Firebird's Son: Book I of the Firebird Trilogy Chapter 18: As If From a Dream, a harry potter fanfic

A/N: A bit of a transition chapter to finish setting up the next year's story arc.

Chapter Eighteen: As If From A Dream

Harry woke with the worst throbbing headache he had ever experienced. The pain was so bad he did not even want to open his eyes, but he kept hearing a swishing sound right over his face, and so eventually had to look. He found himself staring into an oval shadow framed by a thick woollen grey cowl. "Gahhhh!" he shouted.

"Calm down," a feminine voice emerged from the cowl. "I'm an Unspeakable from the Department of Mysteries. I will not harm you."

"Why the scary mask, then?" Harry demanded.

"Because it looks scary, why else?" the voice said, somehow conveying sarcasm, impatience and humour all at the same time. "How do you feel?"

"Like I have an elf going crazy in my head with a hammer."

"Your stomach?"

"Like I sicked-up."

"Watch my wand," the faceless woman said. She held it up and Harry found himself captivated by the scintillating rainbow of colours.

"Wow, what spell is that?" he asked.

"What do you see?"

"Colours … A whole rainbow, with some glow-y blobs and colours and things flickering around it."

"Subject is seeing auras," she said.

"Who are you talking to?" Harry asked.

"A recorder," she said curtly. "Do you remember what happened?"

"I was eating, and started feeling a little sick. I remember I had a bloody nose, but not much other than that."

The woman leaned back from him, allowing him to see the spacious room he was using at the Longbottom home. The woman in the cowl was sitting on the edge of his bed. "Mr Potter, to your knowledge have you ever said anything to someone that they remember, but that you don't? It might have been innocuous, or rather profound, but it would have been around other people."

Harry furrowed his brows in thought, before he finally remembered one thing. "Professor McGonagall told me I said a couple of classmates should bond, but I didn't remember it."

With the cowl, he could not see the woman's expression as she sat with the shadowed cowl pointed in his general direction. "Please, can you tell me what's happened?" he finally asked. "Why do I feel so bad?"

"We are still researching," she said, "but as soon as we know for sure, we'll let you know. In the meantime, you should rest. No magic for at least two days—which should not be a problem for an underage wizard."

"Okay," Harry said.

The Unspeakable stood and drifted out of the room, as if floating. A moment later Neville walked in. "Wow, you okay, Harry?"

"Yeah," Harry muttered. "So what happened?"

"No idea," Neville said. "I remember you had a nosebleed, and next thing I know everyone has gone home and I wake up in my bed the next day."

With a start, Harry realized it was already morning. "So you don't know what happened?"

Neville shook his head. "No idea."

Harry collapsed back into his pillow with a moan. "I don't think I'm going to be much fun today, Neville. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Neville said with an easy smile. "I'll work in the greenhouses for a while. That always calms me down."

"Neville?"

"Yeah, Harry?"

"Thanks for…well, you know. Being my friend."

Neville smiled shyly. "My pleasure, Harry. Thanks for being my friend too."

~~Firebird~~

Deep within the bowels of the Ministry of Magic, hidden away from all but the most privileged members of magical society, nestled the Department of Mysteries. The department answered to no one arm of the Ministry, but instead operated under charter from the International Confederation of Wizards. This wasn't always the case, but after Voldemort's attempt to take over the Ministry of Magic the ICW wanted to keep its finger on the pulse of magical England, and the Department of Mysteries was the tool they used to accomplish it.

Those seated at the round table in the department's sole conference room were not Unspeakables themselves, but were one of the most powerful voting blocks in the Wizengamot. Dame Augusta Longbottom, Dame Delia Griffin, Elder Delbert Griffin, Elder Algie Croaker, and Elder Arthur Weasley looked up as the last three arrived.

Dumbledore shone to all of them with magic and age, while the Unspeakable beside him was the exact opposite, purposely cast in enchanted shadows. Of the three late comers only Amelia Bones appeared as a normal witch.

Dumbledore sat with an audible sigh after Amelia was seated, while the Unspeakable simply stood. "Well, it seems we've had an eventful day," the headmaster began.

"The Potter boy delivered a true prophecy," the Unspeakable said abruptly. "Everyone who witnessed it, outside of those in this room, have been Obliviated as per standard procedure, and the prophecy has been delivered to the Hall of Prophecy."

From the centre of the table, a shimmer appeared followed by the young man's face, his eyes rolled up into his head and his hair blowing in an a magical wind. His words came with an otherworldly voice: "The Dark Lord is coming. His marked equal will rise. The covens will fall, the elders shall die. The Dark Lord is coming. His marked equal will rise. Equal and opposite shall clash; one shall live and one shall die"

Bones shuddered. "I was there, and that still frightens me," she said. "Was…was Lily ever confirmed as a prophet?"

"We do not believe Potter is a prophet," the Unspeakable corrected. "This is more in line with an oracular event. He is an unwitting receptacle for magic, whereas a prophet has conscious knowledge of what she sees. He showed all the classic signs of an oracle following a prophecy—headache, painful stomach, nosebleed, seeing auras and no knowledge whatsoever of what he said. Further, he said he once had a minor prophecy regarding two students in front of Minerva McGonagall. We have just returned from the school where McGonagall confirmed the episode."

"And no, Amelia, Lily was not an Oracle as far as we know," Dumbledore said. "She did, however, have some prophetic abilities. She told me personally two months after Harry was born that she would not live to see him start Hogwarts. She saw her own death, I believe, but not in sufficient detail to attempt to change what she saw. It is, in fact, not uncommon for Aethers to receive glimpses of the future. For instance, last year a young Aether told me that I would fall from the astronomy tower, but that the fall would not kill me. I found it rather encouraging, as it seems I am tougher than I look."

"We are talking around the point," Arthur Weasley, a pudgy man with thinning red hair, said. "The Dark Lord is coming'. Albus, surely he's not talking about…You-Know-Who, is he?"

Albus regarded the witches and wizards around the table carefully. "What I tell you, my friends, cannot leave this table. I shall have your unbreakable oath on it, or I shall ask you to leave."

"Surely you jest!" Dame Delia said sharply.

"Dame Delia, I do not," he said calmly as he regarded her. "We have represented in this room three covens. Minerva as my proxy Dame of the Dumbledore coven supports whatever position I deem best. What I have to say is too important to leave to chance or wagging tongues. So, shall I have your oath?"

"You shall have mine," Dame Augusta said.

Delia stood. "You shan't have mine. It is unbecoming for a wizard to demand such a thing from the Dame of a Coven. However, I have faith in Delbert and Dame Augusta. If what they hear convinces them to vote in a certain way, then I shall support them." With that, she stood and walked away.

Delbert looked at her with narrow eyes before turning his attention back to Dumbledore. "Are you really going to require the oath, or was that just to get her to leave?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said with a bright smile.

After the unbreakable oaths were made and sealed, Dumbledore described the events of Harry's first year, including how Dumbledore's last direct descendent gave her life to save Harry. "While I know rumours abound, the spirit very specifically identified itself as being Voldemort," Dumbledore said, "which is why I increased the spiritual intent wards on the castle and alerted the castle ghosts to beware. While the ghosts might frighten students, they have traditionally acted as guardians against fell spirits. This one slipped past them because of its possession of a living host."

"So the rumours were true. If that's the case…" Amelia began. "Elders, Dames, we cannot allow my budget to be cut anymore! I don't even have the budget to provide full salary for the people I already have. My senior staff and I haven't had a raise in ten years and I have Aurors receiving three quarters pay voluntarily just to maintain the basic coverage to meet our responsibility."

"Then perhaps, Amelia," Dumbledore said, "it is time to make your voice heard."

Amelia drummed one finger along the table.

"The Weasley Coven would be honoured to have you, Amelia," Arthur said, "but there would be a conflict of interest having my boss be under my wife as the Dame."

"Molly is a loving soul and blessed with fertility," Augusta said, "but she is far, far too young for her position. Adeena, bless her soul, had a much better head on her shoulders."

"And yet our coven includes the entire Prewitt clan," Arthur said, miffed.

"Be that as it may," Amelia said, "Arthur is right that I cannot allow a conflict of interest. Honestly I was considering joining the Griffins until I spoke to my niece. Fortunately the Obliviator was very precise and only took the prophecy and what followed."

"Oh?" Dumbledore said.

"She said Harry suggested I would be better served with the Croaker Coven, at least for the foreseeable future."

"I wonder why?" Delbert said.

"Because your wife, Elder Griffin, has been known to act in ways that do not align with your coven's stated position," Dumbledore said bluntly.

"Don't have to tell me, I've been married to the woman for over a century."

Arthur snorted, as did Croaker. "It would be our great honour and pleasure to welcome the last Bones into the Croaker Coven," Dame Augusta said. "I'll post the Banns in the morning if you give your oath tonight, and by this time tomorrow we'll gather the light, progressive and traditionalist block dames for a policy Sabbat. I believe Aahuti Patil might even align the Immigrant Block for this vote, if we play our wands right."

"You'll have my oath before we leave," Amelia said, "and my gratitude now. Thank you, Dame Augusta."

"Indeed, thank you all," Dumbledore said. "It was my deepest, most profound desire for the threat of Voldemort to be done with, but it appears it is just beginning anew. Know that I will continue to safeguard the children with all my magic and my life. And if we can block this budget cut, maybe some Aurors as well."

"Magic let it be," Arthur Weasley swore. "I haven't had a pay raise in a decade either, and I've been putting seven kids through Hogwarts!"

~~Firebird~~

Harry was walking out of Flourish and Blotts at Neville's side when the two ran into a gaggle of witches walking in—literally. Harry's load of books spilled to the pavestones, while Neville tripped.

"Oh no!" the girl in the lead said. "I'm so sorry, are…Harry?

Harry looked up and saw a mane of bushy chestnut hair and two bright, shining brown eyes. "Hello, Hermione," he said, before gathering up the rest of his books and placing them in his satchel. "How has your summer been?"

"Good, really good," she said. She smiled at Neville. "And you too?"

"Good," Neville said, smiling. "We've had Harry over the last two weeks. It was fun."

"That's good. You remember my roommate Deana, and Justine Finch-Fletchley from orientation. And this is Colleen Creevey. You probably don't know her since she's going to be starting her second year."

Justine smiled shyly. She was two inches inch taller than he or Hermione. Colleen was an ephemeral little girl who barely came up to Hermione's shoulders and had an almost elfin look to her narrow face. She gazed up at Harry with such adoration he shuddered. "Well, er, what optional classes are you taking this year?" he asked Hermione.

"I wanted to take them all, but Professor McGonagall said I had to choose, so I picked Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures."

"I'll be taking Arithmancy," Neville said. "And Care as well. Professor Kettleburn is considered the world authority on hippogriffs and other large magical fauna."

"I read that too!" Hermione gushed.

"What about you, Harry?" Justine asked. Beside her, Colleen merely nodded.

"Er, I was going to take Care and Arithmancy too, but someone changed my schedule." He grimaced. "I was placed into Divination."

"Why in Morgana's name would someone change your schedule?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know," Harry said. "Just had a note that I would be better served in Divination."

"It seems a rather woolly subject, I've been told," Hermione said. "And I've heard awful things about Trelawney. Well, you'll have to tell me how it goes."

"Have you purchased your pre-potions kits yet?" Deanna asked.

"Not yet," Neville said.

"Oh, we haven't either!" Hermione said. "Why don't we walk together? Our parents are out in London, so we have plenty of time."

"Well, you see…" Harry began, immediately caught up in visions of girls sucking out his magic.

He paused when Hermione gently touched his hand, just for a moment. There was that immediate shock of contact he felt the first time, but it lasted only a second. "Harry," she said, "I'm not interested in poaching. They just kept us separated for the last two years, and it feels as if they kept us from being friends. I just want to get that back. That's all, I promise."

"Besides, Neville will protect you," Justine said with a laugh.

"But who will protect me?" Neville asked.

"I will!" Colleen piped up, speaking for the first time.

"Fine, let's go," Harry relented with a sigh. They finished their shopping lists together, until the girls finally came back to the books they were on their way to buy when they ran into Harry and Neville. Seeing an inevitable parting of the ways, Hermione said, "Thank you walking with us."

"It was our pleasure," Neville said with a debonair tone mangled only by his cracking, man-boy voice.

The girls giggled together before ducking into the store. As the two boys headed back to the Leaky Cauldron to take the Floo home, Neville said "She talks a lot."

"Yeah, she does."

"Think she's cute?"

"I guess," Harry said. "But I think I'd get tired trying to keep up with her all the time."

Neville laughed as they walked out of Diagon Alley.

~~Firebird~~

You owe a debt.

The filthy man sat in a dank cell furnished with a toilet and lice-ridden cot, and nothing else. He himself curled in the corner furthest from the heavy wood and metal door, his arms wrapped around his head. "Shut up," he hissed.

You owe me. You were supposed to save me, die for me.

"I said shut up!" the man screamed before pounding his head against the hard stone behind him.

"You shut up, Black!" a guard called from outside the door. "You have company."

The door opened revealing the flickering light of a smokeless ever-burning torch, and a figure silhouetted against the light. The person stepped inside, and in so doing allowed enough light on their face for him to see who it was.

"What do you want?" he snarled.

Elezeta Malfoy neé Lestrange smiled as if she were meeting a beloved friend. "Such accommodations," she said. "And to think you could be a sitting Elder right now. Your proxy for the Black Coven just doesn't have your flair."

"What do you want, Ele?" he said again.

She took a step closer and squatted down until she was a foot from his face. "You owe a debt," she said softly, echoing the voice in his head. "We held a séance and the Master has spoken to us. You owe a debt, Black. Discharge your debt, and your brother will live."

Sirius Black stared long and hard at the woman. "You're lying, Reggie is dead."

"He is alive," she said. "Smuggled to the continent when Master fell, by the French branch of the family. He is not well, but he lives. The agreement still abides, even in our Master's state. Discharge your debt, and your brother will be freed to take his place as the head of the family."

"A little late for that now," he said.

"The guard is mine," Elezeta said. "How else do you think I am able to keep dear brother Rodolphus and your cousin Bellatrix fed? You are on your own beyond the door, but you are a resourceful man, aren't you?"

"I hate you, you whorish cow," Sirius growled.

"I'm sure you do," she giggled. "Remember your debt, Sirius."

She stood, straightened her skirt, and walked imperiously out of the cell. The door swung closed, but did not latch.

You owe me.

"Shut up!" Sirius screamed. Suddenly his body rippled and changed into that of a huge black dog. With a growl and a long tongue hanging out, he charged the door, which banged open, and ran for his life.

Author's Note: Very special thanks as always to Teufel1987, JR and Miles for beta reading.