~ Chapter 40: The Black and The White ~

Saturday, 10^th November. In the late afternoon…

Fenix and Draco were alone in the courtyard as both of them tried to awaken the Slytherin’s true form, the Great Dragon. The task was not an easy one however. Draco was still unable to channel his Fire into the Form, accidentally scorching the Fire Master once in a while. An hour ago, Alamanda and her group of friends had gathered to watch but after they had seen Draco’s frustrating tries, they themselves felt frustrated and had gone off in search of something to do. The rest of the School was training themselves in full combat mode, for Dumbledore had decided that they would commit themselves fully in fighting Voldemort. The Elementals had offered to act as sentries and had been posted to every part of the castle and the Forest. The Greater Nymphs, Dryads and other Earth Elementals were constantly giving feedback to her Air Elementals, particularly about the movements of the centaurs.

    They were disastrously running out of time because Voldemort will be attacking the School within the week. That was what her Elementals who had been sent to spy reported to her, but they were unsure of how he was going to deploy his body of fighting units. That was understandable as he was not playing host to the existing clan of giants, or the mysterious newly evolved type of Heliopaths. The unknown creatures were making more than half of the School edgy because they lacked the information of how the Heliopaths attack, or the weaknesses of the creatures.

    The elves, Madam Pince and even Peeves were helping out in scouring the library for details of the Heliopaths, but so far they had found none. Aberforth had gone down to Hogsmeade, much to his brother’s consternation via the use of the humpbacked, one-eyed witch statue, to find out if he could get anyone to give a description of the elusive creatures and if he could, information that would be extremely useful to them. Of course, only Dumbledore, Fenix, her partner and her oathbrother knew that he had gone by the secret passage, and the Fire Master had also sent some of the Elementals to follow the man around, to give the man backup protection, should he need them. Almost as if the witch’s statue had brought them memories, Sirius and Remus had pulled her away and requested that she post more sentries, preferably the Earth Elementals to the many secret entrances that lead into the School.

    Fenix halted her exercise with Draco for the sixth time. : Take a seat, Drake, : she said as she sat on the damp ground. She gave a long sigh and stared penetratingly at the panting Slytherin. She summoned for any of her helpers to get the boy a drink and one of her Sylphs returned with a big bottle of ice-cold water, which the boy gratefully took and gulped the cold liquid down. : Do you think it will help you if you were to merge completely with me for as long as it takes for me to show you how I cultivate the Fire and send it back to my soul to take on another Form? : she suggested as she stared unblinkingly at him.

    : I’m sorry, : the Slytherin apologized, making her smile warmly at him.

    : What on earth for? :

    : It takes a bit of time for me to get the hang of an idea. I’m basically a visual learner, : Draco explained.

    : Humans are such complex creatures. : Fenix rolled her eyes dramatically.

    : What do you mean by that? : Draco protested and her silvery laughter filled the courtyard and they set off to work again. This time, Fenix had created a huge shield to shelter them both from intrusions and also to protect the environment around them.

    : I really hope you’ll be able to get the idea, Drake, because if you don’t I think I’m going to cry because I had failed to make you understand. : She gave a rueful smile. Like Harry, she had begun to call by his nickname, giving the excuse that it was easier on her tongue and also because it was short. : Take my ‘hand’ and we’re off. :

**********

    Harry, Ron and Hermione squeezed in through the side door to watch the two people undergoing their own practice session. Hermione suddenly sneezed, making the two boys jump in surprise and immediately answer, "Bless you!"

    "Sorry," Hermione said sheepishly and wore her scarf tighter about her neck. "I wonder how those two are able to work in weather this cold."

    "I don’t think they feel the cold," Harry said and at his friends’ puzzlement, he continued. "Drake is being their primary heater," he explained, pointing to the circle of ground where the two were seating as they meditated.

    The three turned as one and walked through the corridor slowly. "It’s hard to believe that Draco is actually one of the--" Ron peered about carefully before whispering, "Ancients." A cold wind from the side door entered and drifted into the corridor and the three shivered.

    "Yeah…" Harry agreed, suddenly feeling strange. "You want to know something?" he asked both of his friends casually, as they sought for the warmth of the Great Hall. "I can’t believe that he is my oathbrother either."

    "Don’t mention that," Ron said almost sourly.

    "Are you jealous?" Hermione suppressed a cheeky smile, staring at the path forward and not looking at either her partner or her friend. Ron halted then quickly lunged at her, tickling her sides.

    "What on earth for?" Ron shouted as the corridor was filled with Hermione’s clear laughter and Harry shook his head, shoulders trembling with chuckles. "I have enough brothers to keep me on my toes!" His partner took an opportunity to gouge him between his ticklish spot then fled but only after she had given him a lofty look. "What did I do?" Ron asked his best friend in bewilderment.

    Harry casually clasped Ron’s shoulder as they neared the Hall and whispered confidentially to his buddy. "I think she was expecting you to say that at least you are not single… like me!"

    Ron lifted a bushy red eyebrow. "And since when had you gotten better at deducing the complex mind of a girl?"

    Harry laughed heartily. "Probably after I’ve seen those dumbfounded looks that both Fenix and Remus had when they met for the first time at The Burrow. If you had not noticed, I’ve been watching all the couples ever since school started," he said as they entered the Hall. Thankfully, both of them had their personal shields up when a Tickling Spell zoomed off toward their faces.

    "Oi!" Ron yelled, jumping back in surprise when his copper-colored shield began to sparkle madly. The two boys scanned the crowd for the culprits and Ron’s eyes lighted up upon seeing Hermione’s glowing face. "Hermy!"

    "Hermy!" his partner screamed, her face reddening in indignation.

    "You are going to get yourself into trouble, you know," Harry commented with a straight face.

    "That’s the whole idea, isn’t it? If you don’t sparkle your relationship with a bit of silly arguments, it would be pretty dull I tell you." Ron shrugged indifferently. The Hall was preparing itself for dinner and the pallets vanished and were replaced by the huge tables and benches. "So what about you?"

    Harry gave his friend a perplexed look. "What about me?"

    "Not going after Cho again?" Ron asked him with a sidelong look as he sat himself beside his partner, who was giving him a sullen stare. "Oh… come of it, dear!" Ginny made a vomiting noise while the Gryffindor table erupted with laughter at Ron’s cloying expression.

    "A bit of advice here, Ron," Charlie spoke up, feeling right at home at the table. "I don’t think it’s wise for you to get so familiar with each other while you're still young."

    "I understand that, but I wish this one," Ron squeezed Hermione affectionately by the waist and she blushed, "has a nickname. Hermione’s kind of long…"

    "The original’s the best…" Lee said sententiously.

    Ron’s stomach began to growl and Hermione sighed. "Dinner’s in half an hour. Maybe someone ought to bring Draco and Fenix in. If they’re not successful by now, they might as well take a real rest and sit down with us for dinner."

    "I don’t think we need to." Sirius casually sat himself beside Ginny. "Saw both of them going up to shower." He carefully examined Harry’s hair and then at the Potions Master beside him. "Any of you want a haircut? Fenix’s going to trim mine tomorrow." Harry and Snape nodded. A group of the elves came in and the Hall fell into a hushed silence. They headed straight for the Gryffindor table and most of the girls from the other tables sighed in disappointment, as they watched Aldren and his companions mingle with the Gryffindors.

    Hermione leaned forward to whisper to Harry, as a comment to Ron’s forgotten question. "Don’t bother about Cho, Harry. I’m sure you would rather wait until you get older than ‘going steady’ with someone who is fickle about her choices."

    He nodded solemnly. "You’re quite right."

    Ginny was looking speculatively at him and he tilted his head to a side in silent inquiry. "Something had just occurred to me. Now that you two are oathbrothers… which of you is older?" the girl asked.

    "Why would it matter?" Harry questioned her, shrugging lackadaisically just as Fenix came in, freshly dressed, her hair still damp from her bath.

    "Does anyone know when is his birthday?" Ginny asked the company, looking at the Potions Master in particular but Snape shook his head.

    "Yo! What are you guys discussing?" the Fire Master spoke up, taking her usual seat beside Remus.

    "We’re wondering when is Draco’s birthday," Hermione informed her.

    "Why don’t you ask me?" And the Slytherin appeared, with Cadriel following closely behind him. Ginny exchanged a glance with Hermione, while Fenix looked at them with interest. Draco gallantly sat down beside the Fire Master, who was sitting opposite to Harry.

    "Okay, so when is your birthday? Is it over?" Ginny pestered him eagerly.

    "December, on the seventeenth."

    Fenix shifted so that she was looking at him, her eyes twinkling cheerfully. "Arrow in full flight? Not bad… that means teaching would suit you nicely."

    "Wow! We have at least two born under the Sagittarius! Fiery lot, you two!" Ron whistled, then he gave an oblique look at his best friend. "Now we know that this bloke is younger than us... except for Ginny."

    "Yeah, what a surprise… really!" Hermione said. "I mean… given his… ah… behavior… I had really expected him to be born somewhere around earlier in the year. Anyway Fenix," she looked curiously at the Fire Master, "what do you mean by arrow in full flight?"

    "It’s part of the Druid readings. It describes part of our main character, hidden strengths and otherwise. So other than Draco being born under the sign of Sagita, whereas I am born under the sign of Aquilla, both of us were born under the Elder Tree. I seriously do not know how much of this stuff is true, but… well being born the Elder Tree, you tend to have memories of your past." She was looking carefully at Draco, who had a pensive expression.

    "Really?" Sirius was giving her a thoughtful look. "How about Harry?"

    "Druid reading says he is born under the Crater, can be a good or bad ruler," Cadriel piped up in slightly accented British, ignoring the surprised looks of both Ron and Harry. "He is also born under the Holly Tree. Most probably will hold the strengths relating with the Earth."

    Dishes miraculously began appearing on the tables and Ron’s face lit up with great enthusiasm. Normal conversation sprang up again and Harry somehow thought that the easy atmosphere surrounding them was a mockery since the world was anything but safe. He remained silent, listening to his godfather’s soft comments that those from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic might consider joining Hogwarts.

    : That is likely to get messy, wouldn’t it? : Harry remarked.

    : It’s possible. I wonder if we could condense the four-year war contract… : Sirius mused as he ate his chicken chop.

    : I think it all depends on all our small moves and see where it leads us. I think the major confrontation will take place when I’m ready… though I wonder when that would be. : His godson fell silent, and Sirius narrowed his eyes. He did not like the way Harry had sounded. Talking in mindspeech had a distinct feature in that the users-- if one knew what to look for-- the intensity of the responder’s thoughts. Is he falling into depression? Sirius looked at his godson carefully before answering Snape’s question about their patrol.

    Harry seemed to shake himself out of his reverie and communicated with his oathbrother via the silent mode. : So, how did your training go? :

    : It was bad at first, but I think I finally saw the trick. Though I was not able to concentrate much for the past hour or so since my stomach was complaining like hell, : Draco answered, quickly devouring his meal and was the first to go for the dessert. : Maybe that’s why my tries were so lame… I certainly hope my hunger was the reason in the delay of the awakening. : He quickly chewed down his mango pudding heartily. : What did you do? :

    : Believe it or not… we’ve been practicing archery. Not all of us though, mainly the group of Defenders and Assailants. The elves reckoned that since we would be up against giants again-- probably-- the arrows would cause more damage that a spell could. Faster and it takes less effort, : he answered, finally finishing his chop then took a moment to finish his pumpkin juice before he went for the pudding.

    Draco frowned for a moment before the look vanished from his face. : Do you mean we’re going to the front line? : His green-eyed oathbrother looked at him carefully before giving a slight nod. : So it’s just a matter of time before Dumbledore gives the orders. : Then he turned his attention to the Fire Master sitting beside him. : Are we having another go later? :

    : I don’t want to push you, but if you think you’re fine then I guess we could give it a two hours’ worth of tries, then we’ll call it a night. Fine with that? : she answered, smiling gently at him.

**********

    The Hall had dimmed, as most of the students preferred to get some sleep, while there were still gentle murmurs occurring in all corners of the mass of students. Harry and his group had already fallen into an exhausted sleep while Draco was still out with Fenix in the courtyard. Sirius, Remus and Snape were talking silently as they watched their sleeping wards, and Remus occasionally checked his pocket watch since Fenix had requested him to call her when it was time for them to stop the practice.

    In the courtyard, the two were standing in the middle of the space. Draco was showing vast improvement and it would not be long when he would successfully take on another form. Fenix stared impassively at the Slytherin, who had successfully manifested a high amount of Fire and he was already directing them back to his own core. She had advised him earlier, since both of them had no idea of the Slytherin’s true form, he should just think of a general type of dragon. His subconscious intelligence would take it from there.

    Draco’s pair of silver eyes held the same haunting quality that she possessed, green fire flickering steadily. His pair of eyes examined his surroundings carefully. Only the slight tingling in his entire body alerted him that he was using his Magick. The environment suddenly turned lighter, and his sense of eyesight and smell began to sharpen. He felt the Fire rush back into him, and then he felt a ‘click’ at the back of his mind. The Fire Master grew excited because he had managed to get this far without any further prods from her. Their exhilaration vanished when both of them were suddenly filled with intense pain and collapsed to their knees. Both were clutching their heads and were gasping for breaths. Despite the tears that were flowing out of her eyes, she desperately tried to shield both of them, but the magical power that was radiating out from somewhere in the castle was too strong and impulsive. Draco screamed his agony, and another echoed his screams from inside the castle.

**********

    Harry shifted to his side, feeling uncomfortably warm and opened his eyes slightly to watch Snape’s bent form over a chessboard with his godfather. Then he fell back into his restless sleep, feeling his mind going into the blackness that represented slumber. That scene changed almost abruptly as he found himself standing in a world filled with white, incandescent light. He knew he was immobilized and did not fight; instead he turned his neck to his sides to study the surroundings. I hope that what I see is not because I don't have my glasses on. That was his inconsequential thought as he looked around the environment.

    The place held not even a glimpse of a shadow except for the white light. What is this place? Where am I? He thought to himself, somehow not occurring to him that he should have been panicking. This place is so barren… Just as he formed that thought in his mind, the scar on his forehead started to burn. What… He did not get to finish his thought when thousands of images, impressions and sensations totally filled his mind. The burning sensation of his scar was nothing compared to the intense agony in his mind. He felt something broke loose inside him but he had no idea what it was, then he felt himself opening his throat and a deathly scream broke out of it.

**********

    They were so deep in their silent conversation and their chessboard that they had not noticed that Harry was floating his way up to the high ceiling of the Hall. Only when Nick and a couple of the elves returned to the Hall were they disturbed by the horrified gasps all around them. A couple of the Sylphs zoomed in to bring the boy down, but they were blocked by what seemed to be an impenetrable shield covering the boy; more than that, it produced a shock wave that knocked the Elementals senseless. The commotion seemed to have wakened most of the students and they stared at the floating boy. Sirius stared with a horrified expression when waves of pure white light emanated out of Harry. Chaos erupted in the Hall then, as most found themselves flung onto the brick walls but the elves and those with the ability of mindspeech found themselves having to deal with something else.

    : Father! : Aldren managed to send his plea before he was totally overwhelmed by the energy. He dimly heard the screams of Draco and Fenix, then Harry’s, high up above their heads. The elf also heard the incredibly shrewd Montague yelling for the students to clear out of the Hall-- if they could. The incapacitated Potions Master, Sirius, Remus and the two wolves were being dragged by Ron’s group, staying close to the walls when another wave of energy hit them.

    The students fled down into the narrow staircase leading to the dungeons, and the elves gasped with pain, most of them collapsing on their knees and holding their aching heads in their hands. Dumbledore and Mineif quickly strode out of their office after Feqzu informed them what had happened. The house-elf however stopped the two from entering the ‘danger-zone’ after warning the Elven Lord that he would be severely affected by the waves of energy. Both of them stared at the walls of energy flowing out of the Great Hall impassively. The Headmaster turned grave eyes at the elf and questioned the Elven Lord softly. "What is happening?"

    Mineif studied the waves of white energy calmly. "All I can tell you that this is not brought on by Voldemort. This magic that I feel is somewhat primitive." He smiled at the Headmaster who was looking at him archly. "I know… but perhaps Fenix knows about this form of manifestation than I. Where is she by the way?" He stared at a Sylph and found out from the Elemental that the Fire Master and Draco were struggling to get up on their feet.

    Dumbledore saw the two people leaning against each other for support as they worked their legs hard against the waves of energy to get into the Hall. : Fenix, it’s too dangerous,. : Mineif warned her but her silver eyes glinted with determination and he saw that she was shaking her head slightly.

    : This was bound to happen. I was not expecting his gifts to be awakened this soon. Anyway, I am not supposed to be the one to help Harry this time, : she told him, her eyes looking up at the Slytherin who was supporting her.

    : But is the boy ready? :

    : Trust me, : the Fire Master answered as both of the Ancients disappeared into the Hall.

**********

    Pallets and blankets had been strewn messily everywhere in the Hall. The two leaned against the wall as they tried to catch their breaths. Both studied Harry and the waves carefully, shuddering at the intensity of the energy. Harry’s form suddenly shifted and he descended very slowly. His eyes were opened, but unseeing as if there was something else controlling him. This is not good…

    : This is just like the time when we had to search for Harry in his own mind, isn’t it? : Draco observed and she nodded. : God… he is such a troublesome fellow. : Harry was walking slowly toward them, his face impassive.

    : Well, you know what to do. I’ll deal with the waves. : Fenix finally broke away from him and walked slowly over to Harry. The boy’s unseeing eyes turned hostile and he sent a wall of power to block her. In an instant, the Fire Master had turned into her true form and began sucking the wild energy about them like a vacuum. : Now! : she ordered the Slytherin, who was sprinting toward his oathbrother at a high speed.

    Draco was really gambling on the fact that he could use his specialty in penetrating shields and hoping he would not get incinerated in the process. He felt resistance against all sides as he neared his oathbrother but extending a hand before him, seemed to part the shield that Harry was using to block him. Using his speed, he broke past of all protections and flung himself at his oathbrother. Then everything went black as a huge form took place in the middle of the Hall. The Phoenix scrutinized the scene carefully as her fiery silver-blue eyes took in the fiery, black wings of the Dragon. The energy about them was dissipating as Draco helped to his struggling oathbrother to control the Gifts that had been activated.

    Fenix returned to her own form and studied the magnificent form of Draco’s with pride. Minutes went by and all was silent. A gust of wind suddenly blew about them and when she opened her eyes, she saw both of the oathbrothers standing, facing each other. : I really hope that this would be the last time that you have to get me out of trouble, Drake, : Harry said contritely.

    : One can hope. You are all right now? : his oathbrother said worriedly, the green fire still dancing in his eyes.

    : Yeah, I think this would be the first and the last time that I went absolutely out of control. It really took me by surprise. And Fenix, I’m sorry about your shields, : Harry spoke up as she approached the boy. The Fire Master frowned and hoped that he was not talking about the shields protecting Hogwarts. She hugged the boy with relief when she found out that he was apologizing for giving her a hard time when she tried to build shields to protect herself and Draco from the overwhelming Magic.

    : So what exactly is going on with you? : Draco interrogated his oathbrother.

    : It’s this… : Harry’s form suddenly was engulfed with white energy and Fenix felt the room grew cold. The light pulsated about Harry and began to brighten. Fenix began to sense joy and respect for the Power that was with him. Harry had been gifted with a Gift so rare and sacred, sometimes feared by others.

    : It’s what we call the White Spirit. Harry has the gift of Illusion, and the power to Create and Destroy, : Fenix spoke softly into their minds, her eyes looking deeply into Harry’s deep emerald eyes. : Your life will get harder, Harry. I hope you had seen… :

    Harry chuckled when Fenix began to lecture him. : Fenix, I know… what having these powers mean… and believe me, I understand the dangers of possessing the power of creation and destruction. I might get tempted to be a second Voldemort-want-to-be. : The smile Harry gave the Fire Master and his oathbrother was ill suited for a boy of only sixteen years in age.

    Fenix hugged both of them, and tiptoed to give Harry a kiss on his cheek. : That’s good then. And do you know how we might send the Heliopaths back to where they belong? : she asked, looking slyly at him.

    : You’re cheating, : both boys answered her and ended up in chuckles when she gave a snort.

    : Why not? That’s probably why your Gifts manifested, : she said loftily before summoning the rest back into the Hall. Fenix eyed the room critically then snapped her fingers when she realized that she had to give something back to Harry. : Hey, take this back. I don’t need it. : She began to establish a mind-link and began pouring the energy that she had confiscated back to him. The students of Hogwarts peered apprehensively at the door and their faces lit up into smiles when they saw that everything was all right. The godfathers and Fenix’s partner made their way and were the first to reach them, and all three were given anxious hugs.

    : Somehow I think my life had gotten far too interesting than I can handle, : Draco remarked privately to Harry and the Fire Master. His mindvoice was tinged with embarrassment, shock and bafflement as the Potions Master gave him a tight hug.

    : I couldn’t agree more, : Harry answered, gasping for air as Sirius gave him a one tight hug. The School crowded about the boy who had suddenly went berserk in his sleep, faces demanding an explanation and Harry sighed, looking apologetically to the crowd.

    "Really Harry," a Hufflepuff spoke up, "next time you want to do something like this, do it when you’re alone."

    "Forget it," one Ravenclaw piped up. "What’s gotten into you?"

    The Hall was filled with questions and Harry’s magnified voice as he apologized profusely to them and just told them that something that was supposed to happen had happened and left it at that.

    "You’re evading our questions!" one Slytherin remarked.

    "The less you know what had happened, the better off you would be. Maybe when you’re older, I will tell you. Don’t forget to give me your addresses though," Harry said flippantly, though his eyes signaled the Headmaster that he would give a clearer explanation, when he could.

    "Okay, to pacify your intense curiosity," Fenix said lightly, "Harry had suddenly come up with another Gift that would help us in stopping Heliopaths. Okay?" Comprehension dawned on their faces and they stopped asking questions. While the rest of the students began to pick up their blankets and rearranged their beds, Harry’s company walked out of the Hall to gather in Dumbledore’s office so Harry could fulfill his promise in giving a clearer explanation.

**********

~ Chapter 41: The White Spirit ~

In Dumbledore’s office…

Harry was made to sit directly in front of the Headmaster, much to the youth's personal discomfort. The office was a little crowded by the usual four, Ron, Hermione, and Draco. McGonagall had been waiting for them in the office, along with Moody. The elves were helping to restore the unconscious Elementals with the aid of the house-elves. The Slytherin casually grabbed a stool and remained in the sidelines, watching the Headmaster and his oathbrother with curious eyes, waiting for somebody to speak.

    "So… Harry," Dumbledore began, clasping his hands on the table and leaned forward slightly, "what has happened to you?" Snape conjured up a couch and Fenix and the rest took advantage of the furniture, rather than listening to Harry giving an account of what had happened while standing up.

    The boy shifted uneasily in his seat and started describing of what had happened from the moment that he had fallen asleep. The room was heated nicely with the fire in the fireplace, and Harry jumped when a pop came out of it, startling him briefly before continuing his sentence. "Then I think I screamed… there were a lot of things that I saw. And I’m sorry that I turned hostile on you." Harry turned in his chair to look at the Fire Master.

    : Don’t worry about it, lad. However, I am seriously insulted that you had actually mistaken me for Voldemort. He is not a female after all, : she said rather lightly, looking at him quizzically when his mouth gaped open.

    "How did you know?" he questioned her; his voice was almost tinged with hysteria.

    : She’s an Empath, idiot! : Draco stepped in, earning himself a glare from the older boy from his slightly offensive term. Dumbledore cleared his throat and Harry looked slightly abashed and went on with his explanation.

    "Well, I remembered seeing Drake looking at me, but I was also receiving instructions." Harry took a deep breath. "No one could teach me how to use the Gifts… not even Fenix." He was looking uncertainly at the Headmaster, clearly uncertain of his words. He finally tapped his forehead. "Whatever I need to know is already inside here; it just needs a little more time for me to process all of it."

    Snape was about to comment about Harry’s slightly arrogant sentence when Fenix gave him a sharp pinch. : That’s because it is true. : Even his godson agreed with the Fire Master, and Snape grudgingly kept his mouth shut. The silence that had suddenly descended in the office became oppressive until it was broken by the Fawkes’s flight across the room and landed gently on Dumbledore’s shoulders.

    "As Fenix had mentioned to me and Drake, I possess the gift of the White Spirit." Harry paused when all of them looked at him in bafflement except for the Elven Lord and the two Ancients in the room.

    "Skip that," Fenix suggested and looked archly at Sirius who was about to protest. "Bro, even if I were to explain, you would not understand it."

    "Not for a few years anyway. I think we will have time for that when you are ready for your retirement," Draco added impudently, earning several glares from the slightly older folk in the office, but he was clearly unaffected by their sour looks.

    Harry regained their attention again. "To simplify it, as Fenix had done just now, I have the power of Illusion, Creation and Destruction. The incident that had just happened about half an hour ago was another gift, which is caused by a series of things. Voldemort’s backlash, Fenix’s instructions in mindshielding, and the power to control magical fields all around me."

    "By that, he seriously means that he is able to manipulate the earth energy," Fenix supplied as she braided her hair. "And if you had noticed," she was looking at Mineif as she said this, "his Power is definitely strong, probably because of the fact that he had actually amplified the Power when he thought he was facing Voldemort."

    Harry suddenly gave a rueful smile at his godfather. "Maybe the next time something strange happens to me, I shouldn't think of an enemy straight away. I noticed that the results were quite disastrous every time I think about it that way."

    : I am absolutely glad that you finally noticed it, Harry. : Sirius grinned.

    "And the Power of Destruction?" Dumbledore asked mildly.

    "But should you not question about the Power of Creation, first? Compared to all of my other Gifts, isn’t this the more hazardous power?" Harry pointed out. Dumbledore’s eyes flared a little in surprise, then turned pensive. "Don’t worry about those. As long as those two and Someone are around, I don’t think they’ll let me take the wrong path." He sighed.

    "How do you mean by the Power of Creation?" Dumbledore asked tiredly.

    The young wizard gazed at the Headmaster for a long time before summoning his power. The room flared brightly with white light as Harry concentrated on something in his hand. The light died, and the room returned to its normal setting. The boy lifted a dark emerald crystal and placed it carefully on the Headmaster’s desk. "Heard that you were in need of a big emerald for some sort of spellcasting," he said calmly.

    "Harry used the earth energy all around him to invest in creating that stone. Rather apt actually, since you need the stone to cast a protection spell for the castle and its environments," the Fire Master mused. : Use it wisely Harry. :

    : Don’t worry. I think if I am going to create something, I would rather create an inanimate object than a living or thinking being. But absolutely nothing like that Philosopher’s stone. : Harry’s eyes twinkled, then mercurially hardened as he looked back at her and she nodded in approval. He faced Dumbledore again. The ancient wizard was toying with the crystal, holding it up against the firelight occasionally. "Now that I think about it, if I had been just a little more uncontrolled and unstable just now, those waves of energy could be infused with my gift of destroying things. And…" Harry faltered, his eyes going distant.

    "That you might have to use that gift to eliminate the Heliopaths?" Snape hazarded an idea. Harry slumped in his seat and nodded remorsefully.

    "It’s not the real Heliopaths that I’m worried about. It’s the ones that had evolved," he said in a despondent tone. They remained silent and Harry gave another sigh then continued in a more cheerful tone. "I was really losing my grip on what was real and what was not. Drake solved that for me. He rushed at me; he even got through the shield and then he turned black."

    "I did not turn black!" his oathbrother said in exasperation and Fenix suppressed her mirth at the Slytherin's indignant expression. Harry looked at them inquisitively and the Slytherin explained in a rather heated voice. "I turned into a Dragon, you nitwit!"

    "Oh… What?" Several others echoed Harry’s question.

    "I successfully turned myself into a Dragon," Draco answered in a bored voice. His eyes went wide when a thought occurred to him. : I wonder if I can fly. : He looked intently at Fenix who chuckled lightly.

    : Later, Drake… or maybe tomorrow, : she said, her mindvoice brushed softly in his mind. : I am too tired to even think properly right now. :

    : Just as long you promise not to keep the joy to yourself though. : Draco’s mindvoice was rather excited at the prospect of flying. That seemed to conclude the discussion and Fenix was secretly relieved that none of them were looking at Harry with fear.

    : So what do we do now? : Harry asked, as they walked down to the Hall.

    : Sleep of course. That’s the only way you get to finish your education. : Fenix shrugged, holding Remus’s hand as they strolled leisurely. The ghosts of Hogwarts drifted in and out of the corridors and Harry turned his thoughts inward.

    Build a school… Looks like I have to really work hard so that I have enough money to get a plot of land. And how do I get the money because I don't the money in my bank is going to multiply if I don't get a job? Should I become a jewel merchant? He mused and found himself laughing at the thought. His godfather opened his mouth to speak to his godson, but decided against it when he watched Harry.

    : You’re being very observant. Yes, he is thinking about the future, so leave it to him all right? : Fenix sent her thought to him.

    : That somehow makes me feel better. So, he decided he should continue living… I wonder what plans he is making. : Sirius gave her a charming smile.

    : Probably planning on how he should get funds to build up a school, : Remus interjected.

    : He could always extort money from you. : Snape directed his thought at Sirius and the corridor was suddenly filled with chuckles at Sirius’s appalled expression. Harry looked at the group in confusion.

    : What? :

    : It’s nothing, Green-eyes, : Draco answered, his mindvoice was almost jumping up and down as he tried to control his mirth. Harry frowned at him and then looked at his godfather. They burst into laughter again, and both Sirius and Harry scowled at them in the same way that one could really mistake them for a pair of father and his son.

**********

    Breakfast was a hurried affair that morning, since Dumbledore had selected some of them to cast spells that would protect the Forest from catching fire. Some scoffed that the Forbidden Forest was unlikely to catch fire on a very damp morning. However, since information on how the Heliopaths worked was still unknown, now that they had evolved, the Headmaster did not want to be responsible for the lives of those that considered the Forest as their natural home.

    Fenix looked thoughtfully at Harry as she ate her cereal and he finally could not stand her silent scrutiny any longer. : Fenix, could you please stop staring at me when you’re thinking? Couldn’t you look at something more inanimate rather than my face? : he requested politely, smiling crookedly at her when she flushed.

    : Sorry, Harry, : she apologized. : Are you sure that the Heliopaths have hearts? :

    : I wouldn’t really call it hearts. More or less like their fuel tank, : Harry corrected as he gulped a full glass of milk. He had delved through his new-founded knowledge for two straight nights and finally came up with the answer.

    : I wonder why I’m asking this. You’re the one in charge of 'demoralizing' the Heliopaths anyway. : She made a face and he chuckled at her expression.

    : Morning, : he greeted his oathbrother who had just entered the Hall for breakfast. The Slytherin casually strolled over to the Gryffindor table first to greet them and actually absently kissed all three ladies on their cheeks-- Hermione, Ginny and Fenix-- all who were were sitting side by side. : Drake, I think you’re going to make more than three people jealous, : Harry commented, as he peeked at the Slytherin table, where Alamanda was looking at them quizzically. The three ladies who had just been bestowed with kisses early in the morning started giggling, especially when all three turned to look how Ron was reacting to the ‘brotherly’ kiss.

    "I swear I would go mad if this guy in front of me," the scarlet-haired Weasley was gazing patiently at the Potions Master, "starts giving kisses to the girls."

    "Oh, now… that’s a pleasant thought," Hermione said teasingly at both the teacher sitting beside her and her indignant partner. The three erupted with more giggles, with Fenix laughing so hard at Snape’s flushed and embarrassed face. Lee, who happened to overhear the conversation came up to the Potions Master with a serious look about him.

    "Professor Snape," Lee cleared his throat, then continued, "I wonder… if you had ever kissed anyone before in your youth?" If it were possible, Snape would have turned absolutely crimson at the question. The entire Hall guffawed at the shocked professor, when his innocent expression told all of them that he had not been devoting himself to anything like that. Sirius and Harry almost simultaneous fell off from their seats as they collapsed in laughter.

    : Sev! : Fenix was wiping the tears that came out from the exertion. : Seriously, you haven’t been kissed? Or kissed anyone? : The Potions Master scowled at all of them.

    : No, I have not. : His mindvoice was thick with dignity.

    : Who would have thought that you’re still a v-- :

    : Finish that thought Black, and I will kill you, : Snape threatened, holding his wand out, his face still blushing hotly.

    The Fire Master choked down her laughter and stared curiously at Snape. : But I thought you and Giana… :

    Snape shook his head, looking sternly at her and resumed to eating his breakfast. : I’ve got too much respect for Mineif to do that to his daughter. Anyway, that was a long time ago. :

    Harry helped Sirius to his seat on the bench; his godfather was still laughing insultingly. : Do you want us to find you a girlfriend, Snivellus? :

    Snape snorted and one fireball shot past his ear to hit Sirius’s chest. "Owww!" He shot a dirty look at Snape’s godson who was hovering behind his godfather’s shoulder. : You’re lucky you’re Sniv-- : His thought was cut off as Fenix aimed a mindslap at him, who was looking at her oathbrother with disapproval. Sirius winced and rubbed his temple before he continued his sentence. : You’re lucky you’re Severus’s godson or I would really inflict some permanent damage on you, : Harry’s godfather said seriously. Draco muttered something under his breath and went off to the Slytherin table to join his friends for breakfast. Both Harry and Fenix were hiding their smiles at Sirius’s subtle implication of acceptance. Hermione’s alert went off when she caught both of them exchanging winks but her curiosity was left unanswered.

    Breakfast resumed without further interruptions and the air took on a more anxious setting. The students wandered off to all parts of the castle to practice or spend sometime doing the stuff they had not gotten around to do for the past few days ever since the attack during Hallowe’en night. Sirius looked solemnly at those who were appointed to go into the Forest with them. They had been gathering about the Gryffindor table when they had finished their breakfasts.

    "I want you to do a bit of exercise or whatever to get yourselves calmed down before we go into the Forest. We can't afford any of you to go in there with blurred thinking. You know that the Forest is home to all kinds of things. We probably won’t have trouble with the Thestrals but we do have a Hellhound running about. And stay close to the elves, especially your leaders that had been assigned to your groups, is that clear?" Sirius looked at the faces of determined students from all of the four Houses.

    "Report here at nine-thirty sharp," Snape announced, looking briefly at his pocket watch. He then got up to change into something more appropriate for outdoor trekking and the rest of the students began to clear out of the Hall to change.

    Fenix and Remus were slightly behind Snape as they headed up to their offices and she could not help wondering what the students were feeling, living in a precarious time such as they were. They had a maximum of five hours to finish their spellcasting in the Forest since the Sylphs reported that there were two clans of giants heading their way, at a not-so leisurely pace. The army of Heliopaths was still unseen nor were the Death Eaters moving out of their stronghold.

    The couple lagged behind Sirius, after Snape went into his own office and she pulled Remus down, quickly scanning the corridor before stealing a kiss. : I’ll see you later, lover. : He hugged her briefly and she went into her own room. She and the wolves entered the office, looking around at the sunny room. The quarters strangely reminded her of her own home and she took a moment to stand outside the window, feeling the soothing breeze upon her face. No… silly girl. Don’t think of anything ominous right before a skirmish. : I am sorry that you guys have to be left behind. : She looked down at her pair of wolves. Silver shook his mane.

    : There’s nothing that we could do for you out there in the Forest. We’re likely to get trampled by the passing giants before we could attempt to hamstring them anyway, : Wind assured her. : Anyway, we’re better off protecting the rest of the students here. : Fenix turned back to the window, her eyes scanning the dark canopy of the Forest. There was a kind of tension in her but it was normal, she was just getting ready to fight.

    : Fenix, try not to show all your tricks all at once though, : Silver said thoughtfully and she had to smile at his advice.

    : Don’t worry, Silv. I am going to do it the old, reliable, Hunter way. :

    : Should have expected it. She’s bloodthirsty enough, : Wind observed.

    : I don’t think so. : Silver examined Fenix casually as she stripped herself to bathe. : I think she’s just bored. :

**********

    Harry and his friends froze at the portrait that would lead them to their common room. However, none of them seemed to have remembered what their password was, since they have not been to their common room for quite a while now. The passage was getting crowded and Ron yelled out if anyone remembered the password. Lee and a couple of the Gryffindors were rattling off a series of names but the Fat Lady refused to swing open.

    "Just great." Ginny sighed. "I guess someone ought to run down and ask Professor McGonagall."

    "So it’s not the ‘Silver Wheel’." Harry frowned. "I remembered that it had something to do with Hallowe’en." All eyes turned to Hermione and she looked at them in disgust. The students began rattling off again with Hermione being the loudest. Still, none of the words was the right password. He moved toward the front and said clearly to them, "I’m just guessing all right, if this doesn’t work then someone absolutely has to go down and ask McGonagall. Persephone," he said to the Fat Lady and to their surprise, she swung her portrait open.

    Hermione gave him a surprised look then went in. By the time Harry got into the common room, his friend was pinning up a large notice on the notice board of their current password, all the time muttering under her breath that they ought not to change the password too often. "See you girls… here?" Harry asked his friend and she nodded, then pulled Ron up the staircase to go to their dormitory.

    "What do you think we should wear?" Neville asked. Months of running all around the Hall or courtyard during the Defence lessons had seen him losing a bit of a weight.

    "Dull colors… no red." Harry was looking at his best friend. "No robes."

    "Bloody hell… Harry, you know I don’t have anything else except red." Ron looked over his shoulder as he opened the door to admit all his roommates in.

    "Since the bathroom will be crowded anyway… let’s see if we can conjure up something suitable to wear." Harry pursed his lips. He opened his trunk and fished out several of his shirts.

    "At least our trousers are all black," Seamus remarked and they agreed with him. Ron was examining his pile of shirts and sweaters when the room flared brightly and in an instant, it dimmed. Ron shook his head and stood up.

    "What are you up to?" he asked and Harry flung a black shirt toward him. "Bloody hell!" His friend had created a shirt specifically for him. The four boys got out of their bedroom with toiletries in hand and queued up behind their fellow students, with Ron whistling patiently for his turn to shower.

**********

    Fenix was out in the courtyard meditating with a whole circle of elves and was joined later by the three bachelors. Curious students paused over at the side door wondering what the group was up to, while several girls went over to watch them, exchanging whispers on which elf was handsomer or how gorgeous the Potions Master turned out. A pocket watch suddenly screeched out of Sirius’s pocket. "NINE-FIFTEEN!"

    Several of the elves cursed, then began laughing melodiously. They got up to their feet and headed for the Hall. Aldren and at least half of the group of elves meanwhile went down to the sub-levels to get their weapons that had been stored away temporarily. The students who had been lingering in the Hall, looked curiously at the Fire Master and as if they had never seen her in her severe dark Hunter garb before, they whispered as they commented on how dangerous she actually looked. Their eyes picked out the several small knives that were tucked in at her upper arms and felt that she still had several more hidden.

    Snape’s mouth curved into a sardonic smile, while Fenix gave a sidelong glance at the amused Potions Master, but otherwise remained silent. A brief inspection informed her that Harry’s group was already there, and all seated in a circle. She noticed a familiar figure, but could not put a name to the student who was seating in between Harry and Montague.

    "Dear Gods!" Fenix paused, stopping only a few feet from Harry’s group.

    "Am I in trouble already?" Harry sighed, while Hermione and Ginny snickered.

    "Fenix?" Remus questioned her curiously. "What happened?"

    "This…is what…happened!" Fenix was pointing to the unnamed student. A pair of familiar silver eyes turned around and looked at the bunch of adults, twinkling outrageously.

    "Dear Lord!" Snape exclaimed in disbelief.

    "What’s up with the hair?" Sirius commented, admiring the strange contrast of the jet-black hair and the boy's pale complexion.

    : Contingency planning. My white-blond hair does stand out after all, : Draco said indifferently.

    : Harry, are you absolutely sure you cast an illusion of black hair? Not inducing the coloration pigments? : Fenix asked the older oathbrother patiently then bit her lip worriedly when he gave her a blank look.

    "Alamanda dear," Fenix called out to Draco’s sweetheart. "I hope you don’t mind if this guy happened to have his hair colored permanently." The young girl’s eyes went wide and stared accusingly at Harry.

    "Hey! I like his hair color!" She huffed and Harry gave her a guilty look. He turned to his oathbrother, as if expecting the other one to start calling him names but Draco was looking at his girlfriend and oathbrother with controlled patience.

    "I don’t mind if this was to last," he said quietly and Alamanda looked at him in surprise. The Hall grew uncomfortably silent when most of them finally began to realize that Draco’s shunning by his blood parents was still hurting him.

    "But then…" Remus bravely broke the silence, looking to Draco then to his fiancee, "you get to look like her… a bit too much." Sirius choked the laughter that threatened to explode. "Well, if it can't be helped… there’s nothing I can do about it but don’t go out and start to tan yourself."

    Harry’s godfather took out his pocket watch and left it with Alamanda, since she would not be going out to the Forest with them. The rest followed suit because they do not think that screeching watches would do them any good while they were out in an almost hostile ground. The elves finally arrived with their basket full of arrows and bows. While Cadriel was distributing out the archery stuff, Aldren beckoned to Remus, Sirius, Snape and their godsons and handed them their throwing knives that had been designed for them, all courtesy of the elves. The elves had no qualms of giving them weaponry that was sorely meant for the Fair Ones, because the five were considered ‘special’. They knew how to use them, having practiced with the bunch of elves that turned up on Hallowe’en night. Fenix retrieved her bow the elves had brought with them; as if Cadriel knew that she might need it. This was a birthday gift by her mentor nearly a decade ago, and she trailed her fingers on the whitewashed wood fondly. She began to stuff her quiver full of the silver, slender arrows. The group made out of the students from the three divisions: Assailants, Defenders and the Rearguards, and ten elves were finally ready for action.

**********

~ Chapter 42: Unwanted Distractions ~

Dumbledore’s office…

A total of twenty-six people had been assigned to go into the Forbidden Forest, and had been divided into groups of five. It had been decided the night before that the group leaders would be Sirius, Snape, Remus, Jaheera and Aldren. Each of these groups held the respective sorcerer or sorceress that was responsible in creating the most complex anti-flammable spells about the Forest, starting from the trail that had been previously used by the deceased Golgomath and the rest of his giants.

    The Headmaster had seen to the major task of blocking Voldemort from scrying on the castle and the surrounding environment-- especially the Forest-- with the help of Harry’s crystal, his older brother that had returned earlier yesterday, the Elven Lord and some of the teaching staff of Hogwarts. They had been working on it nonstop ever since Dumbledore’s elder brother had returned to the School and by the time they had finally succeeded in launching their newly-wrought spells, it was already close to midnight. It is with their advantage that the Dark Lord still had not gained any information relating to the Fair Ones since each time his spies nearly came close in ferreting out the truth, the Elementals unscrupulously tampered with their memories. As Aelwyn had informed them, Voldemort seemed to be delighting in throwing off more tantrums each time that happened.

    The Headmaster was waiting patiently for the first signs of Voldemort’s nonhuman followers, sitting comfortably in his armchair, fondly scratching Fawkes’s crest as he stared blankly across his desk. His eyes rested on the emerald stone, where its heart flickered with magical energy. Aberforth was silent as he leaned against the wall, looking out of the window. There was a task that was in need of fulfillment but could not begin until Voldemort’s creatures were fully engaged with those that had went out of the castle.

    As the twenty-six people began trooping out to the castle grounds in silence, twelve people from various wizarding worlds came to Hogwarts via the lake. Eight of them were assorted Aurors or members of the Order, while four held the reputation of being the most talented and devious witches and wizards. They were severely inspected by Moody and the Elementals before they were given the green light to enter the castle of Hogwarts. They silently went straight to Dumbledore’s office, oblivious to the surreptitious glances from the students. The students exchanged speculative looks, somehow getting the feeling that their Headmaster was up to something either important or mischief.

    They finally reached the Headmaster’s office and Moody gave the password and stepped aside to let the group in. Among the new company, there was one wizard who was far older and eccentric compared to the grim-faced Aberforth, who began smoking as soon as he was offered a seat. "She is out there, isn’t she?" the white-haired wizard-- looking so much like a keeper of a bookstore, which he was-- spoke up as he exhaled. Dumbledore nodded gravely and the stranger’s abrupt question seemed to puzzle the rest of the company that was with him. "I guess I just have to keep on breathing and sane if I want to meet her," he sighed.

    "Does Cornelius know that you’re here, Amelia?" Dumbledore inquired mildly and she snorted disdainfully as she shook her head.

    "All of us are ready for action, Dumbledore," Reef informed him and the Headmaster nodded approvingly. A slight sound came from the entrance and Charlie slipped in, his eyes shining brightly with excitement.

    "What do we do now, Wulf?" the oldest wizard inquired, politely declining a glass of wine that Aberforth had poured for him.

    "We wait, Julian," Dumbledore answered calmly, "we will wait before we move out to the lake and Apparate from there."

    "Zis is truly impossible, Dumbly-Dorr. I did not ‘spect the students to take part in zis nonsensical war willingly," Madam Maxime rumbled deeply.

    "But it is through our failure in stopping Voldemort that the youngsters are involving themselves in this," a balding wizard said softly.

    "Too true," one Auror replied.

    "You do know where to go, don’t you?" Julian Mingleweeve asked Madam Maxime timidly and she gave a tight nod. He slowly let out a pensive sigh, then settled back in his armchair and waited patiently for Dumbledore to give the signal.

    "I guess that the time has come to inform Voldemort that we seriously don’t want to share our living space with him," a witch with completely white hair that ended up in a strict bun, spoke up.

    "Don’t sound so confident, Michelle," Aberforth advised.

    "Huh!" She stared at him in an unfriendly manner. "Too bad for Voldemort, but I am in the mood to live for a few more decades before I go for a permanent vacation."

    "Ambitious, are we?" Julian commented lightly.

    "You tell me. You’re reaching your hundred and sixty-six years soon, so why can’t I at least aspire to live that long?" she asked almost sullenly.

    The oldest wizard winced as Aberforth chuckled. "You didn’t have to really specify that," he said as he looked at the witch named Michelle with a pained expression.

    "Too late." Dumbledore’s lips quivered with amusement. "But you should not really think about that that way," he said, gazing solemnly at the witch.

    "I knew you would find something wrong with that sentence, but I assure you, Wulf, that I certainly don’t really want to achieve immortality. I think by the time I hit hundred and twenty, there would be at least twenty percent of you suggesting that I go for face-lifts or something like that."

    Light chuckles filled the room and they fell into a comfortable silence, waiting for their enemy to make his first move.

**********

Deep in the Dark Forest…

    The five groups had Translocated themselves to their respective checkpoints. Sirius’s group was given the center point since Harry was the only suitable choice in creating the core of the anti-flammable spell, due to his newfound ability that allowed him to cast spells over a fairly large area. Yesterday however, Harry argued about his inexperience and self-doubts and requested the Fire Master to handle it. Fenix just looked at him quizzically and Draco took it upon himself to enlighten his oathbrother.

    : Don’t you have any common sense? You can’t really expect us to fight fire with fire, don’t you? : His oathbrother looked at him impatiently and Harry flushed with embarrassment. : Glad that you understand the situation. :

    Aldren’s group made up of Fenix, Aelwen, Neville and Seamus, found themselves overlooking an area of the Forest where trees had been felled or trampled while Remus’s group Translocated several meters ahead of them. This particular group separated and while the humans began to deftly climb the trees that had been assigned to them to keep watch, Sieghart, an Elven mage and his counterpart stayed on the ground to initialize the spellcasting.

    All the other groups were in position except for the groups led by Sirius and Snape. They had found themselves Translocated to their places and it just happened that the band of centaurs was also there. Naturally, the centaurs thought they were under attack and loosed their ever-ready arrows at the humans. Thanks to advanced planning, the group had gone in with their shields and the arrows clattered uselessly onto the ground. The centaurs growled menacingly and Sirius spoke to them firmly that it was not their intention to pick a fight with them but Bane ignored his words, advancing threateningly toward where Harry was standing. The rest of the centaurs milled about aimlessly, kicking up their hooves. Tempers flared as the vibrations of the centaurs’ movement began to react with the trappings that had been set five days ago.

    "Leave," Horien, an Elven warrior commanded firmly.

    : Sir, : Harry sent a thought to the elf, : I think the trappings are about to go off. :

    : Damn it! Green-Eyes! Don’t just stand there! : A ray of sunlight pierced through the canopy of the Forest and lit Draco’s silver eyes directly.

    : The situation can’t be helped. : Snape’s eyes narrowed and a centaur went down when it tried to ram against a shield that was protecting the Potions Master’s group. : Do what you have to-- I’ll inform the rest, : he said to Harry and Snape withdrew the mind-link from the boy to inform the other three groups of the minor setback.

**********

    : Blast it! : Fenix cursed and she exchanged a look with Aldren. She snapped her head up suddenly and sniffed at the air. Her suspicions were confirmed when Remus sent a frantic thought. : Dear Gods! Hellhound coming your way, bro! Sieghart! Nigel! Abort now! :

    The elves in her group were the first to hear the three-headed giant dog maneuver its way through the ancient trees and undergrowth. As practiced in a drill, the elves snatched Neville and Seamus quickly and immediately transformed themselves into inconspicuous trees among others that had not been damaged by Voldemort’s giants. By doing so, they had successfully eliminated their trail and scent.

    Taking full advantage of her gifts, she turned into a wolf and loped forward to the area where she had scented the three-headed dog. She was also communicating with the groups that were under Remus and Jaheera, and gave a tremendous sigh when they were well out of harm’s way for now, both from the centaurs and the Hellhound. She slowed down her paces and began slinking on the ground quietly.

    Back to the area where her oathbrother and Snape unwittingly cornered the centaurs, they were trying hard to get the hoofed-ones and themselves out of the trap-spells before it gets activated. Harry and Cyfel were sweating profusely as they began to take down the spells at a disastrous pace.

    : Do you need our help, Severus? : Remus’s mindvoice echoed dimly in the Potions Master’s mind.

    : Don’t get yourself into trouble, werewolf. Fenix gave you specific instructions to remain where you are. : Snape struggled to keep his temper when the centaurs began firing off arrows.

    : He’s right, : Sirius sent his opinion. : Shoot! : The last descendant of the Black family was totally caught by surprise when three of the centaurs turned around and their hooves gave off sparks when they hit his shield. Although he was physically unharmed, the same could not be said of his mind. Bells were ringing inside his head, and he was momentarily dazed by the impact. Draco saw Harry’s godfather sank to his knees, clutching his aching head. He bit at his lower lip, and thought deeply, then nodded to himself in resolution. He vanished.

    : Draco! : Snape shouted, abandoning his attempt to drive Magorian away and signaled Warrington and Montague to guard Harry and Cyfel from interruptions. He and Rendierr warded off the three centaurs away from Sirius, since the Black’s own members: Hermione and Aderyn were dueling with Bane and two others intensely. At least the two of them managed to back the centaurs toward the safe area. Snape pulled Sirius up to his feet, relieved when the man began to pull away from his hold.

    : Do you see that lone yew tree at Sirius’s left? : Draco’s thought penetrated through their minds. Hermione’s eyes went wide when she heard his voice; it sounded nearly as ticklish when Snape first communicated in their minds.

    : What are you up to? : his oathbrother managed to ask while concentrating to release the trap-spells.

    : Trust me. Herd the centaurs there, : was all the Slytherin said before releasing the mind-link.

    : If we could before we get trapped. : Harry’s godfather scoffed. : I wonder what your godson is thinking, Severus. There’s at least-- : he paused to count the herd members, : eighteen of them. And we only have what… eight people free to take them on? : He looked penetratingly at the Potions Master.

**********

    Fluffy had paused, sniffing the ground. One head lifted and it seemed to stare right through the foliage where Fenix skulked. Then two more pairs of eyes stared at her. "Fluffy!" a deep booming voice suddenly ripped the wary silence. Heavy footsteps followed and Fenix’s wolfish eyes stared in surprise when a giant, approximately sixteen feet in length, holding a huge club in one hand carefully emerged into the clearing. The Hellhound made an inquiring noise at the back of its throats and the giant answered by making a few gutturals. Three snouts then pointed at the dense foliage where Fenix lay hidden and the giant stared stupidly at it. The giant and the Hellhound communicated again and finally, the three-headed dog got to its feet and walked off slowly. Miraculously, it was heading to an area that was so inaccessible that Fenix and the rest did not bother to scout.

    "Soorrry. Dog not bother anymore…" the giant spoke haltingly, staring timidly at the green foliage before he followed the immense dog. Fenix blinked her eyes in surprise. Aelwen and Aldren returned and both boys that had been turned into trees suddenly exploded, muttering off curses. The Fire Master crept out of hiding and ran off to where her group was.

    : Fenix, remind me to give Hagrid a few strangles when we return to peaceful times, : said Remus, and to no one’s surprise, Ron was thinking along the same lines.

    : We have to delay in the spellcasting, : Sieghart spoke. : The centaurs would only pose as serious distractions if we do not remove them and relocate them into another area. :

    : It seems that Draco has a plan. Why don’t we regroup then start all over again? : Remus suggested and she sighed.

    : Let’s go then, : she said tiredly, and the two boys controlled their tongues as she began their Translocation.

**********

    : I wish they would hurry! : Sirius said impatiently. "Impedimenta!" he shouted and quickly moved away from a centaur’s lunge. Warrington and Montague left the two casters to help the rest lead the centaurs to the general area of the yew tree. Finally, their backup arrived. Snape left Fenix to handle Magorian and concentrated on the others.

    "I sincerely apologize," Fenix spoke to a nonplussed Magorian who had suddenly found himself floating several feet from the ground toward the area that Draco had pointed out. The rest paused to watch the struggling centaur and Hermione narrowed her eyes in speculation.

    "Ron," she called out dreamily and her partner hurried to her side, with Luna close behind him. "At the count of three," she tapped her wand on her palm and after the second tap, the three of them shouted. "Wingardium leviosa!"

    : Better hurry up! : Harry’s mindvoice sounded a little strained. Dragon’s teeth! : Cyfel! : He sent a panicked thought.

    : Don’t panic! : the elf advised, his brow damp with sweat. Being so close to the boy, he was able to hear Harry clench his jaw tightly. : This is it! On my mark! : Both of them raised their hands slowly.

    Bane’s eyes widened when he saw Magorian suddenly disappeared when he reached the area that Draco had suggested. "Retreat!" he shouted, but saw Snape shaking his head.

    "We can’t let you do that."

    Bane and several of his warriors found themselves entangled in the Levitation spell. They heard a loud crack as Cyfel and Harry managed to stop the trap spells in time. Thirty-minutes passed and the students collapsed against each other when they finally saw the last of the centaur warriors disappear. Draco materialized out of the thin air, startling his godfather and got slapped with a spell.

    : It’s only me! : his godson yelled and Snape cursed at his godson’s impudence. The Slytherin blanched at the Potions Master’s strong words and gulped, keeping mute until his godfather ran out of expletives.

    "I think your godfather had summed up your casualness pretty well," Aelwen spoke calmly.

    "Drake," his oathbrother spoke up in a worried voice, "where on earth have you sent the centaurs to?"

    "Where the rest of their herd is," the Slytherin shrugged. "There’s nothing wrong in sending them there, right?" He gave a hard look at the Potions Master.

    "Now we would have to deal with the rest of the herd… maybe all of them later!" his godfather answered angrily.

    : Do I look that stupid? : Draco asked Snape privately. Although his face and eyes showed unruffled calm, his godfather managed to sense that he had gravely hurt the boy from the thought that Draco shared with him. "I gave the centaurs careful instructions to stay and not go out to wander in the Forest today and to ignore what the young centaurs had to say about their brief encounter with us. They were sorely surprised when they found that the words actually came from a dragon," he explained in a quiet voice.

    "But how can you really confirm that the centaurs will stay out of our hair?" Ron argued.

    "Surely you did not threaten them?" Hermione gasped, and Draco gave a long sigh.

    "There’s at least three other dominant centaurs within the herd who understand what we’re trying to do. They will keep Bane and his followers within their protective enclosure. If they can’t do it, that’s just too bad," he shrugged, totally ignoring the Potions Master and followed Rendierr to check up on a good spot where they could begin casting their spells. Snape looked at his godson, regret clearly showing on his face.

    Sirius was just about to remark on Snape’s blunder when Fenix and Harry gave him warning looks. He sighed then examined his godson. : Do you think you can continue? You have used your powers extensively. :

    : I don’t think I’ve used that much power, Sirius, : he replied, then turned to his friends. "If you have rested enough, I think it’s wise for us to get moving." He looked inquisitively at the Fire Master who seemed to be discussing something with someone.

    "It’s eleven forty-eight now, and we’ve got less than two hours to work on the spell. Dumbledore’s very worried about the Heliopaths, and he thinks that we would not be seeing any Death Eaters or Voldemort today," she informed them of the news that was being reported by Krill.

    "The giants can’t really move that fast!" Neville frowned and most nodded their heads in agreement.

    "Hard to believe, isn’t it? But the truth is, they certainly will reach the edge of the Forest in approximately ninety minutes," she concurred and pursed her lips. "Time doesn’t seem to help us…"

    "Then we’ve got no time to lose," Ginny said, as Dean helped her up.

**********

    The setting had changed from a functional office to a more mundane environment. The house-elves were busily sending up dishes from the kitchen and placing them laboriously on the huge dining table.

    Dumbledore and several others were fretting over their cups of wine. His elder brother and Julian were trying to reassure him the groups inside the Forest would complete their task on time, and probably will also have time to get a rest before they plunge head on into the giants and the still-evasive army of Heliopaths.

    "You can’t really expect things to go your way all the time," Julian said sagaciously.

    "Don’t worry too much about them," Aberforth spoke. "They know what they absolutely have to do."

    "‘Zis would be really a miracle if ze kids manage to get out of ze Forest alive."

    "Stop that, Olly," Michelle spoke in a disapproving tone. "We should have faith in those brave kids." She leaned forward. "You do want them to come out alive and well, don’t you?" The Headmistress of Beauxbaton Academy gave a heavy sigh, her eyes suddenly misting over. "Oh dear…" Michelle looked guiltily around the table.

**********

~ Chapter 43: Hogwarts’s First Sortie ~

In the Forbidden Forest. Exactly seventy minutes later…

Harry collapsed against Cyfel tiredly. Casting this spell had taken out more of me than I had expected. It was getting humid down in the Forest and he pulled at his collar uncomfortably. He let the elf guide him to an oak tree and he sank down to the earth and wished that he had a bottle of water with him. By now, he was seeing bright spots and horizontal lines that intertwined with almost everything in the Forest. He blinked his eyes but the bright figures remained and he delved through his memories to see if there was a way to shut them off from his sight.

    He saw a whitish ball floating toward him and frowned when a bottle of water suddenly appeared right before the cloudy ball. He turned to the elf who was looking down at him with gentle amusement. Cyfel casually reached for the bottle casually and drank a little before passing it to the exhausted boy. Harry took the bottle dubiously, then turned to stare at the cloudy ball.

    "Harry, dear," Aelwyn’s familiar melodious voice spoke up and it seemed that it was coming directly from the whitish ball. "Don’t stare at me like that. So your eyesight became sensitive," she mused and Harry had to wonder if she meant that he would be able to see without his glasses. The Sylph laughed and he sighed in disappointment.

    "You are not being nice," a deep voice spoke up and Harry saw a reddish ball hovering near the white ball. The Sylph continued laughing.

    "Uhm… Cyfel…" the boy called the elf in an uncertain tone while they waited for the rest to regroup before they move off to their final checkpoint. "Is there any way I could get to see everything normally again?"

    The elf smiled faintly at the boy. "Yes, I happen to know of a technique."

    Harry was relieved, then made an impatient noise at the elf. "Don’t just look at me?! Teach me!"

    "This kid is really getting mean," the elf commented to Hermione and Sirius.

    "Yes," she agreed, looking patronizingly at her friend, while Harry’s godfather chuckled tiredly, "but I think that’s why we’re around. To make sure that he does not outgrow his shoes too much."

    Harry narrowed his eyes dangerously when his group began chortling at her subtle hint that he was getting a wee bit too cocky. The elf sat himself down in front of him and almost shyly reached out a mind-link. The boy hesitated before accepting the link; he was still feeling a little hurt that his teammates were still laughing. Horien and the rest of the group circled around the oblivious elf and wizard, watching their surroundings warily. Hermione watched her friend with a peculiar expression on her face and it vanished when Remus’s group finally appeared. It was replaced by a fond smile as Ron slowly made his way toward her.

    "Did you understand any of that?" He was clearly referring to the spellcasting and he sounded very awed. Hermione gave a small, affectionate laugh, shaking her head merrily. Even Remus smiled a little, although his eyes never stopped to scan the area.

    "It must have been exhausting work," the Defence teacher remarked, pointing his chin at their friend who was receiving instructions from the elf before him. He accepted the bottle of water that his best friend offered and took a huge gulp of the refreshing liquid before speaking. "Sieghart was fairly drained that we had to let him get his orientations before we move off."

    Snape’s group was next to arrive and it seemed that he and his godson were clearly not in friendly terms and that made the Defence teacher slightly nervous. Draco went straight to where his oathbrother sat while the Potions Master headed for Remus and Sirius. The air felt strangely tense and everyone was relieved when Harry finally completed the brief training and the two other groups came in for a brief rest and lunch before they rearrange themselves to lie in wait for Voldemort’s army.

    The Fire Master ignored the adults, going straight to Harry and his oathbrother, conversing privately with them. Sirius guessed by the rapt attention that the younger ones were giving her, the Fire Master was probably giving them tips and pointers of what they should do when they finally come face to face with their opponents. : I don’t want to ask too much from both of you, : her eyes were melancholy as she spoke to them, : but this time, you really have to think about your actions before carrying them out. Take your time. :

    : I think we could agree on that, : Harry said, and picked a sandwich from a tray that was ludicrously floating around the entire area.

    : For as long as we didn’t bite more than we can chew, : his oathbrother agreed solemnly. The Slytherin certainly looked calmer than he actually felt, coolly checking his bow and decided to re-string it.

    Fenix carefully picked two of the sandwiched with her right hand and she squirmed. : Krill, I feel a little unhygienic here, : she sent a thought to her chief Elemental, eyeing Harry who had finished eating his sandwich. Another bottle appeared and a Sylph waited until Draco was satisfied with his bow and set it aside to get a bite.

    He went several feet away with the bottle following him to wash his hand before eating. He returned then held Fenix’s sandwich for her to take her turn at washing her hands. : Drake, : her mindvoice drifted to the silver-eyed boy, : you know that your godfather did not mean what he had said. : She dropped the subject when the Slytherin remained silent. The Fire Master moved off to where her partner was, leaving the two oathbrothers to discuss their own things. The Potions Master was staring oddly at the two boys but she felt it was wise if she stayed away from the subject. She devoured the last bit of her sandwich and took the bottle that Remus held out for her. I just hope that this will not be the day that the two would regret their actions’ later…

**********

Dumbledore’s office…

    The people that had been invited to Dumbledore’s private meeting were getting restless by the moment. Michelle fiddled with her wand as they waited; giving off false sparks once in a while. Fawkes reappeared on the Headmaster’s desk and all of them moved closer to hear if the phoenix had brought his owner any news. Dumbledore stared intensely at his bird and finally gave a nod. Then he spoke up in a quiet voice but not to the mortals who were with him. "Listen to me carefully," he spoke in a hushed voice, "whatever happens, you must not leave Hogwarts at all cost."

    To their profound amazement, Fawkes began to make angry noises at his owner. Dumbledore looked at his bird fondly but spoke in a commanding tone. "You will have to obey me, just this once." Feeling that his next few words were just too private to be spoken aloud, the Headmaster concentrated his thoughts to his bird. I’m just too fond of you, little bird. At least, I know you would be perfectly safe here, among the rest of them. So stay, and don’t follow me. His pet hopped from his desk onto his lap, butting his head forcefully and kept trying to burrow himself in the wizard’s thick robes a few times before the bird decided it was an impossible task to achieve.

    Dumbledore slowly ran his fingers through the bright feathers of his bird, trying to soothe the agitated bird. His answer to their inquisitive looks was short. "They’re here," was all he said.

**********

Back in the Forest…

    They were just about to move off to their respective positions when they heard a distinct chorus of galloping hooves hitting the ground brutally. The twenty-six people froze in their tracks and as one body, they build a physical shield flawlessly. Alarming thoughts ran through Draco’s mind. I guess he was right after all. The centaurs had probably ignored the warnings that I had given them. They have returned to get their revenge. However, there was another thought that chilled him more than the prospect of having an entire herd of fighting and angry centaurs coming after them. I hope it’s not the Heliopaths… but the gallops sure aren’t from some twenty-odd feet giants.

    It was clear on Fenix’s face that she also feared the worst as he ‘heard’ her sending out information and instructions to the Main. What came running toward them were something that they had not been expecting. It was a herd of unicorns.

    "I thought they were solitary creatures?" Ginny questioned her friends as the herd completely ignored them and galloped past them. There were murmurs of agreement and the Potions Master cleared his throat loudly enough to gain their attention.

    "This is certainly an unnatural sight," he agreed. "Though I think their flight as a herd might mean more than just simply gathering and running off together." He watched the last of the amazingly white and silvery forms of the mythical horses disappearing into the Forest.

    Sirius caught the Potions Master’s hint almost immediately. "I see that the fun is about to start."

    "But which one?" Luna was thirty seconds slower to response. "Giants," she looked at Fenix, "or Heliopaths?" Her unblinking eyes then stared rudely at the Black.

    "I’m not much of a strategist," Montague suddenly spoke up, not looking at any of them as he pretended to check his quiver of arrows, "but it’s likely that the giants will take the lead." The Quidditch captain had the kind of look that he had more to say, so they waited for him to speak up patiently. "I can’t say that I know what he is thinking, but he knows that by now we have found ways to eliminate the giants. I agree we have found the means but--"

    "The taking would not be an easy one," Remus interrupted, scowling. "I see where this is going. The giants would be more or less acting as decoys so that we waste too much energy on them, and will probably blunder when Voldemort’s backup arrives."

    "I don’t think I like what you’re saying, Professor," Ron said quietly.

    "Fenix, send the Sylphs out," Cadriel commanded the Fire Master after a moment of thinking. The Fire Master did as was instructed, her silver eyes shining brightly with her spiritual power as she concentrated on hearing the reports of her Elementals. The elves were both surprised and worried when she actually began to summon all the other Elementals.

    : What is she doing? : Harry questioned his oathbrother.

    : I’m not sure, Green-Eyes, : Draco used that term very casually, : but whatever she’s doing isn’t for fun. Maybe… : His mindvoice trailed off and Harry felt uneasiness creeping slowly into his soul.

    "Montague’s right," the Fire Master spoke into the silence. Ginny looked about them carefully. It seemed that Luna interpreted her inquisitive glance accurately.

    "It’s not the shield. It is quiet. Even the air is not moving."

    Fenix nodded absently to herself. "We’re terribly outnumbered, guys." She sighed before continuing her sentence, "There are thirty giants making their way down here. I hate the thought of having to kill them and then waste more energy in creating a funeral pyre for them." Sirius snorted and muttered something very insulting at her. She totally ignored her oathbrother. "There is still no trace of our Heliopaths however."

    "But what if the Heliopaths don’t exist at all?" Hermione asked the group. In her heart, she was wondering why they were casually discussing the matter in the middle of a mission.

    The Fire Master turned to stare impassively at the Granger and the young girl immediately regretted her actions. She was shocked when the Fire Master finally spoke. "You could be right, Hermione. Voldemort might have taken the chance to tamper with the peoples’ memories, especially the Minister’s. There is such a way to install false memories; Voldemort could have done the same thing to Fudge in making him think that he had been raising an army of Heliopaths."

    The company looked utterly dumbfounded, except for Hermione who was nodding her head fervently. Fenix’s theory held too much sense that they could not just ignore the situation. Fenix maintained her silence, carefully examining their facial expressions and body language as they processed her words mentally.

    Cadriel, who was appointed as the overall general of their mission, suggested that they might have to change their plans a little. Cyfel spoke up, "For obvious reasons, the groups led by Sirius and Remus should maintain the positions that had been assigned to them. There might be no Heliopaths, but I recall there are two species of demons that bore the same physical description from the information that had been gathered so far."

    "What demons?" Fenix asked sharply, though she looked a little skeptical at the elf’s theory.

    "Helion and Earaiths. You should have memories of them," the elf answered easily, looking at her for a moment before gazing solemnly at Draco.

    The moment the Slytherin heard the name of the latter, images filled his mind so quickly that he was totally overwhelmed by them. By the time Fenix and his oathbrother brought him out of the sudden nightmarish visions, his face was deathly pale and he was clutching at his revolting stomach. He was still able to smell burnt bodies and sensations of despair and horror from the victims. Harry refused to let go of his mind-link, spending some energy to help his oathbrother vanquish the horrible visions away.

    Draco gasped, then gave a look so full of gratitude that Harry felt amazed. He had never seen the Slytherin looking at anyone like that, ever. "You know," his voice was hoarse, "I think I believe in demons more than I believe Fudge."

    "So… there might be such creatures of fire," Luna said, almost as if she was refusing to believe that the Heliopaths were not real as she thought them to be. "He just named them differently."

    "Whatever…’ Hermione sighed and looked at Cadriel. The elf stared intently at his kind and finally turned to the rest.

    "Remus, Sirius," he spoke up, voice backed with determination, "maintain your positions." He turned to the Potions Master. "Front guard for Sirius." Snape nodded. It seemed a little unreal that he was actually taking someone’s order. Cadriel’s eyes gleamed cruelly when he turned to Aldren and Fenix.

    "First wave?" she complained, then sighed when Aldren chuckled and Cadriel’s face broke into a wide grin. "Why do you always take the riskiest job?"

    That seemed to catch Ron’s attention totally, for his younger sister was under Cadriel’s command. "What do you mean, risky?" he yelped, eyes going round with anxiety.

    Ginny timidly pulled on the elf’s sleeve and before her brother could question the elf, Cadriel’s group disappeared to their assigned area. Fenix received a confirmation that they were in place and there were no signs of the giants, yet. She tried to keep on a blank expression as the Weasley looked at her suspiciously. : See you people later! : Her group vanished.

    "Ah… Ron?" Hermione spoke up in a timid voice. "You’ve got to control your temper. Too much emotions would seriously affect your sense of judgment." He took her advice soberly and took several calming breaths before he was Translocated with the rest of his group to their assigned positions.

**********

McGonagall's office…

    Professor McGonagall was studying the map of Hogwarts and the Forest carefully with Flitwick accompanying her. Someone knocked on the door and a house-elf helped to open the door. "Albus!" McGonagall exclaimed, clearly not expecting the Headmaster.

    "Afternoon, Minerva," he greeted. "Would you come with me for a moment?" the Headmaster politely requested when he saw that she was not alone.

    Flitwick did not have to pretend that he had not seen or heard the Headmaster because he was totally self-absorbed in plotting and calculating the damage that could be expected to occur in the Forest by sundown. The tiny professor mumbled to himself about the craziness of Dumbledore and the Elven Lord to have sent only twenty-six people out to deal with thirty giants, which were much well-armored than the previous batch had been.

    McGonagall followed the Headmaster out to the silent corridor and to her surprise, he entrusted her with a bunch of keys and then Fawkes. His bird was making sorrowful noises as his owner set him on the Transfigurations teacher's arm. "Albus…" Her voice stuck in her throat as she stared deeply into his eyes. The Headmaster gave her a gentle smile before whisking off, hurriedly getting away from her.

    McGonagall stood frozen at the silent hallway, with her eyes wide with horror. She was looking so terrified that when Flitwick stomped out of the office to fetch her back, he faltered when he saw the profound despair that she displayed. His eyes took in the expression on her face, and then to the set of keys in her hand that she was clutching so tightly, and finally to Dumbledore's unmistakable bird. He finally realized the meaning behind those three observations but decided against showing McGonagall sympathy. I know Dumbledore wouldn't want a useless Headmistress. He took a deep breath and broke the silence. "Minerva, we absolutely have to finish chartering that map. The Main as you know, are in a standby mode, so it will be good if we were to join them at the Great Hall as soon as possible." The Transfigurations teacher snapped out of her reverie and in a preoccupied manner, she followed Flitwick back to her own office.

**********

    Moody watched Dumbledore's company trekked their way out of the castle without being noticed by the ever-watchful students. It was against the nature of the ex-Auror to remain behind where action could be found. Then again, it was against his sense of duty to leave the School without his skills, which might be needed later, though he doubted that the twenty-six people would fail in dealing with the giants and Heliopaths.

**********

At the edge of the trail…

    All the groups patiently waited for the giants to enter the trail and indeed, after the reports that was given by the Fire Master's Elementals, the giants had used the trail that had been previously used by Golgomath. The sounds that were coming from the massive beings were impressive and it was scary and loud enough that it made even Fenix's heart race.

    The wind raced uphill and Aldren's group nearly fainted with the odor that the giants brought with them. : Dear gods! : Aelwen gagged and they heartily agreed with the female elf. : Do they ever bathe? : Their group was perching on a huge oak that had given them permission to set up their 'base'.

    : I don't think they did… not for several months anyway… : Seamus, who had to stay linked with the elf to make himself heard commented dryly. Then they heard the giants' bellows and the creatures came nearer. They wasted no more time on casual conversations, paying attention to the giants and their body armor carefully. They waited for Cadriel's signal to engage. He gave a silent command for them to draw their weapons. All of them were equipped with the traditional Elven longbows that had superb firing range but of course, the rest was dependent on the archer's skill. That was probably the reason why Cadriel had chosen Aldren's group to be on the front line since Seamus and surprisingly, Neville were not too bad in archery.

    : Try to aim for the eyes or ears if you can, : Aldren suggested and all gave their assent. He was not finished as he spoke to Fenix. : I want you to try to get a shot at their throats, or heart… just using the arrow. :

    : Is that possible? : Sirius questioned the elf doubtfully.

    : The problem is I can't really remember if we were successful in piercing the armor of the giants during the attack on Hallowe'en night. :

    : As I recall, : Fenix said helpfully, : it was totally impossible for us to get the arrows out of their bodies without magical help. The arrows were embedded quite deeply into the giants’ bodies. :

    : So it might be entirely possible that we might get the arrows into their armor then, : Neville said brightly.

    Although the wind stilled, the stench coming from the giants were getting worse as they neared the group. They waited until the giants finally entered the susceptible range and when Cadriel gave them the green light, arrows zoomed off in the air almost unseen by the giants. Seamus's arrow penetrated through the giant's throat guard and it gurgled, choking up on blood and clawing at the almost needle-like projectile. Within seconds, it fell dead, crashing against another dead giant. Cadriel's group fired their arrows and twenty-seven giants remained. Fenix took her time in aiming at one particularly arrogant giant and released her arrow. The arrow hit the breastplate harmlessly and the giant roared in anger.

    : Didn't work… :

    : Then aim for their throats. :

    : I absolutely am not going to enjoy giving them a proper funeral later. :

    : Fenix, : Krill's mindvoice echoed in her mind. : McGonagall requests that you maintain the giants in the area that you are now. :

    : All right, : she answered, as she took an arrow to make her shot. The giants did not seem to follow orders from anyone but they were lumbering closer to the humans.

    : Any signs of the Heliopaths yet? : someone asked, but the rest gave a negative. Fenix let her arrow take flight and it zoomed off to embed itself into a giant's throat. Three more went down and the Fire Master stomped down her sense of humor. It seemed that the dead giants continued to pile up in one place but she saw no reasons to complain.

**********

    Draco was watching the situation with his Sight, seeing the giants as big, brown lights. As if forgotten about his previous dissatisfaction with his godfather, he sent a frustrated thought to the Potions Master.

    : Eventually, the giants will find their tactic a little irritating and plunge right down into the Forest. We had removed the trappings and it would be too late if the giants were to separate and starts going into several different directions, : he said. : They're not taking the giants down as quickly as they should. :

    Snape agreed uncomplainingly with his godson. The situation was getting worse by the moment and it quickly soured for the Potions Master when someone turned up unexpectedly on the branch where he and his godson were perching.

    : I think you ought to stop killing those giants, : the same stranger that had helped Mineif to heal Fenix spoke up. : This will obviously irk you but your godson has the potential to transport them to other places. :

    : But what would be the point if Voldemort could find them again at his own will? : Snape argued. The stranger sighed.

    : I seldom like to intervene in your dealings but I guess there are some things which I could do, : the stranger said cryptically. : Your godson will help me in transporting them to my place, and I can keep watch on the troublesome giants. My kind is having a council session about their future. :

    Draco nodded as he accepted the task but Snape was being stubborn than usual that day. He argued that Harry would be a backup short in anything failed but his godson pointed out that they have all the Elven mages with them. Finally, Snape gave up his argument, taking a moment to inform Cadriel and the rest of the sudden offer. The ‘general’ took the Potions Master's information rather calmly, unmoved by the knowledge that they would be at least one sorcerer short for the time being. Draco vanished with the stranger, leaving his godfather in a blanket of uneasiness.

**********

    He had better use Draco’s powers wisely, she thought as she concentrated on her aim. According to the new plan, they were to keep the giants in that particular area as Draco and the stranger began to create a spell of a gigantic proportion to accommodate twenty-one giants. She felt the air about her crackle and using her other Sight, she saw complex, pulsing lines that were beginning to circle the giants.

    : Fenix, : Harry called out. His mindvoice sounded concerned and excited at the same time.

    : Yes? : she asked the boy absently as she aimed for a giant’s leg.

    : There’s something odd occurring right behind your designated area, : the young wizard informed her. He felt her skepticism then quickly reported. : It’s not Draco’s vortex. :

    The Fire Master gave a frown and looked about her with her Sight. Harry had described Draco’s spellcasting precisely, and the circle of pulsating energy took on a more definite shape. She silently motioned to Neville to take her place as she maneuvered about the tree branch. He’s right… There was something quite out of place. She saw the natural field energy about the area began to expand and contract, then something was beginning to displace the energy. : Aldren, : she called out, then pointed her chin toward the suspicious area.

    : Could it be? : the elf mused. : Krill, what can you say about that? : He cast his question to the hovering Salamander.

    : No idea, Aldren. It reminds me of the times you Translocated yourselves, : the Salamander answered.

    Cadriel issued commands to the three groups to remain on standby mode, and gave Aldren’s group permission to feel the suspicious area out. The Fire Master volunteered to go and check but only after she ensured that the backs of her group members were protected with a shield. She carefully dropped from the tree branch and examined the ground before her slowly. Stepping through her shield, she took a moment to sort out the different sounds that she was able to pinpoint. She heard the soft murmurs of the Elementals all around them, the gentle feeling of electricity radiating out from the anti-flammable spells and the angry growls of the giants. Draco’s vortex had become stronger, and the energy that was spinning around the giants became visible to the normal eye. To their relief, one by one; the giants vanished as they were taken captive by the Sun God.

**********

    Voldemort threw his wineglass against the wall and it shattered. His face was white with anger. First, his spies had been caught and then terminated, then he found that Dumbledore had prevented him from scrying into the castle to watch their movements. Now, Macnair reported that they had lost contact with the giants and were unable to reach them. His follower had fled quickly enough from Voldemort’s killing rage after the report.

    Voldemort struggled to maintain his temper. He slowly began to smile. The playthings of the Ministry would bring them down for me… The Dark Lord’s insane laugher rang eerily inside his stronghold.

**********

    Fenix was struggling to catch her breath. The Fire Master had walked into a deadly trap. The moment she reached the field of disturbance, she found herself smothered by bodies of flame. Bloody hell… they’re quite strong… She tried to wriggle herself from the crushing bodies but to no avail. It’s a good thing I’m immune to fire.

    : Fenix! : Remus shouted.

    : I’m still alive, lover, : she reassured her partner. : I resent in being born short. Could you get a clearer look at these villains? : she asked before she spoke again. : By the way, how many are there? : The Fire Master was unaware that they were just decoys although the batch was extremely working hard at breaking her shields away by force. Harry watched the mass of fiery bodies in silence, picking up Fenix’s struggling form.

    : Can’t you see? : Sirius was amused.

    : Stop trying to be funny, bro. How could I, when my face is totally covered by a wall of fire? : she replied acidly. While they were distracted by their new opponents, the giants were no longer their concern and Cadriel’s and Aldren’s group rejoined the rest.

    Draco reappeared beside his godfather and examined the pillars of flame, the tallest standing at eighteen feet tall while the shortest stood at fifteen. He concentrated on trying to distinguish the physical appearance of the creatures while his oathbrother concentrated on counting the number of their opponents. The creatures did not seem to have any facial features; they were like an extremely broad lamppost with so many arms attached to the main body. They’re more like whips. The creatures have a pair of hooves, and he decided to make something clear to everyone.

    : Sorry to disappoint you, Hermione, but they’re not demons, : he said and his oathbrother agreed.

    Harry spoke up. : If you think these ones are scary-- they’re the original Heliopaths by the way-- : he said rather casually, : what do you think about those? :

    They stared among the trees and finally saw five filmy-like creatures skulking closely to the forest floor. The students and the wizards instantly remembered the Lethifolds that had fled out from the sub-levels. Instead of normal-looking black cloaks, the creatures were like a moving sheet of sickly green fire. The one taking the lead paused and stood up, looking directly at Draco. Unlike the Heliopaths, the ‘new models’ seemed to have acquired a pair of narrow-looking eyes.

    : Green-eyes… : Draco sent an anxious thought to his oathbrother.

    : They’re fundamentally the same as the Heliopaths but a lot stronger and they’re able to-- : Harry broke off as the prototypes demonstrated what he was about to explain.

    : Bloody hell. : Draco said flatly as he watched the creatures’ fire began eating the anti-flammable spells at an alarming rate.

    : Looks like we have underestimated Voldemort’s intelligence. :

    : Not quite, : Fenix spoke up and they heard a loud blast coming from her group of Heliopaths. The giraffe-like creatures scattered, but one of them slowly began to lose its hearth and disintegrated to ashes. : We have underestimated the elite group that had created them in the first place, : she corrected. She called up her wand and waved her arm in an arc as she spoke loudly, "Éteindre!" The fires that the prototypes released were suppressed and the Extinguishing Spell took effect as it quickly used up the source that a fire needs to stay lit.

    "I think I should be able to handle these," Fenix said, eyeing maliciously at the Heliopaths.

    : That leaves us to handle the prototypes then, : Harry said. He sent a thought to Draco, saying that he needed the Slytherin’s help to create a spell.

    : Whatever… : Draco sighed and disappeared to go to his oathbrother’s.

    Cadriel agreed that Remus’s group should remain on the alert, while Sirius’s group maintained their watch on Harry and Draco. Jaheera’s group was given the green light to go off to create an expansive shield to keep the creatures from taking flight. Hermione and Cyfel used several charms to keep the prototypes from advancing, waiting until Draco and his oathbrother were ready to deal with them. Fenix was doing something rather strange than exterminating the Heliopaths immediately.

    : Don’t mind her, : Cyfel spoke up suddenly. : She’s just improvising on what Draco had suggested her to do. Anyway, she rather needs something to release her stress. :

    : You know, I’m rather glad that you pointed that out to me, : Hermione said in a serious tone and released a spell that hit two of the prototypes and they suddenly turned black and began dancing around. She cast another spell and it returned the creatures to their normal state. She kept them busy enough that Cyfel was beginning to get a little bored, watching the Granger keeping the prototypes so busy that they did not release their flames.

    : Are you guys ready? : Fenix sent a thought to the two boys. The Fire Master was calmly looking at the enraged Heliopaths. She found out that they were at least partially blind and depended on their tentacles to feel the vibrations of her movements. She suspected that they would also be able to track her if she used any magic that would disturb the air. There was a catch, however. Fenix and the two boys had joined in casting the spell that the air was thrumming so loudly and it made the Heliopaths more confused at detecting their opponent.

    : All right, we’re ready, : Harry and Draco answered at the same time.

    Tendrils of energy flickered as the three began taking on their specialized forms to activate the improvised spell. The prototypes stared at the air around them and realizing that they were in trouble, they tried to take on their own invisible forms but were unsuccessful. Harry steadily grew brighter with his White Spirit, the Dragon adding a shadow to him, while the Phoenix gave him a substantial form.

    Snape looked at the glowing form that stood on the ground. It was a Phoenix, but it was not Fenix’s original. The Potions Master collapsed tiredly against the tree trunk. He was not the only one who was looking as if he was going to experience a major case of a nervous breakdown.

    : My god. : Sirius’s mindvoice sounded tired but Remus felt worse than that. The werewolf had gone numb.

    : Do you think Dumbledore would allow me to retire, Padfoot? :

    : I doubt so, Moony. :

    : I don’t think the Headmaster is the problem. But you can’t really break your engagement with Fenix… :

    : Why must you be so right, Severus? :

    : It’s my nature. :

    The bachelors stared, wondering what their godsons and the Fire Master were up to. The Heliopaths and the prototypes now were grouped together and the creatures decided to fight. The Heliopaths suddenly disappeared and it took the rest of them several minutes to understand what had just happened. The prototypes were cannibalistic, using the Heliopaths’ fires to increase their own strength. Huge volumes of fire lashed out to hit the Phoenix directly. Fenix harvested the firepower, while Draco went in to find their ‘hearts’. Having found them, he informed his oathbrother. Harry began creating a link to the spell they created to the hearts of the prototypes. The Phoenix raised its wings and pointed it to the group of Voldemort’s creatures. The prototypes released another wave of fire, and Fenix deftly transmuted it to energy and fed it to Harry.

    He directed the power through the link and the spell was activated. In the blink of an eye, the spell quickly usurped the power that the three had harvested and completely engulfed the prototypes.

    Snape clapped both hands into his ears as a piercing noise cut the air and closed his eyes from the incandescent white light. The tension in the air decreased and slowly returned to normal. Harry, Draco and Fenix had collapsed against each other, panting heavily.

    "I don’t think I care to experience that again," the Fire Master spoke up in a resolute voice, as she dropped flat onto her back. Draco nodded fervently but Harry looked at them wistfully.

    "But it felt good to be doing something," he protested.

    "It does, but merging with two other species seems odd." Fenix gave a small smile. "But the two of you were designed to work together."

    Harry leaned back against his oathbrother and watched the patch of ground where the prototypes had made their last stand. It was completely blackened. The rest finally went down from their trees and crowded about the three figures.

    "Let’s not ask anyone about anything yet." Fenix looked pleadingly at them and there were sighs.

    "We can’t go home just yet," Cadriel reminded her and she groaned as she remembered that there were still nine bodies waiting to be disposed off carefully.

    "I am certainly not going to burn them by myself," she said stubbornly.

    "Lazy," Ron admonished her and she stuck her tongue at him.

    The Fire Master looked at Harry imploringly. "You’re an amplifier, so would you help me? And you too, Drake." The two boys groaned, earning no sympathy from their friends.

**********

~ Chapter 44: Counter-attack ~

At the Forest…

The three of them were looking at the nine dead bodies of the giants with profound distaste. Fenix wrinkled her nose at the strong odor emanating out from them. By the time they had finished dealing with Voldemort's nonhuman helpers, it was nearly five in the afternoon. The three of them were getting irritated by the moment, clearly unhappy with the behavior of their fellow teammates.

    "They're not being fair." Draco dug his heel onto the turf.

    "Let’s hurry up, Fenix. I stink," Harry complained, earning a chuckle from her.

    "I'm hungry," the Slytherin muttered.

    "Do me a favor," his oathbrother said directly to him. "Let's not talk about food now."

    Draco just looked archly at Harry who was examining the dead giants carefully. Fenix had walked to their opposite side and he sighed. He wondered if she would suggest that he should turn into his true form, and then to his embarrassment, she firmly told him that they should not spend their energy carelessly.

    : Then how do you suggest we get them burning? : the Slytherin asked impatiently.

    : Harry would act as our amplifier, or maybe a more appropriate term is that he would be a funnel directing our energy. Just do what you usually do when you want to take on your true form, but instead of redirecting it back to yourself, you send it to Harry, : she explained to both boys. : So, do you think you can handle this? :

    Harry was still thinking deeply that his oathbrother had to catch his attention by giving him a sharp slap. "Ouch!" he yelped and glared indignantly at the Slytherin.

    : Stop wasting time, Green-Eyes, : Draco said. : Were you listening to Fenix? :

    : Of course, I was! You did not stop to think that I would be the one who will harvest your power! : he shot back testily, then turned to the Fire Master who was looking at them with annoyance. : Just how am I supposed to 'amplify' the fire? Fenix, I absolutely do not want to create a major Firestorm in this Forest by accident. :

    : A good point, : she admitted grudgingly. : I guess we have to modify our plan then, : she finally spoke up after a moment of thinking. : I guess we have to abandon that amplifying method. I want you to create a shield instead. Theoretically, if Drake's and my power are combined, it would probably be hot enough to do the job. So, you ought to create a very tough shield. :

    Harry looked at her with a horrified expression. : Fenix! What if I don't do it right? :

    : If you don't, I guess we have to be prepared in getting lectures by several different species then, : his oathbrother spoke up indifferently.

    Harry looked helplessly at the two other people, before sighing in acceptance. He took a deep breath, then began to meticulously build a shield, and it began to close upon the three mortals with the dead giants. The air began to crackle with energy and Harry frowned. Why do I always glow every single time I do this? Is wizardry that different from my new Power that it absolutely has to be ostentatious? Damn it! I’ll think about this later . . . when I have the time, he thought with determination.

    : Take your time, Harry. There’s no need to rush. : He heard the Fire Master advised him.

    I am not rushing. He told himself. The wheels in his mind were turning at a fast pace. This place will suffer some serious forms of damages caused by the overload of magical powers. This could affect the ecosystem dependent in this particular area. His shield began to turn visible, a white, bubble-like structure protruded out from the area. Is there any way I could negate the excess power? Should I send it into the earth? But, can it take the pressure? A fine thing it would be if Hogwarts is to suffer from an earthquake, once I do that.

    The shield began to thicken, and Fenix could feel its strength. She looked fondly at the green-eyed boy who was working on his shield with his eyes closed. So young, yet he had already faced his worst nightmares, and it is going to get worse in the future. Dear Phoebus. This boy already has to shoulder a lot of responsibilities, but then, so does his oathbrother. The Fire Master looked away and stared at the immense shield. The wall had thickened further and she could not help but wonder about the limitations of the maker. She rested the flat of her palm against the energy shield, feeling its soothing warmth and also tested the strength molding it. Her face turned grim as she brooded. His Gift is really strange. Is it because he is a wizard as well? I guess Harry is right. I have to watch him carefully to make sure that he does not fall prey to his Gift.

    Draco watched her worried expression but he kept silent, knowing why she was looking that way. His power is different from ours, and has no rules that I’m aware of. Unlike him, we have absolute control on what we want our Fires to be or what to do. Harry’s Gift is far too nebulous to take on its form, but I don’t think it even has one. The Slytherin wondered why his oathbrother was taking such a long time to finish casting his shield. Draco began to pace, trying not to think about what he was subjecting his sense of smell to. Huh ... Harry might need to set up a whole list of ethics to follow soon. Judging by the way he had lost control that night, his Gift is much stronger than mine or Fenix combined.

    Fenix was not thinking about anything in particular when a bell-like sound filled the area inside the shield. The wall flared and the energy making up the shield began to whirl. The Fire Master had not been expecting that and was even more stunned when she turned around. And she felt relieved that she was not the only one feeling that way; Draco was staring at his oathbrother with incredulity.

    What in the name of the Nine Gods does Harry think he is doing? Fenix gazed solemnly at Harry. The boy had shifted, standing at a close distance to the dead bodies. His form was totally engulfed in white light that his features were barely visible. He raised his arms and in the blink of an eye, lines of energy quickly shot out from the shield to merge with their owner. Without hesitation, Harry coaxed the earth to send out its own lines of power, and captured them deftly when they appeared.

    Fenix stared at the boy with amazement. The boy had created an outlet for their excess energy to enter and would not be wasted, since it would be fed back into the earth. She caught Draco’s attention and the boy nodded, getting ready to receive a signal from his oathbrother.

    : Well, do your stuff. : Harry’s mindvoice filled their minds and Fenix was able to tell that the boy was straining to keep his hold on the shield. The two other people need no more prompting from the caster.

    Fenix released her Fire like a cannon ball and it quickly filled the area in a matter of seconds. The three stood calmly inside the conflagration, watching the brilliant blue fire began to feed on the dead bodies. Draco’s green and black Fire swept through the Fire Master’s gaps. The fire began to dance on its own accord and increased its intensity, covering the heap of dead bodies. It was impossible to look if the fires had done its job, they had totally screened off the view of the three mortals. But as the Fires had reached the maximum level that Harry’s shield could withstand, Harry activated the energy lines. The fire was quickly sucked in by the lines and was transmuted into something milder and moldable force. Within minutes, Harry felt his shield weakening and warned the two to pull their Fires back.

    Their Fires danced madly with the earth’s tune before they zoomed off toward their respective owners. Harry managed to reclaim his shield before it fully disintegrated and shared the left over energies equally among his peers. He let the earth lines return to their original places and sighed. Their task for the day had been accomplished.

    It took several minutes for the glow surrounding the three people to fade, and Harry gave a tremendous sigh that the Fire Master echoed. Harry gave a weak smile to both of them and Fenix grinned widely at him, while Draco just looked relieved. Harry gazed at the circle of black soil that they were standing on.

    : I guess that’s it for the day, : Harry said, massaging his aching arm.

    : Let’s go back to our company of lazy fellows, shall we? : Fenix turned her back to them and took the lead.

    : Yeah, let’s go. I’m famished, : Draco said.

    His oathbrother shook his head in wonderment. He still has an appetite after all of this? He followed the two slowly as they headed back to where they had left their friends. The company had stubbornly refused to move from their position. They had no intentions of having to tolerate the stink coming from the giants. Harry sniffed experimentally at his shirt. Well, either I smell normal, or the stink of the giants had numbed my sense of smell. Then he decided not to dwell on that thought, preferring to keep his eyes open and to watch the path before him.

**********

    The group of fifteen people had Apparated near the edge of the forest surrounding the ancient building, which was also the hideout of Voldemort and his followers. Although the area was Unplottable, Voldemort could not erase it from the maps made by the Muggles. The Dark Lord could not hide the island from the attention of the Undines, since they were constantly exchanging information with their counterparts. That was one of the advantages that Dumbledore had, and the wizard was careful not to take the Elementals’ help for granted.

    Charlie and two others had separated from the main group, to get to their dragon company. Reef followed the two younger men cautiously. He was a Dragon Rider before he became an Auror, and since his own Hebridean Black was among the troop, Reef was inclined to follow them. It had seemed a little farfetched that the released, and protected Hebride Dragon, had taken off on its own to head to the meeting point where the other Dragon Keepers were lying in wait to make their move, but that was what the Sylphs had reported. The reason why Reef had identified the Dragon as his was because of the bands of anklets that had been attached to one of the Dragon’s hind legs. The only thing that worried Reef was that the Dragon had not caused any problems to the other dragons or their keepers.

    The thing that had amazed the rest was the Hebridean Black’s keen sense of subterfuge. It had actually passed through the protections of the Dark Lord and had landed safely without being sensed at all, but of course, assuming that the Elementals had not falsified the incident. It actually helped the dragon troop that Voldemort had made this isolated and unfriendly island– according to the Muggles– his stronghold, and the chances of them having to cast memory charms on Muggles were almost nil.

    The terrain of the island made up for Voldemort’s lack of stronger protections. Although there were trees surrounding the area, sharp, jagged rocks protruded out of the landscape, and the area was also filled with quicksand. Charlie had also heard rumors that there were also Banshees and Red-Caps lurking in the area. They crept about the trees with caution and quickly hid behind a grove of trees when they heard footfalls approaching their area. Reef scrutinized their hideout carefully before Charlie pulled him down. They held their breaths.

    They’re too damn near the platoon ... have we been discovered? Charlie thought worriedly and he whispered quickly to his two friends. Reef shook his head, clearly mouthing the word ‘Impossible’.

    "The dragons and their riders should be around here somewhere," a voice whispered harshly.

    A string of obscenities pierced the relative silence of the woods. "Maybe that old Seer is slipping. I wonder why our Master still keeps that man. He’s totally useless in important situations. Dumbledore had already prevented us from spying, who is to say that the wizard is not trying to fool us about counterattacking us in our own ground?" another voice spoke up.

    The three hidden men were frowning. Charlie felt something brush against his left side and was about to reprimand his colleague. But Gilmore was at least three feet away behind him. It was then when the three men realized that they were not alone in the clump of trees.

    "Be at ease, Charlie. It’s me," Aelwyn informed the three high-strung men. "Leave the two Death Eaters to us. Or rather... the Dryads." Her voice was mischievous. "Well, don’t just sit there. Get moving!" The grove fell silent. Reef looked at Charlie curiously, then shrugged to himself.

    "Let’s go. It will not be fun if Dumbledore decides to play all by himself," the Auror remarked.

    "But what are the Elementals going to do?" Gilmore asked, as they emerged from their hiding place. The three men began to run, deftly avoiding the quicksands that were in the area.

    "I don’t think I want to know," Charlie replied, panting slightly.

    They suddenly came into a clearing and a great rush of wind almost bowled the three men over. Charlie managed to retain his balance and looked up, then he was mesmerized by a pair of brilliant, violet eyes. The huge dragon tucked its membrane-like wings back and calmly stared at the three little humans. Charlie and Gilmore slowly retrieved their wands from their pocket, and Charlie’s heart leapt in his throat when Reef casually homed in closer to the dragon. The immense creature still watched in great calm. It finally moved when Reef stood at approximately three meters away from the dragon. It stretched out its right talon forward, as if to strike at the Auror. The other two men watched the scene with terror. But it was not the dragon’s intention to hurt the human. It used its long claws to dig something out from underneath Reef’s collar. One claw skillfully lifted a chain that was hung about the Auror’s neck.

    The dragon shifted, and leaned closer to the ground. Swinging its huge, slender head to its side, its right eye examined the item on the Auror’s neck. Then it slowly withdrew its talon carefully. Charlie stared at the Auror in amazement.

    I have never seen dragons display such intelligence! And this dragon isn’t being aggressive at all! Excited thoughts filled the Weasley’s mind. He shuddered, trying to shake off his feeling of trepidation and saw that the Auror was beckoning them to come closer. The two younger men hesitated for a moment before Charlie made the first move. He slowly approached the Auror and the dragon, not taking his eyes off the Hebridean Black.

    "We don’t have much time on our hands but I want to quickly introduce the two of you to Ebudae." The Auror stopped speaking when Charlie gave him a hysterical look. "Don’t look at me like that! He just won’t respond to anything else except that," Reef spoke in a slightly exasperated tone. "He is going to sniff your hair for several seconds and then we absolutely have to go to the platoon."

    Gilmore gulped. The young Keeper had not come across anyone who was so firmly bonded with his dragon that it becomes more than just a tool for riding or items for conservation. "Are you sure that... ah... Ebudae here would leave our heads and limbs intact?"

    "Don’t be such a git! Hurry up, will you?" Reef said crossly.

    Charlie tentatively moved forward, close enough so that the dragon could bend its head down. Nervous sweat began to drip down the Weasley’s forehead as he felt the warm breath coming from the dragon’s snout. He quickly moved out of the way when Ebudae stopped sniffing at his hair and the dragon moved on to Gilmore. Routine satisfied, the dragon swiftly turned around and maneuvered deftly in between the trees. The three men followed closely behind the shadow of the dragon, though far enough from the sharp, pointy tail that was swinging back and forth.

    Series of thunder shook the island, muffling the terrified squeals of the two scouts as they were engulfed quickly by a sentient quicksand. Aberforth turned his head quickly, his hard, steely eyes scanned through the trees to perceive where the screams had come from. The screaming finally died, and more than one person in the company shuddered at the opportunistic way the Elementals had attacked Voldemort’s followers.

    The Headmaster looked up into the gray sky. He wondered if the weather was a natural pattern or if it was caused by the Elementals. Dumbledore’s eyes fell onto the stone manor. "Blade," he called softly, and the named wizard appeared by his side.

    "We’re ready," the Auror confirmed and the Headmaster nodded. "We just have to wait for the Riders to make their move before we break all the spells that are shielding the building."

    "There’s the signal!" the Auror’s wife informed them, pointing at the controlled flashes of lightning that danced across the gloomy sky.

    The group of twelve assorted wizards and witches waited patiently in the vicinity, all holding their wands out. Activity began to swirl from the heart of the woods and finally, the area darkened for a brief moment as great shadows flew across the island from several different directions. And their target was the stone house that Voldemort had taken for his home.

    Reef held onto his seat tightly, feeling the muscles of his dragon straining to keep its altitude and speed. The Auror was crouching so closely to the dragon that he was practically unseen by other riders. His dark gray uniform blended in perfectly with the shiny black scales of his dragon. Charlie’s Longhorn overtook them and Reef was able to see the dragon’s stomach distended slightly. Ebudae was doing the same, and the dragon held it until...

**********

    Voldemort was calmly contemplating on the words of the old seer. The war will last for years... He began laughing inside the barren room that jumped to his feet when great roars pierced the air.

    "Dragons!" Voldemort heard someone yell and then he heard something crash onto the stone walls of the manor.

    "Master!" His ever-faithful servant quickly appeared by the door, eyes showing his fear, not because they were under attack but because his servant was afraid he would lose the Dark Lord. "We have to leave!"

    There was a strange whistling sound coming from the window and Voldemort ducked just in time as a dragon let loose its terrible flame. "Quick! Gather the rest!" Voldemort grabbed his wand and cloak, and followed Lucius quickly. The dragon slammed against the brick walls.

    Some of Voldemort’s followers were brave enough to come out from the protection of the building and began to concentrate on hitting the dragons with Stunning Spells. Most of the dragons withdrew, including Reef’s Hebridean Black, to fly out from the attacking range. Then came the most feared dragon of all, a Hungarian Horntail. It somehow surprised Charlie that all dragons and riders were still much alive and intact, even in the company that particular dragon. A great bellow came from the angry dragon and the humans on the ground were too slow to remove themselves from the dragon’s line of attack. The dragon’s head snapped and great fire came shooting out from the dragon’s throat. Death screams rang from the burnt Death Eaters.

    Voldemort’s eyes turned dark with anger as more and more of his followers were burnt by the dragons and one that was stupid enough to taunt the Horntail, found himself being torn apart and gulped down by the dragon. The Dark Lord was smart enough to have set up an escape route for all of them. "Hurry!" Voldemort heard his servant’s wife shrill voice and it was immediately followed by a wail when Michelle Haren appeared suddenly and flung the woman against a wall with a flick of her wand.

    "Crucio!" Mulciber shouted, waving his wand at the sorceress's back but it bounded off harmlessly when Julian Mingleweeve deflected the spell with a Shield Charm.

    "Let’s not be rude that we absolutely have to interrupt the ladies," the oldest wizard said in a sardonic voice and vanished, along with the specialist.

    "Where are you running to, Lestrange?" Madam Amelia Bones called out. "You certainly don’t intend to leave me without some entertainment?" Her hand snapped out and a jet of brilliant purple light suddenly shot out from the tip of her wand to hit the Death Eater’s face.

    Absolute chaos broke out as another dozen of Aurors and Riders appeared into the house, intervening with the Death Eaters escape routes. With the dragons keeping watch outside, Voldemort’s followers had no choice but to Apparate from the place. Unfortunately, Dumbledore had taken enough time to build a shield, that will hold long enough for him to pay his respects to the Dark Lord.

    "There will be no forgiveness," Madam Maxime spoke harshly, her eyes gleaming with deep-anger as she stared at the one-eyed Malfoy. He did not see her wand but found his vision blackening as he was hit by a spell.

    "We meet again, Tom Riddle," Dumbledore hailed the Dark Lord in a quiet voice. Voldemort froze, then turned to face the most powerful wizard ever known in the history of the Wizarding World. He stared coldly at the wise blue eyes belonging to the wizard. "I wonder, will the time be now?" the wizard asked, gazing calmly at the student he once knew. Voldemort remained silent, drawing his wand out and pointed it threateningly at Dumbledore.

    "Why don’t we test it?" the aged wizard spoke up, almost to himself. Voldemort found himself being chained by golden ropes and his face scrunched up in pain as it tightened about his chest. But Voldemort was a strong wizard, too, and he willed the bindings into nothingness. Round one: a draw.

**********

~ Chapter 45: Soul Traveling ~

Nearly six in the evening…

    The company took their time in returning to the castle, although Draco was walking ahead of them, taking very big strides. Hermione kept glancing at Harry as though he had done something to his oathbrother. Her green-eyed friend finally gave a small laugh.

    "Don’t worry about him," Harry said, smiling gently at her. "I think he is just in the same state as your partner now."

    His friend looked at him in bafflement, then blushed when she finally understood his words. "Oh..." She looked at her redheaded partner, smiling fondly at Ron’s preoccupied expression.

    Harry’s smile faded as he stared at the Potions Master’s back. His oathbrother was still not talking to Snape, but it seemed that the Potions Master was being too hesitant about making up to his godson. He sighed, and his godfather turned a thoughtful look at him.

    "You all right, Harry?" Sirius asked in concern.

    "Huh? Oh... yeah... I’m fine," his godson answered, but somewhat distractedly. Sirius narrowed his eyes, then he slowed down, leaving Harry alone with his thoughts.

    : Something bothering you? : Fenix’s mindvoice filled the depths of his mind, and the look he gave her was somber. He pointed his chin at Harry, and she gave a brief nod.

    : He is behaving rather strangely, : Remus agreed.

    Harry was unaware of the silent discussion going on behind his back. A distant part of him advised him to inform someone of the strange feeling he was experiencing, but there was another part of him that was simply too curious to halt his concentration. There was a strange thrum that was filling a small part of his mind, and it was not coming from himself. Harry recognized it as the place where Voldemort had constantly used to link himself with the boy. Voldemort? I thought I had burned off all connections to him? He stopped in his tracks and called his godfather.

    Sirius broke off from the conversation he was having with the Fire Master and her partner, quickly going over to his godson. Before he had the chance of asking why the boy had called him, Harry quickly said, "Sirius, I’m feeling something that Voldemort is feeling." The twenty-six people in the company stopped, and looked grimly at the boy who had spoken.

    : I thought we had bu– :

    : I’ve been asking myself that for the past few minutes, Drake, : Harry informed his oathbrother in a tired mindvoice. Then he switched to the normal way of speech. "I know I can gain more information if I concentrate harder, but do you think I should try that?"

    Harry felt a mixture of relief and disappointment when most of them shook their heads. He was relieved that he was not going to be ‘with’ Voldemort but disappointed because the thrumming inside his head was growing steadier with each passing minute.

    : Let’s get to the safety of the castle first, before we decide to do anything, : the Fire Master spoke to them. : Something strange is happening to the people inside the castle but my Elementals refuse to tell me what has gone wrong. All I’m able to feel now is trepidation, disappointment and anxiousness. And all of those emotions seem to be pointing to the Headmaster. : That information stopped everyone from protesting against her idea to investigate the situation about Harry and the Dark Lord. Their pace picked up, all moving quickly toward the castle.

**********

    Voldemort’s world had narrowed down to only the circle of space where he had stood his ground and the opponent across him. Damn him! Does he not feel the pain? The Dark Lord snarled to himself, taking a moment to reassess the situation. Dumbledore had been hit squarely by a Cruciatus Curse, but it was not giving the effects that Voldemort wanted. There was a kind of grim determination in the Headmaster’s eyes, and his eyes flashed dangerously. A loud shrieking sound filled the mind of Voldemort, and the Dark Lord collapsed, trying to block the noise out. Not moving the hand that held his wand, Dumbledore lifted the Dark Lord and the latter crashed against an oblivious Malfoy.

    The loud shrieking that was filling the Dark Lord’s mind was preventing him to form a coherent thought, but still, his will was strong. Voldemort had the nature of a true-born sorcerer, and a red haze began to drown out the bells inside his head. He slowly pulled himself up to his feet, cruelly kicking Malfoy away from him. Voldemort was smiling, and Dumbledore hesitated for a moment. That was enough for the Dark Lord. Black, and smoky fumes quickly filled the room and the people quickly fled from the harmful fumes. Lestrange cursed and grabbing hold of the unconscious Malfoy, they retreated to a safer part of the house, leaving the Dark Lord alone with his challenger.

    Dumbledore choked on the fumes, and stumbled backwards, coughing. His right arm began to tingle painfully, aware that the fumes were reacting with his wand somehow. The Headmaster summoned for a strong whirlwind and it swept the fumes away. The brief attack left the Headmaster gasping for breath, eyes watering painfully. Round two: Voldemort gained a point.

**********

    Harry shook his head to the plate of chicken wings and Hermione passed it to the others. The company had immediately washed and headed just as quickly to the Hall for their dinner. Their friends who had remained behind during the sortie had greeted them with an almost forced enthusiasm. Harry’s quick eyes did not miss the strained, haunted look that had flickered across McGonagall’s eyes as she welcomed them. He managed to exchange a look with the Fire Master, but she just gave a shrug. Her silver eyes became steely however, just as they went up the slope to enter the castle.

    Now, all of them were seated at a Gryffindor table. Harry felt strangely uneasy, both from the strange feeling at the back of his mind and because Fenix, Snape, Sirius and Remus were being unusually quiet. He was sure that they were not ‘talking’ because if they had, he would be able to hear the ‘echo’ that only people like the Fire Master or the Elves could hear. What on earth is going on? Harry frowned as he ate, and Alamanda fidgeted uneasily in her seat when she saw his angry face. The Hall is just too quiet today. Finally, the green-eyed boy lost his cool. Fenix, who was sitting two persons away from the boy, jumped in her seat when Harry suddenly slammed both his fists on the massive table. He stood up.

    "Harry!" Hermione and Ginny exclaimed at once, their faces looking shocked at his behavior.

    "Where in hell is Dumbledore? Or Aberforth?" Harry turned around, his green eyes gazing steadily at Kingsley before he turned his attention to Moody.

    "Don’t know what you are talking about, boy," Moody grated, calmly putting his fork beside his plate. "They’re in Dumbledore’s office."

    : Forget it, Harry. : The Fire Master’s mindvoice filled his mind.

    : Moody’s lying! : Harry’s mindvoice was harsh with tension.

    : So what? : Remus questioned him. He was staring at the green-eyed boy coolly.

    Harry looked at them in disbelief. He turned to Sirius, but his godfather was not even paying attention to them. He abruptly sat down, not looking at anyone as he angrily bolted down his dinner. He was concentrating so intensely on finishing his dinner that he actually bristled when McGonagall rested her hand on his shoulder. The boy had the grace to blush when Fenix gave him a tight mindslap to remind him of his manners. And I wonder why she is always the one to reprimand me. I guess I should count myself lucky that it’s not ‘Uncle’ Severus, Harry thought in amusement, putting his anger away.

    "Dumbledore, Aberforth and Charlie," the Transfigurations teacher began in a quiet voice, her eyes not looking away from the boy’s face, "I’m not exactly sure where they have gone, but..." she paused. Harry remained silent. "I fear that they have gone to confront the D- Voldemort."

**********

    Ginny dropped her fork, meal completely forgotten. Ron looked just as dazed as his younger sister. He closed his gaping mouth with a snap, and his ears began to turn red. Harry looked down at his plate. Hearing Voldemort’s name caused several visions to flash across his mind. The scenes rapidly changed. Buzz of conversations filled his ears but he was not able to comprehend the words.

    His oathbrother, finally realizing that Harry’s eyes held a glazed look, abandoned his seat and hurried straight to Harry. He pushed McGonagall away absently and began shaking his oathbrother’s shoulders, repeatedly calling out Harry’s name.

    Still, Harry could not hear any of them, nor was he able to see the table messed with their dinner dishes and his friends. His vision was entirely filled with white, hazy light, occasionally seeing dragons flying through the scene. He felt fear, then sickened as he felt human flesh burn under the fire from the dragons. He was sickened as Death Eaters ran blindly into blind spots, not reacting quickly enough as they drowned in a sea of sand.

    Fenix felt as she had the need to vomit when she probed the boy and quickly blocked her gifts. Draco had stopped shaking his oathbrother, his silver eyes showing his helplessness as he watched Harry, who was lost in an unknown world.

**********

    Harry found that fear could be tangible. He could taste it, and could almost touch it. He saw Charlie, stuck beneath a mass of rubble. He saw an Auror who was the one named Reef. He was desperately urging a dragon to move the stones from the trapped Weasley. Harry saw the Headmistress of the Beauxbatons Academy with another witch, running recklessly to follow a battered Malfoy and Lestrange. The Death Eaters and the rest of Voldemort’s followers were in total disarray, absolutely confused by their Master’s absence, and the presence of the dragons. They were not able to make a stand to protect themselves. But... He heard his little voice again. In Harry’s urgency to find Dumbledore, he saw Aberforth and another man dueling with Mulciber. Aberforth’s gray hair was matted with blood. The thick red liquid dripped slowly down the length of his face. The Dumbledore collapsed; Harry saw Aberforth’s comrade cursed and shouted at the unconscious man. The wizard gave up, giving his full attention to the specialist, hitting the Death Eater repeatedly.

    Dumbledore... Harry could not hear anything. The world was suddenly with silence and felt cold to him. He could not feel the warmth of his godfather. He could not feel the silent assurance of the Fire Master. He could not feel the encouragement of his friends. He felt empty. Why? A detached part of Harry’s mind asked again and again. I’m so cold... so... cold. I can’t feel anything... I can’t hear them...

    He watched the images impassively. Dumbledore... Harry half-heartedly placed his concentration on finding the Headmaster. Wait... I should not go... It could be a trap. But... am I... dying? But they say that you will have a flashback of memories as you go. But I can’t see Sirius’s face... I don’t remember the faces belonging to my friends... I can only remember their names.

**********

    Hermione watched Harry’s lost expression and finally lost control of her emotions. She fled away from the Hall, sobbing loudly, and Jaheera quickly left her place to follow the Granger, to make sure the girl would not do anything foolish. Remus and McGonagall quickly instructed the rest of the students to make themselves scarce, leaving the area to Sirius and the usual company. Dean held Ginny comfortingly but the girl was just too numb to react to anything. Sirius had lifted his godson from the bench, quickly placing Harry down on a hastily made pallet. McGonagall left with the elves to make sure that the other students stay out of mischief.

    Ron knelt by the pallet, grasping Harry’s cold hand. Draco was sitting on a bench, his head buried in his hands and shoulders shaking with terrible grief. The boy did not care about the consequences by showing the weaker side to his friends, now that he had shown that he could easily have nervous breakdowns just like normal people. Why can’t Harry hear me? I was right there in front of him! Can’t he see me?

    They heard a small gasp coming from Harry. Looking at him carefully, they found out that the boy was chuckling softly, but his green eyes showed great despair. Tears trickled silently down his cheeks. "I can’t see Ron’s face..." the boy whispered. "I don’t remember Hermione’s smile..." a broken sob emerged from Harry’s throat. His voice became more desperate. "I can’t feel Drake in my mind... I can’t feel him at all..."

**********

    Harry was still devoted in his search to find the Headmaster but it felt as if he was slowly losing his mind. Why did I want to search for him? Harry asked himself. He stopped, standing totally alone in the haziness. I was never alone before... I had never been truly lonely before... the Dursleys were always around, even if they were mistreating me... Harry felt that he had been cut off from the world completely. I’m truly on my own now... Sirius... help me...

**********

    "Sirius..." the boy called out desperately.

    "Harry. I’m right here." Sirius was now holding his godson tightly in his arms, feeling afraid suddenly. "God... come on, Harry. Get a grip! Wake up!"

    "Sirius... I’m so cold..." Harry’s voice trailed off.

    Draco’s face was wet with tears, and even Fenix was crying. She had tried her best to close off all her empathic channels, but the intensity of emotions was straining her hold on her emotions. Of all people in the Hall at that moment, she was the only one who understood why Draco was grieving. I can’t handle this, Fenix thought to herself, then finally collapsed in the far corner of the Hall. She huddled, trying not to give way to more tears. Her partner went to her, trying to comfort her, but the waves of despair that were coming from the people in the room were just too great for her to handle.

    : Take her outside! : Aelwyn suddenly screamed in Remus’s mind. : Now! : The werewolf looked wildly around the Hall, alarmed by the Sylph’s command. He deftly scooped the small woman into his arms, and left the Hall by the side entrance.

    "I want to remember... everyone..." Harry whispered again.

    Snape had quickly enfolded his godson in his arms, putting aside their earlier argument, to give support to the Slytherin. Draco suddenly screamed in pain, crying out his tears of frustration. Harry may not be able to feel his oathbrother, but Draco was feeling the despair that was amplified by the boy who had taken the oathbond with him. The Slytherin was given no choice but to experience what his oathbrother was going through.

    : Knock me out! Just hex me into oblivion! Shit... the pain! : Draco babbled to his godfather.

    The oathbrothers gasped. Draco immediately stopped crying and Snape released the boy from his arms. His silver eyes were unseeing, his sharp, angular face contorted with anger and fear. Harry’s face however, was shocked, but it was quickly replaced by grim determination.

    "Dumbledore’s in deep trouble," Draco answered the voiceless question.

**********

    Remus had been pushed aside by Fenix’s invisible helpers. Bright, crimson fire was engulfing the Fire Master at a fast rate and the werewolf frowned, not understanding the scene before him.

    : She’s sharing the grief with us. We can’t afford her to break, not today, : Aelwyn answered the werewolf. : Only Draco can reach his oathbrother... if he can... but he needs Fenix’s powers. : The fire abruptly stopped and Fenix emerged from the small cyclone of fire. She gave a brief smile to her partner. The two of them went back into the Hall.

**********

    Dumbledore was in trouble. Deep trouble. The Cruciatus Curse and the poisonous fumes that Voldemort had loosened upon the Headmaster were finally beginning to react with the Headmaster’s body system. But the Headmaster had also unwittingly trapped Harry and himself in Voldemort’s grasp.

    "I am certainly lucky that I have the opportunity to kill not one, but two wizards tonight." Voldemort trailed his fingers lazily across the length of his wand, looking down at Dumbledore’s blood-smeared face. "It is stupid of you to bring the boy along."

    "I realize that."

    Voldemort laughed soundlessly.

**********

    McGonagall had returned to the Hall, and was hovering anxiously near Harry’s bed. Hermione, too, had returned, having taken a calming potion by Madam Pomfrey. Harry’s oathbrother was kneeling at one side of Harry while Fenix on the other, and Sirius was supporting Harry’s head on his lap.

    Harry still could not see them, but he could feel their presence, reassuring him in a way that was beyond words. They dispelled the coldness that had crept into his heart and with the warmth returning to him, he could hear Ron’s laughter and Hermione’s giggle, the merriment that had occurred in Sirius’s sitting room. But what had made him happier but in a small way, galled him, was the resonating oathbond he had with the Slytherin.

    He heard Voldemort’s threat to Dumbledore dimly, and those who were linked with him, felt his sense of bafflement.

    "But Dumbledore had not called me. I was searching for him." Harry’s ghostly voice filled the room. He stared at the Dark Lord dispassionately, summoning his gift quietly. I am going to get skinned by Fenix. I think I’m going to drain myself in fifteen minutes time. Voldemort, after studying Harry’s ghostly form for a few seconds, was convinced that the white glow surrounding the Gryffindor was just a form of spiritual energy. The Dark Lord turned his back to the astral projection.

    Harry’s small movement did not attract Voldemort’s attention and the boy quickly send the power to the Headmaster, quickly snapping off the immobility spell. Dumbledore held his wand tightly. The instant Voldemort cried out, "Avada kedavra!", the Headmaster’s wand created a barrier in which the curse was completely absorbed. Muttering off an incantation, the tables had been turned against the Dark Lord. Voldemort froze.

    Harry’s soul aided the Headmaster up to his feet, and the wizard tried not to flinch from the boy’s bright, ethereal glow. Harry turned to the Dark Lord and spoke in a quiet, questioning voice. "This is not the end of it, isn’t it?" he asked. "He is not going to be killed by me tonight."

    "Yes," Dumbledore agreed, dusting off his robes from the accumulated dust.

    Harry’s astral projection moved closer to the Dark Lord, making Sirius to struggle to keep a tight rein on his mouth. Voldemort’s eyes flickered with conflicting emotions for a brief moment. Harry gave a sigh, and placed his palms an inch away from the Dark Lord’s shoulders.

    "I don’t think you will remember a single thing after this. You will not remember that I am the one who is going to drain you and your followers of every source of power. You will be weak for a few months at least, to give me some ample time to prepare myself. Then again, you probably won't remember the words that I have just spoken. But you will keep on thinking that Dumbledore was the one responsible for your helplessness. You will only remember that he had spoken these words, ‘We will meet again. When it’s time’." As Harry spoke to the Dark Lord, the boy glowed brighter and brighter. Voldemort gave a soundless scream as he felt his harvest of magical reserves dissipating away into nothingness. Incandescent light pierced through the half-ruined manor, reaching out to a distant group of Death Eaters who had successfully escaped the wrath of the dragons.

    Voldemort’s group of people fell unconscious as Harry’s gift touched them, releasing the purified magical energy he stole from them back into the earth. That was all Harry could do in such short notice of the opportunity that had been given to him. It would take Voldemort or his followers about four months before they would be able to cast a simple candle-lighting spell.

    The light died, and Harry sighed with relief. He turned to look at Dumbledore. "I’ve got to go back before they get into more hysterics," he said. And I want to ask Fenix why the Sun God did not warn me that I’ll be feeling the strange things. For that matter, why didn’t he warn me that I could go astral-traveling? The Headmaster nodded. "You ought too, as soon as you have seen to everyone that had followed you here. The dream-spell would only last for two hours and you might want to be gone from here before he awakens." Harry paused and the Headmaster gave him an inquiring look. "I might be wrong," Harry said slowly, "but I think Professor McGonagall will give you a trashing, once you’ve placed an inch of you into the castle."

**********

~ Chapter 46: Sweet Moments ~

Dumbledore stared at the spot where Harry had vanished then looked down to where the Dark Lord had collapsed into oblivion. The Headmaster let out a sigh so full of regret as he stepped over Voldemort’s body, placing his foot carefully amongst the rubble. Dumbledore’s thoughts fluttered away when he saw Julian lifting Aberforth up, trying to get the man to wake. He saw Charlie, arms cradling his waist as he leaned on a wall, breathing slowly.

    "Wulf," Michelle appeared at the Headmaster’s side, "we can’t do anything to the injured here. Hogwarts is the nearest place where your own brother and the McNoels can rest."

    "Michelle’s right," Julian agreed, the wizard’s face showing grim concern as he gently placed Aberforth’s head on his lap. "And we can’t Apparate, not with Aberforth who had been hurt too badly, it’s too risky to do that."

    "We’ll transport the injured by dragon-back," Charlie volunteered and stepped away from the wall slowly. "There is a route which will directly lead us to Hogwarts, and since it’s a body of the sea, it’s less likely for the dragons to get spotted by Muggles." Now that the Weasley had come closer to the group, Dumbledore saw that the Rider’s upper body was swathed with splints and bandages.

    The Weasley was looking at the Headmaster with question in his eyes. Dumbledore was about to say that he would Apparate immediately back to the castle when an unbidden thought flashed through his mind. I doubt that Minerva can forgive me for scaring her to take my place. He gave an inward wince. Charlie looked curiously at him and Dumbledore carefully feigned a thoughtful expression and blithely told the Romanian Dragon Keeper that he would depend on their available mode of transportation.

    The Headmaster was clever enough not to lie completely about his condition. He knelt beside Julian to examine his oblivious older brother and the Riders headed out of the building to get their dragons ready for the retreat. "What happened to him?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

    "I’m not sure, Wulf. Mulciber hit him with a spell that was going to split his head. Aberforth tried to dodge it, but was not quite successful. It did slice his scalp though. I just hope there is no damage done to his mind," the wizard answered in a grim voice. Lightning hit the building and Dumbledore sighed.

    "I hope we are not going to fly in miserable weather."

**********

    "I might be wrong," Harry had said, "but I think Professor McGonagall will give you a trashing, once you’ve placed an inch of you into the castle."

    McGonagall paled as the words left the boy’s mouth. Hermione and her partner looked at the Transfigurations teacher with shrewd eyes. They turned their attention back to Harry, in hopes that their friend would return to normal now that his visit to the Dark Lord was over. Draco calmly placed the flat of his palm on his oathbrother’s arm and nodded in satisfaction when he felt warmth coming from Harry. He peered closely at his oathbrother’s face, ignoring Sirius’s scowl.

    Remus lifted an eyebrow when he saw that Fenix and Snape bore an identical, sardonic expression on their faces. : What are you two up to? : he asked suspiciously.

    : What are you talking about, Remus? You should be asking that godson of mine, not me, : Snape answered. Looking back at the kids, the werewolf caught a wicked glint flickering in Draco’s eyes.

    Harry was slowly rousing and the slow smile that brightened up his face made his oathbrother suppress the sudden irritation that sprang up. Harry groaned as he felt his muscles tightened up painfully and finally opened his eyes, to find himself being scrutinized heavily by his oathbrother. Damn... He had the feeling that he was in trouble and he knew he was not far from wrong when a hissing sound filled his mind. The Slytherin was moving so fast that Harry was left to wonder about what his oathbrother was searching for. He sensed the triumph coming from Draco and the vibration that had been in his mind after their effort in making a funeral pyre for the giants suddenly vanished. Draco leaned back and let Sirius guide his godson up to a sitting position.

    : Are you ready? : the Slytherin suddenly asked, and Harry, already confused, felt even more baffled, not understanding his oathbrother’s question.

    : I don’t understand, : Harry answered, a scowl beginning to appear on his young, striking face. His oathbrother took a deep breath and exploded, and harshly rebuked the green-eyed boy privately.

    : Stupid! Blast it, Potter! Don’t you ever learn not to get too curious about certain stuff? Why the hell didn’t you tell me or any of us that He gave you instructions? :

    : That’s exactly the problem, git! : Harry lashed back angrily. : Like that time that I was stuck in the maze of shields, I couldn’t remember anything! And how in the bloody world was I to know that my Gift will also allow my soul to travel to another place? :

    : And not only that! : Draco fumed. : I don’t for a moment understand your actions, you ass! Since you are capable of draining Voldemort, why the hell didn’t you finish him off? He’s not the kind of person that would appreciate if you deal the situation like a goddamn gentleman! :

    : You don’t think I know that? Bloody, insolent, spoilt... : Harry locked away the string of obscenities away before resuming his sentence. : If I had been capable of doing that in my soul-form, I would! You think I want to be stuck with Voldemort longer than I have to? And what did you do to me? :

    : What I should have done from the beginning! Damnation! I wouldn’t have offered you my blood if I had known that I have to constantly keep an eye on you! And since I can’t turn my back on you, I bloody well am sticking with you, so don’t try to disengage my link! You are absolutely not going to go soul-wandering ever! : Draco gave his oathbrother an ultimatum, and Harry stared at him in surprise, not quite believing the vehemence of his oathbrother. : And the next time you try to do something, I will feel it so there is absolutely no chance at all that you will do anything behind our backs! : The Slytherin fell silent, trying to control his anger. Then he spoke again, in a calmer and controlled mindvoice. : I don’t think I care to experience that desolation you had felt again. :

    : What? : Harry stared at his oathbrother in a dumbfounded manner.

    His oathbrother’s peculiar silver eyes stared at him intently. : I felt every single thing, : his oathbrother explained softly. : And I don’t want to feel the absence of our oathbond again. :

    Harry looked stricken. Sirius and Remus exchanged baffled looks while Snape and Fenix smiled faintly. Ron and the rest just stared at the two oathbrothers in puzzlement. Hermione and Ginny smiled and stayed in their places, feeling that Sirius, Harry and Draco deserved some time to communicate in private.

    Harry, who was now sitting without support from his godfather, stared at his oathbrother for a long time without speaking. I can’t believe that I have been selfish. I did not mean to pull him down with me when I was lost. The smile that surfaced on his oathbrother’s face caught his attention. I’m glad that he is giving us a real smile instead of sneering at us. I certainly didn’t imagine that I’ve lost the feeling of violence that I used to have for Drake, he thought somewhat abstractedly.

    Trying to hide the unsettling feeling inside him, Harry spoke to the Slytherin. : Don’t get sentimental on me, Drake. I don’t think I’m flexible enough to cope with your drastic changes of character. :

    : If you noticed, having a family and blooming the feelings that comes with it, isn’t exactly my idea, : his oathbrother replied in dry tone.

    Harry gave a crooked smile at his oathbrother. : I know. You’re probably a nicer guy than we had thought. I just hope you are not faking your behavior. :

    : And what if I say that you probably will never see my true self? : Draco asked slyly, and Harry gave a derisive snort. But Draco was secretly feeling happy that his oathbrother had seen his true colors. Not with mindspeech and the oathbond. I don’t think I can successfully lie to him from now on. He sighed with regret and then turned his silver eyes to Sirius. "Now, it’s your turn. You’ve been bloody damn inconsiderate by the way," he said to Harry. "I had barely eaten, and I’m beginning to get hungry just because I had to use my gift to support you."

    "What’s up with the ‘bloody’ stuff?" his oathbrother asked in amusement, probably because it was the first time he had ever heard Draco swore.

    "Unhealthy influence from my relatives," he answered scathingly, eyeing Ron and the Fire Master significantly.

    Hermione giggled and Ron flushed with embarrassment as the rest turned to eye him with mischief. By now, the other students had returned, since they were still using the Hall as their sleeping area. Grins were implanted on the faces of the students when they saw Harry was already up and looking very much alive.

    Sirius cleared his throat loudly and the company looked at the Black with curiosity. : If you people had finish your chitchatting, I would really love to have a few words with my precious godson. : The gaze that he gave Harry was cold, almost unfriendly. Now, his godson knew that he was in a bigger trouble.

    As they all ignored the godfather and godson, the werewolf was eyeing the Fire Master in a strange way all the while. Fenix was unaware of her partner’s attention until Krill informed her. Her eyes flared widely in surprise and shifted her gaze to the werewolf. : Remus? : she asked in an uncertain voice, shivering at the intense way he was staring at her.

    She started to scowl, behaving quite like the arrogant Black. McGonagall suddenly obstructed her direct stare as the latter waited for a good moment to step in between the Black and his godson. The Hall was quickly filling in and murmurs of conversation began to take place. Hermione leaned contentedly against Ron, feeling safe for the moment, and her partner was kind enough to oblige her. The Weasley’s arm began to circle the Granger’s slender waist and rested there, ignoring the Potions Master disapproving look completely.

    "Do you know how Dumbledore will travel back to Hogwarts?" McGonagall asked Harry in quiet voice after she heard both of the two sighed deeply and was smiling at each other. "You did advise him to come back after all..."

    Harry stared at his Head for a long time, then his face reddened as he thought of something. : Drake, please tell me that I had not spoken aloud when I was gone. :

    : That’s just too bad, : his oathbrother replied seriously and Harry flushed harder.

    "Uh... well... All I can say is that he and the rest will not be Apparating. I think we should send some scouts out to look for dragons," Harry answered in a dubious voice.

    To everyone’s surprise, McGonagall smiled faintly and her eyes gleamed with mischief. "In any case, you are right. I am going to do it. Being a Headmistress is not my preferred career." With that, she left the Hall to the students.

    "Is Aberforth all right, Harry?" Fenix asked him, temporarily forgetting about her partner’s request.

    "I’m not sure," the boy answered her slowly. "I seriously think that he’s in a bad shape so that is the reason why I think Dumbledore will depend on the dragon keepers. He himself was exhausted by the duel with Voldemort."

    The Fire Master gave a rueful sigh and stood up to stretch, and the boys gazed at her in appreciation. Hermione cleared her throat dangerously and the Fire Master laughed, looking unrepentant. "I guess I have to go out and recharge myself. You have worn me up quite a bit," she said in the same tone that his oathbrother had used on him. Then she stared at her partner in confusion when he wordlessly took her hand and led her away from the Hall. They heard her ask them via mindspeech. : What’s up with this guy? :

    Their second dinner arrived at that point, and the faces of both Ron and Draco lit up with gratitude. Hermione gave an exasperated sigh when Ron shared his attention to her, and to the food floating in front of his face.

    "Well, this is a good way for a little celebration," Sirius remarked, after exchanging a look with the Potions Master.

    "Enjoy your meal while you can," Snape said softly.

    Harry gave a sardonic smile at the present company. "Yeah," he turned to his friends. "The peace isn’t going to last. All I have done is to make sure we are ready before we engage with Voldemort seriously."

    "You’re right," Ron said, sighing. His eyes showed a certain kind of fierce determination and it actually comforted Harry when he saw his best friend’s protectiveness to Hermione. The Weasley still refused to let go of her waist even though it was hard for him to do that while he ate. "We can’t really say we’ve won. Not if it means it will cause someone’s life."

    It seemed clear to everyone that Ron had already turned his attention on the injured Aberforth. The Weasley was probably thinking that if Dumbledore’s brother could get seriously hurt, so could the others of the company. The huge, big bed that the group always used had appeared and Snape crawled to it, and was almost unnoticed by everyone, if Sirius had not made the same decision to lie down.

    Draco suppressed a grin when he saw the contemptuous looks that had been exchanged within seconds between the two men. : It seems that there are people who are not dealing well with their advancing age, : he said wryly and was stung by mind-slaps by the two reclining men. Sixty seconds later, his godfather had fallen asleep and Sirius followed, several seconds after him. Draco looked fondly at both men, although the rest of them could not tell if his gentle smile was genuine, except for his oathbrother, who was also smiling.

    "You know," Ginny suddenly spoke up, gaining the attention of her friends. "I wonder where Remus and Fenix have gone," she said in an innocent voice and Draco choked on his laughter, not believing that the girl had not seen the obvious. Harry caught his eye, and the two began to grin widely as naughty ideas popped into their minds. Ginny looked at them in bafflement, then her face slowly turned red when she understood their wicked grins. "Then again, it’s probably none of my business."

    "Damn right, it isn’t," Draco replied easily as he began to chuckle.

**********

    The two passed through corridors, double doors and magical classrooms. Fenix noticed that Remus was painstakingly maneuvering his way around the elves posted all about the area of the castle.

    : Lover, : she began, : where are you taking me to? : But the werewolf ignored her question and suddenly pushed her gently into a dark hallway. What the hell? She heard the door close behind her and the area was plunged into total blackness. What in hell is wrong with this man? She asked herself in irritation but it melted away when she felt his arms going around her waist. The werewolf pulled her closer to him so that her back was leaning against his chest.

    She smiled tenderly as she felt him kissing her hair. I am so stupid that I had not realized how much I missed being this close to him. She sighed and flinched slightly when his warm lips nuzzled her cold neck. He gave a throaty chuckle that made her shiver with excitement. I hope Sirius is proud of him now...

**********

    It was approximately eleven in the evening when the two 'missing' persons returned to the Hall. Most of them were already sleeping and Fenix scanned the room quickly and saw that both her ‘oathbrothers’ had fallen into an exhausted sleep. But she wondered why the two godsons of the two sleeping men that she was extremely fond of, were not sleeping.

    Draco patted down on an empty space and she went straight to the spot, quickly removing her sandals to sit down. The Slytherin tapped his forehead briefly, and getting the idea immediately, she questioned the boy by mindspeech. : What’s up? :

    The two boys looked uneasily at each other. Harry finally spoke up and informed the Fire Master and her partner that he had done a bit of spying on the Dark Lord. She stared incredulously and was about to reprimand the green-eyed boy for his recklessness when she suddenly had the feeling that Harry had not gone to spy at Voldemort on his own. She narrowed her eyes and stared at the Slytherin until he dropped his bright silver eyes.

    Remus was acting far too calmly for her liking. : So what did you find out? :

    : Well, for a start, Voldemort was the first to wake up, and he was absolutely mad when he found out that he was as powerless as he was when he was... dead... : Harry informed them.

    : He then thought of the duel he had with Dumbledore and he suddenly became superbly amazed that Dumbledore had the temerity to let him go alive. He is already up and about by the way, : Draco added in his observation.

    Fenix did not like that and shrewdly interjected. : Does that mean he has reserves? : Harry nodded solemnly.

    Aelwyn quickly interrupted the Fire Master before she could say anything else. : They are nearly home. Voldemort is just too slow to respond to their retreat. :

    Fenix smiled at the Sylph hovering before her. : But let’s be cautious, all right? : she compromised and the Sylph's eyes narrowed a little as she gave her brethren instructions to keep Voldemort’s people out of the dragons’ range. "I can’t believe all of this had happened in one day," she said softly as she lied down on the pallet beside the sleeping Potions Master.

    The other three followed her example and the lights in the Hall dimmed further. Aldren came in to briefly check on them and also to report to the Fire Master that everything was well and that their company certainly deserved some rest. Fenix gave the elf a sweet smile and he went out of the Hall soundlessly. She spent some time staring at the false night-sky above her, not really thinking of anything, just feeling the warmth of her partner cuddling her.

    : It’s good that Harry had bought us some time. I don’t think we could all remain sane at the rate we are going without getting some rest to recharge ourselves, : her partner commented and she saw no reason to disagree with him.

    She sighed with satisfaction then tilted her head to give her partner a quick kiss on the lips. : I guess we should make most of our temporary breathing space before the war transits to another phase. : She looked up to watch the werewolf’s kind, hazel eyes and could not help feeling the warmth of his love as he gazed deeply into her silver eyes. He kissed her and she smiled brightly, settling down to sleep.

**********

~ Chapter 47: The Flight of the Wyrms ~

Dumbledore was now wishing that he had kept his hair at a more manageable length and wished that he had not been wearing his sophisticated dark sorcerer robe. He secretly envied Michelle and Madam Maxime who had simply tied their hair up into a bun. Well if I had been wiser, I should have listened to their advice hours ago.

    The Headmaster was riding on Charlie’s dragon, strapped with numerous, invisible safety bonds. He shook his head and tucked his long white hair back behind his ears in irritation. It was long past sunset, already close to the midnight hour. And his irritation grew worse when it started drizzling. He and some of the rest ignored the steady rain, not bothering protecting themselves with water-repellent charms, just in case Voldemort managed to catch up with them. Except for Julian, who had volunteered to ride on Reef’s Hebride and who was also guarding the wounded Aberforth. His consciousness was continuously fading in and out and that worried the ancient wizard. Julian was half-settled against the Dumbledore in an attempt to keep the man warm, and also to protect the vulnerable wizard from the harsh wind and the drizzle that had turned into torrential rain.

    The weather continued to worsen and the Headmaster gave up at his flying, sodden, whipping strands of hair and pressed himself against the dragon’s backbone to become ‘one’ with the flying dragon. Doing that made the ride more tolerable and it was certainly easier on his aching body. A gasp coming from the dragon’s keeper made the Headmaster to quickly get up from his position, to ask if the Rider if he was all right. In his haste, Dumbledore obtained a nasty deep scratch on his chest by the sudden friction against the dragon’s scales.

    The Headmaster winced in pain as rainwater hit his exposed chest, stinging the wound. He controlled his urge to swear and checked his ex-student carefully. A sudden flash of lightning startled him briefly and in that moment of light, he saw that Charlie was clutching his side, panting heavily with agony. "CHARLIE!" Dumbledore yelled against the wind, hoping that the Weasley could hear him.

    "YESSIR! I’M FINE!" the ex-Gryffindor answered, taking a sharp breath as the shout made his chest ache more painfully. Then the Weasley gave a strangled scream when his dragon suddenly took a plunge downwards. The dragon growled in pain as it felt claws slashing across its belly and sides. The sudden loss of the altitude caused Dumbledore to hit the dragon’s backbone hard, and he was momentarily dazed.

    The Horntail flying below the Romanian Longhorn braked and jumped out of the dragon’s way as it plummeted toward the dark, unfriendly body of water. At the last possible moment, Charlie’s dragon placed all of its strength on its hind legs and managed to skim across the icy water. Dumbledore shook his head to clear his visions, then cursed when he realized that Charlie was knocked to unconsciousness by the tremendous impact.

**********

    Draco twitched in his sleep, shivered then groped around for the blanket. : Green-eyes... : he complained sleepily, tugging Harry feebly for the shared blanket. His oathbrother mumbled a protest and the Slytherin managed to grab hold of a corner of the warm fabric.

    : Bloody hell... we’re just doing some traveling, but why do I still feel cold even when you’re with me? : Harry groaned and his oathbrother chided him to keep silent.

    : Because it’s raining... they’re in a great deal of trouble though. : Draco turned over and sighed deeply.

    The Slytherin snorted, and Harry grinned crookedly when his oathbrother swore and called him names. The oathbrothers took flight again.

**********

    The Fire Master cracked an eye open, feeling very much amused by the behavior of the two youths. It’s time for them to make their moves as a pair. What an interesting night it has become. But hell... I hope Charlie is all right... I thought that the area where Voldemort is, isn’t that far from here. She sighed, turned and buried her face against her partner’s chest and promptly fell asleep.

**********

    Charlie’s dragon took to the air again, and once it reached a comfortable height, it swung its muzzle around to look at its keeper, who sat slumped on the dragon’s neck. There was a keening sound coming from the dragon’s throat.

    High-pitched bat-like sounds filled the air and it amazed Dumbledore that he could hear them over the howling wind and the crashes of thunder overhead. He groped for his wand and turned to look over his shoulder and flyaway hair. Through the mist of rain, Dumbledore was able to see, huge, gleaming, sickly yellow eyes coming at them at a fast rate.

    The Hungarian Horntail, spurred by its keeper, sprang into action and a great roar ripped through the air. Jets of hot fire spilled over the dragon’s mouth and the Headmaster saw the flock of creatures and wished that he had not seen their grotesque facial features. The flock scattered and the other dragons joined the Horntail to form a rank.

    "DUMBLEDORE!" Michelle shouted in a clear voice, as she targeted the bat-like creatures with Blasting Curses. ‘TAKE THE DRAGON OFF TO HOGWARTS! JER! REEF! FOLLOW DUMBLEDORE!"

    "BUT!" Julian protested.

    "DON’T BE AN IDIOT! THOSE FOUR NEED MEDICAL ATTENTION QUICKLY! I THINK CHARLIE’S INJURY IS MUCH MORE SERIOUS THAN WE HAD THOUGHT! CURSE YOU! JUST GO!" the witch continued to yell.

    "WE’LL COVER YOU!" the Horntail’s keeper shouted in agreement and steadied himself as his dragon lurched forward to grab one of the creatures in its claws and killed it before it stuffed the dead creature into its mouth.

    Reef’s Hebride flew alongside Charlie’s dragon and the latter quickly moved with the Hebride, flying away from the site of the skirmish and was joined by another Longhorn to head for Hogwarts at top speed.

    Back to the rest of the dragons, the mighty creatures were beginning to tire and Michelle screamed in frustration. "BLAST OFF YOU, INSANE, EVIL BATS! BY MERLIN! WHY DO THESE THINGS KEEP COMING?" she cursed vehemently. "DARN, MISERABLE, UGLY, FLAB--" her shouts trailed off, when wings of black fire spread out across the sky, blocking her vision completely.

    The Horntail growled in triumph as its yellow eyes watched the Black Dragon. Then, as if reacting to an unspoken command, the rest of the dragons turned and resumed their flight back to Hogwarts.

    "What the hell..." Michelle said softly, as the dragon she was riding on took off. She twisted her body to get a clearer look at the surreal, massive creature. The Black Dragon was almost as big as the Ukrainian Ironbelly, although the Black Dragon’s tail was much thicker and longer, adorned with fiery black-and-green spikes. Somehow, I’m having the same feeling that I had at that time when the blue, fiery Phoenix made its appearance known to the wizarding world, a few months ago... Dear Merlin... More nonsense about the Ancients again? She bit her lip, wiping off the trickles of water on her face, firmly refusing to believe her colleague’s foresight.

    The dragons quickly caught up with the rest and Dumbledore looked at them in surprise. The witch was about to explain when the Horntail’s keeper beat her to it. "Someone else has taken care of them!" he shouted, pointing at the Black Dragon with his arm.

    The Headmaster craned his neck and squinted at the darkness. Lightning flashed, and Dumbledore saw Draco’s other magnificent form hovering in the air, puffs of steam trickling out of its nostrils. It had effectively blocked the flock from following the Headmaster. The Dragon’s eyes flared and exhaled a huge volume of hot black and white fire, quickly reducing the flock to ashes. There were more of the creatures however, and the Black Dragon quickly rushed off to meet the new enemies. Dumbledore stared in amazement at the Dragon’s agility and his throat suddenly went dry. Are they acting with Fenix’s and Snape’s supervision? Dear Merlin... He took a deep breath, knowing the answer from the bottom of his heart.

**********

    The Black Dragon was quickly burning off the enemy ranks in seconds and the rest of the creatures took flight, finally aware that they were at great disadvantage compared to the ancient creature.

    : We’re not done yet, Drake, : Harry informed his oathbrother as he directed the Slytherin to fly over to an area not far from the ruined mansion.

    : What do they have in there, Green-Eyes? : his oathbrother asked, his dragon-brows furrowing closer, his fiery silverish-green dragon eyes narrowing as he spotted an area pulsing with red, angry haze.

    : His energy reserves that he kept locked in crystals, : Harry replied shortly. : It’s underneath that pile of quicksand. :

    : And how do you suggest we get to the crystals? : Draco asked in a sarcastic voice. : I may be a dragon but I am absolutely not going to take a chance in the risk of getting stuck in that sand. :

    Harry’s amusement carried over through their oathbond in great waves. : For shame, Drake. Both of us are sorcerers. Surely you have not forgotten Flitwick’s summoning lessons! : he stated, imitating Fenix’s way of speaking flawlessly. That lightened up his far-too-serious oathbrother a little.

**********

    Voldemort and Lucius limped to get to their hidden treasure. The Dark Lord reached out a restraining hand as he felt a great source of power coming toward their area.

    "Master... what... is... it?" Lucius asked, panting heavily, trying to ignore the agony of his pounding head. Voldemort was strangely silent and the Death Eater looked up to where his Master was gazing, blinking his eye often as droplets of water fell onto his face. Then they saw it. A massive body of black and green fire that felt so familiar to them.

    They were somehow hypnotized by the black fire emanating from the dragon’s wings. No one knew how Voldemort arrived to the conclusion that the Dragon had come to submit itself to the Dark Lord as it hovered above the quicksand.

**********

    Harry rolled over in his sleep, muffling his mouth with his upper arm, trying to smother his chuckles, while his oathbrother beside him half-muttered curses. He gave the silently chuckling boy a light punch on his side in his agitation.

**********

    : WHAT?! : Draco screamed and Harry’s over-amused feeling exploded, making the Slytherin fume harder. : I? I? To serve that... that... : the Slytherin could not find the words to express himself and was contemplating blowing off his cover by making some serious insults via mindspeech to the Dark Lord and the man who had loved him for most of his childhood. Luckily, Harry was able to restrain him, saying that it would not be good if Voldemort was to know too much about the Ancients.

    The Dragon took a deep breath and carefully landed right at the brim of the pale, wet, mucky quicksand. Its catlike eyes watched the slow movements of the two figures, walking warily toward the quicksand. Both the Slytherin and the Gryffindor used their Gifts to find their targets and summoned the stones out of their hidden places.

    "Yeessss..." Voldemort hissed, still thinking that the Dragon was there to help him, since his magical powers were drained to its maximum. The Dark Lord’s face was peculiarly serpent-like, now that his dark hair was damp, and looked strangely attractive to the Dragon. That made Draco squirm and disgust began to surface. Voldemort’s expression of glee changed when the Dragon’s mouth curled into a disdainful snarl.

    : I am a dragon! Not a goddamn bloody serpent! : the Slytherin fumed, concentrating intensely on calling up the gems while Harry saw to make a barrier that would prevent Voldemort from coming closer to them.

**********

    Alarm rose as the Dark Lord watched the Dragon quickly unearth his precious energy stones. "Lucius," his voice was almost strangled. "Get the stones quickly!" The pale haired Malfoy did as his Master instructed but faltered when his hands smacked solidly against an invisible wall. By the time they realized that the Dragon was not an ally, and the Dragon’s intent was to destroy the articles, it was already too late for them to do anything about the stones or the Dragon.

    The stones danced in a spiral-like manner while the Dragon studied them calmly. Then it stretched its back, inhaling a gigantic volume of air and threw out a stream of black fire from its snout.

    Voldemort’s face was so contorted with fury that it was barely recognizable, as he watched his harvested source of power turned into a useless pile of ashes. The Black Dragon snapped its jaws close with a loud crunch. Its nostrils let out puffs of white, smoky steam and it snarled at Voldemort before launching up to the air. Its broad, spiky tail nearly pierced the Dark Lord on the face if his servant had not launched himself onto his master and both fell onto the ground, unharmed. The Dark Lord’s upturned face was exposed to the rainwater, and with unblinking eyes, he watched the greatest source of power flew away and disappeared into the black, night sky.

    His hands gripped the turf of grass and clenched his fists tightly, with Malfoy half-lying against him. His eyes turned black, anger broiling within its depths. Lucius flushed at the close proximity with his Master and hastily got up. Voldemort’s hand suddenly grabbed his servant’s arm, but it seemed that the Dark Lord was not aware of his own movement, so overwhelmed with rage.

    "DUMBLEDORRRRRRR!!!" Voldemort roared out in fury.

**********

    : Mission accomplished. : Harry smiled in his sleep as both found their way back to their respective bodies.

    : Finally, : Draco said, sighing wearily. : I can look forward to getting a real sleep. : Harry agreed and both boys fell into the real realms of slumber, jet-black hair touching each other, both youths tucked under the same blanket.

**********

    Dumbledore had taken off the straps and carefully made his way to the dragon’s neck and rearranged the safety bonds as they flew. Charlie was really pale, and he was losing heat. Dumbledore fastened the safety straps again, but this time, he was supporting the limp Weasley. The Headmaster was shivering with cold and his teeth chattered strongly and prayed that they would be within sight of the castle shortly. He suppressed the urge to scratch at his chest and closed his weary eyes. And he did what he should not have done while flying. The Headmaster fell into an exhausted sleep.

**********

    Fenix stirred from her sleep, her sides aching, and she wondered why she was breathing shallowly. Her eyes blurred and she shook her head slightly then slowly got up. Her head was pounding slightly and she looked about the Hall. The two boys were asleep and she slowly placed Remus’s arm against the soft bedding and stood up. Aldren came in and seeing that she was awake, he gave her a slight nod and she began to make her way out to the elf.

    She shivered as a cold wind blew into the Hall and walked briskly over to the tall elf. : They’re reaching soon. I wonder what’s wrong with Charlie, : she said, and her eyes went out of focus again as she was filled with pain. Aldren drew her into his arms and steadied her as she took deep breaths. : Aelwyn, do you know where the dragons will make their landing? :

    : Hagrid has sort of built a beacon to point the dragons where they should land, assuming that at least some of the dragon riders are awake to herd the dragons to the located area. :

    Fenix and Aldren walked unhurriedly out of the castle, taking sheltered shortcuts as the Elementals led them to where Hagrid was waiting for the creatures’ appearance with McGonagall and Moody. They went into the Forest and saw the shining red beacon sheltered with magical spells against the rain. Fenix exchanged a silent greeting with the ex-Auror and waited with a dozen house-elves all prepared with stretchers and warm cloaks.

    Soon enough, Fenix heard the strange acoustics of beating wings, and heard the painful gasps of a dragon. Hagrid frowned as he assessed the noise. Fenix was the first to spot a struggling Longhorn to keep its wing-beats steady and its strength suddenly seeped away. The dragon was losing consciousness and was going to crash into the Forest. The Phoenix emerged, flying like an arrow and wrapped its wings about the unconscious dragon and its riders. The Phoenix reappeared with the wounded, safely back onto the wet, slippery ground.

    Some of the elves had arrived and began to cut off the straps holding the unconscious Headmaster and Ron’s brother. The Phoenix stepped back, watching the activities of the elves with her aquiline, blue fiery eyes. They had finally freed the Headmaster and the Phoenix watched McGonagall’s face carefully. If she was in a human form, Fenix would have sniggered, watching the yearning and concern of the Transfigurations teacher. Hagrid was pacing impatiently for them to load off the humans; he was worried about the deep slashes along the Longhorn’s belly. The immense man looked uncertainly at the Phoenix and she tilted her head, and he sighed with relief and pointed to an area that was protected and dry. The Phoenix transported the injured dragon into the warm ‘tent’ and Hagrid hurried forward to quickly begin the dragon's treatment.

    The elves quickly laid the Weasley onto a stretcher and it was rather alarming that they had made a Jump, instead of walking back into the castle. The Hebride dragon was next to land and Fenix was surprised to see that Aberforth was totally alert and was already cursing about, trying to get off from the dragon to see his brother. The oldest wizard slowly slid off from the Hebridean Black and watched Aberforth with dissatisfaction but froze when he finally caught sight of the blue fiery Phoenix. The witch named Michelle, and the others who had landed, stared at the ancient creature almost rudely.

    Fenix regained her human form and just lifted an eyebrow at their incredulous looks. She walked slowly towards where Dumbledore was relieved of his robe and was being wrapped quickly in a dry and warm cloak. "What happened to the thrashing?" Fenix asked the Transfigurations teacher in a mild voice.

    McGonagall smiled faintly, not blushing as the look that the Fire Master gave her was rather significant. "Don’t be disappointed, Fenix. He’ll receive it when he is well enough to stand it."

    "Good. Don’t let him run away free from punishment."

    "What is this?" Aberforth looked at the Transfiguration teacher in mild amusement. He looked around in the rain, and seeing that the others were just too far away to overhear him, he whispered, "Don’t tell me you just realized that you care for my brother?"

    "Oh shut up," McGonagall replied in irritation and followed the elves carrying Dumbledore briskly.

    "How’s your head, Aberforth?" Fenix asked the man in concern.

    "I have a slight headache, and just a mild concussion, I think," he answered as he accepted a warm cloak from the Fire Master.

    Fenix pitched her voice loudly, "Let’s go into where it’s warm, unless if you wish to oversee to your dragons’ comforts first," she said as she looked at the keepers thoughtfully. Reef nodded and she smiled as the Hebride dragon snorted and left his rider for the tent that was created solely for the dragons, waddling just like a crocodile on land. Fenix went off to the castle on her own, lost in her own thoughts and worries. What is wrong with Charlie?

**********

~ Chapter 48: A Blow After Another ~

Tuesday morning, 13^th November.

The Fire Master was brooding as she silently walked across the wet grounds into the castle. Her headache was growing worse as minutes trickled by and paused at the brick steps to massage her temple. Soft footfalls behind her made her turn and she gave a half-smile at the seemingly-well Aberforth.

    "You seem worried, Fenix," Dumbledore’s brother stated bluntly.

    Fenix let out a small, sarcastic laugh. "I can’t remember the last time I feel unburdened with worries, Aberforth." She sighed deeply, her eyes growing distant as she turned her thoughts inward, and the two of them proceeded up the staircase leading to the hospital wing in silence. Then she whispered to him. "Hell yes, I’m worried," she gave the tall wizard a sidelong look, "and you better make Pomfrey scan you for head injuries. What hit you anyway?" she asked him curiously.

    "I have no idea actually," he answered in an embarrassed voice. "It seems like everyone nowadays is being extremely selfish in informing his dueler what spells he is flinging at you." He ran his fingers through his blood-coated gray hair.

    Krill suddenly appeared before her and urgently told the Fire Master to hurry. Mineif evidently needed her help in stabilizing the seriously injured Weasley. Bloody hell... She cast a significant look at Aberforth and at his nod, she Jumped, reappearing at the entrance of the infirmary. Bright mage lights hovered everywhere and she saw that half of the Elven company were helping Madam Pomfrey in her administrations to the injured.

    Fenix headed straight to where the Elven Lord was seated, his figure infused with a bright emerald glow as he and Aldren Healed Charlie. He gave her a preoccupied nod and instructed her to deal with the internal complications.

**********

    A loud roar of thunder made everyone jump in their sleep but was otherwise unaffected and they went right on sleeping. Snape turned to his side and wondered why the space beside him felt empty. He sleepily opened his eyes and waited patiently for his vision to focus and to adjust to the dim lighting of the Hall. He saw the clear outline of a sleeping werewolf, but there were no signs of the small Fire Master.

    I don’t think the werewolf will like it if he wakes up to find that Fenix is not with him, floated an abstract thought. He slowly sat up and looked over to his left and shuddered, and questioned his sanity when he realized that he had slept close beside the handsome Black. Does he roll about in his sleep? Snape asked himself and stifled a yawn.

    Snape looked beyond the werewolf and sighed as he watched the oathbrothers sleeping soundly next to each other. A suspicious feeling slowly crept in and he wondered if their (meaning his and Sirius’s) godsons had entangled themselves up in more mischief while their godfathers slept.

    Damn that meddlesome woman. I certainly did not imagine myself to be buried head deep with the confusing concepts of maintaining a family. He almost snarled to himself. All of this is so sweetening that it’s nauseating. Certainly my own father would be scandalized if he knew what his precious son was up to. The Potions Master snorted derisively. To hell with him... It’s all well and good that I’m single but I can’t help envying the werewolf. If I had been any different or got to her first, I’m absolutely sure that Fenix would be with me instead of the werewolf. Then he reprimanded himself for thinking like that and he felt galled at himself. And damn that Black! The last person I wanted to be influenced by is this irritating, arrogant, self-conceited jackass! He stared at the innocent-looking sleeping Black with disgust. I wonder if should start acting like the Potions Master everyone knew before I took that cursed vacation in The Burrow, he mused darkly.

    : I guess you could but keeping up your act will put a strain on your senses, : Wind’s mindvoice suddenly popped in his mind and he was horrified to know that the wolf had been eavesdropping on his thoughts.

    : Let me give you a bit of advice, Severus, : Silver spoke to the Potions Master. : It’s rather hopeless because Fenix would not just stand and watch you being the ‘stone-hearted and difficult-to-work-with’ Potions Master. Not when she has the full support of very dubious females living in Hogwarts, : the male wolf said in a serious tone. : So spare yourself from hours of argument although I think it would be very entertaining if you do argue. Fenix wouldn’t mind in getting physical. :

    Snape turned around and stared at the wolves that was curling beside the sleeping Granger. He sighed then gave a cynical smile at the wolves. : I’ve lost my case even before I start it, am I right? : he said in a sulky tone.

    Silver gave him a grin. : It’s obvious you know. Once she starts to love someone, it will be rather hard not to return her love. Take your godson for example. :

    Snape gazed at the now raven-haired Slytherin and the thought of the youth’s father flashed into his mind. He carefully pushed aside the anger that surfaced and asked the wolves if they knew of Fenix’s whereabouts in an attempt to distract himself from having more murderous thoughts.

    The wolves went silent as they communed with the Elementals and passed on the news that the Fire Master was still locked in her Healing trance. Snape blinked his eyes in confusion and Wind pointed out to her mate in an exasperated mindvoice that the Potions Master had not been informed of the Headmaster’s return. Alarm quickly surfaced and the female wolf hastily said that Dumbledore was all right. Snape frowned, then questioned just who it was that Fenix was Healing.

    : It’s Ron’s brother, : the female wolf answered tiredly. : He was already injured from broken bones but when his dragon lost control, his already-splintered bones fragmented further. :

    : Is it serious? Complications? : Snape questioned her as he stood up. The wolf gave an unmistakable nod. Somehow, the news that Wind slipped in passing about Charlie’s dragon went unnoticed by the Potions Master.

    : Why don’t you go up and wait on her? : Silver suggested then cast a thoughtful glance at the werewolf. : And I hope that she gets her job done soon before her partner arouses. :

    What is it about couples? Snape thought in aggravation.

**********

Seventeen minutes after six o’clock.

    Snape had taken a hot shower and was already on his way to the hospital wing, his right hand holding up his sandwich while his left was holding a medium-sized flask containing hot chocolate, just in case the Fire Master needed something to perk her up.

    He finished his light breakfast just as he reached the last flight of stairs leading to the infirmary. It was then that he saw the Fire Master sitting wearily in a corner. He ran up the steps briskly and hastily placed his flask on the floor and gathered the small woman in his arms. He frowned when he felt the heat emanating out from her body and was not surprised to see her exhausted face.

    : Fenix, if you are weary, why didn’t you make use of the beds in the ward? : the Potions Master chided her gently.

    The Fire Master gave him a sheepish chuckle. : I know, Sev. But I’m likely to end up giving Mineif more trouble if I stayed in there. I’m more likely to give out what I don’t have to Charlie or the injured. :

    Snape shook his head helplessly and reached out for the flask containing the hot drink. He urged her to take a sip and was pleased when she looked at him gratefully. She slowly took a drink from the flask when Moody appeared.

    "You wanted to see me?" the ex-Auror looked curiously at the two people sitting on the landing.

    "Yeah, I did," Fenix answered. "The Weasleys are coming over soon but what I want you to do is to meet up with Tonks, Ash and the Grangers."

    Moody raised an eyebrow. "What on earth for?"

    "I’m not exactly positive," the Fire Master said slowly, "but I want you to check up on Percy."

    "What’s with him?" Snape asked her sharply.

    "It is Mrs. Weasley. She was babbling something about him in an accident to Meridien– she’s one of the Sylphs that’s helping out in The Burrow. What worries me is that an accident did happen an hour ago near the area that Percy had made his home," she informed the two men and Moody nodded gravely and finally went out of sight as he descended the staircase.

    : By the way, how is Dumbledore? And the Weasley? : Snape questioned her in an anxious mindvoice as he helped her up to her feet.

    : Dumbledore’s suffering from mild arthritis but they’re all right. Charlie will regain his consciousness in about two or three days, : she informed him, leaning against his comforting strength. She had to admit to herself that she was not feeling exactly at her best and depended on him to guide her as they slowly walked down the staircase.

    Sending out a brief mental probe, she sighed with relief when she found that Remus was still fast asleep. Halfway to the Hall, Snape stopped and pulled her around to give her a warm embrace.

    Huh? Fenix blinked her eyes in surprise and blushed when she felt him leaning forward and gave her forehead a gentle kiss. : What brought that on? : she asked the Potions Master curiously. He however, gave her a crooked grin and left her question unanswered. They tiptoed into the Hall, but Fenix could not help giving baffled glances at him and she was already feeling wide awake by the small distraction. Snape watched her fondly as she crawled back to her place. : Sev... : She gave him a pleading look but he smirked and left the Hall to see the Headmaster.

    : Am I in trouble or something? : she asked her Elementals but they were as baffled as she was. Sighing, she lifted her partner’s arm and let it rest on her waist. The sleeping werewolf almost instantly pulled her closer and she snuggled against him in sheer bliss.

**********

    Harry finally roused and his accidental movement made his oathbrother grumble sleepily in complaint. Without opening his eyes, he listened for the sounds of activities in the Hall. Snores could still be heard and he wondered if they would be having their classes that day. I don’t think it’s raining. There’s no thunder or the smell of rain... He turned and the light from the window caused him to open his eyes. From the angle that the beams of sunlight were shining upon them, Harry knew that all of them were having a major case of oversleeping.

    Most of us are probably dead tired after all the excitement from the past week or so. Hell, I’m getting hungry. Is Dumbledore back? He stretched on the bed and popped several joints noisily and Draco suddenly sat up, looking murderously at the green-eyed boy.

    : What? : Harry asked innocently, seeing only the blurred outline of the Slytherin.

    A lot of things were running in a fast mode in Draco’s mind and he sighed heavily, feeling grouchy of not being able to continue sleeping. : Nothing. : The Slytherin looked about him, wondering where his godfather had disappeared to, seeing that the space beside Harry’s godfather was empty. : What’s the time now? :

    : It’s ten-thirty, : his oathbrother answered, after he had put on his glasses that had been left lying behind his pillow while he slept, then looked at his pocket watch. Draco mumbled a thanks. He suddenly felt the need to go and visit the restroom and got up to his feet lazily. He was still feeling groggy and accidentally bumped into someone wearing a pale yellow witch-robe. The Slytherin blinked his eyes in confusion and a name finally flashed into his mind as he stared at her. It was Mrs. Weasley and she was looking at him uncertainly. Obviously, she was not able to recognize him being a Malfoy.

    "Are Ron and Ginny still asleep?" the plump woman asked him and he nodded curtly. The Slytherin examined the witch almost habitually, noting that the dress she was wearing was rather rumpled and her hair was in disarray. He managed to stop himself from sneering at her in disdain and finally decided to call his oathbrother to welcome her. Mrs. Weasley was looking very haggard, and she looked as if she could do with a week’s rest, not doing anything else but sleep. Mrs. Weasley seemed to have lost a bit of weight too.

**********

    Harry immediately got up to his feet and woke Ron up, hastily telling his best friend that his mother was outside with the Slytherin.

    "Bloody hell..." Ron muttered, struggling to wake Hermione up and at the same time trying to extract himself from the blankets that his friend had conjured up on them to keep warm.

    "Mrs. Weasley!" Harry gasped when Ron’s mother suddenly flung herself at him.

    "Oh Harry! I was so worried about you!" she cried out, relieved that he was looking fine to her.

    Draco watched the two in amusement and the need to relieve himself became more urgent. He winked at Harry, much to the surprise of Ron’s mother and he disappeared down the narrow staircase into the dungeons.

    Harry gave a fond smile at Mrs. Weasley, deciding to keep about his oathbond with Draco a secret from her a little longer. Commotion from inside the Hall made him look over his shoulder and tall, gangly Ron ran forth.

    "MOM!" Ginny squealed happily and quickly went to embrace her mother.

**********

    The werewolf was sipping on his coffee as he watched the sleeping Fenix with veiled concern, listening attentively to Mrs. Weasley as she informed them of the happenings in the wizarding world outside Hogwarts. She however, did not mention a single thing about her dreams of Percy and Ron seemed to forget that they had yet to introduce the Slytherin to the ‘family’. It felt strange and empty to them without the Potions Master around to add in his sardonic comments.

    The Potions Master was still up in the infirmary and they wondered what Mineif wanted with Snape. Mrs. Weasley was waiting anxiously for Moody or the Elementals with news as she listened distractedly to Ginny’s account of the encounter with giants and Heliopaths. But she totally skipped those parts about Harry’s new gift and again, she had completely forgotten about Draco.

    Remus was trailing his fingers dreamily along Fenix’s chin and he knew that she had been using her Gift of Healing. He felt a little hurt that she had left his side during the morning and was stunned periodically by Snape.

    "Moony?" Sirius looked curiously at his best friend’s stunned expression.

    "It’s nothing..." Remus answered in a distracted tone. : What’s that for, Severus? :

    : You’re being illogically angry at Fenix. :

    : When on earth did I say I am angry with her? : he asked the Potions Master sharply.

    Snape walked in through the Hall, nodding his head occasionally to the students who greeted him, and gave a patronizing look at Remus. He dropped the subject and asked Mrs. Weasley. "Has Moody returned?" he inquired the witch but she shook her head. The Potions Master frowned at Remus. : Are you sure she is still breathing? It’s unlike her to sleep this late, : he asked the werewolf, looking worriedly at Fenix.

    Sirius narrowed his eyes as he looked at them, not really liking the fact that he was excluded from the conversation. Then he heard his oathsister’s mindvoice echoed sleepily.

    : I am all right, just in need of a bit more sleep. And keep it down, will you? : The Fire Master had not moved an inch as she spoke into their minds, eyelids not even twitching.

    : What have you been doing to yourself this time? : Sirius interrogated her in a strict tone.

    : I had been Healing Charlie, and I’m fairly drained I admit, : she answered and the link became inactive as she fell asleep.

    While the three men were busy looking and examining the exhausted Fire Master, another silent conversation was taking place and Harry’s slight shake of his head ended the discussion. The two youths were sparing themselves mayhem by not telling their company of their midnight excursion.

    Cadriel, who was having his lunch with a nice-looking Hufflepuff senior suddenly stopped eating and frowned when he heard the clamor that was made by the Elementals. Evidently, Fenix too had heard the sudden noise and growled in her sleep. She tiredly rubbed her forehead and opened her eyes.

    : Hello Molly, : she greeted when she caught sight of the witch. Mrs. Weasley’s eyes misted and began profusely thanking the Fire Master for helping to Heal her son. Fenix gave the woman an embarrassed smile and she looked at her oathbrother for help.

    Sirius just gave her a lofty look. : You were really being helpful so bravely deal the consequences that come after. :

    : You’re being mean. : Fenix finally sat up on the pallet, unconsciously rubbing her ribs. Her eyes took on a distant look as she listened to her Elementals. "Moody’s back," she said after a moment of concentration.

    Mrs. Weasley was up on her feet within seconds when she saw the ex-Auror snaking his way to get to their group. Moody spoke to the witch in soft undertones and they saw her paled, starting to tremble as he confirmed the news that her third son had indeed been involved in an accident.

    "Ash is seeing to the arrangements of getting Percy into Hogwarts for observation, though I have no idea why he shouldn’t be transferred in Mungo’s," he said, casting a significant look at Fenix, who shrugged. "Molly..." Moody shook his head when the motherly witch started crying. "Percy’s all right, nothing as complicated as Charlie’s injuries," he said as he patted her shoulder awkwardly.

    "But he did get himself into an accident!" Mrs. Weasley wailed. Moody sighed.

**********

    Percy had been safely transferred into the hospital wing earlier that morning and was evidently well enough to start a conversation, especially with his mother. Ron and Ginny were still being stubbornly unfriendly to their brother and they watched him continuously sniveling, begging her for forgiveness. Mrs. Weasley was more than a happy woman when she saw that her son had finally came to his senses. By early afternoon, the entire Weasley clan was inside Hogwarts to visit the injured ones, but they were especially worried about the dragon keeper. Like his dragon, Charlie was still unconscious.

    They all had gone down to the Hall for a brief lunch, but Bill seemed to have other things in mind. So while the Hall erupted into friendly chaos with the twins about, who had brought treats for the students, Bill had snuck past the company and headed up to the infirmary on his own. None of them was aware that he possessed a deathly, cold nature until they went up to the ward and unfortunately intruded on the heavy-duty verbal lashing he was passionately giving to Percy.

    Mrs. Weasley who was lagging behind the group as she talked to Sirius was pulled away swiftly by her daughter and Hermione, whose faces were flaming. "Girls!" Mrs. Weasley had exclaimed and stared at her husband in complete bafflement. Mr. Weasley was looking shaky and he was very pale, and she was half-afraid to ask him what went wrong. Those who knew about the miniature verbal war in the ward kept Mrs. Weasley occupied for an hour before Fenix gave them the signal that all was clear. She wore a faintly amused look and informed Harry and his oathbrother that Dumbledore was absolutely shocked to overhear some of the words that had left Bill’s mouth.

    The Headmaster was having a fit of coughs as they entered the ward. He was being examined by the Elven Lord, who was also giving the man his prescriptions. The twins were looking at Percy and they were so full of glee that both Fenix and Ginny could not resist the temptation of pinching the cheeky twins. Percy was holding up an aura of shame while Bill looked totally calm, and was being his sweet, charming self. He only gave his father a sidelong look when the latter stammered something to him about watching his language.

    Evening finally arrived and both Sirius and Snape had ordered Fenix to take a complete break from her duties, and the Potions Master told her privately that she ought to spend some time entertaining her partner. And that was what she was doing, looking at her partner with her silver, lupine eyes. Her partner was totally unclothed and she waited patiently for his transformation to take place. Dear gods, this man is just beautiful, she thought mischievously to herself. I am glad that he isn’t as lean as Sirius or as muscular as Sev, though you really can’t tell by the way that he is dressed up. She smiled to herself, remembering that impromptu moment when Snape had embraced her without warning. Then her thoughts wandered and she cursed heatedly to herself, borrowing some of the creative words that she heard from Bill. Dear Phoebus! What in hell is wrong with me? I must be going crazy that I find my Remus’s chest absolutely tantalizing!

    : Lover... : Remus’s thought floated into her mind. : I’m ready. :

    She stopped her daydreaming and watched her partner carefully, especially his facial expression and body language. The twitching began and he knelt on the floor, feeling the anatomical and physical changes of his body. His transformation was no longer a pain for him and it took him only twelve minutes to complete his transformation. He gave himself one final shake, loose fur floated about him, catching the moonlight coming in from the window. He leapt onto the bed. The two were completely alone– minus the ever-present Elementals– since the pair of genuine wolves were hanging out with Aldren.

    Remus purred deeply in his throat, rubbing his snout along her muzzle and cheek, really pleased with how she smelled to him. The deep, vibrating hums from her actually caused him to go wild and he gave her a playful nip under her neck. Hence, their friendly, fortnight wrestles commenced to get their blood pumping, along with other emotions.

**********

    Percy still had not quite recovered from Bill’s intense scolding. When he saw a strutting, black-haired young man, plainly dressed in Slytherin robe coming forward and insinuated himself into Harry’s company with plain ease, he became totally numb. And when Ron sheepishly began informing his mother that Harry had taken an oathbond with the Slytherin, who was the former son of Lucius Malfoy and the one named Draco, Percy was struck speechless. Mrs. Weasley looked utterly dumbfounded that Harry had the guts to establish the bond with someone like Draco.

    Only the twins seemed unsurprised by the news, since Charlie had told them of it months ago. Ginny was hanging over Charlie when she heard the Keeper mumbled something unintelligible. She decided not to tell anyone just yet and leaned closer to catch his words.

    "Why did... cut?... I like it long. Reminds me of someone," Charlie paused and Ginny strained her hearing to listen to his whispers. "Yes Allaina... love... too."

    Ginny blinked her eyes twice before looking around for Mineif. The Elven Lord looked inquiringly at her. "Is it natural if he talks in his sleep?" she asked as she pointed at Charlie. That captured Mineif’s attention and he quickly went over to her side.

    After spending a few minutes to give the Weasley a thorough checkup, he finally told the anxious company that Charlie was well on the way to recovery. The twins unobtrusively closed in on their sister. Fred nudged her gently to gain her attention and George whispered into her ear. "What was Charlie mumbling about?"

    "I think he really does have a sweetie," she whispered back and Fred struggled to contain his mirth. The twins started to grin devilishly and she backed away from them slowly, intent on not getting herself into trouble by more of the twins’ schemes.

    McGonagall appeared into the ward and determinedly made her way to see the resting Headmaster. Not liking the fierceness lurking deeply in her eyes, Dumbledore decided to cheat, hoping to make the Transfigurations teacher forget her intentions. He summoned Harry and Draco over to his bed.

    Harry looked uneasily at his oathbrother as they approached the Headmaster. Dumbledore spoke up before McGonagall had a chance to begin her chastisement. "The two of you have acted far too recklessly for my comforts. Harry, I thought you were drained by that encounter with Tom. And Draco, for being a Slytherin and his oathbrother, I had thought you were wise enough not to listen to a reckless Gryffindor."

    Both youths blanched and it certainly did not occur to them that the Headmaster would be the one to spill the beans about their midnight adventure.

    "What are you saying, Dumbledore?" Snape questioned the Headmaster, his bright black eyes not leaving Draco’s face.

    "As I have suspected," Dumbledore leaned back on his pillow, looking calmly at the Potions Master. "This two have acted on their own to carry out a rescue mission," and he began explaining about the troublesome flock that had hindered their retreat two nights ago. Mrs. Weasley paled and their godfathers fumed.

    "Ten points off Slytherin!" Sirius thundered.

    And at the same time, Snape hissed, "Ten points from Gryffindor!"

    "And twenty points off from each of you," Dumbledore said gravely. "You will serve detention for the next two weeks down in the dungeons. Professor Snape and Sirius will supervise both of you."

    "And that means no Quidditch practice, Potter, Draco," Snape’s eyes glinted.

    "Both of us are going to put the two of you into manual labor that you would not have the time or strength for mischief," Sirius added cruelly.

    McGonagall was looking very annoyed and she stared at the two boys fiercely.

    "Shit..." Draco muttered softly.

    "Fifty points each!" she said in a tight voice. "I am absolutely sure that the Headmaster and his cohorts would have been in much more serious conditions had you not helped them to guard their backs," she continued, her eyes flashing dangerously when Snape was about to make a protest regarding the house-points.

    : At least they don’t know of our actions about the crystals, : Draco sent a reassuring thought to Harry.

    Sirius flopped sulkily into a chair, scowling blackly at Harry, whose shoulders slumped in defeat when the Black began to lecture and presumably, Draco was subjected to the same treatment by his own godfather.

    "Now Albus," McGonagall started in a sweet voice and she gave the wizard a lecture and finally administered his punishment that had been postponed. She had obviously done something very professionally as they were unable to track or detect if she had hexed the Headmaster. Fawkes, who was perching on a chair, started fluttering about on his perch and it gave Harry the distinct impression that the phoenix was amused and was not moving about in agitation. Whatever it was that the Transfigurations teacher had done, it evidently worked as they saw the Headmaster’s face turned bright crimson and he coughed to hide his embarrassment.

    McGonagall made a patronizing sound at the back of her throat and regally exited out of the infirmary, leaving the wing to the Weasleys, the teachers and students who were visiting the invalid.

**********

~ Chapter 49: A Gown, A Portrait & A Dance ~

Winter

Soft snow continued to descend over the castle of Hogwarts, dotting the remaining greenery around it, giving the place an ancient look, like that of a very colorful yet melancholy painting. The surface of the lake was solidly frozen and two wolves were running on it, skidding and landing on their rumps occasionally as they were chased playfully by a group of owls in the soft, hazy light of an early winter morning.

    Charlie, Percy, Aberforth and the McNoels had healed nicely to the relief of everyone and had already gone back to resume their responsibilities. Hogwarts had already started their lessons again and the Headmaster had withdrawn his decision of cancelling the exams. Ginny had cried for two nights straight when she found out from Fenix that she had to sit for her OWLs after all.

    It was Dumbledore’s subtle revenge when at least eighteen percent of those living in Hogwarts had found out what McGonagall had said to him, not verbally of course. It was the night when the Headmaster had fallen asleep that the twins had crept back into the hospital wing to investigate. They had silently used a Revealing Charm and faint silver phrases had slowly materialized over the Headmaster’s bed. The written words were:

    Thank you for trying to distract me Albus, but I am in my worst of moods and I have no time to put up with your outrageous behavior. The first issue I’d really like to address is this ‘Headmistress’ idea. For the last time, I am denying this offer and I will remain as the Transfigurations teacher and Head of Gryffindor House until Mr. Black is ready to take my place and I’m ready for retirement. Second issue: Stop being a blockhead. Even if Hogwarts need a new principal, you should at least get someone younger than I. Three: Stop acting like a man in your prime and continuously getting yourself into more mischief. I’m just too fond of you to lose you to an ex-student who can’t see through the grayness of life. And you’re lucky that I am doing this rather the more embarrassing alternatives.

    And then faded orange words replaced the silver. And what if this spell hadn’t been invented Minerva?

    Words in silver slowly appeared but it was very faint and the Weasley twins had a bit of trouble trying to discern the message. Then I guess I have to let you know of my great disapproval in a more physical approach.

    And the twins had run like crazy, back to Harry and his friends after they had made sure that they had wiped out their own trace of magic. But, Dumbledore is still the greatest magician and obviously he was aware of the twins’ mischief.

    The students were also given the green sign that they could all sleep in their own dormitories once more but Harry’s company occasionally barged into Sirius/Remus/Fenix/Snape’s quarters to camp and they refused to budge. The activities that resulted from the infrequent camps differed. Compared to the other three, the Potions Master was truly on the studious side and made the students (and the three teachers) study whatever he conjured up for them.

    If they went into Fenix’s, they would have a general campfire gathering, cracking lame jokes, singing. The Fire Master was mystified when Harry confessed that he quite liked the lyrics of some of the Linkin Park’s songs and she asked in a curious tone as to why he hadn’t tuned to the radio and Sirius explained to her that Harry’s caretakers saw no reason why the boy should listen to the radio or TV. Fenix had blinked her eyes and found it incomprehensible that a teenager like Harry had not been given the freedom of a normal teenage kid and she scoffed at Harry when the green-eyed boy mildly pointed out that he was anything but normal. But the real entertainment absolutely came from the two Masters of different disciplines. Fenix would all of a sudden rattled off an insult to Snape (Harry noted that most of her remarks smacked a dead center at the Potions Master’s prominent nose) and fencing would begin between the two and ended up in creating hexes on each other.

    If they happened to go into Sirius’s, major wizarding chess tournaments would take place and Snape delighted at having beaten Fenix four out of five games and ended up flinging more hexes at a very mad Fire Master. However, they got themselves a surprise when they decided it was certainly the werewolf’s turn to host them. Fenix and the students had found that it was very difficult for them to sleep, fearing that they would dream of flying heads with entrails dangling from it. Remus absolutely loved the way that they had reacted to his ghost stories that he had collected over the years. The stories that scared them most were the ones that came from Asia and the werewolf actually took the effort to create sound and visual effects to complement his story telling. Fenix was absolutely terrified one night, refusing to go into a dark bathroom after one of her partner’s chilling tales of a bathroom that was haunted by a newborn child.

    Once, the females had been totally engrossed in Remus’s storytelling that Snape (he had felt extremely vexed when Fenix flaunted off a sketch of a Potions Master who was wearing nothing on his upper body and she shamelessly showed off his shoulders and chest to everyone, including her partner, on the second last Friday of November) actually conjured three big fat cockroaches that quickly zoomed into the bedroom and targeted the three females.

    Their yells had been so loud that the people from the Astronomy Tower actually heard their frightened, horrified squeals and... several more explosions erupted. That incident with the cockroaches had not worn off and the Potions Master frequently teased Fenix of her childish fear. Those were the bright incidents that filled their souls ever since snow fell from the heavens to touch the earth.

    The dark side of things was of the sudden disappearances of Voldemort and his lot. The Elementals had one day found that they were no longer able to spy or track the Dark Lord down. Harry had humbly volunteered to open himself up to trace Voldemort. Three men and one woman looked at him as though he had grown another head and Snape gave him one of his typical greasy, sly, feigned sweet smiles.

    "You really want the extra Advanced Potions tutorial that badly, Potter?"

    Harry had sighed and did not offer any more help. The two weeks of detention he had served with his oathbrother was more than enough to make him determined not to ever offer to be an assistant to the Potions Master. Draco however seemed to enjoy in dissecting the rats to get their spleen out and removing their small black eyes from their sockets.

    Over the course of days ever since classes had resumed, Snape and Draco had become quite inseparable. If the Slytherin wasn’t with Fenix discussing about magical theories, or if he wasn’t hanging out in the company of his friends, he was closeted with his godfather, learning more about the essence of Potions making.

    The wolves on the lake halted and stared at the sky above them, and decided that it was time for them to stop playing and get themselves into the warmth of a lazy, calm and protected castle.

**********

Friday, 7^th December. Three in the afternoon.

    Draco was hastily keeping his materials back into his school bag and knocked down his cauldron accidentally. The youth swore as he quickly straightened his cauldron back onto its stand. Fortunately for him, his cauldron was devoid of any potions. He was late; he had promised Harry that he would be released from his godfather’s grasp at two-thirty but he was already thirty minutes late.

    "BLAST IT!" he screamed as he tripped on a chair. Snape looked up from his scroll, his face clearly showing his annoyance although he felt a little amused over his godson’s use of words. That was one of Fenix’s most commonly uttered phrases when she’s angered or exasperated other than ‘Bloody hell’, ‘Damnation’, ‘Dear Phoebus’ and certainly not forgetting ‘You damn, stupid, idiotic Black-haired grizzly!’. Of course, that’s exclusively for her oathbrother and the Potions Master’s lips involuntarily curled into a sneer.

    : Why are you in such a hurry? : Snape asked his godson. : There’s no Quidditch practice today. :

    : I know that, : Draco answered in an irritated mindvoice, cursed at his clumsiness again and was gone from the classroom in a flash.

    I wonder why he is excited over a small thing, Snape thought to himself.

    "A small thing?" a silvery, airy voice emerged from behind him. "Then who was it who kept criticizing, ‘Black, you’re making her look like a witch from Knockturn Alley, Fenix is no old hag’ and bla bla bla?" Aelwyn the Sylph asked him archly.

    Snape sighed then scowled furiously at Sirius who had let himself into the classroom without a prior knock. "I don’t suppose it will occur to you that I might be still in the middle of my work that can be a health hazard to one that is unprepared?" he asked the handsome Black in a dangerous tone.

    "Save your smart comments, Snivellus," Sirius replied abruptly. "I am in no mood to play and we only have less than five days to complete that portrait." Snape raised an eyebrow at the Black’s anxiousness.

    The Potions Master made a small sound and began to stack his papers neatly on his desk before standing up and pushed his chair in quietly. The Black was waiting impatiently outside the classroom and Snape took a moment to lock the door. The two wizards then walked quickly toward one of the dungeon that was in fact, the dungeon where Harry and Draco had their conversation on the night that they had nearly lost the Fire Master.

    Snape tapped his wand against the door and upon hearing a click, they quickly disappeared into its dark interior. Sirius hastily conjured up huge, bright candles and it lit the cave in brilliant golden shades. Huge scrolls of white paper were scattered all over the room and the Potions Master stared about him in distaste before his eyes rested angrily at Sirius’s head. Snape began collecting the rejected scrolls and placed them in a corner of the room although he knew that Sirius would scatter another bunch of rejects later. The Black was already working on a huge, fresh piece of drawing paper and the Potions Master left the drawing to him and he went over to his own work area and began shaving the wooden frame.

**********

    Making sure that he was unseen by the others, Draco quickly opened the door and went in.

    "You’re late," his oathbrother said in a distracted voice. The Slytherin just snorted and dropped his bag on the couch and took off his school robe. While the corridors had been chilly, the Room of Requirement was heated to comfortable warmth. He took a moment to stare at a gilded glass and stared at his hair in disappointment. Pale, and blond roots were more than visible now. He sighed and went over to his oathbrother who was deftly using the simple sewing machine.

    "Okay." Draco took a deep breath as he watched Harry skillfully sew the two pieces of fabric together. "One: How on earth did you manage to get thing working?" he asked as he looked over Harry’s shoulder in wonder. "And two: Why did you the white silk over the blue?"

    Harry waited until he had finished with the blouse before he handed the article to the Slytherin. "The machine needed a little magic to get a boost up and everything went smoothly from there. Though I had to read that book," he was staring at a brown hardcovered book, "to learn about what I had to do when I come to the edge of the fabric." He watched the Slytherin thoughtfully, finally noticing that his oathbrother’s blond hair was coming back. "As to your second question, I rather like the contrast and I think she’ll look good in it," he answered the Slytherin.

    "But you know that the white part can get rather translucent and I don’t think her partner would like her to show it off all that much," Draco said doubtfully as he checked every inch of the blouse and was making sure that Harry had made perfect holes on the back to let the piece of lace through. He suddenly peered into the interior of the blouse and unexpectedly blushed. "Green-Eyes," he addressed his oathbrother in an uncertain voice. "What is this?"

    Harry tilted his head and looked inquisitively at his oathbrother before he looked to what that had captured the Draco’s fascination. Harry made a soft noise of impatience. "You perfectly know what that is," he said in an annoyed tone. "You were the one who designed the low neckline so that she would show off her shoulders. You can’t really expect her to go braless now, do you?"

    "Harry!" his oathbrother exclaimed, his face flushing painfully with embarrassment at the green-eyed youth’s casual use of terms.

    "Let me see that," someone else said and a pair of hand pulled the blouse and began to examine it. "How remarkable," the werewolf’s soft hazel eyes twinkled gently with amusement. "I don’t recall telling her size to you."

    Harry managed to keep his impassive expression but Draco was clearly flustered and Remus looked at him quizzically. "Grow up kid," the werewolf said lightly. "The day that you have to deal with this particular kind of stuff isn’t too far off," he continued in a rather smug tone.

    "Bloody hell..." Draco grabbed the blouse and he headed off to the comfortable oversized couch and began his embroidering. Remus snorted with laughter before he stared piercingly at the green-eyed Gryffindor.

    "I have a favor to ask you," he said quietly.

    "Oh?" Harry gave him a curious look. "What?"

    "Don’t make the skirt too long that she’ll trip on it."

    Harry gave him a sidelong glance as he picked the parts of an un-sewn skirt. "I guess that’s fair since you were the one who had purchased the bolts of cloth." He smiled at the werewolf. "Don’t worry Professor."

**********

    A look at the clock told her that it was seventy minutes before dinner. She stared at the piece of floating silver with sheer concentration and began to shape it. When she was satisfied that it was shaped perfectly, she began cooling the metal so that she could start on her engraving.

    The Fire Master paused for a moment to grab a towel to wipe the sweat of her face and took off her shirt. I certainly had forgotten how hot it can be when I take part in this. She tested the strength of the silver and found it was able to cope with the stress she was about to inflict on it without being broken to several pieces. She conjured up a fine-tipped chisel and let her imagination carry her away as she slowly cast an image onto the half-finished bracelet. I hope it would be the last time that I have to repeat the procedure. It had taken her longer than a week to get a perfect-sized bracelet and she was now praying that she won’t mess it up as she carves.

**********

    Fenix sighed and gave Remus a light kiss on the arm that was holding her. She gave a small yawn and turned so that she was able to look directly into his eyes.

    : What are you looking at? : he asked her softly.

    : You. : She smiled as her partner chuckled. Thank goodness that I have finished that bracelet. Well... not quite finished, I guess. I still have to cast that spell on it. She flinched when her partner trailed his finger lightly at her side. : Stop that! That tickles! :

    The werewolf gave her a warm laugh as he hugged her, nuzzling at her neck. She purred in contentment and sighed dreamily when he loosened his hold on her.

    : I wonder what my oathbrother is up to, : she commented and stared at the bedroom ceiling. "He has rarely barged in on us this week. Not that I have a complaint or anything," she added hastily when the werewolf gave her a steady gaze. But so are the kids and Sev too, for that matter. Something fishy is definitely up.

**********

    Snape stood before the five feet tall sketch and saw that he couldn’t find anything to criticize, not even the Black’s usage of the plethora of colors. Although I think that the background is too colorful for my taste but I love the way Black had painted her hair. He was still looking at the way the black hair seemed to move under the flickering of the huge candles over their heads.

    "So, how is it?" Sirius asked eagerly, trying not to show his anxiousness.

    The Potions Master ignored the Black for a moment to choose his words carefully and decided on simple terms. "It’s fine."

    "Only ‘fine’?" Harry’s godfather looked belligerently and Snape made a sound so thick with irritation.

    "Then what on Merlin’s world were you expecting me to say, Black?" Snape hissed. "Pile you massively with extravagant compliments. Prostrate myself to you for your goddamn brilliant handiwork?"

    "Why don’t you do that?" Sirius taunted the Potions Master with an arrogant sneer. The Black was too shocked to react when Snape grabbed him by his collar and slammed the stunned wizard against the wall. He realized he had made the wrong move, and the Potions Master’s anger, annoyance, self-disgust began to insert themselves into Sirius’s mind as Snape’s mindvoice echoed loudly.

    : I didn’t know that she could look splendid in green! Although it doesn’t match her eyes, her black hair highlighted the fact. And you were kind enough to paint her with a warm smile that reached her eyes! : The Potions Master switched to speak his thoughts verbally and continued for about fifteen minutes until he ran out of words to say. He gave Sirius one last disgusted look before he turned and began to place the sketch onto its frame.

    Sirius took a deep breath and straightened his shirt and stared at the glossy black cloak shrouded on Snape’s shoulders in mild shock, trying to regain his composure after he was subjected to the Potions Master’s sudden tirade.

    "You did quite well yourself," Sirius commented in a small voice and Snape pretended that he hadn’t heard the Black.

**********

    Draco groaned and straightened his back but the ache on his shoulders and back remained. "Green-Eyes, I really need that massage now!"

    Harry let out a string of curses as he accidentally pricked his finger deeply, completely startled by his oathbrother’s sudden words. "Be patient!" he snapped and returned to his embroidery.

    The Slytherin glowered as he looked at the Gryffindor, who was bent over the gown’s hem and was making the final touch-up stitches. Harry’s messy black hair was back and Draco decided it was definitely time for his oathbrother to get a haircut from Fenix and Aldren. The Slytherin clenched his jaws tightly and tried to concentrate on his own stitching but gave when his backache intensified.

    Harry gave him an unfriendly look and finished off the Slytherin’s half-done work. Draco quickly made use of the couch and lied down, willing his muscles to relax. He realized that he had dozed off when his oathbrother shook him awake and showed off their finished product.

    The green-eyed youth stared at the gown intensely and to Draco’s amazement, the gown began to inflate, looking as though someone was wearing it and twirled. "I have to admit it now, Green-Eyes, that your idea of using that white silk on the chest was a brilliant idea," the Slytherin said grudgingly and Harry put on a look that signified, ‘I told you it would work.’.

    "And I am glad you decided not to stitch mini-phoenixes all about the sleeves, but what is this?" Harry asked his oathbrother, staring curiously at the spirals and knots weaving about each other.

    "I have absolutely no idea," Draco conceded and Harry stared at him.

    "But then how did they all turn out uniform?"

    "As I have said Green-Eyes, I don’t have any idea of how it happened that way."

    Harry was still staring at him in disbelief but scowled when the Slytherin spoke up in a commanding voice, "About that massage. Why don’t you give me one now?" Harry gazed at him icily, his expression hostile. "Hey, a deal is a deal and you’ve got it all down in writing. I did help you out with your Potions on Wednesday," he pointed out and sniggered when Harry swore creatively.

**********

    It had taken the werewolf a bit of heavy-duty planning to free himself from Snape and Fenix’s attention and he was on his way up to the seventh floor to meet the youngsters. Fighting against his instinct (he was doing some ridiculous stuff like sneaking and god help him if Moody happen to see him acting queerly), he crept along the corridor silently until he came to a dark brown door and rapped on it. It immediately swung open and the werewolf was pulled into the room.

    "Why had you taken so long to come up here?" Harry asked him rudely. Remus gave him a faintly amused look and went to where Draco was holding up the gown for him.

    Who would have thought the two would be able to accomplish something like this without even the help of magic? And they did something that was best left to the girls. He smiled faintly and couldn’t stop fantasizing on how his partner would look with the gown on her small body.

    "Thank you," the werewolf said softly and the youths grinned widely, feeling pleased that the D.A.D.A. professor had found the gown to his taste. He left the two to wrap the gift up and to present the gift to the Fire Master.

**********

    Harry slipped on his Invisibility Cloak as he crawled out of the common room and waved at Ron who gave him a thumbs-up sign as the portrait swung close. He went down the staircases as quietly as possible and finally reached the portrait that Draco had shown him three days earlier. "Demeanor," he whispered and the portrait opened very slowly and Harry went through. Harry had to go directly to the front of the portrait that led to the Slytherin common room then swore softly when he saw the shadow of a cat enlarged by a bright lamp that was approaching the area when he was.

    Having no way of escaping from the two prowling patrollers, Harry used his gift of Illusion to mask his presence and snuffed his scent from the environment. Harry held his breath. The minutes slowly trickled by and let out a sigh of relief when Mrs. Norris and Filch strode past him without a backward glance.

    : Drake, : he called out to the Slytherin.

    Ten minutes later, the oathbrothers were slowly sneaking up to the Fire Master’s office. When they turned into a corner that would lead them to the row of quarters, one handsome, violet-eyed elf blocked their way.

    : Bloody hell... : the Slytherin said in a mindvoice tinged with resignation as Aldren stared at them coldly.

    : Might one ask if the school rules about loitering out after nine had been suspended while I’m sleeping? : Aldren asked the oathbrothers archly.

    : Yes, it has been suspended, : Draco answered in a dry tone, well aware that the elves rarely sleep unless they feel like it. Like Dumbledore and Moody, the elves seemed capable of looking through any disguises.

    : No manners, this one, : the elf shook his head reproachfully at the Slytherin. : She is still awake by the way, : Aldren informed them and continued to make his rounds.

    : That guy scared me, : Draco looked back at Aldren before looking into his oathbrother’s eyes.

    : Well, let’s get to her quickly before someone higher up discover us, : Harry responded nervously. Draco nodded and his green-eyed counterpart sent a thought to Fenix and the door was opened. She stood and stared the vacant corridor. Her right arm darted out and she poked Draco at his side. Harry began to hit his oathbrother on his head repeatedly for yelling aloud and the Slytherin was trying to pacify the green-eyed Gryffindor with apologies.

    : What in hell are you two doing out here? : Fenix asked dangerously.

    : We wanted to see and say something before everyone else does, : Draco answered easily as he emerged from the protection of the cloak and ushered the mystified Fire Master back into her office.

    Harry closed the door behind him and threw the cloak onto an unoccupied chair. "What? Your partner isn’t here with you?" he remarked slyly and laughed when Fenix gave him a sour look.

    "Careful Harry. I am a teacher and I was a Slytherin. I might decide to knock off some points."

    "That’s a great idea!" Draco said brightly as he thought about the prospect of Slytherin winning the House Cup for the first time ever since The Boy Who Lived had been enrolled into Hogwarts. Fenix stared sternly at the Slytherin.

    "Watch it Drake, or I’ll recruit Sirius to give you detention and make you do more pushups," she said and the Slytherin blanched, remembering how painful his shoulders and biceps had felt after the two weeks of detention given by Dumbledore.

    "Ah... no thanks Fenix," he responded in a timid voice.

    "Here. Open this." Harry held the package and she accepted it, looking suspiciously at them.

    A note fell out as she carefully opened the wrapping and was about to read it when Harry stopped her, saying that she needed to see what’s inside the package first and she gave in to the youth’s wish.

    It looks like a scarf, Fenix mused then frowned as she lifted the article from its paper wrappings. But a scarf doesn’t have stitches and bra-pads. She stared stupidly at the gift in shock as it unfolded to reveal a solid blue-white gown. She alternated her stunned eyes between the gown and the two boys who were smiling tenderly at her.

    : Happy birthday, Fenix, : said both of the oathbrothers.

    The Fire Master felt horribly stunned. Did they make a gown just for my birthday? A voice screamed inside her head loudly.

    Draco chuckled and remarked, "She doesn’t seem capable to handle the truth that we had made it for her, Green-Eyes."

    Harry was grinning widely at her and she wordlessly went to the two taller boys to give them a hug. They stayed in that threefold bear-hug for several minutes before she pulled herself gently away from them.

    She looked up at them wonderingly, and they saw that her face was streaked with tears ad Harry calmly brushed the remaining tears away from her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered.

    The Slytherin was struck by the similarity of her cadence and the werewolf’s and he decided that the two were meant for each other like a mating pair of macaws.

    : Wolves, : his oathbrother corrected.

    "Go and put it on," Draco urged her and handed her the forgotten note.

**********

    Fenix had resisted all efforts of her Elementals’ help that time round and she braided half of her hair on her own although she did need a little help from Aelwyn to lace the back for her. She read the note again. Be down at the lake by midnight. That brief note was of her partner’s handwriting. The feeling of impatience coming from the oathbrothers made her sigh and she went out of her bedroom to pose for the makers.

    "Perfect..." Draco’s silver eyes watched her dreamily.

    "More than perfect..." Harry agreed and he yelped when the door opened without warning.

    "Harry!" Sirius’s eyes widened and scowled then stood awestruck as he stared at his oathsister.

    "Isn’t it nice? They made it for me," Fenix answered and smiled warmly at Snape who was looking a little crestfallen.

    "It seems that the two of them had beaten us to it," the Potions Master almost whined and Fenix couldn’t help but peered at the object he was hiding behind his back.

    "You guys have been absent so you could make me presents?" she asked them with a voice that was solidified with incredulity.

    : The two of you had better get back to your own beds before I decide to give you more detention, : Snape said suggestively and at his somber look, the oathbrothers dashed out of the room and Harry had to turn back and get the cloak and disappeared off from the office, knowing that they had to back out before they get into more arguments with their godfathers.

    "Happy birthday, little sister," Sirius said as he kissed her lightly on the cheek while Snape kissed her on her forehead. She hugged them individually and looked at the wrapped, rectangular object with open curiosity. Sirius signaled to the Potions Master and with a tiny bit of magic, the silky covering slowly vanished to reveal a Fenix dressed in dark green evening gown and the Fire Master stared at it breathlessly. The next thing to catch her eyes was the stark beauty of the wooden frame itself and Snape glowed when he saw her silver eyes lighted up, picking the tiny twisting of the carvings.

    "I don’t think I can handle more birthday gifts," she said nervously. She was clearly at a loss for words. "Maybe I shouldn’t go down to see Remus."

    "Fenix, since when have you become a coward?" Sirius asked, and Fenix felt his mirth. She turned a helpless look at him and he laughed heartily. He pulled her and squeezed the breath out of her as he embraced her. She was then pushed to Snape and he took his turn to hold the woman in his arms and couldn’t resist giving another kiss on her forehead.

    She poked him at his side and fumed and Snape smirked because he was aware that she knew that he had kissed her on the forehead on purpose. "Yes, Fenix. I am trying to make a point of your lack of height." She stuck her tongue at him.

    "Lazy guy."She gave a disdainful sniff.

    "Maybe you ought to go to your partner before he gets a chance to sulk," Snape suggested.

    "My partner does not sulk!" Fenix replied scathingly and he snickered, indicating with an eyebrow that he knew that the werewolf had sulked when he found out that she had sketched a half-naked Potions Master.

**********

    This is really freaky, she thought as she looked about the castle grounds and swiftly headed for the lake. The near full moon reflected hazily upon the frozen lake, fractioning the moonlight and the sight was just too beautiful for her to find the words to describe the phenomenon.

    Even in the distance, she was able to make out the werewolf’s unmoving form. A breeze began to blow gently and she stared in appreciation, watching her partner’s long brown cloak as it moved with the wind.

    This is freaky. Am I so excited that I don’t feel the cold? She watched her partner turn his head slightly to watch her approach. His face was solemn and once again, as she stood slightly six inches away from him, she was trapped in the depths of his hazel brown eyes.

    He did not speak. Whatever that he had been practicing in his mind was totally erased as their eyes locked. Maybe... Maybe words wouldn’t matter to us tonight.

**********

    : Absolutely cloying, : Snape ‘muttered’. Sirius snorted and waited for the two by the lake to move. Or something.

**********

    Remus found enough power to snap himself out of the mesmerizing effects of her silver eyes. He took a step forward and his arms moved on their own to cup her chin. Tilting her face so that the moonlight shone directly on her silver eyes, he leaned down and closing his eyes, he kissed her.

**********

    "They’re hopelessly in love," Sirius observed clinically, struggling not to chuckle and trying not to feel murderous at the same time and peculiarly, the Potions Master was in a similar condition to the Black.

**********

    He slowly caressed her lips with the tip of his tongue and smiled when she shivered at the treatment. His hands were on her waist now and pulled her closer. Fenix wasn’t aware that both of them were swaying gently with a soft rhythm that was slowly making itself heard.

**********

    : What in Merlin’s world... : Snape frowned as the two hidden wizards tried to pinpoint the source of melody and Sirius poked him gently before pointing his chin to their left. Snape flushed when they saw that they had been discovered by the elves.

    Cadriel gave them a sly wink as he blew a note on his flute. Mineif was smiling gently as he tapped on a pair of small drums and Jaheera was totally lost in fingering her guitar strings. The two ‘spies’ turned back to watch the pair.

**********

    "Remus," Fenix spoke up when she finally heard Elven music playing in the air. "I have to warn you that I don’t know how to dance."

    Her partner laughed lightly and Fenix had to remind herself not to drool as she watched the werewolf’s body as it moved in time with the Elven Lord’s drumbeats.

**********

    "I can’t believe my eyes," Sirius muttered under his breath and Snape looked quizzically at him. "Are you blind, Snivellus?" the Black jeered. "Can’t you see that the werewolf is seducing her?"

    "What?" Snape looked carefully again at the dancing pair. He had to agree that the way the D.A.D.A. professor was moving was a bit on the sensual side but the Potions Master was unable to connect sensuality with the werewolf himself. "Remus... Seducing?" he asked rather doubtfully.

***********

    : Use your imagination to move lover, : her partner advised. : This isn’t too different from your sword practices after all. :

    : Imagination? : Fenix asked wearily, forcing her thoughts not to stray but the way Remus was dancing was really making her breathless. I certainly have to give him the credit. I did not imagine him to be a suave dancer. Oh dear Phoebus! My knees are growing so weak! She blushed as she thought helplessly about how good her partner looked to her.

    ‘Two can play the game,’ an insidious voice spoke up.

    Then she found that her inner voice was right. So he wants me to be hungry... She thought slyly. Yes. Two can absolutely play the game, and she gave the werewolf a slow, provocative smile.

**********

    Jaheera gazed suspiciously at the males of her kind. It seems rather obvious to me that they’re not letting her make her own moves. Conspiracies, conspiracies. I may be a neuter, but I am still a female. Oh well, I know Mineif is going to be put off with me later on, and possibly the werewolf too but there’s no way I’m going to leave this a one-sided affair. The Elven warrior smiled and waited for the right moment to start a new tune and the two males would absolutely have no choice but to follow her tempo. And hopefully I can maintain my dominance for a while, she thought to herself.

**********

    She acted by instinct and let go of her partner. She struck a pose, challenging the werewolf with a superior look. Remus looked a little surprised and was showing a face portraying, ‘All right, this wasn’t in the plan’.

    Distinct guitar notes struck solidly and the area fell into a hushed silence. Complicated fingerings steadily build up and Fenix used her imagination and first moved both her feet to the tempo. When the music picked up the pace she started to sway her hips and circled the werewolf seductively. Her lips curled into a mischievous smile when she saw his eyes flared and was staring at her waist and hips in fascination. She was slowly beginning to enjoy the feeling of power that coursed through her body and the wide-eyed admiration of her partner seemed to sparkle it into an inferno.

**********

    "Moony’s got that one coming," Sirius chuckled nastily and nearly strangled Snape when he saw that his eyes were glazed over. : That’s it Snivellus! I am not going to tolerate you at my oathsib! :

    : Fair is fair, Black! : Snape shot back angrily.

    : You filthy Slytherins don’t understand the concept of fair! : Sirius snarled.

    : Whatever. Might I remind you that the woman dancing out there had ogled me more than once? She even sketched me for Merlin’s sake! : Snape sounded scandalized to Sirius.

**********

    Remus could not take his eyes off the Fire Master. The way that the lower part of her gown was unnerving him in more ways than one. I can’t leave it like this but how do I get the both of us to an equal footing? If I just stand her and continue to watch her, sooner or later I’m going to go out of control.

    He belatedly noticed that Fenix had stopped moving and was slowly taking deep breaths. He was aware that she was scrutinizing him from head to toe and he blushed when she licked her lips and gave him a significant look.

    The music began again and he beckoned her to come to him. She did and pressed herself close to him. I can’t help but wonder if the elves had been eavesdropping on my thoughts.

    : What did you think of my dance? : Her mindvoice caressed his mind gently and he was getting intensely wild for her.

    : Beautiful, but please, : he looked worriedly at her. : Take pity on me. Don’t do it too often or you’ll wear me out. :

    : You mean this? : She firmly took his hands and pressed it on her hips and she swayed against him. He groaned and felt that it was time for them to finish their current dance and start a new one in a more private area.

**********

    "Moony’s losing it," Sirius smirked.

    "Losing what?" Snape asked in confusion.

    "His desire you virg--" Sirius tried to stop himself but the word came out of his mouth and he paled. The Potions Master stared wordlessly at the Black before he snorted and reentered the castle on his own.

**********

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