~ Prologue ~
End of Spring

It was quiet in the three-story house belonging to a tanned-skin woman with long, raven black hair. The twenty-six year old was humming absently to herself as she prepared an extra room for her elder sister, who was taking a vacation to visit her in Scotland. Her concentration was broken when something leapt at her back and instantly knocked her down to the floor. She struggled briefly, and managed to get onto her back to fend off the attacker’s muzzle.

    : Silver! Get off me! Bloody hell, you’re not a cub anymore! : She ‘yelled’ using her mind to communicate to the huge silver-furred wolf. Another set of paws tickled her feet, as the wolf’s mate Wind joined in the fun. Fenix wiggled desperately out and curled into a ball, her hands clutching her waist as she laughed uncontrollably.

    : Sorry! I think your sister has arrived. : Storm sat on his haunches regally as his penetrating silver-black eyes gazed at hers. Wind sidled up against him, nibbling on his neck ruff gently, before turning to grin at Fenix.

    Fenix controlled her laughter and gave an unlady-like snort at the bigger of the two wolves. : You need to work on your language. You definitely sound common-born and not at all suitable for your current pose, : she said haughtily, as she got up to her feet and straightened her blouse. She heard the sound of a car engine as it abruptly pulled in, with the noise vibrating loudly in the garage. She grinned widely and went down the stairs briskly, almost flying out of the house to give her elder sister a warm hug.

    "Fenix, act your age," Giselle Liana Maxwell said in exasperation, but returned her sister’s hug. She drew back from her younger sister and looked at her in amazement. "What have you done to yourself? Dieting again?" she demanded, looking at her sister’s trim body.

    "Nonsense! Dieting is too troublesome, so I did it the hard way, running. You should try it," Fenix suggested mildly as she looked archly at her sister’s waistline.

    "Huh, as if I have the time to do that!"

    "Really? Then how come you have the time to pay attention to that handsome black-haired Elven guy?" Fenix asked, giving her sister a sly look.

    "What--how did you know that he's an elf?" Giselle demanded, looking wildly at Fenix as they went back into the house, struggling to bring the suitcases she had brought with her to the second floor.

    "Sis, in case you hadn’t noticed, I have a pair of eyes that work perfectly well. I’d grant you that his disguise is excellent, but it’s just that I have a tendency to spot the Otherworldly," Fenix replied in an offhanded manner. "All in all, he was rather charming about the whole thing. I’d often wondered about his reactions when he found out that his disguise didn't fool me in the least. And Aldren-- you do know that he is Derian’s older brother, right?" she inquired of her sister, who nodded.  Fenix continued, "Although I knew about the whole thing all along, Aldren didn't want to enlighten his younger bro that I saw through the disguise.  He wanted to continue his pretense that Derian is a human librarian. It worked rather well, since Derian was off studying in Ireland when I came to the Grove to continue my education."

    "No kidding. I knew you’re damn eccentric sometimes, but I didn’t know it went that far. It happened when you got into that accident right? The one that occurred eight years ago? When our family--" Giselle faltered then looked curiously as her sister helped her unpack her luggage. Her younger sister was shaking her head.

    "Wrong, I was like this since I reached puberty. You know what they say about having sixth sense as a child. It tends to fall into disuse when you hit that stage, but well, I guess my Gifts stayed."

    "Huh, should have expected it," her sister grumbled and fell silent as the two women began sorting out the clothing and hanging them in the wardrobe. "Aargh!" Giselle suddenly screamed as Silver fell on her and began licking her face. "Silv, yuck! This is disgusting! Get off, wolf!" she giggled helplessly as the silver wolf licked her face for several more moments and then trotted off to sit near Fenix’s heels. "Have any of your neighbors noticed them?" Giselle asked her sister with concern, finally noting the size of the male wolf.

    "Yeah, they have, but they don’t say much about them. Just to let me know that it’s all right for me to take care of the wolves. The people living around here are more of the eccentric type," Fenix shrugged as she hung the last item from the suitcase and closed the door of the wardrobe.

    "I see, so they know about the elves back in the woods?" Giselle asked her as she stacked the suitcases and kicked them to send the stack sliding noisily under the bed.

    "Sis, this is Scotland after all. How can they not know about the Fair Ones?" Fenix replied, going to her own bedroom to get several towels for her sister.

    "Okay, that was a rather stupid question," Giselle agreed, as she accepted the towels with a nod of thanks. "Well, I’ll go and wash up. I hope you have something good to eat; I’m famished!" she raised her voice a little as she closed the bathroom door. Fenix grinned after her and went into her own room to bathe.

    : Now, don’t go messing with either of us after we’ve washed, : she warned Silver. : Promise? :

    : Cross my heart? : The wolf replied roguishly.

    She gave a throaty laugh, hugging the wolf and rubbing his neck affectionately. : What would my life be like if I don’t have the both of you with me now? : She squeezed the silver wolf fondly.

    Wind trotted up to her and gave a nibble on her long black hair before answering her human friend. : Probably you would be bored and a little more desperate to catch a boyfriend. : The grayish wolf with a streak of black along her muzzle replied impudently.

    : You could be right, : Fenix said as she hugged the female and stepped into the bathroom. While the two wolves went down the stairs slowly to wait in the kitchen, Fenix’s thought reached their minds. : But then--maybe not! :

**********

    "Those things we caught on the digi-cam --what are they?" Derian, a seemingly handsome, black-haired human with an unusual pair of ears and eyes asked Aldren the elf. The latter was currently dressed in a dark brown scout’s clothing and was precariously balancing himself on a tree branch.  His other hand held a digital-camera; a gift from his friend, and sometimes sparring partner, Fenix R. Maxwell.

    : Be quiet! I’m trying to listen to Evangiana’s thought, : he said rather absently, as the elf frowned in concentration. : Giana says that the creatures have already disappeared. : Aldren informed his brother as he switched the digi-cam off. "Fenix will have to know about this," the elf muttered darkly.

    "Wait a minute! Don’t you mean Giselle? And how do you know she’s here?" Derian hissed.

    "What in hell are you talking about? This isn’t Giselle’s home or wood!"

    "But Fenix doesn’t know about us!" Derian protested. "Does she?" he continued timidly as his elder brother gave him a frown.

    : By the hands of Phoebus! Are you even my brother? : Aldren exclaimed in indignation, his cat-like eyes widening incredulously. : You can’t even tell that she’s one of the Ancients? :

    : What? : Derian yelped, switching to mindspeech. : But that stuff the Elders tell us about the Ancients is just stories! :

    : For entertainment? : Aldren leaned towards his brother, his eyes flashing dangerously. Before the older of the elves managed to do the younger harm, a voice spoke up from below them.

    "’Scuse me, would ya mind getting off me branch? Ye lads are giving me trunk the aches," the Tree requested humbly. The elves looked incredulously down towards the middle of the trunk to see a pair of wrinkled brown eyes and a rough mouth looking at them with amusement. Aldren quickly jumped off the branch with the agility of an acrobat and stared at the Tree with shock.

    "You’re a Mnid," Aldren whispered, his voice thick with wonder. Then he turned to his brother, who was dusting off broken twigs and dry leaves from his trousers with trembling hands. : Just stories eh? What is this one, then, if not one of the Ancients? : Aldren demanded.

**********

    Fenix was frying tempura for their dinner as her sister made a big jug of fruit punch. The two wolves were in a corner screened by canvas, where they sat and tore at the fresh haunch of beef that Fenix had provided them.  Giselle swerved her head and looked curiously at the kitchen door. Then as she began to think that she had imagined the knock, another vibrated through the room. Fenix signaled her sister to take over the frying as she moved towards the kitchen door and looked through the peephole. She giggled as Aldren made a funny face right at her.

    "Looks like your knight is here, Sis," Fenix said mischievously. Giselle glowed for a moment, her eyes going distant.  She stuck her tongue at her younger sister before dipping in a fresh batch of prawns. Fenix opened the door, giving the older elf a hug, a chaste kiss, and a smile to Derian.

    : Is that enough for the four of us? : Aldren asked hopefully, gazing longingly at the golden-brown of fried prawns.

    : Yes, Aldren, : Fenix sighed, : I knew you would be dropping by, : she glanced obliquely at Derian as he cast several wild-eyed looks at her, : and what’s wrong with your brother? :

    : I had just informed him that you are the Phoenix. And that you knew of our existence a long time ago. :

    She looked at Derian with amusement. : Didna’ take it too well I imagine, soon-to-be-brother-in-law? : She gave him a disdainful look as he stood still, gaping in shock. She rolled her eyes theatrically as Aldren chuckled softly. Giselle caught their attention with the sound of clearing her throat and stared at the three of them, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.

    : Nothing, sister of mine. :

    : Nothing, dear. Didn’t know that your sister could use mindspeech. :

    : You can? : Giselle asked Fenix.

    : Well, I just did, didn’t I? : Fenix replied in confirmation, adopting an innocent expression on her face.

    : Shame on you! Should have told me earlier, : her sister gave a reproachful look.

    "Well, since you know now, I might as well tell you that you can communicate with the wolves the same way," Fenix said helpfully, looking at the wolves who were nearly completing their dinner. Giselle gave a gasp of surprise and looked at Silver in concentration. After a moment, her face began to turn red slowly and she broke off and concentrated on frying some more prawns.

    "By the way, did you know about the tree beside the mint grove?" Aldren asked Fenix casually.

    "Yes, but why do you ask?" she replied as casually, giving him a careful look.

    "Nothing. By the way, I have something to show you. This thing came in handy as I was patrolling just now," Aldren said as he patted the digital video camera fondly. Then he gave a frown as a red light flashed. He cursed and she smiled gently at the swearing elf.

    "Don’t worry, Aldren. Go ahead and use the computer to recharge it. I keep an extra cable in the black drawer."

    "You’re a thoughtful girl," Aldren said fondly.

    "Nah, not thoughtful, just well prepared," Fenix disagreed.

**********

    "Derian, rewind that--okay...now pause!" Fenix instructed firmly as the elves, humans, and wolves crowded around the television. Aldren adjusted the visual a little and Fenix shivered involuntarily as she looked at the TV screen.

    : Is that a werewolf? They look… grotesque. : Giselle asked in their minds, not trusting the environment around them. Fenix did not blame her sister, although she had placed shields on the house and then cast an extra layer that expanded all the way to the wood. Silver and Wind pushed against them and studied the unmoving picture silently.

    After a moment, Silver spoke up. : That is not a werewolf. I could give you several reasons why it is not. One; it’s still daylight and even if the moon came out early, we’re having the full moon on next Monday. It’s only Wednesday now. Two; A werewolf does not wear a cloak. It might have worn something but it will probably ended up in tatters-- :

    Fenix interjected. : And three; those things really look like rotten thin-- : Suddenly she stopped as her eyes took a distant look. Aldren frowned slightly and waited for her to speak up. : Giana says that the creatures were just passing through. And she tells me something else; she had managed to find out from a careful probe that the things are dead and she says that they’re some kind of an evil version of an Empath, : she said, her eyes focusing sharply on the TV screen.

    : Now that’s wrong thinking for a werewolf to have, : Derian agreed, his arm snaking out to hold Giselle lightly on her waist.

    : Damn, I’m wishing now that I hadn’t seen this.  And right before I go to bed, : Giselle complained, her face still pale.

    : Don’t worry, I’m here. :

    : Would you like me to stay too? : Aldren whispered.

    Fenix gave him a very sad look that did not escape her sister’s alert eyes.

    : If you don’t mind, : she said, : I think I would really like to have someone to wake me up before I get nightmares. :

**********

~ Chapter 1: The Elementals ~
The next morning…

Fenix tried to move and finally managed to wrench herself from her sleep. Aldren was sleeping soundly beside her, with a bolster in between, separating them. A pair of luminous eyes suddenly flashed across the room as Silver padded quietly to stand beside the bed.

    : What is it? : The wolf asked in concern, touching his nose on her sweat-drenched cheek.

    : It’s--I just saw someone. He was trapped in between portals. I don’t really know if it’s Farsight or Foresight. Or they could be just dreams. : Fenix said, her Mindvoice layered with tiredness. She lay motionlessly on the bed and sniffed at the air. She sighed and sat up on the bed. : I might as well get up and cook some breakfast. Sun just came up. Go ahead and sleep. :

    : And leave you in the kitchen alone? Oh no-- not after last night, : the huge wolf said firmly.

    : Silv, don’t be ridiculous! : Fenix said in exasperation.

    : I do have a reason to be paranoid. They got through the wood’s defense after all. :

    : I guess you are right, I’m not exactly sure how they went through the trees without gaining attention of the Nymphs or me for that matter, : she admitted grudgingly. She slipped on her robe and went downstairs silently, barefoot. : It’s just as well that the Fair Ones are still sticking to scouting around or we wouldn't have known about their presence until it's too late. :

    Fenix had just managed to finish cooking some scrambled eggs when her sister came down to the kitchen looking rather haggard.

    "So… nightmares or just entertainment?" Fenix asked her sister without so much as an eye-blink as she poured some orange juice for herself.

    "Both," her sister growled as she opened a package of ready-made pancake mix and began to batter the mix up. Fenix handed her a pan and turned her attention to boil some sausages. When the two sisters were done, they began to arrange the sumptuous breakfast on the table.

    "So what were your nightmares about?" Fenix asked as she cut up some fresh meat for the wolves.

    "I don’t really know. It didn’t make any sense anyway. First, Derian chased me down and then suddenly the horrible thing we saw on the video stood right in front of me. Then I felt as if my soul was being sucked down until you came, holding nothing more than a ball of blue fire and hurled it against that thing. It didn’t much resemble any creature after that; you incinerated that thing down to ashes. Make anything out of it?" Giselle asked as she plopped down onto the chair. She began to eat her share of pancakes with a nice helping of maple syrup, not really caring that she might put on a few more pounds by the time her annual leave ended. Giselle suddenly stopped chewing as two pairs of eyes looked penetratingly at her. "What?" Giselle asked in curiosity.

    "Are you sure the ball was blue?" Fenix asked in a strangely strangled voice.

    "The ball was blue. It wasn’t exactly a ball, more like a sphere and it was made of blue fire," Giselle asserted with conviction.

    "Hey girls! Good morn--" the two elves were saying when Fenix suddenly interrupted them.

    "Alert the Fair Ones and our neighbors. Those things we saw on the video have just fallen into the ‘dangerous’ category," she said brusquely, and stared at Derian fiercely until he closed his mouth and averted his face from her direct stare.

    "But Giana said that those things were just passing through," Aldren said dubiously.

    "Remember the other time when you dreamt about me coming to you holding a twig surrounded by blue fire, to save you from drowning? What happened then?" Fenix asked curtly. Aldren stood rigidly as his eyes flashed with anger.

    "A section of our Grove burned," he answered, gritting his teeth with suppressed anger.

    "Exactly. Giselle dreamt of the creature sucking the soul out of her and I came holding a ball of blue fire. Let’s not wait until it’s too late for us to take any kind of action."

    "All right, we’ll warn them," Aldren agreed and then his eyes lit up, "but after breakfast."

    Fenix threw a spoonful of sticky maple juice right up on his handsome face.

************

Three weeks after, Summer. Between worlds…

    Sirius Black hung in stasis in the moving darkness. Every now and then, flashes of lightning rippled through the dark. Far away in the darkness, he could hear voices. The voices blended in with each other so that they could only be heard as a low rumbling noise. He was not thinking too clearly at the moment, for his body was racked with pain as tendrils of lightning energy hit him.

    I have to get out! I have to! God, how James will kill me if something happens to Harry! Have to go back…his thought died as a great bolt of silver lightning hit him right on the center of his chest. Nothingness…

************

    Sirius was awake, again. His throat was dry and he felt very tired. His wand lay motionlessly in mid-air. He tried to speak out to give a command, but he found he could not move a single muscle. He stared at his wand in frustration. It’s as if someone has placed a body-binding spell on me. Time is running out…I have to get back to Harry…just to let him know I’m still alive! Wormtail…when we meet…I’m going to make you pay for the pain you’ve caused Harry and the Headmaster…Yesss… I will get you…

    His eyes widened. The voices were coming closer to him. You will not claim me for your own, he thought hard at the darkness, and he could feel them flinching away. Sirius was even more determined to get out. Determined to get back to the living.

************

    Sirius was sweating pretty heavily. So far, he had not been struck by lightning for the past hour. Alarm had begun to settle in. The shadows flitted out of sight in the darkness. I really hope that Time doesn’t play an element in this place. Years could have passed by without me knowing it. Quite suddenly a picture formed in his mind and all he could see was a mint grove. The place seemed to be safe and he thought suddenly. Take me there. Take me to the safe place!

    He felt all sides surrounding him begin to expand and contract and there was suddenly an opening. Much to his amazement, it was a shadow of the mint grove. A surge of adrenaline pounded in his nerves and at the sudden burst of energy, he propelled himself outward, one hand grabbing for his wand. He tumbled headlong out of the portal and into the glade. He shrieked as a sharp stone impaled him on his shoulder. Just great, was his thought as his consciousness slipped away.

*********

At the Maxwells'...

    The house was quiet. The Elven brothers had still not returned from their Grove. Her sister had enclosed herself with Wind in Fenix’s library as Giselle instantly fell in love with the collection of books. Fenix was out in the garden with Silver, raking out a new patch of soil to plant her chili seedlings in. She had just patted the ground firmly, when she found herself tumbling sideways and blacked out for a moment.

    Silver was licking her face anxiously as his mate and Giselle went down the steps frantically. Fenix fended off Silver’s muzzle feebly as Giselle reached out for her and got her to a sitting position. Then she was immediately struggling up to her feet.

    "Sis, get back in the house. There’s a man injured and I think I need your help in patching him up. Whatever you see me do, don’t be surprised all right?" then she turned to Wind. "Stay with my Sis. If anything happens, sound the alarm."

    : Let’s go; the man’s terribly hurt. : Fenix said, sprinting towards to the middle of the woods. Just then, a horde of brownies was running clumsily towards her.

    "A man in the clearing!" they whispered urgently in high voices. "He’s wounded deeply! The Greater Nymphs are with him, but they dare not do anything."

    "It’s all right," Fenix replied haltingly as Silver shot past her, probably following the scent of blood, and disappeared in the distance. Fenix saw the Mnid bending down to look at the fallen man with concern, and then straighten up when he felt her presence. The great silver wolf was sniffing at the man, nudging a little at the man’s fingers with his muzzle.

    : He’s unconscious, a stone’s wedged up right through his left shoulder, :  Silver’s thought reached her mind as the wolf peered down at the man worriedly. : You had better get him in the house A.S.A.P. He’s lost too much blood. :

    "By the wings of Aquilla," Fenix breathed heavily, as she Felt the man’s pain. "You’re right."

    Abruptly she called up to the greater Sylphs and upon their consent, the Sylphs each lay a hand under the unconscious man. With great precision, they jerked his body up and slid it off the stone with a sickening squelching sound. Fenix briefly gagged at the open wound, but used her power to stop the bleeding and infection. There was no time to waste; she briefly instructed the Nymphs and brownies to clean up the blood mess and she Jumped the Sylphs, the injured man, Silver and herself back to the house.

    Giselle let out a shriek before clamping her mouth tightly with her right hand. However, when she looked down at the limp body, she lost her nervousness and began ordering Fenix to get the man down on a bed.

    Fenix looked at a Sylph with bright auburn hair. : Second floor, fourth room to the right. : The Sylph answered with a nod and they disappeared as they Teleported themselves into the bedroom. She turned to the brownies that peeped from the kitchen threshold diffidently.

    "Can we help?" one asked in a small voice.

    "Yes, you could--the first aid kit is in my room, the blue cupboard--" she said to Giselle. Then to the Earth Elementals, "Could you help me boil some water?" the brownies did not ask any more questions as they zoomed back into the kitchen for the appointed task.

    Fenix entered the bedroom to see the same auburn-haired Sylph had delicately undressed the injured man, a quite easy task as the man’s clothing was in tatters, to reveal a naked body very much abused. The man had several scorch marks on his body and several deep gashes.

    "Fenix, don’t you think it’s much better if we place him in the care of the hospital?" Giselle asked, trembling a little at the wound at his shoulder.

    "Takes too much time and they’ll ask a lot of questions; you handle the gashes, they probably need some stitching up anyway."

    "But how about that?" Giselle gulped as she pointed at the big wound.

    "I’ll deal with it. I have to warn you that I might collapse after that," she frowned a little and gave a desperate thought. Now I wish that Aldren, or even his brother was here to help.

    The brownies trooped up the staircase, with two of them carrying a wooden chair and one carrying a pot of warm water. They acted as attendants to Giselle as she instructed them to clean the gashes with sterile cloth. Fenix, meanwhile, sat herself beside the man’s left shoulder. Emptying her thoughts, she was only aware of the wound, as she shut herself out from the surroundings but not from the man’s pain. It’s a good thing it’s not his ribs. Using her own life-energy, she directed it towards the wound, where it merged with the man’s splintered scapula and collarbone. She focused on the restructuring of the bones as her Healing worked from the inside, marrow to bone. Only when his bones became whole again did she pour more of her energy to speed up the life cycles of the muscle cells and the reorganization of the nerve cells.

    Giselle stared at her sister and at the closing wound in amazement. Wonder what other secrets she’s keeping from me. She shook her head a little and finished stitching a gash. I would really like to look at his back. She whispered to a brownie to get the dirty cloths down the kitchen and to replace the pot of water. Three brownies waddled out while Giselle looked at her sister worriedly. Fenix’s forehead glistened with perspiration and Giselle let out a sigh of relief when she finally opened her eyes.

    Fenix fought down a wave of dizziness and waited until her vision stopped spinning. "Oh, you’re done, let’s have a look at his back before bandaging him up. By the way, his ribs are fine. I Saw no broken bones and no interior damage save the shoulder."

   A group of Sylphs had been standing by to help; they lifted the oblivious man and turned him on his front. Fenix tenderly laid her hand amongst the many scratches that were on his back while her sister paid attention to the more serious scratches. "I’m beginning to wish that you did not have to stitch him up. I’m the one who’ll be sharing his pain when its time for them to come off," Fenix told her sister in a conversational tone as she saw the scratches turned into faint tendrils of scars. Her sister grunted her amusement. The brownies, after seeing the two women nearly finishing their final patching, brought wash water up, several clean rags, and a towel.

    "How come I never seen these guys--ah--I believe they are called Elementals--before?" Giselle asked, her voice tinged with curiosity.

    "Maybe you have a little Elemental magic yourself, usually we won’t be able to see them--I mean normal people. But since we are of Mom’s lineage, I guess a little bit of Magick has been passed down to us. I think it lies largely on the fact that I’m also one of the Elemental Mages. I could summon them at will and it only takes a little sixth sense to see them."

    "Let me guess; you specialize with Fire?" Giselle questioned.

    Fenix got up to dip a cloth in the clean, lukewarm water and began to wipe the stranger’s body. "Well," Fenix started, "for my case it’s a little different. Usually an Elemental Mage has only high affinity for one elemental. However, when they find themselves having two higher affinities, they usually drop one. Much like me dropping A. Maths and then concentrating on E. Maths. I’m both a Fire and Air Elemental Mage. But since these two Elementals could usually work together, I have no problems whatsoever."

    "I can accept that. So you’re a Healer too? Any kind of side-effects after using that particular Gift?"

    "Yes, to both questions," Fenix paused as the man trembled a little under her touch. She continued to wipe his body gently and continued. "Healing comes from the Healer; if I’m not careful, you might end up with two invalids in the house. But I still have my reserves; the most I would do is fall asleep for a few hours. Other side-effects are that I would be feeling--ah--maybe the word that describes it is--ah--artificial pain."

    Fenix stopped talking, and they rested their aching hands as the Sylphs turned the stranger yet again. The brownies had placed an extra basin of water at her side. She picked up a clean face towel and dampened it to wipe at the stranger’s face. Giselle caught her attention with a small gesture and looked at her sister in inquiry.

    "What do you mean by artificial pain?" Giselle asked.

    "I mean that…Well, take the wound in his shoulder; I would feel a severe discomfort in my left shoulder for the next few days." Comprehension dawned on her sister’s face and they did their tasks in silence.

    "Fenix, we’ve mixed up a poultice for the deep cuts," a brownie whispered.

    "Thank you very much," Fenix replied gratefully. Once she was done, she got up and took out several clean bandages and a pair of scissors that was kept in her room. Giselle had already begun applying the poultice and it was therefore up to Fenix to wrap the bandage. She was surprised to see a six-inch cut on his right calf and blinked at her sister’s precise, small and neat stitches. She grimaced a little and waited for her sister to apply the poultice on it. Fenix quickly unrolled the bandage, cut it off at an appropriate length, and began winding it around the man’s calf. Using a touch of her magery, she sealed the ends.

    "That’s why you don’t bother with pins, I see," Giselle observed.

    Fenix stood up to stretch a little as several of her joints popped. She gave a little frown at a scorched mark at the exact center of his chest. "Hey, how come that escaped me?" Fenix asked, her voice sounding a little perplexed.

    "I dunno, it wasn’t there a while ago," Giselle remarked as she peered closely down at the imprint.

    "I wonder if there’s more of that," Fenix sighed futilely, as she extended her senses again, probing for new injuries. Finding none other than the one on his chest, she began Healing him again. She sank back onto the stranger’s side, trembling a little with fatigue. Giselle got out a light blanket and covered the man. She too sank down at the foot of the bed, suddenly filled with exhaustion.

    "What do you think happened to this man?"

    "I don’t really know Sis. All I can tell was that he got himself trapped in between portals. Those irregular scorch marks and the state of his clothes imply that." At her sister’s puzzled expression, Fenix explained in detail.

    "A portal works like this: you build an archway, and in the space of that archway is the place where you want to go. There are three layers of places. The place where you’re in, the doorframe--or whatever you wish to call it and the place where you wish to go. My guess of what happened to this stranger was that he fell through an activated Portal, but one without a destination. So, he found himself trapped in a Plane of Energy; meaning the doorframe. It holds nothing more than just space, rather like the galaxy and stars. But instead of stars, it contains energy. The easiest form of energy to take place is--"

    "Lightning!" Giselle cried out, snapping her fingers.

    "Yes, lightning. I’m afraid his clothing has to go down the bin. I wonder if Aldren can conjure up something for him. I don’t think I have spare clothes for a man his size," Fenix said, standing up. She would have fallen down on the floor on her face if Aldren had not caught her shoulders in time.

    : Don’t worry, the Elementals gave us the news. I will get something suitable for the stranger. You need to rest, : the Elf said gently in the depths of her mind.

    : After I wash up, : Fenix said, smiling a little. Aldren gave a helpless shrug and was about to say something about it before a Sylph cut him.

    : The man was holding something in his hand, : the auburn-haired Sylph said, as she held out her hand. She was holding an object that was wrapped in black silk. Fenix looked at the Sylph and took the wrapped bundle cautiously. Carefully peeling off the edges of the fabric, she saw it was a wand. There was no other word to describe it.

    The man is a wizard. Phoebus, there’s just too much to think about. Fenix did not utter a word as she placed it on the mantelpiece and wrapped the wand with a protective spell. Then she turned to the Sylphs. I’ll worry about the man once my wits aren’t so addled.

    : Thank you for your help, : she said simply.

    : It was an honor for us to help you, lady, : the Sylph replied and with a smile. They vanished as well as the other Elementals that had come to help.

    "Well, I’ll accompany you to your bath then," Aldren said.

    "Over my dead body." Giselle interrupted firmly as she guided Fenix to her room and into the bathroom. "Aldren, I want you and Derian to keep an eye on the sleeping man until I’m done." Then she firmly closed the bathroom door as she aided her sister.

************

~ Chapter 2: The Road to Recovery ~
At the Dursleys…

Petunia E. Dursley was staring blankly at the bedroom ceiling, while listening to her husband’s snores. She was overwhelmed with a confusing mixture of feelings that night. This was because the Dursleys were shocked to their cores when the police officers arrived to reveal what their precious son was up to. Vernon was close to apoplexy by the time the police officers were gone, after giving the Dursleys strict warnings regarding their son. Her husband had remained silent after that, going straight up to the bedroom without touching his dinner that she had painstakingly prepared. Her Dudley did not at all look repentant as he shoved Harry out of his way to sit himself at the table. And all this time, we thought Harry was the rotten one.

    "Go to your room Dudley," Aunt Petunia instructed in a flat voice, her nose denting a little at her disappointment. Harry stared at her with shock. Evidently, Dudley too was caught surprised by his mother’s reaction, as he froze midway of sitting down on the chair.

    "But I have not eaten anything yet!" Dudley protested in a shocked voice.

    "YOU ARE NOT GOING TO HAVE ANY DINNER!" Her voice suddenly cracked out like a whip. Harry was sure that she could be heard all around the neighborhood, as the air crackled. His cousin’s face reddened slightly but the stocky boy marched off without a word.

    CRACK.

    Harry bristled with anger as his bedroom door was smashed by Dudley’s kick. A door slammed and the house went silent. There was a diffident knock on the door. Must be Professor Lupin. Harry opened the door cautiously as Lupin went in, tilting his head a little at Aunt Petunia’s direction.

    "Don’t worry; I’ll fix the door for you," the tired-looking man whispered as he made his way up the staircase. Professor Lupin treaded the corridor silently and shook his head at Harry’s bedroom door. They had better provide him with a counseling session soon, before the boy gets out of hand. The Professor flicked his wand and whispered, "Reparo."

    He walked down the stairs silently to meet Harry who was waiting for him. "No problem," then he gave a whisper, "are you all right?"

    Harry gave a nod, the Professor waved goodbye, and Harry shut the door firmly behind him. They’re still watching me. His aunt interrupted his thoughts.

    "Harry," she called stiffly, and the teenage boy gave her a wary look, "eat your dinner before it gets cold."

***********

    Nymphadora Tonks exchanged an incredulous look with Professor McGonagall as both watched through the glass of the amplifier.

***********

    Petunia did a lot of soul-searching that very night. Then she heard a desperate cry coming from the next room and she sat up on the bed. It was coming from Harry’s bedroom. After she had ensured, that Vernon was sound asleep and unlikely to wake up, she crept quietly out of the bedroom and paused to listen. She was awarded with another set of snores coming from Dudley’s room.

    A series of strangled moans could be heard from behind Harry’s door. Her hand froze at the doorknob and taking a deep breath, she turned the knob. The door opened without a sound. She went in and closed the door quietly behind her. She stood still in the dark bedroom. Hedwig watched silently, the owl turned her head to stare at the woman. Her eyes focused on the bed and dimly saw Harry trashing about his bed.

    "Sirius...where are you?" Harry choked back a sob and suddenly Petunia sympathized with this strange offspring of her sister.

    "Mom--Dad--did you find him? Where is Sirius? Nick--can’t you find him?" Harry pleaded, then moaned, turning his face towards the window and she saw the tears that streaked his face.

    "It’s my fault...all mine…" Harry’s voice trailed off. "Should have listened to Snape--Sirius." Harry thrashed around some more and suddenly raised his hand, reaching out desperately for something. "SIRIUS!" The young wizard jerked himself awake, panting a little and was surprised to find his aunt staring at him. She did not stop to think as she reacted instinctively. Harry had begun to shake and she sat beside his bed and enfolded him in her arms.

***********

    "Now that is groundbreaking news," as Lupin stared out at the amplifier, watching the woman giving silent comfort to Harry Potter. Tonks pulled the sometimes-werewolf wizard from the instrument as she took her turn to study the form of Mrs. Dursley, watching the lean woman as she tucked Harry back to bed and went out of the room silently.

    "Why the sudden change of character?" Tonks demanded Lupin, as the occupants of the house opposite the Dursleys' looked helplessly at each other.

    "How would I know?" Lupin protested.

    CRACK!

    The occupants looked at the just Apparated Bill. He looked soberly at them.

    "Professor Dumbledore said that there is a high possibility that Sirius is still alive."

    Professor McGonagall gave a small gasp.

    "But he does not want us to tell Harry this."

    "I agree," Professor Lupin nodded vigorously. "No point putting false hope in the boy. This might be the last straw." At Bill's inquiring look, Lupin said, "The boy is this close to having his spirits broken." Lupin explained, demonstrating with his thumb and forefinger.

    "So Sirius did fall through a Portal?" Professor McGonagall asked in a small voice.

    "Yes. It is going to be hard to search for Sirius. He could be anywhere. If he’s trapped in-between, it’ll be an extremely difficult hunt."

***********

    Harry woke up with a slight headache the next day.  However, it is not because of the scar; he was aware that he had done a lot of excessive crying the last night. He was really worn out; he felt his spirits draining out of him. The only thing that had made his summer holidays tolerable for the past few years was largely because of Sirius. Now his godfather was gone. And it’s because of his own stupidity that his godfather had died. He had realized that now. He had reacted recklessly for the past few months and almost got his friends killed.

    He got up from his bed and opened Hedwig’s cage and the owl hopped from its perch to Harry’s arm. Harry flung her out of the window as she soared up to spread her wings a little. The members of the Order are still watching me. I wonder when they’ll get tired of that. Harry looked out at the sunny morning as the heat began to increase. Harry sighed and went out of his bedroom to get a bite of breakfast.

***********

    Harry stepped into the dining room and seated himself. He silently poured himself a glass of orange juice and munched down on bacons and eggs. Dudley was looking at Harry sullenly. I bet he would really like to kick me instead of my bedroom door. Just that the knowledge of professional witches and wizards are making sure that nothing happens to me dampens the situation a little. As though he could not stand being in the same room with the boy-wizard, Dudley stormed out and slammed the front door. Harry watched his Uncle Vernon in trepidation.

    However, his uncle kept on reading the newspaper, his mustache not even twitching. Without warning, his uncle thrust the newspaper to him, his face demanding Harry to take it. Harry took the newspaper cautiously and his eyes instantly fell onto a mini-subheading ‘Strange sightings seen across Europe’.

    From places all over UK, people have reported of seeing cloaked figures, and these sightings were confined to the most rural areas. Speculations have been made that they were monks on pilgrimage but some have said that these figures do not symbolize peace. One spoke of them as the agents of chaos. These sightings are still under investigation.

    Harry looked up from the paper, feeling his insides tense. Uncle Vernon looked at him, his eyes flashing dangerously. Harry felt himself breaking out into cold sweat as suspicion crept in. Dementors. I knew that they had revolted, but I did not expect that they would go as far as to create trouble among the Muggles. He gulped several times and scanned the newspaper for more clues.

**********

Two days after Healing Sirius Black

    Fenix was reading The Scotsman for the second time in her study room. She was alone in the house save for the still comatose man and the two wolves. Giselle had gone out with the elves to replenish the kitchen supplies, though Aldren was very reluctant to leave Fenix alone in the house.

    Earlier in the morning, Giselle had questioned her. : Is there something going on between you and Aldren? :

    Fenix gave her a perplexed look. : No. Why do you ask? :

    : Just that you two are acting very couple-like. :

    : Don’t be ridiculous. He’s a very good friend. There isn’t any intimacy going on between us. :

    : If you say so. :

    Snapping out of her thoughts, she focused again to the newspaper cutout dated a few years back. So the man upstairs is the one they called Sirius Black. A suspected well-known killer. Fenix leaned back against the chair and placed the cutting back in the file, then turned her attention to the cuttings she had just obtained from the current newspaper.

    : So what are you going to do about it? : Silver’s thought reached her. Fenix sighed. The wolves had intruded her thoughts so frequently since the day she healed Mr. Black unquestioningly.

    : Silv, please don’t eavesdrop, : Fenix answered with a slightly pained expression.

    : If you don’t want us to, you can always block us you know, : Wind suggested blandly.

    : You know well that I can’t do that now. Anyway, the guy seems harmless for the moment. The fact that he’s a wizard puts shadows on the news. Witches and wizards--like him--really keep very low profiles in the normal world. :

    : What do you think those creatures were doing? :

    : I really don’t know. So far, there are no bizarre happenings but I guess it’s just a matter of time before something happens. :

    : What did Aldren said those things were called? : Wind asked.

    : He said that Mineif calls them Dementors. They’re the guards of Azkaban--whatever that means. :

    Silver hummed in her mind, as he nodded knowingly. : Ah, I get your meaning now. So this Mr. Black did attend Hogwarts. :

    Fenix winced in pain as she stretched her arms a little too hard.

    : Still feeling his discomfort, dear? : Wind asked sympathetically.

    Fenix nodded and massaged her shoulder. : I wish I knew more of the current wizard world. The only contact I had was with Lily; remember the woman who helped me along that magical bookstore? But then suddenly, she went silent-- : And I am not sure if I should poke my nose to know what is happening to the wizard world. Fenix jerked her head abruptly; her senses began to sharpen and the Hunter in her became alive. She silently kept the newspaper cuttings in the file and after checking that every entrance to the house was blocked using her magery, she cast another shield over the house. The wolves were strangely mute and she went down the stairs quietly to the second floor as training took over.

***********

    Sirius was awake. He looked about the strange room with wariness, looking for hidden dangers. He acted rather instinctively as he probed his left shoulder with his right hand. All right, I’m whole again. Where am I? St. Mungos? Sirius was rather shocked to find that he was quite undressed under the covers. He was even more surprised when he saw the bandages and poultice covering various parts of his body. Movement from the corridor captured his attention. He carefully planted his feet on the floor and shivered. The floor was very cold and goose-flesh had begun to spread down his arms and legs. My wand. His wand was laid on the mantelpiece and he reached out for it. A shiver went down his spine. He swerved quickly as he pointed the wand at the intruder.

    "Stupe--" Sirius had begun but halted as the woman stared at him, her face beginning to redden.

    "I wouldn’t do any spells yet," Fenix spoke rather firmly, fixing her eyes somewhere above his forehead. Maybe I should have asked Aldren to get him a pair of underwear first.

    Sirius began to scowl and had taken a step forward, not caring he was unclothed but the wolves stopped him from advancing for a moment. The great silver wolf bared his fangs at him threateningly. However, Sirius wasn’t impressed and had took several steps forward. And why should I be? Remus looked much more threatening than this male wolf when he’s in his element.

    : Stay out of this, : she warned the two wolves.

    Sirius had raised his wand again and to his profound amazement, his wand slipped out quickly from his hand, only to hang in mid-air next to the woman. She frowned for a moment and the wand began to move towards him.

    "I do not care to think of what could happen if you had uttered a command and began to flick it around before I removed the protection spell. You might burn down the house or something," she said.

    : FENIX!!! :

    The woman suddenly covered her ears, her face scrunching up with pain. Sirius was suddenly filled with amusement as she suddenly uttered a series of curses. Fenix took some effort in controlling her tongue and said curtly to the naked man. "Please excuse me for a moment," then she suddenly stopped and turned back. "The robe on the bed will have to do for now."

    Sirius looked at the wolves and at the black silk robe on the bed. The slimmer of the two wolves went out, leaving the silver wolf with him. Sirius strained his ears to hear the murmur of voices and the woman’s voice rang out quite clearly for the whole house to hear.

    "WHY IN GOD’S NAME DID YOU SHOUT?"

    I didn’t hear anyone shouting a few minutes ago. The silver wolf was looking at him, and Sirius could have sworn that the wolf was grinning at his perplexity. Maybe I’m slipping. Sirius carefully examined the robe and subdued the need to scratch the areas where the poultice and bandages were placed. And maybe I need a bath. My shoulder hurts like hell.

***********

    Fenix was fuming. I really wish I could strangle him. Stupid elf.

    : Fenix, I’m sorry, : Aldren pleaded.

    : It really hurts you know, : Fenix gave up and slowly started to smile.

    "The guy’s awake. Have you three got anything for him yet?" Fenix said, as she peeked around the packages they had brought with them.

    "Here; weather’s turning a bit cold. Therefore, I’ve bought a couple of sweaters, two pairs of pants and shirts. All black." Giselle told her as she handed her a large brown paper bag. The sisters had taken the opportunity to measure the size of the man while he was still in a Healing-induced sleep.

    "And these are his underwear," Derian added.

    Fenix took the bags upstairs, leaving the three to sort out their shopping materials in the kitchen. She was not surprised to see him still unclothed. He was searching the wardrobe for something.

    : Well? : She asked Silver, who was watching the man with amusement.

    : I think he is searching for a towel. :

    "It’s in that black drawer over there," Fenix said, pointing her chin at the drawer beside the bed.

    Sirius gazed at her. "What is your name?"

    "Fenix Maxwell. And you’re Mr. Black."

    Sirius raised an eyebrow at her. Nonetheless he did open the drawer and took out a towel. He managed to hide his uneasiness but was shocked that she knew his name.

    "These clothes are for you. I’m afraid the clothes you were wearing a few days back were nothing but tatters."

    Fenix left the man in the bathroom on his own and went down to the kitchen.

    Aldren hailed her as she stepped in and he hung a blue-gray scarf about a neck. She fingered it in appreciation. "Thank you," she said as she gave the elf a kiss on the cheek. She went about helping to store the canned foodstuffs in the cupboard. Quite suddenly, she gasped, her eyes stinging with sudden tears. She was clutching at her leg. Dear God, I can’t believe he had just tried to remove the stitch himself. Stupid, idiotic wizard.

    "Fenix?" Giselle asked, her face showing her concern.

    "It’s nothing. I’m going up to check on the guy."

    Fenix quickly dashed out from the kitchen, bounded up the stairs, and went to her bedroom. She burst into the bathroom without so much as a knock. The wizard looked up at her dazedly, quite aware that the door had disappeared without a sound. His calf was dripping with blood and she quickly filled a pail of water and winced as his wound stung as she used the water to wash the blood away. She called up the image of a pair of scissors and deftly cut the stitches. Each time she took a piece of the string out, he gave a muffled gasp. She on the other hand gritted her teeth as she Felt the pain coming from the man.

    Calming herself a little, she waited until her anger at the man subsided before she used her Healing Gift. I have to thank Him that this man had only plucked out only the stitches on his leg. It was a different story when she finished Healing the wizard. Her anger returned in the double and she stared at Sirius angrily, looking directly into his eyes. She felt a sudden jolt of recognition but ignored it as she let her anger simmer.

    "The next time, wait for an expert will you? I spent a great deal of effort to save your life and I don’t want you to die because of pure stupidity," she hissed, tears of anger and pain streamed down her face. She abruptly stood up and left her room then stormed out of the house through the kitchen door.

    "Fenix!" Aldren called out after her, but she took no notice of him. Instead, she went into full Hunter mode. Wind loped beside her in silence as they patrolled the woods together. Fenix climbed a tree occasionally to view the surroundings while the wolf accompanying her carefully scouted on the ground.

    Fenix extended probes in every direction and reports came back to her that all was in order, and no Dementors were making any appearances. Aldren was waiting for her beneath the Mnid as the Sun began to set, ready to take over the shift.

    : Dinner’s ready. : Aldren said. Fenix gave a tight nod and told Wind to go home first and she began to climb the Mnid, to sit on one of its broader branches carefully. Aldren made a tentative move to approach her but decided against it. He moved silently off.

    : Safe Hunting. : Fenix Mindvoice whispered, and Aldren knew that everything was all right.

***********

    Fenix returned home, her feelings all under control and she maintained a serene expression as she entered the kitchen. Giselle looked archly at her tight-fitting uniform. Spaghetti was on the menu that night and her stomach growled, reminding her that it had been a while since her last meal. She avoided the wizard’s gaze and told her sister that she would take a bath first before eating her dinner.

    "Suit yourself; but you better be quick before Derian finishes all of it."

    Fenix gave a non-committal shrug and went up to her room. She replaced back her bathroom door and went in to shower. There was a definite chill in the air as it had begun to drizzle and a gentle zephyr entered her bedroom that she quickly went to her window to close it. Opening her wardrobe, she examined its contents for something that could keep her warm and got out a long skirt with a gray sweater. She quickly slipped on her underwear and her clothes.

    She called up a group of Salamanders that took several moments to play with her damp hair, playfully styling it. Fenix knew by now that it was useless to tell them to stop styling her hair so she let them get the upper hand. They had neatly dried her hair and pulled her hair and began plaiting the upper half into a braid, attaching several hair ornaments that goes well with the sweater. I really look ridiculous. Who is going to look at my hair anyway?

    "You are very beautiful, mistress. Why haven’t you find yourself a mate yet?" one of the Salamanders asked her. Fenix sighed softly. The companionship of the two wolves to the Elemental Master had influenced the Elementals that were very close to her to a high degree.

    "Could you heat up the house a little? It’s getting a little cold," she requested, smiling a little at a very young Salamander that had playfully twirled itself with a lock of her hair. The group scattered to several places of the house, making themselves invisible as they coaxed the air to get warm.

**********

   Sirius ate his spaghetti without really paying attention to what he was eating. He knew that it was delicious but his concentration on dinner had wavered when Fenix had reentered the house. She wore something much like what the Aurors sometimes wear when they were on duty. He was beginning to feel a little guilty after Giselle explained what had happened to him when Fenix found him in the woods with great patience, including the after-effects of Healing.

    He was feeling a little confused. Elves. Never gave much thought that they really exist, but I guess that shows how narrow our thinking was, since fairies and centaurs do exist. And where does she fit in? She’s not a witch but she clearly possesses magic. It’s different but it is still magic. His mouth suddenly went dry when Fenix reentered the kitchen, looking very different. Rather distantly, a thought floated through his mind. She’s beautiful. Giselle was finding it hard to keep a straight face as she took in the stupendous hair arrangement.

    "Ah--Fenix--what happened to your hair?" Giselle asked mildly.

    "I don’t want to talk about it," Fenix grumbled as she helped herself to dinner. Derian was grinning widely at the embarrassed woman and Giselle looked toward him for an explanation.

    "It seems that the Salamanders really like her and her hair a lot. Most Fire Masters are males and they do not keep, strong and lustrous black hair."

    "Oh," Giselle gave a cheeky smile, "no wonder the temperature’s risen up." She remarked, feeling a little pleased at herself.

    Fenix was silent during dinner. Sirius was not sure of what to do when Derian and Giselle went up to retire. He reckoned that the safest thing to do was to stay in the kitchen. Fenix stood and took his plate without glancing and him and began to wash the dishes. Soon enough, she began singing absently to herself. Sirius toyed with his glass of fruit punch as he studied Fenix.

    "Who’s Harry?" Fenix asked suddenly, as she turned to face him, placing the last plate on the rack. She paused long enough to dry her hands before sitting back down. Sirius started to frown at her but she snorted disgustedly at him. "You mumbled his name in your sleep, along with several threats that I couldn’t really make out," she said bluntly.

    Sirius hesitated. Can she be trusted? I have to get to Harry as soon as possible. But I seriously don’t really know how to make my way down to Harry from here. Can she help?

    : He doesn’t know about the Dementors. Ask him and maybe he could give us clues as to why they’re roaming around UK, : Silver said to her as he crossed the kitchen to sit at her side.

    "He’s my godson."

    "Oh. Okay. What do you know about Dementors?" Fenix asked him, her eyes suddenly alert.

    Sirius started and looked suspiciously at her. "Why do you ask?" his tone was wary.

    "Just that about a few weeks ago, a couple of them passed through the wood’s defense and--," Fenix halted as she called up the image of her file that she kept the newspaper clippings. Sirius stared at her in astonishment as a blue file suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She rummaged through the file and finally found the recent cutout. "They were seen in various areas these days," she told him as she handed the cutting.

    Sirius took it and began to read it. A few moments later he began to swear pungently. "Things are coming up to a head then," he muttered darkly.

    Fenix narrowed her eyes as a thought occurred to her, "Are the Dementors’ appearance connected to your presence here?"

    Sirius shook his head. "I don’t think they are much concerned with my reappearance. This is something to do with my godson. All of this is how I became his godfather. But I do not know why they are roaming around, to be sighted by Muggles."

    It could be possible that those working at the Ministry discovered Malfoy and his cohorts. And the Dementors have revolted now that the Dark Lord has made his appearance known. I hope the Ministry, especially Fudge, regrets in keeping those creatures for employment. Sirius thought darkly, his handsome face though edged with tiredness began to scowl.

    Fenix gave him a quizzical look. "What’s Muggles?"

    "Non-magical folk." Then he began to tell her about the Dark Lord and the existence of Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived.

    Fenix bit off an exclamation as Sirius was mentioning about how Harry’s mother died as she tried to protect the infant. Sirius looked curiously as she scrambled out of her seat and bounded up to the third floor, to her library. She quickly opened a drawer and took out a booklet. She Teleported herself back to the kitchen, brimming with excitement and opened the booklet for Sirius to see.

    Sirius stared at the photograph in surprise. Lily’s eyes looked merrily at him, her arms around a very young and a shy Fenix lovingly. He spotted Remus in the corner and himself, standing beside the entrance of a bookstore, both looking very bored. I don’t really remember this moment. Fenix told him of how Lily had helped her to reach for a book that she couldn’t quite reach and she was too timid to ask someone for help. Sirius held the photo as he continued to tell her more about Harry’s unwanted Fame and the bag of troubles that were caused by his existence. Then, she had asked Sirius the most important question that she had been dying to ask.

    "How did you get here?"

    "I don’t really know. I was trapped in something like a second Dimension or something like that. The archway that I fell into was probably a Gateway. All I remembered doing before I hit the glade was that I thought hard of an image. Strangely, that image coincided with the environment that I ended up falling through."

    The Elemental Mage nodded her understanding, and she shuddered at the man’s experience in being trapped inside a Gateway. "Next question then. How did you manage to get yourself trapped in the Gateway in the first place?"

    "I was dueling with a witch. She had hit me with a spell and I was too damn arrogant to block it at that particular moment."

    Fenix was rather surprised when she looked at the clock. Midnight already? Aldren’s shift will end soon. I know now why he felt familiar, he was with Lily and a couple of others too. I think I understand what the boy is feeling. No wonder he opened his mind to the Dark Lord. He’s getting tired and the frustrations that are boring down on him may be unhealthy. And all the more important for him to know that his godfather is still alive.

    : I agree, maybe you could help the boy to build up his mind defense. Sirius kept saying that the boy holds unusual powers that was caused the backlash of the wand. Since you are also an Empath, you could keep an eye on him. :

    : I know, but do you think it’s safe? Now with the Dementors crawling about? :

    : Huh, since when has this kind of thing had started to bother you? :

    Sirius was looking curiously at her and the wolf. It seems like she’s communicating with the wolf somehow. Another version of being a Parselmouth? Fenix was looking at the wolf with a pensive expression on her face. He cleared his throat to gain her attention. Fenix looked at him, feeling slightly abashed.

    "Sorry about that. I think it has turned out to be quite important that you go to Harry; if only to boost his spirits up."

    A sudden chill penetrated the house and Sirius looked at her, fear starting to seep through his soul. Dementors, here in the house. Silver snapped at the air and was suddenly flung back across the kitchen and hit the cabinet. Two cloaked figures suddenly materialized at Sirius’s side. He was paralyzed as hope was drained out of him and all he could feel was an intense cold. I’m exhausted…Harry…Images of a smiling Harry surrounded by Ron and Hermione slipped into his mind. And Remus…so filled with happiness that Sirius wasn’t a traitor. I’m not giving them up…Damn it! I wish I had brought my wand down!

    "Hello, I think you two have forgotten that the owner of the house is around," Fenix taunted several feet away, unaffected by their presence.

     The bigger of the two Dementors swerved his head; his cowl fell back, its hideous, skeletal features exposed. It began to make a sucking noise and Fenix grinned almost maniacally.

    "It is damn rude to enter a house without an invitation, don’t you know lad?" Fenix said in a mocking voice. Suddenly the Dementor howled in pain as it was engulfed in intense blue flames. The fire cleansed the dead being and was reduced to nothing more than a pile of ashes and that too began to disintegrate. The other Dementor growled in disbelief and was about to Disapparate but Fenix was on it within a second. However, there were more of them, as she heard more growls--along with Derian’s muted war cry and Giselle’s terrified squeals--coming up from the second floor.

    "This is getting irritating," Fenix muttered under her breath as she suddenly appeared behind one of the Dementors, incinerating him with her mind within an instant. The Dementors converged on Giselle but could not really get any closer to her as the Salamanders showed their anger at full strength. The Sylphs, somehow aware of the current situation began to feed the Salamanders and the Dementors made a lovely bonfire in the middle of the bedroom. Derian was busily sticking his Elven sword and there were suddenly no Dementors.

    "I think you need to check up on the Wood’s shieldings again," Giselle said in a quavering voice.

    "Did they harm you?" Fenix asked her sister with genuine concern.

    "No, the Salamanders had encircled me."

    : Good job. : Fenix applauded the Fire Elementals. : Where’s Wind? :

: I’m downstairs dear. Would you check on Silver? I think he has broken something. :

    Fenix reappeared in the kitchen, the silver wolf still lying on the floor. Sirius and Wind were looking rather anxiously at the wolf and Sirius gave a sigh of relief when Fenix came to kneel beside him.

    "How come the Dementors do not affect you?" Sirius asked curiously. This is really amazing. Never thought that there is a way to destroy the Dementors. I thought the most we could do is calling up a Patronus. I wonder if Professor Dumbledore will be glad when he hears this little tidbit. But hang on a moment--the Dementors don’t really affect Remus all that much…

    "I have no idea," Fenix answered in a preoccupied manner. Sirius felt a tingling sensation and he understood when he suddenly heard a crack and Silver gave a whimper.

    : Just a dislocated shoulder-bone. He’ll be all right. But no strenuous activities for him for several days, : Fenix informed Wind.

    There was a knock on the kitchen door and Sirius opened it. A very rumpled Aldren came into the kitchen with several other Elves, who looked almost in a similar condition to Aldren. An Elven mage approached Fenix to give her a kiss on the cheek as she hugged the handsome elf warmly. Sirius stood back as the group of elves shuffled into the kitchen. Had there been Dementors out there? So, they must be immune to them too.

    "Cadriel, I think I know how they managed to get through the Wood’s defense and how to prevent future intrusions," Fenix told them and described the shield she had in mind. Sirius lost himself midway during the discussion but he felt that it was all right since the elves nodded in agreement with her plan. Just as long as she knows what she’s doing.

    "Are we going to cast the spells now?" Aldren asked, and was answered by nods all around the kitchen.

    It had taken them all night to make the preparations, all of them squeezed in the living room. Fenix and Sirius had improvised a little with her overlaying spells of Truth, and Intent with Sirius merging a back-up immobilizing spell in case something dangerous does manage to Apparate in. Fenix flopped down on the couch as the rest of the elves-- except for Aldren and Derian-- began to disappear to their Grove. Sirius went down to sit beside her in a more dignified manner, but he was no less tired than she was.

    Giselle gave the two of them mugs of hot chocolate that she had prepared while the group was busily spellcasting. Fenix took the proffered mug with gratitude as she gulped the beverage down. Wind jumped up and began to curl herself; her head on Fenix’s lap as Silver began to drowse on her feet. The feelings of security and fatigue began to seep into her system and she soon dozed off, leaning against Sirius.

    : Do you think something will brew up between them? : Giselle asked Aldren. The elf did not bother to go up the staircase to a real bed as he laid himself down on the floor.

    : No chance. He’s the wrong kind of guy. :

    : Oh? Why is that? : His brother asked, giving a sidelong glance at Aldren.

    : One, this guy is a bit on the arrogant side. Much too arrogant for her. He doesn’t show it now, but it is there all the same. Two, the nondescript-looking type always seem special to her eyes somehow. You should know that better than we do. She likes quiet guys, with a certain amount of mischief in them. She always seems to fall in love with the kind of guys people wouldn’t dream of partnering, : he replied. He sounded a bit sullen as he watched a drowsing Sirius, his arm curling reflexively on Fenix’s shoulders.

    : I see, : Giselle replied complacently.

**********

~ Chapter 3: To the Weasleys’ ~
Tuesday, 4^th July. At the Dursleys'...

Harry was helping out voluntarily in the kitchen, something he had rarely done when he was with the Dursleys’, peeling some potatoes for Aunt Petunia. He had just got himself a haircut, as a last resort to make himself look neater, and bought himself a jar of hair wax. He had also shopped for some new clothes to cope with his increasing height and his broadening shoulders. Professor Lupin had given him a certain amount of Muggle money and Harry felt it was wise not to think about where the Professor had gotten the money. He just hoped Professor Lupin had gotten them legally. I certainly do not wish to be apprehended because of some false notes.

    His uncle was out; shopping for some foodstuffs while Dudley was off to the boxing club. That left Harry alone in the house with his aunt and gave him an ample space to turn his thoughts inward, wondering what his best friends--Hermione and Ron--were up to. I wonder if I should visit the twins when I head down to Diagon Alley. I wonder how they’re doing with the joke shop.

    He somehow felt better these days, but the emptiness still hurt when he thought about his godfather every night before he drifted off to sleep. I do care…Professor Dumbledore was right…and I’m never ever going to give up on this whole business. I’m never going to give up hoping that Sirius is still alive…somehow…Harry did not understand his feelings all that well. Sirius somehow had became a major factor in the short time he spent with his godfather. Is this because he’s my only link to my parents?

    "Harry, please watch the way you’re peeling the potatoes," his aunt called out, not looking at him. He gazed down at his aunt’s warning and found that he had came very close to cutting himself and stopped any more daydreaming. The doorbell rang.

    "I’ll get it," Harry called out to his Aunt, as he wiped his hands on a clean kitchen-towel. He made his way briskly to the door and felt himself gaping as his vision was filled with the glowing faces of Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and her parents.

    "Hello, Harry!" Hermione and Ron greeted him as one, and he watched with detached amusement when Ron’s face unexpectedly turned red when Hermione gave him a condescending look, though her eyes were twinkling mischievously. She turned back to Harry and gave him a toothy grin.

    "Harry, who is--" Aunt Petunia’s voice trailed off as she stared at the company. An unbearable silence began to fill in and Harry twitched uncomfortably. Aunt Petunia was at odds with herself. Should I or should I not? The adults looked normal to me but I know the children are anything but normal. Taking a deep breath, she invited the Grangers and the lone Weasley to the house.

    "I’ve got ice-cream for you, Harry," Mrs. Granger told Harry, as she handed him a tub of mocha-flavored ice cream.

    "Thank you," Harry replied, feeling slightly embarrassed. That’s really odd, why are they giving me the sweet stuff? I thought they were dentists… His aunt returned to the living room, carrying a tray of chilled apple juice.

    "I’ll finish the potatoes; be a good host," she then said to Harry. Ron blinked his eyes at the back of Aunt Petunia.

    "How are you doing?" Hermione asked, picking up two glasses of the fruit-juice before taking up one for herself.

    "I’m fine."

    "I mean--how are you holding up?" Hermione questioned, and rolled her eyes in aggravation when Ron started to make hushing noises.

    "Not even married but they sure know how to quibble," Mr. Granger remarked to his wife, a bit bemused by the youngsters’ never-ending need to entangle themselves in an argument.

    "Dad!" Hermione protested feebly, her cheeks reddening.

    "The truth is I still hurt," Harry admitted, head bowed.

    Hermione gazed at Harry, sadness slowly creeping into her soul. The guests seeped at their drinks in silence, and that gave Harry some time to think about what Mr. Granger had said in passing to his wife. The way Hermione kept giving covert glances at Ron seemed to prove that his suspicions were at least on the right track. Without meaning to, Harry felt his lips twitched and gave a half smile at his friends. Hermione froze as Harry caught her in the act and began to blush; her face turning as red as Ron’s scarlet hair. And to his surprise, Ron began to swear. "Bloody hell."

    "Now, now, Ron. That’s no way for a Prefect to behave. What will your mother think of us?" Mr. Granger said slyly.

    "Oh, be nice," Mrs. Granger pinched her husband lightly.

    Harry was distracted by something else other than the idea that Ron and Hermione were ‘dating’ when Ron handed him a pile of Daily Prophets.

    "I’ve highlighted the important ones in red--shouldn’t miss them," said Hermione.  Harry spent some time reading them, flipping page after page.

    "So, Lucius Malfoy and the other Death Eaters managed to escape from prison," he stated in a conversational tone, not looking up from the paper.

    "Yeah, with the help of Dementors," Ron answered.

    "I think I’m beginning to understand Hermione’s complaints at being left out," Mrs. Granger observed, "I can’t make out head or tail of what the kids are discussing about."

    "Oh, mom," Hermione spoke lovingly to her mother, "you’re exaggerating. At least you know more about Hogwarts, Dementors, the Dark Lord, revolts, even magic than I do know about dentistry." and she squeezed her mother rather affectionately while Mr. Granger glowed.

    "And they had also staged a raid at the Malfoys’…I wished they had captured Draco’s face when they did it," Harry spoke to them. His tone sounded a bit disappointed.

    Hermione looked at her friend curiously. Just last year, Harry had shown a certain amount of being quick-tempered. Now, all he showed was a calm that Hermione found it assuring but at the same time intimidated by it. She carefully gave him the once-over. Harry had considerably grown since she had last saw him. He was still lean and thin but was already developing some muscles, and he had grown considerably taller though he was still shorter than Ron was. Maybe it’s due to stress… Hermione thought back about a few days ago when they were at Ron’s home, The Burrow, but without her parents along.

    Ron had told her a secret. Bill had whispered to Ron that there was a ninety-percent chance that Sirius could still be alive. And the eldest of the Weasley brothers had threatened Ron on some unspeakable thing if he were to tell Harry. Ron kept his word but since his brother did not mention that he should not tell Hermione of it, he had filled her in. She was so pleased with him when Ron told her that she had given him a full bear hug and a quick kiss on the lips. However, they did not disengage themselves quickly enough for the twins caught them. They hinted her parents of their kiss when they escorted Hermione and Ron so the group could go down and visit Harry in Privet Drive. Her parents seemed to be good-natured about the whole business, much to the disappointment of the Weasley twins.

    I really hope Sirius is still alive. Harry misses him that badly. She gazed thoughtfully at Harry, when she suddenly shivered. There was a kind of fierceness in Harry’s green eyes when he looked up at her.

    "Have you read any Muggle newspaper?"

    "I haven’t," Ron shook his head in perplexity.

    "Well, I did--," Hermione answered, "and I’ve read about those mysterious cloaked figures."

    "And we have seen them," Mr. Granger added, his voice rimmed with steel. "Hermione had described them in a pretty good detail that it was impossible for us to mistake those things for something else."

    "And what’s more Harry, my parents killed four Dementors that day," their daughter triumphed.

    Harry looked at the Grangers with a feeling that far surpassed shock. Ron too, was immensely astonished. Harry felt totally flabbergasted. He tried to speak out but his voice stuck in his throat. After several minutes, he managed to croak out, his eyes still wide with astonishment. Dementors can be killed? I think this is the first good news that I had heard ever since Sirius d… "H-how?"

    "It turns out that both my parents have some abilities of their own. But the authorities did not recognize the talents they had so that’s why they did not receive a letter from any of the wizarding Schools."

    "Both of us are Elemental Mages, Harry," Mrs. Granger informed the nonplussed teenage boy.

    "Elementals?" Harry repeated in bewilderment.

    "My mom’s an Air Elemental Mage and dad’s a Fire Elemental Mage," Hermione said.

    "We had figured how they managed to--say--petrify you. They start first with your mind--"

    "But since I hadn’t shielded my mind so tightly, they managed to get through my defenses--"

    "It seems that they didn’t turn out to be so invincible when they were engulfed in Fire, and they were transformed into small atomic molecules when my wife placed several Sylphs inside one of them," Mr. Granger was saying.

    "And there is another way to kill them--instead of using the Elementals--I’m not sure if any of you wizards and witches are equipped to destroy them that way--"

    "-- For as a matter-of-fact, we can’t either. Only one person I know in UK can do that."

    "And who is this person?" Harry asked out of curiosity.

    "A very young Elemental Mage, a lady, I think she’s still in her mid-twenties," Mr. Granger dithered, "but already a Master--"

    "Of both Fire and Air," Mrs. Granger interrupted rather excitedly. "Add that to her skills as Hunter, Healer and Empath." Harry looked at Ron for help, but his friend gave him a look that signify that he don’t really know what those terms really meant. The Healer part I can understand, but what does she mean by Hunter and Empath?

    "This one, dear Lord, if you could meet her Harry, she’s a brilliant woman. She works as an environmentalist, here in the Muggle world. Strange occupation for one whose strong abilities lies with Fire, usually the line is much more suited to Earth Mages. If you could just meet her, you will no doubt be able to learn something from her," Mr. Granger continued his voice filled with awe.

    "You said that she killed the Dementors without having to use the aid of the--ah--Elementals," Harry said, piqued with curiosity. "How did she do it?"

    "We are not quite sure, but we believe she used her mind to do it," Mr. Granger replied.

    "Well, the reason we came here," Ron began, taking the news that the Grangers’ were not so normal as they looked, calmly, "is that we wonder if you would like to hang around The Burrow before we go down to Diagon Alley to get our books."

    "Ron’s mother; in fact all of us, wants to celebrate your birthday there Harry," Hermione said, and gave him a pleading look.

    Ever since Harry had come to know the Weasleys’, Molly Weasley had done everything she could to make sure that Harry considers himself as part of the Weasley family. And does she think I’ll say no? Harry slowly began to smile. "I would really like that," he answered. Hermione shot a ‘I told you so’ look at Ron. The Weasley sighed in defeat.

    "So, when would you like us to pick you up? Anyway, we won’t be going without any escort," Ron pointed his thumb at the window. "Unless, Dad can fix up the Network again."

    So he knew that some of them were in residence here in Little Whinging. "When’s the full moon?"

    Hermione’s face lit up and answered readily, "About twelve days from today."

    "I don’t think the journey by broomsticks will take that long. Anyway, mom’s equipped to handle the peculiarities of Professor Lupin when the full moon arrives," Ron reassured him.

    Harry took a moment to think. It wouldn’t really take long for him to pack. "Why don’t you pick me up of Thursday?"

    "No problem-o, till Thursday then," Ron clapped Harry on his back.

**********

Thursday, 6^th of July. Time to move out….

It was a cool night. Harry had finished his dinner about half-an-hour ago. By general agreement--of the members of the order-- they would move out at night, preferably sometime towards midnight. If they hadn’t change the plan of flying to The Burrow. Harry had told both his caretakers. Uncle Vernon could not care less; he’d be much happier if Harry would not be around in the house for his Aunt Marge would be coming in to visit again during the weekend.

    Discreetly, Harry and the Grangers-- who were taking up residence across the Dursleys’ for the time being-- had shipped most of Harry’s possessions during the cover of the night. There was nothing else left in his bedroom save for his Firebolt, and a few changes of clothes and his wand, naturally. Hedwig was experiencing freedom over in the other house and relished in making frequent hunts at night. Harry did not blame her. If I were an owl, I’d probably do it too, provided I don’t turn feral…or something…

    Harry was in a considerably light mood. The prospect of spending the rest of the summer with the Weasleys’ had cheered him at least that much. Provided things don’t get any much worse, we could all practice some Quidditch. If I can get Ron away from Hermione…I wonder…when did they started to go out…

    Harry paused a moment to stare at his wand absently. He took several minutes to search deep within his heart. Thank goodness…thank goodness this revelation didn’t make me jealous…Harry gave a huge sigh of relief.

    Knock knock…

    That’s funny; the Dursleys’ never knocked on my bedroom door before…

    A familiar tired-looking face poked his head inside. Professor Lupin looked much more exhausted than ever and Harry found himself getting alarmed by the seconds. The once Defence against the Dark Arts teacher shook his head admonishingly.

    "Now don’t you dare ask me if I’m all right…seriously," his voice sounding a little surly, "you, Ron, Hermione and especially her parents, always seem to want to ask me that every time I show up." The middle-aged wizard almost sulked, and just for a moment, he looked very young, incredulously boyish, but as serious as he usually was.

    "Well if you a--"

    "I’m ready," Harry said, slinging his bag over his shoulders, his hand grabbing his Firebolt. His wand was already tucked safely in his pocket.

    "We’ll be going by Floo powder by the way," Professor Lupin said, looking over his shoulder as he proceeded down the stairs. Harry took one brief moment to stare his cousin down and nodded towards the Dursleys. Only his aunt paused at the front door to watch Harry leave, to enter the house opposite theirs.

    "Harry!" Ron gave his best friend an one-armed hug. "The rest are already at home, and the twins are there too!"

    "There’s just one thing I would really like to know," Harry said, "is Percy back home?"

    "Nope; I bet he’s too damn proud to admit that he’s been a nitwit."

    "Can’t you kids hurry up?" Professor Lupin grumbled.

    "We are, we are, don’t get grouchy," Ron answered. "Well, here I go," Ron muttered as he took a fistful of Floo Powder. "The Burrow!"

    "Here you go, Harry," Professor Lupin handed him the bowl and Harry took a handful of the Powder. "Tell Mrs. Weasley I’ll be about an hour late, I’ve got to keep watch on this house until Fletcher comes in from his errands--whatever they were."

    "All right," Harry nodded. "The Burrow!" Harry felt the familiar spinning feeling and the roar in his ears. In just a moment, he slid over the floor of the Weasleys’.

    "Welcome home, Harry!" the twins gave him a bear hug after they pulled him up to his feet, as Hermione and Ron took over his Firebolt and his rucksack.

    "You’ll get to share room with us, Harry," Fred whispered.

    "Now, we’ve got Percy’s room, had to make way for Hermione's parents," George nodded towards Mr. And Mrs. Granger, who were looking at the family clock with amazement.

    "Dad’s still working out late, and he’ll be so-ooo pleased when he finds out that they’ll be staying with us the whole summer," Ginny said. She gave Harry a quick kiss on the cheek as a greeting, dusting Harry’s smudged face with a damp face towel.

    "Hey, Harry!" Fred called out, his right hand holding a small package. "Care to try this?"

    "What is it?" Harry asked rather cautiously.

    "It is called Lemon-wakees," Ginny answered, giving him a wide grin. "It’s great!"

    "This is our latest product! Something that would really come in handy if you’re ever studying in Professor Binns’s class."

    "A wake-up call gummy?" Harry asked rather archly, his hand already reaching inside the small package.

    "Something like that," Fred shrugged indifferently.

    "Ah--any side effects I should know about?" Harry asked as he picked one of the yellow-colored gummy, then suddenly froze.

    George shook his head. "None--but be sure you don’t take them at night unless you’re planning to do some last-minute studying or something like what the Ms. Granger standing behind me likes to do."

    "It keeps you up, Harry. It acts something like coffee," Hermione answered as she made her way back to the group, making a face George.

    "Go on, Harry," Fred urged desperately. "Don’t tell me you don’t want to stay up and chit-chat before you settle down?"

    Harry quickly popped the sticky sweet in his mouth and he knew why they were named Lemon-wakees. His face immediately puckered up and he shuddered at the concentrated taste of very sour lemons. Ginny cackled in the background and Hermione’s self control evaporated at that point when she watched Harry’s reactions and broke into helpless laughter.

    "Dear Merlin!" Harry gasped, blinking his watery eyes, and shuddered again as a second wave of acidity attacked his taste buds.

    "Harry!" Mrs. Weasley gave the still-shuddering boy a hug. "My, aren’t you getting tall? And what did you do to your hair?"

    "Oh, leave him, Mom," Bill interrupted. The eldest Weasley brother gave him a quick hug, then remarked, "Nice hairstyle, Harry."

    Harry could not speak; it took about fifteen minutes for the sour taste of the gummy to fade.

    "By the way Mrs. Weasley," Harry started, his voice sounding a bit scratchy; "Professor Lupin will be late. He has to wait until Mr. Fletcher gets back."

    "That man--"

    Whoosh…

    Professor Lupin coughed for a bit. "Now, now, Molly, I’m here now."

    "Remus," Mrs. Weasley shook her head at him, and with Bill’s help, they pulled him up to his feet. Mrs. Weasley’s face indicated that she was worried about the appearance of the werewolf-wizard but remained mum.

    Mrs. Granger squealed with delight when one of the many hands of the clock- this one with a picture of Mr. Weasley- moved and pointed to ‘Home’.

    "Hello everyone!" a lively voice called from the outside.

    "Hello, Arthur," Mrs. Weasley greeted her husband fondly.

    "Hello, Harry! Welcome ba--" Mr. Weasley stopped abruptly when Mrs. Granger waved cheerfully at him.

    "Dear God! Hermione, you didn’t tell me that your parents will be coming too!" the balding-man quickly stepped forward to shake the Grangers’ hands.

    "It’s sort of a surprise for you, Mr. Weasley," Hermione said mischievously. Harry blinked at the studious, self-righteous Hermione.

    "Positive influence by the twins and the sister that’s likely to follow their footsteps if they aren’t careful about it," Bill whispered roguishly.

    "I agree, bro. Our little sister might just outstrip them if they aren’t watching carefully," Ron nodded vigorously.

    "What’s this about?" Harry whispered back.

    "Ginny’s the one whom invented the Lemon-wakees, but she lets the twins get the credit. No use having mom worrying about the only female offspring in the family," Ron answered Harry, after making sure that his mother was not around to hear it.

    "All right everyone!" Mrs. Weasley called. "Time for supper!"

**********

    "The kids have a right to know too," Mr. Granger was saying to his wife who just shrugged.

    "A right to know what?" Mr. Weasley asked curiously as they all seated themselves comfortably in the living room. Professor Lupin was sitting near to the window. Harry gave him a curious look. He’s looking sort of detached as if he’s mind is somewhere else. He’s looking very worried too… The young wizard frowned. What’s Professor Lupin worrying about? Harry turned his attention to the present.

    Mr. Granger looked at Hermione pleadingly and she gave a small sigh. "My parents have been keeping a secret from you that they think you have a right to know about. I’ve just got to know about it this summer, and Ron and Harry got to know it a few days ago."

    Professor Lupin became instantly alert. I have the feeling that the girl is going to say something very important.

    "I’ve just found out that my parents-- in their own right-- holds some magical talents," Hermione said proudly.

    Except for Harry and Ron, with the Grangers, the rest looked as if she had suddenly spoke to them in an alien language. Mr. Granger gave them a very mysterious smile and the Weasleys’ found that they did not have to chew on Lemon-wakees to keep them awake that night. The Grangers began telling them of an elite group working in the Muggle world.

    "Unbelievable," Mr. Weasley breathed as he gazed at the Grangers with awe.

    Professor Lupin was not looking at the Grangers with awe; instead, he was looking at them reverently and relief. That however, abruptly changed when Mr. Granger gave a startled yelp and jumped in his seat.

    "That is too much!" he suddenly exploded, and began to swear creatively, much to Hermione’s horror.

    They all looked at Mr. Granger who was staring at something before him, his face growing angrier by the seconds.

    "Lover, what is the matter?" Mrs. Granger asked her husband but he was not paying attention to his wife, so engrossed in whatever he was swearing at. Mrs. Granger gave up and called her Sylph by the name of Arenii. A sudden wind penetrated the house, and the Weasleys’, including Harry jumped up and took out their wands and held them warily. Professor Lupin looked about the surroundings. The breeze died, and only Hermione was still sitting down, calmly looking at her parents. To her surprise, her mom joined in the swearing. Seriously…are they adults or what? It’s too bad I can’t hear what Arenii’s saying…

    "Outrageous--bloody hell--those things…How I wish I was there with the elves!" Mrs. Granger screamed as her face turned white with anger.

    "Children! Dear Lord! I don’t bloody believe it! Imagine that…Lord, children!" her husband raved.

    Mrs. Weasley was getting alarmed. "Please, could you tell us what’s wrong?"

    Hermione was deciding if she should use a spell to calm her parents down when her father shot her a look.

    "I don’t recommend you to do that daughter," Mr. Granger spoke firmly. Hermione sighed.

    "Then could you please calm down and tell us what’s going on? I can’t see the Salamander but I can see Arenii," Hermione calmly told her parents.

    "Who’s Arenii?" The Weasleys asked and at the same time, Hermione’s parents blurted out.

    "You could see her?"

    "Yes, I’ve seen her around since I was a child," Hermione shrugged indifferently. Mrs. Granger stood up and was not surprised to see a little Sylph hanging about Hermione’s hair.

    "We should have expected it… I guess," Mrs. Granger suddenly smiled at her husband, but the look that he gave his wife was sulky.

    "Why not a Salamander?"

    "Who is Arenii?" Ginny repeated and was answered by Mrs. Granger.

    "She is my Sylph, an Air Elemental. Our respective helpers--or you could call them spies, which is one of their responsibilities-- had just brought us grave news."

    "And isn’t Fenix angry about it? It happened in a neighboring jurisdiction after all," Mr. Granger remarked, as he cocked his head to one side, almost as if he was talking to an imaginary friend.

    "Angry? That is an understatement; She practically came down and gave them a showdown. And the elves weren’t really prepared to see a Fire Master really, really furious." They were all so surprised when they heard a deep voice that seemed to be coming out at the spot where Mr. Granger was staring intently.

    "If you would care to look at the window for a moment," a soft musical voice piped out, "you would see that she is still extremely pissed off." They all looked out.

    "Bloody hell!" Ron muttered as they all watched the whole sky lightened up in an eerie blue glow. Then they heard several explosions and the sky burst with blue flames.

    "These Dementors ought to have been more careful in choosing their prey," Mr. Granger said menacingly as his eyes took in the fireworks.

    "Dementors? And who were their prey?" Professor Lupin asked quietly, as he felt the vibrations of the thunder-like detonations in his body and he closed his eyes, almost as if he was trying to savor the feeling.

    "Children, Professor Lupin. Children," Mrs. Granger replied in a disgusted voice.

    "I think the Dark Lord has made a very stupid move involving the Dementors in the Muggle World. If he’s the one in charge of deploying them…" Harry observed.

    "I think you are quite right, and I understand why the elves are also involved," Professor Lupin agreed. "They are very protective creatures, destroy their Groves, they’ll hunt you for decades. Try to harm children, be it their own kind or mortals-- except for Evil-- they will wage war with you. And they will not rest until those responsible are presented to the Wheel," the Professor said as the Elemental Mages nodded their agreements. He opened his eyes and suddenly Mrs. Granger gasped.

    Against the background of the night-sky, was a soaring Phoenix, engulfed in blue fire of various shades. I thought the flames should be red, a detached part of Professor Lupin’s mind thought. It spread its wings wide, head thrown proudly back and screamed its anger.

    "Do you think the Dark Lord will be aware of this?" Mr. Granger asked mildly, directing his question at the head of the Weasley family.

    "I don’t think he has any choice," Mr. Weasley replied shakily, still staring out at the sky.

    Harry forced himself to look away from the window. "Were any of the children hurt?"

    Mr. Granger shook his head. They heard the deep voice belonging to the Salamander again.

    "Fenix would kill herself a thousand times if that happens. Right now, she is extremely glad that she had pressed the Fair Ones and the Elementals to keep constant watch. Somehow, she has developed a technique that will prevent future Apparations of these Dementors. It seems that her neighbors did not take her suggestions seriously."

    "Mr. Granger," Ron asked timidly, "is the Phoenix the Fire Master you had been telling Hermione, Harry and me few days back?"

    "Yes, she is," Mrs. Granger replied quizzically.

    "A woman?" Ron spluttered suddenly but blushed when four women and at least one Sylph in the house gave him a hard, unfriendly look. Count yourself lucky Ron, you can’t see the way the Sylph is looking at you in this instant, Hermione’s eyes flashed in anger.

    "Have a problem with that?" Ginny asked dangerously. Ron hastily gulped and shook his head, not looking at any of the women.

**********

    It was about two hours from dawn. Professor Lupin was not asleep, as he opted to sit by the fireplace. Hermione’s fluffy and big cat accompanied him as he brooded. Crookshanks purred its contentment as he scratched its chin absently.

    Fenix…I’ve heard that name somewhere…It must have been a long time ago because every time I repeat the name in my head, I always see Sirius and Lily…

    There was a crackle in the space right in front of him and the Headmaster’s face peered up at him.

    "Good morning, Remus. You are not looking well," Professor Albus Dumbledore greeted him bluntly.

    "Uh…thank you... I think," Professor Lupin replied tiredly.

    "I assume you were all aware of the…fireworks?" the Headmaster began carefully.

    "We watched it in time."

    "Oh?" Professor Dumbledore gave him an inquisitive look.

    "It seems that there are a lot of people out there who have strange abilities."

    "Explain."

    "Hermione’s parents are examples," and he re-explained what the Grangers had told them.

    "Remarkable piece of information. However, I would really like to meet this astounding lady. She has managed to get me curious and Fawkes seemed terribly excited when he viewed the…mock-display." Professor Dumbledore mused.

    "Headmaster," Professor Lupin’s voice suddenly cracked, "is there any news about Sirius?"

    The Headmaster sighed regretfully. "I’m afraid not Remus. Back to work, I guess. I’ll call in time and time again."

    "Have a good day, Dumbledore."

    "Still no news about Sirius?" Hermione asked, her voice quavering. He jerked his head to see the young woman staring at him; her eyes luminous with unshed tears.

    "You knew?"

    "Yes," she halted and ventured several steps forward and sat herself down. "Professor Lupin?" Hermione gulped but continued, "are you developing some kind of resistance to Professor Snape’s potions?"

    The older man sighed, "I think so, Hermione. Sometimes, I think you are too bright for your age. And why aren’t you asleep?"

    "I don’t really know. I haven’t really been sleeping well ever since summer started."

    The two sat down in silence as Crookshanks devoted itself to the two people.

    "Don’t give up hoping Hermione," Professor Lupin said softly.

    "Not going to stop until there are some real evidence he is really gone," Ron said quietly, sitting himself beside Hermione. "What’s your reason for hoping he’ll be back?"

    Hermione gave a shocked look at Ron. However, her partner seemed determined to get an answer from him.

    "I would not deny that I want to spend some time with Harry," Professor Lupin admitted. Ron gave a triumphant look at Hermione. "But I’m hoping because Sirius is my closest friend. I don’t really know how to say this but they treated me like a brother…" Professor Lupin paused. "Sirius…Harry’s father and him were my personal clowns. They never failed to amuse me when the full moon draws nearer and nearer. I was afraid of my transformation and I’m still afraid. Sirius was there to guard me when I changed. Now that the Professor Snape’s potions are becoming useless, it’s getting harder for me to control myself.  After losing James to him, and then Sirius…to the prison…and getting him back again…was the happiest moments of my life Ron. And then to lose Sirius again?" Professor Lupin looked directly at Ron, and the boy flushed.

    "Sorry, Prof-- I misunderstood you."

    Professor Lupin chuckled sadly under his breath, "Don’t worry; I’m used to that." Professor Lupin sighed, his eyes stared out blankly. Hermione was right on the verge of tears when she saw the haunted look in the man’s eyes. She stared furiously at Ron, who squirmed uneasily in his seat when Hermione gave him a look signifying, ‘Insensitive lout’. He answered back with one of his typical expressions, ‘How was I supposed to know?’

    The three looked up in relief when Mrs. Weasley came into sight.

    "I see you three haven’t been sleeping," she called. "No worries, I’ll give you something to work on until you’re simply to exhausted to do anything else but sleep," and she set off to make some breakfast.

    "There goes Quidditch practise," Ron sighed with disappointment.

    "Ummm…Ron… does the work part include me too?" Professor Lupin asked.

    "I think so."

    "What have I gotten myself into?" he muttered under his breath.

**********

~ Chapter 4: The Oathbinding ~
After the emergence of the Phoenix…

Fenix reappeared at the woods of her own house and was surprised to see Sirius leaning against the Mnid comfortably.

    "And I thought I was the arrogant one," Sirius remarked mildly. He was surprisingly calm even after he saw how she had landed as the Phoenix and returned to her human form.

    Fenix grunted. "I think I might be just a trifle childish back there, but still--"

    "I know, I know," Sirius sighed. "If you don’t mind me telling you this, I think you acted a bit too recklessly." I hope that Voldemort is far too busy swearing and exclaiming that he had not thought of tracing her trail back here.

    Fenix blushed; feeling slightly embarrassed. "Trust me, I know. But I can’t help being a warmonger. I’m associated with Fire Elementals after all. A hothead. It was still a good display wasn’t it?"

    "If I had a twin, I wouldn’t mind if it is you, our hair’s the right color anyway," Sirius said, giving her a sly look.

    "I knew you would appreciate the ostentatious display," Fenix grinned widely.

    : Oh no, I think we blundered somewhere, : Wind whined to her mate, loping ahead of the two humans.

**********

Monday, 10^th July. Time to take the stitches off…

    Fenix was dreading the noon hour. This was because her sister, as a professional nurse, she had reassured her sister that it was about time for Sirius’s stitches to be removed. Fortunately, and for the sake of his own health, Sirius did not laugh when Fenix shot a pleading look at her older sister.

    "Can I just go on patrol on something? I mean…Aldren is here…he can help you…" Fenix suggested timidly, her voice sounding a little squeaky.

    "Damnation…Aldren wouldn’t know how to heal. That’s your job; don’t you dare run away from it," Giselle said tenaciously.

    "Let’s make a deal. I don’t want to see you taking the stitches. Call me when you’re done and I’ll Heal him," Fenix bargained.

    "All right with me," Giselle shrugged as she prepared the utensils for the task.

    Sirius had to smile when Fenix shivered. "Why are you reacting this way?"

    "I have a phobia on stitches. Be it me, humans or animals," Fenix said curtly, not looking at the wizard.

    "Funny how you could kill those Dementors without second thoughts. Don’t your instincts as a Healer and Empath goes against that?" Sirius asked the woman. The days that he had spent constantly with the Fire Master had created a bond between them, and he found himself gradually warming to her. Fenix on the other hand, seemed to be much more comfortable around him these few days and made their conversations more natural flowing, even if the topic’s absurd.

    She made her way to the couch and sat down, tucking her knees under her chin. She looked intently at Sirius. "It does actually. The idea of killing something seemed horrendous to me at first. But it turned out to be a necessity when I came into being. One consolation I have is that the Dementors do not have souls and they’re already dead. I just changed their state of Undead into a much more definite state. Real death. They don’t seem to appreciate it when I fine-tuned them," she paused, smiling at herself.

    "Killing humans intentionally is another matter though," Fenix said, as she leaned against Sirius, placing her head on his shoulder. "I usually give them two choices; redemption or a challenge. That’s if it’s a one-to-one situation. In battles however, I usually strike to maim, not kill. There are exceptions however. There was a rouge Water Master here in Scotland about three years ago. Usually I can get along well with the other Masters and Mages, but this one was really set on doing something so sick to the children that I can’t bear to just stand around and watch her do it. Much like a wizard duel really."

    Fenix lifted her head to look at Sirius sadly. "I don’t like it when I have to challenge a Master. However, I was the only one capable of doing it. It might have been better if I was a Water Master."

    "What happened to-- uh--her?" Sirius asked gently.

    "I took away her Gifts. It’s probably much better if I had just taken a knife and slit her throat," Fenix replied, her eyes growing distant. "She went mad, then finally she burned herself by lighting up the gas stove. I am not proud of having to do things like that."

    "Someone had to do it," Sirius said, taking her hand and gently squeezing it.

    "War between Elemental Masters are seldom; even rare. The Last Mage War occurred about sixty-seven years ago, I think. It was between Earth and Fire and the aftermath was a disaster. Therefore, we set up a Mage Council, and the Earth and Air Masters make up its majority. They are much calmer by nature compared to Fire and Water. Those having something to contend will approach us and we are the ones who decide who should be punished. Several of us are active Empaths and rarely, the Hunter; who is able to see through one’s soul. Makes life easier for us; than having to soothe our Elementals."

    "But what if the contenders don’t come to you?" Sirius asked with interest.

    "We come for them," Fenix replied easily. "If the victims had suffered irreparable damage; well as the saying goes, ‘what goes around, comes around’."

    "Everything’s ready!" Giselle called out.

    "Sirius, will you do me a favor when Giselle’s doing her stuff?"

    "If I can…"

    "Please don’t scream," Fenix pleaded.

    Sirius stood up and gave her a gentle smile. "You’re a very strange woman. Very strange indeed."

    Fenix stared at his back, her expression perplexed. What was he hinting at?

**********

    Sirius went down to the kitchen after he had showered. I think I understand why Arthur was so fascinated by the Muggles. They sure do know how to devise ways to make their lives comfortable. I’m feeling a little strange. He went down the stairs slowly, expecting his legs to go into sudden cramps. I don’t feel the tiniest bit of aching. Maybe I had just gotten used to limping about the house this few days.

    Fenix was busily deep-frying some chicken wigs for dinner. He casually picked a mug, poured himself a cold mineral drink, and sat down quietly in the kitchen. The wizard and the Fire Master were left in the house as the wolves accompanied Aldren, a brown-haired elf with vivid violet cat-like eyes to patrol the Wood. His younger brother and Fenix’s elder sister were out shopping.

    "Why are you hanging around the kitchen? It’s pretty damn boring watching me cook anyway," Fenix said, her back still facing him. She felt that he was grinning at her back and she smiled slowly.

    "Actually, I don’t really know. Maybe I just like your company," Sirius replied teasingly, and chuckled a little when she gave an unwomanly snort. "Are you sure you don’t want me as your boyfriend?"

    "Stop that!" Fenix said crossly, with just a touch of annoyance.

    Sirius sighed plaintively. "Since you don’t want me that way, would you be my sister instead?"

    Fenix stood rigidly, her heart pounding heavily in her chest. She turned slowly to face him, carefully keeping her face neutral. Sirius was wearing the same blank expression on his face.

    "Why would you want that?"

    "You gave me something when you were Healing me. In the days that followed, you treated me as one of your own. You shared your life-force for me to live," Sirius whispered, his eyes looking down at his glass of water. "Never had a sister of my own… Never did have a family that I would be proud to call my own… Not even my own blood…" He continued in a hushed voice.

**********

    I really should have cleared my email up days ago…How in the world do I stop all these unnecessary mails? The mail from my ex was a good one though…Finally got himself married to the right kind of girl…

    Fenix stretched her back and leaned against the chair, looking up at the clock. Dear Sungod! Two a.m.? I’m such a slowpoke, and I still have my other two mailboxes to go! Fenix bit her lip in exasperation, massaging her tired fingers. Damnation…they just have to wait till I’m free again. I hope there aren’t any important messages. She sighed in resignation, signing off from her ICQ and Hotmail and canceled her Internet connection. Shutting down the computer, she went to the window and stared into the Wood that filled her view.

    : Krill, : Fenix called out to her Salamander.

    : Yes, lady? :

    : Is Sirius asleep? :

    : No, he is still waiting for you. :

    Fenix smiled, and stared up at the night sky. Stubborn man…

    : No more stubborn than you. I assume you want me to fetch the dagger? : Krill asked her, materializing beside her, his back radiating gentle flames.

    : Yes, and thank you. : Fenix replied and waited for Krill to reappear with the dagger. She stared out, taking the blinking lights of dancing fireflies. In the distant, she could hear the eerie voices of the Nymphs as they rejoiced in the coming of autumn. Her Salamander appeared with a soft pop with the dagger floating on its back. She took it without fear of burning herself, stared at the strangely plain dagger, and reminisced when Aldren and her stood beneath a hornbeam tree. He had given her this dagger for her nineteenth birthday but she never knew about the use of this dagger. Until one night, it had saved her from an angry Fire Mare, one of the many accidents that could happen during a Summoning. Her mentor had taught her that, and the dagger certainly came in handy when she had to shatter the focus-point. A unicorn appeared out of nowhere. It had asked her to look the dagger under the moonlight.

    Pulling her thoughts back to the present, she went out of her study room and swiftly went down the stairs to her bedroom. She paused for a while as she stepped into her bedroom, as her eyes swiftly adjusted in the dimness. Sirius was sitting on the bed, staring at her, his eyes searching her face. She approached the bed and sat tentatively on it. She gave him the dagger and smiled gently at his quizzical expression. And I hope you were really serious about your request…

    "Tilt the blade against the moonshine and memorize what you see," she instructed.

    Sirius did as what she had instructed him and stared at the blade when words suddenly jumped into view. He nodded and handed the dagger back and gave a startled yelp when she slashed her right palm with the dagger. She winced at the sudden sting the wound caused and Sirius pried the dagger away from her left hand. He knew what to do, slashed his own palm, and joined his bleeding wound to hers.

    ‘Oath to Oath...

    We are Bound…

    Blood to Blood…

    We are One…

    Our lines Entwined…

    And will never be broken...'

    As their voices uttered the last phrase to cement their bonds, a peculiar green light began to glow and pulsate beneath their palms. Only when the light died did they unclasped their hands and Fenix looked at her palm in amazement. That wasn’t me. I didn’t Heal him or myself…In the pale moonlight, their palms revealed an identical pentacle scar with no evidence of blood. Did He do it?

    "Welcome home, brother…" Fenix finally said softly. Sirius took her into his arms and gave her a tight hug.

    "Sister…" Sirius whispered and the smile in Sirius's eyes erased any doubtful thoughts that this was what he had wanted.

**********

Friday, 28^th July, in the Maxwell’s library…

    Sirius was sitting morosely in the library, lackadaisically leafing through one of the books he had picked randomly. He had considerably put on a little more weight and looked much healthier ever since he had escaped from the trappings of the portal. He was unaware of Fenix as she walked across the library silently. He was only aware of her presence when the book was snatched from over his shoulder.

    "Sirius, what’s bothering you?" Fenix questioned as she leaned over him, her silver eyes showing him that she was worried.

    "Nothing…" Sirius’s voice trailed off as he stared blankly at a bookshelf across him. Fenix gave a snort and delicately twisted his right ear.

    "Ouch! What did I say?"

    "Exactly. Don’t lie to me Sirius. Have you forgotten that I am an Empath? Even if I’m shielding hard--which is exactly what I’m doing right now, I can’t shake off the feeling you’re restless over something because of our bond."

    Sirius gave a heavy sigh and made space for her on the couch. Fenix sat down on the couch, turning her face to look at him. A wave of despair emanated out from him and she tenderly caressed his cheek.

    "Tell me," she whispered, as her silver eyes stared deeply into his.

    "How did you managed to get your blue file on the day you were showing me a newspaper cutout?"

    "By way of Fetching. Why?"

    "I just need to get my hands on something," Sirius began, his eyes looking pleadingly back at hers. "I would go to where it is myself, but I have no way of knowing if the area in question is in safe hands or not."

    "Well, I shouldn’t have a problem helping you. Distance doesn’t really matter that much to me. But the size might," Fenix cautioned when Sirius looked eagerly at her.

    "I just need you to get a two-way mirror, which is about the size of my palm," he explained, holding up his right palm. Fenix leaned backed on the couch, her face thoughtful. Her fingers twirled a lock of her hair in an unconscious gesture and Sirius gathered that she does that when she was in deep thought. I wonder how she behaves when she’s studying.

    "This is a rather tricky thing to do. I assume that you’ve kept this thing in your house?" at Sirius’s nod she pursed her lips.

    "Obviously…"

    "That means I have to do it through you," Fenix decided.

    "What do you mean?"

    "Well, I need to work with your memories to get it. Where your house is, and where you had kept it. Evidently, we have to hope that it is still where you left it."

    Sirius thought about the plan carefully. I will do anything to let Harry know I’m still alive, even if it means that someone will be able to read my memories…and intentions. But I guess it’s quite impossible to hide anything from her…

    "I would not intrude on anything unless you gave me permission to do that," Fenix said, almost as if she had been reading his mind, standing up and beckoning him out of the library. "I think we should go to my study room, it’s a much more suitable place to do it."

    Sirius nodded and she led the way to her Workroom.

    : Aldren, where are you? : She sent a thought out towards the elf.

    : We all are in the kitchen. :

    : Okay then, I will be Fetching something for Sirius so do not enter my Workroom unless it’s an emergency all right? :

    : Roger that. : Aldren sent his agreement.

    Sirius went into a room that was occupied by a very large table and several utensils for writing and papers stacked neatly at one corner of the mahogany-wooden table and what the Muggles call laptops. However, the room began to change as soon as the door to her Workroom closed.

    The room was empty; only filled with a carpet of grass and sunlight entered from the window, giving the room an ethereal sunny look and it made Sirius happier than he had been half an hour ago. Fenix sat down cross-legged at the soft grass and patted on her lap, indicating that he should lie down.

    "This will make it much easier," Fenix said, giving him a smile when Sirius looked uncertainly at her. He gave way, carefully sitting down before placing his head on her lap.

    "Where is your house?"

    "Grimmauld Place, London," Sirius began and looked curiously when she looked blankly at him. It was a while before she spoke up.

    "Okay, your house number?"

    "Twelve."

    "Twelve?" Fenix frowned, although her eyes were not really looking at him. "Now this is strange; I see Ten, Eleven and then it’s Thirteen…" she frowned harder. "Oh I see…you have a compression. Smart thing to do. And dear Phoebus! You do have a lot of protection spells woven all through the house," she remarked. "I should be able to work my way in between them; wait there is something isn’t right. A house-elf eh?" Fenix frowned. She paused as if listening for a conversation that only she could hear. "Isn’t he a malicious helper? Did you asked him to look after the house?" Fenix questioned Sirius carefully.

    "I don’t really know. What could you see?" Sirius answered her.

    "There seems a lot of muttering coming from several paintings, and as far as I am able to tell, your house-elf is kind of -- uh -- corrupted."

    "I won’t be surprised if my mother’s the one doing a lot of shrieking," Sirius said with bitter amusement, "and I am not really disturbed about your observation on Kreacher."

    "Everything else seems all right though. I doubt your house-elf could detect my awareness. Now I want you to think hard of where you had kept the mirror. I will use the image in your mind to get to it."

    This part was extremely slow. Images of Harry kept flitting through his mind when he came to visit Sirius’s home for the first time. Finally, after what seemed like eternity to Sirius, he managed to hold on to the image and felt a strange sensation at the back of his mind.

    "All right. I’ve got a lock on the target; I will find out in a moment if it is still there…"

    Sirius felt a strange pulling sensation in his mind and all around him, then a strange popping sound filled the workroom.

    "All right, we did it!" Fenix cheered, releasing her hold over Sirius. "Keep your eyes closed for several moments and open them slowly. If you do it too fast, you might black out."

    Sirius followed her instructions closely and when it felt long enough to him, he opened his eyes. Fenix was holding a mirror, a bit tarnished but intact. I hope it still works…

    "Now you will tell me why you need this badly," she said playfully, holding the mirror out of his reach.

    "Be careful with it…" Sirius begged, and heaved a sigh of relief when she placed it firmly into his hands.

    "It will be Harry’s birthday in three days, and he has another one just like this." Sirius said.

    "That’s wonderful, Sirius," she breathed as she fully understood the idea. "Do you want me to give the boy some mysterious advice so he would look upon his?"

    "You could do that?" Sirius asked in amazement.

    "Yes, but I think I would go through an Elemental this time. A Fire Elemental Mage is with Harry at the moment. I believe you know him," she said mysteriously.

    "And who is he?"

    "Hermione’s father."

    The look Sirius gave her was so comical that she laughed uncontrollably. It took her a long time to control her laughter but she choked it down, her face reddening when Sirius got up and gave a sour look at her.

    "Hey! Are you guys done?" a voice called out from outside the room. "Lunch’s ready!" The room returned to its normal state and Sirius tucked the mirror safely in his breast pocket.

    "I’m definitely hungry," Fenix said and blushed when her stomach made a very loud protest.

    "Now we’re even," Sirius said and began to chuckle under his breath that got louder when Fenix began to fume.

**********

~ Chapter 5: Reflections Upon A Shining Surface ~
In the garden at The Burrow…

"Don’t let that one escape!" Hermione shrieked, scampering around the garden, with Crookshanks chasing a gnome from the vegetable patch. She groaned with frustration when the gnome neatly evaded from her reach. "I will not resort to cheating!" the young woman shouted determinedly in the air, and ran in another direction, her curly hair bouncing off her back.

    Harry wiped the sweat off his forehead using a handkerchief provided by Mrs. Weasley. The twins were working in the joke shop while Bill and Mr. Weasley made a trip down to the Ministry. Charlie, the second eldest of the Weasley siblings had dropped by two days ago by dragonback, and then went to perform an errand from Professor Dumbledore. That left the young adults to Mrs. Weasley and she instructed that they help her degnome the garden while it was still sunny. Mr. Granger wanted to see how they degnome the garden so that left the two adult females to see to dinner. Harry leaned towards Ron who was watching Hermione dreamily.

    "I certainly did not imagine Hermione would be acting like this," he whispered.

    "What do you mean?" Ron asked in puzzlement.

    "It seems that she’s much more easy-going than she had been the past few years, and certainly developed a little sense of humor, even if it’s a bit warped sometimes." Harry explained hastily.

    "That’s probably because of her parents. She wants to enjoy as much as she can while we all are still on holiday. It won’t be a pleasure jaunt for us this year, not with the restrictions that would take effect once the school terms starts." Ron said, and Harry wondered at his friend’s reactions as well. Ron seemed to have matured a lot. Maybe appointing him, as a Prefect was a good decision after all, he’s showing the signs of wisdom and self-confidence. And I wonder when our OWL results are… I remembered Professor McGonagall said that we would know our results by July. Strange… neither Hermione or Ron talked anything about OWLs… neither do their family members…

    "Aha! Got you now!" Hermione gave a triumphant shout and hurled the gnome towards her father, who batted at the gnome expertly. Harry narrowed his eyes as he watched the affronted gnome soaring farther and farther from the Burrow.

    Ginny had complained to Mr. Granger that degnoming the garden would be a waste of time because the gnomes would always find their way back to the garden in about twenty-four hours time. That gave Mr. Granger an idea, took some firewood, and whispered to Hermione. The rest watched curiously as Hermione Transfigured the wood into what Harry recognized as a baseball bat. Harry got a vague idea and was the first to catch a gnome lurking under a berry-bush. To everyone’s amazement, Harry tossed the gnome towards Mr. Granger who hit the gnome squarely, sending it flying away.

    "Wicked," Ron whispered, his eyes glinting with excitement.

    "At least the knock on his rump will make sure he takes his time getting back to the garden," Ginny observed clinically.

    "Good job, dad!" Hermione panted, her eyes twinkling in the afternoon sun.

    Mrs. Granger stood at the kitchen door. "Aren’t you guys being a little sadistic?"

    "Oh, come now. It’s a good way to relieve stress," Mr. Granger said.

    "Whatever. If you guys are finished, why don’t you wash up and help in setting up for dinner?" she suggested. Those working in the garden nodded their agreement and began taking off their gloves.

    "I wonder why I’m always hungry," Ron muttered.

    "Just signs of growing up," Mr. Granger answered sententiously.

    "Hello, Mrs. Weasley," Harry greeted, "is Professor Lupin all right?"

    "I don’t really know," Mrs. Weasley bit her lip. "He’s feeling very edgy, and he thinks he shouldn’t come down to dinner tonight."

    A sudden noise broke out in the garden. Harry stared calmly as Professor Snape made his way to the kitchen. Ron narrowed his eyes dangerously and the two girls held tightly on his arms. Ron had found the Potions Master actions during the previous term disgusting. The head of the Slytherin House stared menacingly at the Grangers’ and since they were already aware of his animosity towards the young Potter, they had dared to show to show their indifference to the Potions Master.

    "Dearheart, if you burn anything in the house, I’ll kill you," Mrs. Granger threatened softly, her lips not moving. Mrs. Weasley jerked her chin towards the stairs.

    "Don’t bother, Severus. I’m not taking the potion. It won’t work anymore," Professor Lupin said, as he trudged down the stairs to take a sit on one of the wooden chairs. "By the way," Professor Lupin turned to the Fire Mage, "that was a good hit."

     Professor Snape bristled, but as he turned, he met Harry’s silent, and calm green eyes.

    Crack!

    Professor Snape Disapparated out of the house without a word coming out from his mouth.

    "Harry, are you all right?" Hermione looked curiously at Harry.

    "Yes, I am," Harry replied impassively as he got up the stairs to bathe.

**********

    Dinner was quite a lively affair, with the Weasleys trying their best to cheer Professor Lupin. When they were not looking, Harry managed to catch his eyes and Professor Lupin shook his head in sufferance. They all retreated to the living room after they had cleaned up after dinner.

    "So what are we going to do tonight?" Ginny asked hopefully.

    "I don’t know… Harry?" Hermione looked to Harry who just shrugged.

    "Pity we couldn’t go out and play some Quidditch," Ron sighed.

    A sudden flicker of flame caught their attention. Mrs. Granger looked suspiciously at her husband.

    "Uh…Harry…you…uh…have a message," Mr. Granger began, looking slightly perplexed.

    "From who?" Harry asked cautiously.

    "It’s by… Fenix Maxwell, the Fire Master," Hermione’s father said, and everyone turned curiously to look at Harry.

    "Look in the shining surface and call upon it on the instant of the midnight hour, that signifies another marking in your life," a familiar deep voice spoke up. "Well, that’s the message your colleague gave me," the voice addressed Mr. Granger.

    They all looked upon Harry expectantly. He was not paying attention to how the company was looking at him. Instead, he was mumbling absently to himself. "Shining surface…and call…new marking…" Harry brooded silently, deep in thoughts.

    "Shall we engage ourselves in a game of wizard chess?" Ginny suggested lamely.

**********

Saturday, 29^th July. Full moon…

    It was a tense evening for everyone living in The Burrow.  A distance from Ron’s home and away from any prying Muggles was a sturdy shack that the Weasleys’ had magically built especially for Professor Lupin’s use. Mrs. Weasley, Mrs. Granger and Bill were at home, as the rest took upon themselves to guard Professor Lupin. A hair-raising howl emerged from the shack. Hermione jumped in surprise when the werewolf suddenly rammed against the solid wall of the shed.

    "It’s too bad none of us are Animagus," Fred muttered under his breath as he stared at the shack in concern. Although that the stigma on Professor Lupin was bound to rub on the Weasley family, they were genuinely concerned about him.

    "Even if we were, we wouldn’t really know how to handle him," their father said, scuffing his feet on the ground.

    All of them had their wands in handy just in case something happens. Harry seated himself, leaned back against a broad oak tree, and stared out. I still don’t get the message given by the Salamander. ‘Look in the shining surface and call upon it on the instant of the midnight hour, that signifies another marking in your life’. Why must it be so cryptic? Harry sighed, starting to feel a little frustrated.

    "Thinking about the message, Harry?" Hermione said as she and Ron sat down underneath the oak tree, looking above at the night sky, the stars glittering gently above their heads.

    "Yeah, I still can’t figure it."

    "As far as I understand it," Hermione said and paused as the ground rattled beneath them, shuddering at the fearsome force the werewolf had made, "you are supposed to look into a shining surface and call on something on the instant you turn a year older."

    "Explain," Ron suggested. "Our skulls are much thicker than yours."

    "It seems logical. ‘The instant of the midnight hour, that signifies another marking in your life’," Hermione recited then continued, "you were born at midnight, a marking means in this case that you had just added another mark; meaning one year." Ron looked at her with a blur expression on his face. "Oh, bother, just trust me in this one. What you need to figure out Harry, is the first part. ‘Look in the shining surface and call upon it’. What is it that you need to look into? A basin of water?"

    "Shining surface…" Ron mumbled. "A mirror maybe?"

    Harry remained mute. A mirror…and call upon it…It can’t be! Harry suddenly jerked upright, his eyes growing wider.

    "Have you figured something out?" Hermione asked excitedly. But Harry shook his head, suppressing his own growing excitement. They all jumped when an ear-shattering howl escaped from the shack.

    "Anyone game for Exploding Snaps?" Ginny called out shakily.

**********

In Fenix’s bedroom…

    "Sirius…" he heard a whisper. "Sirius, wake up!" someone called urgently this time.

    "Wh--what?" Sirius blinked his eyes groggily, awakened by Fenix’s shaking.

    "You’re dreaming again," Fenix explained. "Anything wrong?"

    Sirius sat up on the bed and rubbed at his eyes. "Do you think I need a haircut?" he suddenly asked inconsequentially.

    "You’re evading my question," Fenix accused, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

    Sirius gave a light chuckle. "It was just dreams, sister. I was dreaming about a friend of mine, howling in distress."

    "Howling?" Fenix asked, her face almost minx-like in the strong moonlight because of her growing curiosity.

    "Yes, howling. You see," Sirius paused and leaned forward, "he’s a werewolf."

    Fenix raised an eyebrow. "You certainly make friends with the unusual kind."

    "Now the pot is calling the kettle black. You’re the eccentric one. Whoever would think of making wolves as pets?" Sirius snorted and Fenix hit him with a pillow.

    : You are certainly acting like siblings, : Silver observed, as he padded quietly into the room.

    "They are not pets. They are my bondmates," she said, gritting her teeth.

    : Hello, Silv. How was the frolic? : Sirius asked casually, sending his thought to both wolf and human.

    : It was awesome. : The silver wolf replied directly into their minds. Fenix stared incredulously at Sirius.

    "Why you--" Fenix growled, then continued her attack on Sirius. : You could have told me you could communicate using mindspeech! Gods, how stupid I am! And all the time I was wasting my energy shouting all around the house! : She deserted fighting with the pillow and began with a more hands-on approach. She started pinching the very amused and wincing Black.

    : It isn’t really my fault! You didn’t ask! :

    : Oh yeah? : She doubled her efforts.

    : All right! ALL RIGHT! : Sirius gave up the fight. : I yield. :

     Fenix stopped pinching, but her face glowed with satisfaction.

    "I’m really excited when the time comes," Sirius said absently, lying down again. Silver jumped up onto the bed and curled himself on Sirius’s legs. Fenix resumed her former position, which was lying beside her oathbrother.

    "And you want to know something," Sirius added, his face bearing a mischievous smile, "I think if I have the chance, I would really like to matchmake you."

    "To whom? Your howling friend?" Fenix asked archly.

    "Well, no. Actually I was thinking about this man," Sirius said, linking his mind with hers easily, and posted an image of Severus Snape.

    : SIRIUS! DON’T YOU DARE! : Fenix yelped. Sirius had told her of the various people that Harry had to work with constantly and was not really impressed by Severus. Well, I can’t really judge until I’ve met the man for myself. Sometimes Sirius looks at things very differently…

    : I was just kidding! : Sirius assured her, breaking into a hearty laughter.

    : The nerve of this man, : she complained helplessly.

    : You two stop that, : Wind chided firmly. : It’s already late. Go to sleep. :

    : Yes mum. : The two humans replied as one and the female wolf gave them a stinging slap causing the humans to wince and rubbed at their aching temples. Sirius grinned and winked at Fenix. She winked back.

    : Night, : her sleepy thought reached him.

    : Night and sweet dreams. : Sirius gave her a light kiss on her cheek and they all drifted away to sleep.

**********

Sunday, 30^th July. Four hours before midnight…

    Professor Lupin looked better than he had in days before, much to the relief of everyone in The Burrow. Mrs. Weasley was feeling quite a bit frantic when Moody, Professor McGonagall and the Headmaster of Hogwarts suddenly Apparated on the front step of The Burrow.

    "Mrs. Weasley," Harry whispered, as she prepared some pumpkin juice.

    "Yes Harry?" she asked in a preoccupied way.

    "I’m sorry if I’m causing too much trouble," Harry told the plump woman sincerely.

    "Oh, Harry. It’s not your fault that they had come. I don’t really mind at all; but only if they had given me some early notice or something," she sighed and concentrated on her task. Harry felt as if a huge load of burden had been lifted from his shoulders and joined in with the others in the garden, where they were helping in setting up tables to accommodate the slightly larger group.

    Professor Lupin was instructing the boys and Harry looked around for his owl. A sudden weight on his right shoulder made him smile.

    "Hello, Hedwig. Had a good hunt?" Harry asked, turning his head to look into her golden eyes. His owl nibbled gently on his hair before launching herself off into the sky.

    "Harry, do you mind arranging the chairs now?" Hermione called out and he gave a nod. He went around the corner where the chairs have all been stacked up and picked them up, one at a time.

    "It is always good to keep yourself in practice," Professor Lupin hinted and Harry sighed.

    "Wingardium leviosa."

    Professor Dumbledore was in deep discussion with Hermione’s parents and they--Moody and Professor McGonagall--seemed very much interested with the strange Fire Master. Harry felt something tugging on his sleeve. Nothing was there except for a single white rose at his feet. Harry picked it up and fingered it peculiarly. However, he was not unnoticed because he saw Hermione smiling at him.

    "Don’t worry, Harry. It is a gift from a friend," she spoke up.

    "Who?"

    "My mom’s Sylph. She seemed to be quite taken with you," Hermione said, then laughed at his terrified expression. "Don’t worry, Harry. It isn’t a crush or anything like that. She simply likes you."

    "Okay," Harry replied dubiously, nervously looking around at the empty air. A silvery giggle emerged from inside the house and Professor Moody jumped slightly, his magical-eye spinning around as if to locate the source.

    "I like this one," a soft musical voice spoke up, coming directly in front of Professor Moody. Hermione giggled as she watched Arenii, blinking flirtatiously at the nonplussed Auror. The Auror felt a strange hugging sensation and his face reddened with embarrassment, while Professor Dumbledore peered curiously, not able to see the pixilated Sylph. Hermione dashed outside and they all could hear her resonant laughter quite clearly from in the house. Mrs. Granger surprisingly managed to keep a straight face as she watched her playful Sylph hugged the weird-looking Auror.

    "Arenii, stop that this instant," she instructed firmly and the Sylph gave another giggle as she kissed the man’s cheek and returned to hover beside Mrs. Granger.

    "What was that?" Moody asked, looking suspiciously at Mrs. Granger. The woman just shrugged leaving the Auror’s question unanswered.

**********

    Sirius was getting excited with each passing minute. Aldren watched the man with his cat-like eyes in puzzlement.

    : I’m getting dizzy by just feeling him pace around, : he silently commented to Fenix who was watching the wizard with a peculiar smile.

    : I think he’s right. Aldren, why don’t you give his hair a trim? : She suggested absently.

    : You think he would consent to it? :

    : Well, we don’t really need to ask him, do we? :

    The grin the elf gave her was devilish. : Do you have the things ready? And where do you want it to be done? :

    : Here. :

    Sirius stopped his pacing, as a chair suddenly appeared right in front of him, barricading his way. And a mirror hung in mid-air and Sirius found himself being lifted by invisible hands of the Sylphs, who were all giggling at the surprised wizard.

    : What is going on? : He demanded.

    : Just carrying out instructions, : Aldren informed him. The elf sprayed water onto the man’s long black hair and began to comb it. Fenix in the meantime watched her friend as he began to trim Sirius’s hair deftly.

**********

Thirty minutes to midnight…

    "Harry, have you figured out the message?" Hermione whispered. Ron groaned in his seat, patting his stomach tenderly. She gave a sidelong smile at the boy sitting beside her.

    Harry gulped down on his chilled pumpkin juice. "Yeah."

    Fred was discussing how they should start Harry’s birthday celebration. Hermione raised her hand and the twin looked at her curiously.

    "Have you forgotten that Harry was supposed to do something at midnight?"

    "Oh--yeah," Fred mumbled, slightly embarrassed.

    "You must be getting old, bro." George smirked.

    "Shut up!" Fred snapped. "Well, Harry will do whatever he wants to do at midnight; then the cake and then…" He stopped, and the twins gave Harry a very evil look. Fred continued, "And then he’ll deal with the presents."

    Harry felt strangely detached from himself. Professor Dumbledore was discussing quietly with Professor Lupin while Mr. Weasley bombarded the Grangers’ with more questions about the Muggle world. Minutes passed slowly. Professor Dumbledore took out his pocket watch and it spoke.

    "Exactly three minutes to midnight!"

    The table went silent as Harry stood up and fished out for a package from his pocket. Harry slowly opened the package and held out the two-way mirror. He remembered the evening when he had flung the mirror back in his trunk and it shattered. But on the night before they left Hogwarts, he had asked Hermione to repair it. Hermione did it without asking why.

    "Exactly a minute till your birthday!" the pocket watch screeched. Harry turned the mirror back to read Sirius’s handwriting.

    "Get ready, Harry," the Salamander spoke up.

    "Are you sure you know what you’re supposed to do?" Ron asked him dubiously. Harry did not answer him as a chorus of voices echoed through the night.

    "It’s time."

    Harry’s eyes misted and he called out the one name that belonged to a person he wanted very much to be back in his life. "Sirius," Harry whispered. Nothing happened.

    "Sirius Black." He tried again. Still, nothing happened. Harry trembled, his eyes misting heavily and blinked furiously.

    "Padfoot!" Harry croaked out, with a touch of command and desperation in his voice.

    The dirty surface of the mirror began to blur and suddenly light shone out of it. And there in the reflection of the mirror, was not Harry’s but a very cheerful and healthy godfather, with a head that looked as if he had just gone for a haircut.

    "Happy Birthday Harry!" Sirius gave a dazzling smile at his overwhelmed godson.

**********

~ Chapter 6: The Return of Black ~

They all looked incredulously at Harry and the two-way mirror.

    "It’s not possible, it’s not really possible…" Mrs. Weasley whispered almost to herself.

    "You’re quite wrong Molly. Nothing in the world is impossible," Sirius replied quite clearly, his cheerfulness tangible by his tone.

    "Sirius…" Harry’s voice stuck in his throat.

    "Don’t worry, Harry. I’ll be heading down to The Burrow soon enough and I’ll explain what happened to me in detail. Where’s Professor Dumbledore?" Sirius asked rather calmly.

    "Welcome back, Sirius," the Headmaster greeted upon the reflection. Although the aged wizard appeared calm, dozens of conflicting thoughts were milling about in his mind. Who found him and saved him?

    "Thank you, I believe you want to meet the Fire Master. Would it be all right if I bring her down to The Burrow?"

    The Headmaster looked at the Weasleys. Mr. Weasley gave his consent, nodding excitedly.

    "Very well," the Headmaster agreed. So, she was the one who had found him. I believe that our lives would get more interesting.

    "Harry?" his godfather called and the aged man handed the mirror back to the boy. "You could expect us in about a week; certainly no more than that," Sirius said, his eyes scanning Harry’s face.

    "Might be earlier!" a buoyant feminine voice echoed in the background. Sirius’s reflection smiled dreamily when he heard the voice.

    "I’m back. And I’m glad I’m back," he whispered. Harry nodded and the mirror went dark. When Harry looked at it again, the dirty surface was back. It was a good thing the mirror still worked… Sirius…he’s back…he’s really back…

    "Hermione," Harry whispered, his face shocked. His friend quickly got up from her seat and enfolded him in her arms.

    "Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone," Hermione whispered softly in his ear.

    "Sirius is alive…" Harry whispered, his voice thick with tears.

**********

    Sirius was shaking. He quickly dropped the small mirror safely into Fenix’s hands and collapsed on his knees. Fenix crossed the bedroom quickly to first close the door, and then placed the mirror back in the drawer. She quickly switched the lights off and helped Sirius to the bed. There, he hung upon her, shaking uncontrollably with silent tears.

    He is so unlike you James…if you were alive…you’ll be so proud of him…I’m a fool…I thought that my love for the boy is because he looked so much like you! Dear God, I’ve been a fool…But only Fenix knew that I blundered…I knew Harry suspected it…but now it is not true… I’ll take better care of him now…I am not clouded by misconceptions anymore…I’ll be his best guardian…

    Fenix held Sirius comfortingly in her arms and caressed his hair lightly. Soon, his need to cry subsided.

    : Feeling better, brother? : Fenix asked, her mindvoice echoing softly in his mind.

    : Yes, thank you. Don’t tell anyone all right? :

    : I won’t but you’ll be surprised on how much the boy do know. And I suspect that ‘howling’ friend of yours does too. But then, it isn’t the truth anymore. Now, you loved Harry more as a son, and not as someone to replace a lost friend. :  Fenix said.

    : In a way, I am glad you two took the blood oath. : Silver spoke up.

    : Why? : Fenix asked, perplexity traveling down through the bonds of her bondmates and her oathbrother.

    : I don’t exactly know why, : Silver answered.

    : So, when do you think we can move out? And how do you plan to make our way down to The Burrow? :

    : To your first question, I think we can move out on Tuesday. The Elves will take care of the Wood and the house, and the Elementals would be able to reach me in case of any emergencies. And to the second question, we’ll be going on four paws. :

    : Wait a sec--I could change myself to a dog but how about you? :

    : Just wait and see. You’ll be surprised. : Wind interjected.

    : I dare not build a Gate, : Fenix said, looking down sympathetically at Sirius who had shuddered, : so, I guess we’ll do it the hard way. :

    : Get some sleep. I believe you have several preparations to make in the morning, : Silver suggested.

    : How about clothes? :

    : I’ll worry about that. : Fenix reassured him.

**********

The beginning of the journey…

    "You guys take care all right," Giselle hugged her sister tearfully.

    "Sis, you’re embarrassing me. It’s not as if I’m going off to get married or something," Fenix muttered under her breath as her elder sister hugged her for the fifth time.

    "Keep in touch with me, all right?"

    Derian and Giselle stayed in the house with several other Elves, while Aldren escorted Fenix, Sirius and the two wolves into the woods.

    : Stay safe, friends, : Aldren said, hugging Fenix and then squeezed Sirius’s right shoulder affectionately.

    : You too, Elf, and stay out of trouble, : Sirius said.

    Aldren retreated, and Sirius began to blur and finally emerged as a huge, shaggy, black dog.

    : I wonder if the communication lines are still open in this form, : her oathbrother mused.

    : I can still hear you, : Wind said, touching her nose to Sirius’s and he gave the wolf a lopsided grin.

    : Your turn little sister. :

    : Hang on to your claws, brother-mine, : Fenix said impishly as she began to blur. Suddenly a wall of fog began to form and it separated her from the rest. A silver-black wolf trotted out of the fog. The new wolf had a peculiar, silver dagger mark on her chest.

    : Are we ready? : Fenix asked, nuzzling Sirius in greeting.

    : You should take this form more often, : Wind said, her mindvoice filled with amazement.

    : You are so full of surprises, : Sirius marveled, : anyway, let’s get moving. :

    The four canines trotted off silently on the ground, with nothing weighing down their backs except for the cold wind.

**********

Wednesday, 2^nd August. At The Burrow…

    The Burrow was filled with activity, as anyone who was free was set to do some spring-cleaning. Professor Lupin was going about his tasks with such springiness that made Mrs. Weasley smile every time she came across the man. He whistled almost continuously and they did not blame him. Dear Lady, I’m so glad he is alive. Thank You for watching him…

    All of them were in much high-spirits since Harry’s birthday. Harry got himself a box full of his favorite candies, courtesy of the twins. Hermione and Ron had shared some money to get Harry a pair of very classical Quidditch gloves. Mrs. Weasley had knitted him a midnight blue sweater. Professor Lupin had given Harry something that looked very odd. It was an almost flat crystal but when Harry looked at it carefully, he noticed that it held a feather. He had asked the Professor about its uses, but the older man just shook his head enigmatically and quite simply told him that he would find out about it when it is time.

    They had placed Ron back with the twins and that meant that Harry’s bedroom tonight would be a little cramped. Ron’s previous room would house the Fire Master and Harry’s godfather. Mr. Granger assured Mrs. Weasley that the arrangement would be perfectly safe for the woman.

    "Trust me, I don’t think she’ll let Sirius do anything to harm her."

    "Sirius could always share a room with Remus, if Fenix’s uncomfortable with the situation." Mr. Weasley said to his wife.

    "Or maybe the other way around," a voice said impudently which they all recognized as belonging to the Sylph.

    "Fenix would skin you alive if she heard that," a deep voice muttered.

    "Well, she isn’t here to hear it," the Sylph replied.

    "And what makes you think the others won’t tell her?" the Salamander questioned calmly. The Sylph shrugged her indifference. The occupants looked quizzically at the invisible air. Hermione shrugged her incomprehension and resumed her sweeping.

    "I hope Sirius isn’t trying to match me with anyone," Professor Lupin growled. "He used to that when we’re students," he explained when Harry looked at him expectantly. "He just don’t understand that nobody would care to partner someone who is a werewolf."

    Mrs. Weasley was silent when he said that. Except for Hermione, who was staring intensely at the Professor. "I think you will find out soon enough, that that particular statement isn’t true," the young woman said, her eyes glowing mysteriously, then she went upstairs with Ron and Ginny trailing behind her.

    "Did any of you understand that?" Professor Lupin demanded. Harry shook his head.

    "You rotten gnomes! Get out of my garden! Scat!" Mrs. Weasley screamed.

    Harry looked expectantly at Mr. Granger who smiled devilishly. Now I know from whom Hermione inherited that particular winsome smile. "Shall we go and pacify Mrs. Weasley, Harry?"

    "I believe so… it’s better to do something voluntarily than being ordered to, doesn’t it?" Harry bantered slyly.

    "You’ll do all right," Mr. Granger assured him. Harry picked up the de-gnoming gloves, slipped them on, and passed the Fire Mage a pair. The Fire Mage picked his bat and trotted out towards the garden. He sniffed at the air.

    "Going to rain this evening. I could smell it coming," Mr. Weasley said.

    "Let’s hit them hard this time. Maybe the rain would be able to confuse their sense of direction for a bit," Harry suggested, giving Hermione’s dad a devilish grin.

    The twins who had Apparated in with slightly muffled cracks soon joined them. Fred looked quizzically at the unusual pair and stood awestruck as he watched Harry deftly caught a gnome and instead of hurling it off, Harry passed the now-screaming gnome to Mr. Granger. The Fire Mage struck at it skillfully on its rear.

    "Wow!" the twins breathed as their hands began to itch and dashed up to their room to get their own bats.

    "Now see what you have done?" Mrs. Granger said disapprovingly at her husband.

    "Well, it’s really fun!" Mr. Granger protested mildly.

    "Boys!" his wife said in aggravation as she made way for the hurrying twins, their face lighting up with their usual mischief.

    "Harry, catch!" Mr. Granger called out, tossing the bat to him. "I’ll grab a gnome for you."

    George suddenly caught sight of a group of gnomes under the peony patch and yelled. "Ginny!!!"

    "What?" the youngest of the Weasley siblings poked her head through a window.

    "Are you free?" George shouted. "A lot of manifestation down here!"

    "All right, I’m coming down!"

    "Do you want to know something bro?" Fred said, catching the attention as he watched the Fire Master successfully grabbing hold of a gnome’s legs and threw it at Harry.

    SMACK!

    They squinted as they watched the flying gnome screaming its heart out away beyond the Weasleys’ property.

    "You’re quite a good beater, Harry," Fred complimented him.

    "What were you saying?" George pestered his twin.

    "Oh, it’s a good thing Percy’s not with us anymore. He had gotten himself out of his way to make himself uncomfortable with the family. He would feel more like a stranger here than in the Ministry," Fred said, a little sadly.

    "It’s his own future," George said philosophically and gave his sister a smile as she joined them.

**********

    The four canines took shelter in an isolated cave.

    : I hate getting wet, : Wind complained, shaking herself off the rain droplets.

    : I agree. I hate to think about how I’ll smell in about fifteen minute’s time. : Fenix acknowledged.

    : Are we resting here tonight? : Sirius asked, moving deeper into the cave.

    Fenix turned to Silver, her silver wolf-eyes staring intently at the leader. : No, but we’ll rest until the downpour ceases, : The big silver wolf replied to the group.

    : Suits me, : Fenix said, lying down to conserve her energy. Sirius moved up towards her and cuddled close to her to keep themselves warm.

    : This method of speaking is damn convenient I must say. I wonder if Harry could speak in this method too. Could anybody detect this? : Sirius asked Fenix, who was chewing on her forepaws.

    : To the second question, quite unlikely except to another Hunter. It would be detected if one forgets to keep the conversation private. It depends on how strong your mindspeech is. I am a pretty strong one so I could talk in this way even if I’m miles away from you. But I have to be careful to only include you and the wolves in the conversation now. This I do by linking in first, before I start to babble… : She paused as she rearranged herself. : And to the first question, unlikely, except if the boy has a kind of mind magic. It usually is much easier on those who have Animal Speech as well. :

    : Oh? : Sirius asked, huddling closer to her. : You talked to wolves? :

    : No. It all started when I came across an injured eagle. Only when the Elven Lord introduced these two to the Wood did I learn to ‘listen’ and in time communicate with them. I guessed that you are what I would phrase as a ‘natural wolf-speaker’, : Fenix explained, putting her head down and began to doze.

    Sirius woke her up by licking her cheek sometime during the predawn. The downpour had ceased and the air smelled wonderful to her. She got up and stretched, already excited for the long run.

    : There isn’t any form of civilizations until we come across the Great Elm, : Silver began, : we can start Jumping and move around when the humans are sleeping. :

    : Jumping? : Sirius asked quizzically.

    : It’s a little complicated. The basic theory is that some mages; like me; are able to travel by compressing distances. It’s a little similar to Gating. I doubt you would even notice when we Jump, : Fenix explained to her oathbrother.

    : I guess this is how we tackle over the need from crossing a large body of water? : The black dog questioned, tilting his head. The wolves nodded. Thus, they began their run for the morning.

**********

At the Burrow…

    The four students from the Gryffindor House were playing a game called Heart Attack, which the Grangers’ introduced.

    "Gotcha!" Ginny screamed with triumph as she won the game for the fifth time, much to Hermione’s injured pride.

    "How do you do it, Ginny?" Hermione asked with disappointment. "This is a Muggle game and I haven’t even won one! You always managed to get the best cards!" she pouted.

    Ginny was about to make a reply when two large trunks suddenly appeared from mid-air and much to Ron’s horror, the trunks dropped directly on top of him.

    "RON!" Hermione yelped and scrambled to her knees to remove the luggage.

    "My goodness!" a series of voices echoed. "We’re so sorry about your boyfriend, Hermione," the Sylphs hovered mid-air.

    "Oh, there you are. And you’ve brought their luggage t--," Mrs. Granger did not finish her sentence when Hermione shot a furious look at her mother.

    "We thought that your mother had warned you to keep out of Ron’s bedroom." Arenii informed the female Gryffindor prefect calmly.

    "Mother…" Hermione hissed. Harry had managed to lever off the trunks, placed them up on the bed, and inspected Ron for any kind of permanent damage.

    "Are you all right?" Harry asked the winded Weasley.

    "Yeah…just wasn’t expecting the weight…" Ron gasped, massaging his tender chest. "I hope I hadn’t cracked… or worse… broke any ribs…"

    Hermione was now staring eye-to-eye with her mother. Ginny looked nervously at the Grangers.

    "Uhm…I think it’s best if we go and call Mr. Granger," she gulped as she felt the air beginning to crackle between the mother and daughter.

    "I don’t think that’s a good idea," a silvery voice whispered. "The presence of the Fire Mage would probably infuriate them further."

    Mrs. Granger stared fiercely and muttered something under her breath. Hermione just arched her right eyebrow, something that she had picked up from Harry’s godfather.

    "You must be proceeding to your dotage then," Hermione said.

    "Are you saying that I’m getting senile?" her mother questioned dangerously.

    "Why…yes!"

    The two began a screaming contest and that attracted Mrs. Weasley to Ron’s ex-bedroom. She was about to call out when he caught her attention by waving his hands and shaking his head. ‘Let them have a go at each other’ Ron mouthed to his mother. The air intensified and they all looked at the Grangers in alarm. That was because the electrified energy in the air had made both the Grangers’ hair stood on ends. In an instant, the air deflated the hair of the Grangers’, settling back untidily.

    "If you are done," Mrs. Weasley began timidly, "lunch’s almost ready."

    Mother and daughter shot dagger-looks at each other and slowly began a light chuckle.

    "Did you see…Ron’s face when your…hair began to…crackle?" Mrs. Granger asked her daughter brokenly, each pause punctuated by laughter.

    "You’re finally slipping!" Hermione collapsed on her knees, holding her waist tightly as she began to laugh uncontrollably.

    "Did you see…how alarmed…your friends were?" Mrs. Granger knelt, hugging her daughter and laughing uproariously.

    Harry, Ron and Ginny stormed out of the bedroom with dark faces. Professor Lupin had crept behind Mrs. Weasley to observe the racket and to his delight and amusement, Ron wheeled around, whipped out his wand and muttered ‘Colloportus!’ The bedroom door slammed loudly, sealing the hysterically laughing mother-daughter pair inside.

    "I’m very proud of you, Ron," Ginny began looking solemnly at her brother. Ron did not turn back as he shuffled down the stairs. His face grew redder by the moment as he heard his best friend and Ginny doubled up with laughter.

    "Ron! That was masterful," Harry called out before he was consumed by laughter completely.

    "Thanks very much!" Ron yelled out in sarcasm. What the hell! Hermione almost drowned me with panic. I really thought that they were about to have a duel or something. Bloody hell… Ron’s lips began to curl and all of them could clearly hear his muffled laughter.

**********

Thursday, 3^rd August. Early daybreak…

    : Let’s avoid the village, : Sirius advised the silver wolf.

    : I think we’ll go uphill. Unless you mind that we’re coming through the back? : Silver swung his head to look at Fenix, who was sniffing at the air.

    : Ha, ha, ha… : Fenix answered sardonically, then began to trot up the gentle slope.

    : She doesn’t really have a lot of humor, does she? : Sirius asked as he watched the graceful canter of Fenix in her wolf form.

    : You’ll be surprised, : Wind replied enigmatically.

    : How long has it been since she ever went out with men of her own kind? :

    : You mean humans? :

    : Yes. :

    : It’s been quite a while, right dear? : Wind answered, and turned to Silver for confirmation.

    : I wonder why… : Sirius mused, while he panted as he sought to reach the silver-black wolf ahead of him.

    : She’s very reclusive. And most men don’t really understand her. They think her as a queer. Only the Elven kind was able to see what she’s capable of. :

    : Then had she ever been in a relationship with them? :

    : Yes, as I was told, she fell in love with an Elven Lord. But he was murdered on the same night that her family went missing… and she remained single after that. :

    : I am very near The Burrow guys, : Fenix’s mindvoice reached the lagging company.

    : Where are you? : Sirius cast his thought to his oathsister.

    : I’m standing beside a shed. :

    : Shed? What shed? The Weasleys’ didn’t have one… :

    : It smells new to me. And I think your ‘howling friend’ had used it recently. :

    The three canines finally reached the last hill and Sirius found out that Fenix had been right. They were already in the property held by the Weasleys’ as The Burrow loomed ahead of them. Sirius trotted towards Fenix, where she sat regally on her haunches and watched with good-humor as Sirius pawed and sniffed at the ground.

    : You’re right! That means Remus is at the Weasleys too! : He sent his delighted thought to the three wolves, suppressing the urge to howl like a wolf. He quickly changed back to his true form and quickly dusted off his clothes and tried to smooth his wind-tangled hair. Fenix however took her time in returning to her true form. Finally, she stood and watched the wolves, her face glowing healthily with the morning’s exertion. Like Sirius, she was clad in black, in her Hunter mode. Her hair was tied back to a strict ponytail and highlighted her fierce, handsome face. Sirius gave an involuntary shiver.

    : Might I mention that your clothes really do contrast with your silver eyes, sister? :

    Fenix gave a disappointed sigh. : Do I look that intimidating? :

    : Kind of. But only if you were not so short, : Sirius managed to jibe before she poked him at his rib.

    : Are you ready to make an appearance? :

    : Are you? : Sirius asked her back.

    : Ho, friend, wake up, : Fenix sent a thought to a slumbering Fire Mage.

    : What? Who is this? : He cast his sleepy thought back.

    : It is us…my lord of all the dentist in UK… :

    : Fenix! Where are you? :

    : We are at the shed, where you had contained a werewolf. If the boy is still asleep don’t wake him up. Let’s not spoil the surprise for the boy. :

    : All right! Yahoo! :

    Fenix and Sirius casually strode towards The Burrow, with the wolves trailing by their sides. Sirius was a bit surprised when a young woman with bushy hair ran towards them and flung herself at Sirius’s neck and squealed with delight. The young woman finally let go of the amused man and gave a smile at Fenix.

    "Hello, Hermione. How was the red-haired boy? I hope the trunks didn’t do any lasting damage," Fenix greeted the only child of the Grangers.

    "I think he’s fine," Hermione breathed, and two happy tears streaked her cheeks.

    "Do you know how much we grieved for you, Sirius?" Mrs. Weasley, wrapped in her robe strode forward to give Fenix’s oathbrother a hug. "Why did you took such a long time to let us know you were alive? You could have spared the rest of us trying to look for you in-between!" she babbled then unexpectedly burst into tears.

    "Now, Molly. Stop that," Sirius chided the plump woman gently. "I’m already back now, alive and safe and as you can probably see, I’m very healthy."

    "Do not give us such a heart attack next time, Sirius," Arthur pleaded, before giving his distant cousin a hug.

    "I don’t intend for a next time, Arthur," the Black answered grimly, "how are the twins by the way?"

    "They're fine and profiting. They have gone to their joke shop early. Said that there is a demand for more Lemon-wakees, one of their latest invention," Mr. Weasley replied.

    Fenix watched the Weasleys’ as they greeted the last of the Black.

    : This people treated him as one of their family, : Fenix observed.

    : Well, you know what they say about absence makes the heart grow fonder. It’s true, : Silver remarked, as Fenix gave a nod, watching Sirius with a gentle smile. She shared his happiness as his relief and joy flooded through their bond.

    "Arthur, Molly, I would like to introduce you to a person that had saved my life more than once. This is Fenix Ruis Maxwell," Sirius paused as Fenix raised an eyebrow when he mentioned her middle name as well. "The Fire Master, Ally of the Wood and the Elves," and as an afterthought, "and my oathsister as well."

**********

    Harry was woken up early by the constant murmur of voices in The Burrow. He looked about the bedroom; his body propped up by his elbows. The twins were already out of bed and his best friend was already beginning to stir.

    "What in hell are they doing?" Ron’s voice muttered sleepily. "Damn, I would really like to continue sleeping," Ron complained, turning over and sat up. He gave a loud yawn and stretched, then blinked curiously when laughter from somewhere down below reached the bedroom.

    "'Scissors, paper, stone’ to get to wash up first," Harry whispered to the sleepy-looking prefect.

    "As you wish," Ron said and at the count of three, he shaped his fingers to resemble a pair of scissors while Harry went for a stone by fisting his fingers.

    "You’ve gotten yourself blunt!" Harry called to the dazed Weasley as he dashed out for the bathroom.

    "Oi! That’s not fair!" Ron protested as he struggled to disentangle himself from the nice cocoon of blankets.

    "Don’t you know that life isn’t fair, mate?" Harry’s muffled shout reached the still-struggling Weasley.

    "I’ll get you, Harry!" Ron threatened furiously.

    "Not my fault!" He heard Harry’s garbled reply as he set about brushing his teeth. Ron finally managed to free himself and ran towards the bathroom only to collide with Professor Lupin.

    "Why are you boys shouting early in the morning?" he asked curiously, popping his knuckles unconsciously. It seemed that Harry was not aware of Professor Lupin as he continued yelling from inside.

    "And you better stop being so predictable!"

    "Hey, Prof.?" Ron tugged at Professor Lupin’s sleeve.

    "What?"

    "‘Scissors, paper and stone’ to get to wash up next," Ron offered. Harry opened the bathroom door and watched the wizard and student with interest. Professor Lupin gave a sulky sigh. Harry moved away from the door and watched as Ron counted a signal and gave ‘stone’ while Professor Lupin gave him ‘paper’.

    "You’re wrapped! I’m next!" and the middle-aged wizard slammed the bathroom door at Ron’s astounded face.

    "You shouldn’t have tried to cheat him," Harry said lightly to his best friend.

    "What?"

    "He had been watching Hermione teaching all the possible Muggle games carefully," Harry explained. "See you at breakfast!"

    Harry bounded down the stairs noisily, his face cheerful and feeling very much awake. He had not had time to feel surprise as he was enfolded in a very, very tight hug. Huh? The young Potter looked about the kitchen curiously. Something out of place caught his eye amidst the Grangers’ and the Weasleys’. A woman with a pair of peculiar silver eyes smiled at him gently.

    "He has Lily’s emerald eyes…" The woman spoke softly, staring intently at Harry.

    Is that the Fire Master? And how did she know my mother? She doesn’t look that old! Harry’s mind whirled with confusing thoughts but somehow he realized the important truth. Sirius…

    : Hello, Harry. I hope you aren’t mad at me. : Sirius’s mindvoice coursed gently in Harry’s mind.

    : Sirius? : Harry’s mindvoice was filled with incredulity and surprise. : I’m not crazy, am I? : He stared blankly ahead of him, still hugged by his godfather. : You’re not really talking in my head, are you? :

    "Well, one thing for sure, brother-mine," the Fire Master spoke up, "he’s got mindspeech; and pretty good at it too."

    Harry gave the strange woman an incredulous look. Mindspeech? And why did she address Sirius as ‘brother-mine’?

    "How could I have been so stupid to miss the obvious?" Sirius said, slapping one palm on his forehead. "He’s able to communicate with snakes."

    "Ah…that explains his ability to talk and hear mind-to-mind…" Fenix smiled brightly.

    Sirius switched to a private mode. : Would you forgive me? :

    Harry almost answered him but Fenix stopped him. She tentatively reached a link to Harry, and as he accepted it, he learned how to keep the silent conversations personal.

    : Go on, : Fenix ushered him.

    : It doesn’t matter anymore. What matters most is that you’re back alive, and you’re with me. Just don’t break your promise of letting me stay with you. :

    : So you do want me to be your full-time godfather, don’t you? :

    : Yes. : Harry answered, his mindvoice so full of determination. He reached for Sirius again to give the older man a hug.

    : Sirius, what is your relationship with the Fire Master? :

    : Fire Master is quite a mouthful. Don’t you think it’s better if you call her Fenix? And to answer your question; what if I tell you that she’s my girlfriend? : Sirius asked his godson slyly. Harry gave a critical look at his godfather before focusing his eyes on Fenix.

    : I don’t believe that she has bad taste, : came Harry’s reply. Suddenly they heard a strangled cough from somewhere behind Fenix. The Fire Master turned curiously and to Harry’s horror, were two grown wolves. Harry would have been petrified if not for the fact that the two wolves were huddled closely together and acted as though they were laughing at Harry’s observation.

    "Were you two eavesdropping?" Sirius demanded. Harry looked at the wolves with a bemused expression when the pair began to tremble and Harry knew they were laughing at Sirius as their laughter echoed in his mind.

    : You’ll do all right, : said a voice, and the great silver wolf turned to meet Harry’s eyes. : I am Silver, and this is my mate, Wind. We’re Fenix’s bondmates. : The wolves introduced themselves to Harry and from the amazed expressions of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, they had probably heard the voice in their mind.

    : Fenix, isn’t my girlfriend, : Sirius answered, darting a furious glare at the wolves, : she’s my oathsister. :

    At some unspoken signal, Fenix stood up from her seat and approached the wary Harry Potter.

    : This is my sister, Fenix Maxwell. Fenix, my godson, Harry. :

    Fenix tilted her head in acknowledgment. : Hello, : she started shyly before continuing, : I met your mother when I was in a bookstore. I was very tiny at that time and couldn’t reach out for a book that I had wanted to buy. Your mother helped me without being asked. And as you can see, I am still short, : she said rather casually, and Harry had to smile.

    I guess I would have no problem communicating with her. I think I like her…She was short. Harry estimated that she was several inches shorter than being five feet.

    : But don’t let her size fool you, : Sirius warned his godson. : She can snap you in two, if she has a mind to. :

    The momentary silence that had begun to fall was broken by a cheerful voice.

    "Morning, everyone! What’s for bre--" Remus broke off. Everyone was expecting that Sirius would strike the man speechless but it was not true as Remus’s hazel eyes widened when he met Fenix’s unique silver eyes. Sirius glanced from Remus’s thunderstruck expression to Fenix’s blank face. He sniggered at their reaction.

    He intercepted their eye-lock by hugging his best friend, while Fenix blinked her eyes in amazement. I feel as if I had been thrown into an ice-cold river…This must be his ‘howling friend’… Sirius drew back and waited motionlessly at one side. Fenix stared at her oathbrother.

    "Name’s Fenix," she reached out her right hand and Remus took it and firmly--without testing her-- shook it.

    "Remus Lupin," he answered, and he was lost into the depths of her eyes for the second time that morning.

    "Oh my," Ron observed from the stairs, arching his eyebrow and began to smile slyly at Professor Lupin’s back.

**********

Fenix was sitting on the wooden floor with the two wolves beside her, talking quietly to Ginny. "I’ve never been invited to a wizarding family’s home before. Seems strange to me somehow," the Fire Master confessed to the youngest Weasley.

    "You’ll get used to it," Ginny reassured the silver-eyed woman. "At least you aren’t that old to adapt with the current situation."

    "There’s that I guess," the Fire Master admitted. "Who is Professor Dumbledore? I did ask Sirius ever since Harry’s birthday but his answers are very short. All I knew about the man is that he is the principal of your school and the head of the secret organization."

    "That’s all he told you?" Ginny asked incredulously, her eyes wide.

    "Yeah," Fenix replied, watching the profiles of Sirius, Remus and Harry with a gentle smile. Her attention on her oathbrother was broken when four simultaneous cracks pierced the air. She slowly got to her feet, her eyes intent on the front door.

    : What is it? : Sirius directed the question at her, but included Harry, Remus and the wolves in the conversation.

    : I think it’s the Headmaster, : she sent her reply. She was still in her Hunter mode and flinched slightly when Severus Snape, Potions Master and Head of the Slytherin House crossed the threshold.

    : Isn’t he complicated? : Fenix remarked to no one in particular.

    Snape’s eyes swept the interior of the household and paused to scrutinize the Fire Master. His attention on her was only for a few seconds before dismissing her. The Potions Master kept his expression impassive when he turned to Sirius.

    "Sirius." Snape greeted him curtly.

    "Severus." Harry’s godfather replied as brusquely.

    Funny, why am I feeling a fainter version of what I feel from the Dementors? Is this the evidence of what Sirius had told me about the Death Eaters? Fenix mused grimly.

    : Ah…Fenix? : a strange, shy-sounding baritone asked her.

    : Is it you, Harry? : She turned to look at Harry, who had stood up and his height was almost equal to Sirius. The young wizard gave her a slight nod in acknowledgment.

    : Have Sirius told you about Snape? :

    : Professor Snape, and yes he did, : Fenix corrected him almost absently, her eyes now intent to examine a man so weird-looking. She did raise an eyebrow slightly in amusement when the man made a tentative move as if to dislodge something away from him. She knew the Sylph by sight and by her dark blue hair. "Arenii, get off the poor man," Fenix instructed firmly. Someone gave a sigh from behind her as the Sylph giggled and gave the man a kiss on his cheek before vanishing.

    "She’s totally out of control," the Air Mage complained futilely. "I don’t know why Moody interests her so much. Sirius is far much more good-looking than he is," Mrs. Granger said aloud, ignoring Snape’s scowl. She was far too busy looking at a blushing Sirius.

    "Of course, the Black is good-looking," a silky voice called out. "If only he isn’t such a prig." And for a brief moment, Fenix’s amber-haired Sylph made herself seen to the Unbelievers.

    "Oh!" Professor McGonagall gasped in surprise. Moody was so shocked that he turned pale all of a sudden.

    "I don’t think the Sylph meant you any harm, Alastor," a calm deep voice said. Professor Dumbledore entered The Burrow, nodding his head at Sirius and gave Fenix a measuring look.

    "Fenix Maxwell," Professor Dumbledore began.

    Fenix replied coolly, "Albus Dumbledore."

    "Is there any room that we could use for an uninterrupted conversation, Arthur?" the Headmaster inquired and Mr. Weasley began to flush in embarrassment.

    Fenix tilted her head to one side and gazed at the group of wizards intently. "The living room will do," she said.

    "How dare you even suggest that! Muggles!" Snape spat out and she raised her hand to prevent her oathbrother from lunging towards the Potions Master. The Grangers looked angrily at Snape.

    Fenix gave looked directly into Snape’s eyes. "Wasn’t that your intent, Albus? To include me in the conversations?" she asked, staring impassively at the Potions Master.

    "It is still, but the presence of the students is not--"

    The Fire Master quickly interrupted him. "But the matter highly involves the students, doesn’t it? Especially since it’s their safety we’ll be discussing…among other important things," she pointed out.

    Professor Dumbledore peered down at the diminutive woman. Finally, he relented and casually set up protective spells about The Burrow. Each of the wizards contributed their own spells while the mages closed the gaps with their own runes. Only the Potions Master looked terribly displeased and refused to take a seat even after Mrs. Weasley offered him a chair. Hermione eagerly asked the Headmaster on the new school rules.

    "Letters will be sent to every student on the new rules that will be implemented on the new school term," Professor Dumbledore began, his eyes boring down on the still-stubborn Potions Master. "It will be less tiring for you if you were to sit, Severus." The Headmaster paused before resuming his sentence. "However, there are some rules that I have to highlight to you. You are all required to buy your books within a three-day period, with the fifth-years and above to go down the Alley, on the last day, which is--" Professor Dumbledore gave an inquiring look at Professor McGonagall.

    "Sixteenth of August," the Head of Gryffindor House supplied. The Headmaster nodded slightly.

    "Also, on the day that you are to congregate at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, you will go with an escort of at least one Auror," Professor Dumbledore informed them.

    "At least that way, we could hope that nothing disastrous happens to the students but the same cannot be said for the rest of the wizard family," Moody grated.

    "Great. Now the students get to worry about more than just their studies," Ginny said wryly.

    "By the way, Sirius," the Headmaster peered significantly at Harry’s godfather, "you have a hearing on the coming Tuesday."

    "What?" Sirius’s head jerked up in surprise.

    "We do have to clear the things about you being an Unlicensed Animagus before you could start being his godfather, don’t we?" Professor McGonagall said in a condescending tone.

    "And what makes you so sure that the Ministry will let me off that easily?" Harry’s godfather demanded.

    Fenix did not know if it was wise for her to speak up but she tossed her precautions to the wind. "Why would they want to sentence you again anyway? You’ve already spent twelve years in that wizard prison for something you did not commit."

    "You will be silent," Snape hissed. Fenix stared at the Potions Master calmly, but the same could not be said of her Elementals. The Salamanders who were very close to her began to wind themselves about her in agitation. I wonder why he is being so abrasive. Hermione tried not to stare at her. The young girl could not help but notice that her long hair behind her back was lifted high and was surprised that no one else noticed. Fenix smiled slightly at the young girl.

    "I don’t think they want to perpetrate a mistake they could avoid. With luck, and a lot of fast talking, Minerva and I would help you clear your name," Professor Dumbledore said with a grim tone.

    Sirius looked at the Headmaster dubiously.

    : Don’t worry, brother, even if that particular plan backfires, you are still going to carry your duties. : Fenix reassured him, her mindvoice tinged with mischief.

    : Do you think it will be all right if I were to speak my mind? : Harry’s familiar mindvoice filled her mind. She heard Sirius’s reply to the boy.

    : Yes, you can. If it is important. :

    Harry first glanced at his friends, then took a deep breath and asked his first question to the Headmaster. "Do we have enough allies for The War?"

    Professor Dumbledore took a deep breath and looked into Harry’s deep emerald eyes. "I do not know Harry, Bill’s doing the best that he could in gaining some foreign wizards, but the--"

    "Too timid to join up," Moody finished the sentence for him. Ron looked disappointed while Hermione bit her lower lip.

    "It hasn’t started right?" Ron asked timidly.

    "If it hasn’t, it’s just a matter of time," Moody replied, his magical eye watching Fenix continuously. It moved slightly as it watched Harry’s head tilt to ask the Headmaster his second question.

    "Are you going to negotiate with the Fire Master for possible alliance?"

    The Headmaster looked slightly startled at Harry’s blunt question. His surprise was quickly erased when Harry suddenly doubled up, hands clutching his head. Sirius quickly moved to his side, trying to pry Harry’s hands apart.

    : Sirius, leave him! : Fenix sent her thought overlaid with sensations of a pounding head, and would have laughed at Sirius’s alarm if she was not so affected by Harry’s pain.

    "Harry! Are you all right?" Mrs. Weasley spoke up; her hand clutching her husband’s tightly.

    Fenix got up from her seat and laid her hand on Harry’s head. The excruciating pain that Harry was experiencing almost overwhelmed her. She drew her hand back to shield her mind completely, only opening her Healing channels and placed her hand back on his head. The wizards looked at her gesture warily. Slowly, Harry’s breaths became calmer and he stopped struggling with himself. Only when he removed his hands away from his head did Fenix broke off the contact.

    "You used Healing, didn’t you?"

    "Yes."

    "What is it, Harry?" Professor Dumbledore asked, his eyes alert, while the other looked at the Fire Master with wary respect.

    "It’s him. He’s angry and he killed again. Three homeless Muggles and one wizard, don’t really know his name."

    "Angry? What about?" Moody asked.

    Much to their amazement, Fenix answered. "He had sent some Dementors to terrorize Harry’s caretakers and the surrounding neighborhood. However, the elves, all disguised, chased them away from the civilian area to the woods. I think he had sent a scout to look for them and he wasn’t pleased at the scout’s report--that could be the wizard he killed."

    "What did the scout find? And what happened to the Dementors?" Ron asked curiously.

    "Professor Dumbledore," Ginny spoke up, "isn’t that Fawkes?" she asked, pointing her finger at the window. The Headmaster strode out of The Burrow, his hand holding a Daily Prophet. Perched calmly on his shoulder, was a bright, red-feathered bird.

    Several screeches were heard from the outside and Hedwig flapped into the house and dropped something to Hermione. It was also a copy of the Daily Prophet. She stared at the front page just as a flock of post-owls breezed through The Burrow with copies of the top wizarding newspaper.

    Fenix squeezed in right in between Sirius and Remus. She was caught by surprise when she saw movement on the newspaper. It’s just like a TV screen… She caught Hermione’s whispers that this was a special edition of the Daily Prophet. She paid careful attention to the title, ‘Ghastly sights sets off hysteria in the Muggle community’.

    Mrs. Weasley suddenly screamed in fright, her face turning pale. Remus looked up from the paper inquiringly.

    "Those were Dementors!" she jabbed a finger at the front page as she exclaimed, her voice tinged with hysteria.

    Professor Dumbledore raised an eyebrow and peered into the picture carefully. Ginny and Hermione gasped in horror and Fenix looked at the silent picture carefully. Comprehension dawned on her face and Sirius placed a comforting hand on her shoulder when uneasiness coursed through their bond.

    "That’s sick, isn’t it?" Ginny spoke softly.

    "How did the Dementors get themselves…ah…" Ron halted, frowning as though trying to think of an appropriate word.

    "Impaled?" Fenix said.

    Ron gave her a grateful look and continued. "Yeah…right…well…how did they get themselves lifted off to get impaled by the trees?"

    "Extremely curious," Professor Dumbledore agreed. One by one, they all resumed their seats. Now, Fenix shared a seat with Sirius, after silently informed him that she would like to stay near Harry. Professor McGonagall gave Sirius a look that they could not comprehend.

    : I think it’s because she doesn’t know that you’re oathsibs, : Wind said helpfully in their minds.

    : I don’t think that would occur to her right now. Our position sure indicates that we are something much more intimate, : Sirius responded. : Anyway, we could cover all the minor details later. : Fenix silently agreed with her oathbrother.

    "Is there any explanation to this?" Professor Dumbledore asked her carefully. "Assuming you could."

    "Yes. The elves were not the ones who lifted the Dementors; they were merely herding them. The Trees moved on their own," she lifted her head slightly to look at Sirius. "It’s strange. I’d thought they were an endangered kind. Didn’t expect them to congregate in one place," she spoke to Sirius.

    "They’re Mnids?"

    "Well, can you think of any other kind of trees that can do you harm?"

    "Yes," Ron replied absently, "the Whomping Willow did made a good job of battering me and Harry when we’re second-year students."

    : Whomping Willow? : Fenix asked, her face puzzled.

    : Never mind that. This had just fell under the minor detail section, : Sirius answered her with a slight shake of his head.

     "Would you two stop doing that? It’s rude," Moody suddenly spoke up loudly, startling them.

    "Were you talking to me, Moody?" Sirius asked mildly.

    "Yes," Moody grated, his magical eye spun in its socket again, "you and Fenix."

    "We’ll be good," Fenix spoke up, her face impassive. Her friend was right. She exchanged a quick glance with the Air Mage, who was shaking her head, looking at her Sylph almost in desperation.

    : Arenii is seriously out of control, : Wind said, her amusement clear to Fenix.

    "I am surprised that the Dementors were still around. Maybe it’s for the benefit of the wizarding media, I guess," Fenix pondered. Professor McGonagall gave her a look that encouraged Fenix to explain the matter further. "Usually, anything that offends them will lose their substantial form almost immediately. They usually do not display their killings."

    "Don’t you think he wouldn’t try to burn them?" Snape mused, forgetting the fact that he was discussing the matter with ‘Muggles’.

    "He can try, but they themselves are magically and physically protected. Furthermore, this particular group are under the protections of the elves and the Gods," Fenix said and Snape gave her a disdainful glare. "Seriously," Fenix said almost in aggravation. "Just because you are skeptical about the existence of Gods, doesn’t make everyone think the same as you do."

    : It is time for your kind to open your minds a little wider. You people have been incredibly naïve. : An implacable voice resounded deeply in the minds of the Unbelievers.

    "Stop looking for enemies, Moody," Sirius warned the weird-looking wizard. "That was the great silver wolf. I am surprised that you had not noticed the pair as soon as you came in," then he paused as a thought occurred to him.

    "What are you talking about? I don’t see any wolves!" Moody protested.

    Sirius stared meaningfully at the wolves. "Unless…they have been encouraging you to see something which is not really there."

    "Very quick brother," Fenix complimented him, and Sirius gave her an almost childish grin.

    Since their technique had been discovered, the pair of wolves dropped their illusions. Moody jumped; stumbling backwards as he saw the pile of firewood suddenly transformed into a pair of wolves.

    "They’re harmless," Sirius chuckled then mercurially turned serious, "unless someone tries to either harm them or something innocent."

    : Let’s all get down to business. Don’t bother with formalities. It’s getting tiresome, : Silver spoke up and turned to stare directly at Snape. : And keep a lid on it. : The youngsters exchanged a puzzled look between themselves, looking at Snape and then at the great silver wolf.

    "Very well," Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat and began. "There is this; we simply do not have enough people to negate anything that the Dark Lord will attempt in the future. The Ministry and I had discussed of the possibility of closing down the School but that way, it is very much dangerous to the students."

    "The Fair Ones are ready to help; some of the Elven Lords were aware of the Dark Lord’s era back a century ago. They’re long-lived creatures after all. However, all Mages are of two minds. I could assure you that none of the Mages would attempt to join in with the Dark Lord. The Elementals abhor him somehow. They would turn upon their Mages if they try to attempt that. It’s cruel, but it is a safeguard. Let’s just keep it to one kind of war. I don’t think She could handle the complications of a blood bath plus the revolts of nature. But I will help," the Fire Master said. "It is absolutely imperative that I should do so," she continued, gazing intently at Harry now.

    "From what Sirius had told me, and from how these people feel about you, your survival is important to them. Including that one," she said, her eyes rested on Snape for a moment before swiftly returning to Harry’s. "You’re a hazard, much to yourself and everyone else. Really, Harry. Your mind’s as leaky as a boat with no bottom. I’m surprised that you had remained sane after all these years or maybe… since the day you had first conversed with a reptile."

    Harry gulped and flushed slightly in embarrassment. The way Fenix was talking to him right now was almost mother-like. Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat to regain their attention.

    "I am glad that you had seen what a danger the boy could be if his mind remained exposed. Your magic is very different from ours, but the way you are shielding both of your minds seemed very effective. And I apologize if my actions seemed rude to you," the Headmaster’s eyes lighted up with curiosity, "but I can’t seem to penetrate the barriers you have erected."

    "That’s the general idea, wasn’t it?" Fenix said with a sly look in her eyes.

    "So it seems that your talents may prove useful to the students and the staff. Would you consent in being a staff in Hogwarts?"

    "To teach? Would I be of any use?" Fenix asked in bafflement.

    "Yes, if it does not trouble your Muggle occupation."

    "I’m self-employed actually. In a way, I am obliged to help you," Fenix said, her silver eyes mysterious. "I don’t really know the reason, but it seems that duty is calling me."

    "So, you will come to Hogwarts?" Professor Dumbledore asked, his tone hopeful.

    "Yes."

    "Nevertheless, you wouldn’t be handling the students alone. Remus, I loathe to burden you with this but there is no one else more suited for the position," the Headmaster said, looking pointedly at Remus.

    "If you think I’m good enough for the position, I will," Remus gave a heavy sigh.

    "Don’t worry, Professor. You are the best Defense against the Dark Arts teacher," Ron cheered. "But this will be the very first time this position has ever been shared." The Prefect gave a sidelong look at the Potions Master who was glowering at Remus with hatred.

    "I think this is settled," Professor Dumbledore stood up. "I’ve got to stop by the School before going to the Ministry. I’m sure they wish to discuss this," he said, shaking the Daily Prophet a little. "I’ll come by again when it’s time for your hearing, Sirius."

**********

    "I wonder how fast he can talk when he tells the authorities that a ‘Muggle’ would be teaching the students," Fenix mused, twirling a lock of her black hair, then turned to face the company still in The Burrow.

    "Don’t worry, Fenix. The Headmaster has his ways," Mrs. Weasley said confidently. "My goodness! It’s nearly noon! Oh dear! The twins would be coming home for their lunch! Oh dear!" Mrs. Weasley zoomed off towards the kitchen.

    "Mr. Weasley, is there any area that my wolves could rest?"

    "I don’t think my wife would really mind them hanging out in the living room."

    "Do you think she would mind if they were to share my sleeping area?"

    "Are you sure?"

    "The stairs won’t bother them."

    "It should be all right." He however had the look of wanting to say more but decided against it.

    Fenix carefully pulled Ron, Hermione and Ginny from Sirius, Remus and Harry.

    "Let’s leave them together for a bit," Fenix whispered. She gave a hand signal to the Mages and they both shrugged, moving towards the kitchen. "Meanwhile, while they are having their own reunion, why don’t you guys show me my sleeping quarters?"

    "Allow me," Ron said pompously, giving her a mocking bow and directed her towards the stairs. "If you would care to follow me?" he inquired as Ginny giggled at his ridiculous behavior.

    Except for Fenix and her bondmates, the others were panting slightly by the time they reached the landing. "An unobtrusive method to ensure you remain healthy," Fenix observed them clinically.

    "And this is where you and Sirius are going to sleep!" Ginny said cheerfully, opening the door and invited the silver-eyed lady in. Fenix raised her eyebrow slightly as she took in the color of the room.

    "Was this room yours?" she asked Ron pointedly.

    "Yeah," Ginny answered for him. "Mom had to cast an Engorgement Spell on the bed so it would fit you and Sirius. Our mother was rather expecting some kind of relationship but well since you’re siblings…" The girl shrugged.

    : The bed is quite comfortable, : Silver approved, as he curled near the edge of the bed.

    : You’re spoilt, dear, : Wind remarked.

    They children were looking expectantly at her. She gave them a grin. "It’s fine. I had a room exactly the same color and the same number of furniture anyway."

    "That is quite a big bed wouldn’t you say?" Sirius said, casually leaning against the doorframe. Harry and Professor Lupin were standing at the corridor. Sirius pushed himself off the doorframe, flung himself on the bed, and stretched.

    "Am I suppose to share this bed with you?" Sirius asked slyly.

    "Yes," the Fire Master replied, looking archly at her oathbrother.

    "Drat. You’re so small but I wonder how you could take up so much space; just like a cat."

    "You want a bigger sleeping space? Fine, you could sleep right here on the floor," Fenix said flatly and gave him a look that said ‘One wrong phrase and you’re it’. Sirius chuckled gently. The two, who were loitering out of the bedroom, shuffled in and closed the door behind them.

    "So…" Remus began, looking pointedly at Sirius, "are you going to tell us what happened to you since The Duel?"

    Sirius sighed and sat up on the bed. "I wonder if there is something that we’ll allow me to record down my narration…" Harry’s godfather mused darkly.

    "Having second thoughts of me Healing you, brother?" Fenix questioned slyly.

    "Shut up." Sirius snapped, then his face turned helpless. "People are going to keep asking me that question, won’t they?"

    "You bet!" Harry grinned crookedly at his godfather. "You either tell your version or we’ll set the twins on you."

    "And I could just imagine their twisted version in my mind, especially the little details about you and Fenix. I’m sure they would find your bond disappointing, so you can’t really blame them if they were to make up their own conclusions, am I right?" Remus said with a gentle grin, taking up a seat on the bed. A distinct crack could be heard from out of The Burrow. All of them kept themselves silent as they waited. Fenix was now sitting on the window ledge looking at the group with amusement. Harry in the meantime conjured something and a bag appeared out of the thin air, and plopped down onto his lap. He offered the paper bag to Fenix.

    She picked the bag up and peered curiously at its contents. She rummaged her fingers in the bag and took out a Chocolate Frog. All of a sudden, she yelped and lost her balance when two identical twins Apparated right in front of the window. The inevitable happened.

**********

~ Chapter 8: OWLs! ~

"Oh no…" Hermione stopped, and cringed when Sirius looked belligerently at the twins.

    "Bloody hell," Fred whispered, his eyes were tightly shut, afraid to look at Sirius or at the window.

    "Couldn’t you guys just climb the stairs like everybody else?" Fenix’s unmistakable voice emerged from the open window.

    "Thank you, Merlin!" George heaved a huge sigh of relief.

    "Don’t just stand there!" Fenix narrowed her eyes, as sweat trickled down her neck. "Using sheer mind magic to keep myself aloft is no easy task!" and the twins hurriedly caught both her hands and helped the small woman back into the bedroom.

    "You must be Remus’s assistant! I’m Fred, and this is my brother, George," he introduced themselves and the twins gave her a florid bow simultaneously.

    Whack! Sirius delivered a mind blow to Fenix and the twins. The Fire Master shot an angry look at Sirius who looked back at her innocently.

    "Why in hell did you do that?" Fenix stepped forward, her silver eyes staring icily at her oathbrother.

    "Do what?" Sirius blinked his eyes innocently.

    "Remus, would you please get off the bed?" Fenix advised the puzzled Professor. He hastily got out of the way when Fenix stood near the edge of the bed while the rest looked warily.

    "Are you absolutely sure they’re not a couple?" Ginny whispered urgently to Hermione. The bushy-haired Granger confidently nodded her head.

    "Don’t take me for a fool, Sirius," Fenix said softly. "I may be irrational at times but I’m not a fool. You think I couldn’t trace the link back to you?" her fingers suddenly shot out to grab a piece of Sirius right arm.

    "OUCH! Dear God woman! Why must you always resort to pinching?" Sirius jerked out from her reach.

    "Because that’s the best weapon a woman can have."

    "I don’t think a pinch would be of any use to the Dark Lord or the Death Eaters," Ron muttered.

    "Do you think so?" Fenix gave a grim smile. "What if I were to clench my mind upon a beating heart?" Ron stared mutely at her. "I am a Healer too…" she reminded him.

    "And the Death Eaters are still humans," Harry replied absently. Fenix raised an eyebrow at the green-eyed boy.

    "Aren’t we feeling bloodthirsty today?" the Fire Master observed. Harry just shrugged, popping a Chocolate Frog into his mouth. She turned back to Sirius.

    "You shouldn’t let your emotions get the better of you," she said gently. "Nothing could happen to me unless it is time." She sat down beside Sirius, leaning against a wall covered with giant posters.

    "Is it safe for me to sit now?" Remus asked Fenix politely.

    "Yes, I don’t bite, you know, unless if I go wolf," Fenix replied casually, then raised an eyebrow at her oathbrother. "Well, why don’t you get started first and then they can have a go. There must have been things happening around since you got yourself stuck in the Void."

    Remus gingerly sat himself near the Fire Master and tried to restrain his wandering eyes. For no apparent reason, he found himself severely attracted by the woman’s unique pair of eyes. Sirius began telling the company of what had happened to him since he fell into the archway, with the natural talent of a storyteller and Remus raptly listened to his friend’s narration. Occasionally, Fenix would insinuate several things but she kept quiet most of the time. Then the students and Remus filled in what had been happening since Sirius’s ‘demise’.

    "Hermione’s father said that you could kill those Dementors without the aid of the Elementals," Harry said, his green eyes tinged with a bit of amazement.

    Fenix narrowed her eyes slightly. "Yes…" she gave an encouraging look at the youth.

    "So how did you do it?" Harry asked urgently and she smiled at his enthusiasm.

    "You’re a little too young to have those kind of thoughts, you know," Fenix informed him with a faint smile. Several snorts erupted from all around, including her bondmates.

    "So are you going to tell them or do you just want to sit there and look mysterious?" Sirius teased her, his face bearing a bored expression.

    "Sirius," Fenix said warningly to her oathbrother.

    "What are you going to do? Turn me into a toad?"

    "Nope. I’m going to turn you into a flying cockroach instead."

    Remus carefully contained his mirth and cleared his throat. "So how did you eliminate them?"

    "I’ll get you later." Fenix gave a sidelong look at her oathbrother and answered the question. "The ingredients are simple: hope, love and Life. The Dementors can’t really understand these human emotions. But of course, when one gets a glimpse of them, the natural emotion that is fear always overwhelm the other emotions. That’s how humans like us can fall prey to them easily. They fear one thing, to cease existence. I may be digressing but I think this can be quite useful," Fenix paused to massage her shoulder.

    "The elves are resistant to them because they are magic and protected by something other than themselves. The other thing is that they are immortal… well not quite." She gave a little frown. "Elves have much longer life span compared to humans, like they could still be hurt by a sharp blade and may die from it. Returning to the subject, another method to exterminate these Dementors is to get a sacred knife. The swords the elves use are something like the ancient tools of the Celts. But of course, they were the ones whom created the ancient tools in the first place. One reason why I’m immune is because I’ve experienced Death over and over again. They don’t understand why I could be so willing to die and embrace Death," Fenix said and her eyes took on a distant look.

    Sirius gave a blank look at her. Is that why she’s named Fenix? It must be… she is a Phoenix after all…

    "I used all of these information and amplified it in my mind and forced the Dementors to…well the most accurate thing I would say is that I let it glimpse through my life, duties and Death. In short, I simply overloaded their beings."

    "Hah! Got themselves fried by their own specialty!" Hermione snorted.

    Harry suddenly stood up, took Sirius’s right hand, and slowly turned the palm upwards. A strange silver five-pointed star gleamed palely. Fenix smiled and held out her own palm for them to see.

    "A mark of our oathbinding," she explained.

    "So you are kin now…I wonder what we’re going to do later," Ginny abruptly changed the subject.

    "I thought it was already obvious," Fenix answered the girl, exchanging a brief glance with Remus.

    "Lessons?" Hermione squealed out delightfully.

    "Yes," she answered brightly. And you get to teach me too. You people ought to tell me what to expect from Hogwarts, before I manage to do something foolhardy," Fenix said then gave Harry a penetrating look. "However, Harry must learn to shield his mind immediately. Why don’t you kids find something to do while I discuss how we are going to do this with the Professor?"

    "You mean we have to learn that too?" Ron asked dubiously.

    "Yes, that way, you guys can always practice together. Although, I seriously don’t think you will need to," Fenix said casually to Ron, "your mind’s naturally blocked."

    "Maybe that’s why he can be a little thick sometimes," Fred muttered to his twin.

    Ron’s ears turned red and he growled under his breath. "I heard that…"

    One by one the youths got out of the bedroom, and the wolves followed them out, and left the adults staring at themselves.

    "Do you always look this tired, Remus?" Fenix began softly then turned her head swiftly at the door.

    : Is there by any chance those kids have created something that would allow them to listen to our conversations? : Fenix asked the two men with a bemused smile hovering on her lips.

    : Ah…The Extendable Ears, : Remus began, easily communicating using mindspeech, : I had almost had forgotten about this little invention of theirs. : He looked curiously at the two who was staring at him in amazement.

    "What?" Remus asked in irritation.

    "How are you able to…" Sirius began, tapping his index finger on his forehead.

    "I was listening to the wolves pretty carefully, and got the knack of it. But you will show me the ways of this communication, won’t you?" he requested, looking at Sirius.

    From the corridor, they could hear Fred’s voice demanding. "What in the world are they talking about?"

    "Shhhhh! Keep your voice down dummy!" Ginny’s voice said.

    : Don’t look at me, Moony. Ask her, she’s the expert. : Sirius hooked his arm around Fenix, holding her tightly.

    : Gods, Sirius! Is this how siblings should be behaving? : Her mindvoice sounded a little annoyed. : I feel like I’m your girlfriend! :

    : Well, you were my friend first before you became my kin… : Sirius said lightly, raking his fingers to mess her long hair. : Actually, I wouldn’t really know. Never had a female friend this close before, : then he pouted, : if you don’t like me then, you could always hang around Moony there. :

    : Serves you right, : Fenix wriggled from his embrace to sit side by side with Remus. : He has much more sense than you to do anything inappropriate to me. :

    Remus smiled wickedly, his left arm began snaking about her shoulders and was a little surprised by his own actions. Fenix had automatically leaned against him. Remus smiled gently, looking at her head. It feels good holding her…but of course…I had been spending most of my childhood with the two most notorious boys…

    Fenix was not even aware of her own actions until she sighed contentedly and her eyes focused at Sirius’s grinning face. Dear Sungod! Fenix was aware that she was blushing as she felt the heat rise to her face. She took a moment to examine the situation. It feels right to be held by him, she thought dreamily.

    : Back to my question then, : Fenix began, not even moving her head, : why are you looking so careworn? :

    : It’s the transformations, I believe. However, I don’t think it’s all that’s affecting my health. How much do you know about werewolves? : Remus answered her.

    "I can’t hear a single thing," it was Fred. "Are you sure, these are not defectives?"

    : Harry, : Fenix reached a thought to the boy. She felt a jerk of surprise then a tentative: Yes? :

    : Are you with the twins? :

    : No, I’m in the kitchen. : His mindvoice echoed in her mind, tinged with perplexity.

    : Would you mind telling them not to bother listening in? We’re using Mindspeech. It’s easier to communicate with this. If I could not find words, I could always show images, : and for an instant, she showed Harry how she had shielded his mind for him.

    After a moment, Harry answered. : Looks pretty complicated. Anyway, I’ll get them to come down to the kitchen. :

    : Thank you! Where are the wolves? :

    : They’re inspecting the kitchen I guess… I couldn’t think of any other reason the way they’re examining the magical stuff about. :

    : Oh, I see. : Fenix released her link with the boy.

    : Sorry, : she lifted her head to look at Remus sheepishly. The wizard regretfully let his arm fall from her shoulder. : I don’t really know much about a werewolf except that this occurs every time it is a full moon. Is there a cure for that? :

    : Before I was stuck in prison there wasn’t. I think they have concocted a potion to prevent the transformation or something that would make them less dangerous, : Sirius informed his oathsister, his fingers tracing the scar on his palm absently.

    : Now I get it! : Fenix spoke up, her exaltation clear in her mindvoice. : Your natural defense system is rejecting them. To it, your transformation is the normal thing to occur--:

    : While the potion is regarded as an invader? : Remus hazarded. Fenix reached out a hand to touch his arm. Her eyes went distant as she Looked into his body system. She gave him a thorough check-up before continuing her sentence.

    : It seems so. For how long had you been consuming the potion? :

    : Near to five years. :

    : That’s a hell lot of residue to burn up. It’s going to take a lot of Healing and water to clear them up. The next full moon will be on…next Friday. Don’t fight it this time. Your own transformation will help clear up the toxic effects of the drug. :

    : I’ll be here to help, : Sirius said in determination.

    : We’ll also be there, : Wind’s soft mindvoice penetrated their thoughts.

    : Fenix, how is it that they are able to listen in? : Sirius asked, his irritation turning his link to Fenix a subtle brown color.

    : It’s a peculiarity of theirs. I have my own suspicions as to whether they are really wolves or something else. :

    "All right, we’ve solved Moony’s little problem. Now how do we handle the big one?" Sirius asked, as he looked under the bed and pulled out a trunk.

    "How do the wizards shield their minds?" Fenix began, helping Sirius to drag the other trunk and opened it. She helped Sirius unpacked some of their stuff while listening to Remus carefully.

    "They usually do so by Occlumency. Snape-- he is the one with greasy black hair-- tried to teach the boy. Either Harry had simply refused to listen to him or Snape was teaching Harry in a way the boy couldn’t comprehend we would never know," Remus began as Fenix cocked her head to one side and examined the mental images and flavors that he showed her.

    : You’re excellent in mindspeech, : Fenix congratulated him. : But the means you showed me seem very convoluted. : Then her face turned thoughtful and Remus stared in surprise at what she was holding in her hand and stared wild-eyed at her hand when the sword vanished.

    "Was that the dagger?" Sirius asked curiously. "It looked bigger somehow. "

    Fenix shook her head. "No, that was my sword."

    "Merlin’s beard! Are you keeping something from me?" Sirius demanded.

    "Don’t be alarmed. It’s just one of my responsibilities as a Hunter. You ought to know just by the name what my alternative occupation is."

    Sirius shook his head in disbelief, as he hung a black suit on a hanger.

    : Well, I think only Harry could learn how to shield using my method. Ginny, she however is susceptible to invasion. And you want to know something? : Fenix spoke up, catching the attention of both men. : I can’t imagine what or how I’m going to teach the students. :

    : Don’t worry, I’ll think of something. Somehow, it seems to me that you are able to duplicate all the hexes and jinxes even without a wand. I think you would be able to show the students something on the process. :

    : Isn’t he being cryptic? : Fenix asked Sirius.

    : Never mind. I know I’m babbling. Maybe when we first teach the company here, you’ll get the idea of what I’m talking about, : Remus said, standing up.

    : Speaking of wands, have you seen mine, Fenix? :

    : It’s in the black box where I’ve wrapped it with the dagger, : she answered.

    "Oh no!!!" Hermione’s voice shrieked out shrilly.

    "What is it this time?" Remus asked in annoyance.

    "There’s only one answer to that," Sirius said impassively, tucking his wand in his pocket.

    "What?" Fenix asked curiously.

    "It’s the Ordinary Wizarding Level results," her oathbrother answered, opening the door for both of them.

    "That sounds strangely familiar," Fenix mused as she walked down the stairs unhurriedly. "It sounds like O’ levels in the…Muggle world. Now I understand Hermione’s reactions. I didn’t even want to look at my exam results when I got the certificate."

    "Oh…so how did you fare?" Sirius asked from behind.

    "I only peeked at my results when I got home. Didn’t flunk anything…" Fenix answered. Sirius snorted derisively. Fenix almost casually gave Sirius a mind-slap that his head went ringing for several seconds.

**********

    Ginny looked at the three students. Mrs. Weasley was getting excited by the moment.

    "Oh…come on now, Ron…surely you did no worse than those two…" Mrs. Weasley pleaded excitedly.

    "Hermione, why don’t you go first?" Ron whispered.

    "I’M NOT!" the young woman wailed.

    "Man…isn’t she nervous?" Fenix muttered as they all gathered in the kitchen. Fred passed her a glass of pumpkin juice that she sipped carefully. How curious…never in my life did I ever use pumpkin for juices…not bad…not bad at all…

    "The sooner you look at your results dearest, the more time you can use to brood over what electives you want to take once school starts." Mrs. Granger squeezed her daughter’s shoulder in comfort.

    "You have to make your decisions by Monday, I’m afraid," Professor Lupin looked apologetically at the three students.

    "What?" Hermione yelped, looking at the Professor with round eyes. She quickly grabbed her envelope and ripped off its seal.

    "What am I going to do…what am I going to do?" Hermione muttered, shakily getting her certificate out. Mr. Weasley peeked at her results while he handed her a very bulky package.

    "Congratulations, Hermione! I believe this package contains all the necessary advise to help you make your decisions," Mr. Weasley gave her a kind smile.

    "Well boys," Mr. Weasley looked down at Harry and Ron who were looking at the envelopes with varying degrees of trepidation.

    : Harry, don’t keep us in suspense! : Sirius complained.

    Ever since the beginning of summer, Harry was determined more than ever to become an Auror. But am I qualified enough? And more than that…can I tolerate Snape for two more years? Huh, if I can’t, maybe I’ll have a chance in the national Quidditch teams…

    Harry was the next one to rip off the seal and Sirius peered down his shoulder to look at his godson’s results. What Harry saw in the certificate made him feel as if someone had knocked him silly with a bludgeon. I received an ‘O’ for Potions? It couldn’t be…the Potions paper was tough…how could I even get an ‘O’?

    "Yo guys?" Fenix waved her hands repeatedly at Harry and Sirius. The young wizard looked blankly at her. "What’s wrong? You really looked like your head’s smacked right against a board."

    "I think there must be some kind of mistake…I can’t have gotten an Outstanding grade for Potions…."

    "WHAT MISTAKE BOY?" Harry’s certificate suddenly screeched in indignation. "THERE AIN’T NO MISTAKES IN YOUR GRADES. YOU EITHER BELIEVE IT OR NOT!!!" The certificate then calmed itself and returned to its original state.

    Fenix took the certificate and read his grades softly.

                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                                Student: Harry Potter
                                House:   Gryffindor
                                School:  Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

                                                                       O.W.Ls
 
 

                                                          Care of Magical Creatures            E
 

                                                          Charms                                           E
 

                                                          Defense against the Dark Arts      O
 

                                                          Divination                                      A
 

                                                          Herbology                                       E
 

                                                          History of Magic                            A
 

                                                          Potions                                           O
 

                                                          Transfigurations                            E
 

                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                                        O-Outstanding
                                        E-Exceeds Expectations
                                        A-Acceptable
                                        P-Poor
                                        D-Dreadful
                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "Unbelievable," the twins muttered.

    "Well done!" Sirius cheered.

    "I guessed he achieved more Distinctions than I ever had during the course of my studying…"

    "You mean in gaining your Master level?" Hermione asked.

    "No…I mean in Muggle studies…" Fenix corrected.

    "We don’t have schools like you, Hermione," her mother explained. "We’re apprenticed to a Master, or to other Mages when there’s no Master close enough to teach us."

    Harry was still a bit stunned. Ron had handed the envelope to his mother, covered his face with both his palms, and feared for the worst. Mrs. Weasley’s eyes watered instantly. She dropped to her knees and hugged Ron tightly.

    "You make us so proud!" she gushed, while Ron turned scarlet.

    "Merlin’s beard!" George swore as he looked at Ron’s certificate.

    "Hard to believe, isn’t it?" Fred said in a skeptical voice.

    "Stop that! He’s your brother and you should be proud of him!" Mrs. Weasley yelled.

    "We are mom!" the twins protested in defense.

    "Do you think Professor Snape will accept us?" Hermione piped up, looking questioningly at Professor Lupin.

    "Should have known what you were thinking…" Sirius grinned at Harry and the boy returned a tremulous smile. Mrs. Weasley however turned a cold stare at Sirius. Then she turned to Harry; her eyes looked at his almost in a plea.

    "There are other occupations, Harry. More high-paying jobs and much safer…" she began but Harry shook his head.

    "It’s all right, Mrs. Weasley. I’ve thought about this for years now," he said confidently to her. She was about to make a further protest when Mr. Weasley interrupted her.

    "It you’re really determined, none of us will stop you. But it isn’t going to be an easy road, and judging from my own son, he seems determined for it too!"

    Mrs. Weasley looked helplessly at the three youths. "Just think about it again…"

    Harry looked back at his certificate. Hermione’s right…even if I did get an ‘O’ I doubt that Snape would accept me for his NEWT class…all I can do now is just apply and see if I’m accepted… Harry blinked, suddenly feeling cheerful. I have Sirius back, who is alive and happy, isn’t lonely or bored because of Fenix, it seems like something will brew in between the Fire Master and Lupin, and I had managed to best Hermione in at least one subject…

    "Hey, guess what Hermione?" Harry began as he stood up.

    "We got through the OWLs…we did it…WE DID IT!" Ron cheered, giving his best friend a tight hug and absently kissed the shorter Hermione on the top of her head.

    "How sweet…" Mrs. Granger smiled.

    "I think the term is cloying…" Fred smirked.

    "Be nice."

**********

    They held a celebration that night, dining on Asian dishes that Fenix had superbly prepared and on top of that, delicious chocolate pudding. They retreated to the living room as Fred conjured mugs of Butterbeer for everyone, but Fenix strangely declined the proffered mug, so George conjured her a big glass of mango juice upon her request. The three going-to-be-sixth-year students were sprawled on the wooden floor, carefully reading the handouts that were given to them. Harry had already partially filled in his form; mainly his particulars and he had already ticked on the subject ‘Defense against the Dark Arts’. Sirius had advised the three of them to take their time to read the handouts.

    Fenix, out of sheer curiosity, sat next to Harry, looking through at all the leaflets. She read the details on the pamphlet on Healing. "Funny, you people use magic in Healing."

    "Your Healing is a form of magic, isn’t it?" Sirius asked her lazily.

    "Well…yes…I suppose…but you people make potions…for example to grow bones…I use my life-energy."

    "Each to his own, I guess…" Sirius responded.

    "All right, children!" Mrs. Weasley called out. "Better go to bed!"

    "But mom!" Ginny protested, "we’re holiday-ing!"

    "Molly, go easy on them…" Mr. Weasley said gently but his wife firmly shook her head.

    "They need their rest and they better get their biological clocks upright again. School term’s coming soon and they better get used to waking up on time," she stated and looked at each of the youths, twins included. "Be up at seven-thirty. I want you down by eight. Is that understood?"

    Ron sighed as he began to stock away the pamphlets back in the package. The staircase was filled with murmurs of conversation as the youngsters unwilling went to bed. "And no chit-chatting!" Mrs. Weasley warned them. The four parents took their leaves from the rest of the company to retire. Sirius had changed into his nightclothes while Fenix had washed up and wore something much more normal than her Hunter gear. She wore a blue short-sleeved T-shirt and a pair of Bermuda shorts, to reveal nice, shapely and muscular calves.

    "We have to do something about your wardrobe," Remus said thoughtfully.

    "Hmmm?" Fenix inquired as she scratched Silver’s neck.

    "You can’t really wear Muggle clothes in Hogwarts…"

    "Why not?"

    "Because you will stand out, sister. Even if you’re too short to be noticed by anyone bigger than you," Sirius said, stretching against the couch.

    "I get your drift, there aren’t too much people who are fond of Muggles…but wearing something like the…I think her name’s Professor McGonagall…it really takes a hell lot of fun out of running," Fenix complained. "And a hell lot more harder to move around silently…"

    : Just go into your full Hunter mode, : Wind suggested. : You’ll look impressive, and intimidating enough that no one would dare to get into trouble with you--unless they’re crazy of course, to take an opponent they don’t know anything about--and your Hunter gear’s strange enough not to be mistaken as Muggle clothes. :

    Fenix thought about the suggestions of the female wolf carefully. "It’s plausible, and I would be a lot more comfortable in being me than try to act like something else."

    Remus nodded his head. "But it would be best if you come prepared with something…witchy-like…just in case…"

    "All right…maybe I’ll get Mrs. Weasley to help me…" she answered, sitting closely to the werewolf. All the while, she had been Healing Remus bit by bit. Now as the full moon was drawing closer, Remus’s health had deteriorated. It was tough work but she could not suppress the feeling that he needed help so she gave it to him.

    : I don’t think he realizes what you’re doing to him, : Sirius whispered in her mind, as he engaged a conversation with the other man.

    : That’s good…keep talking to him, : Fenix replied.

    : You’re attracted to him, aren’t you? : he suddenly asked and she felt her insides churned uneasily inside her. He gave a silent chuckle in her mind.

    : That was the first time ever that I had just saw someone being slapped with that love-at-first-sight nonsense. :

    : Whatever. Are you coming to bed with me or are you sharing with Remus? :

    : Why don’t you go and share a bed with him? : Sirius asked her teasingly.

    : That’s not a bad idea actually, : she answered and gave him a lofty look. : That way I could Heal more of him. :

    : If you’re serious… : Sirius then suddenly broke off his conversation with Remus and asked the man if he would stay close to Fenix through the night. Remus flushed slightly while Fenix stared at Sirius impassively. Serves you right if I do choose to turn you into a cockroach…

    : Better not…you’ll be sure to squash him with a broom… : Silver advised her. Fenix snorted. He deserves it…

    : So how about it? : Fenix asked Remus, her face immobile. He blushed even harder.

    "Aren’t you joking?" Sirius asked her in bewilderment.

    "No…I am damn serious," she answered, staring intently at the Professor’s light brown eyes, looking confusedly back at her. She got up, strode to the kitchen to pour Remus a glass of water, and handed it to him.

    "What I would do won’t rid you of the curse or blessing of the moon, this would help leech away the deleterious residuum in your body. If we do this for the next several nights, I think your transformation would be less painful for your body and your mind," Fenix spoke quietly, as the two men listened carefully to her words.

    : We’ll just try it for one night, but you will be sleeping between us both, : Sirius said firmly.

    : I thought you said you’d be sleeping in Remus’s? : Fenix asked archly.

    : I lied. There’s no way I’m going to let my friend sleep with my sister alone. :

    : What say you? : Silver asked the slightly confused werewolf.

    : Just for one night… : he answered dubiously.

**********

    These two blokes really took their time in getting to sleep…Fenix thought to herself, watching the two slumbering forms at each of her sides in the pale moonlight that entered the bedroom. She reached out and took Remus’s hand in hers. The werewolf jerked slightly but the contact had not awakened the man. I hope he doesn’t have his wand in handy…Nice thing to happen first thing in the morning if he instinctively blow us off…maybe I should built a protective shield later.

    I wonder what’s the time now…when we went up it was eleven…since my naps are short…it’s probably two in the morning. The two wolves were curled up on the floor where she had made a pallet for them to sleep in, breathing steadily. She let her Sight guide her to the man’s deeper anatomies and began her work, carefully dissolving the impurities to be dislodged and to be excreted as waste.

    It was slow work, but she felt a little satisfaction as she listened to Remus’s breathing. His breathing seems clearer now…maybe a little exercise would be good for him. Fenix felt the world slowly turn as it came nearer to dawn.

    : Krill? :

    : Yes, lady? :

    : What time is it? :

    : It’s three thirty-nine. :

    : Thank you. :

    There was one thing she ought to do before she let herself drift off to sleep, still holding Remus’s hand. Within her mind, she sought out the link of Aldren’s mind. I hope he isn’t on duty…

    : Finally! : Aldren’s mindvoice said in her mind, tinged with relief.

    : Sorry, I took so long to call on you. We’re there by the way. Are you on patrol now? :

    : I’m taking the dawn watch today. So everyone’s all right then? Where’s Sirius? :

    : Yes, we’re all fine. Most of us are already deep in slumber…except me of course, : she answered with a small smile. : Sirius’s beside me by the way…and I’m certainly one lucky woman tonight…I’ve got two men sleeping beside me. :

    : So the Elementals told me. Is the potion for werewolves really that harmful? :

    : I don’t really know. This could be just an isolated case but it might not be. Oh yes, I wouldn’t be coming home for quite a while. :

    : Yes, we already know. Father sends you his love by the way…I think he wants you to visit the Grove when you can…preferably with Sirius, his godson and your…fiancé… :

    : Aldren! : she protested, while the elf laughed throatily.

    : Giselle’s thinking of getting herself transferred to any clinics or hospitals here; she and my brother are becoming really inseparable. :

    : That’s good…You better get your rest…be careful all right? :

    : All right, Fenix… you do the same… :

    The night was silent. Fenix had thought that Aldren had released his link but she heard his mindvoice again.

    : Sirius is lucky to have you as his oathsib. I wished we could have been something much closer but I knew you loved my cousin…and now I do not wish to contaminate our friendship with bad memories…but I still have to confess Fenix…I loved you and I still do…but your love for me is much different than what I wanted…but it is the truth…I do love you, : Aldren whispered sadly in her mind. Fenix was speechless, her throat constricting and she felt despair from her own heart and from Aldren’s.

    : Do not feel sad about it…I want you to be happy…if you find happiness in the man that you’re Healing…then I’m happy… : Aldren quickly released their link, leaving Fenix to contemplate his words. Fenix rubbed at her temple tiredly, trying to swallow down the knot in her throat. It was no use and she lay still on the bed, silently crying. Sirius suddenly turned to face her, lying on his side. I hope he’s asleep…

    Sirius was not. The bond between them had strengthened and he was aware of her slightest change of mood. He tenderly caressed her cheek, comforting her. He moved closer to her, and she instinctively buried her face in his chest.

    : You heard? :

    : Yes. :

    Fenix slowly let her barriers drop, weeping silently against his chest, not letting go of Remus’s hand. Sirius gently stroked her hair and encouraged her to tell him what had caused her sudden sorrow. She told him in images of what had happened on the night that she turned eighteen. She introduced Sirius to images of her parents and of a lover, an elf, cousin to Aldren. She showed Sirius how the three of them died to protect her from a deliberate murder.

    : It was a difficult time for Giselle and me. She had to work so I had told her that I would be fine and I would live with my friends…it was she who introduced Aldren to me and he recognized me being his cousin’s lover. My mentor, a friend of my mother’s, was worried about me and had sought the help of the Elves. That’s how I became really involved with the Elves. Aldren’s father, Mineif had adopted Luis and he took me under his wing and finished my education. : She fell silent, as Sirius held her until she fell asleep. But Aldren’s words haunted her in her sleep, and she felt somehow that something very wrong would happen.

**********

    Dawn came, and Fenix woke up, held by Sirius and she still held Remus’s hand. The terrible feeling of premonition did not go away. Instead, it had intensified. She sat up and got from the bed as unobtrusively as she could. She took her towel and was surprised to see Harry outside the bedroom.

    : Fenix, I think you have to teach me shield my mind as soon as you can, : Harry said, his eyes looking deeply into her eyes.

    : Why don’t you wait in the kitchen? I wish to bathe. :

    Harry nodded and waited restlessly in the kitchen and played with Crookshanks to distract his mind from the troubled sleep he had been having. About fifteen minutes later, Fenix came down wearing a long skirt with a white blouse that made her look unearthly. His skin prickled uneasily.

    : What’s wrong? : she asked the boy as she prepared a bit of breakfast.

    : It’s my dreams…they don’t make sense but I do not know why I keep feeling a sense of foreboding. : Harry gulped down his fresh orange juice.

    : We’ll eat something first and then we’ll start our lessons. To tell you the truth Harry, my dreams were plagued by the same feelings. :

**********

    The rest were still in bed and the two people took to the living room.

    : This is relatively easy. I do not know how exactly Professor Snape taught you but the basics are important. You first have to empty yourself of all thoughts and emotions. Think you could do that? :

    : I should be able to. :

    Harry gave her a nod when he felt that the objective had been accomplished. : All right then. You could just close your eyes. The first thing we are going to do is to find your ground and center. So, this is how it is done. :

    By the time that Harry had solidly connected his ground and his center, Mrs. Weasley was already out of bed. She had not bothered them after first seeing Fenix’s stern expression and Harry’s trance-like manner. Next, the Fire Master showed Harry how to spin himself a web, how to make it strong and flexible. It had taken them most of the morning for Harry to master the technique of shielding his mind successfully without her help.

**********

    Professor Lupin was testing Harry’s shield against with his Legilimency spell. No matter what he did, trying to use his wand or mindspeech, he could not get through Harry’s tough barrier.

    "What if Harry’s talking in mindspeech and he tries to go through? Would he succeed?" Professor Lupin fretted.

    "You have to test it then. Sirius you talk to Harry while Remus tries to ram him with the Legilimency thingy…" Fenix instructed as she watched Harry.

    "Don’t concentrate too hard, Harry. Just relax and take it easy. No point in getting yourself a blinding headache," she advised.

    Professor Lupin tried several ways to break into Harry’s mind when Professor Dumbledore Apparated in The Burrow.

    "I didn’t know you would start to train him this early." The Headmaster looked curiously.

    "Actually, I didn’t expect Harry to take on the techniques so easily," Fenix informed the Headmaster.

    "Would you test him? You’re the better expert." Professor Lupin moved away to stand beside Fenix.

    It took about half an hour before the Headmaster proclaimed his satisfaction that Harry could now control his mind from outside influence. Harry breathed a sigh of relief and sank down onto the floor in exhaustion as the Headmaster exchanged a few words with Mrs. Weasley before Apparating out of the household.

    "Exhausting work, wasn’t it?" Remus wiped his forehead.

    "I feel like my head’s been crammed with information of ten history books," Harry groaned and Ginny gave him several packets of Chocolate Frog to revive a bit of energy.

    Fenix sat down on a wooden stool, fanning her face with her hand. The feeling of impending doom is still there…Fenix sighed and looked blankly at Remus’s back, and brooded about her sense of premonition. It seemed to her that Aldren was at its center.

**********

~ Chapter 9: A Day Full of Surprises ~

: Do I look all right? : Sirius asked Fenix.

    : How would I know? I’m not an expert on how a wizard should really look like…why do you always wear black? : she asked curiously.

    : What? Don’t I look good in black? :

    "Well, you do…but why can’t you wear any other color? Dark red and emerald…you look good in those colors too, you know…" Fenix informed him, handing him his cloak.

    : Remus, how does he look? : Fenix questioned Professor Lupin who was at that moment, having his second breakfast with Harry.

    "Forever the peacock," he replied in a mouth full of cereal.

    "Sense of style, Moony…and why haven’t you replaced your wardrobe? Don’t tell me you are going to Hogwarts shabbily dressed again?" Sirius asked his friend lightly.

    "Do I look as if I have that much savings?" Remus snorted.

    "This Diagon Alley…do they have a place for exchanging Muggle money?" Fenix asked Harry, who was looking at the adults with amusement. On Sunday morning, Ron, Hermione and himself had completed their forms, and took subjects that would be needed if they were to pursue the career path of the Aurors. Except for Hermione, as she took an extra elective on Additional Ancient Runes.

    "Yes, they do," Harry replied. "Are you thinking of going down there?"

    "Yes, I have to get some…witchy clothes…so in short, I’m doing some shopping…" Fenix shrugged.

    "Did you bring any money?" Sirius asked, tilting his head in inquiry.

    "Some…" Fenix replied evasively. "What’s the exchange rate?" The three males shrugged.

    "Why don’t you ask Bill when he gets back from the bank?" Remus advised. Fenix agreed.

    "I wonder if I should get a broomstick?" Sirius pondered, lightly scratching his chin. "If the hearing goes all right, and I’m free of all charges…I think I’ll make a trip down and get me one." He gave a sidelong glance at Fenix. "Should I get one for you too?"

    Fenix looked at him archly. "What on earth for?"

    "So you could join them in their evening Quidditch games…as you said…we adults are seriously in need for exercise. This is a good way to do it, right?" Sirius explained.

    Fenix’s face took on a thoughtful expression. Remus looked incredulously at Sirius. "Are you sure you have enough money, Sirius?" he asked dubiously.

    "Don’t worry about that, he could always change a bit of my Muggle money…" Fenix replied in a distracted manner.

    : Sirius, if there’s some leftover money after the broomsticks, get him some clothes…don’t tell it’s from me though…get him gray…he doesn’t seem much comfortable in brighter colors… :

    : Whatever…where is your Muggle money? : he asked, looking slyly at Remus. The werewolf shot a suspicious look at the Black and the woman.

    : It’s already in that pocket… : Fenix replied. They heard a crack coming from the kitchen.

    "Well, that must be the Headmaster," Harry said cheerfully, picking up his bowl and went out of the room.

    "Off you go then." Fenix tiptoed to give him a kiss on the cheek and a brief hug. "You do look smashing in black."

    : Be careful Sirius, : Remus said softly.

    : I will, take care of the rest while I’m gone. :

    : Keep your eyes open, brother. You’ll have bodyguards by the way…so don’t be surprised if you see the Salamanders and the Sylphs. They’re acting as my eyes anyway, : Fenix informed her oathbrother.

    They met Professor Dumbledore and Fenix lifted her right eyebrow in amusement. She chuckled lightly under her breath. The Headmaster was richly dressed in azure clothes that highlighted an impression of venerability on the aged wizard.

    "It’s a good thing you dressed up, Padfoot," Remus said, examining the Headmaster form head to toe.

    Dumbledore spoke up, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Minerva’s waiting for us at the Ministry." The Headmaster paused then peered down at Remus. "You look much better by the way. I assume this is because of Fenix’s hand at Healing?" His eyes rested at Fenix’s face and smiled when she nodded. "Shall we go and start scandalizing?" he asked jovially and Sirius gave a wide grin and the two wizards Disapparated out of The Burrow.

    "Well, that leaves me free for the rest of the afternoon." Fenix sighed in relief, and looked dreamily at the garden.

    "What are you planning to do?" Harry asked her.

    "I’m planning to put my hands under some dirt," she stated. "There you are," she called out when she finally spotted Mrs. Weasley. "My fingers are itching for something to do, does your garden need any help?"

    Mrs. Weasley looked at the Fire Master with pleasure and almost purred. "Yes, you could…if you don’t mind doing a little bit of weeding too?"

    Fenix chuckled and shook her head. "I miss tending my own garden…anything you wish to plant?"

    Mrs. Weasley frowned. "You could help plant some tomato seeds. They failed to grow last year."

    Fenix shrugged then ran up the stairs to change into a more appropriate gear for outdoor work. She hurried down the stairs and halted before Remus and Harry. "And what will you two be doing?"

    "What else?" Harry grinned mischievously as he held out his Firebolt.

    "Oh, okay then. But be careful about…" Fenix stopped and grinned when both males rolled their eyes in exasperation. She gave a silvery laugh and went to the garden.

**********

    Cornelius Fudge stared darkly at both wizards. Mr. Weasley hurried forward to congratulate Sirius.

    "That is all, Cornelius. I have to go back to the School. Minerva?" Professor Dumbledore said cheerfully.

    "I’m coming. By the way Sirius, tell the students that they will receive their reply by Friday," Professor McGonagall told the man.

    : Great! Are you going to get the brooms? : Fenix’s mindvoice reached him and he was surprised that her range was so great.

    : Yes, I think. Oh, Bill’s here, that’s great! What are you doing anyway? :

    : I’m still doing some gardening, : she replied impishly.

    : I wouldn’t take that long to shop, so you could expect me in three hours’ time. :

    : Okay! See you then. :

    "So, Sirius," Bill began, as Fudge left them in a hurry, "what are you going to do now?"

    "Well…I was thinking of making a trip down to Diagon Alley and get a broom…and surprises for the kids and Remus…" Sirius’s face lighted up cheerfully.

    "And Fenix too, I take it?" Bill asked slyly. Several wizards and witches hung around the gallery to listen to their conversation.

    "Who is Fenix?" Bill heard several of them whisper.

    "Ah… Sirius…" Mr. Weasley said quietly, giving those whom lurked in the background a sidelong smile, "why don’t you and Bill quickly Apparate out of here before the gallery’s filled with the reporters?"

    "They seem to be crowding on a bit," Sirius agreed and slyly smiled. "Shall we?" he lifted an eyebrow in inquiry.

    "We’re gone, Dad! See you at home later!"

    CRACK!

    "Damn!" Rita Seeker swore. "Who is this Fenix anyway?"

**********

    "They’re back!" Ginny squealed with delectation. Harry swerved his Firebolt to meet up with the Apparated Bill and Sirius and was astonished at the number of packages of shopping items and landed gracefully before his godfather.

    "These are for you kids; color codes your presents. I believe yours is emerald. Check on the back to see what’s written," Sirius paused as he struggled to balance two packages and what could only be a broomstick. Two broomsticks in fact. "I could be wrong."

    Remus was the second one to land followed by Ron, Hermione and Ginny. "You met up with Sirius?" Ron asked his brother.

    "Kind of…I knew he would want to visit and shop for several things and trust me…this man knows how to shop." Bill shook his head in plain disbelief.

    "I recommend you to stop by the Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes…" Sirius spoke up and shook his head helplessly as he accidentally dropped both brooms on his feet. "This one is a belated birthday gift," Sirius said, handing a parcel to Harry and he continued his previous sentence. "Their interior decor is damn superb…"

    "Sirius got these for you," Bill said, handing Remus two overlarge packages. The werewolf gave a dark look at his friend.

    "Those are also belated birthdays’ gifts for you," Sirius explained patiently. He looked around for Fenix and frowned slightly in concentration.

    : I’m home… :

    : Hang on a moment, I’m changing clothes, : she replied. The youths were inspecting the goodies that Sirius had bought for them and the three adults were discussing on Sirius’s hearing softly.

    "Fudge wasn’t too pleased about what I said about the Dementors, and he’s even more acrimonious when the panel agreed on Dumbledore’s account. The Ministry’s in knee-deep with a lot of troubles now that the Death-Eaters have escaped from Azkaban," Sirius said softly, but additionally giving Harry a silent account.

    "All of them got free?" Remus whispered in alarm.

    "Yes, and now we got more than just the Dark Lord to worry about…we’re talking about lunatics…" Sirius said, then his voice trailed off when one of the broomsticks, still covered in its brown packaging zoomed off. It halted just inches away from an astonished Fenix.

    "I really thought that this thing was seriously going to hit me between my eyes," she gulped, her eyes wide in surprise.

    "Can I unwrap this?" Ron offered and she nodded. Those who had stayed behind The Burrow took several sharp breaths as they looked at Fenix’s hovering broom, free of its wrappings.

    "The shopkeeper was right; the broom only goes to whom it belongs," Sirius mused and chuckling a little at Ron’s stupefied face.

    "Bloody hell, Sirius…this is such an expensive broom, the latest…" Ron whispered, as if he could not believe his eyes. "And there’s only one of it…"

    "What’s it called?" Harry peered curiously at the broom, made of the darkest wood he had ever seen and was austere except for what seemed like a dagger that really stood out against the sable background.

    "This is the Ice Dagger…superb steering actions. This broom is made to endure the most treacherous weather, incredibly light and its speed is unbelievable. And as Sirius had mentioned, only the person who truly owns it will be able to ride it… I hope you’ll appreciate this broom Fenix…It is its only kind…" Ron stared at the broom with awe.

    "The way you’re talking, Ron, makes me feel as if I’ve got a palm-sized diamond in my possession," Fenix spoke up in a strained voice. "No, Sirius…I do not want to know how much this had cost me," she said firmly, then paid full attention to the Ice Dagger. All right lovely…let’s see how you take to me, she thought silently and held out her hands, palms facing the sky. To everyone’s surprise, it obeyed her will, hovering in mid air and gently landed on her palms. An electric shock coursed through her, from the broom and back. After a moment, it ceased and out of her wary nature, she began Looking for possible trap-spells and jinxes. All was clear.

    "It’s magnificent," she approved, feeling its weight in her hands.

    "That isn’t all, I’ve got a Broomstick Servicing Kit and clothes for you, and I want to see you in them. Hermione and Ginny will help you." Sirius said, grinning in satisfaction and headed back in to The Burrow.

**********

    "Sirius does have a keen sense of fashion, doesn’t he?" Ginny whispered, not in sarcasm but in awe as they helped Fenix dress up in a sorceress robe of Prussian blue that goes well with her tanned complex and black hair.

    "Yes…whoever would have thought that a man could have a fine taste of colors? The design on the robe actually suits her nature…" Hermione replied absently then suddenly shrieked when combs and an assortment of hair accessories suddenly appeared, dancing about in the air.

    "Don’t panic, girls. It’s just my group of Salamanders playing with my hair…and don’t you guys dare put any make-up on me!" Fenix sighed plaintively.

    "Okay…but could we just add mascara to your eyelashes?" a soft musical voice requested wistfully.

    "Whatever…" Fenix closed her eyes in despair. It was a good ten minutes when they were done with her.

    "And don’t you even smirk," Fenix said warningly at the girls.

    "Man…she looks…no words Fenix…I think I’m turning green with jealousy here," Ginny said in a hushed voice. Then a thought suddenly occurred to her.

    "Have Sirius, or Remus of…Harry ever told you of a Slytherin boy named--"

    "Draco Malfoy?" Fenix tilted her head, and gave a sly grin. "Yes… I have…why?"

    "Just imagine…you dressed up so girl-like…and a few hints that you don’t know anything about wizard magic…and then you change into your Hunter mode in front of everyone…Just imagine that…" Ginny slowly turned to Hermione, who was slowly starting to grin devilishly.

    "You girls are so wicked. I wonder if it would work…" Fenix mused, absently toying with a lock of her black hair. She too, began to grin in a conspiratorial manner.

    : Fenix! What’s taking you so long? : Sirius complained.

    : I’m done! I’m done! : She turned to the two young girls. "Well, girls…we’ll fine-tune this plan of ours later…" Fenix said as she opened the door and walked down the stairs, taking care not to step on the hem of her robe.

    : Hah! : Silver snorted contemptuously in her mind. : Plan first. Then you can fine-tune it. :

    "Fenix! Let us go first!" the girls squeezed so that they were ahead to present her to the company waiting for them at the living room.

    "Professor Lupin!" Ginny started. "Behold: your assistant, the Fire Master!" Ginny announced.

    : Brace yourself, Moony. I have the feeling that she got herself closeted by her Elementals, : Sirius cautioned.

    : What do you mean? : Remus looked questioningly at his friend.

    : Just watch, : Sirius said with a demented grin.

    "My goodness!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed in surprise. "And Sirius was the one who chose the clothes for her?" she looked at her eldest son. She stared at Sirius in disbelief when Bill enthusiastically nodded. "Impossible! I thought all men are color-blind!"

    "It’s hard to believe right, mom?" Ginny agreed with her mother, and grinned at the faces watching Fenix, except for Sirius who was looking intently at her.

    "Do you feel comfortable in that?" Sirius asked her seriously, as he studied her.

    "Yes, but I think I’ll only wear these when I’m sure that I’ll be stuck indoors."

    "What do you think?" Sirius asked Remus, who was staring dazedly at her.

    "I think he thinks it’s very nice on you," Sirius answered for his speechless friend. "Next one," he instructed, taking a chair and positioned it directly at the center of the room and sat down on it.

    "What happened to her hair?" Harry asked in amazement.

    "As far as I know, her Elementals like to doll her up when they get a chance to, and she never fought with them," his godfather explained. "But I think she secretly loves their attention."

    : You are going to get yourself into trouble if she heard that, : Silver remarked.

    "Let’s just forget my previous sentence," Sirius replied nervously. Ron muffled his laughter. Remus meanwhile took the opportunity to unwrap his package.

    "Oh good, go on and change," Sirius approved then toyed absently with a Chocolate Frog. "I hope it fits you."

    Remus emerged first with his fresh clothes that of a dark gray. Sirius had given him four sets of robes, one black, and three of various shades of gray. Sirius eyed him carefully.

    "I guess I hadn’t lost my knack in getting you clothes of a suitable size…good…you look good…this time the students will be able to look at you seriously. Just make sure you don’t wear these new ones when you’re turning into a werewolf."

    Fenix gave Remus the once-over in his new robes. As I had expected, he looks good in dull colors…teal…yes…he suits with that color…

    "Wicked, Fenix…you look wicked…" Ron uttered in amazement.

    "Merlin…she almost looks like Sirius…" Harry breathed. "Are you sure she isn’t your real sister?" he asked, his voice shaded with amazement as he looked back at his godfather.

    Sirius chuckled with pleasure. Fenix was now dressed in black starting with black dragon-hide boots, black leather pants and shirt and a good black wizard cloak and her black hair was braided.

    "Do I really, absolutely have to wear the cloak?" Fenix asked mildly.

    "You should," Ron and Harry said at once. "I would really like to see Draco’s mother’s face when she sees you and Sirius together."

    "Take off the cloak," Sirius asked her and she complied. Harry’s eyes bulged out when she did.

    "Now she looks very much like an assassin," Harry said softly, as he looked at the Fire Master clad in black leather. The shirt was short-sleeved and Harry could see her muscles in the tight-fitting garment.

    "Thank you, Harry," Fenix said with a slight smile.

    "That wasn’t meant to be a compliment…"

    "I know."

    Sirius suddenly snapped his fingers and exclaimed. "Gloves! That’s what’s missing!"

    "So the gloves were meant to go with these?" Hermione asked, waving her hand at Fenix.

    "Yes!" Sirius answered and narrowed his eyes in anticipation.

    "What are you up to, Sirius?" Remus asked suspiciously.

    "Trust me. Come and stand beside me, you too," Sirius said to Ginny. Hermione quickly trotted down the stairs and handed Fenix’s the pair of gloves then went straight to Ron, who unconsciously held her by the waist.

    Fenix smiled crookedly at Sirius as she slipped on the gloves that fitted her hands nicely; already his game was identified. Well, maybe I shall amuse him and the rest of them. She held out her right hand and her sword materialized out of the air, bringing out gasps of surprise from the audience. Then she brought her sword up and gave a salute to Sirius.

    "Now, what have you people understood?" Sirius asked them, his eyes staring intently at his oathsister’s unique pair of eyes.

    "Oh my God!" Hermione gasped. "How could I have missed this?" She was looking at Fenix with mingled expressions of horror and reverence.

    "Hey…calm down…" Ron soothed her.

    "I’ve read about her!"

    "What?" several people exclaimed at once. Sirius looked calmly at the rest of them.

    "Hermione, what are you saying?" Harry demanded crossly.

    "It was during our fourth year, I was feeling bored one afternoon, so I took a trip down to the library. The book was entitled The Legacies of the Ancients by Julian Mingleweeve."

    "Hang on," Bill halted Hermione before she could rattle on. "I think I have a copy in my room. Let me get it."

    : Is Hermione a human being or is she a walking encyclopedia? : Fenix asked Sirius, her amusement coloring her mindvoice yellow.

    Bill came back down with a thick book, black and gold banded.

    "It’s under chapter fifty-one entitled Legend and Fact, page seven hundred and ninety-three," Hermione said helpfully. "There’s a picture on the next page."

    : Interesting, she even had the chapter and pages memorized. : Fenix looked impressed at the young woman’s memory.

    Remus went and stood next to Bill, both of them holding up the book. The subtitle ‘The Avenger’ caught his eye and he heard Bill took a sharp intake of breath. Remus looked at the next page and felt his skin prickled when he saw the picture.

    "Shocking resemblance, isn’t it?" Sirius asked casually. Hermione hung back with Sirius, as Ginny, Ron and Harry crowded about the book.

    "Dragon’s teeth!" Harry swore. Sirius was right. The resemblance was totally uncanny. Her posture’s even similar to the one in the book!

    "There’s only one way to know if what the book says was…or maybe is true," Hermione said in a shaky voice.

    "Really? What?" Bill asked.

    "The sword," Fenix answered, with her face impassive though her eyes twinkled outrageously.

    "I have an idea," Mrs. Weasley suddenly said, snatching the book and went out.

    The rest curiously trailed after her, with Fenix, Sirius and the wolves taking the rear.

    : You don’t really strike me as a bookworm, : Fenix looked obliquely at her oathbrother.

    : You’ll be surprised. So you do have a background on our form of Magick. :

    : Not really. It was so far back that I might as well say I’ve forgotten all of it. Your way of magic is somewhat…I think the term is medieval…the reason why you have wands and restrictions…and rules is because wizards and witches don’t really approve of spontaneous magic. :

    Out in the field, Mrs. Weasley had placed the book down on the ground and muttered, "Engorgio." Only when she was satisfied that the book had increased to an appropriate size, did she stopped the spell with a flick of her wand.

    Fenix nodded her approval and she set her sword next to the sword in the picture, being very careful not to scratch the book. Ginny and Hermione took off their shoes and scrambled up the enormous book. About twenty minutes later, Hermione, in a shaky voice, announced that Fenix’s sword was identical.

    "‘The sword bears the mark of the maker and the maker bears the mark of the sword,’" Hermione recited and pointed at the imprint of a phoenix in flight engraved on the blade.

    "Your daughter’s a real odd gem," Fenix said to Mrs. Granger.

    "She’s queer, but she’s useful."

    "So we saw the mark of the maker on the sword, but how about the mark of the sword of the maker?" Harry questioned, still feeling a little dubious.

    "You’re not licensed to see that, Harry," Sirius said firmly then he turned to Fenix, her sword back in her hands and Mrs. Weasley had already reduced the size of the book to its original size. "Why don’t you turn into a wolf?" he suggested.

    "This might surprise you for a bit, but I am not an Animagus," Fenix cautioned as her sword disappeared and a sudden mist that came out from nowhere hindered their visibility suddenly. It dissipated to the ground and a silver-black wolf calmly stood on the spot where Fenix had been standing a few minutes ago.

    "I see now why Sirius had said that," Ginny said softly. "She bears the marking of the sword on her chest." Harry’s face turned red with embarrassment and peculiarly, so did the current teacher of Defense against the Dark Arts.

    "You’re just so full of surprises, aren’t you?" Harry said, smiling slightly and Fenix returned to her human form.

    "One can try," she said mischievously.

**********

    They gathered in the living room after dinner as Hermione volunteered to read the short chapter aloud. The rest of the Weasley siblings informed the twins of the latest news they had discovered about the Fire Master.

    "Quickly, Hermione," Fred enthused.

    "Here goes…"

Chapter 51: Legend and Fact

The Avenger

    This was the greatest debate ever since the start of the era of Wizards. Generally, we, meaning wizards and witches, have a much longer life span compared to normal human beings. The topmost important question to this particular debate is to find out if constant reincarnation is possible among wizards and humans alike. This particular woman (picture on the next page) is a constant puzzle to us. Legend had said she first appeared when the first murder of a wizard family occurred. Always dressed in black, she brings our childhood memories of soldiers and knights of a world far older than we do. The culprits responsible for the deaths of a pair accomplished wizard and witch, along with their three young children bearing Magick was found disemboweled in the Pit of Enuar.

    "I don’t think this place still exists anymore," Hermione mused and continued her narration.

    And so she, whom we call The Avenger, seemed to be the sole arbitrator of unjudged crimes. Her methods of delivering justice were oftentimes clean and easy, using her sword to slit the throat of the criminals but the results were often messy if it was a band of criminals. In the Dark World, unsound wizards teamed up and set up a manhunt for this unknown Lady. Rumors reached the population that this mysterious mercenary was killed, with evidence of her body and her head, found amongst the mutilated and burnt remains of the perpetrators.

    Hermione looked at Fenix, and she gulped.

    "Yes, that was how I died then. It was a ‘last stand’ kind of situation."

    Hence, the common population lived again with the monstrosity of human depravations. Until three hundred years later, a child was born in the Black family, a severe Wizarding family who believed in keeping their wizard lines pure. To their horror, referring the Blacks, at the age of thirteen, their daughter did not show any signs of Magick. Constantly plagued by their closer relations of the other wizard families, they were absolutely scandalized when their daughter turned more and more like what the non-magical people named Druids. Their daughter was constantly missing from their house to wander off to the woods.

    Came an unfortunate day when her older brother came across an old photograph that had closely resembled his delinquent sister. He noticed that there was a postscript written at the bottom of the old photo ‘The sword bears the mark of the maker and the maker bears the mark of the sword’. This brother had glimpsed his sister in the glade using a similar sword with agility and ease. On the first week of December, a very chilly winter with deep snow, they tried to kill the child on her birthday. But the girl was nowhere to be found. Three years later, Elderina Black, sent a letter to tell her parents that she would disown herself from the Black family and thus she lived again as The Avenger, to look after the innocent.

    The Avenger had not appeared for centuries, even after the Dark Lord emerged from the slumbers of the snow drake, where her aid was sorely needed. Her return remained unknown until the Seer, Merlinda Bahowan, foretold the coming of the same child, born under the Elder tree according to the Celtic calendar. Descended from an ancient line of the Celts, bound to share an oath with one of her bloodline, to heal the Lupus, to guide The Boy that Lives. The Ancients will rise. The Phoenix will rise.
 

    "That was pretty straightforward," Harry said in a small voice.

    "How does it feel Sirius? To be bonded with your--at least a distant ancestor?" Fenix asked her oathbrother lightly.

    "Well, that really means we’re family." Sirius shrugged his indifference and winked at her. She gave a resonant chuckle. "I like you the way you are."

    "Any more comments?" Fenix asked the group.

    "None, whatsoever," Remus answered but gave Fenix an indescribable look. "We don’t have to tell this information to all and sundry."

    : Afraid for me, Remus? : Fenix asked him.

    : What are you going to do, if I said I am? : he asked sharply, and her eyes flared in surprise.

    "Well, that was one hell of a surprise," Fred said.

    "I am so filled with astonishment, that surprisingly, my head is pounding," George agreed and it took everyone a moment to know that the twins were serious.

    "It has been quite a day," Fenix agreed, looking tentatively at Remus. "Let’s all get some rest."

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    Lucius Malfoy was looking at Voldemort with fear.

    "Why isn’t Snape coming to me?" the Dark Lord hissed. "He still bears my mark…He was a good follower. Damn you, Dumbledore! Curse you!" Dozena of glasses shattered as he focused his anger on them.

    "Can’t we use Harry, Master?" Malfoy said in a respectful voice, head bowing as he suggested his opinion.

    "No. The boy has learnt to control his emotions and his mind. He’s shielding hard from me." Voldemort stopped pacing. "Get me more homeless Muggles, Lucius, I need to harvest more power."

    "Yes, Master," Lucius bowed out.

    Voldemort stood upon the ruins and lifted his face to the infinite black sky, lightning playing on its surface. He contemplated and brooded while the wind slammed at him in a surprising strength. He looked about him in distaste and retreated into the cabin where he still brooded.

    Now that Harry’s unavailable, I can’t even influence his dreams… Snape is the key. I need him to strengthen the group, but how do I get him? And these killings of my Dementors. Not once have my servants uncovered the silent killers. And that Phoenix…how daring of Dumbledore to create its illusion! No matter…it is Snape I want…I will break him again if it is required of me...I will break him...

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