It was ten-thirty in the morning and Harry was closeted with Draco in the Potions classroom as they sought to put their Vigilencia potion to its last stage. Harry was a little surprised to see Fenix down in the classroom when he came in. She however was not aware of the students’ presence as she worked with her own cauldron, so intent in her potion making that she had created a shield to prevent any kind of interference. That same shield was irritating the Potions Master because he wished to see how she was doing but finally gave up. He had to admit to himself that she was as good at Potions just as he was. It grated a bit on his ego that she was able to administer the right amount of ingredients with no fumbling whatsoever.

    The students and the Potions Master were all wearing masks in the room and Snape had barred the classroom door to prevent any kind of unwanted accident, while Harry and Draco were still in the process of pounding up their berries. Harry carefully scraped the finely pounded residues of the berries and placed it onto a sieve. Then, he began squeezing the filtrate using his spatula into a measuring cylinder. When he had exactly achieved the exact amount of the purplish filtrate, he carefully transferred it into a conical flask, and then carefully placed three drops of dragons’ blood into the filtrate and began to mix the solution thoroughly.

    Draco whistled absently at Harry and the latter passed the bottle of dragons’ blood carefully over to the Slytherin, because that particular bottle was very expensive. Snape waited for them patiently, casually sitting on a student’s desk as he gave alternate attentions from the students to the Fire Master. Fenix had already finished her concoction and was spending several minutes to magically sterilize the flasks that Snape had provided her. She then carefully poured the concoction she had mixed aseptically into the flasks. The Potions Master then paid careful attention to Harry since he was beginning to pour his filtrate into his cauldron. Harry had adjusted the heat that was heating up his cauldron and poured the solution directly at the center of his Vigilencia potion.

    During those critical moments, Fenix had dropped her shield and accidentally sniffed in the aroma of Draco’s berries and dragon’s blood. She stared at Draco’s back in alarm. : Sev, : she called the Potions Master calmly. She felt a strange and peculiar heat building in her. Snape looked at her distractedly then his eyes flared wide when she stood there, shaking a little. : I think I’m in trouble. : And she was indeed in deep trouble.

    There was a soft ‘poof’ coming from Harry’s cauldron and Snape nodded his satisfaction when blue wisps of mist wafted up. He instructed the Gryffindor to transfer his potion into the black flask that suddenly appeared on his desk. Seconds later, Draco finished his. The Fire Master was carrying two of her flasks over to Snape’s desk and she was careful not to look either at the Potions Master or the two students. But Snape chose that moment to approach from behind and her eyes were fixed on his lips when she turned back. She closed her eyes tightly and taking a deep breath, she thought about Remus. However, the image that popped in her mind was far too enticing and she laughed, trying to hide her embarrassment. She opened her eyes to see Snape’s red face.

    : I’m sorry about this, : Fenix apologized at the embarrassed Potions Master. : Don’t tell anyone though. I’ve finished the antiseptic potion and I think I better make a Jump before I have the opportunity to scandalize you or the students or Remus. : The heat that was building in her was getting worse and she smiled at Snape before vanishing.

    The Potions Master took a deep breath then turned back to his two students who were waiting expectantly at him. He nodded to them and they placed their flasks onto the desk and began clearing up the mess they had created. Snape decided to make a contact with Remus, who was probably having his breakfast about that particular time.

    : Severus? : Remus questioned the Potions Master in surprise. : What do you want? : the werewolf asked in a rather mild voice.

    Remus’s answer was accompanied by a sense of bafflement. : He’s probably sleeping. :

    : Good. Visit her then. : Snape released the link quickly and blocked his mind so that the werewolf could not get back to him. The Potions Master instructed both Harry and Draco to take their seats at the front desks and mercilessly began to drill them in the Potions tutorial.

***********

    Remus went out of his office, thinking about his brief conversation with the Potions Master with puzzlement. He knocked on Fenix’s door softly and to his surprise, the wolves literally fled out of the door and pushed him in, with Silver locking the door from the outside an instant later. Just like how they had guarded him when he transformed into a werewolf. He stared incredulously at the door and was pushed again, this time into the bedroom by unseen hands. Remus was totally surprised when he saw a very flushed-looking Fenix sitting on the bed dreamily. Her face bore a mixture of need, despair and amusement.

    : Fenix, is there something wrong? : Remus asked worriedly, automatically going to her. She was licking her lips dreamily and was eyeing him in a very provocative way.

    : Yes, there is something wrong with me. You shouldn’t have come… Maybe after I turn normal, I’m going to kill Sev, : she spoke in a very sensual mindvoice and leaned forward, trailing her hand carelessly on his left leg. Remus was feeling more than slightly alarmed.

    : What happened? : he asked slowly, firmly taking her hand away from his leg and held it tightly. Fenix’s eyes were focused on his lips and then slowly looked down at his neck. He felt himself blushing hotly.

    : I accidentally sniffed the berries of those Magnolia vines. It has some aphrodisiac properties. : Fenix suddenly was looking tearfully at him and pulled away violently. : Go. : She was not looking at him as she lay down on the bed and pulled the covers up, preparing to sleep. Remus was sitting on the bed, looking at her with a tender smile. Sirius is probably going to kill me, if he gets to know about it.

    : Just make sure that he doesn’t know about it then, : Krill’s deep mindvoice echoed briefly in his mind, and Remus smiled roguishly as he deftly took off his shoes and his cloak. He carefully positioned himself beside Fenix, and lay on his side, carefully pushing her long black hair off her face.

    : Fenix? : he whispered softly as he gave her ear a playful lick. She flinched back instinctively, feeling suddenly ticklish. The werewolf chuckled softly and carefully poked her so that she faced him, her eyes flashing dangerously. Her silver eyes flared in surprise when he gave her a passionate kiss and felt the heat in her exploded.

**********

    The ghostly sorceress in the blue robe was giggling almost girlishly, while her companion looked at the couple with a slightly disapproving expression.

    "They should have gotten a license first," Helga observed.

    "It’s not entirely her fault," Rowena pointed out. Her companion gave a sigh of sufferance and pulled her friend away from the room, leaving the couple alone.

**********

    Harry had gone back up his dormitory to find a note attached on his table saying that his friends would all be waiting at the Hall and he sighed, deciding that he might as well wash up first. The Potions make-up lesson was very dry and he felt his head suddenly pounded, as if egging him not to think about lessons anymore.

    Harry smiled briefly at the Ravenclaws that had gathered at the entrance of the Hall, and they hailed him cheerfully. Luna waved at him and he waved back, pausing at the door to scan for his friends. Sirius waved at him widely and it made him grin. Harry quickly hurried over to his godfather. There was a nasty scratch at the side of his neck and his godson noticed that his left wrist was bandaged.

    "What happened?" Harry asked his godfather in a concerned tone and remembered that Fenix too, had also beard some angry looking scratches on her arms.

    "Brief skirmish with the centaurs." Sirius shrugged indifferently.

    "Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Ginny asked in a light voice, looking at the dark shades under his eyes.

    "How on earth can I sleep when my stomach keeps flipping around?" Harry’s godfather asked sardonically, earning chuckles all over the table. Catcalls suddenly erupted over the Slytherin table, catching their attention briefly. Some of the first years were singing Alamanda a birthday song while the Slytherin girl looked strongly embarrassed at the attention they were giving her. Draco strutted forward, making his ex-girlfriend fume, giving the birthday girl a grandiose bow. He took out his wand and whispered "Rosaraie lavande." A bouquet of lovely purple roses popped out of his wand, with a white ribbon holding it together and he presented it gracefully to Alamanda. Loud cheers erupted in the Hall and some gave fairly piercing whistles. Even Neville gave a smile as he watched the Slytherin girl glowed with pleasure, and serenely accepted the flowers.

    "I hope you were taking note, Ron," Hermione whispered and Harry felt pleased that she was wearing his gift. Ron looked at his partner with mild surprise.

    "Before I forget," Sirius turned back to face them, "I am planning on a ‘family’--," he made a hooking gesture with his fingers as he said that before continuing, "dinner in my office tonight. You guys are invited." He was looking at Neville as he said that. He casually gave his wand a wave and pointed it to Draco’s direction and a small silver messenger bird zoomed off to whisper the invitation softly into the Slytherin’s ear. Draco casually repeated Sirius’s gesture and the messenger bird flew back to Harry’s godfather.

    It piped up Draco’s answer musically. "As if I want to torture myself with her very presence." Sirius breathed a sigh of relief and trusted Draco that he would not be bringing Parkinson’s group along. Ginny suddenly piped up a question. "Where’s Fenix and Professor Lupin? They really seemed like they’ve gone M.I.A."

    Harry smiled faintly and that made Sirius immediately suspicious. "Do you know something that I don’t?" His godson looked at him in feigned confusion and innocence.

    "Like what?"

    Sirius narrowed his eyes and tried to make contact with his best friend and his oathsister but both had blocked him from their minds. He was about to get up from his seat to make a surprise inspection when Snape firmly gripped his left shoulder and held him down. Harry gave Snape an inquisitive look and the Potions Master gave a very wicked smile that Sirius was not able to see but was able to feel.

    : Don’t tell me they are… : Sirius yelped and Snape winced at Sirius’s incredibly loud mindvoice.

    : It is her only remedy after all. : Snape casually flipped his cloak and sat down gracefully beside Harry’s godfather.

    : And what do you mean exactly by that? : Sirius asked curiously.

    : You still remember Everina Mint? And berries? : the Potions Master asked him as he began eating his lunch.

    Sirius scowled at Snape trying to connect his childhood crush with berries. He knew that Fenix went down to the dungeon straight after she took a bath and tried to recall what she would be making. It suddenly occurred to him that his godson was also there and recollected that Snape had tasked them with the making of Vigilencia. Sirius swore pungently, making Snape chortle softly. Hermione was looking expectantly at Harry but he shrugged, feeling that it was better for the two Defence teachers if he acted ignorant of the situation.

    Their lunch was barely punctuated by conversation because it had begun to rain again and Harry sighed mournfully. Dean gave a whistle and jerked his chin upwards and Harry looked at the direction his friend had pointed. He gave a lopsided smile when Hedwig swooped down and flared her wings just as she landed on his shoulder gently. She maneuvered herself and promptly began to nibble on Harry’s ear gently, making him flinch slightly from her cold, nimble tongue. Just moments when Hedwig landed, an excited shriek reverberated about the Hall and Pig zoomed straight for Ginny’s chest. They heard several distinctive yowls at the Entrance Hall and Mrs. Norris fled in defeat at the much bigger Crookshanks. The cat grandly pranced into the Hall, head and tail held high and cutely twirled itself on Hermione’s legs before abandoning her and jumped straight onto Snape’s lap. The Potions Master looked hopelessly at the cat, which was curling itself on his lap. He gave a sharp look at the cat’s owner and Hermione just shrugged, intent on finishing her own lunch.

**********

    The couple was staring deeply into each other’s eyes and Fenix smiled almost wickedly at her partner. "Just like a pair of teenagers, aren’t we? I can’t imagine that I am being extremely cloying." Remus chuckled and pulled her closer to him. She really felt good in his arms and he was just relishing the close contact he was having with her. Fenix felt a brief touch in her mind and she recognized that the touch belonged to Snape.

    : Yes? : Fenix inquired calmly.

    : Not preoccupied? : the Potions Master responded slyly.

    : I wouldn’t have answered if I was, would I? : she answered dryly, and gave her partner a significant look. He gave her a sidelong look and she asked Snape. : What is it? :

    : You do know we would be having dinner in Sirius’s quarters, don’t you? : the Potions Master queried the Fire Master.

    : And how on earth is he going to fit all of us in there? : she asked incredulously.

    : There are ways… : Snape replied mysteriously and she gave him a quick mindslap, catching the Potions Master by surprise.

    Snape was laughing softly to himself and looked around the Great Hall carefully. It was a moment before he noticed a pair of armored Knights near the entrance of the Hall. : Yes… they’re spying, I believe, : he replied impudently and received a vehement protest from the female wolf.

    : Spying? : the wolf protested indignantly.

    Fenix chuckled and asked the Potions Master what he and the rest would be doing. Snape assured her calmly that he would keep Sirius out of her hair at least until dinnertime. The Fire Master chuckled impishly and kissed her partner briefly on his cheek. : That’s okay then. Who’s coming? :

    : Harry’s close friends and Draco and his gang. No Parkinson though. I believe it would be Alamanda Durz this time. :

    Fenix gave a slow whistle. : She certainly moves very fast, doesn’t she. Now, Sev, if you don’t mind, I’d like to pay attention to my Rem-- : She was quickly interrupted by the Potions Master whose mindvoice was colored slightly gray with embarrassment.

    : Please, Fenix. I don’t want to hear the explicit details, : Snape said in an aggravated tone. The bedroom was filled with her musical laughter and trailed off quickly when Remus intervened.

**********

    Fenix took great care to dress up a little that evening. She was wearing a white flowing dress that went all the way down to her knees and she wore her black leather pants complete with black leather sandals. She tied her hair back into a high ponytail and left it at that, wearing only her earrings as accessories. The indirect effects of the berries had long since worn off, thanks to the Potions Master’s intervention and she felt that she could look at other guys without going into the dreamy state she had found herself in that morning. She however could not wonder what her oathbrother might say, and she just shrugged to herself and proceeded to Sirius’s office.

    A very sheepish-looking werewolf opened the door and she gave him an inquiring look but he mouthed that everything was all right and ushered her in. She paused to examine the room wonderingly. Somehow, Sirius had managed to increase the size of the room to fit one very large dining table to fit sixteen people. Montague was staring at her with a stupefied expression and she gave him a baffled look. The Slytherin was just about ready to drool when Snape cleared his throat threateningly.

    "She’s too old for you."

    "That’s all right with me, sir." The student kept his eyes on her while the Gryffindors in the room smothered their laughter at Fenix’s facial expression. Draco frowned slightly and jabbed his friend with his elbow."Ouch!"

    Remus guided her over to seat opposite Montague and she bantered lightly with the Potions Master. "Too old you say," she said in a dangerous tone and sat down gracefully beside Alamanda. "No worries, Sev. You and your students are safe from me. I’ve already given my cap to someone and he has already accepted it." The table was filled with chuckles as Fenix gave a very wicked look at her partner, who was seated at the other end of the table. She scanned the table once more and found that Draco’s usual bodyguards were not with them. She tilted her head inquiringly at the Slytherin prefect who interpreted her inquisitive look accurately.

    "Keeping someone off my back," Draco said shortly and she nodded her head as she grasped his subtle meaning.

    Sirius came into the room and bestowed a brief kiss on her forehead before making his way down to sit opposite the Potions Master. The moment he sat down, plates of spaghetti appeared miraculously and the table was decorated with appetizers and the desserts were making her mouth water by just thinking about setting her teeth down on some of the sumptuous-looking dessert. She eyed particularly at the apple strudel and licked her lips in anticipation.

    Sirius looked at his dinner guests and focused his attention mainly on Neville. The boy was strangely melancholy after his father’s burial and the reality that his mother had regained her full memory and was functioning normally now had staggered the teenager to a high degree. Neville’s grandmother was adamant that her daughter-in-law to be placed in her care immediately and it caused quite a commotion in the new location of St. Mungo’s Hospital that the hospital staff quickly gave way to the old lady.

    Sirius listened to Fenix as she informed the students who were present that they would be receiving their new timetable sometime later in the night, and was explaining about the sudden change to Hermione, who was looking a little worried. Knowing the girl, she was probably worried about redoing her study schedule. Hermione looked a little shocked when Fenix told them that the staff would be doing a little screening tomorrow.

    "What kind of screening are we talking about?" Harry asked curiously and Sirius answered his godson’s question though he pitched his voice so everyone would be able to hear him.

    "Basically those who are staying behind are going to get screened by all of us-- meaning the teachers and Dumbledore tomorrow. So we wouldn’t really have any kind of lesson tomorrow. Basically, our objectives would be to separate the students to specialize in a task." Sirius put down his fork to gaze solemnly at them. The students listened attentively to him. "So, please be prepared to handle the situation that you might get divided," Harry’s godfather was looking solemnly at his godson’s company. "The students would be separated into six divisions and to--"

    "Hell with the Houses," Fenix interjected.

    "Correct. I expect that Dumbledore would be giving the full briefing tomorrow. The six divisions are the Main, Paramedics, Rearguard, Defense, Attack and Reserves," Sirius informed them, and Ron gave a slow whistle. "I’m not going to give a more detailed explanation." He gave a warning look when Hermione started to open her mouth.

    "Professor Dumbledore will explain it all to you tomorrow," Snape said patiently and they began eating again. Sirius decided that it was time to distract all of them from their thoughts by asking Fenix about her birthday. She looked quizzically at him and asked why he wanted to know.

    "For fun…" Sirius shrugged and Fenix smiled broadly.

    "It’s much more fun if you guess," she said in a challenging tone. Sirius gave a nod of acceptance of her challenge. "Well, guess which season. But only two tries."

    They had finished eating their main course and all were now going for their dessert. Fenix’s invisible assistants helped to serve them and meanwhile, most of them bore contemplative looks on their faces. Harry raised an eyebrow when Krill actually gave a larger portion apple strudel for her and she just gave him an impish grin.

    "Summer," Ron hazarded but she shook her head.

    "Winter," Sirius stated and she nodded. Now, they were left to guess which month of winter she was born. Hermione was thinking about something very hard but Harry had beaten her to it.

    "I remember something about you being born under the Elder tree or something like that…" Harry mused and Fenix nodded at the clue.

    Snape narrowed his eyes and carefully calculated mentally. So she could either be born in November or December. "December." Another nod from Fenix as she was halfway through her dessert.

    "Twelve," Remus absently spoke up. Fenix looked at him in surprise.

    "Why that number?"

    "No idea. It just popped into my mind," her partner shrugged. To everyone’s surprise, she fell silent.

    "Carefully file that into your memory, Moony," Sirius said casually.

    His best friend gave a disdainful snort. "I do have a clear and perfect memory unlike someone I know." Fenix chortled when Sirius stared at his friend with a mortified expression and they talked about more mundane stuff and temporarily forgot about the teachers’ latest news.

**********

~ Chapter 31: Special Divisions ~

They were all lazily sipping down on Butterbeer, except for Fenix who was content with her mango juice when there was a knock on the door. Sirius stood up to check whom it was and gave an exclamation of surprise when he saw Charlie Weasley, accompanied by Moody and Vance.

    "Charlie?" Ron stared at his brother and he smiled broadly at the Romanian Dragon Keeper.

    "Hello, all! Dumbledore advised us that you all would be here," he paused and stared cautiously at the group of Slytherins among them. He pointedly looked at Fenix who just smiled enigmatically at him. "Is this her idea?" the burly Weasley asked Harry’s godfather.

    "Actually, the dinner was my idea," Sirius said modestly and casually conjured up three more chairs for the newcomers.

    "So who’s new?" Moody spoke up harshly, conjuring a mug of Butterbeer for him and his comrades while he eyed the Potions Master almost in a taunting manner. "Did you just stop at Snape?" His magical eye spinned to his left as he scrutinized Fenix.

    "No…" she answered as she finished her glass of juice and it began to fill itself up magically again. She pointed her chin at Draco and Charlie spluttered. "So, everyone’s all right?" Moody nodded and helped himself to the deserts that were still on the table.

    "By the way, Fenix, Dumbledore wants to introduce you to someone. Were you the one who brought up that idea about the special units?"

    "I can’t take all the credit though," the Fire Master conceded with faint disappointment, and Draco hid his smile. "It just sprang up when I had a silent discussion with three unmarried men and a pair of wolves about an army." The Auror was silent but his face shined with his approval. "When does the Headmaster want me?"

    "As soon as you’re done with dinner. Go on up to his office."

**********

    Tension was building in the room and Hermione signaled to her friends that they should leave the adults because she had observed that Charlie was getting a little restless and kept looking at Sirius most of the time. The students said their goodnights to their elders and the Fire Master accompanied them out, since she had to see Dumbledore.

    "All right, Charlie. What’s got into you?" Sirius spoke calmly. Vance held her hand up as she stared blankly at the space ahead of her and gave a wave of her wand. She nodded when the place was secure from prying eyes and eavesdroppers.

    The Weasley took a deep breath and calmly reported that Hagrid and Madame Maxime had failed to bring the major giant clans around and Voldemort now already has them in his pocket. "And from Cathal’s report-- that’s one of Fenix’s comrades-- and our own intelligence network, major confrontations could be expected to happen within the next few months. It will probably take them a while to move out."

    Sirius nodded solemnly. "But you couldn’t know. Giants can move very fast for all we know," he said in a warning tone and informed them of the news that had been passed on to Fenix by Aldren. "The elves are worried that Voldemort might also try to instigate trouble via the Muggle societies and also, their spies had reported that the Death Eaters have consolidated with some very dubious Muggles."

    Vance chose that moment to add in her findings. "My people too, had found the Dark Lord’s followers to be bringing in… scientists. I had wanted to discuss this with Maxwell since she knows more about this than we could ever will. We fear that this group of people will be helping the Dark Lord to invent weapons for his followers."

    "Probably guns, I expect." Moody snorted.

    : That is troubling news indeed. : Krill’s deep mindvoice was grave. : Please, tell me the exact location of this particular group. :

    Sirius was a little surprised by the determined mindvoice of Fenix’s chief Elemental. I thought they only do stuff if Fenix ordered them to, Sirius thought to himself.

    : Nothing but a façade, Sirius, : Krill answered only to him, and the rest looked at the slightly scowling Black curiously. : And Fenix knows enough about us to understand that we are fighters in our own right. We are concerned with the outcomes of the war as well as you people do, : the Salamander explained patiently. Emmeline Vance dubiously conjured up a map and placed it on the table, talking to the invisible character as she pinpointed the location of the Death Eaters’ hideout.

    : Aelwyn? : the Salamander requested his second-in-command politely.

    : We’re on it, : the Sylph replied, urgently communing with her kind.

    Sirius gazed at Vance thoughtfully and queried, "Were you able to get more information on just what those ‘scientists’ were doing for Voldemort?" The woman shook her head regretfully.

    "It was too risky for us. The place was exactly situated in a civilian area. And the police are just a few blocks away from their hideout." They were flattened almost immediately by the Sylphs’ rush of alarm and anger.

    "Krill?" Sirius demanded, his voice barking out harshly. To everyone’s surprise, the Salamander swore.

    "These people don’t know what they’re doing!" Krill’s deep voice rang in the room angrily. "They’re preparing a biological weapon. The Dark Lord has made a terrible mistake! Terrible indeed!" The Salamander vanished to inform Fenix about the new Situation.

    Sirius was staring at the air in bafflement. He asked his best friend. "Did you understand any of that?" Remus was just as mystified as he was. Out of the five men and one woman, only Snape was looking very worried.

**********

    Fenix had already reached Dumbledore’s office and had already spoken the password ‘Aurora Borealis’ and it was already swinging open when Krill suddenly appeared right before her. Her Fire Elemental was looking very agitated. The Headmaster was conversing quietly with another man and was about to hail her in when he caught sight of her horrified expression.

    : I’m sorry, Albus. I have something to take care right now, :Fenix said apologetically before she vanished.

    "Albus?" a man bearing almost a similar resemblance to the Headmaster inquired, peering at the empty door. "Where is the lady you wish to introduce me to?" Dumbledore gave a soft sigh and smiled at the other man.

    "I’m sure she’ll come back soon, when her work is done, whatever they are."

**********

    Fenix popped in suddenly into the room, startling Sirius severely. She did not hesitate, quickly striding forward to the map and made Vance show the location again. She narrowed her eyes as she tried to recall some of her friends and fellow Mages who were living around in the district. She quickly dispatched the Sylphs to inform one policeman who was also an Earth Master about the illegal activities and asked him to seek the help of two elves and one lady who would be ideal to stop the construction. Sirius waited patiently and took a deep breath when she told them it might take a bit of time for the scientists to be nabbed by the authorities.

    "But how about the Death Eaters?" Sirius questioned her.

    "The elves would take care of that and also, the elves will tamper with the memories of the scientists a little, just to be on the safe side," Fenix reassured him. "Now, I do have to go and see the Headmaster." She gave a brief smile at all of them and vanished off.

    "Do you think it will be noisy?" Remus asked the thin air. He was referring to the situation about the Death Eaters.

    "Noisy enough that Voldemort will notice that he’s being suppressed," the Salamander replied. Sirius gave a crooked smile and refilled their mugs with stronger drinks.

**********

    Fenix reappeared before Dumbledore’s office and repeated the password. She stepped into the room and gave the Headmaster a little smile when he saw her. Dumbledore beckoned her to come closer and she was distracted momentarily when a flash of brilliant red suddenly landed on her shoulder. The Headmaster looked pleased as he watched Fawkes butting his head against her cheek for a scratch. The Fire Master chuckled softly and indulged the glorious bird.

    The two men in the office stood up and she slowly strode forward to meet the other wizard. Fawkes finally launched himself off to his perch and Dumbledore began his introduction. "Aberforth, this is the Fire Master, Fenix Maxwell. She is currently teaching Defence with Professor Lupin." The Headmaster then turned to her to introduce the stranger. He looked almost similar to Dumbledore, although his face was stern and hardened. His long gray hair and beard was combed neatly and he was clad in austere dark gray clothing. "And Fenix, this is my older brother, Aberforth Dumbledore."

    Fenix gave her right hand for the other man to shake but surprisingly he bowed slightly and gave her hand a gentle kiss. "I am honored to meet you, lovely lady. But such a lovely exterior does very well hide that part of you that is cold." She was not really surprised by his words and gave him a small smile.

    "It’s in the genes," she said casually and the man guided her to a seat. "Will he be taking part in the spellcasting tomorrow?" she asked the Headmaster and he nodded.

    "Yes, he is. Since he holds the famous black crystal that will enable us to help sort out the students," the Headmaster replied. The next hour or so was spent on letting Fenix and Aberforth feel each other out, as they discussed how they were to set the spell on hundred-over students. She was occasionally disturbed by the quick goodnights of her oathbrother, her partner and Snape while they were discussing and by the time the three had concluded their discussion, it was well after midnight. The Headmaster offered to escort her down but she gracefully declined the invitation, saying that she might as well take a bit of a walk. She bade Aberforth a goodnight as well and stepped out of the office.

    The castle was strangely quiet, though she could hear the sounds of falling raindrops outside. She was wandering slowly downwards and gave a start when Sirius suddenly popped out of a dim corridor. She looked accusingly at him. "I thought you had already gone to bed."

    "I can’t really sleep," Sirius laughed softly, and they walked slowly to her quarters. "How is Neville doing?" he asked her, relying on her gift as an Empath.

    "He is still feeling a little shocked. His mother is doing well though. It’s surprising that she remembered every single detail that had happened to her after the first war, and still remain sane," she replied softly. "The loss of her husband might harden her in some ways," she informed her oathbrother.

    : I want to ask you something. I assume that Aurors and staff would be those who will head the divisions? : he asked, his mindvoice almost apprehensive. She gave him a curious look as she nodded her head and suddenly gave a sly smile.

    : I’m placing you in charge of the ‘Attack unit’. : And she quickly left her oathbrother for her quarters and blocked him out of her mind, to prevent any arguments. Sirius stared at the door with a stupefied expression.

    : She was just kidding, Sirius, : Silver said comfortingly at him. : The staff would also be subjected to the sorting spell tomorrow. :

    : But I won’t be surprised if you get chosen to lead the unit. You’ve got what it takes, : his mate interjected in a condescending tone.

    Sirius took a deep breath and walked to his office. He had already returned his office into its normal state and thought to himself. Whatever will happen, it will happen. Have to see how it goes later in the morning. He was deep in thought and carelessly kicked the door close and headed to his bedroom, kicking off his shoes and unbuttoned his shirt to change. I wonder if the Ministry sanctioned Dumbledore’s move in making an army of students. But seriously, who else is left to fight the war? There were so many orphaned students in this school, and at least forty percent of them had lost their family members during the first war with Voldemort. He carefully hung his shirt on a hanger and took out his sleeping robe and slipped it on. He sighed and flung himself down on his bed, staring at the ceiling and absently extinguished the candlelight lighting the bedroom. Thoughts about Harry filled his mind and he could not help thinking that maybe, he would not be able to cheat death in this war. He closed his eyes, trying to remember all of the occasions that he had spent with his godson. It was an image of Harry of flying beside him on his Firebolt that accompanied him to his sleep.

**********

    The atmosphere in the Hall over breakfast was restless as the students twitched with excitement. Ron suddenly nudged Harry with his elbow and nodded his chin at a familiar figure that was striding slowly toward the teachers’ table. Several of the DA members that had visited the Hog’s Head stared at him with round eyes, so filled with disbelief.

    "He looks just like Dumbledore!" Harry whispered to his friends, his eyes not leaving the stern-looking man.

    "Maybe because he is a Dumbledore," Hermione whispered urgently.

    "Is that Dumbledore’s elder brother? The one called--"

    "Aberforth?" Hermione hazarded. "Highly possible."

    The unknown man inclined his head gravely to the Headmaster and took a seat next to Professor Flitwick, his eyes scanning the Hall slowly. Fenix had already finished her breakfast, which was quite light actually, and Snape was constantly forcing her to eat more. She shot an annoyed look at him and Ginny’s mouth curled up in a smile when she saw the unobtrusive argument between the Fire Master and the Head of Slytherin House.

    : Snivellus, stop that. I think it’s inadvisable for her to eat too much before the spellcasting. You could shovel all the food in her later, though her partner would probably object, : Sirius informed the Potions Master. Snape gave Fenix an indescribable look and stopped conjuring more pancakes for her. An hour later, Dumbledore stood up and cleared his throat, and all traces of conversation instantly stopped.

    "I seem to have a lot to apologize for," the Headmaster said lightly and he apologized to the students for involving them in the war with Voldemort. Several of the students shook their heads, and a representative from Hufflepuff stood up and spoke to him in a clear voice that they were all aware of the need of involving themselves and of the consequences that may come out of it. The Headmaster bowed his head in gratitude and proceeded to explain to the students just how they would be sorted into the specialized units. "So as not to make you panic, the staff would get to be sorted out first, and they would be the ones to head each respective divisions." The staff of Hogwarts got out of their seats to stand in a circle at a space that had been cleared up specifically for their use.

    The presumable Dumbledore’s older brother moved to the center of the staff table and Harry noticed that he was holding what looked like black crystal to him. It was irregular in shape and the wizard was carefully balancing the crystal in his palms and it hinted that it did not have a flat base. The Headmaster and Fenix moved to stand at each side of him, fingertips touching the crystal’s surface. The students watched excitedly, forgetting to breathe momentarily. Harry felt his face turning blue and reprimanded himself. Remember to keep on breathing.

    Minutes passed and nothing seemed to happen. Just when Harry was about to think that maybe their spell was not working, colored mists began to form on some individuals. A few moments passed and by now, the colors that had surrounded some of them were already distinctive. Peculiarly, the librarian, Professor Trelawney, the teachers teaching Arithmancy, Muggle Studies and Ancient Runes, Firenze, Hagrid, Madam Hooch and Professor Sinistra did not sport any of the color. The Headmaster who was shrouded in a pale orange mist instructed those who have no mists to get back to their seats.

    Dumbledore and Fenix had broken their contact with the crystal but the mists were still glowing strongly. The Headmaster spoke up again in a clear voice, "I’m sure all of you can see that some of your teachers have mists clouding them, they themselves however could not see the mists clouding them, but are able to see the colors of their neighbors. The colors represent the six divisions." Out of nowhere six square platforms appeared, various points in the Great Hall. "So, blue is for the Reserves." Kingsley Shacklebolt and Charlie moved off toward the platform situated near the entrance of the Hall and Kingsley labeled the air above it, ‘The Blues-Reserves’.

    The Headmaster nodded in approval at the Auror’s innovation and looked at Professor Sprout and Madam Pomfrey, both enveloped in bright green mists. "Green is for the Paramedics." The witch and the nurse moved off and Dumbledore continued, "Black, the Rearguards." Moody and Vance moved off for a platform. "Silver, Defence." Professor Lupin moved off. Although the Fire Master was enshrouded with the silver mist too, she did not move and Harry thought it was because she may be needed to cast the spell on the students. "Gold, the Attackers." Snape and Harry’s godfather took the nearest platform near the Hufflepuffs. Sirius managed to give a look of irritation at his oathsister before he climbed the steps of the platform and gave his wand a flick, and an ostentatious banner floated above his head. Snape gave him a disgusted look but Sirius just gave the Potions Master an oblique look.

    "Yellow, the Main." And Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick got up to the platform just right in front of the teachers’ table. Turning to Fenix, he questioned her calmly, "What color am I, of course, assuming that I do have the mist covering me?" Several students chuckled heartily.

    "Yellow…" Fenix said softly. "You’re silver by the way," she informed Aberforth. Dumbledore’s brother gave a faint sardonic smile. The Headmaster then looked gravely at the students.

    "If you don’t mind, please stand up. We’ll clear up the tables in a moment." The moment the words left his mouth, the students jumped up clear of their seats, making Fenix smile briefly at their eagerness but a shadow of sadness descended on her. "You will feel a strong pull to go over to either of the six stands where your teachers with the same colored mist are standing."

    Fenix placed her fingertips back onto the black crystal and merged her mind with the two other casters and interacted with the ancient stone. The process took much longer as the stone slowly assessed the personalities of more than a hundred students at one go. About fifteen minutes of listless standing, more and more of the students were beginning to get enveloped by the various colored mists.

    Sirius was watching the Gryffindor table carefully and watched Neville Longbottom going over to Professor McGonagall while Hermione, Harry and Draco who were covered with bright golden mist, slowly walked forward to the platform where he and the Potions Master were standing. Susan Bones, a Hufflepuff whose almost an entire family was killed by Death Eaters was looking extremely enthusiastic when she felt herself moving along toward where Harry had gathered. Time passed by and finally all the students were sorted out-- even Crabbe and Goyle, although Crabbe was in the Main but Goyle was over with the Paramedics.

    The Headmaster spoke up, "You will now be the specialized units of the School’s Army. Although you are divided into six groups, you will have to work with each other as each of the groups depends is dependent on the other. Now, no classes will be conducted today so you are free to spend your time wisely. We’ll assemble here at five sharp in the evening, to brief you what you could expect from your new set of education." Dumbledore muttered ‘Finite’ and the clouds of mist disappeared. He beckoned the teachers with him as they prepared to proceed with a meeting, and the students were left to plan what they could do with six free hours.

**********

The bedroom that was shared by the four boys was quiet, though two girls and an additional boy were in with them. Crookshanks was resting above Hermione’s abdomen while she rested her head on Ron’s lap. Dean was playfully braiding Ginny’s waist-length hair as she cuddled Pig. Harry stifled a sigh at the unbearable silence that had filled the room. It was expected, feeling that his friend Ron was greatly surprised that Hermione was covered in golden mist but he was not with her. Both Dean and Ginny got themselves chosen for Defence with Luna, while Parvati and her twin were in the Main. They had found out that most of the first years were in the Reserves, except for Alamanda who was in the Paramedics and Jude Howell, who was in the Attack group. Ron was very silent, making Hermione glance at his freckled face often.

    It really came as a surprise to Ron that he, together with Seamus, Lee Jordan, Montague, Dina and her boyfriend, Justin, were chosen into the Rearguards. The Weasley was deep in thought, worrying about the dangers Hermione might face in the future. The bushy-haired Granger suddenly turned pensive and said in a very quiet voice, "Do you want to know something, Ron?" Her question caught the attention of the people in the room and Ron’s ears turned a little red with embarrassment at being the central attention. "I think whatever you will be doing will be much more dangerous." She sighed, scratching Crookshanks’s chin, making the cat purr with bliss at the attention.

    "She may be right," Neville spoke up. That was a good sign because it was the first time that he had talked to them ever since the attack on St. Mungo’s. Ron looked at him for an explanation, and Neville cleared his throat uneasily. "I’m just guessing but I think you will work very closely with the Paramedics and Defence. I know I’m grasping at straws," he conceded when Ron was just about to speak up, wanting to know just what exactly his friend was trying to say. "The idea just stood out in my mind. Rearguard, it’s like guarding the rear to ensure that the rest could retreat safely… or something like that." Hermione nodded her head at Neville’s assessment.

    Seamus gave a soft whistle. "That sounds like a lot of responsibility…" Harry sighed and stood up from where he had been sitting on the floor to flop onto his own bed. He had already taken off his shoes and reached out for the new timetable. Not surprisingly, the schedule had been alternated again.

    "You guys ought to check your timetable. It looks like it is changing again. And there seem to be two new subjects on my schedule," Harry informed them then gave a long sigh. "We’re having classes all the way to seven."

    "You’re joking," Ginny exclaimed in disbelief.

    "I dunno, but maybe your schedule won’t be the same as ours," Harry said in reassuring voice. The sighs from his friends echoed all around the room and Harry fell into a light doze.

**********

    The meeting between the Headmaster and the rest of the teachers continued for about three hours, with most of them taking careful notes that Dumbledore had highlighted. He had informed that for every Thursday afternoon, there would be lectures and joint exercises for the six divisions to work together as one unit. That meant that the teachers had to plan what they would be doing in advance.

    Fenix happened to make an observation sometime during the meeting. "Is there any chance that a siege might be laid to the castle?" Blank and surprised looks were exchanged all around the table except for Aberforth, who was gazing at her intently.

    "Nothing is impossible," he said quietly. His answer seemed to satisfy her and the wheels in her mind began turning at a fast motion as she began making contingency plans in her head. Dumbledore gained their attention once more and began making some suggestions as to what they could teach their students during the three hour periods on Tuesdays, which was specially dedicated to train each division. This was what Sirius, Snape, Remus and Fenix were discussing silently as they all headed to Fenix’s bedroom for a brief rest while they get something planned for their lessons on both Tuesday and Thursday.

    "Fenix, I think it’s a mistake that you’ve placed me to lead the students," Sirius almost yelled in frustration as he took off his shoes and threw himself on the bed.

    "Speak for yourself, Black. I haven’t been in my combat mode for decades," Snape answered sharply, sitting tentatively at the foot of the bed. Remus maneuvered to the other side and sat cross-legged on it. Fenix crawled onto the bed and sat beside the werewolf, casually pulling Snape’s shoulder down. The Potions Master relented and rested his head against on her lap. Remus gave a feigned jealous look at his partner, who was caressing the Potions Master’s black hair fondly. She gave a crooked smile at the werewolf, and sighed contentedly as she leaned against him.

    "Sirius, Sev, you know it wasn’t I who chose you, neither was it Dumbledore nor his brother. It’s the nature of the stone to measure your strength and witnesses. And Sirius, you were actually with a silver mist for a moment, before it changed to gold," she informed her oathbrother. "But I guess that you must have the brains to launch attacks on your opponent. I’m sure that the Assailants would do well under both of your supervision," she said with a smile, then fondly looked down at the Potions Master. : You need a haircut by the way. And what kind of hair cream are you using, Sev? : she asked teasingly, earning a very sharp look from the reclining Potions Master.

    : Are we gathering information as to what we should teach the students or are we going to discuss on what I use to keep my current hairstyle? : he asked scathingly while Fenix looked at him cheerfully.

    : Oh, well… : Fenix pretended to be disappointed. : Business then… but we’ll get to your hair after that, : she said seriously. Snape slammed a soft fluffy pillow at her face, making her laugh. "I was joking!" she protested, refusing to give the pillow back to the Potions Master. Sirius and Remus both were thinking deeply and finally broke off from attention when Snape spoke up.

    "Dumbledore did say we ought to start with something that both the ‘Assailants’ and ‘Defenders’ should start with something common," he contemplated.

    "Maybe… Patronuses?" Fenix piped up and the three men nodded. "But what’s going to be the guinea pig?"

    "Boggarts?" Sirius turned over, his eyes looking thoughtful.

    "If we can find one and persuade it to look like a Dementor," Remus agreed.

    "I remembered what some of the students did to ward off the Dementors that night. I wonder if they could also use the Patronus Charm against someone instead of some what." Her voice trailed off as she pondered.

    "It’s possible," Remus answered with a smile and gave them a brief account on what happened during a Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw during Harry’s third year of school. Fenix nodded once in a while and formulated several plans in her mind, putting them away carefully in her memory so she could examine the plans later.

    "I would also suggest practicing the Shield Charm for the two of you," Snape inclined his head up to look at Fenix and then Remus. He had noticed that every time the group spent their time briefly just to have a chat or gathering, he felt strangely refreshed and renewed. The werewolf nodded once and requested if Fenix could throw some fireballs at the students in order for them to deflect it. She nodded her agreement but warned that she could not possibly do it too often, and she prudently added if they modified the spell to something like the spell that they had taught the students on the very first day of school, resources could be saved. And if it was possible, they might teach the students to turn their defensive shield into a weapon en bloc.

    "Because bear in mind, if it’s really a case of an emergency, some of them won't have the concentration to hold up their shields. We ought to think about this, Remus. Maybe for next Monday’s D.A.D.A lesson," the Fire Master suggested and the four continued to debate on what kind of spells they could use in defence or attack as they planned for their lessons until it was time for them to go down to the Hall again.

**********

    Ron was shaking him lightly on his shoulder and he finally roused. He was still wearing his glasses and took them off to rub his eyes briefly before putting them back on. He looked at his watch. It was fifteen minutes to five. His friend told that Hermione and the rest were waiting for them at the common room while Harry washed himself up first before joining them.

    They were silent as they went down to the Entrance Hall, bumping into Warrington. He gave a casual nod then ignored them, as he waited for Draco and the rest. Pansy Parkinson and some of her friends, which included Millicent Bulstrode, had already left Hogwarts for their own sanctuary. Much to the relief of everyone. To no one’s surprise, Sirius and the rest of the company were back to sitting at the table where Harry and his friends usually sat. The students seemed to accept the slightly nicer behavior of the Potions Master with calm, and there were even rumors of some students having a crush on Snape, which was not really a laughable matter. Now that he isn’t intending to be the biggest bully in school, he is rather… nice. Harry gave Sirius a broad smile and sat beside him.

    "Hello," Fenix greeted them cheerfully, indicating Neville that he should take a seat beside her. "How’s everyone feeling?"

    "Weird…" Ron said truthfully.

    "But kind of… cool," Dean supplied, as he sat down beside Ginny. He suddenly jerked back in surprise when thick scrolls suddenly appeared in front of every student, including the staff. "What’s this?" he asked curiously and began untying the ribbon fastened on the scroll. He suddenly chuckled lightly under his breath. "I thought he wanted to personally brief us!"

    The students all faced the Headmaster who was looking slightly sheepish. The Headmaster took his wand out and whispered something quietly. He held his wand like a microphone and after several moments of apologizing to the students, then halted when his elder brother motioned him to stop talking and pointed his chin at his audience. A huge part of the audience was trying to stifle their giggles but was failing rather miserably.

    "Never mind, Professor. We get the idea that you’ve lost your voice. We’ll be good and read your written briefing!" one student from Hufflepuff spoke up. The rustling of scrolling down the scrolls filled the Hall as each of the students referred to the section that he was under although it was also necessary for them to read the other five divisions.

    Harry read the section for those under ‘Attack’ carefully. It said in the scroll, that the Assailants would be the specialists in planned brief skirmishes, to try to cause major disruption in the enemy lines and retreating back as quickly as possible. "Hermione, I do think that your specialty might rather come in handy." His friend looked at him absently while Fenix looked inquiringly at them.

    "What specialty?" Fenix asked and Hermione gave a very uneasy glance at all of them, especially to the Potions Master.

    "I believe it was called the Bluebell flames. Isn’t that right, Miss Granger?" Snape asked silkily. Hermione groaned as she remembered her first year in Hogwarts, who suspected that it had been the Potions Master who had tried to kill Harry. Fenix looked at her in amusement when the young woman’s face turned scarlet.

    "Hermione’s able to conjure waterproof fire," Ron said shortly, intently reading his segment. After Harry had read his section, he scanned the scroll for the Rearguards and found that Neville’s previous assessment back in the dormitory was not far from wrong. Since the Assailants would also have the Defenders watching their backs, the Rearguards would ensure that their opponents remain clear of the Defenders’ backs.

    The Main would be responsible for causing major blows to the opponents en masse and it was the responsibility of the Assailants and the Defenders to let them have enough time to put everything together before they would be able to launch their attack. Fenix chose that particular moment to explain something to them, but only after she had called Draco over to them and spoke to the company using mindspeech. The Slytherin looked curiously at her as he sat down beside the Potions Master.

    : I wish to make something clear to you. Don’t think that Dumbledore’s handing you the dangerous stuff all to you, all right? Some of your teachers might feel it’s better if you’re ignorant of this, : she stared suggestively at Remus as she said this, and somehow, it seemed that Aberforth was aware of what she was trying to do because he gave her a nod of approval. : But I think otherwise. It’s just that you people have the higher chances of survival rather than, say Parvati or Lavender, or perhaps, Goyle. Most of you had experienced Death Eaters-- except for this one of course-- : Fenix gazed significantly at Snape, then continued, : or Voldemort in one way or another. You are able to react to danger better than anyone else could, although it will take quite some time for us to polish that skill to its maximum. And I hope that we would be able to train you well. I certainly have no intention of sending anyone straight to Death’s arms without any kind of courtship. : She looked sadly at them, her eyes mainly gazing on Harry and Draco. None of them liked that, as if she had seen something that she had not expected. : Gods, I’m sorry. I did not mean to get you all so gloomy. : Fenix gave a little forced laugh but Draco, Harry, his godfather, Snape and Remus stared at her with open concern.

    Dinner went on as usual; the students somehow seemed more revived and determined. The Headmaster was able to watch his students in contentment and concluded that bringing the Fire Master into Hogwarts was a good thing indeed, since students were seated all over the four Houses. Only their badges on their cloaks differentiated them from the other. To his amusement, some of the staff was not able to cope with the idea that the Potions Master was acting like a very stern uncle instead of a man with a heart of stone, the Divination teacher especially. He suddenly managed to glimpse a very melancholy look that Fenix gave the Slytherin prefect before quickly hiding it with conversation.

    "That’s because she has the feeling that the boy will indeed become an orphan, not just a disowned one," Aberforth spoke softly to him. Dumbledore gave him a surprised look. His brother gave a crooked smile. "You forget, Wulf, that I do have a bit of a Seer in me." The Headmaster nodded gravely. "And Wulf, think about what the lovely lady did say during the meeting. Even the strongest enchantments might be broken. Heed my words, Wulfric."

**********

~ Chapter 32: Fenix's Patronus ~

Just before another informal meeting…

Sirius could not help himself as he repeatedly gave Fenix several surreptitious glances all the way through their dinner, but otherwise he remained silent. He was so engrossed in his own thoughts that Harry had to give him a sharp jab in between his ribs to catch his attention.

    : Sorry, Harry. I’ve been woolgathering. : Sirius gave him a chagrined look but his godson just shook his head slightly.

    : I don’t blame you if you’re thinking about the melancholy looks that your oathsister had been subjecting some of us for the past hour. She’s making me a little nervy, : Harry spoke lightly and his mindvoice took on a more cheerful frequency. : By the way, Sirius, do you have any idea what B.F.S. means? : he asked hopefully but sighed when his godfather gave a small frown and shook his head. "Anybody in this company know what B.F.S. means?" Harry asked almost in an exasperated tone.

    Fenix tilted her head to a side and rattled out. "Basic field surgery." Ron gave a baffled look at her and asked her in a curious tone why did they have to study that. She gave a small smile as she answered the Gryffindor Keeper. "Just in case mass casualties have occurred somewhere. The concerned people might-- as a last resort-- persuade the School to deploy some of you to help," she said in a light tone. Comprehension dawned on the students’ faces and they finished their dinner in silence.

    "So…" Harry paused as he drank his pumpkin juice, "Madam Pomfrey would be teaching us this?" The Fire Master nodded and also told them that Professor Sprout would also be with them.

    "Actually, it’s also to be considered as a Joint Exercise," Snape provided lazily.

    "You mean the whole school?" Ginny asked and the four adults nodded their heads. That meant the only place the lesson could be carried out would be in the Hall. "Then what about the lessons tomorrow?" She looked pointedly at Sirius and the Potions Master while the two men looked back at Remus and Fenix. The latter just looked at the men and briefly told the students that they would be told before nine or if possible, earlier than that.

    "So then you’ll have to excuse us and we’ll discuss this with your teachers," Fenix said cheerfully, tugging Remus up to his feet and beckoned to the other two men. The Fire Master was looking seriously at the Potions Master as they walked, whose forehead creased a little as he gave his comments via mindspeech.

    Hermione was strangely quiet. She seemed to be pondering about something. She began slowly, "I have just noticed something. Hogwarts have many strong magical enchantments that prevented anyone for Apparating or Disapparating. So how come Fenix can do that?"

    "But she isn’t exactly Apparating, is she?" Harry pointed out gently. "But you know, if Fenix had found ways to do it, would it be possible for her magic to be duplicated?" His face became worried mercurially, but in the end he shrugged, sighing.

    Draco looked pensively at him. "I wish my life was less complicated. Why do I have to be born as the same century as you do, Potty?"

    "Why are you looking at me, Drake? As if I have the power to prevent my parents from having me," Harry said sardonically.

**********

    : So how? : Fenix asked them for the fourth time that evening. They were back in the bedroom, resuming their previous positions. She looked at the direction of the door and was not surprised to see Moody barging his way unceremoniously into the bedroom. He conjured a comfortable chair and sat down, looking at them expectantly, not really surprised to see Snape lying on her lap, but the Potions Master reddened in embarrassment. "What’s up, Mad-eye?" she asked curiously.

    "I feel that it would be better if the three divisions have the same kind of class tomorrow. For at least about one hour, before we split into groups," Moody explained patiently. Remus however looked dubious.

    "But do we have enough space for all the students?" he fretted.

    Moody gave an indifferent shrug. "We could always use the pitch." All four heads nodded.

    "We would be doing Patronuses tomorrow," Snape informed him, and Moody nodded in approval.

    "Right. Patronuses for an hour, and then the rest of the two hours?"

    "Physical exercise," Fenix answered in an almost mischievous voice. "Then, we’ll ask the students to practice the Shield Charm and Stunning, I expect." She looked at her partner who nodded solemnly. "I want to try something with the students later in the next few weeks and then see if Harry could still duplicate my shield. That would be very useful in protecting the injured."

    "Creating a physical barrier?" Moody asked doubtfully. "The students can do that?"

    Fenix smiled mysteriously. "Never try, and you probably will never know. I’ve noticed that the spells they’re learning like the Shield Charm, only deflect hexes and the like, but not against physical objects. So I guess, we might have to do with some experimentation. The shielding spells that Remus and I had taught the students only worked as an individual, but not as a group."

    "I wonder if the twins might be useful," Sirius said absently.

    "Hmmmm?" Fenix looked curiously at him, wondering if his thought was related to her sentence.

    "Well, whatever resources that could be useful…" her oathbrother replied evasively. She narrowed her eyes and a sudden wicked grin appeared.

    "Do you remember that Compression hex Fred threw at George while we were staying at The Burrow?" Fenix asked, her voice filled with amusement, while Sirius and Remus struggled to contain their mirth. Snape was looking at them impatiently. "That really would absolutely cause a major distraction."

    "Why don’t I see if I could get the twins to explain how the twins created the hex?" a silvery voice belonging to one of Fenix’s Sylphs spoke up.

    "We should have gotten you a wand," Sirius suddenly said.

    "Don’t worry, Sirius. I already have one," she answered in an almost bored voice. Remus just looked at the company with interest, watching his best friend's reactions.

    "Is it a real wand by the way? Because I think, it would be better for you to learn how to summon a Patronus as well." Her oathbrother pestered her. She shot a disgusted look at him, signaling Snape to sit up, and got out of her bed, going straight for a drawer where she had kept most of her knives. She took out a black case of about eleven inches long. She crawled back to the bed and opened the case with a peculiar smile on her face. Her presumed wand was wrapped in black silk and she opened the folds of the black silk carefully, and the three men in the room all gathered close to peer into the case. Remus leaned back, watching them with mild amusement.

    Snape nearly did whistle, which was highly uncharacteristic of him, when Fenix revealed a glossy wand of oak and hawthorn of about ten inches. Fenix gave a soft laugh at his expression and carefully lifted her wand. "Well, it’s old, but I wouldn’t trade this one for a new wand. It’s old, but powerful." The Potions Master jerked back a little when the wand suddenly shot out a wisp of blue mist. She looked slightly sheepish and apologized for startling Snape. "I almost forgot that he used to do that when I’ve abandoned him a bit too long."

    "All right, I give up. But why on earth do you still keep your wand when you don’t really need it?" Sirius questioned her in bafflement.

    "So now you’re telling me I don’t need the wand?" she shot back acidly and her oathbrother gave up at that point. She was about to place the wand back when Snape held out his hand, eyes looking almost pleadingly at her. She gave him a puzzled look but gave him her wand for inspection.

    : I never would have dreamed that I’ll have the chance to see you fumble like a student tomorrow, : Snape said in a teasing tone as he felt the wand’s weight and the sense of old power that was embodied in it.

    : Be nice. : Fenix flinched at his entirely correct assessment and Sirius suddenly let out a bark-like laugh as Snape commented to him privately. She just gave both of them a lofty look, and leaned back against Remus. Then her melancholy mood returned and she sighed softly. "I just hope we have enough time to prepare the students."

**********

    Fenix was feeling a little restless and informed her two wolves that she would be doing some exercise. They had all informed their students to gather round the Quidditch Pitch for their afternoon lesson at four, if the weather was clear. If it happened to rain, they would gather in the Hall. Somehow, due to her excellent timing, she bumped into a lone Malfoy as he headed out of the library. He stepped back in surprise when he first saw something totally dressed in black but when she stepped into the dim candlelight, he let out a deep breath.

    "Draco, you shouldn’t be alone," Fenix said softly.

    "What are you doing? Dressing up all in black?" the young man questioned her as she escorted him down to the Entrance Hall.

    "Feeling restless, so I’ll be doing a bit of exercise outside to calm my nerves," she confessed.

    "Isn’t that a little dangerous, Fenix?" Draco asked her seriously and paused at the entrance of the narrow staircase. The Fire Master was secretly pleased that he had called her by her first name casually and gave him a reassuring smile. To his embarrassment and surprise, she slowly gave him an embrace, and as she was shorter than the boy by almost two feet, she conveniently pressed her cheek against his chest.

    "Draco, you’ve got friends now. Ones you could count on," she whispered, making the Slytherin more confused than ever. She suddenly let go of him and moved off quickly out to the Grounds. Then there was a faint whisper in his mind, : Love you, Draco. Just like I love Harry. : He stood frozen there until Filch came by with Mrs. Norris trailing behind. Automatically, Draco descended the staircase, trying not to feel shaken by Fenix’s sudden confession. I should go to bed and sleep until it’s time for me to wake up. Trust Dumbledore to complicate matters by bringing in this strange woman, he thought resolutely to himself, but he could not block out the whisper that lingered in his mind.

**********

Tuesday, 26^th September.

    Harry was struggling to keep his concentration on changing his half-pincushion, half-hedgehog back to its original state. Ron was having a much more difficult time than he was; his friend had accidentally mispronounced his incantation and instead of having two species bound together, he had three. His hedgehog/pincushion had a lion’s tale and McGonagall was lamenting and gesticulating to herself, wondering how on earth her student had managed to garble the recitation.

    Harry abandoned his subject for a moment to close his eyes briefly and to take several calming breaths. When he felt that his head was not about to feel as if it had been crammed full of information, he recited the formula once more. There was a soft ‘poof’ and his hedgehog was again whole and was resting on its soft velvet cushion, looking at Harry expectantly with its small, black beady eyes. He slipped his hand into his pocket and fished out a tidbit that the hedgehog seemed to be fond of and fed it to the hedgehog. It shyly reached out for his treat and began munching it steadily as Harry carefully picked the hedgehog and placed him back in his cage.

    Hermione had already changed her mis-transfigured hedgehog back nearly forty minutes ago, which was practically the beginning of the Transfiguration practical. She was helping McGonagall help some of the other students and presently, she was carefully reciting the magical formula to Ron who was listening attentively to her. He repeated the incantation after her and he changed his subject to its previous form-- minus the lion’s tail. Harry watched his friends in detached amusement and took out his pocket watch. It showed eighteen minutes to four. Finally, he heard the soft puff coming from Ron’s direction and it was time for him and his friends to head down to the Quidditch pitch.

    The group of students separated as they all scrambled to get to their respective Towers to dispose their bags and their school robe. Fenix had specifically warned them that they might need to do a bit of tumbling during their special electives. Harry paused for a moment to look out the window of his bedroom and concluded to his friends that they would be heading for the pitch since the sky looked pretty clear to him. They made their way down to the common briskly, with Ginny helping Hermione to braid the bushy hair into something less than a distraction. Both the girls were dressed in loose turtlenecks, which they carefully tucked into their skirts, and were also wearing a pair of shorts. Dean and his best friend, Seamus, were betting on whether or not Fenix would loosen her fireballs on them for their current lesson as they trooped out of the Tower for the pitch, their lines merging with the Slytherins as they reached the Entrance Hall.

**********

At the Quidditch pitch…

    The six instructors were waiting patiently for the students. Fenix was wearing dark blue for that day and equipped with her dark-blue Nike shoes. They had specifically warned the students not to wear their school robes for they were bound to run a lot that morning-- after dealing with the Patronuses. Silver and Wind were seated calmly at the pitch, scanning their surroundings. The Fire Master had already cast a magical shield from intrusion or spies. If there were any spies at all, they would only see an empty Quidditch pitch. The Fire Master was being very cautious, constantly turning her head at the direction of the Forest.

    : Nervous? : Sirius came and stood next to her, looking expectantly at the gate. She gave a curious look at him.

    : Nervous for what? :

    : At making a fool of yourself. Because, I think you’re the only one who doesn’t know how the Patronus work, : Sirius said with a straight face, and she glared at him.

    : I’ll let that pass bro. : She almost hissed, but regained her composure when the students began to pass through the gates.

    Sirius, dressed all in black almost seemed to be an extension of the Potions Master. He was watching the gates carefully, counting heads as the students entered, smiling a little as he caught sight of Harry’s jet-black hair and found that there were exactly thirty of the students. He noticed that the group was mainly made up of students of Harry’s year. There were no second or third years among them, and he was surprised when he saw four of the first years-- Jude Howell, Miranda Arawn, Aine Moonbeam, and Jeff Howard. I wonder what they had gone through their childhood, he asked himself silently.

    Automatically, the students separated themselves to their three divisions and waited for instructions from the teachers. Somewhat to Sirius’s surprise, the students were equally divided among the three divisions. Remus moved to the front a little-- six of them had agreed that he should be the one to address them as he was technically the perfect candidate being the Defence teacher. The werewolf cleared his throat uneasily.

    "Good afternoon, everyone. First, I would like to inform you that the first thing we’ll be doing is to practice the Patronus charm. I don’t expect you to succeed in this spell immediately, but be assured that being in these select groups, you would be able to. Miss Maxwell here," he jerked his head back casually at Fenix, "will be joining you in conjuring up a Patronus."

    "What on earth for?" Neville asked quizzically.

    "Subterfuge." Fenix shrugged. "If I act like the rest of the students, which is quite easy to do by the way, we’ll have the element of surprise if someone mistook me for being an amateur." Her eyes twinkled mischievously at the batch of students. "I sound like a pompous fool, don’t I? I'm doing it because it's time for me to re-study what I have forgotten. Anyway let’s get to practice. You do know how to conjure the Patronus, yes?" She looked at the students and the teachers began to methodically spread them out.

    "Do act as if you have a horde of Dementors before you, all right?" Remus called out to them.

    For some reason, Snape had attached himself closely to the Fire Master and she cast a look of sufferance at the blue sky above her. She closed her eyes to concentrate on a happy moment, which was the day she had found out about her gifts. "Expecto patronum." A faint silver wisp shot out of her wand but it was weak. Which means that, that particular memory is not as strong as I thought it would be, or maybe my witchery skills are not up to standard. The Potions Master was chuckling under his breath as he looked at her consternated expression.

    All over the pitch, the students’ commands of the Patronus Charm rang out clearly. She saw Harry’s silver stag prancing about Hermione’s stallion. Ginny and Ron were experiencing several false starts and abruptly, Ron took a seat down at the sandy pitch. "What are you doing?" Hermione asked him quizzically.

    "I’m trying to figure out what was my most prominent happy memory," her partner replied absently, and she left him alone to ponder, while she experimented in commanding her Patronus with her voice. She noticed that her Patronus seemed to respond quickly to her when she pitched her voice into a very serious command, and responding slower if her command turned into a desperate one. Then, she experimented on a theory that she had been arguing with Harry a few days back. Her friend had repeatedly told her that the silver otter that she had conjured during their DA session just before Umbridge had discovered them were because she was not under threat. She imagined that she was very happy and not weighed down with her thoughts of the Dark Lord or his followers. "Expecto patronum." She focused her eyes to see her silver otter frolicking about her and smiled when it vanished. Then she forced herself to relive the instant the Dementors were approaching the students during their train ride, and her silver stallion was back. Okay, so Harry was right in his observation, she concluded silently.

    Fenix shook her head to pull her attention back to her task. She imagined she was experiencing the very same feeling that she had when she felt the presence of the Dementors during their train ride to the School. She took a determined breath and focused on the day they were at Sirius’s home, and remembered her sense of exaltation as she watched Snape joining the rest of the household in playing the board game with them and the faint smile that hovered on his lips. "Expecto patronum!"

    Snape managed to jump out of the way as something very bulky and silver shot straight past him suddenly. All eyes were turned to the direction of the Fire Master and stared at her in puzzlement when they saw her eyes still closed, but she was smiling as she found herself reminiscing. Right next to Snape was her Patronus, which was looking at her calmly with its pair of distinctive silver eyes.

    "Bloody brilliant…" Ron whispered, his voice sounding awed.

    Fenix finally opened her eyes, still smiling and stared incredulously at the luminous silver wolf. Thinking that she was imagining, she looked around for Silver but he was with his mate, watching her from several feet away. She was still staring at the wolf in confusion when it slowly cantered toward her, pausing a moment to butt his head against her chest before vanishing.

    : Was that my Patronus? : Fenix demanded the three man who were watching her quizzically.

    : It does seem so, lover. : Remus applauded, his mindvoice thick with approval.

**********

~ Chapter 33: A Dark Samhain ~

Thursday, 25^th October. In the Great Hall…

Nearly a month had passed quickly, with the School growing stronger from within. Deep-set enmities that had been cultivated for decades between the Slytherins and the students from the other three Houses were weakening with each passing second. Though there was little to laugh about these days, the students find themselves laughing every so often with the new products by the Weasley twins.

    A few things had happened during the one month, which included the silent engagement between the two Defence teachers. It was supposed to be a secret but either someone had managed to be at the wrong place at the right time, or Ginny had slowly passed the rumor through the students’ ranks. That particular rumor slowly drifted up toward the staff level and McGonagall and Flitwick had cornered the Potions Master to interrogate him-- if you could say that he had been interrogated when he had cheerfully acknowledged that he had been a witness. Occasional darkness had also occurred during that time span.

    Several attacks had been attempted on the Ministry of Magic but due to their good intelligence network, the Ministry had ample time to prepare themselves for the attack. As a result, several Death Eaters and some Muggles that were working for the notorious company had been apprehended, only to have the Death Eaters escape again with the help of Dementors. Madam Bones had personally told Dumbledore the Death Eaters were more trouble than what they worth. She had said angrily, "Every single time we capture them, the Muggles are always with them too! Why can’t they also take the Muggles with them when they escape?" She had also said that the Ministry was actually considering exterminating the Death Eaters on the spot the next time they visit the Ministry. It seemed that the Ministry was getting tired with the constant attention the Dark Lord was giving them, since they were determined enough to lose their chance of interrogating a Death Eater for information about the Dark Lord’s movement.

    Hogwarts seemed to be so filled with energy and that made the house-elves feel more energized than ever and had demanded the Headmaster to give them something important to do too. Dumbledore relented and considering the words of the Fire Master and his overly cautious older brother, he had given the house-elves the responsibility of seeing to the necessary preparations, should a siege occur to the castle.

    For the particular moment however, students and staff alike were undergoing a training session that was coordinated by Fenix, Moody, Aberforth and the Headmaster in the Hall. Unlike the past week, when the School was concentrating mainly on their defence, they were now practicing their movements as an army, primarily on their attacks. Fenix was solely acting as their enemy and was now flinging several dozen blunt projectiles toward the army. Her fiancé led the Defenders to build up a physical shield that caused the projectiles to blow up into tiny fragments and the Fire Master had to protect herself from the needle-like splinters. In the meantime, when Fenix had to halt her attacks, the Main was getting ready to destroy some of Fenix’s ‘troops’ by setting the Bluebell flames on the wooden posts that had been set up earlier.

    The Fire Master quickly whipped out her wand and hit one side of the Main with a Stunning Spell, capturing Parvati, Lavender, and the Creevey brothers. Sirius gave an indignant exclamation. Not a single one of them was expecting her to use her wand in that manner and he quickly formulated a silent plan with his comrade and Remus to rescue the Stupefied officers. Fenix was hacking away at the Main and that left McGonagall’s people to temporarily halt off their advancement to shield themselves as the Assailants and Defenders split up for the rescue mission. Harry’s group, which was left with the Main, quickly threw several hexes on her at once but impacted harmlessly on her shield. Fenix ducked behind a barricade just in time when Harry hit her shield with a spell that he had created with her help, and the shield disintegrated within seconds. Harry’s Tickling Charm zinged past her.

    Harry had experimented with the new spell for two weeks in a row, and had found out that the spell could also break the charms that sealed a room, purely by accident. So, he frequently practiced by opening Snape’s, Sirius’s, and Remus’s office-- when they were around of course. That surprised Dumbledore, and he pulled the Fire Master to one side and advised her that it would not be a good idea if Harry was able to unlock his office. Fenix gave an airy laugh and reassured the Headmaster that no one had yet broken into her office and taught Dumbledore the new way of locking their offices. The shield-breaking idea had suddenly sprung up when she had encouraged Harry to build his own expanding shield, and did it admirably. She had told him of the shield the Death Eaters had built sometime when she was on her patrol with the Potions Master, and both decided that something must be done to find out ways to break the shield. It would practically be impossible if not for the help of the Elementals and the Dumbledore brothers.

    Back to the current training session, Fenix quickly wove a layer upon layer of shields to protect her as she focused her attention to the rescue team. Draco penetrated her physical shield holding the ‘hostages’ easily-- Fenix had yet to find ways to block the boy from any kind of shields, and the rescue mission would have been a complete success if Fenix had not thought of surprises for the rescue team. Three Dementors lookalike suddenly appeared and paralyzed the Slytherin. Sirius quickly applied the new shield-breaking spell and called out his Patronus, which was a huge eagle. Its talons went for the face of the impostor and broke the eye contact with the Slytherin. Draco immediate recovered and ducked, rolling skillfully on the ground, calling his Patronus as he did so. A silver mane-less lion sprang up and charged toward the remaining ‘Dementors’.

    The Rearguard and Paramedics had already begun to move; quickly replacing the shields Fenix had broken and moved in to aid the Stupefied victims. Alamanda and Madam Pomfrey moved briskly between the Stupefied students and muttered "Ennervate." The army was back to its full strength and hammered at their enemy’s defenses until the Fire Master had nothing left to defend. She shot a flash of white light to signal to them that she was yielding.

**********

Dinner at the Hall…

    "Uh…guys…" Fenix looked at her company who was hungrily devouring their dinner at an alarmingly fast rate. Like Snape, Draco, Warrington and Montague had taken to having meals with Harry’s group.

    : Aren’t you hungry? : Sirius asked her curiously. The adults were no exception to their hunger.

    : I am… but please munch down your food carefully… : Fenix said laughingly, her face glowing in amusement. Conversation bloomed in the Hall half an hour later, with the students revitalized by their meal after the exhausting session. The topic of how they were to celebrate Hallowe’en came up toward the end of dinner. Without knowing why, they all turned to the Fire Master and asked her.

    "Why me?" she asked in surprise then gave a sigh when Sirius just gave her a look to answer them immediately. "I don’t know how you guys celebrate, but usually I and the elves that lived with me have dinner as usual, and we used to go into the Wood and contemplate," she answered them truthfully. "So, I plan to go on down to the lake, since going into the Forest to talk to the Trees can be quite dangerous."

    Ron exchanged a look with Harry and Hermione and shrugged. "We might as well try something new."

    "Are you sure you want to come along with me?" Fenix asked mischievously. "I’m bringing Remus, your Professor Lupin along, you know…" That earned her several baffled looks. "How unobservant of you… full moon will be on the thirty-first."

    "Why not? Lupin has got it all under control, right?" Harry looked intently at the Defence teacher who just shook his head miserably. The table erupted with light laughter.

**********

Wednesday, 31^st October. On Hallowe’en night.

    A selected group had already had their dinner in Sirius’s office in the early evening. Fenix had chosen a very safe time span for the werewolf to have dinner together and Remus made use of Sirius’s bedroom to change into his form when the moon finally rose. Draco looked at the bedroom door apprehensively and his heart jumped in his throat when he heard a soft howl.

    "Are you sure he will be all right?" Draco unconsciously whispered to Harry, who had been sitting next to him all evening. Luckily for him, the Slytherin did not ask if they would be all right or Harry might just get violent.

    "If you want to know, Lupin hasn’t been taking the Wolfsbane Potion ever since he met Fenix for the first time at The Burrow. And he’s behaving much like Silver though he considers the real male wolf to be the pack leader," he said helpfully then turned his attention to the door when he heard a scratch. Fenix had already changed into her wolf form and nodded to Sirius who had locked the door from the outside. The Black unlocked the bedroom door, and the werewolf padded out silently.

    Remus looked more like a wolf now, his eyes displaying his intelligence. : So, shall we go and greet the new year? Celtic way of course, : the werewolf asked, bobbing his head in greeting to the genuine wolves. Nods went round the table and they trooped out silently, with Sirius and Harry leading the group while Snape and Draco took the rear, with the four wolves in the middle. The group was met by a couple of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs who were hanging out at the Entrance Hall. They looked curiously at the four wolves and stepped back suddenly when they realized just who was among the wolves. Remus gave a silent sigh as they trooped out of the castle onto the grounds.

    They made their way to the shore of the lake, the water rippling gently with the soft breeze. The moon was up over their heads and two silent figures swept down from the night sky and swooped over the heads of their owners. Draco lifted his face to the dark night sky, dimly making out the outline of his eagle owl, Bootes. His bird carefully landed on his arm and cautiously moved up to his owner’s shoulder. Hedwig landed gracefully on Harry’s shoulder and gave an almost indignant hoot when Pig came blundering in excitedly, slamming against Ron’s chest.

    "Hopeless…" Ron shook his head mournfully.

    The four wolves walked nearer to the water’s edge and Fenix suppressed the urge to howl, although Silver was aware of her desire to do so, for he gave her a wolfish grin. She raised her muzzle to the dark sky, looking at the moon steadily.

    Sirius looked out at the lake, feeling the smooth breeze twirling about him and looked down at his oathsister. Her lupine silver eyes seemed distant and he could see melancholy swirling deeply in her eyes. Hallowe’en… All Souls night…Honoring the dead… Sirius felt the warmth from the boy standing beside him, whose eyes were also going distant and then misted as Harry thought about his parents, and then to those who had lost their lives in Voldemort’s meaningless war. Sirius had noticed something during their training session last Thursday. It had seemed to him that ever since the students were all working together, their spellcasting had improved to a high degree. He gave a silent sigh and wondered when Voldemort will be making his move.

    Harry was shaking inside. Although he had acted bravely during the training sessions and seemed confident at what he was doing, he was shaking. He never thought that it would all lead down to this. For the past years, he thought that Voldemort was just after him but it all changed ever since he came back during his fourth year. The certainty that other people were involving themselves in this senseless cause of Voldemort's, and would also lead to their deaths, was making him feel a little desperate. No… I can’t let this consume me. At least not yet… maybe later, when it’s all over. The images of his parents flashed through his mind suddenly. I have to see through the end of this. For their sake, I have to make sure that I will accomplish what my parents had failed to do. He took a deep breath and removed his glasses, brushing his tears away. The grief that had threatened to swallow him whole, lessened and he felt a warm weight against his leg and saw Fenix looking at him. Her eyes were smiling, though they were also sad.

    : You won’t be alone, you know. We’re all right behind you. No matter what, : she said gravely, her eyes growing mysterious under the moonlight. Harry nodded slightly, looking back at the reflection of the moon on the lake.

**********

    Carved pumpkins were floating about the castle. The ghosts of Hogwarts were patrolling in and out of the corridors while Hagrid and Moody were out checking the grounds. The Dumbledore brothers were in the Headmaster’s office, discussing on the latest details of Voldemort’s plans. The students had long gone to bed since it was already an hour to midnight. Snape, Sirius and the four wolves were sound asleep on Sirius’s bed after a tedious discussion about the meaning of Life.

    Out in the cover of the black night, sleek darkness crept along the castle wall. Not even the Elementals were aware of what was happening. Fawkes, Dumbledore’s phoenix, was feeling restless but was not able to explain why he was feeling that way to his owner and friend. Minutes passed by and Darkness had already covered every inch of the castle. It was slowly seeping through the cracks and through any point of entry. Yet the ghosts, or the house-elves, or the staff who was still awake, was unaware of the silent intrusion. Darkness was conquering the School, yet no one was aware of it. They had finally come for the School. They had finally arrived to make the lives of Hogwarts dead. Their first battle had just begun.

***********

"Harry…" an urgent voice called in his sleep. It sounded terribly familiar.

    "Harry…son…you’ve got to wake up!" Harry was able to recognize the second voice immediately.

    "Dad?" Harry mumbled in his sleep, tossing over to his right, not quite awake.

    "Voldemort, Harry… he’s sent his creatures over to the School! You’ve got to wake up!" James Potter urged his son, his voice fading in and out.

    "Can’t be… I’m just dreaming…" Harry muttered softly. A small part of him was amused when he felt his parents’ despair at his stubbornness. There was suddenly a bright flash in his mind and he sat up straight on his bed, feeling a kind of electric shock spreading out in his body. He wondered if he had really heard the voices of his parents or had he imagined them. Still, he needed to find out why the voices had urged him to wake up. He reached out for his glasses while his right hand grabbed his wand. Then he suddenly froze.

**********

    Hermione felt several sharp claws digging into her back all of a sudden and stifled her scream when she realized that it was just her cat. "Crookshanks, what are you doing?" she whispered almost severely to her half-Kneazle. "Everyone’s sleeping already…" she complained sleepily. Her cat paced from her bed and then jumped, prodding her wand with his nose. A faint rustling alerted her, and she felt energized by the need to investigate. Crookshanks began hissing dangerously. Something was bent over Ginny’s sleeping form.

**********

    Draco was dozing. For the past few weeks, he had not been able to get a proper sleep, although he should have been tired after the training sessions. Fenix had sensed that he was restless but he always denied it. Draco’s sleep was often uneasy ever since he had a nightmare where his father and the Potions Master were the prominent figures. Since the Slytherin was not in a deep sleep, he was awakened quickly by a strange muffled noise over his right. Draco did not open his eyes and maintained his steady breathing, pretending that he was still asleep. His wand was tucked in at the left side of his pillow. Somehow, all the students had preferred to have their wands near them nowadays, even when they sleep.

    He could not reach for his wand immediately. He was unaware that Warrington and Montague were also awake, though they were basically acting as he was currently doing. He felt a silken touch on his right cheek.

**********

    The people in Sirius’s bedroom were still sleeping. Several hooded figures began converging on them. Fenix felt herself rousing the instant she smelled the familiar scent of the Dementors and sprang up into action immediately, casting the room into brightness and changed into her Hunter form, deftly swinging her sword. The sudden light had caused the rest of the company to awaken, and the loud angry howls of the wolves, somehow magnified, penetrated through the walls of the entire castle. Seconds later, numerous explosions, jinxes, hexes, and Patronuses were heard from all over the ancient building.

    It was not a good time for the Dementors in Sirius’s bedroom. Although they outnumbered the humans by three to one ratio, they were decimated quickly enough by the living. They had taken for granted that Remus, being a werewolf that fateful night, would be unprotected, but to their immense displeasure, the Defence teacher was a force to reckon with. Though the latter was not able to function with his wand, he was still able to cast a shield that imitated the one the Death Eaters had used in the Forest a few months back, periodically stunning the Dementors for his partner to vanquish.

    Snape let out an angry snarl as a bolt of green flash darted toward him. Sirius rushed toward the Death Eater and slammed him against his wardrobe, the wood splintering beneath the force of Sirius’s push. Snape focused on a second Death Eater, one he recognized quite well, bearing the name of Avery. He ducked another time, landing a punch squarely on the Death Eater’s stomach, causing the latter to double up in pain. Examining his opponent’s head calmly, he registered a stunning blow, all done without the use of his wand. He straightened and calmly raked his fingers through his messy black hair.

    "Stupefy!" Sirius yelled. The first Death Eater went down and Harry’s godfather calmly pried the wand out of his opponent’s palm and placed magical bindings on both Death Eaters. They focused their attention to Fenix and three wolves but they were doing fine, since no Dementors were left to escape from the bedroom. Remus was panting heavily, his brown eyes displaying his anger but Fenix was calm as a stone. Her sword vanished and she turned a deathly gaze on the two unconscious Death Eaters.

**********

    : Wake up but don’t move, : Harry commanded his friends silently. He felt them rousing and a distant part of him chuckled at the resentment that Ron was exuding unconsciously. : I’m sorry to intrude, but I think you better get your wands handy. I think there’s one Dementor standing by the door, and another one at the foot of Ron’s bed, : he informed his friends quickly and the room suddenly felt cold. In his mind, where Ron’s presence was colored red, began flashing dangerously and Harry dimly heard his friend’s thought, ‘Brave fellows aren’t they? Creeping in the dark…’

    Quite suddenly, the four boys jumped out of their beds, whipping out their wands just as they heard the howls of wolves vibrating about the castle. A silver stag and a boar came charging at the Dementor standing by the door while Ron’s hyena was joined by Seamus’s unicorn as it trampled the Dementor by the bed. Their room suddenly brightened just as they heard Hermione’s screams and several of the others from the Gryffindor Tower. Their Dementors disappeared, making Harry curse as they all hurriedly went out of their room. Harry knocked Ron out of the way as a Dementor came stumbling toward them. Several Patronuses charged at it mercilessly. More Dementors fled toward them as they were herded out of the boys’ shared bedrooms.

    "Is everyone all right?" Harry shouted, voice filled with concern and most of them answered "Yeah!" The boys of Gryffindor House quickly turned toward the direction of the girls’ dormitories. They saw an angry Hermione accompanied by a pale faced Ginny, looking at the Dementors that suddenly vanished right before their eyes.

    Crookshanks was hissing angrily as he twirled about Hermione’s legs in agitation. The Gryffindor prefect stared at Harry almost belligerently and demanded, "Why are there Dementors here? And Harry, I swear I saw a Lethifold over Ginny just now! And the Dementors Disapparated! The magical protections about the place should have prevented them from doing so!"

    There were murmurs of consternated voices all about Harry. He nodded solemnly, looking at his fellow students in mild surprise. All of them had been sleeping in normal clothes rather than their sleeping robes. They looked at him for instructions. "I think it’s time we gather around at the Great Hall, and Rearguards, take the rear. Defenders, you take point." The students nodded gravely and prepared themselves for the planned evacuation. "Shields up!"

**********

    Back on Draco’s bed, the Slytherin was almost sweating but he dared not. There was something hovering above him; he could feel silky material on his exposed face, hands and feet. Finally, he could not stand the uncomfortable feeling any longer. I hope Montague or Warrington won’t mind the bedroom being blackened…

    He gave a sigh and felt the presence above him stiffened slightly. Draco casually raised his right hand, a palm curved as if he was holding something. A flash of green fire exploded above the Slytherin’s face and the Lethifold was blasted off several feet from Draco’s bed, crashing against Draco’s study table. One side of his table was singed at he sighed when the emerald fire began eating away his novel. That gave the three Slytherins enough time for them to cast their Patronuses, not bothering to turn on the lights. Montague’s silvery Great Owl pecked at the Dark Creature relentlessly, forcing it out of the room. I am glad that I was not truly asleep… or waited too long. He moved briskly for his table and muttered, "Éteindre." His book smoked and he shook his head helplessly.

    Warrington was swearing creatively as the boys changed their clothing briskly. "What do we do now?" he asked the prefect as he hurriedly wore his shoes, while Draco pulled a black sweater over his face. They heard the eerie howls of the wolves and jumped briefly when they heard several loud detonations, which they recognized as the Weasleys’ Explosive Hex.

    "We gather ourselves first, then proceed to the Hall. I’m sure that the others have already begun to move out. Let’s go," Draco said as he wore his arm guard.

***********

    The Dumbledore brothers, equipped with their wands, carefully proceeded out of the office. Aberforth motioned to his younger brother that he would scout ahead. Several dark figures suddenly grappled the elder wizard as they turned into a corridor and struggled briefly with the surprisingly strong wizard. Aberforth slammed a Dementor against a gargoyle as Dumbledore’s Patronus battered down the Dementors, to give Aberforth a breathing space. Aberforth’s silver lion let out a roar and joined Dumbledore’s Patronus in warding off the Dementors. Feeling that they were outrageously helpless against the two sorcerers, they Disapparated.

    "Wulf, we have to go to the Hall. If this is an open attack…" Aberforth’s voice trailed off as they heard the explosions coming from the lower levels accompanied with several angry and frightened screams. Dumbledore stood rigidly, not really hearing the voice of his brother or the sudden noises that had broken out in the castle. The magical protections… "Wulf!" Aberforth said sharply. The Headmaster took a deep breath and nodded gravely, suddenly feeling determined to get to the bottom of the situation.

**********

    Several students had apparently gone berserk, much to the surprise of the invaders. Luna was laughing madly as she and her group of Ravenclaws strategically herded four of the Death Eaters toward the magical staircases. On the other side, the Hufflepuffs were mercilessly shooting off hexes on Augustus Rookwood and three other Death Eaters. The eight Death Eaters were trapped between the students of the two Houses and to their horror, Susan Bones and her Hufflepuffs immediately cast off the Disarming Charm on the Death Eaters. Meanwhile, Luna and her fellow Defenders created a physical shield about the Death Eaters to prevent them from Apparating. "I hope they’re not dead by our combined efforts!" Luna Lovegood yelled, trying to control her laughter. She was wearing her sweater and black track pants, with a pair of golden ancient-looking earrings.

    "Loony! Do you think it will be possible to move the shield downstairs?" Susan asked her, eyes glinting wickedly in the magical candlelight. Luna peered down the staircase and stared thoughtfully at the void. A staircase suddenly moved and they met the Gryffindors, looking very alert. Harry pushed himself forward and examined the immobilized Death Eaters impassively.

    "Harry, is it possible that Fenix have taught you how to create a spherical shield?" Luna spoke up, eyeing down on the empty space beside the railing. Harry gave a crooked smile and nodded. A shield made of a myriad of colors were suddenly over the Death Eaters. Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs alike, nodded their heads in satisfaction. One by one, the students finally realized Luna’s intention.

    "I wonder why we’re feeling a little sadistic," Aine Moonbeam of Ravenclaw said satirically.

    "Must be a side effect at having interrupted of our beauty sleep," a Hufflepuff spoke up.

    "On the count of three then," Hermione said lightly as the Gryffindors began to join in the ranks of the Hufflepuffs. "One… two… three! Wingardium leviosa!" Harry’s spherical shield began levitating as the students directed it toward the freeway down. Once they felt that the sphere could go down and hopefully the staircases would not change as it made its passage, they released the spell and watched the sphere zoomed off downwards. They felt really sorry for damaging their precious ancient railings.

    The group of students slowly walked down the staircase, the Defenders pausing every moment to check for movements and proceeded to the Great Hall. By the time they got downstairs, they found a very irritated, growling werewolf with two other wolves. Fenix, Sirius and Snape in the meantime were hoisting off two unconscious Death Eaters. Fenix exchanged a glance with Harry and he nodded. Two breaths later, the two Death Eaters joined with their fellows inside his colorful shield.

    They were distracted for a brief moment when shouts, screams and curses erupted out from the narrow staircase leading to the dungeons. A swarm of blackness suddenly emerged out and the body of students waiting by the doors of the Great Hall faltered. Fenix, ignoring Remus’s curses in her mind, moved toward the black wall of cloaks and the whole area was suddenly illuminated by a blinding blue light.

    The Death Eaters who were watching the invasion via a crystal in the Forest stared stupidly at the ancient building when they saw brilliant blue light erupted from inside the castle and had to turn their faces away, both from the crystal and the castle, for the light managed to reach the outskirts of the Forest. Lucius Malfoy turned back and glared at the ancient castle when the blinding light died. "This is impossible!"

    "Don’t worry, Lucius. The Lethifolds will get them," Rabastan Lestrange said confidently. However, several other Death Eaters and Malfoy were not as sure as he was, since they only saw the group of students in the crystal, and no Dark Creatures.

    "Lucius!" Macnair sprinted urgently toward him. "Hagrid and Moody have escaped!"

    The pale-haired man did not bother cursing as a Dementor appeared before him. "We have failed in using the Lethifolds, Lucius," it said in a deep voice. "The one they call the Fire Master have vanquished them. She is dangerous, Lucius. I’m afraid… that our Master might have to change his plans a little. Not even my kind was able to instigate fear in the students."

    Lucius stared at the fortress, his anger rapidly multiplying. "Come!" He twirled and went deeper into the Forest to establish communication with the Dark Lord.

**********

    The light died and they turned to look at the Fire Master, still glowing ethereally with blue fire. She stared critically at a last Lethifold on the castle floor and watched it slowly disintegrating into minute molecules. She beckoned Montague toward her, who was sporting a deep gash on his upper right arm. He went to her uncertainly, his eyes looking at her fearfully. Draco however was looking at her curiously. Although the blue fire surrounding her had gone, it still had not left her silver eyes.

    "Is everyone all right?" The Headmaster walked briskly toward them, looking for Harry instantly.

    "I think everyone’s more or less intact, except for Montague," Fenix spoke up. "Aelwyn, where’s Mad-Eye? And Rubeus?" she conversed with her Sylph.

    "They’re on the way. Mad-Eye’s injured," the Sylph answered just as the great doors of the castle opened and Hagrid came in, supporting a badly injured ex-Auror. Fang, Hagrid’s boarhound trailed worriedly behind the two men. The other staff members had just arrived and Dumbledore opened the doors of the Hall and they trooped in behind him.

    "Fenix, please cast a shield over the Hall if you please," Dumbledore instructed. Fenix gazed solemnly at him and finally nodded. Although personally, she would rather shield the whole castle but she needed to spend her powers wisely. No one spoke as they filled the Hall, empty of tables and benches. Sirius casually kicked the shield containing the Death Eaters into the Hall to present them to the Headmaster. Snape and the three wolves stayed with Fenix by the entrance, as she carefully built a shield that protected the Hall, a spherical shield that went all the way down to the foundations of the castle. At a nod, they went in, with Snape firmly shutting the doors, taking a moment to seal the room magically.

    : Fenix, turn that fire off from your eyes, : Remus commanded sternly, staring at her with his hazel brown eyes. She shook her head, scowling a little.

    : I can’t. My blood is up, : she replied in compunction. Remus shook his head and trotted off to check the Death Eaters in the shield.

    Most of the students had collapsed in a heap. Montague was lying down, his head supported by Warrington’s thigh while Madam Pomfrey was busying herself with Moody. His magical eye stared at the Death Eaters in the shield as he took in the faces belonging to the fathers of Crabbe and Goyle, Jugson, and seven others he could not name.

    Dumbledore was questioning Hagrid quietly and the students made themselves silent to hear their conversation. "We weren’ careful enuff…" Hagrid was saying to the Headmaster gruffly. "We got caught, an’ they bounded ourselves up with ‘em magical chains. Moody’s got hit by several sticks, set off by Lestrange. Fenix’s Elementals’ help us ter escape. ‘Though Fenix didna’ tell me ‘em Salamanders could Metamorph."

    Fenix who was checking Ginny-- the girl seemed to be in a state of shock-- looked sharply at the immense Hagrid. "What do you mean?" she questioned the big man briskly.

    "I didna’ understan’ meself, but one of ‘em spoke softly in the air, deep-voiced. Caught a faint shimmer of light, then one figure in ‘em flames appeared all sudden-like, and broke ‘em magical chains," Hagrid told her enthusiastically but he faltered a little when she answered him.

    "I don’t think he was an Elemental, Hagrid," she answered after a moment. Hagrid was about to demand who it was then, but she shook her head repressively. Sirius slumped down beside his godson who gave him a small smile, then turned back to stare at the Death Eaters through his colored shield.

    Hermione raised a hand to gain the Headmaster’s attention. "Yes, Miss Granger?"

    "Just two questions Professor: Are the magical protections surrounding the castle still working or not? Or could we expect more of the kind of intrusions that we had experienced about half an hour ago?" she asked almost in an impudent manner. McGonagall looked at her favorite student in faint disapproval but kept mum. The Headmaster was silent, gazing at Hermione intently.

    Someone gave a faint laugh and the students looked around for its source. Susan and Luna were peering intently inside Harry’s shield. The laughter grew stronger. It was coming from one of the Death Eaters. "Voldemort’s broken your so-called strong magical shields, old man!" He began laughing maniacally. The Dumbledore brothers narrowed their eyes dangerously and Hermione took a deep breath as she heard the answer to her question.

    "Vincent!" someone commanded from inside the shield. "Get me out!"

    Vincent Crabbe of Slytherin looked at the shield in mild surprise. He looked at Draco. "Is that my father they’ve got in there?" he asked somewhat numbly. "He’s a Death Eater?"

    "You will get me out of this damn stupid shield now!" an angry voice emerged.

    "I don’t think I could, dad," his son answered truthfully, turning his back to the shield.

    "Never show your back against the enemy, boy!" Moody spoke up harshly and the Slytherin boy looked sheepishly at him.

    "I forgot…"

    "How about my… father?" Draco had a difficult time spitting that out, but Hagrid shook his head.

    "Can’t be… unless the one yer have here is nothin’ other than an impostor. ‘Cause I saw yer father back in ‘em woods," the big man informed him.

    "What do we do with them, Albus?" Fenix questioned, then looked shrewdly at the shield and raised her hand to stop Dumbledore from speaking. Harry’s shield suddenly turned black. "Precautions. I could make the shield sound proof but I don’t want any chances that at least one of them could read our lips," she explained.

    "Do we kill them?" Susan stared intently at the black shield.

    "Get a hold of yourself, Sue," one of her friends said sharply.

    Fenix went over to sit beside Harry, Remus automatically going to her. They all looked expectantly at the Headmaster. He gave a rueful sigh. "I think not, Miss Bones. We should send them back to Voldemort." Several discontented murmurs echoed in the Great Hall. Dumbledore fell silent as he conjured a bench for the teachers to sit.

    Fenix chose a moment to break the silence. "Did you happen to confiscate their wands, girls?" She looked at Susan expectantly. Several of the Assailants nodded and handed her four of the wands while Luna’s girls gave the other four wands to her. The moment the eight wands gathered in her hand, she set her Fire to them and they were destroyed completely. This should have been impossible since wands by right have their own protective spells. Some of the students and at least half of the teachers including the Headmaster felt that she was going against the law of magic when she did that. She sighed and Snape patted her shoulder reassuringly while Dumbledore gave her an apologetic smile.

    "Dumbledore, are we going to just sit on our behinds here or are we going to do something about the sneaky invasion?" Moody grated out.

    They suddenly turned their heads as one as they heard something crash and felt the vibrations of something heavy falling. They could all hear the steady, and frightening growls coming from something big. "Giants," Charlie stood up, staring intently at the wall-- in the direction of the Quidditch Pitch.

    "I think I’ve had enough," Dumbledore stood up silently and conjured a map of the castle. "Fenix, I want you to seal off from this area--" the Headmaster indicated with his finger at the point where the Great Hall was situated, as she stood up to examine the map, "--and all the way to this area," he instructed firmly, his finger now resting on the spot where the intersection between where the students’ dormitories ended and where the buildings for where most of the classrooms lay.

    Fenix nodded and she was about to make a Jump when Remus stopped her, his fangs baring angrily at her. She stared at him and shook her head stubbornly, then vanished without a word. Harry and his godfather stared at the spot where she had been standing in shocked surprise, then paled when Remus began to curse vehemently. He was feeling extremely irritated that all of these had happened when he had to turn a werewolf. He stopped pacing and thought about the moment of hatred that had passed through his bond with Fenix. I guess I’m being selfish. Here I am, cursing at my partner because she’s doing something useful. I’m such a simple-minded man. Fenix has a right to be angry, I guess. I still can’t believe that Voldemort would choose such a day to attack. He had already calmed down and sat beside Sirius, who was looking at him seriously.

    The Headmaster was giving instructions to the Paramedics, the Reserves and half of the Main to remain in the Hall while the rest would set up a counterattack on Voldemort’s people. Dumbledore firmly spoke to Moody that he ought to remain behind due to his injury. The ex-Auror began to sulk and earned himself a disdainful glare by the school nurse.

    Hermione was whispering quietly to Harry and Ron, "I wonder how Fenix was able to get out of the shield she had created all about us."

    "I think she made a part of the shield temporarily permeable to do that," her friend answered her. Fenix reappeared and nodded to the Headmaster. "Are we engaging then?" Harry pitched his voice so that the Headmaster could hear him. Dumbledore nodded and Snape removed the charm that had sealed the room. Wind offered to remain behind with Moody, to keep an eye on things in the Hall. There was another thundering crash and Dumbledore shook his ruefully.

    "How dare they!" Rowena Ravenclaw screamed.

    "I am feeling not so happy! They absolutely ruined the classrooms!" the voice of Helga Hufflepuff echoed eerily about the castle.

    Two ghostly knights accompanied by the Bloody Baron and others trooped into the Hall. "Here to report that one clan of at least twelve giants are wrecking the tower closest to the Quidditch Pitch. The Whomping Willow is gone by the way." Salazar Slytherin removed his helm to reveal his striking handsome face with shoulder length black hair. "Begging pardon for the inconsistency but having the very School wrecked by my ‘heir’ is not one of my long-term plans." The Slytherin founder was gazing intently at Harry as he said that. "The Chamber of Secrets was meant to be opened by you, but thankfully you did not. I did not reckon Tom Riddle to have a basilisk habituating in there. And I absolutely hate it when I have to abort my plans because of that."

    Most of them were staring at him in confusion, including Fenix, who had no idea what the Founder was talking about. Dumbledore regained his composure and captured their attention once more. "We’ll disarm the giants. I have no intention of decimating them-- their numbers is getting smaller as the decades went by but if they remain in the School grounds we might have to…" he sighed.

    "Could you please hurry up before they destroy my Tower?" Rowena Ravenclaw pleaded.

    "I’m afraid it’s too late," Krill’s deep voice answered her and the ghostly sorceress fell silent. The students and their related ensigns stood up to get ready to move. The recruits carefully wore their armbands-- Malfoy had already worn his golden-colored band. Wind’s mindvoice reached their minds.

    : Will the Gods all help you tonight. And you, : she spoke specifically to all the students, : you better get your rumps back here in safe condition after the skirmish. :

**********

    Voldemort and his followers strolled across the Quidditch Pitch in silence. The Dark Lord’s eyes glowed as he watched the giants creating a total mess of a wing of the School. He was not satisfied however. His bloodlust was up; he needed to hear the screams of pain, particular the screams of young wizards.

    "Master, are you sure you’re safe with us?" Lucius spoke diffidently. Voldemort let out a shrill laugh that the army of students was able to hear although they were still walking through the castle slowly.

    Remus and Silver loped ahead of them, followed by Fenix, Snape and Sirius and their batch of Assailants and Defenders behind them, running stealthily. They finally got out of the castle and stepped onto the soft patch of grass, protected only by their shields. The Main and the Rearguards had separated from them, with the Dumbledore brothers taking another path to confront the giants directly, while the other two divisions were left to attack the side.

    Constant physical workouts that Fenix had mercilessly conducted on the students was really paying off, as they were able to cross the grounds in silence. Since most of them were wearing dark colored clothing, they blended in well with the dark surroundings with only their colored armbands flashing against the pale moonlight.

    : We’ve locked on our targets, : Aberforth’s clear mindvoice penetrated through the minds of the army outside the castle. Fenix narrowed her eyes as Krill sent back a report and halted the ranks.

    : Death Eaters seen. Along with Voldemort. Directly behind the company of giants, : the Fire Master informed him. Aberforth did not answer immediately; he was conferring with the Headmaster, debating on the issue if they should divide their attention. Dumbledore gave instructions to the Assailants and the Defenders to get the Death Eaters out of the giants’ reach. They began moving again and Harry felt anger radiating out of Draco as they finally caught sight of a group of black walking toward the castle from the pitch. It was easy to understand why his counterpart was feeling that way. Near the front of the group crossing the pitch lazily, was a man with pale hair, his wand out. : Draco, : Fenix sent a thought to the Slytherin, : don’t let your anger consume you. Focus, : she advised.

    The boy did as she suggested and took deep breaths as they sprinted across to meet the select group of Death Eaters. : I’m all right. : he sent a thought back to her. The Death Eaters blasted off a solid column of wall that separated the pitch from the rest of the castle grounds. The loud noises coming from the bellowing giants swinging down their heavy cudgels vibrated through the ground.

    : Okay, : Sirius communicated to the minds of their company. : Fenix, create a barrier that will separate the giants from the Death Eaters. The rest of you, Blasting Charms. Move the Death Eaters back toward the Forest. :

    Nods of confirmation. Warrington and Dean attached themselves to Fenix to defend her as she worked. Silver and Remus led the rest of the Defenders and threw a shield up that covered the advancing students.

    Exactly two minutes later, the Death Eaters changed their pace into a run to join the giants. Somehow, they were not aware of the mass of students coming for them. Maybe it was because the havoc the giants were creating muffled even the footfalls of twenty over students. Luna let out a hysterical laugh when the Death Eaters suddenly found themselves cut off from the giants by a solid invisible wall. Some of them actually got rebounded, stunned by their own momentum.

    : The shield’s holding. Move in, : Fenix commanded. When the students crossed the invisible line, the shield suddenly became visible to their eye, barring off the rest of the castle.

**********

    Lucius was striking at the shield with his fist and winced. "Master!" He looked urgently at the Dark Lord, but took a sharp breath when he saw Draco with twenty other people, all looking determined.

    Voldemort looked incredulously at the group then snarled when he saw Snape, arm raised and in unison, the column blasted the Death Eaters, flinging them several feet away. What is this? An angry thought filled his mind and he struggled to get back to his feet. Several ‘Avada Kedavra!’ rang through the clearing, but impacted harmlessly on the group of students. His followers were scattered all over the grounds. "Regroup!" he shouted angrily. The sight of a grim faced Harry increased his anger and blood lust.

    The Assailants and Defenders mercilessly pounded Voldemort’s followers with several hexes, causing some of them to turn tail and fled back to the Forest. Harry’s clear baritone rang out accompanied by several of his comrades. "Expelliarmus!" This time however, they did not concentrate on one, because Snape had critically announced to them via mindspeech that he was sick at having to move a Death Eater. Remus and Silver ran through the Death Eaters. Silver was grabbing the legs of the humans and sank his razor sharp teeth into their flesh, causing several lacerations. Remus in the meantime was contented to throw his full body weight at the Death Eaters. He was not about to subject them to his peculiarity, believing that Voldemort would use the sickness as another weapon. The two wolves steered well away from Lucius or Voldemort, paying attention to the other Death Eaters.

    For the first time since his resurrection, Voldemort felt uncertainty and shouted at his followers to retreat back to the Forest. "But the giants!" one of them protested. Voldemort ignored them, running straight for the protection of the Dark Forest. Hermione, Fenix and some of the rest could not resist the temptation of setting the robes of the Death Eaters’ on fire.

    Voldemort cursed as Hermione’s Bluebell flames caught onto his robe, spreading quickly upwards. He struggled to get rid of his cloak and made his followers retreat to their haven deep in the forest. How could they have gotten stronger in a short time?

**********

~ Chapter 34: Slipping Away ~

Out in the castle grounds…

Fenix stared at the Forest calmly. Her Elementals had taken the opportunity to set up several traps in the Forest to keep the Death Eaters out of their hair while they deal with the giants. They let out deep breaths, slightly panting at the midnight exertion. The leader of the giants, Golgomath, let out a terrible roar of anger as the body of students took on a defensive position from inside the ruined section of the castle.

    : Remus, Sirius, we might have to kill the giants. Especially the biggest one. Dumbledore had tried to negotiate but he was forced to use magic, : Aberforth’s thought echoed in their minds.

    "Isn’t that going to stink?" Ginny asked doubtfully.

    "No help for it." Sirius shrugged. He looked around. "So how do we kill a giant?" he repeated the question via mindspeech to the other group behind the castle walls.

    : Keep hitting them with spells-- : Aberforth’s voice was cut off as a huge pile of rocks came tumbling down, caused by the massive blow of Golgomath’s cudgel. The Dumbledore brothers stared impassively at the exploding bits of rocks as it impacted against the shield, sending the projectiles soaring through the air. Some large splinters of the rock hurtled toward the giants. One fell dead when a sharp fragment pierced through the face, penetrating through the immense skull. : Until they fall dead, I guess, : Aberforth continued.

**********

    The Death Eaters ran deeper and deeper into the Forest and to their dismay, some happened to get stuck on vines that suddenly began to coil tightly about them. Some fell into invisible pits; their screams were cut off as they disappeared, only to reappear before a band of centaurs, crossbows ready and drawn. The Greater Nymphs that lived in the Dark Forest had tipped the centaurs off and prodded them a little to get them to act, hence they were ready for action. Voldemort looked at his followers in disdain. He was lucky he had taken precautions not to bring the more important members of his followers. He looked around for Lucius-- he could not afford to lose the Malfoy, because next to Snape, the pale-haired man was the strongest in wizardry and whose intelligence was much higher than most of his followers. Lucius was deftly dissecting the vines that held Rabastan Lestrange hostage with a new wand that Voldemort had given him.

    Death screams rang out from somewhere; Voldemort traced the death energy to find six of his Death Eaters bleeding their life away and the centaurs quickly galloped away at the instant they felt his presence. He let the energy of their deaths flow into him. Lucius was about to voice out a recommendation then chilled as he watched the inhumane expression on Voldemort’s face. The Dark Lord’s eyes were closed, enjoying the huge volumes of energy as he felt his followers struggle to keep their hold on life.

    The Dark Lord opened his eyes to gaze directly into Lucius’s pale gray eye, looking at him in fear. Yes…Lucius…fear me… There were thoughts flashing through his mind as he watched the pale Lucius, licking his lips almost seductively. "Gather the rest here. We’ll watch how Dumbledore deals with the giants."

    "What do you intend to do, Master?" Lucius maintained a calm, even curious tone although he was trembling inside with fear, and something else as Voldemort gazed at him. Voldemort’s long hair fell over his eyes, covering half of his face. He was laughing softly.

    "We’ll watch… for now."

**********

    Four giants were down, being the weakest and easiest of the ten giants to slay. The concentrated Stunning Charm by the School’s Army worked too well on them. Golgomath was angered; both by the successful attacks of the students and that Voldemort and his followers had not come to aid them. McGonagall was swearing, much to the amusement of the Headmaster as the giant evaded a large stone that had come flying toward him, landing on another giant’s head with a sickening crash. There were five more giants to go.

    : What is his armor made up of? : Snape asked in irritation, as he watched the huge giant beneath the protection of their shield.

    : From the looks of it, it must be from the hide of a Graphorn, : Aberforth answered.

    : Spells won’t work then, : Snape’s mindvoice was filled with annoyance.

    : You’re stating the obvious, : Sirius replied, purely out of habit.

    : Shut up, : the Potions Master snapped.

    : I think I know how to stop the big one. Just distract him long enough so I could find his heart, : Fenix volunteered. Remus the werewolf watched her for a moment but did not speak. Commands were issued via mindspeech and repeated twice as the army concentrated on hitting Golgomath with everything they had.

**********

    Voldemort waited. His followers had regrouped, some were looking very haggard after they has gotten rid of the Bluebell flames. Lucius waited for Voldemort’s instruction. He saw the small figure of the Fire Master moving a little away from the general commotion. Voldemort smiled with satisfaction.

**********

    Fenix focused her attention on Golgomath’s back, standing at least thirty feet away from the giant. She was awfully close to the Forest and she took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. She concentrated on the giant and used her Sight, trying to find the giant’s heart. She bit off a curse. The armor that the giant was wearing was interfering with her Vision. Work from the ground up then… She knew she was making herself vulnerable to attack but had strictly warned the students to remain with their divisions. Better me than them.

**********

    Voldemort had sent three of his people to strike at the Fire Master and he watched in anticipation for the right time to set his spell on her.

**********

    Fenix was nearing her goal. Just a few more seconds… Her neck prickled as she felt three Death Eaters closing in behind her. Instantly, she called up for her sword and swung it rapidly, disemboweling one man. Damn them! Then she Saw a pulsating source and gave a sigh of relief and placed the last bit of her energy to stopping it. Quite suddenly, she felt a pain in her chest and found that she could not move. Her right hand that was clutching at the pommel of her sword suddenly went limp and the ancient weapon dropped soundlessly onto the ground. She felt herself struggling to breathe, and felt her head spinning from the lack of air. Still, her heart was being squeezed. Can’t give up now… She ignored the immense pain, her eyes only seeing the life energy of the people before her. She targeted her strength at Golgomath’s heart and she clenched the huge arteries. The giant gasped, going down to one knee and clutched his chest, struggling to breathe. His heart stopped and the giant toppled to his side with a loud crash.

**********

    "Now," Voldemort commanded. He and Lucius Apparated to where the Fire Master was standing immobile. She was paralyzed and her face scrunched up in pain. A maniacal grin began spread onto his face and he instructed Lucius to pick her sword up.

    Fenix knew what the Dark Lord had planned. He had cast a spell on her so that it would be impossible for her to retrieve her sword back. And somehow he knew that since neither physical objects nor spells could hit her, her sword had a high chance of damaging her in some way, since her sword was a part of her. Voldemort stood so he was gazing directly into her eyes. His face showed a little disappointment as he took his time to read her eyes. He seethed with frustration as he felt no fear coming from her. Her unique pair of silver eyes only bore defiance and contempt for the Dark Lord.

    He started to laugh as Lucius maneuvered to face her and in one swift move, the one-eyed wizard thrust the sword right into her abdomen, plunging the graceful blade down to the hilt. Fenix did not scream, and her eyes did not show any signs of fear. Her pain however, traveled down in waves through the minds of those who had grown close to her. A howl emerged from Remus and he collapsed on his paws, as he felt Fenix’s presence in his mind growing weaker.

    Two more giants went down after Golgomath’s downfall. Her ‘family’ broke off from their positions and sprinted down toward where she had fallen on her side. Voldemort’s followers had reappeared behind their leader and quickly aimed Stunning Spells on the advancing group. Dean and Neville went down, and half of the Defenders rushed toward their fallen friends. Harry’s eyes were focused solely on Lucius Malfoy, ignoring Voldemort completely that he did not see that a Cruciatus Curse was rushing toward him.

    "Expelliarmus!" Harry screamed, his green eyes darkening, waving his wand at Lucius. Suddenly, Draco knocked him down. The Slytherin collapsed, screaming in pain as he intercepted the Cruciatus Curse. Harry got up to his feet, ignoring Draco and Voldemort, then rushed at Malfoy, knocking the older man off his feet. Harry knew he would not be able to use any of the Unforgivable Curses for he did not have what it takes to make the curses function the way they should, but he was capable of doing some intense damage to Lucius’s kidney. He balled his fingers into a fist and hit Draco’s father with all his strength. The wizard doubled up in pain. A volley of silver arrows shot out of the darkness-- some struck the remaining giants while some began methodically putting down Voldemort’s followers. The unexpected ray of arrows stopped. The grounds were silent, except for the whimpering of Remus, laying his muzzle on Fenix’s cheek, and the vibrations of the fallen giants where the deathly arrows had struck solidly.

    Now that the giants were no longer their concern, the Army of Hogwarts began to advance out of the castle to meet Voldemort. Dumbledore’s quiet voice echoed menacingly. "Is the final confrontation to be now, Voldemort?" The Headmaster calmly rested his hand on Harry’s shoulder, and the teachers screened the boy totally from the Dark Lord’s eyes. Suddenly remembering what had happened a few minutes ago, Harry quickly went over to Draco, who was supported by Warrington. He was surprised when the Slytherin prefect began to struggle to get to his feet. His friend cursed when his palm burned and the area about Draco began to heat up dangerously.

    : Professor! : Harry’s mindvoice pierced Snape’s deranged mind-- the man was looking at the sword and the blood in horror, and Harry slowly backed away from the Slytherin. The Potions Master’s head snapped to focus on Draco, whose eyes bore a strange resemblance to the Fire Master’s; his eyes were gleaming with dark emerald fire. The group of students parted instantly-- they had to, because Draco was burning like a smithy totally gone out of control.

    "You have no idea what you just did," Draco said in a quiet voice, totally devoid of emotions. Rabastan Lestrange growled at him and shot off the Killing Curse toward the boy so fast that it was impossible for anyone to shield the boy. Miraculously, Draco kept moving-- the Curse seemed to be totally useless as the Slytherin prefect went out of control. The young man’s eyes fixed on the man that had been his father for fifteen years. "Even if she still lives, I’ll personally be your enemy for as long as you live. Not Snape. Not Harry." He broke off the eye contact with Lucius Malfoy to stare bravely at the Dark Lord.

    Voldemort could not believe at the tremendous power that was emitting out of the Fire Master’s body as the Fire Master bled to death. He gave a malicious smile as he sought to take control of the life source that was wasting away, to be taken into the Earth. But he was blocked and he narrowed his eyes dangerously. Draco had saw through it all and the words that came out of his mouth confirmed it. "Do you think I will just watch while you steal her away? I think not. Huh… you don’t deserve what she’s giving away freely."

    The Dark Lord was subjected to the most powerful burning inferno for the first time in his life, and felt his robes disintegrating away to dust. Some of his Death Eaters were incinerated and his eyes sought for the incapacitated Lucius, then grabbed his henchman and Apparated out. Macnair, Lestrange and those who were still much intact-- although all were suffering from severe burns-- followed their Master’s example.

    The fire died from Draco as he regained his control. He stumbled towards the fallen Fire Master, tilting her face to look into her still-open eyes directly. There was nothing in them, though she was breathing but rather shallowly. Draco ignored the pain that was beginning to consume him-- the effects of the Cruciatus curse were taking its toll on him. A detached part of him heard Ginny falling down on her knees and began vomiting after she looked at the amount of blood spilled and the sword sticking out of Fenix’s back. He heard and felt the hooves of horses coming from the direction of the Forest. I have no strength left to call her back… : Harry. : His mindvoice faltered uncertainly, but Harry did knelt beside him, ignoring the galloping of hooves, looking at the Slytherin expectantly. Professor Sprout and Professor McGonagall restored Dean and Neville and motioned the two boys to stay seated; their eyes scanning the Forest warily. Hermione was clutching at Ron’s shirt, struggling not to cry as she watched Fenix’s face began to turn into a deathly white.

    Draco did not know how to ask him but Harry linked his mind with the Slytherin easily and he looked at Harry gratefully. Sirius joined in the meld, as well as Snape and the werewolf. : Fenix? : Only Draco’s voice could be heard. He closed his eyes to search for the unconscious Fire Master. He finally found her calmly leaning against a tree trunk, her silver eyes smiling at him. : Come back. : She remained smiling at Draco but did not move away from her tree. : Are you going to leave me now? : he asked her desperately. Her expression changed and her eyes turned melancholy. She turned her head to her right and Draco saw a beckoning bright blue flame flickering in the distant between the trees. He felt Remus’s despair as they felt her yearning to go to the light. Draco felt grief choking him down. Taking the strength of the people that had merged with him, Draco selfishly darted forward to grab the small form of the Fire Master in his arms, holding her tightly. : I’m not letting you go. We’re not giving you up, : he said firmly, feeling his tears streaking his face slowly. : Never. We love you too much to do that. :

    Something changed. The air that had been still began to show signs of activity. Autumn leaves began to drift towards them. They heard singing from somewhere in the woods. A horn blew. Dumbledore stared at the band calmly but was shocked to find that they were not centaurs. A familiar figure riding on a black steed, followed by two of his bodyguards on chestnut-colored stallions approached them. The leader and his two riders dismounted and their horses stood still. The leader inclined his head politely to the Headmaster and knelt at Fenix’s side. His palm hovered at Fenix’s sword and his two riders gently pushed Snape and Sirius away from her and echoed their leader’s gesture.

    Slowly, Fenix’s sword began to vanish and the three quickly wrapped her abdomen with pure Healing energy to stop the bleeding. There were several sharp intakes of breaths as the mounted band parted to admit a tall, striking man in black robes through. He strolled briskly towards the company and motioned the two riders away from Fenix. He spoke in slightly accented English.

    "This is something that I must do. I could not allow her to sustain serious damage that might do her and you," the stranger looked at Remus, "harm in the future. She is a woman after all." Only the adults were able to comprehend the meaning behind the stranger’s sentence. Fenix suddenly opened her eyes and the first thing she felt was Draco’s tears falling onto her face.

    : Mineif? How many times have I told you guys to keep him at home? : Fenix complained weakly to the two riders as she watched the Elven Lord and the stranger before falling into an exhausted sleep.

    "Still as mothering as she used to be," the Elven lord muttered. The stranger gave a crooked smile and began Healing her.

    Fifteen minutes later, the green energy that was flowing from the stranger and the Elven Lord subsided and the stranger nodded his head in satisfaction. He stood up, looking sternly at Dumbledore and the rest. "Make sure that she gets enough rest and refrain from asking her to do too much. It will take a while before she gets back to her full strength. Be relentless; she can be stubborn as a wild boar sometimes," the stranger said before vanishing.

    Mineif stood up and the rest of his band moved closer. Cadriel spoke up. "We should go to where it is protected. It’s too unsafe here. We can’t do anything about the dead as yet so we’ll wait until the sun rises." Nods of agreement from around them. Draco wiped his eyes clear of tears and stood up just as Madam Pomfrey and the Paramedics hurried towards them, bearing stretchers. Cadriel and Sirius carefully lifted the sleeping Fenix up onto a stretcher and the Defenders surrounded the invalid, not trusting to let their guards down. Draco followed after Sirius, quickly moving away from Harry who had opened his mouth to speak to him. Harry sighed and he guided Ginny up to her feet, and saw Dean lumbering slowly to get to her. He turned to look back at the Forest. As if preventing him to entertain more dark thoughts, a couple of the Elven warriors steered him away and he had no choice but to go back towards the castle with the rest of them. The Rearguards and the warriors moved slowly, making sure that their backs were safe for the moment.

**********

Back into the Great Hall…

    During the skirmish with the Death Eaters and the giants, Madam Pomfrey had turned a section of the Hall into an infirmary and Dumbledore promised her they would all go into the hospital wing-- crossing their fingers that the supplies were all safe-- in the morning to get all her stuff in the Hall. The Death Eaters still stuck inside the shield was locked inside the antechamber, because Dumbledore was having second thoughts about sending them back to Voldemort. As he had said to his older brother, he felt better if lesser Death Eaters were present by Voldemort's side, and also because of the two Death Eaters who were also the fathers of at least two of their own students. Fenix was sleeping on a pallet, surrounded by three wolves while Sirius and other teachers checked the students for any kind of injuries. Ginny-- after the encounter with the Lethifold and then the nauseating sight of a dying Fenix-- was having a severe case of hysteria. Mineif looked at the young girl in sympathy and after whispering to Dean to get her to lie down, he carefully rested his fingers on her forehead and she fell asleep. During all of these, Harry looked around for Draco to thank him and also to have Snape check him if he was all right, but the Slytherin was not around the Hall. The doors to the Hall were open and he wondered if the Slytherin was still lingering outside.

    : He’s in the dungeon, : someone whispered in his mind and Harry frowned. A handsome elf with violet eyes looked directly at him and jerked his head slightly toward the direction of the dungeons. Harry narrowed his eyes speculatively and watched Hermione whisper softly to Ron. His godfather was still checking the rest of the students and Moody was busy in helping Hagrid setting up more pallets for them to sleep. Snape was conversing softly with the person that had provided him sanctuary decades ago. Remus was too preoccupied with his partner to notice anything else. Harry stood up carefully and made his exit as unobtrusively as he could, although he could not hide his movements from the elves who were watching everything calmly.

    He silently went down the narrow staircase and whispered to his wand, "Lumos." He searched each dungeon carefully. There was someone leaning against a wall and he approached the figure carefully. It was the founder of Slytherin.

    "You’re lucky he isn’t in the common room," Salazar whispered, his handsome face was solemn then he gracefully pointed at the door of one dungeon. The ghost gave him another look before he vanished.

    "Nox," Harry whispered and the light of his wand went out, and he tucked the wand safely back into his pocket. The door to the dungeon opened silently and he saw the Slytherin hunched down on a bench, face covered by his palms. He closed the door back, and the room instantly became immensely dark, which was perfect for him but he sighed as something began emitting a whitish dim light. At least now I won’t bump into anything while walking, he thought comfortingly to himself.

    He sat down slowly beside Draco, though at a safe distance. He opened his mouth to talk, then felt totally awkward at having to say it aloud. : You better let Snape check you over, : Harry began uneasily. The Slytherin was unusually silent. : And thank you for what you did, both for Fenix and me. :

    Draco’s shoulders was shaking and he laughed a soft bitter laugh. : I don’t mind what I did for Fenix but I am a fool… to bind myself to you by saving you… : he continued laughing and Harry stared at him, suddenly feeling angry. No matter how long he have been with us, he’s still a git. He gritted his teeth furiously but kept a tight rein on his temper. : Can you believe it? : Draco was asking him. : I actually love her more than I love my own mother! : The Slytherin gasped, his laughter turning into something more desperate. : You people have make me weak, Harry. : He shamelessly let his tears fall, clutching his sides in despair as he rocked back and forth, overwhelmed by sudden grief. : I’m beginning to care what happens to you. : The last sentence seemed like a blow to Harry’s stomach. He could not breathe. He realized that tonight was the first time Draco had ever called him by his name. : Why, Harry? Why must you complicate my life? :

    Harry was struck speechless. His mind was in a whirl. Draco was shuddering so greatly with choking sobs that the bench was shaking. The Slytherin suddenly whirled to face him and Harry was stunned, when he caught sight of the Slytherin’s silver eyes, streaming tears. I must be going mental. He frowned as he thought silently, he has silver eyes just like Fenix!

    : God… how much I hate you. : Draco’s mindvoice was so full of venom, making Harry flinch. At first he thought Draco was referring to the Almighty but that thought evaporated when Draco’s anger at the situation flowed into him and knew that the Slytherin was blaming him.

    : I didn’t ask you to knock me out of the way! : Harry snapped out, his own green eyes were misting out of sheer anger.

    Draco stared at the young man sitting beside him, feeling guilt and horror gnawing at his heart. That’s just it, isn’t it? I could have turned a blind eye, or just cast a shield over him, but I didn’t. He stared at the pair of green eyes, mirroring almost the same amount of anguish that he was feeling. Love him… He began laughing hysterically. I know I’m in a ‘puppy love’ with Alamanda. His hysterical laugh became more shrill. But I’m beginning to love him? I must be having some kind of breakdown… I care for Four-Eyed Potty? The truth hurt him more deeply than the memory of having his parents branding him as an outcast.

    : STUBBORN GIT! : Harry yelled in his mind, standing up and looked down at Draco furiously. : JUST ADMIT THE TRUTH THAT YOU DO CARE FOR ME LIKE YOU CARE FOR THE REST OF US! : He suddenly froze, feeling a little surprised at his own words. He took a moment to reexamine himself, not really seeing that Draco had got up to his feet. Have I really accepted him into the ‘family’? Harry scowled a little and repeated the sentence to himself silently. His heart tightened every time he did that. Flashes of memories of Draco laughing along with them during their meals cropped up suddenly in his mind and he wondered how he had managed to miss it. That sudden knowledge did not repel him as he thought it would. It feels right, he belongs to us now. Harry blinked in confusion, suppressing his own hysteria. He was still deep in thought when he felt arms around him and he returned the hug in relief. : Stop being a git. Let’s go back up and let Madam Pomfrey or someone check you. I’m sure that the curse is still lingering and I think you have managed to overtax yourself, : he said conversationally. : By the way, your eyes have turned silver. :

    : I know. Salazar told me. :

**********

~ Chapter 35: Sirius’s Black Day ~

Back in the ‘infirmary’…

Madam Pomfrey grumbled slightly as Sirius helped her to remove Fenix’s black leather shirt. Luna had cast a temporary shield so no one else would take a peek on the half naked Fire Master, if you ignored the fact that Fenix was wearing her black sports bra. The nurse was muttering under her breath just how lucky the Fire Master had been, to be saved by the stranger, and also healing her reproductive organs before it was too late. Most of the students were asleep except for Luna and a handful of others, who had complained that they were far too keyed up to sleep. That was fine with Dumbledore, as they kept watch on the Hall while the Headmaster, Aberforth, Snape and several of the elves went with them to investigate if the hospital wing was intact, and also to move most of the medical supplies into either the Hall or to one of the dungeons.

    : Don’t get any ideas, Padfoot, : the Fire Master’s fiancé spoke firmly, feeling slightly annoyed at the way that Sirius was looking at his oathsister. It was lucky that only Remus was watching. If Snape had been there with them, he would have been gravely insulted and start a brawl with Sirius for the sheer fun of doing some damage to the handsome Black.

    : I’m not, but she has a rather nice stomach, doesn’t she? Have you ever notice it, Moony? : Sirius answered absently, looking at Fenix’s slim waist and admiring the subtle muscles then winced when Madam Pomfrey whispered harshly.

    "Mr. Black!" the nurse objected, her eyes flaring widely in disgust and Sirius apologized profusely to her.

    : I did get to see her sword mark in great detail, you know. Several times, in fact, : Remus replied flippantly. Sirius looked at the werewolf, aghast. He then began to utter several curses at his best friend by silent communication, with ‘carnal’ being the mildest of them all.

    : I will kill you, if you happen to get her pregnant even before you marry her, : Sirius threatened seriously as he examined the tender scar just slightly before her navel, scowling blackly at the werewolf, who was trying to muffle the low growls of amusement coming from his throat. Wind nipped him gently at his side to remind him to behave himself. Remus’s amusement subsided, embarrassment now filling him. Madam Pomfrey handed Sirius a bottle of salve that Snape had rescued for her, that was specially for Fenix, handing the precious bottle to one of the house-elves that had tagged along to help Dumbledore. They-- the house-elves-- seemed terribly fascinated by the Elven warriors that accompanied them.

    Winky seemed to be smitten with Cadriel. Her eyes often strayed to his handsome face, staring dreamily at his pair of deep blue, catlike eyes. The elf was not displeased with the attention he was gaining so he moved right along, looking at the state of the hospital room with pity. The house-elves and the Elementals helped to stabilize the floors of the wing with their magic, as elves, house-elves and wizards moved briskly in emptying the hospital wing of its medical supplies.

    Sirius carefully applied the salve, which was strongly smelling of chamomile and other fragrances, gently onto her scar. Fenix suddenly levitated, supported by unseen hands. Wind informed him that it was just the Sylphs and Sirius quickly applied the salve to her back. The nurse was not surprised at all at the floating Fire Master; she quickly scoured the bags of bandages and finally came up with one that she wanted. The two humans, and other invisible hands, began wrapping the bandage about Fenix’s tender abdomen briskly.

**********

    The two students in the dungeon fell silent after fifteen minutes of nonstop conversation. Harry had asked the Slytherin just how he was able to replicate Fenix’s blue fire but all they had been able to do was contemplate and made several wild guesses. Draco was just as clueless as Harry was, regarding to the sudden transition of his gray eyes to silver ones.

    : Draco… about just now… : Harry began, fidgeting uneasily on the bench.

    : I was acting irrationally, Four-Eyes, : Draco said brusquely, referring to the hug he had given Harry impulsively. The latter however, was glad that the hug he gave the Slytherin was a brotherly one, much like the kind of hugs he exchanged with his best friend, Ron.

    : I knew you would say that, : Harry said in feigned disappointment and Draco gave a derisive snort.

    : I think if we were to question Fenix, she would confirm that a period of absurdity generally occurs after a battle or a major case of adrenaline rush or something. I knew I’ve read something about temporarily going ‘mental’ after major dueling somewhere in a history book… : Draco mused. : That doesn’t mean I don’t care about you though. But what do I know about love between siblings? I’m the only child. :

    : I guess that’s a way to explain it… but brothers? : Harry grimaced. : With you? :

    : I’m supposed to be the one to ask that question, : the Slytherin argued, his mindvoice was thick with resentment, making Harry grin widely. Draco gasped suddenly, clutching his head and Harry felt disconcerted for a moment due to the immense pain that traveled down the link from the Slytherin to Harry. Draco went limp and Harry moved in quickly to catch the Slytherin. A quick examination told Harry that the boy was still alive; he had just fainted. Great… I know Sirius will think very creatively if he finds out that I had been with Draco, in a dungeon that was barely lighted. But it will be fun if he did…

**********

    Sirius straightened his back as he finished helping Madam Pomfrey fastening Fenix’s bandage, then covered his oathsister with a thick blanket. He saw that Remus had inevitably fallen asleep, and then looked around to inspect the vast room that was punctuated by the light snores of the students. He frowned when he found that Harry was not in the Hall. His eyes narrowed and scanned the Hall once more, but still, no Harry.

    : Sirius? : Harry’s mindvoice called out rather urgently.

    : Harry, where are you? : His godfather was still scowling as he strode forward to the entrance of the Great Hall. Aldren, who was standing guard by the door, gave him a sly look and Sirius did not like what the look portended.

    : I’m in one of the dungeons, : Harry’s mindvoice faltered, almost afraid that his godfather might explode. Sirius went down the narrow steps of the dungeons and bumped into his godson. : Drake had just collapsed… he’s too heavy for me to lift. :

    : And what were you two doing? : Sirius’s mindvoice said darkly, so filled with suspicions. Harry just gave him an innocent look and just stated that they had been talking-- which was true. He controlled the laughter that was bubbling inside him when he felt Sirius’s various feelings that came down through their link and he gave a slightly audible sigh because his godfather had assumed the worst. He led his godfather back into the room where he and Draco had spent several minutes talking, and winced when Sirius’s eyes widened at the darkness of the room. I wonder why he’s thinking too much about that… maybe he should have a girlfriend. Harry stared at his godfather’s back in amusement.

    Sirius in the meantime felt a headache began to build up in his head. Although he could not see Harry’s face, he was able to tell by the link that his godson was profoundly embarrassed by something and Sirius was not sure if he wanted to know why. Of course Harry felt embarrassed! His godfather was thinking that Draco had seduced him, and what an apocalypse it would be if Sirius interrogated Draco under pressure before he had the time to make the truth known. Sirius’s wand lit up, giving it to Harry as he examined the oblivious Slytherin, where Harry had laid him on the bench. His hand snaked out to feel the boy’s forehead and as he had expected, Draco was having a high fever. It was either that, or he had lost his control of fire again. Critically examining the boy, Sirius reckoned that not even he could lift the Slytherin. Dobby and another house-elf appeared at Sirius’s silent request, holding up a stretcher in their hands.

    Sirius silently commanded Harry to lift Draco’s legs and they heaved the boy down to the stretcher and carried the Slytherin back up to have him examined by the nurse, or better still, have the Elven Lord to do it. They went up the narrow staircase with no difficulty at all, and Harry met the same elf that had informed him the whereabouts of the Slytherin prefect. As Harry was holding the rear of the stretcher-- which was where Draco’s feet were-- Sirius was the first to face Aldren. The violet-eyed elf was still gazing slyly at him and Sirius muttered a curse and the elf shot a wink at Harry as they passed him and entered the almost-silent Hall.

    The Elven Lord broke off his muted conversation with Firenze, walking quickly over to them and peered down at the pale face of the boy. Mineif pointed to an unoccupied pallet in between Fenix’s, and the one that was shared by Ginny and Dean. The Elven Lord gracefully sat down and waited for them patiently to load the unconscious boy to the makeshift bed. When they did, he began his examination and ten minutes later, he concluded that Draco was just suffering from a great deal of stress. Mineif rattled off the causes before any of them could impose questions on the elf. One: by taking the full brunt of the Cruciatus Curse, two: using his Wild Talent to overcome the Curse and then using the talent to attempt at making a bonfire out of the Death Eaters, and three: straining his mind a little to bring Fenix back to them. At the same time, Mineif was communicating silently with Harry, who was acting as if nobody was conversing with him the other way.

    : It is just as well that this friend of yours had called Fenix back over to the living side. The loss of the oathsister might just drive your godfather mad and he might become suicidal. So no point taking chances, : Mineif informed the young boy gravely. "So, this one should be all right, but he needs plenty of rest for the next three days. I reckon that it will also be when Fenix will finally regain her consciousness…" His soft, musical voice trailed off when Harry looked doubtfully at him and then at the form of the sleeping Fire Master. Mineif gave an encouraging look to him.

    "Would Fenix try to go for the light?" he asked solemnly. Mineif gave a brief start of surprise before he started to scowl.

    "How do you know about the light?" the Elven Lord questioned him sharply.

    "Draco was the one who found it. I guess it has got something to do with him being a Mindhealer…"

    "He is?" the Elven Lord exclaimed, then rechecked Draco. "You’re right," he said absently, peeling Draco’s right eye open then suddenly gave a sharp breath. "His eyes…" Mineif automatically stared at Fenix.

    "His eyes were gray, but somehow after he let the flames engulf him earlier just now, his eyes changed," Harry answered.

    "Enough talking." Madam Pomfrey suddenly interrupted them. "Sirius, Harry, go and get some sleep," she instructed firmly, and the Elven Lord nodded in agreement.

**********

    Sirius was feeling irritated as he helped Madam Pomfrey, Sprout, Cadriel and Snape rearrange the medical supplies in one chilly dungeon. The Salamanders had politely declined to heat up the room, as most of the medicines were stored best in chilly conditions. What on earth is going on between Draco and Harry? He thought, ignoring Snape’s contemplative look. Remus had escaped to one of the isolated dungeons where Winky attended him as he changed back to his human form. Sirius had introduced him to Aldren and they seemed to get along well with each other, for the werewolf and the elves were back to scouting about the castle while Aberforth, Hagrid and another group of the elves searched for a place where the Elven steeds would be safe. Sirius was thinking about the rooms available and safe on the ground floor when the Potions Master interrupted his brooding.

    : Does it bother you so much? : Snape’s thought reached him.

    : What on earth are you talking about, Snivellus? : Sirius evaded the Potions Master’s question with one of his own, feeling rather testy.

    : Well, if you’re too blind to see… there’s no point in enlightening you up. : Snape calmly rearranged the set of clean bandages into a cupboard that had been wiped sterile with the antiseptic potion that Fenix had concocted months ago and totally ignored Harry’s godfather. Somehow, that sentence made Sirius more edgy than ever.

**********

    Flickers of lightning flashed through the windows of the Hall, and created an eerie atmosphere in the vast room. The temperature had dropped greatly and the Salamanders had no qualms about using their magic to heat the room up to a more comfortable temperature. Murmurs of soft conversation filled the Hall with Lee’s group being the loudest. Draco, who was still having a fever and looked it, kept glaring at whoever who suddenly spoke up too loudly. The high-pitched sounds that suddenly ripped the air made his head pound even more. Alamanda whispered something to Hermione, and the prefect announced clearly that she would cast the Silencing Charm if they would not behave themselves. Draco was whispering so softly to Harry about the elves but the latter was not able to tell him much about them and the Slytherin was constantly fretting about his eye color, while Harry pondered how long Fenix's shield would stay up. Draco had reassured him that it was still holding and probably the Elven Lord had laid another shield as a fail-safe.

    Sirius kept giving uneasy glances at the softly speaking forms of Draco and his godson, as they all lounged after dinner. Why isn't he talking to Alamanda? Sirius did not know that Alamanda was sulking because Draco seemed totally engrossed in his debate with The Boy Who Lived, and had failed to catch her boyfriend's attention or understand what their debate was about. Sirius strangely felt tired, but that was to be expected as most of them had to cast a Freezing Charm on the carcasses of the dead giants because the only way that they could be disposed was through Fenix’s Fire. However, since she would not be able to function without killing herself, they had to devise a spell that would prevent the giants from rotting until she was completely Healed. Sirius could not keep his silence any longer. He stood up, then began to create a shield about himself, his godson and the Slytherin prefect, surprising Alamanda, Hermione and the rest of their close friends. Harry looked at him in horror as he realized what his godfather had just done while Draco stared at both of them in puzzlement.

    : Sirius! Wait! : Harry yelled but his godfather ignored him and began questioning the puzzled Slytherin impassively. Draco paled even more, eyes narrowing as his head began to pound painfully, after hearing the most offensive question he had ever been asked, then calmly requested Sirius to explain how he had arrived at that particular conclusion. Draco then wore a look of sufferance and sarcastically commented, looking at Harry as he said it.

    : And you got this man to be your guardian? : Draco shook his head sympathetically.

    : It wasn't exactly my idea you know. : Harry sighed.

    Hermione and the others were looking at the silent profiles of three of their friends. "What on earth are they doing?"

    "Don’t bother with them, Hermione." Ron shrugged, lying down on his pallet.

    : We’re family, right? Except for Fenix and Lupin who are engaged, and Granger and Weasley who are an item. Since Snape is technically, Fenix’s brother, and you are also her brother, right? I’m Snape’s godson, which puts me in the same rank with Harry, right? Doesn’t that mean the both of us are… like cousins? Possibly brothers? : Draco finally came down to the conclusion, sadistically enjoying Sirius’s increasing embarrassment. : Even if you don’t object, I’m quite sure that my godfather would heartily disapprove of incest, : the Slytherin said icily.

    : All right! : Sirius’s handsome face was red with embarrassment, not hearing Ginny’s comment on how dashing the blushing man actually looked. : I apologize! : Sirius then swore, and Harry chuckled lightly as his godfather was extremely dunked in total embarrassment.

    : Hey, Drake, : Harry said as he casually threw a Chocolate Frog at him, : are you giving Snape his latest ammunition? : he asked, eyeing his godfather teasingly and the Slytherin looked thoughtfully at him.

    : I think I’ll save it until Fenix awakens. It’s more profitable by the way, : Draco answered earnestly.

    Harry’s godfather looked at them in alarm. The two boys then laughed heartily when Sirius lamented, "Why am I so stupid to be trapped by a pair of kids?"

    : Who the hell are you calling kids? : Draco broke off from his laugh, feeling rather insulted at Sirius's comment, while Harry doubled up, laughing uncontrollably.

    Hermione looked hopelessly at the three silent figures then gave a long sigh. "Just as well that Sirius had built a soundproof shield."

**********

Sirius had taken off the shield, revealing Harry who was captivated by laughter. Ron, still lying down on his makeshift pallet, reached for a red cushion and lazily aimed it at Harry’s face. Harry gave a groan when it hit him directly on the face and looked sheepishly at his friends, disapproval showing clearly on their faces. Harry mouthed an apology, making Hermione roll her eyes upward theatrically, before going back to read a book that Remus had given her.

    Earlier that day, since Dumbledore had strictly ordered the students to remain in the Hall, Hermione had grown increasingly hysterical. She seemed to have forgotten about her cat after the encounter with the Lethifolds and Dementors, and then the fight with the giants occupied her mind totally. After listening to Hermione’s worries, Draco blanched as he thought of his eagle owl and was about to get out off his pallet when Professor Grubby-Plank came in. She informed them that all their pets were all safe, and a flash of orange whisked past her to head straight for his owner. Hermione let out an exclamation of relief and cuddled Crookshanks tightly, not really listening to Grubby-Plank’s news that their pets had been installed into the antechamber situated beside the Great Hall.

    "What about the owls?" Draco asked urgently.

    "They’re coming…" she informed them and headed out just as dozens of owls trickled in. Hagrid steered away from the cats that had followed Crookshanks into the Hall and backed out of the place, since he was terribly allergic to cat fur.

    Back to the present, Harry was still laughing at his godfather and his euphoria carried over to the link that was still connected to Draco. The Slytherin was wearing a slightly pained expression but he was also amused by the incident. He requested Harry to tone down his ebullience. "Sorry…" Harry choked down on his laughter that turned into a series of coughs. Draco shook his head in disgust and looked around for Alamanda.

    "Come," Draco commanded the girl, feeling a little surprise by the unfriendly way she was staring at him. She was still feeling displeased but got up and sat next to him. The Slytherin looked pointedly at Harry. "Get off my bed, Four-Eyes."

    "Chill out… git," Harry’s reply was punctuated by racking coughs as he crawled away from the Slytherin’s bed to Sirius’s.

    "Harry!" Alamanda protested in a weak voice.

    As if he was still feeling dissatisfied with Sirius, Draco tugged Alamanda closer to give her a kiss. Catcalls erupted as they looked at Alamanda’s face turned bright red, while Hermione collapsed in laughter. Sirius laughed weakly at the open display of affection while Harry grabbed a soft pillow and covered his face, eyes streaming tears as he burst out with laughter, which was slightly tinged with hysteria.

    Draco slowly broke off from the kiss and looked fondly at his girlfriend, who quickly hide her face on his chest. I wonder why she was not the one to come looking for me in the dungeon… but judging by the way I acted with Harry yesterday, I’m lucky she didn’t came down. I might have done something that I might regret. He extremely loved the way Alamanda was holding him and could not resist giving her another kiss.

    The catcalls quickly turned into coughs and the students pretended to busy themselves when Snape and Remus returned. The latter wore an amused expression when he saw Draco and Alamanda together, then slowly made his way down to the still-sleeping Fenix, leaving the Potions Master at the entrance. Snape was looking at his godson in disbelief, then he strode forward silently and stopped directly behind his favorite student. He cleared his throat noisily and muffled chuckles echoed about the Hall, drawing in some of the elves to look at the students with interest.

    The Slytherin prefect carefully screened Alamanda’s face while he gave a sigh so full of regret. "Yes, Professor?" he asked lazily, looking up at the Potions Master with his silver eyes.

    : Draco, for once… act your age, : Snape pleaded, rubbing his temple tiredly.

    : But I am, aren’t I? : Draco pointed out dryly.

    : I think you are sorely in need of discipline, : the Potions Master scowled darkly at his student.

    : No one has taught me yet. I am still a spoilt brat after all, : Draco replied indifferently. Snape threw his hands up in the air in defeat, then his eyes widened when he saw Fenix began to sit up. Remus was looking quite angry when she stubbornly pushed him away. Her ‘family’ began to crowd around her. Moody, seeing the sudden commotion, quickly instructed them to give the Fire Master a breathing space when she looked slightly breathless.

    "Thanks, Moody," Fenix croaked out. "Although I don’t want to know how you managed to find out that I’m claustrophobic." The ex-Auror nodded his head calmly and satisfied that her ‘family’ now had understood to give her a breathing space, he went back to Mineif. Fenix still looked slightly dazed but her silver eyes turned clear and she began to frown at Sirius.

    "Fenix," Snape began, kneeling beside her, his eyes showing his concern. "You’re not supposed to be awake…yet."

    : Draco, take pity on me, : Sirius gulped, not liking the way the Fire Master was scrutinizing his face. He stared anxiously at his oathsister, while trying to control his emotions. It’s possible that she would be very sensitive to emotions and thoughts, he thought to himself.

    : I know, Sev. But something broke my concentration when I was recharging my reserves while I’m sleeping. : Her mindvoice was acidic as she glared at Sirius, then at Harry and Draco.

    : I think we’re in trouble, : Harry sent his thought to his godfather and to the Slytherin beside him.

    : No doubt, : Draco replied with a straight face and Sirius winced when Fenix questioned them coldly.

    : What’s this about Draco seducing Harry? : Fenix broadcast her inquiry to Sirius, Remus, Snape and the named ones, looking quite intimidating for a woman who had just recovered from her near-death.

    : I knew I hadn’t blocked myself fast enough. : Harry’s godfather moaned softly and at the same time Draco’s godfather yelped out.

    : What? : Snape exclaimed, giving Draco a horrified look.

    : It’s nothing, sister, : Sirius answered quickly. : Just a small misunderstanding. :

    Snape stared coldly at his godson. : Explain, Draco. :

    "Are you sure you want to hear my explanation?" the Slytherin answered calmly, and their friends exchanged puzzled looks at his abrupt sentence. The Potions Master did not answer so Draco began to describe his feelings and confusion in great detail and then added in Sirius’s wild conclusion, communicating with their alternative way of speaking.

    Fenix shook her head in amusement, as she listened to Draco, and finally chuckled weakly when the boy finished. : As Sirius told you, it was a small misunderstanding. : Draco ended his explanation, looking impassively at the Potions Master, who was staring at the two boys and then Sirius with shock.

    That was understandable because he had just thought that Draco had let go of his pride to acknowledge that he was beginning to care for the people that he was working with. Snape had not expected that Draco might actually want Harry to be his partner. Thankfully, his student had regained his senses and prevented any other complications. Snape then sneered at Sirius. : For a man, who had seen Death in the face, you have an extremely perverted mind, Black. :

    : Don’t push it, Snivellus. I’m feeling bad enough, : Sirius lashed out.

    : Bro… you’re not thinking clearly… : Fenix's amusement drifted through their links and Harry and Draco smiled brightly at her, relieved that she was acting like her usual self.

    "Dear Lord." Snape sighed, suddenly feeling drained. Draco crawled on his knees and prodded Snape away so that he could approach the Fire Master. A lot of questions were building in his mind but he knew that now was not the time to bombard her with his questions. They all looked at him curiously when he carefully drew her into his arms, ignoring her fiancé who was looking at him archly. Fenix did not fight but let Draco hug her carefully. Snape did give a faint smile as he watched the two.

    Montague and the rest of Draco’s gang looked at their gang leader in amusement. "I feel like I’ve been dunked a little too long in syrup," he observed and gave a grimace.

    "What an unhealthy influence," Warrington agreed, making a face. "But I wouldn’t mind having someone like Alamanda to cuddle me... though," he added dreamily. Evina Grierson, one of Dina’s girlfriends, whispered something to her group of girls and they burst out giggling, making the Slytherin boys looked at them with suspicion in their eyes.

    Fenix was dazed by the intense emotions coming from the youth holding her and chuckled lightly. There was something different however. Draco had appeared normal to her before this but somehow being near him actually comforted her. So what is different? She frowned slightly. Something must have happened yesterday, but I can’t really remember what happened when I fell to the ground. Fenix gently probed the boy with her Gifts, then quickly withdrew them. She was trembling. A mirror… reflection…

    "Draco…" Fenix breathed, pulling away and instinctively cupped his chin to look into his eyes. "Dear Gods…" She was speechless. She was looking into a pair of eyes that was her own. Elation began to build up in her.

    "Fenix?" Snape questioned the Fire Master softly, not understanding the wonder that was radiating out of her.

    : It’s nothing, Sev, : Fenix replied dreamily.

    : What do you mean by nothing? : Draco questioned her dangerously. : If it’s nothing, then why are you feeling so happy? :

    Fenix could not stop smiling. : You will understand… soon enough… : she reassured him.

    "You’re awake…" Mineif approached the group, his face glowing with happiness.

    "It’s obvious, isn’t it?" she answered, glowering at him. "What can I do to keep you in the Grove, Old Wolf?" She finally released the Slytherin boy, while the rest watched her giving casual treatment to the Elven Lord. "Wrap you with coercions?" Mineif chuckled as he looked down at her. Fenix paled and Draco immediately made her lay back down again. "Sorry guys… but I think I have to go back to sleep…" Her eyes began to close and fell asleep instantly. The Slytherin covered her with the light blanket and paused long enough to give her a kiss on the forehead.

    Snape sighed and looked around the Hall. "Since you have nothing else to do," his voice carried effortlessly to all corners of the Hall, "you might as well get some sleep." The students sighed and began breaking up. Alamanda had already gone back to her circle of friends and Draco was contented to remain with Harry and their godfathers.

    Sirius gave a silent signal to the three other people and moved away slowly, to let his best friend spend some time with the Fire Master. While Sirius and the two boys lied down on their makeshift beds, Snape sat himself against the wall, looking at Draco intently. : What? : The boy could not help but ask his godfather.

    : I think you have been marked by your ‘Aunt’, : Sirius answered for the Potions Master. Draco gazed expectantly at his godfather and Snape finally gave a nod.

    : What do you mean, ‘marked’? :

    : Come to think of it, it’s slightly obvious, : Harry interjected, turning on his side to look at Draco directly. : First, you have the same abilities that Fenix has, you know? She has the capability to incinerate something, like you had done yesterday. And another, you’re a master of shields. Funny, : Harry gave a lopsided grin at his friend, : it seems that there is much more to you than meets the eye, Drake. :

    Snape chuckled lightly. : Well, as soon as your ‘Aunt’, : he gave a sly look at Harry’s godfather, : gets her strength back, I’m sure that she would want to train you. :

    : That is a good idea, : Harry said fervently. : You had better learn how to control your emerald fire, Drake. :

    : Do you want to know why your eyes are silver by the way? : Aldren casually implanted himself beside Sirius, smiling at the two boys.

    : All right. How? : Draco asked easily.

    : You have the capability at controlling Magick the way Fenix does. I’m not really talking about her being an Elemental Master. The ability to create and penetrate complex shields for one. Having you as a Mindhealer clearly labels you as something different from your counterparts here. By the looks of it, you do seem like you have the Adept Potential, : the violet-eyed elf answered.

    : But how does that explain me being silver-eyed? : Draco asked in exasperation, though he did not understand what the elf meant by Adept-potential. Aldren laughed at his impudence.

    : That emerald-fire was the one that had caused the change. You are something much like Fenix, although if I were to bet, I would say rather than a Phoenix, your natural form would be the Great Dragon. You do know that she is a Phoenix, don’t you? : Aldren asked the company and they nodded. Harry had informed Draco about Fenix’s real identity when the Slytherin began to unbend enough for him to be friendly with the others, and the Slytherin had approached the Fire Master to confirm the news, and had returned to his friends, looking a little wild-eyed. : I assume that your eyes glowed like how Fenix’s did, when she’s extremely irritated? : the elf asked in interest, leaning forward slightly to stare at Draco then chuckled when all four males nodded. : That’s her all right; except that her Fire is blue. The simplest way I could explain is that you had taken Magick to the maximum and began transmuting it into pure energy. I think that’s how Fenix went silver-eyed in the first place. She’s immortal-- well… sort of. Maybe reincarnation is a better word to describe the process. She is born a human, but with deep memories that had been locked away until she’s ready… :

    That sentence made Draco twitch nervously, because it felt familiar. Aldren continued as if he had not seen the look of surprise on the Slytherin’s face. : So all she knows-- back then-- that she had strange powers, when she was nearing her puberty and had attracted the attention of her school teacher, who was also a Fire Mage. He had a general idea of her real identity and was careful to bring her Fire out. When it did, it was… well, rather spontaneous, and not controlled. It damaged her mentor’s workroom quite a bit. : Aldren paused for a while and winced when lightning hit the wall directly behind him. It was quite deafening. : So began the practices, for her to contain her Fire by making it and herself into the form of animals. I remembered that her mentor told us once, when she had tried to work in the form of a boar, the results were rather disastrous. It was just as well that they held their practice in a secluded area. :

    : When did she find out about her Phoenix? : Harry asked curiously.

    : A few months later. Her mentor noticed that her control was more reliable when she took the form of birds, especially a raven or an eagle. It was quite amusing actually. By then, Fenix had attracted quite a handful of the elves, especially my father and a cousin of mine. Luis helped her mentor to draw up a list of all bird species, and somehow without knowing why, my father had also impulsively added the word Phoenix. :

    : That sounds tiring. : Draco gulped as he tried to imagine himself being trained that way by Fenix. : You mean that she had to go through the A-Z list? :

    : Yeah… but of course that stopped when she tried her Phoenix form. : Aldren chuckled. : So she didn’t have to waste her time on the Q-Z list. :

    : Did anything else happen when she took on that form? : Snape asked curiously.

    : Yes. She gave us a fright when she became invisible and took off without warning. Went missing for several days, and came back with quite a different personality. From young, she had been silent and does not socialize a lot, preferring to stay indoors to read her books or go outside and tend her garden. That hasn’t really changed as she went into adulthood. If I had remembered correctly, : Aldren pursed his lips as he thought hard, : she went missing for about five days, then returned with silver eyes and a sharp tongue… and a sense of humor… if a bit warped sometimes, and as you know, she also possessed the talents of an assassin. She extremely loves to nettle my father a lot, : Aldren informed them.

    The elf let them think on his words for a while, before Sirius hazarded a question. : So her memories as the Ancient were activated only when she took her form? : The Elf nodded. Snape, Sirius and Harry looked speculatively at Draco, and the Slytherin blushed uneasily.

    : Somehow it feels good to know that I’m normal. : Harry grinned at him.

    : What are you implying, Four-Eyes? : Draco said threateningly.

    : Nothing… : Harry answered innocently.

    Draco snorted, then gave his friend a sidelong look. : Don’t be too sure about your normalness though, : he said in a warning tone. : ‘The Chamber of Secrets was meant to be opened by you, but thankfully you did not. I did not reckon Tom Riddle to have a basilisk habituating in there. And I absolutely hate it when I have to abort my plans because of that.’ : he recited, almost imitating Hermione. Harry had completely forgotten about Salazar Slytherin’s cryptic remarks on Hallowe’en night.

    : Why must you remind me? : Harry moaned, lying flat on his back and looked up at the ceiling of false starry sky. : Now, I have to deal with my curiosity. Unlike you, who could ask Fenix about your Fire, I have to ask a ghost who might not appear soon enough to my liking, or if I want to know what he wants... : he said rather sulkily, making the rest of the group chuckle. Why am I supposed to be the Heir? So was Voldemort carrying out Salazar’s wishes, or had Voldemort acted out on his own? Damnation… I don’t understand a single thing about the Chamber of Secrets now… Harry gave a pensive sigh.

    Snape gave a long sigh and gave Draco a look that seemed to be disappointed. His godson frowned at him and Snape spoke to him alone. : I was thinking about making you my protégé, : the Potions Master explained, his mindvoice sounding a little wistful.

    Draco suddenly sat up, his eyes going round with incredulity. : Why? : His heart was pounding excitedly, not able to believe that Snape had actually considered the idea.

    : Do I really have to explain myself? : Snape said in a rueful tone. : Other than Granger, you’re the natural in Potions. And since you’re my godson… : The Potions Master did not bother finishing his sentence.

    Draco’s face lit up with a bright smile. : So what’s making you hesitate? Fenix’s training wouldn’t last that long… and I do need a career to last me a lifetime, don’t I? : he asked cheerfully, suddenly feeling happy.

    : You won’t really have time to rest, you know… Being a Potions Master isn’t an easy course… : Snape said dubiously and glowered at Draco when the boy swore.

    : Whatever, but I want to be like you. : Draco said abruptly and did not bother letting Snape answer, as he released the mind-link and went to sleep.

**********

    "Salz…" Godric called out. The founder of Slytherin was looking down at The Boy Who Lived from above. "What are you doing?"

    "As you can see, Ric, I’m watching," he answered sarcastically.

    "None of that… you’re going melancholy again."

    "How could I not be? If Voldemort wasn’t a rotten soul in the first place, I wouldn’t have found the need to linger and this destruction of the School wouldn’t have happened." Salz gave a long sigh.

    "Might I remind you that your kind has souls like that? Anyway, what is this business with Harry Potter? Even I do not understand what you had said yesterday." Ric pestered his best friend.

    "Are you saying that the lovely lady down there has a rotten soul?" Salz asked acidly and his friend flushed. "He was supposed to receive something in the Chamber of Secrets… but not the basilisk. How long had that been in there anyway?"

    "A couple of decades? I’m not too sure though…"

    "It’s just as well that Voldemort has passed his gift of animal speech to Harry, and making Harry the Heir almost by default. I don’t think I have the guts to remain here for another century or so. And Harry is much a suitable candidate for what I had in mind." Salz looked at the sleeping werewolf. "My messenger had passed the gift to Harry, and the Purpose that Harry should fulfill-- if he survives this major interruption-- would be revealed if Harry goes down with the gift to the Chamber again, up to the dais." He gave another sigh. "It’s just as well I couldn’t cry… being a ghost… but I feel…" his voice trailed off, and he sank into depression once more.

    "I think being separated from Helga’s making you fey-- no pun intended, Salz. Come, we’ll visit her and Wen." Roc pulled his friend into the direction of the Hufflepuff’s common room.

    The Hall was silent except from the tempest that was brewing outside. Aldren and his father remained behind the Hall to guard the students while the other elves, with Charlie, the Aurors, and the Dumbledore brothers began their patrol for the night again. Aldren had heard the soft conversation between the founders of Slytherin and Gryffindor. All elves possessed good eyesight, and although the ceiling of the Great Hall was high, Aldren was able to pinpoint that Salazar was looking at Remus and not the Fire Master as he said ‘My messenger had passed the gift to Harry’. Aldren pursed his lips as he contemplated, watching the sleeping forms of Fenix’s friends. I have to remember this and maybe ask Remus about the gift that he gave Harry tomorrow…

**********

~ Chapter 36: Consequences ~

Saturday, 3^rd November.

The Fire Master woke up from her self-induced sleep of about thirty-seven hours. It was cold and Fenix could not help trembling, although she was covered with a thick woolly blanket. Even through her closed eyelids, she was able to tell that it was already midmorning and smelled stormy weather approaching the castle. The Hall was actually warm and there was only one cause that she could think of as to why she had felt cold. The Fire Master was having a fever. When was the last time that I had gotten sick? Thirteen months ago? This would be a very bad day for her and those who were caring for her, for ironically, she was not the best of patients.

    Bloody hell. I hate getting sick. The Fire Master sniffed and raised a hand to massage her aching temple that signified that she had overused her Gifts. And I am so glad I didn’t turn into a Phoenix during the last moment when those three Death Eaters had surprised me, or it would be more than just a headache. At least I’m awake now… and I have heaps of questions to ask. Her movement alerted Draco, who was recuperating from his high-fever beside her. Most of the students were helping the Headmaster clear out the rubble of the Ravenclaw Tower and some of the seniors were tasked in helping to scoop up the remains of the Death Eaters that had gotten the full effects of Draco’s Fire. Somehow, the late autumn air still reeked of death and violence that had occurred almost three nights ago and certain students like Luna, were having to cope with the echoes of the battle. While most of them were doing physical work, Aberforth, Mineif, Cadriel, Aldren, and Hermione had gone up to the library to find the ancient manuscripts of enchantments. The Elven Lord believed that the magical protections about Hogwarts were similar to the ones the elves used to protect their Groves. If they were able to find the manuscripts holding the information, then they would be able to improvise and maybe create a back-up shielding system if Voldemort gets the idea to break into the School again.

    The presence of the Slytherin beside her caused her to open her eyes and found Draco peering at her, his silver eyes bright with cheerfulness. : How are you feeling? : he asked her, and she gave a faint crooked smile.

    : I feel sick… help me up… : Fenix pleaded and the boy hesitated. Snape had warned his godson to be strict and not allow her to move much. Well, she’s just asking me to help her sit up… He carefully placed his left arm around her shoulders and lifted her carefully. : Where’s my mate? And the rest? :

    : Dumbledore had given them tasks. It’s just you, me, the wolves. And a couple of students who were on the night shift yesterday and are sleeping in. : Draco maneuvered so that she was leaning against him for support. She winced at the gentle discomfort of her wound and another kind of pain, trailing her fingers gently across the bandage that covered it. : You are really having a high fever, : he said in concern, looking down at her black hair. A strand of it covered her eyes and he pulled it back for her, remembering Snape’s commands to minimize her movements.

    : I feel icky… I want to bathe… : Fenix complained, turning her head to look at him with doleful eyes.

    : Snape will kill me if I let you move an inch out of the bed, : Draco replied with a stern expression. He was saved from any more arguments from the Fire Master when his godfather came in with her fiancé in tow.

    : Remus, I would really like to bathe! : Fenix’s plea was desperate but the werewolf shook his head. : Why? : she wailed in distress.

    "It’s too cold and it’s quite a bit of a walk to the nearest bathroom, which is quite inaccessible for you since it’s up on the second floor. I don’t think it’s good for your injury and…" Remus laid the flat of his palm on her neck and then her forehead. "And your fever."

    : I don’t care, I feel… dirty, : she said stubbornly, feeling the cramp of hers getting worse by the moment.

    : That stranger was right. You are stubborn, : Snape remarked.

    Fenix gave him a cross look and then stared impassively at Remus. Idiotic wizards! Wind, who was watching the whole scene in silence, interrupted before Fenix could speak. : Dearheart, get a grip. Remus, why don’t you oversee that she doesn’t stress herself too much as she bathes? Or you can bathe her… : she commanded in a strict voice.

    "But--" Remus protested.

    : She has her reasons for wanting to bathe, : Wind replied evasively, then settled down to nap next to her mate. Fenix, feeling that Remus had absolutely no option but to do as Wind commanded, sighed with relief. That relief sparked into anger when the werewolf told her privately that he would not help her. Her eyes flashed for a moment with blue fire.

    : You idiot, insensitive, dense… : she swore, trying to control the pain in her stomach and anger at the same time. She broke off then turned to Draco. : Draco, why don’t you go to that corner for a while? I want to show this idiotic, boyfriend of mine something. You too, Sev. : After a moment of scrutinizing her and realized that she was serious in her command, Draco moved off but the Potions Master refused to budge from his seat. : You better go, Sev. I don’t want to scandalize you. : He ignored her.

    Fenix took a deep breath and slowly withdrew her blanket. Snape blanched and blushed furiously in embarrassment and quickly got up to search for towels, cursing himself silently for not listening to her. Remus however, stared down at the makeshift bed in shock. He could see that a part of the bed was soaked with blood. Fenix looked at him mercilessly. : What the hell do you think I am? A robot or something? Dear, if you must know I am a female and there are days when I have to absolutely be a female. Get it? Damnation, don’t you guys ever study the reproductive system in school? No? Then I think Dumbledore ought to insert sexual education as part of the curriculum! : she lashed out angrily and gave Snape an unfriendly stare when he came back with towels in hand.

    Remus silently helped Fenix up to her feet while she effectively covered the bloodstain with the blanket. She wrapped herself in a towel before allowing Remus to lift her in his arms and slowly moved off, with a sheepish-looking Snape trailing behind them. Before Draco could inspect the pallet that they had left in a hurry, the house-elves came and vanished with the pallet and then returned to make a new one. He shrugged then smiled when Bootes swooped over his head, crying out a raptorial greeting. The Owlery was partly destroyed but somehow, all the birds had flown out to safety, taking refuge in the Forest. Raising an arm, his eagle owl gracefully descended lightly on his arm and the Slytherin went back to sitting on his bed, scratching his owl’s chin dreamily.

**********

    Fenix grimaced when a painful wave erupted in her abdomen and she sighed when it subsided. They met several elves along the way to the bathroom up on the second floor and bumped into Harry and Ron who clearly looked as if they had been on the run. Snape handed them the pile of towels he had filched since they were also on their way to find a bathroom and wash up, then turned back to join the group of elves that was heading out toward the grounds. Harry took the lead cautiously and sighed when the group of four people came across a step that had vanished. They paused to look at it, and Harry exchanged a glance with the Defence professor. As if knowing that it would be extremely dangerous for Remus and the woman he was carrying in his arms, the invisible step solidified and remained that way until the group came back down again.

    When they reached the landing, they found that Winky was waiting for the Defence teachers by the entrance of the girl’s bathroom and Remus went in while the house-elf held the door open for him and closed it. Harry and Ron managed to get their shocked faces in control and went into the boy’s bathroom, only to double up with helpless laughter.

    "What do you reckon Lupin’s doing with Fenix?" Ron was red-faced after laughing so hard.

    "I think we shouldn’t think about it." Harry grinned, grabbing a towel from Ron and entered a cubicle to shower.

**********

    Remus had taken off his robes and shirt to prevent them from getting wet while bathing Fenix. He fished his wand out from his robe and pointed it on his trousers and muttered, "Impervius." The bathroom was empty and the bathtub at one end of the room was ready for the Fire Master’s use. Winky helped her get rid of her garments, then took a moment to remove the bandages and disappeared to wash the garments while Krill appeared with Fenix’s clothes and her bag containing her sanitary napkins and another bag holding her toiletries.

    Aelwyn was carefully scooping up water with a bowl and poured it over the Fire Master’s long black hair. Fenix sighed, because the Salamanders were heating up the bathtub to a temperature that was so soothing for her stomach cramps. : I wonder why us women have to tolerate cramps every time we come to that time of the month. It’s really irritating. :

    : It can’t be as bad as turning into a werewolf, right? At least you only experience them once in a month, : he gently pointed out, fishing for her bottle of shampoo. When the Sylph had wetted her hair to a satisfying degree, he began working the shampoo into her hair.

    : Trust you to look at it that way… It feels great to be washed… : Fenix sighed.

    : Of course it does… but you’re being selfish you know, : Remus answered, trying not to peek at her. She gave a silvery laugh as she felt his discomfort at the situation. Aelwyn then poured the hot water and helped her rinse her hair as Remus helped her wash her back.

    : I wonder what Dumbledore plans to do now… I’m referring to the classes that is… : She turned her head slightly to face him, and his lips curved into a smile.

    : Classes will resume once they get the protections in place and the rebuilding of the Ravenclaw section starts. I don’t think it’s necessary to cancel the classes though the trips out for the Care of Magical Creatures might be a little dangerous for the students. But other than that, classes will go on as normal, : he answered. Fenix’s body temperature had decreased and he sighed with relief. I wonder what the two kids would think of me bathing her… but then… who cares?

**********

Back into the Hall…

    Most of the students had already washed up and were ready to eat their lunch when Remus came in with Fenix, cradled safely in his arms. Several giggles and catcalls erupted, especially from Draco and Harry’s group of friends. Sirius, who was seated in between Aldren and his father, looked archly at his best friend.

    "Fenix! Did Lupin really give you a bath?" someone asked as Remus headed for her pallet and turning to look, she found out that it was Warrington who had asked. She made a face at him as Remus carefully knelt and slowly let her down to the pallet. Winky appeared then and asked Fenix what she would like to eat and she answered. "Hot porridge. And just water… nothing exotic today…" She sighed then leaned back against her partner’s chest.

    "Do you want something for that headache?" Madam Pomfrey offered but Fenix declined, saying that it was mild enough for her to tolerate it.

    All the way through lunch, Harry and Ron were snickering at the couple. While Fenix winked mischievously at them, Snape had a queer expression on his face and she carefully reined her curiosity and ignored him. For a man in his prime, Sev is conservative. She chuckled to herself, and finally gave up on her half-eaten porridge. The bowl vanished with her glass and she gave a gentle nudge against her partner, signaling that she needed to lie down. She started calculating to herself when her reserves would be charged up to its maximum and gave a huge sigh of relief that it would take less than another three days for her to be up and functioning. I wonder if it would make any difference if I had just used my Gift instead of using my sword, she mused as she stared up at the ceiling. Somehow responding to the stormy weather settling down over the castle, low dark clouds began to form magically and artificial lightning flickered through the clouds. But then I couldn’t, because my reserves were burnt.

    While the rest were discussing on how they were to repair the castle walls, Fenix painstakingly began rebuilding her shields and found out the intensity of her headache was also decreasing. She had to be slow in her works for she did not want the elves to know that she was keen on re-shielding Hogwarts and maybe this time, the environs about it too.

    : Feeling better? : Her oathbrother’s mindvoice penetrated her mind.

    : Okay, I guess. Are we going to sleep in the Hall from now on? :

    : Yes but only for a week or two… : he replied as he chewed on his chicken meat.

    : Sirius, whatever possessed you to think that Draco wanted Harry? : Fenix asked with a straight face, not bothering to look at her brother for she closed her eyes to rest. : I mean… really bro… :

    : But Draco did admit that he wanted Harry! :

    : You’re such a big idiot, oathsib. Harry’s liking doesn’t really tend towards to that side. And you know that most of us do make hasty decisions now and then. :

    Sirius surrendered, not bothering to argue with her and returned back to the conversation between Snape and the Elven Lord.

**********

Later during the day…

    Fenix stayed in her bed all day for the trip to the bathroom and her cramps had quite exhausted her. She was contented to do that as she began to build up her resources and slowly strengthened her shielding before slowly expanding it. The sudden appearance of her Salamander with her black box containing the dagger surprised her.

    : I assume that there is a reason that you have brought me this? : she asked her chief Elemental lazily.

    : Yes. And that reason will appear by itself in the next forty-eight hours or so… : He disappeared and left her to ponder about the reason.

**********

At Voldemort’s Stronghold…

    The Death Eaters that had followed Voldemort during the campaign in Hogwarts were all being treated by Narcissa and several others. Lucius’s wife held a dazed expression on her face as she made her rounds, not quite believing that it had been her son and not the famous Potter who had caused the damage to the Dark Lord and his followers. Her husband remained silent during her constant nagging. Voldemort had avoided him ever since they Apparated back and Lucius could not quite hide the trepidation that was building inside him. Narcissa was changing his dressing again and carefully wiped her husband’s arms and chest, and began reapplying a burn-healing paste. It was then when Macnair, sporting an almost mummified face, whispered to Lucius that their Master had summoned him.

    Lucius stared at his wife with his remaining eye, to quicken her task, then quickly covered his naked upper body with a cloak and strode quickly over to the room where Voldemort was sitting comfortably in his armchair, facing directly at the door. Lucius paused over and entered only when his Master gave a nod. Voldemort’s wand gave a sudden flash and the door was quickly sealed.

    "Kneel before me, Lucius," Voldemort commanded softly, staring impassively at Lucius as he trailed his fingers across his wand. His servant did as he asked, bowing his head down and not looking up. "Draco has greatly insulted me, Lucius… Are you sure that you fathered him with Narcissa?" His voice was silky and dangerous and Lucius maintained his silence. "It could not be really… coincidence… that had made him so much like the one they call Fenix?" Still Lucius remained silent. "And the arrows… were they caused by the centaurs? I’m impressed that those slender arrows could penetrate the thick armor the giants were wearing. Such advanced weaponry…" He leaned forward and trailed his wand along his servant’s face. "We will launch another attack to the School in a few days, but after we pay attention to somewhere else. That should be enough for some of you to recuperate. Send agents out to keep an eye on their activities. I want to know where Crabbe and the rest are. I know they are still alive but I could not trace them." Like his servant, Voldemort had also suffered burns on his chest, neck and arms, but his face was unscathed.

    "Yes, Master," Lucius obeyed quickly, starting to rise.

    "Oh… no… not yet, my servant… I am feeling slightly vexed about that incident with your son." Voldemort’s lips began to curve into a malicious grin; the hand holding his wand held Lucius down. His free hand quickly grabbed his servant’s long pale hair and began pulling it painfully. Lucius’s left eye began watering at the sudden movement, but his pain was not enough to satisfy the Dark Lord. "Crucio!" Lucius’s terrified and anguished screams resonated through the whole house. Some of the Death Eaters managed to hide their expressions of glee as their Master tortured his favorite servant. His wife fled away to the furthest wing of the house and remained there for the rest of the day.

    Still, his servant screamed in pain. Adding to the torturous curse, Voldemort was having a good time strangling Lucius. "Master… please…" he croaked out, his world blackening in and out as he struggled to stay awake. Voldemort laughed at his servant’s plea. His servant fainted and Voldemort let the unconscious man fall limp in his arms.

    "You are such a good servant to play around with, Lucius…" Voldemort whispered into his servant’s ear. "Finite. And sweet dreams…"

**********

Monday, 5^th November.

    Fenix had ignored the strict instructions coming from her friends and was already up and about, patrolling the school grounds with the wolves. Remus had given up on forcing her to stay in bed, and Aldren agreed that giving in was the best thing he could do.

    "A female she says…" Remus grumbled under his breath as he watched the Potions Master patrolling the grounds. A couple of the elves, looking strangely like Aurors joined them, as they began to separate themselves in scouting the Forbidden Forest. Sirius understood the feelings of his best friend well and threw an arm about his shoulders in comfort. "Why doesn’t she act like one then?"

    "It’s her sense of duty, Moony. Anyway, the workout will be good for her. At least she has something to occupy her mind now instead on focusing on her stomach cramps," Sirius said in a good-natured voice. His friend gave a sigh and they concentrated on rebuilding the Tower.

**********

In the Restricted Section of the library…

    Madam Pince the librarian, had allowed Hermione, Harry and Ron into the Restricted section as Dumbledore had sent Hermione in search of more books on Runes. Harry felt it was a good time as any that he got both of his friends into a discussion about the words of Salazar Slytherin.

    As Hermione was feverishly scanning through the books, she listened to Harry’s arguments then answered. "Yes… I agree. I thought that he was the one that had kept the basilisk, not Vol--Voldemort. And that stuff about the true Heir of Slytherin being able to command the basilisk, is false? The Founder is really being cryptic. Anyway, what’s left of the Chamber? Other than the basilisk, I mean…" She peered curiously at Harry, who gave a helpless shrug.

    "I don’t know, Hermione."

    "I think you just have to wait until he makes himself available then…" Ron suggested and Hermione nodded her head in agreement.

    "I hate secrets…" Harry complained.

**********

In the Great Hall…

    Draco was sitting at the center among the circle of elves. Fenix and Mineif had given them the task of rebuilding shields to protect Hogwarts from illegal Apparitions. The Slytherin was most suited to handle this job and the elves were contented to feed the boy with magical energy. While he was Seeing to his shields, he was also thinking about the bond he had with Harry. What could I do that will make it remain that way? I sure do not want to act irrationally again… An oathbond? He broke away from his thoughts to concentrate on the merged workings of the elves on making Apparition or penetrable to the more lethal Dark Creatures impossible.

    Finally, they were finished, but as all the elves opened their eyes, they were baffled by the frowns on Draco and Aldren’s face. : Is she crazy? : Draco asked Fenix’s childhood friend flatly.

    : I wouldn’t know, Draco. But it’s just like her to disobey the rules set by my father. Anyway, she is not depleting her resources too much that it would be a hazard for her. : Aldren sighed, shaking his head a little and gave a faint smile. He then reassured his kind in their own tongue that it was nothing, just that Fenix had ignored the Elven Lord's warning about not using her Gifts to replenish the shield. The Elves began to disperse, leaving Draco with Aldren.

    The Slytherin got up, feeling satisfied with himself and went out, walking along the corridor until he came upon the side door that led him to the courtyard. He casually sat himself down on the grass and brooded. Would an oathbond work between him and me, like the way it did with Sirius and Fenix? But is this what I want? Do I want to be stuck with him for the rest of my life?

    Aldren watched the brooding boy in silence and startled briefly when he saw the same stranger approached the boy. The stranger stopped when Draco jerked his head up in surprise. Aldren was able to tell that something passed between them as they looked at each other’s eyes. The stranger gave a faint smile at Draco before he vanished, and a wisp of golden light followed his disappearance.

    Draco could not believe what had just happened to him. He gulped, feeling slightly awed by the visit. The stranger advised him to take the path that he felt would be good for him, and left it at that. Then, I’ll go for it and hopefully it would not bring me into a dead end. He stood up, his eyes looking fierce and determined, and set out to find Harry.

**********

    Harry was walking aimlessly about the seventh floor and finally went to window that was situated along the corridor, not far away from the Room of Requirement. The sounds that were coming from all over the castle were strangely muted and he felt himself isolated from everyone else. He looked up at the gray sky and the chill in the air brought signs of winter. I wonder if I should get Fenix a gift. He stared blankly at the sky, emptying his thoughts and tried not to think about anything. Suddenly a small voice erupted in his mind. "You owe a life debt to someone…" Harry gave a sigh, as his conscience prickled. If you had said life debts, it would be much more accurate, because Drake saved you more than once. I wonder where the coward that had served detention with me in the Forest went. His breath fogged the window and he absently cleared it away by rubbing his sleeve against it. "You are tied to him forever…" He scowled to himself. Don’t remind me. But I hope the tie between us is not as complicating as Fenix’s bond with Snape… "You could be brothers… you are much more alike to each other than you would care to admit…" Harry snorted to himself. I wish, he said sarcastically to himself and then shouted in frustration. "I must be going insane that I’m talking to myself!" He stormed off, with his face turning as black as the angry clouds looming over the castle and went to search for company.

**********

In the Forest…

    Fenix tried not to gag as she approached the bodies of the Death Eaters that had been left to bleed their life away. The stench was appalling as the wind picked up. : Fenix, do something about this… : Cadriel urged her as the rest of the elves began climbing up the trees to escape from the odor.

    : I agree, : Snape said in agreement, one hand screening his nose as he looked around the site carefully. : Do it before Voldemort comes in and tries to transform them into zombies... or something. : She sighed and in an instant the bodies were engulfed with blue flames and were reduced to a pile of ashes. They froze when they heard something moving in the foliage.

    : Snape, take my hand. : Cadriel reached a hand out and grasped the hand that the Potions Master raised, and pulled him up effortlessly to the tree’s branch. Fenix had no such requirement for aid as she scrambled up a great oak tree, relying heavily on her dark suit for camouflage. The elves quickly readied their bows and aimed at where the noises had emerged.

    "Something must have gone wrong, Henry." The scouts heard the whisper and held their silence. Soon enough, a Death Eater emerged from the dense foliage. Thorns had scratched his face and he looked at his two other cohorts, while taking out a handkerchief to wipe his face carefully.

    "Yes. Why can’t we Disapparate? We have to go back and report that Dumbledore seemed calm about the entire situation. The walls of the castle that the giants had partly destroyed were already going under repair."

    : It seems like your godson had achieved in creating a very good shield, : Fenix said lightly. Snape did not bother to answer her with words but sent her his feelings of relief and pride. : So are we taking them hostage or are we exterminating them? :

    : I don’t know. Why don’t you see if you could send a message back to the castle? :

    Fenix nodded to herself, and not taking her eyes off the three troublemakers, she established a connection with Sirius. : Hey, bro. Is Dumbledore there with you? : Her oathbrother sent a negative and she relayed the question. They had to wait for several minutes before Sirius answered her. Dumbledore wanted them assassinated. : That’s really strange, : she commented.

    : Not at all. Intelligence report just came in; Voldemort is planning to launch another attack on the School, in a matter of days, : Sirius replied and she repeated the answer to Snape.

    : You have got to be serious, : the Potions Master said incredulously. : All right. Kill them quick and easy. : Cadriel, Fenix and two other elves slid down their branches soundlessly and ambushed their prey so fast that all Voldemort could feel was that his followers had been killed in two seconds and was unable to get more information out of their deaths. He felt a brief moment of surprise but no pain, and no fear.

**********

Back at the Hall.

    Most of his friends were absent from the Hall. He stopped by Neville, who was sleeping soundly before he went over to a brooding Slytherin. The moment he sat down, Draco popped a silent question. : Do you want to be my brother? : Harry’s green eyes flared in surprise at the suddenness of the request. : Anyway, : Draco got up and went out of the Hall, : consider it. :

    Harry felt the Slytherin withdrew the mind-link and Harry’s head pounded with confusion. Not him, too? Dragon’s teeth, why must things get so complicated now?

    "It is an option, though," the small voice in his head spoke up. Harry took a deep breath and pondered on the request, thinking of something that would make him say ‘no’ to the request. There isn’t anything else except we used to be enemies. "But even brothers would sometimes hate each other… think about Percy and Ron…" the voice pointed out dryly. Let’s not be too hasty. Harry compromised and the voice in his head remained mute.

**********

Later that night. Ten thirty-seven in the evening.

    Fenix was standing out at the courtyard, ignoring the flashes of lightning as she just stood under the sky, taking deep breaths of air. Her blouse and skirt were blowing in several different directions and she looked as though she was being attacked by Lethifolds. Draco paused at the side door. Most of the students were already asleep, except for Harry, Sirius, Snape and the Defence teacher. They were engrossed in watching Snape playing wizards chess with the werewolf and they were unaware that Draco had gone off by himself.

    He crossed the grounds silently, feeling the damp and cold wind penetrate his sweater. : Joining me? : Fenix’s mindvoice whispered softly and he smiled.

    : I thought you loved the sun more than anything else, : he asked her curiously, smelling the scent of rain.

    Fenix chuckled lightly. : I do love the sun… but I love the sky too… the Sun would not be complete if it were just on its own. Even up there, planets and giant stars and galaxies surround the Sun. :

    : Your thoughts are deep… : Draco complimented and she winked at him.

    : I’m born in the melancholiest month of the year… according to the Gregorian calendar, : she pointed out, then mercurially changed the subject. : So what’s brought you out here to join me in gloomy weather? :

    Draco peered at the night sky, lightning dancing its lengths every ten seconds. : I won’t say gloomy, excited is much better. Anyway, the reason why I came out here is that I wish to ask you how the oathbond works. :

    : In a myriad of ways. The strength of the bond between two people will change according to their intents when they take the oath. For example Sirius and me we wanted to be like twins. : She looked up at the boy. : There are certain advantages to having a bond. Like knowing the mood of the other one and knowing that you will never be short of a confidant. Disadvantages, well it depends on how you look at it, you could not be separated for long. Also, if one were to die because of some reasons, the other one left alive might turn suicidal. Oathbonds are meant to last a lifetime, even some won’t be broken when they move on to the Otherworld. Oathbonds are not meant to be taken lightly, this is serious stuff, for you will become partners and equals. : Fenix smiled at his disappointed expression. : I sound as if I’m describing lovers, don’t I? Actually, I’m describing a kind of kinship, unless if you intend to be lovers, of course. :

    The boy was silent and Fenix tilted her face up to the sky. Something incredibly fishy is going on right beside me. First Harry and now him. I understand why Krill had placed the Dagger within reach now but I hope both of them had thought about this enough that they would not regret their bond later in life. Assuming that they want to share a bond with each other of course.

    : Don’t worry. : Krill’s voice echoed in her mind. : They know why they should do it. Draco at least knows why he wanted the bond, but it will take sometime for Harry to realize why a part of him wants the oathbond badly. :

    : Would you care to enlighten me? About Draco knowing why he should take the oathbond, : she inquired the Elemental curiously.

    : He had a visit from Him-- you know whom I am referring to. Draco has seen something about the future, that Harry would need his talents and it would work well than if Harry had called for the help of nothing more than a friend. Compared to Hermione, Draco’s rather fickle in his decisions. Their lives are going to intertwine in more ways than one. That’s why Harry visited you just now. It was because Draco requested him, : her Elemental responded.

    : He took the first step of asking him? Unbelievable! : She tried to keep her expression calm.

    : You were the one who wanted to change him… : Krill said indifferently.

    : So it all lies with the intent of the caster and the receiver, : the Slytherin concluded absently, catching her attention and she nodded. : Next question then. : His mindvoice was resolved. : How do you initiate the oathbinding ceremony? :

    As if right on cue, Krill appeared with the black box that held her Dagger. Draco suddenly frowned at the sky. "What happened to the storm?" he asked curiously, missing the moment where the Salamander appeared with the box in tow. A half-moon peeked out from the dark clouds.

    "Tonight’s a good night, if you want to know. Even the weather’s cooperating," Fenix said lightly as she opened the box and retrieved the Dagger of seven inches. "It’s relatively simple. But I have to warn you something; not all oaths… let me rephrase that. Not all initiations are successful. It is up to Him to acknowledge the bond. But if He answers, be prepared to handle all the consequences all right? Once blood is shared, it will be shared forever," she said in a warning voice. She handed him the slim weapon. "Tilt the blade against the moonlight. All the two of you have to do is to memorize what is written on the blade and slash your right palms diagonally. Not the left one-- brings bad luck. Then you clasp your palms together and let your blood mingle, then chant the incantation. I know the part about the blood mingling is a little unhygienic but both you and Harry are free of any kind of diseases. Well, I’m going in." She handed the black box and swiftly turned and entered the castle.

    Draco stared at the blade intently; the words written seemed to jump out of the silver blade. Is my intent so transparent that she mentioned Green-Eyes? Do I really want to do this? Fenix said it’s a good night but would Harry answer me now? The Slytherin stood alone under the dark sky for a few moments.

**********

    Harry noticed that Fenix had just came in and she casually implanted herself on Remus’s lap. Wait a minute… where’s Draco? He narrowed his eyes speculatively and jumped slightly when the Slytherin’s mindvoice penetrated his mind.

    : Have you decided? :

    Harry evaded the question and asked, : Where are you? : And he stood up, ignoring his godfather’s surprised look.

    : Meet me in the courtyard, : was all he said and left Harry no choice but to go to him. He carefully steered among the numerous sleeping bags all about the Hall and walked down into the corridor and finally stepped out into the courtyard. Draco was holding something in his hand and he approached the Slytherin cautiously. : What is your answer, Green-Eyes? :

    : Drake, you call me that again and I’ll call you Silver-Eyes for the rest of your life. : Harry threatened.

    : It is a deal… Green-Eyes. So what is your answer? :

    : I don’t see anything wrong with it, except that the family life I will share with you will not be exactly comfortable, : Harry answered truthfully then looked up at the half-moon, peering straight down at him.

    : Are you prepared to take the oathbond with me? : Draco cocked his head to one side. : And prepared to shoulder the consequences that would come after? : Harry nodded, staring at the dagger the Slytherin was holding.

    : Fenix lent that to you? : he hazarded and the Slytherin confirmed by nodding slightly. : She gave you the instructions of how it would work? : Another nod from Draco. : Have you asked Snape for permission? :

    : What I’m going to do does not concern him, : Draco replied stubbornly.

**********

    "Are you sure this would work between them, Fenix?" Four of them crowded at the side door, watching the two students intently.

    "It’s up to them if they want the bond to work, Sev…" she answered with a smile.

**********

    The two had already slashed their right palms and Harry winced because he had cut across his palm a little too deeply. They began to chant the incantation as they clasped both their palms together. There was a strange tingle going through their palms but Harry ignored it, thinking it was his wound just itching. But just as both of them recited the last phrase, a strange green glow emerged from their clasped hands and then exploded to engulf them.

    Fenix suppressed her exclamation of surprise because that had not happened between Sirius and her. "So…their oaths had been accepted," Snape spoke up in a hushed voice.

    "Let’s leave those two alone. Their cuts would be fully healed right?" Remus whispered and Fenix nodded and they went back to the Hall to rest.

**********

    Harry looked down at their hands in wonder. The light had died and so did the itching. They finally unclasped their hands and Harry looked down at his right palm. A silver scar of Six-pointed star was etched deeply into his palm, and so was Draco’s. They then stared at each other, not believing that the initiation was a success. The blade was already in the box and it disappeared as Krill took it.

    "So, we are finally kin now," Draco said softly.

    "I guess there’s no turning back then." Harry shrugged and grinned widely. : Let’s see how we try to maintain the peace between ourselves. :

    : Starting from now then. : The Slytherin returned his grin and shook the right hand that Harry had offered.

**********

~ Chapter 37: Secrets Revealed ~

Snape, Sirius, Remus and Fenix had gathered in the courtyard due to a request from Aldren. The wind was howling loudly around them and they had to wonder why the elf had asked them to assemble at such a place, given that there were much comfortable and warmer rooms available inside the castle. The Fire Master was happy however. She always felt at home under the sky, no matter how unfriendly the conditions or the environments were. She had more than once thought that even if she was stranded in the deep ocean alone-- she had a slight phobia on that-- she would feel happy that she was under the protection of the sky. Earlier that evening, Fenix had noticed that they had not been paying attention to the Death Eaters that had been locked up in the complex shields of Harry’s and hers.

    "Has anyone seen to their needs?" She had pitched her voice loudly so that she could be heard clearly in the Hall. The students exchanged glances with each other because they had completely forgotten about them. The Headmaster looked sheepishly at her when she started to frown and a small groan came out of McGonagall’s mouth.

    "Well… I certainly do not wish to be accused of murdering them… by neglect…" Fenix stood up and shot a disappointed look at the Headmaster.

    Dean, Draco, Harry, Hermione, Montague, Ron, Seamus, Susan, Warrington got up from where they had been seating and Fenix’s company followed suit. The Fire Master preceded them to the antechamber and had already cast another bigger shield about the spherical shield containing the infiltrates. Much to her relief-- Susan seemed disappointed that they had not been starved to death-- the infiltrates were in good health as they had been fed with food and water provided by either the house-elves or Fenix’s Elementals. Apparently, the infiltrates were weakened by something and she raised her right eyebrow when Krill reported they had tried to subdue a house-elf, and they did not receive the answer they wanted to receive. Hermione noted with an amused smile that their robes had ended up in tatters. Everything seemed to be in order and Fenix cast the original spherical shield back on.

    Aldren was sitting on a pavement, watching them calmly with his peculiar violet eyes. : We would be communicating this way, : the elf spoke up as they settled themselves on the pavement.

    : But why here? : Fenix asked curiously. The elf just shrugged, not bothering to answer her inquiry.

    : So what is it that you wish to talk about? : Snape asked, carefully gathering his robe before sitting down beside Fenix, who was sitting on Remus’s lap. Harry’s godfather opted to lean against a pillar, watching the company from a higher standpoint.

    : Actually, there is something I would like to ask you… : The violet-eyed elf was staring intensely at the werewolf. Fenix could tell by the slight tension of Remus’s arms that he was uncomfortable by the elf’s close scrutiny.

    : What? : Remus questioned him, his mindvoice sounding as bland as possible.

    : What did you give Harry for his birthday? : the elf asked, still staring unwaveringly at the werewolf. All eyes now were on Remus, with Fenix squirming on his lap to look up and give him a quizzical look, her eyes full of curiosity.

    : I gave him two things actually. One was a magical quill, and the other was what the founder of Slytherin had given it to me on the night I was left to pack off my trunk after I had taught Defence during Harry’s third year. : He quickly raised a hand to stave off the questions that seemed to bubble inside everyone, Sirius especially. : He told me to present it to Harry once Voldemort had made himself known to the community. So I had to wait until Harry’s birthday this year. It seemed like the best time for me to give him the gift. : He shrugged, not really seeing where the conversation was going.

    : What else did he tell you to do? And what is the gift? : Sirius pestered his best friend.

    : I think it was a light green crystal, about this big-- : He made a shape with both of his palms, then continued. : But it held one feather of some kind that I was not able to identify. Not owls… nor was it from a phoenix… Fawkes’s kind that is… : he said hastily when Fenix gave him a sidelong look and gave a crooked grin at his swift explanation. : The only clue he gave me was that he said Harry would find out the crystal’s uses when the time is ripe. So I have absolutely no clue when it would be. :

    : That means the founder absolutely has to approach him then… otherwise I don’t think that Harry would take the crystal out anytime soon, : Fenix observed and the Potions Master agreed at her observation.

    : Then tell Harry to take the crystal out of wherever he had kept it… hopefully he had brought it with him… and to carry it at all times, : Aldren suggested, but Sirius did not seem to be too happy with the news. The elf looked at him, his eyes showing that he was baffled.

    : First of all, can we trust the founder? He’s just a ghost, isn’t he? And I thought he was the one who had issued the order to Voldemort to rear the forbidden drake… : Sirius’s mindvoice was filled with doubt, and they sympathized with his concerns.

    : Do you trust me, bro? : the Fire Master suddenly asked, and Sirius nodded immediately. : Then take my word that Salazar Slytherin means no harm to your godson. The founder is just ensuring that Time would take on the path that it is supposed to take in the future. :

    Four of the males stared at the small woman sitting comfortably on her partner’s lap, seemingly unconcerned about the business with the founder. Her oathbrother took a deep breath then questioned her in a mindvoice so sober that was so intense that she had to wince. : Why are you so sure about that? :

    : Let’s just say that the real facts about the Slytherin founder, ‘The Greatest of Hogwarts Four’, : she made a face at that particular phrase, :-- are actually not so accurate. He did believe in the nonsense about pureblooded students and all, but was not as fanatically desiring to really perpetuate general murder on the Muggle-born students, : she answered with a small, sad smile. That seemed to multiply their questions and they bombarded her spontaneously.

    She gave each of them a sour look. : Why in hell are you asking me those questions? : She frowned at them. : That’s his personal business! You can’t really expect me to eavesdrop when he had that fight with the founder of Gryffindor? Who was-- or maybe is-- his best friend? : she asked, her mindvoice portraying her disdain at her companions. Somewhat to her surprise, Snape was looking at her with a horrified expression.

    "What?" she asked, sounding very annoyed.

    "Do you mean you were… there?" His voice was hushed and was almost drowned by the strong wind.

    "None of your business," she snapped out and they fell silent in the courtyard, with only the wind filling up the tranquillity.

**********

    "Montague!" Warrington managed to hold off a slab of brick from hitting an unprotected Quidditch captain. "Put a goddamn visible shield!" he yelled out in anger. "You’re giving me a heart attack every time that happens!"

    "All right!" Montague took a moment to cast a shield about himself, one that was reflecting his dark mood. It was understandable for he had not volunteered to rebuild the wing that had been destroyed by the giants. The School was practically racing against time to get the castle back to its original form. Aberforth and the house-elves were smiling with satisfaction as the castle regained its magical strength and whenever a student took a time to rest and stare blankly at the exterior of the castle, they could not help but feel awed by the aura of determination that the castle was emitting."Nagger…" Montague muttered under his breath and carefully levitated a huge square brick to where the house-elves indicated.

    "What did you say?" Warrington turned his head slightly to look at his friend.

    "Nothing!" Montague shouted, his brows creasing as he struggled to remain his control on levitating the heavy stone.

    "Let go!" a hovering house-elf shouted to the boy and Montague released his will.

    That was what the Headmaster had instructed the students and so half of them were helping in rebuilding the last bit of the castle, while the other half were practicing the Unbreakable Charm under Flitwick and McGonagall’s supervision. A selected number of students, along with Charlie and Kingsley, were going around testing the supposedly ‘unbreakable’ objects with various spellworks. It was near to lunchtime when McGonagall called for a halt and the students collapsed to get their breaths back. All too soon, she called them up again and this time she conjured up a huge hourglass and placed it at the direct center of the Hall.

    "Now, you will practice your charm on this fragile glass. I will be dividing you to groups of seven for if the hourglass takes much more than it can, it could possibly explode, so keep your shields up," Professor Flitwick piped up, looking sternly at the students. They sighed and the Head of Ravenclaw House began dividing the students up, with Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, a Hufflepuff by the name of Juliana Kleutz, Jude Howell and surprisingly, Ron’s older brother Charlie. It took a bit of time before they were all grouped and McGonagall began to call a name randomly for the group to practice with the huge hourglass.

**********

    Fenix, Remus, Sirius, Snape and his godson were going in into the Forest with seven of the elves to scout. The Potions Master had objected at the idea of bringing Draco along but Fenix shook her head stubbornly, so he kept a tight rein on his temper and crept right along with the rest of the group, trying to figure out what she was up to.

    They had spent most of their night yesterday studying Hagrid’s map of Hogwarts and they had concurred in agreement that all steps should be taken into consideration if they should come across the centaurs.

    "They are gettin’ less friendly each day," Hagrid had told them with a slight frown. "I don’t think bringin’ the boy is a good idea."

    According to their plan, they would divide themselves into four groups and try to cover as much ground as possible. Their main objectives were to get a feeling of the Forest, to find out the likeliest places where the giants could easily penetrate into the Forest and then to set traps, specifically for the giants. Fenix, Snape and Draco had Jumped several acres into the areas where the giants had crossed over to get to the castle. The trail was not exactly hard to spot for fallen trees were everywhere and she winced at the total destruction of the landscape. Her group was at their last checkpoint. A slight rumble from somewhere ahead of the group caused all of them to flatten themselves against the trees still available and tried to make themselves invisible.

    : It’s all right, : Snape spoke up. : It’s just a Ford Anglia. :

    : And why on earth was a car running about the Forest? :

    : Ask Ron. Anyway, the car won’t be causing us problems although it has gone feral, : Draco said indifferently. She motioned her two companions to remain silent and she stared at the flash of cyan among the gaps of trees and focused her attention at casting trip lines and bindings all over the area. She then gave a nod to Snape and Draco to cast the Specific Charm about the area. There was a slight tingle in the air and Remus’s company appeared beside her.

    : How is it going? : Cadriel asked, and the three gave the thumbs-up sign just as Sirius’s and Cyfel’s group appeared.

    Although the twelve people had covered the Forest with ease, the Forest was still the territory of the centaurs and other creatures. The elves might be silent but the centaurs too were masters at sneaking and their ease at surrounding the humans and the elves proved that. The sudden air that had seemed peaceful a moment ago became an eerie silence.

    The scouts knew that something was wrong, and Fenix and the elves circled the humans protectively, and just in time as a circle of arrows descended on them in all directions. A protective ring of Fire eliminated the arrows and the centaurs closed in on them. The forms of Fenix and Draco were pulsating with their own Fire, acting almost like a Defensive Charge. The elves did not draw out their weapons and watched the centaurs coolly.

    "Who are you?" Bane still had an arrow sighted on his longbow. He was directing the question at Fenix.

    "What does the truth matter to you?" Fenix replied as icily as she was feeling somewhat irritated. "Trivialities are none of your concern to your kind, isn’t that right?"

    "I see that the shunned one had been talking to you," Magorian spoke up, his voice cold. Fenix gave a chilling smile and the blue fire in her eyes flickered steadily.

    "There is no need for me to hear Firenze’s words. I’ve been around long enough to know about your kind," the Fire Master answered, stressing her words in sarcasm.

    "What impudence!" Bane hissed. "And you have brought the Unclean with you…" his eyes swept over to the elves, to their catlike eyes and sharp, pointed ears.

    "Wrong term. We are the Daonhe Sidhe," Cadriel, the Warrior and Elven mage corrected calmly, and smiled with satisfaction as the centaurs’ expression changed from unfriendly to disbelief. "I see you recognized the term. We are not as gone as you might think," he answered the centaurs’ unspoken question.

    "You smell strange to me, woman," Magorian addressed her, still armed with his bow, setting aside at the knowledge that their betters were still alive and thriving. "So you are not human after all." Remus’s eyes narrowed dangerously at the subtle insult.

    "The ones who only care about the future and trundles along toward it, are too small-minded to understand what I am," the Fire Master said almost in arrogance. "What? Can't your gifts tell you what I am?" She was quaking with disappointment inside. The millennia of separation between the two species that she had interacted frequently in her lives had drastically changed their thinking. While the Elves then were proud of their longevity, and the centaurs were shunned for they were magically bred by them, the Elves had shed their moments of arrogance and paid careful attention to the worlds they lived in, thus eventually making space for the centaurs to live as their own species. The centaurs now seemed to bask in their superiority at having seen the Future opened up before them and in their arrogance, the knowledge of the Past was forgotten.

    : Fenix, : Snape’s mindvoice was filled with disapproval, thinking that she was being tactless.

    The centaurs were enraged and loosed their arrows again. Wings flared out as the Fire Master changed into the Phoenix. The arrows disappeared in the maelstrom of Fire. Gasps of shock and disbelief came out from the band of centaurs. "It could not be," Bane whispered, his eyes taking on the brilliance of her Flames.

    "Our fight is not with you. Stay out of sight from the giants and Voldemort’s followers. And keep away from the trappings." The silver blue eyes stared at the leader. The centaurs silently edged away from the protective Phoenix to join their bandleader. The Phoenix closed her eyes and the centaurs disappeared into the depths of the Forbidden Forest.

    All the time during the verbal exchange, the Slytherin had been watching her carefully. Fenix was angry but did not let her Fire go out of control the way he did. Draco noticed one flaw he had. If Voldemort had been cleverer that fateful night, he and his followers could have avoided his burst of Fire completely, since his Fire was visible to the naked eye. There was nothing that could be taken for a signal when Fenix emerged in her brilliant form. Something stirred inside him as he watched Fenix taking a fraction of time to mold herself. That’s it! She simply imagined the form in her mind and her Fire simply took on its shape, and since it was the best of forms to choose, the Fire acts on its own by default. Draco stared at her wings protecting them. It had no feather-like structures; they were mainly made of fire. So why does it not burn me? He trailed his fingers across the flames.

    Her aura was not quite gone as they Jumped back to an area that was within sight of the castle. The company was silent as they walked slowly from the Forest. Snape kept giving her covert glances; his eyes were full of awe, while Remus held her hand, giving a smile full of wonder and warmth every single time she looked back at his face. Only Sirius and the elves acted as if nothing interesting had happened out there. Draco however, wore a contemplative look as they walked back. When he finally turned around to look at her, she gave him a slow wink.

    : I knew you were going to teach me that! : Draco triumphed and Snape winced a little at his godson’s exuberance. A lot of things fell together and resounded with an audible click as Draco knew how to keep his Fire in control, how to make it look like that his Fire was flickering at a constant state and how to transform himself. He knew that all the skills and weaknesses he needed to know about his form would come on the instant when he took his form. I wonder when she’ll allow me to experiment! The Slytherin was feeling so excited and temporarily forgotten that his stomach was complaining that Fenix had a hard time to control the happiness bubbling out of her.

**********

    The process of testing each group on the hourglass was slow going and by the time the instructors were satisfied with their progress, it was already one in the afternoon and Ron’s stomach made a really loud protest. The hourglass disappeared and the students breathed a giant sigh of relief.

    McGonagall cleared her throat to regain the hungry students’ attention. "After lunch, with the same groups, I will send you to different locations of the castle. Since you won’t be able to cast a spell outside the lower western part of the castle-- unless there is an unregistered Animagus here that could turn him or herself into a fish-- you will do it by entering the Chamber of Secrets…" Several gasps can be heard. Harry narrowed his eyes in speculation when the Transfiguration teacher gave him a direct glance, then he suppressed a gasp when he felt euphoria from Draco traveling through their oathbond.

    Hermione gave her friend an interested look but he shook his head slightly. There were several loud groans coming from the Entrance Hall, and the students who had undergone free labor for most of the morning trudged into the Great Hall tiredly. Warrington sprawled over on the floor where the Slytherins usually gathered and was soon joined by Montague and several others. "You would have thought the clouds would at least screen the sun!"

    "If you ask me, I would tell you that today is a weird autumn morning," Lee yelled out in agreement, as he fanned his face.

    "Lunch would be served shortly, so be good girls and boys and wash your hands," a voice belonging to a Sylph rang out in the Hall clearly. Some of the students looked indignantly around them for the source of the patronizing voice.

    By now, the students were all sprawled carelessly around the big Hall when the scouts came back from their brief mission. Fenix blinked her eyes in surprise, seeing the exhausted faces of the students. "What in the name of Taliesin happened to you?"

    "We can assure you it was nothing exciting…" Montague groaned.

**********

    They were all resting after lunch and Harry’s group waited impatiently for McGonagall to reach their group and assign them to a place, although Hermione told Harry confidently that they would be sent down to the Chamber. A brief flicker caught her attention and she quickly grabbed Harry’s right hand just as Alamanda was doing to Draco’s. The girl did so when she felt a strange contour as she lazily caressed his palm.

    "What is this?" both girls exclaimed at once but emerging from two different places. Harry just gave a shrug while Draco smiled mysteriously.

    "What have you got there, Manda?" Hermione asked the Slytherin girl, suddenly feeling suspicious. It couldn’t be as crazy as what I’m thinking right? Harry couldn’t have sworn a blood oath with Draco! Right? The sudden smiles that were on Sirius, Snape and Harry’s face made her turn doubtful.

    "It’s a star!"

    "Harry!" Hermione looked at her friend in shock. Ron was frowning at his girlfriend because he had no idea what the sudden excitement was about. His frown deepened when he saw a six-pointed star etched on his best friend’s palm. That looks familiar, like Sirius’s… He quickly jerked his head around to the Slytherins then felt his eyes widened and his mouth dropped in shock.

    "You must have gone bloody mental, Harry!" His voice was horrified.

    Hermione could not seem to contain her shock. Harry’s star was unlike Fenix’s and Sirius’s. Their star was an upright five-pointed one, to display that they were the users of White Magic. But what was on the palms of Harry and Draco was an identical ‘Mogen David’. Hermione found the star apt for her friends for they were both Magi. There was a deeper meaning to those stars than anyone else could guess, however. All Hermione could tell her friends-- including the bearers--was that now Harry’s life was intertwined with Draco’s to bring a more meaningful future to the wizarding world. Both of them would tread on the same sacred path toward their destiny and they would not be doing it alone.

    Harry looked at his oathbrother and cocked his head to a side as Draco commented that Hermione’s theory of the star was quite accurate. : How is that I’m having the feeling that you are still hiding something from me? : Harry’s suspicions carried over to the Slytherin.

    : Why would I do that? : his oathbrother asked innocently.

    : Probably for the fun of seeing me suffer, : Harry muttered his answer.

    : If you already know the answer then why are you wasting your energy asking me? : Draco said loftily, and Harry could not resist taking a leaf out of Fenix’s book by sending a sharp burst of energy down the mind-link. That ended up with Draco wincing from the mindslap. The rest of them, including McGonagall, had to come to terms that the two former enemies had suddenly become brothers. Draco’s gang was staring stupidly at their leader while Alamanda was happily kissing him on his cheek.

    McGonagall finally came up to Hermione and informed the young girl that her team would be going down to the Chamber. "You are lucky that, that part of the castle is the easiest to charm." McGonagall however did not explain why and left Hermione’s group abruptly, leaving the group to stare at the Transfigurations teacher in puzzlement.

**********

~ Chapter 38: Salazar ~

In Moaning Myrtle’s Bathroom…

The group of seven people were waiting for Harry to successfully communicate with the sink using the Parseltongue language. To their relief, the ghost of the girl that had been killed by the basilisk fifty years ago was not around as they stood in the middle of the bathroom. After a couple of false tries, Harry finally succeeded in opening the sink again using his gift of reptilian speech. Their group looked down at the gaping hole and Ginny sighed. "I never thought that I would step foot in there again. No help for it I guess." She started to place her legs into the pipe when Charlie shook his head, clearly intending to go down first. She complied and while the rest were waiting for a signal that all was clear from the dragon rider, Harry wondered just how on earth they would get back up.

    "We’re around you know," Aelwyn spoke up, making those who had not expected company, jump in surprise.

    "Thanks," he answered gratefully and a spark of green light burst out of the pipe. "Let’s go!" He grinned to his group members.

    They slid through the pipe and got to the damp pavement without any problems at all, but Ron and Ginny were staring at the ceiling critically. Charlie gave a lopsided grin and flicked his wand and pointed it to the seemingly ruined ceiling.

    "So where do you reckon we should cast the spell en bloc?" Ron asked, looking at Hermione and then at Harry.

    "The most logical place will be in the Chamber," Hermione replied and they waited for Harry to take the lead. The place smelled damp and was lighted dimly with the light that seemed to be coming from the walls.

    Halfway through their journey to get to the Chamber, something blocked their way and Harry felt the blood drain from his face. "Fenix?" Ginny asked incredulously, not knowing why the Fire Master was down at this level. The Fire Master stood motionless and both Ron and Hermione lighted up their wands. The students looked at her with shock. Her eyes were cold and her face was melancholy.

    "Why did you let him die?" she rasped. "Why did you let us all die?" She began laughing bitterly. Harry took a deep breath and spoke out aloud.

    "Stop playing games with me, Voldemort," he said firmly. The person they thought that was Fenix hissed in anger. "You should try and say something more different. Or maybe do a little bit of research. The Fire Master isn’t the type who dwells on things that are no longer present nor is she one who gives a bean about Death."

    "I don’t think it is a good idea to tell Fenix that someone had been trying to impersonate her," Charlie said, looking at the phantom with a bored expression.

    "I’m not too sure about that but let’s keep it as a secret first," Ginny agreed. "She might see it as a personal insult."

    "What should we do about that?" Jude pointed at the phantom with his wand. The ‘thing’ that was controlled by Voldemort was muttering under its breath, something about Fenix obtaining a mortal wound but yet survived.

    "We’ll take care of it." Krill’s deep voice echoed menacingly around them. In a matter of seconds, there was a loud bang and Fenix’s mindvoice yelled into Harry’s mind.

    : Are you all right? You are? Then, what was that? : The Fire Master sounded very relieved.

    : It’s just a Boggart, Fenix. That was Hermione’s stallion doing the sound effects, : Harry lied quickly.

    : Don’t give me a heart attack, Harry, : Sirius’s mindvoice joined in. : I’m not getting younger by the second. : Harry gave a sigh of relief when they withdrew their presence. He narrowed his eyes at the spot where the phantom had been.

    "Krill, next time do give us a little bit of warning," he muttered. "I don’t want any white hairs to sprout over my jet-black ones yet."

    "I had no bloody idea that he was vain," Ron kept a straight face as he said it. Conversation died as they walked onwards and finally came to the doors that sealed the Chamber. Harry made a hissing noise and the doors parted to reveal the Chamber. All of them were expecting a horrible stench to hit them and held their breaths but nothing of the sort happened. The Chamber still had that eerie greenish glow and Harry motioned everyone in. There was no sign of a dead basilisk anywhere in the chamber. Hermione went straight to the stone face of the founder of Slytherin then gave a shriek when two knights popped out of the figurine, clearly engaged in a sword fight and remained hovering five feet from the ground as their swords clashed.

    She jumped out of the way and watched the founders of Slytherin and Gryffindor in an almost hysterical amusement. Ron’s mirth however seemed to have gotten out of control and his laughter was loud enough to inform the two knights that they were not alone for the moment. The others were finding it hard to keep their faces straight as they stared at the ridiculous sculpture, and suddenly remembered his face when he had taken off his helm after the Sorting Ceremony. They began trying to mentally compare the two different images. Now that he had the time to think about it, Harry found the image on the stone was rather ridiculous.

    "I wonder which of his face is real." Ron chortled and the eyes behind Salazar’s visor twinkled mischievously.

    "I’m sure if you ask him," Salazar jerked his mailed fist over at his sparring partner, "he would say that I resemble an ape more than a superior wizard or a humanoid. So if you want to know which is the real me, I suggest you pester the Fire Master. She would either answer in two ways: either she tells the truth or she would just tell you to go to the dogs." He winked at Ron.

    "We can chat later," Hermione said and went back to stand before the mask. "I think this is a good place to cast the charm."

    "Good hunch, little one," Godric complimented and she thanked him with her winsome smile. They agreed and began to spread out in a semicircle, with Hermione as their center. The two founders watched the students-- plus one ex-student-- with pride as their Unbreakable Charms began to spread in all direction, to join the ones the students had cast above their floor to form a latticework of spells. Hopefully, Voldemort would not have the time to find out about the weakness of the charm.

    "Good job, everyone! Ten points each for all of you!" Charlie said brightly and Ron gave him a quick punch at his shoulder.

    "As if you have the authority to give us points!" His younger brother snorted but Charlie just gave him a sidelong look.

    "Why don’t we go up and look at the hourglasses?"

    Hermione looked around and shrugged to herself. "Well, we’re done! Let’s go back up!" The two founders exchanged glances, with the founder of Slytherin opening his mouth several times to speak up but in the end gave a mournful sigh.

    "Wait…" Harry was peering up at the stone mask. For the first time, he noticed that there was something different about the mold. An impression was created at the base of Slytherin’s chin. His left hand reached for the crystal that he kept in his pocket after his godfather advised that he would need it to uncover why he was the Heir. Taking the bait firmly, Harry had fished the crystal out of his trunk where he kept most of his things. He took his wand into his left hand and with the blue crystal in his right, he began to will the crystal to float up and tried to fit the crystal into the impression. The two female founders of Hogwarts appeared and they drifted closer to Harry, pushing Ron nearer to Harry. The founders completely cut off the boys from everyone else and Hermione frowned at them, filled to the brim with suspicion.

    "You’ve got the crystal upside down, Harry," Helga Hufflepuff pointed out gently as Harry tried to fit the crystal into the hollow space.

    "Oh…" Harry muttered absently and with a slight twist of his wand, he deftly turned the crystal and almost as if the stone face was a magnet and his crystal was metal, it was sucked in and fitted into the carving nicely. The instant the almost-flat crystal became one with the stone face, the Chamber suddenly froze and all sounds became muted. He turned around to see both Hermione and Charlie frowning at them, and stared in amusement at Ginny’s suspended movement. Ron examined them with a peculiar expression on his face, which he quickly dropped when a great roaring noise filled the entire chamber.

    Both of them covered their ears with their hands but the noise was still too loud and they winced when it screeched to a high pitch. It went on to a higher pitch, and higher until it reached the frequency that was simply too high for both of the boys to hear. They put their hands down and stared at the chamber when the light began to change from an eerie green glow to an ethereal hazy golden light. Harry began wondering at what had happened to the founders who had been directly behind him just a minute ago.

    The room quavered almost fluidly and Ron looked terrified. "Harry! What’s going on?" His friend had no time to answer him when Harry felt his stomach heave. He opened his eyes to find that he and Ron were no longer in the Chamber. They seemed to be in somebody’s quarters of some kind, though the furniture in the room was sparse. They could see a cot, a small cupboard, and two armchairs at one corner of the room. There was also a dark-brown office desk facing the window but was unoccupied for the moment. "I think we’re in some sort of a time travel," Harry said dubiously to his friend.

    "Bloody hell! Hermione is not going to like this…" Ron grimaced and then tugged at Harry’s sleeve when a figure slowly materialized. It was a man-- or maybe wizard-- given that his robes were much like Dumbledore used to wear, only that it seemed much more ancient. The robes were of a gray color but when the wind blew around the room and the robes moved a little, the fabric glittered. The two boys slowly began to move towards the window and as they came closer, they were able to see that the room they were in, was at least several levels above the ground floor, for it had a nice view of the giant lake.

    The two Gryffindors stood close to each other as they cautiously examined the wizard’s face. It was lined and wrinkled. His eyebrows, hair and beard were a mixture of black, gray and total white. Although aged, the man still held the handsome features of his youth, especially his eyes and lips. His deep emerald green eyes held great sadness though, and the two boys somehow had the feeling that they were intruding on something personal.

    "Ric had died today…" the wizard spoke softly, making the boys jump in surprise.

    "Is he talking to us? Or himself?" Ron whispered, but Harry indicated that he had no idea. Now that they were aware of the wizard’s melancholy, they fidgeted uneasily, waiting for the aged wizard to speak. The wizard clearly was unaware of their presence and he rambled on softly.

    "Wen, did not even let me see him… before he died…" A tear dropped onto the gray sleeve. "Even gentle Helga forbade me from going to see him…" His green eyes studied the expanse of the summer sky with deep sadness. "It was just as well… I don’t think it would have been safe for me to watch him die. I might go mad…He was still young… why did I not go first? I’m at least two decades older than he is…" he whispered bitterly. "But I could not. My task remains unfinished…" He turned his head slightly so that his eyes pierced through Harry’s. "But it would be… if you are hearing my words, Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. Great chaos would trundle upon the lands of the wizards and the normal human beings in centuries to come. The Future is fluid, changing its paths every so often by the small and great deeds-- both good and bad-- by the living. Not the Dead." The man stopped and smiled briefly as a hummingbird of deep green and hues of red hovered at the window, chattering at the wizard."The course to the most benign future will be altered desperately by one of my own, the one they call Voldemort, or Tom Marvolo Riddle. He and a group of people had twisted my very teachings of magic," he spoke without looking at Harry.

    "It’s strange how rumors over a long period of time could become facts… in history books," the wizard said with dry amusement, and chuckled."My friends are unaware that I have the gift of Sight. But unlike most Seers, I could only See what could happen in the distant Future. So I know that the facts that was written about me had inspired some people to take on my views to the extreme." He gave a great sigh.

    "It’s strange on how one could go when one has the need to mend his blunders. I had made the most grievous mistake I could have ever done in my life… short as it may be… I do believe in teaching those born purely out of wizard blood, for they have a higher success in becoming great teachers but I guess I was short-sighted." He stared again at Harry.

    "But even wizards have their own fanatics, those who study the Dark Magicks wanted to use their knowledge to bring themselves into Power, or alter the normal course of Nature or Time. Others used it for petty things, like maintaining your youth. To do that, you have to kill seventeen virgin girls and drink their blood." The wizard snorted derisively. "No matter if we are the bearers of Magick, we could not consider ourselves superior to the normal humankind. For God did not give us the gifts so that we could escape, from love, life, sorrow, pain and death. Our fundamentals are still those of a human, suffering from the same diseases and illnesses, suffering from the same emotions." His eyes twinkled gently in amusement. "And we are the kind of people who find it easier to become imbalance mentally."

    "If some writer or philosopher had heard me say this, I dare say that wizards who wants to create a superior batch of humans who are resistant to diseases and let’s say-- immortality-- would spring up. They simply do not understand the first instant why they have the gift. Actually, I don’t think I do either." He smiled faintly. "Though one thing is for sure. I do not want a blood bath to occur because of my views and opinions of teaching pureblooded generation. You would think that Voldemort was smart enough to know that that didn’t matter to the School anymore. He did got into Slytherin, didn’t he? Being half-blooded didn't stop the Hat from choosing him into the House. And it's not because my blood flows in him, either." The wizard pursed his lips in distaste.

    "So rather than making you, or your friends search the history books to find out what I really want, I will just tell you. It’s accurate but it’s up to you how you want to process what I’m going to say. You, as my Heir-- it would be rather thorny if Voldemort was to find out that I had cast him out of the succession line, wouldn’t it?" The wizard cleared his throat. "I’m not forcing you to do this, but I want to make sure that you have a goal to achieve, rather than flounder about in Life trying to think of something meaningful to do. Think of it as an incentive to overcome the situation about Voldemort."

    The wizard stepped forward, gazing levelly at Harry. "A new School must be founded, one that is one and not divided as it is with Hogwarts Four. Your generation would be the one to lead this new foundation of new teachings. And you won’t be doing it alone. Try to get everything ready by the time there’s a new Potions Master, and you could start from there. Don’t worry about stealing ideas from the current Headmaster though, because I am sure that he understands why I had given this instruction to you."The sadness returned and filled his eyes.

    "That does not mean that Hogwarts would go into disuse though, and keep reminding the current Headmaster that, wouldn’t you? You have to do this because if you succeed in prodding the Present to go into the right Future, certain progenies would be in need to study the new and the old ways of Magick. Especially the ones by the Phoenix and the werewolf. Those coming from that pair would be a great handful to handle, and I think it would be rivaled by the one by the Dragon and the healer. And tell her I miss her by the way, you know to whom I am referring to. And you--" The wizard suddenly focused on his best friend.

    Ron stared stupidly at the wizard. Harry scowled and blurted out. "What is the feather for?" The wizard looked strangely surprised that the boy had spoken.

    "How remarkable! I did not remember designing the crystal to allow you to speak to me!" He laughed brightly. "Well, it’s a magical quill for legislative purposes and it has some other uses. Although I doubt that you would need it since you would be having his wife," he was looking directly at Ron, and continued, "and several others to help you in registering for the new school compounds and so forth." The wizard narrowed his eyes speculatively then strode over to his desk and pulled a drawer. He finally got out a scroll with a black ribbon tied to secure it.

    He went back to the two boys and unrolled the scroll for them to see and they felt their eyes widened as a silver-eyed Fenix, dressed up in the Slytherin’s school robe staring out from the parchment in amusement. "I had made her stand for three straight hours after her graduation to sketch this. Would you please do me a favor? Tell the right eye of the stone face to open up and give whatever that’s ejected out to her, please? I never did get around to send her those things." He smiled plaintively as he rolled the parchment back and kept it inside the drawer. There was a knock on the door, and a handsome-faced Rowena Ravenclaw, though her eyes were puffy, stepped in. She paused when she saw the two forms of the Gryffindors.

    "Salz?" she said tiredly, her lips quivering and the Gryffindors looked at each other easily.

    "In a moment, Wen," the wizard said softly. The two Gryffindors felt it wise not to look at the founder of Ravenclaw as they heard her sobbed in despair. "This is what you have to do. Think back on the exact instant on how the Chamber looked like before you heard the shrieking noise. Can you do that?" The boys nodded and the wizard smiled. "Then, get going…" His eyes stared penetratingly with Harry’s green ones. The boys thought how the Chamber had looked and found themselves back with their friends. But the founders were missing. Instead, there were four bulbs of misty silver floating about the room.

    "There is no need for us to linger any further, Harry," the voice belonging to Salazar spoke up. "I’m counting on you to make the future a better place for all of us." They were suddenly gone and normal conversation and Time resumed to its normal course.

    Hermione looked at her friends curiously and looked around for the founders. Where had they gone? What happened? And why is Ron crying? The two boys were indeed crying. Ron gave a sniff and said in a hoarse voice. "So… how are you going to open the right eye? It’s quite a way up."

    "I don’t think I have to go up there and tell it to open." Harry examined the stone face critically.

    "All right, you two," Hermione said dangerously, brandishing her wand in a threatening manner. "What in the world had happened? And where are the founders?"

    "It’ll take a little too long to explain, Hermione," Ron said patiently then unexpectedly blushed when he fully realized the true meaning of Salazar’s warning. Triplets? At one go? He examined his partner’s rather slender figure. But she’s so small! Hysteria was bubbling inside him.

    "And why are you looking at me like that?" Hermione wailed, her eyes pleading while the rest crowded in to question the two Gryffindors.

    "Right eye of Slytherin…" Harry hissed in the reptilian language. His brows creased as he concentrated hard on his gift. "Open!" And the right eye of the stone blinked once then opened and several objects flew out of the air. The last object to fly out was a package wrapped in top quality black silk and the eye shut itself automatically.

    "He certainly had quite a few of things to give to her." Ron looked around the Chamber and counted that there were at least twelve objects that had scattered about the room. "Well, let’s go and pick them up and then--" Hermione began to protest but it died when both Ron and Harry stared at her in determination. "Then we can explain what all of this is about… but it’s up to Harry if he wants to tell you all of it. Don’t forget the crystal, Harry. You will need that feather."

    His friend gave a lopsided smile. "I seem to have forgotten to ask him how I should retrieve the quill from the crystal. No matter." He concentrated hard and willed the crystal to pop out of the impression and it was a good thing he caught it quick before it had the chance to hit the ground. "Let’s go then, and nobody open anything. Those are meant for Fenix."

**********

    They all seemed to be busy listening to Harry and Ron about the conversation with the founder of Slytherin. The two boys had silently agreed not to mention anything about Voldemort or Salazar’s capability at seeing the distant future. They remained strictly on the subject of Slytherin’s intention of building a new school and Dumbledore seemed a little surprised at that. Ron reassured that Hogwarts would still function, hinting that the new school-- if that could happen-- would be teaching a whole odder bunch of people, while giving Hermione, Alamanda and Fenix very sly looks.

    The Fire Master ignored him, and the rest of them, as she sat on her pallet and carefully opened Salazar’s gifts to her one by one. Most of them were various accessories for her ears, hair, and a couple of bracelets and necklaces. Except for the parcel wrapped in silk. McGonagall, after hearing from the boys that all the objects that they brought with them were all for the Fire Master, hovered curiously. Fenix did not mind that and then blushed when she saw what the parcel contained. It was a wedding dress-- although you would not know unless you happened to live in the first thirty decades after the Hogwarts Four had been founded, the style was greatly favored by the Celtic ladies. And there was a note attached to it: Don’t let me down and not wear it on your wedding day. I may not be there to see it, but I still want you to be dressed like a woman for once. Fenix’s eyes watered and she wiped them away in irritation. "Stupid old goat."

    The teaching staff looked at her quizzically, wondering just whom she was referring to. She had moved on to untie the black ribbon holding several pieces of parchment and was distracted for a moment when a small piece of parchment fell out just as she began unrolling the scrolls. She read it silently: Well, if you received this… then I guess Time is going where it should. So guide It well, beloved. Fenix reread the note twice and sighed. Not letting go of the strange note, she picked one of the parchments and as she had expected, it was a sketch, of her against the background of the Forbidden Forest. She bowed her head down and tears began to fall silently. "He didn’t stick around to say goodbye, didn’t he?" she whispered. Harry and Ron stayed silent, watching Remus going to her. "Stupid, idiotic wizard."

    : He just told me to say that he loves you. : Harry sent his thought and she gave a long sigh.

    "Just as well. Both of us were never really good at greetings or farewells, believe it or not." Fenix sighed, finally smiling a little and began to study all the other sketches, allowing Remus to hold her as she tried to remember the instances when Salazar had sketched her images.

    Harry was looking at the Fire Master curiously. So she was a student at Hogwarts, and a Slytherin to boot. I wonder how she lived her life back then. It must be pretty interesting…

**********

~ Chapter 39: The Latest News ~

Saturday, 10^th November. Four thirty-six in the morning…

The Great Hall was filled with the light snores of the students and the teaching staff of Hogwarts who had preferred to mingle with the students although it was no longer necessary for them to do so. Only Aberforth, Moody, Charlie and the whole bunch of fourteen elves were up, roaming around the silent corridors of the castle with the ghosts of Hogwarts. Dumbledore was closed in his office with Kingsley, discussing on their future actions. Even the poltergeist was influenced by the activities that were occurring in the school. He nowadays was much disinclined to play any pranks on anyone, preferring to skulk about the castle with the Bloody Baron, reporting even a straying Boggart to the students.

    While Fenix and the rest were out to scout again in the afternoon on the previous day, Harry and Hermione had rearranged all their pallets to form a big rectangular bed for all of them. They had no choice but to sleep in together, much like the night when they first arrived at Hogwarts, going straight up to the Room of Requirement. Aldren, who was standing guard at the great doors, occasionally peeked into the Hall. His keen eyesight picked out Fenix’s face, half-buried on Remus’s torso, with her oathbrother’s arm carelessly resting on her waist, with the two wolves curled up behind their heads. Then, there was the ridiculously, good-humored Potions Master, sandwiched in between Harry and his godson, who had totally ignored his godfather’s gentle rebuke and invited Alamanda to sleep with him. Out of the ten people sleeping together, Draco’s hair was distinctive among them all, since Alamanda had auburn hair and a majority of them have the same jet-black hair like Harry’s.

    The elf smiled to himself and returned to his former position. He took a deep breath then began focusing on his attention to hear the sounds echoing all about the castle. He was able to hear the whispers of the ghosts coming from down the dungeons then scowled when he heard a rush of wings coming from the courtyard. It’s a little too early for post, isn’t it? His question was answered in a matter of seconds when flying bodies emerged to head straight for the Hall. Hundreds of owls swooped into the Hall and began dropping off envelopes and Aldren winced when both the Creevey brothers had parcels dropped onto their faces.

    There were several grunts and moans of pain echoing all over the Hall, and Fenix’s group was woken up when Hermione gave a startled yelp when something landed on her chest. "What is it?" Ron said sleepily when he felt Hermione left his side. He was distracted when an envelope fell onto his face. Magical candles began appearing and slowly, activity spread around the room, though there were more grumbles than puzzlement at being woken up.

    "Does anyone have a few coins?" Hermione said worriedly as the post-owl waited patiently. The males all fished out several Knuts and tossed it to her, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Fenix was the only one who did not receive anything but they were all surprised when Draco received a parcel. Snape raked his fingers through his black hair while he scanned the letters he received, most were reply letters from drugstores and his own circle of Potions Masters.

    : Hold it, Draco. Who sent that? : the boy’s godfather inquired suspiciously.

    : I have no idea, sir, : the Slytherin replied, frowning a little as he checked the parcel for any kind of notes, but there were none. Snape was about to reach for the parcel when Hermione gave a gasp.

    : Don’t open that parcel yet, : he instructed his godson firmly as an owl hovered and dropped a copy of the Daily Prophet, and he began to count his coins before depositing them in the small pouch that was attached to one of its legs. The newspaper headlines caught his attention immediately: The Dark Lord launches his attacks on the other Wizarding Schools.

    : What in Heaven’s name? : Snape was shocked.

    Sirius was even more stupefied that the Potions Master was. : How on earth did Voldemort manage to gather enough followers to hit the Schools badly? : By now, the School was awake and students huddled in groups as they read the recent happenings of the outside world.

    Fenix crawled over to the Potions Master’s side and leaned over, reading the small prints with no difficulty at all. She was dissatisfied however; the report held no substantial evidence of how the Schools were attacked. : From what I know, both from research and from what Hermione had told me, the Durmstrang Castle is situated in a good defensive position. So how is it that they were invaded so easily, and had received the highest number of casualties? Durmstrang is quite an impressive and strict school; they should have been prepared and mobilized. :

    The group was silent as Fenix made her observation known to them. "I wonder if he’s all right?"

    "You mean Krum?" the Fire Master asked gently and the girl gave a small nod. Fenix tilted her head and bid her Sylph to gather information. : It seems that Voldemort’s plans are fairly extensive. I wonder how his followers had managed to creep up without my peers getting to know about them, and the Elementals are absolutely horrified by their own slow respond. : Her mindvoice was grave.

    : Don’t blame yourself, Fenix. As to how Durmstrang managed to achieve the highest rate of casualties, : her partner’s mindvoice was gentle, : I think it’s because of Karkaroff and also the school has the reputation of teaching their own students the Dark Arts. :

    : You’re trying to say that the ex-students attacked their own school? : Fenix said in a somewhat surprised tone.

    : Who knows, : Remus shrugged, and continued to speak. : Only they know the exact location of the school, and if they had been really aware of Voldemort’s intent on resurrection, they could have noted the school’s weaknesses. :

    Fenix’s eyes took on a distant focus when an Air Master contacted her. She frowned because her friend was overextending herself to reach her. : Nighthawk, drop the connection. I’ll establish contact with you via the fireglass. : Her friend’s relief flowed down the mind-link and released the connection.

    "What’s up?" Ron asked curiously but she shook her head, crawling back to where she had been sleeping and sat down, staring at a point ahead of her with fierce concentration. A spherical ball of red fire appeared and hardened to the texture of a crystal ball, but they were still able to see the fire flickering hotly. The crystal darkened then finally sharpened to reveal a pretty woman in her prime with long blonde hair and crystal blue eyes.

    "Okay, what’s the news?" Fenix asked the woman anxiously.

    "Let me introduce myself. My name is Nighthawk, Air Master of Hammerfest. Well, the boy-- ah-- I believe that the full name is Krum, Viktor? He’s all right, extremely lucky because he is one of my many nephews, and fully under the protection of an Earth Elemental mage. So, going back to you, Fenix. As far as the investigation had gone, Durmstrang was not personally attacked by You-Know-Who, relying heavily on his bunch of fanatics. I do not wish to alarm you, but somehow, You-know-who has managed to get something like a Fire Elemental to terrorize and managed to burn some of the students to death."

    "What?" Fenix gasped, feeling as if she had suddenly lost her balance and was falling from a great height.

    "My Sylph is not exactly sure of what the creatures were. They were certainly not Fire Djins. Hold on a sec--" Nighthawk squinted in the distance, then a frown began to descend on her pretty face. "All right, they were not Elementals at all…" Her eyes narrowed again. "As far as one Fire mage was able to tell, they are not, nor do the Salamanders recognize them."

    "Describe them, if you can…" Fenix instructed.

    "I’m not sure because the witness-- one of the survivors from the attack-- only described the ‘thing’ as a tall pillar of flame. It doesn’t have a pair of hands; he described it as ‘dozens of tentacles snapped out forward to grasp then pull’ the victim to the main body of fire." Nighthawk looked apologetically at the Fire Master.

    Fenix stared thoughtfully at the crystal, then nodded absently. "Were there any giants?" But Nighthawk shook her head. "Do you guys need help?"

    "No, that’s unnecessary. The Dryads and the brownies are dealing with the situation expertly. They’re angry by the way. If we’re not careful, these guys might decide to join you in the war with Voldemort."

    "If they happen to request that, tell them I said no. If they’re not happy, they could always send up a petition to Him," Fenix told her and exchanged their farewells before the fire began to pulsate and the image of the Air Master wavered, then vanished. During the conversation, some of the other students had drifted into the group, looking at the spherical fireball curiously, and gasped when it suddenly vanished.

    Fenix caught sight of Luna, whose eyes were wide open and looking at her with apprehension. "I think they were Heliopaths."

    "There is no such thing as a Heliopath," Hermione said in aggravation and several nods echoed around. Neville looked dubious and everyone stared at Fenix when she frowned, repeating the word ‘Heliopath’ several times.

    I feel as if I have heard this from somewhere… but where? She felt that she was nearing the answer but it evaded her and snapped out of her reverie when the hair at the back of her neck began to rise and her arms began to tingle.

    "Your father was a fool to have disowned you…" All wands were instantly out and all of them sprung up to their feet. Draco was looking at the parcel with hatred. "An early birthday gift for you, Draco. You did me no great service by trying to burn me, however." The voice began to laugh and they felt chilled by the insanity that was present in his laughter.

    It seemed to Fenix that her Salamanders were terribly angered by the Dark Lord that they had disappeared with the parcel, and a loud explosion occurred somewhere down in the sub-levels. Fenix frowned when her group of Salamanders and her Sylphs returned, blackened and covered with soot. "Don’t say anything," Krill said when she began to ask.

    "It’s just as well. I thought Voldemort had sent you your father’s head, but well, others confirmed that Lucius’s still his right-hand man," Aelwyn remarked, casually shaking herself of the dust. "But I’m sorry for the dungeon though; blew up quite a few things."

    "Not my class surely!" Snape’s eyes were wide, as he thought of his store cupboard and research materials.

    : Sev, don’t insult them. I don’t think they’re stupid enough to open the dubious parcel in any of the important rooms, : Fenix said lightly, and the Potions Master breathed a huge sigh of relief. She turned to her chief Elemental. : Are you guys all right? : All of them nodded. She looked about the Hall and gave a crooked smile as she watched the disgruntled faces of sleepy students. "It’s still a little too early for you guys to be up and functioning," she said rather loudly and there were several agreements and grumbles. "Why don’t you go and get some more sleep?" the Fire Master suggested and most of the boys complied, with Montague being the first one to fling himself back on his pallet, covering his face with a pillow.

    The rest followed suit and the magical candles faded slowly. The adults remained awake, half-expecting to be summoned by the Headmaster. Dumbledore did send Moody to get them for a meeting but just as the ex-Auror appeared at the great doors of the Hall, some of the Fire Master’s Elementals reported that the Minister, Mr. Fudge was on his way to the boathouse with four Aurors. She relayed the information to her company, Moody included, and she instructed Snape, Sirius and Remus to go ahead to Dumbledore’s office while she and the Ex-Auror fetch the Minister. Wordlessly, the two wolves got up and stretched then deftly maneuvered their way around the pallets and sleeping students and waited with Moody.

    Draco and Harry looked expectantly at the group of adults and in the dim light, they saw Fenix’s sly wink and they smiled roguishly as they accepted her invitation that she would report anything of interest back to them. : I don’t think she’ll tell us everything though. : Draco turned his head to his side to look at his oathbrother, who nodded in agreement. The Slytherin shifted a little as he adjusted to Alamanda who was curling up beside him again. He gave an absent kiss on her head then turned back to look at Harry.

    : Don’t you think it is weird for Fudge to come here personally? It’s quite a huge risk… : his oathbrother observed, his green eyes reflecting the light of the false sky gently.

    : Who knows? : Draco almost shrugged but decided not to, for fear of disturbing the girl who was sleeping beside him.

**********

    Nothing exciting happened as Moody and Fenix escorted the group into the castle. Winky appeared when the Fire Master touched the ground and she gratefully handed the Ice Dagger to the willing house-elf. When they headed up to the Headmaster’s office, Snape was waiting calmly by the door, his black eyes gleaming calmly as he studied the form of the Minister. The Potions Master moved away to allow the group to enter.

    : A bit of warning, here. The Headmaster and his brother are angry at something, : Snape informed her and she tilted her head up and looked inquiringly at the Potions Master.

    : What about? :

    : I think you’ll understand the consequences better than we could, : he answered as he guided Fenix into the room. There were several puffs and chairs magically popped out of thin air, and the Aurors sat gratefully down on it, dignity forgotten as they slumped in their chairs.

    McGonagall was conjuring up five mugs of hot chocolate for the sudden visitors, all looking very haggard. Fenix was attending to one of the Aurors, a handsome Japanese guy, one by the name of Aoshi. He had a severe burn in his arm and she casually took a stool and sat down beside him, deftly severing the tattered sleeve of his shirt and began Healing him. It surprised the Minister greatly, for he did not recognize her, not remembering that it had been she who had responded to the call for help, when St. Mungo’s was in trouble. Moody did not introduce her to him and it suited the Fire Master well.

    "So Cornelius," the Headmaster began, peering cautiously at the man sitting before his desk, "what has happened that had made you come all the way here, perilously risking your lives?" Dumbledore leaned back in his great chair and scratched Fawkes’s chin absently. His voice was surprisingly cool although his eyes that looked at the Minister were firm. All eyes were on the Minister, except for Fenix who was still concentrating on Aoshi’s burn.

    Aberforth spoke up, sneering slightly. "Please do not tell us that you had really raised up an army of Heliopaths and then say that they have gotten loose of the Ministry controls and fled straight into Voldemort’s arms." Fudge flinched at the ancient man’s words; his face paled and began shaking. Aberforth and Moody’s laughter was filled with sarcasm. "You never learn, do you, Cornelius? We had advised you against using Dementors, and I assume that you had let the dogs go to hell in pursue of your research project on the Heliopaths?" The smile on Aberforth’s face vanished, looking soberly at the Minister.

    It really came as a surprise to Fenix and the others who had gathered in the Headmaster’s office when Aberforth’s fist came up and the Minister collapsed against a sidewall, looking horrified and dazed at the same time. Fenix finished Healing the injured man and gave an arch look at the oldest man in the room. Despite his ancient looks, he still had the strength of his youth and looked quite like a man who had just got a taste of the exhilaration that came during a tavern fight.

    "Word had gotten out that some, who are working in the Ministry, are actually bending the rules about rearing Dark Creatures," Dumbledore told those of them who had gathered. "Why don’t you explain it? Since you were the one who processed that information." He gazed at his older brother, who was looking at the dazed Minister with dislike.

    "The exact origins of the Heliopath are not known. But they have existed for several centuries now, only that they were very rare, to be found in the hottest of sulfur springs and active volcanoes," Aberforth said in a serious tone, lighting up his smoke pipe and to his amusement, Fenix moved to another part of the room, well away from smoky fumes and opened the windows.

    : Take note, Moony. It seems like your sweetheart does not approve of smoking, : Sirius remarked to his best friend.

    "However, a research group had been altering some things and the unidentified creatures were now termed Heliopaths; because that is what they are. Essence of fire moderated to become killing machines. Magick cannot work on them by the way." He paused as he smoked his pipe and Dumbledore continued.

    "Unfortunately, that’s not all. After years of generation, they seemed to have multiplied quickly-- I have no idea how they got them to breed-- and the intelligence network had discovered that they had evolved in a way the experimenters had not imagined."

    Fenix subjected a level gaze at the Headmaster and then stared icily at Fudge, who had just gotten up to his feet and was straightening his robe. The windows began to crack and Sirius abruptly left the office. The Fire Master stared at the entrance where her oathbrother had left and examined the damaged window directly behind her. She stared at it in concentration and the hairline cracks vanished in an instant, whereas McGonagall, Snape and Remus moved around the office, muttering ‘Reparo’ under their breaths. Is he implying what I think he is implying? She was not aware that she was clenching her right fist so tightly that her nails had cut deep into her palm. Remus moved toward her quickly, screening her off from the Minister and conjured up a strip of sterile cloth and bandaged it for her.

    "Albus…" Fenix spoke up, her voice cold. "Are you saying that these people had been messing around with Dark Magic?" The Aurors looked at her and the Headmaster in confusion but the Minister’s eyes told the Fire Master all that she needed to know. Her oathbrother returned with a murderous look, and Snape was the one who had to stop him from taking his turn at the Minister. She took a deep breath to calm herself down.

    Dumbledore just gave the Minister one glance and then he was dismissed. He turned to the Aurors and told them-- not the Minister-- that he would undertake the investigation and ways to stop them due to the necessity of securing their lives. "Fenix, do you mind… doing…"

    : I could… but these blokes would not remember a single thing about Gating, though. I’m not about to start some people on research on tampering with Gates and Time. Don’t be surprised if you get fined by those controlling the Floo Network, in the next few minutes or so, : she told the Headmaster privately and he gave her a nod. Fenix gave a mental request to her Elementals to find a suitable doorframe for her to build a portal.

    : You guys, : Fenix looked pointedly at Kingsley, Moody, Aberforth, Sirius, Snape and Remus, : can you help me herd these guys along? :

    : Where are we taking them? : Snape asked curiously as Kingsley whispered softly to his colleagues and Fudge.

    : Somewhere suitable. By the way, please build up a net all about the room. I don’t want any house-elves to blunder into the room by accident, : she communicated to her chief Elemental.

    She took the lead then, carefully following her Sylphs to the referred room. After her Elementals had secured the room, she began building the shield as she instructed her friends to stay back. Fudge was looking suspiciously at her rigid form, unmoving and not doing anything. He and the four Aurors were totally caught by surprise when white light engulfed them completely. The light slowly dimmed and they only saw her standing right in front of a doorway, the Minister and the four employees were nowhere in sight.

    : Come on, : Fenix instructed and they all headed back to Dumbledore’s office to continue with their meeting.

**********

    The five people who had traveled to see Professor Dumbledore found themselves lying face up in the Auror’s offices. Aoshi sat up and frowned at his sleeve, trying to remember how they had returned to the Ministry after visiting Dumbledore.

    "I have one god-awful headache," Conal Bryson moaned, "and how did we end up here?"

    Fudge was sitting, massaging his swollen cheek carefully. "We must have traveled by Floo; it was a little too dangerous for us to be making that particular trip."

    Jason Reef, another Auror stood up without saying anything and he had good reasons for keeping silent. He clearly remembered the information that he had gained from Dumbledore and was looking at Fudge with utter disgust. His thoughts turned into the actions of the strange woman. So far, not even the media had been able to find anything about her, save that she was a teacher also teaching D.A.D.A. and that she was the werewolf’s partner. He clearly remembered as to how they had been transported back into the Ministry. It is just as well that she had tried tampered with their memories. Her way of traveling could induce too much curiosity and break the hundreds of rules of how Magick works. As for me, there is absolutely no reason why I should inform them that we had not traveled by the Network.

**********
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