Chapter Twenty -Two .

Babbity Rabbity and a visit from Fawkes.

"Daddy, me tree! Me tree!" little Dora shouted.

"You're a treeeee?" Ted said in return.

Edward "Ted" Tonks had just arrived home from work in the evening and was met with the playful shouts of his busy three year old daughter. She was signaling a game she wanted to play with him that was becoming part of the evening routine when he got home.

Dora morphed her hair from it's default bright pink to an emerald color. Sections of her hair magically sparkled into what looked like tree leaves. Her face skin changed from peach to swirls of brown like tree bark. Ted giggled at her transformation and carefully took off his muddy shoes by the front entry.

Andromeda peeked around the corner from the kitchen and called out down the hallway,

"Welcome home, love. I'll light the kettle and put a brew on for us."

Ted smiled at her and replied, "That sounds lovely, dear. Cheers."

He finished hanging up his messy coat and hat on the hooks. He worked as a Master Thacher and had his own business laying and repairing thach on different buildings throughout the British countryside. He had inherited the business from his own father who had done the same work before him. He wouldn't be surprised if their family had been in the business all the way back to the Bronze Age.

Actually, it served as the catalyst of how he met his wife long ago when he was much younger. Andromeda's family had been on holiday in a remote cottage they owned with thatched roof in need of repair. He was a wee lad working alongside his father and they first met.

It was love at first sight when she looked up at him from below the ladder offering him a glass of water. He was a goner the moment he saw her. Likewise, she instantly fell in love with him despite knowing the outrage it would inevitably cause with her family's belief in blood purity.

As time passed and they stayed in touch, Andromeda blew his mind introducing him to the world of magic. She helped him realize the odd, unexplainable magical incidents in his life were not so odd and did indeed have an explanation.

When he received an invitation letter from Hogwarts at the proper age, it upset him greatly that his parents were not surprised by it. They confessed that despite their family being Muggle-born they had a covert history of being practicing Wizards and Witches. He didn't understand why they kept it hidden from him for so many years as he grew up. Their best explanation was wanting him to understand the Muggle life so he could better juggle one foot in each world.

He was forever grateful Andromeda became his Hogwarts sweetheart during their school years together and they married afterwards.

Ted brushed off some straw on his pants and ran towards his daughter still posing as a tree. She stared at him with her twinkling brown eyes and a silly grin plastered across her face that looked like any minute she'd burst out laughing. Ted stuck out his right arm stiffly into the air at his side and said,

"Here comes the ax… ready to chop down my little witch, Babbity!"

Ted slowly swung his arm forward and then Dora burst out in gleeful giggles in anticipation. Then he attacked her with both hands tickling her ribs on both sides. Dora morphed back into her normal skin color and fuchsia hair dropping onto the carpet in sweet, contagious laughter.

Ted picked her up, kissed her forehead and swung her around in a circle. She cried in delight, "Weeeee." When he set her down she ran swiftly out of the room. Ted walked to the living room and picked up a Muggle newspaper to read. A minute later, little Dora came speeding into the room with her favorite book in hand that was oddly covered in brown, wild rabbit fur. There was also tree bark on the end book binding of it's cover. She shoved the book up onto his lap and said,

"Again! Again, pease pease Daddy!"

Ted set down the newspaper and thought to himself he really shouldn't have even tried to read it. This was their daily routine and he should have seen it coming. During Dora's last birthday, Sirius had traveled away from Hogwarts one weekend to celebrate with them. He had gone to Diagon Alley beforehand and picked out a special edition of the Tales of Beedle the Bard children's book, at Flourish and Blotts. But it was just the story of Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump.

It had quickly become Dora's favorite. She morphed her ears into long furry rabbit ears beside her pink hair. She hopped a few jumps and then crawled up into her father's lap not even waiting for an answer. She thumped her flat fingers on the surface and said, "Babby Rabby!"

While he was reading, Andromeda brought in a tray of tea and set it on the coffee table near an armchair. She poured them both a cuppa and then relaxed into the armchair nibbling on the buttery, flaky crust of an Eccles cake. Ted was a natural father and it had been such a joy for Andromeda to watch them bond over her early years of life.

Andromeda exhaled an anxious sigh but tried to not catch her husband's attention by it while he was reading the story again to Dora. There wasn't a day that went by that she didn't worry that he would not return home at night. There was so much widespread fear and panic in both the Muggle and Wizarding world. She had heard gruesome stories of torture and murder taking place. It wasn't a secret that Andromeda had betrayed and been disowned by her family. It was too easy sometimes for her to let her imagine get carried away thinking of the Dark Lord's death eaters chasing him down.

Meanwhile, the next day, farther north in Scotland, the Marauders were studying outside underneath a tree near the shore of Black Lake on the Hogwarts castle grounds. They were studying for their upcoming year-end exams that would determine their progress, their courses the next year, and perhaps even the magical career they will follow in years to come. Remus was focused hard on his studying and looked up from his book disapprovingly at Sirus who had wandered off.

"There it is!"

Sirius shouted and pointed to the Giant Squid's tentacle that came rising above the water. Sirius fearlessly walked into the water closer to the tentacle. James came running down to see but wearily stayed near the water's edge. Peter shunk back in fright and merely said, "Eee-ew!"

"What are you doing, mate?" James asked.

Sirius bent down slowly toward the dark, wiggling tentacle and touched the slimy surface of it making finger movements like a crawling spider. Suddenly, the tentacle flew upwards vertically and waved wildly in the air.

"Ha ha ha! It worked! I tickled him," Sirius remarked laughing as the waving tentacle dribbled lake water over him drenching him like a shower. James laughed, too.

Remus called out from the hillside, "Not sure how that's helping prepare for our exams, Padfoot!"

Peter's face scrunched up in disgust and he commented, "I, I wonder if if he knows the c-c-castle's p-plumbing network drains into there."

Remus sighed and said in a reproachful tone, "Oh, he knows. He doesn't care a bit. He should be caring more for the books and not the Giant Squid if you ask me."

Peter glanced down at the Charms class textbook in Remus's lap. A worried expression formed across his face and he bit his thumbnail for a moment. Then he asked, "What if I-I… what if I don't p-pass out fourth year exams, Remus?"

The Giant Squid had not disappeared but swam out to the middle of the lake. Sirius was still standing in the water dripping wet but waiting to see if it would return back towards the shore. He and James were chatting about the possibility of visiting Bowtruckle Island in the middle of the lake.

Remus looked intently at Peter and reassured him, "Bollucks! Of course you'll pass. You've said that at the end of every year and look how far you've come already. You'll do alright, mate."

Peter looked at the Charms textbook again and argued, "But I still c-cant puh, p-properly do the Banishing Charm yet."

Remus said, "Yes, but if you already know the Summoning Charm, you can get the Banishing Charm. It's just the opposite. I can practice with you if you'd like."

Peter shook his head, "That was the m-most painful day of charms class I've ever b-b-been… attended. C-covered in b-b-bruises up and down the next day I was."

Professor Flitwick had students mostly practicing with banishing cushions that day in class to prevent injuries as they flew haphazardly across the air. But students who were struggling with it seemed to be banishing heavier objects which dropped on Peter countless times. Peter shuddered silently at the memory.

Remus closed his charms book and set it on the grass. He raised his wand toward it and said, "Depulso!"

The book swiftly flew up into the air and went speeding towards James at the edge of the lake. It bonked him hard on the shoulder and then landed in the grass.

James yelped more in surprise than pain. He spun around and saw Remus had his wand raised toward him. He reached up and lightly rubbed the spot where the book hit his shoulder. He frowned and asked, "Oy! What's this?"

Remus covered his mouth and tried not to laugh. James's mouth started to crook into a half smile realizing it was likely an accident.

"Sorry about that," Remus said.

James gave him a forgiving smirk and picked up his Charms book smoothing out the crumpled pages.

He teased, "Any father out and you would have given the Giant Squid some night time reading tonight."

Remus waved his wand toward James and said, "You know this one, Peter…. Accio! It's simply pushing it away or the reverse of the summoning charm."

The book flew out of James's hand and came speeding back through the air dropping bits of grass along the way until Remus caught it with his other hand.

Remus got up and walked away from under the tree. He sat down again on the ground making sure the area between him and Peter was not in the line of travel of the lake. He held the book up in the air and called out to Peter,

"Start with the Summoning Charm and summon my book to you. Then practice pushing back."

Peter practiced the charm back and forth with Remus for a while. Sirius and James were still down at the water's edge goofing off.

"My God! What is that?" Sirius said, pointing and looking up at the sky towards the castle. James looked upwards and squinted. He pulled out his specs from where they were folded up in a pocket inside his robes.

Remus had heard Sirus's comment and stopped practicing the charm with Peter to look up, too. Peter noticed a group of Hufflepuff students closer to the castle had all paused to look upward at the strange object in the sky as well. They began making a commotion of excited chattering sounds and pointed up at it.

It was definitely not an owl. It was a sunny day so whatever it was that was flying had a nearly blinding shiny gold feet and beak reflecting back at them. The feathers on its body were a glowing scarlet color and it's long golden tail feathers fluttered gracefully in the breeze like a kite's tail.

"Merlin's Beard! Is that a… a phoenix?" James asked.

Remus replied, "Yes. I believe it belongs to Professor Dumbledore."

Peter looked at Remus in puzzlement. Then he frowned and asked suspiciously, "H-h-how did you know that?"

Remus gave Peter a little smirk and then said, "Um, Professor Kettleburn mentioned it in our Care of Magical Creatures class. Where were you that day? It's also mentioned in our book."

Peter looked sheepish and shrugged his shoulders. He scratched his head and said, "Eh, I don't know… p-p-probably d-distracted thinking about what the elves would be fixing for our next meal that d-day."

The crimson phoenix swooped lower in the air and flapped its wings toward the lake. They saw it turn it's head toward them by the water's edge and it made a circle above the lake. It landed on a high branch of the tree near Peter. Peter let out a squeak and crumpled a bit in fear at the sight.

"Relax, Peter! It's not going to do you any harm, " Sirius called out, exiting the lake water still soaking wet. He and James walked slowly toward the tree watching it perched up on the branch. The phoenix was eyeing the four of them looking carefully from one to the other.

The phoenix settled it's gaze intently upon Remus and squawked loudly. The group of Hufflepuff students were approaching the tree still chattering about it, seemingly thrilled at the sight as if the Queen herself was visiting Hogwarts. The phoenix stayed fixed staring at Remus. Then it hopped off the branch and flew straight towards Remus.

Sirius, James and Peter, all three came charging toward Remus to see why it was taking such a strong interest in him. Remus was surprised it was coming for him of all people. Why me?

He quickly stood up, braced himself and held up his arm instinctively as he usually did for his post owl Cadbury. The Phoenix's bright golden talons curled around his arm and Remus noticed heat radiating from them through his robe sleeves into his arm. It didn't hurt him, though.

"Well, hello," Remus said to the majestic bird, not sure what else to say.

The group of Hufflepuff students had all grown silent in awe watching the landing of the phoenix on his arm. Some of them had mouths dropped open wide in amazement.

The phoenix gave a quieter squawk and then bent it's head down towards one of it's legs. Remus looked down at the leg and noticed a message was tied onto one of it's legs in a similar fashion as they did with their owls.

James walked closer to the phoenix and asked, "Would you like some help untying it?"

The phoenix opened it's shiny gold beak and squawked angrily towards him. James raised both hands and backed away. "Alright, alright, I was only trying to help. It's a bit tricky one-handed."

Remus nervously started untying the message from the phoenix's leg. He cursed at himself for taking so long but it was harder to untie it when there was an audience watching him fumble with it.

Finally, he got it off and unfolded the note. As soon as he had pulled off the note, the phoenix gave a small contented squawk and took flight again. It flapped its wings and flew up high into the sky away from them. Remus watched it take off briefly and then read the note silently to himself.

It said:

"Dear Mr. Lupin,

I have an urgent matter to discuss with you. Please come to my office at once.

The password in the next hour is:

Eccles cakes.

~Professor Dumbledore"

Remus blinked and read it again feeling confused. He hoped he wasn't in trouble. He wondered if Dumbledore had somehow found out about James, Sirius and Peter attempting to become animagi. He had initially promised Dumbledore years ago before he came to Hogwarts he would not tell anyone of his lycanthropy. But his mates had figured it out. Perhaps his time at Hogwarts was now over and Dumbledore wanted to tell him in person in his office now. Remus looked up from the note with all the color drained from his face. Peter's eyes grew wide in terror.

James said, "You look like you've seen a dementor. What is it, Remus? Tell us."

Remus took a breath and answered with a trembling voice, "It's from Professor Dumbledore. He wants to see me in his office immediately."

A few of the Hufflepuff students in the group that had gathered nearby mockingly said, "Oooooooo."

"Oh bugger off, bumble puffs!" Sirius shouted at them. They rolled their eyes and left.

James blinked at Remus from behind his round specs in confusion and said,

"I wonder what for?"

Sirius walked to Remus and casually patted him several times on the shoulder. He smiled and said, "Come on, mate, it can't be that bad. You'll be alright - he's not going to eat 'ya. We'll walk you there."