(AN: This story takes place immediately after Aberforth brings his son back home in Secrets of Dumbledore. While I may have gotten creative with areas as of yet unexplored in Rowling's Wizarding World I do not own any part of the franchise and make no profit from this story. Also I apologize in advanced if I misrepresent Irish native speakers in any way. I am purely going on research and have no actual experience in that area. I do not in any way intend to offend anyone.)

Chapter 1. Abandon the Shadows

It was late afternoon when a slowly decaying phoenix entered the dark forest and landed neatly by the fire being tended by a young woman with flaming hair and emerald eyes. She immediately expressed concern for the creature. Phoenixes often looked ill when it was close to time to be reborn but they didn't decay like this on their own. This phoenix was bound to a human and that human was dying.

"Ello lovely bird," she was good at flattering the phoenixes. They were more open with her when she kept them proud, "Is yer person in need of me help? Let me settle the others fer the night and I will come."

She whistled and about a dozen phoenixes emerged from a nearby cavern. One by one they bathed in the fire and returned to their shelter. After the last one had gone she gestured to the newcomer that he may bathe as well if he wished. He seemed delighted to partake, so much so that she could easily assume his human was unaware that phoenixes bathed in fire.

Before leaving she went into the cavern and fed the flock their dinner. she had made extracts herself of various plants she had found in the forest or grown in her garden. By now she knew each birds preference and catered to them with their own individual bowls. The new bird was impatient to leave and refused any offer to actually eat right now but showed a slight interest when she was pouring vanilla and mint extracts. She decided to bring those with. He could eat after she had tended to his human.

The ashen bird led her to an inn in Hogsmead. She felt out of place having severely limited her contact with people for the last several centuries. The sign said 'closed' so she knocked loudly instead of walking in like the guests normally would.

"We're closed," a man's deep grumpy voice spoke from inside. She knocked again only to get an even grumpier answer this time, "Read the sign you stupid sod."

She looked at the bird and then called through the door in her thick Irish accent, "Call me tha again and I'll take it out of yer hide boyo. I'm near twenty times yer senior. Now open the door so I can tell ye why I'm ere."

The door opened abruptly and a dark haired man looked her up and down, his eyes not missing her ancient Celtic gown. The phoenix cried out and caught his eye for a fraction of a second.

"My son's bird brought home a fairy," he observed flatly and then said in a sarcastic tone as he walked away from the open door to resume scrubbing tables, "Lovely."

"I'm not mistaken he brought me ere to help yer son. There's much healin a fairy can do that a wizard can naht," she stepped inside.

"At what cost? Your kind always ask more than any man should give. You find someone desperate and press to see what they'll give you. I can accept that my son is dying. He's home now after all his life being kept from me. He can rest in peace knowing I always loved him."

She let him finish his rant before calmly starting her own, "Beggin yer pardon sir but ye know nothin of my kind, tha's what ye think. True, some types of fairies ask fer too much. I'm naht the kind ta take advantage. I am a phoenix maid. When the flamin bird asks fer help I am bound by me honor ta answer. I'm ere ta do me job. I'd like ta see it done so I can return ta solitude."

The man looked astonished but still shook his head, "He's too far gone. the obscurus will kill him any time now."

She raised a delicate brow and crossed her arms, "Ye best be lettin me decide tha. I've more than a few trick up me sleeve and he won't be the first obscurial on death's door I've seen live ta old age."

The man sighed and led her upstairs. It was clear he was guarding himself against false hope. She didn't blame him for his bitter behavior but the boy would die if she couldn't outlast his defenses. She could only hope the son was as stubborn as his father. If he wanted to live then his willpower could help greatly in keeping him alive long enough for her to do her work. To her surprise the boy was not a child as she had assumed but a man in his twenties. He had to be both powerful and stubborn for his core to last to this age against the parasitic force.

"What family are ye, ye don't mind me askin," she gazed in wonder at the man's sleeping face.

"Dumbledore," the father answered, "I'm Aberforth and this is my son Aurelius."

She nodded. That explained a lot. The Dumbledore family had been powerful even when she was a child. It would take an obscurus decades to kill the host. The phoenix flew to his human and landed next to him on the bed. The birds sorrowful cry woke the sleeping man. His eyes fluttered open and he gave a small affectionate smile to his feathered companion.

"Sunwing, there you are. Where did you go?"

"He was fetching you a doctor," Aberforth spoke from his place by the door next to the fairy.

Her brows furrowed, "I'm assumin tha's a modern word fer healer. In any case I'll be evaluatin me charge now."

Aurelius watched her approach wearily for a moment and then looked to his father for a clue of how to respond. Aberforth was visibly worried but managed an encouraging nod. the younger man tried to relax and swallow his fear as the stranger drew near to his bed.

"Ello Aurelius. Sunwing has asked me ta heal ye. First I need ta determine how bad this thing is. Do ye trust me," she spoke gently as if to a child, which he found strangely soothing.

He nodded and when after a moment she still did nothing he said, "I trust you."

She smiled lightly and placed her hand on his chest, closing her eyes to focus. She remained that way for a while. The concerned look on her face when she was done wasn't much of a comfort. When she went off into the corner with Sunwing and began to converse with the phoenix under cover of a silencing spell the father and son exchanged a confused look. She was talking rapidly and shaking her head as if protesting against something. Sunwing was visibly crying out and reared up at her almost violently, flapping his wings in a very demanding manner. After several minutes of back and forth she sank to her knees and nodded, looking defeated.

When she returned to the two men she gave little in the way of explanation and seemed completely unaware of the tears staining her face or the wound Sunwing seemed to have made on her left cheek with his talons during their argument. She simply handed Aberforth a knife that appeared to be made of bone and a vial of clear liquid that she'd been carrying on her belt.

"Knife. Phoenix tears. When I tell ye, ye'll need to use them in tha order," she stated flatly. Shocked, Aberforth opened his mouth to tell her off but she spoke up again before he could, "Naht on him."

Then she sat on the bed beside Aurelius, drawing her feet up as if she were going to lay beside him. Sunwing joined her and laid down beside his human, resting his head on the man's chest. She laced her fingers with his and pulled a second knife from her belt. This one looked to be made of stone. the blade was a sharp light purple rock and was bound to the red stone hilt by a reddish brown metal designed to look like a snake holding the athame together. Before anyone could protest she used it to slice both of their hands open at the heel. Then she handed Aberforth that knife too.

"Do naht use tha one. It's purpose has been met," she instructed and waited for him to nod that he understood before turning to Aurelius, "I warn ye, this will hurt but ye'll live.'

He swallowed and nodded, hoping this would help end his pain for good. She laid down and closed her eyes. He didn't know how long the pain lasted. He kept going into and out of consciousness. When he was awake he looked into his fathers eyes for love and support. At some point though the older man had fallen asleep. Gradually he felt the obscurus move. At first his whole body hurt but as hours passed the pain faded from the hand that his father held as well as his legs. As the pain finally faded from his chest, leaving only his right arm in agony, he felt a warmth like fire fill him. It was pleasant and he was able to focus on it and ignore the remaining pain. Finally, after what felt like forever, the pain was only in his hand and moved more rapidly now. First his fingers eased up and then his palm until the last of it had made its way out through the joined cuts. Abruptly she let go of him and rolled away, sobbing as she curled into a ball. He wrapped his arms around her, realizing the obscurus must be inside of her now. She was feeling the pain he bore on a daily basis. She cried louder at his touch but still turned and curled into his embrace as he gave her the comfort he himself had craved. Her cries woke Aberforth and he followed his sons queue, gently rubbing her back until she was able to calm down and speak.

"I have the obscurus but it won't remain with me fer long. It'll try ta get back to its true host. Use the knife," she wept, clinging desperately to Aurelius.

Aberforth hesitated but as he lifted the knife the black smoke of the obscurus seeped from a spot in her back. He aimed for it and drove the knife deep into her shoulder blade, forcing the parasite back. She screamed in pain. The smokey entity tried to find other places to escape, sensing the danger it was in, only to be struck with the knife again each time. Every scream she let out felt like the blade was being plunged into both men's hearts rather than into her back.

She caught a shaky breath when the smoke finally stopped appearing, "It's done. Tha thing is gone fer good. Ye can let me die if ye wish. I've lost the protection of the Seelie Court. They'll naht avenge me."

Aberforth knew there wasn't enough time to help his son understand her words. All he could do was let his boy protect his own conscience and explain her willingness to die later, "You decide."

"Save her," Aurelius didn't hesitate.

The older man nodded and began pouring little drops of the tears into her wounds. They sealed up rapidly and she let herself fall asleep. Once Aberforth checked that her pulse was regaining its strength he bid his son goodnight and left him to care for her. Aurelius, still holding the fairy girl, laid down and covered them both with the blankets. He'd worry about propriety in the morning if it even turned out to be relevant. He was sure Mary Lou Barebone had messed him up a bit on where those boundaries were actually supposed to be. For now he didn't think she'd want to be alone after the night she'd been through and he couldn't help feeling responsible.

TBC...

(AN: I am aware that she hasn't given her name yet. This is to provide a bit of mystery and emphasize how secretive fairies generally are. She won't give much information unless she is directly asked.)