stared apprehensively at the door for a moment, before turning to face the teenaged boy. His hand gestured vaguely towards the stairs. "This is completely off limits. The passageway leads to the top floor, which holds my own bedroom, and…other things. It is heavily warded, and I will know the instant someone steps foot on the stairs." Harry made an absurd gulping sound, his eyes threatening to cross from exhaustion and confusion. "Besides, you wouldn't be able to open the door anyway, as it is charmed locked so that only the caster can reopen it, and it cannot be blasted."

His professor idly fingered his wand in his pocket, fingers convulsively flexing on the length. "If, by some miracle, you do manage to get inside, by warned; I will have to kill you."

Harry knew better than to think he was joking.

That night was extremely troubled for Harry, his dreams making it impossible for him to actually get any sleep. He knew there were a few, mostly just nonsense dragged from the dregs of his mind to torture him, but it was the last one he had, just before waking up, that stuck with him now as he lay panting in bed, the sheets tangled around his slim waist.

He was in a garden, as best he could tell. On either side of him, there were tall, rough cut hedges, the surfaces covered in overgrown ivy vines. Grass was growing up in odd angles between the river stones beneath his feet as he walked.

All around there were different types of bushes, flowers, and small trees. Some were muggle, some magical, and some that he was absolutely sure had watched him as he passed by. The skin along his arms was prickling, and he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck sticking up.

As he walked, he caught a strange sent on the air, and he felt his body and mind become immediately attracted to it. It was sweet, and alluring, filling him with an aching sort of need to find it. Coming to a fork in the path, he took a right, trailing the smell as best he could. As he continued to walk, the garden seemed to progress into heavier stages of disrepair the further he went, the high hedges now farther away from the path, with large, scraggly holes scattered throughout them.

The flowers he passed become more, and more magical, their colours vibrant and shocking, making weird sounds and emitting strange types of fluid as he walked past. He ignored them. As the path turned again, he passed through two large trees, forming a sort of makeshift gateway. Their bark was a deep, reddish brown, and the leaves a striking gold. He barely cast them a second glance as he passed, for before him was a large clearing, the grass smooth and clean, with small sprinklings of tiny white flowers dancing across it.

The area was not bordered by hedges, but rather large, stone walls, the bricks begin to crumble with age. Near the back was a fountain, no longer emitting water, but beautiful none the less. It featured a life sized figure of a naked woman, her breasts hanging heavy, while one hand rested on her swollen belly, and the other holding a small, naked babe. She wore a magnificent crown at the top of her head, wherein the middle was a hole, where the water used to pour.

What really drew Harry's attention were the large, powerful wings, spreading gracefully from her back, the tips reaching in to touch at her ankles.

He smiled and stepped farther in. The smell was much stronger here, and his smile grew as his gaze landed on a large patch of the most ethereal, and menacing flowers yet. Their petals formed a sort of rough seven-pointed star, the base colour being a deep purple, with a winding line of blue in the center. Each petal had sharp, teeth-like points along the edges, covered in some sort of odd, silver powder.

Harry got the distinct feeling that they wanted nothing more than to eat him.

Ignoring the strange feeling the flowers gave him, he knelt before the thick growing patch, and deeply breathed in the sweet smell. The source was in there somewhere, he knew it. Carefully, he reached his hands slowly into the mass of plants, moving to part them aside to see into the middle. They did not move, or try to attack him, so he parted them all the way, ignoring the silver powder that was starting to make his hands itch.

As soon as he saw what was hidden inside, the smell turned from sweet, to an acrid, burning fume. It reeked of death.

Before him, on a spike drove into the ground, was the head of a mighty Phoenix. It's feathers were matted with it's own blood, black eyes opened in saddened horror. Harry felt bile rising into his throat, and had to desperately resist the urge to throw up.

Tears had rolled down its cheeks, forming into soft crystals that rested gently on the dulled, wilting feathers. Not knowing why, he reached forward, as if to touch the decapitated head, but as he did so, the crystal tears shattered, and fell to the ground as dust. He felt his stomach lurch, and he drew back suddenly, standing up.

He could not stop himself from throwing up, this time.

As his stomach emptied itself of its contents, he heard footsteps steadily approaching beside him. When he was done retching, he collapsed to the ground, tears rolling freely down his face as he tried not to sit in his own mess. Bleary eyes looked up, and widened in horror as he was met with two crimson ones.

Voldemort smiled, pointed teeth grazing his bloodless lips. Nagini was wrapped tightly around his neck and shoulders, as he stood in the gateway, framed by the golden leaves. It gave him the appearance of a tyrant king.

"Don't deny me, little Prince." He said, voice scratchy, and cruel. "You are home."

Harry opened his mouth, to say what he wasn't sure, but nothing came out anyway. His throat and mouth would not form words, and in the end all he could get out was a small, scratchy whimper that made him cringe.

Voldemort smiled cruelly. "This is just-"

"Harry…"

Both wizards looked around in confusion at the soft whisper. It seemed to be in the air, almost penetrating Harry's skull with its soft, lilting tune. The Dark Lord's eyes widened as he stared at a spot behind Harry's shoulder, and the teen turned around in confusion.

The fountain was glowing.

It was emitting a soft, but commanding white light, just barely reaching the grass at its feet, but it seemed to draw everything in around it anyways.

"Love you, Harry…"

It whispered again, in a decidedly male voice. He though he knew it from somewhere, but could not quite place it. Voldemort seemed to be having the same internal struggle as he stepped forward, Nagini hissing and spitting wildly. As he made a quick move toward Harry, a sharp concussion it the air, knocking both of them backwards a bit. It could only be described as thunder without sound.

The figure of a tall man appeared in the growing light before the fountain, tall and lithe. The light smoothed his features so that Harry could not see any significant details, like the face, but he could tell by the shape that this man was naked. Voldemort made a strangled sound.

"NO!" He shouted, making another step towards Harry, who tried in vain to draw back.

The thunder came again, and Voldemort was thrown from the clearing, the snake and himself both disappearing as they passed the large trees.

Harry sagged in relief, only to stiffen again as he realized just exactly why Voldemort was thrown from him. He glanced warily at the man, and stared in awe as large, black, feathered wings spread from his back, stretching far out to either side. The figure's head gave a stout nod, black hair floating around his head, as though under water. Through the intense light, he saw two eyes open, becoming completely flame.

Harry gasped, a pit of warmth curling in his belly, as though spawned by the intense fire burning in the ethereal figure's eyes. Lips opened, and he heard soft words spoken, before he was pulled back into wakefulness.

"Pennae Fortuna…"

A/N: Okay, thanks fro reading, and REVIEW! grins

NOTE: The name 'Priyadarshini Kanthasamy', is the name of our sponsor child, whom we lost to the Tsunami in Shrilanka. This fanfiction is dedicated to her, Danu rest her soul. She never stopped fighting. Blessed be.