Meant to Be

Third Chapter

The Tale of Dead

*

The night fell soon. Malfoy offered to let him stay in the cottage for as long as he liked. After all, Harry had now been released and could do magic, so he could greatly help with keeping up the household. Unable to think of any other place where to go or other people he'd like to meet, Harry'd agreed. That had been several weeks ago, and he had become accustomed to his life with the other occupants of the cottage.

Now, he lay on a bed, wide awake. There were three bedrooms in the cottage as it truly was well-sized from the inside if not the outside. Malfoy was currently occupying one room, Harry was in the second, and the third was -- well, empty at the moment. Technically, it was Snape's -- and Moony's -- but at the moment the mentally damaged man was sleeping on the couch in the living room, the wolf beside him.

Sighing, he stood up, shaking his head. He could not get any amount of decent sleep right now.

Peeking through the bedroom door he'd left a bit ajar due to his dislike of closed places, thanks to Azkaban, Harry frowned. He was sure that he hadn't heard the outdoor being opened, yet he could see that somebody else was in the living room with Moony and Snape. Sneaking a peek into the room, he saw a man sitting on the floor next to Moony, petting the wolf with one pale hand. The man had long, dark hair, a bit worn-out robes, and a somehow familiar look to him -- not that Harry saw much of his face.

Then, however, he realized who the man was. At this surprise, he gasped aloud, unable to stop himself.

As he gasped, the familiar form turned around, obviously having heard him. As the man saw him, the grey eyes flew wide with surprise. "Harry!" he exclaimed, sounding very surprised. "You can see me?"

"S-Sirius?" Harry stammered, staring at him with wide eyes. "I -- I thought you were dead!"

Now, the other man's expression turned sad. "As a matter of fact, Harry... I am dead, sorry. However, I haven't moved further. I was told that some people can see me, and seemingly you're one of those." Smiling weakly at his godson, he said, "I need your help. I really, really need your help."

"My help?" asked Harry, confused. "What on Earth would you need my help for?"

"Well, you see, I'm kind of stuck," his godfather's ghost, or whatever it was, said. "I have to fix some messes I made when I was alive, and I need somebody living to help me at that. If I don't manage, I'll be forever stuck between life and death. I've been stuck here for over a year now -- seemingly they messed up the date, as I wasn't supposed to come back until after you had already been set free. Every day Snape just draws further into his shell, Malfoy gets more frustrated, and Remus is more sad and lonely. It's getting rather boring, you know, and I'd really like to see James again. He's waiting for me, and I just keep him waiting because I can't move on!"

"What exactly do you need to fix?" asked Harry. This was getting far too complex for his liking, what with Sirius talking about his father and all. It'd be best if he just concentrated on the simple facts.

"I ruined Remus' chances with Snape." At Harry's disbelieving expression, Sirius sighed. "I know, it sounds absurd. What on Earth do you think shocked Snape so much about Remus being turned permanently into a wolf? They were meant to be together. They would have got together, if I hadn't messed with it. When I noticed Snivellius getting too close to Moony for my liking, I decided to drive them apart. That was hard to do, as Remus really isn't one anybody could hate. Then, however, I realized what I could do -- I could show Snape just what Remus really was." He shook his head. "You know the rest of it."

"You led Snape to the Shrieking Shack," Harry said quietly. "You led him there, letting him see Remus in his wolf form -- and almost got him killed." He nodded. "I do know the story."

Sirius nodded sadly. "Exactly. Well, anyway, Snape thought that Remus had been aware of the prank, and cut off all contact to him. Needless to say, Remus was heartbroken, but he got over it -- he always gets over everything, he's a survivor by nature. Anyway, they never got close enough to actually get together. And that is against the very order of this world, as absurd as it probably sounds like. I messed up that order, and thus, I am required to fix it before I can leave this world for good."

"But how is that possible?" asked the young wizard, confused. "Remus is a wolf now, or is he not?"

"Yes, he is," Sirius admitted. "But I've done a bit of research over these years, and I think I've found a way to reverse that. Now, listen carefully..."

*

Harry glanced carefully over the breakfast table at Lucius, who was sitting on the other side, radiating self-confidence and slight arrogance. Might as well try it right away, he thought. He had talked with Sirius every night for about a week now, unsure about whether he should talk to the other wizard. Now, his deceased Godfather had pretty much convinced that there was no other way to even try to right the wrong. In the end Lucius wasn't that bad -- and yes, they were indeed in first name basis. "Lucius," he said hesitantly, "what would you say if I told I see dead people? Not ghosts, but dead?"

The blond just shrugged. "I'm a wizard, Potter," he said, raising an eyebrow, "not a Muggle who would claim you insane. I know things like that can happen. Besides, I would believe anything of you."

"Fine." Harry sighed. "Then I suppose I can tell you this." At the blond's questioning glance, he went on, "I saw my godfather a week ago at night... Sirius, that is. He told that he can't move on, so to speak, before certain things have been taken care of. To be exact, Moony must be turned back into a man."

"Well, that's rather hard to do now, isn't it," Lucius said with a pained tone. "Unless, of course, this Godfather of yours is willing to inform us about how to break the spell of one of the most powerful wizards of the last century, however deceased he might be by now."

"Well, actually..." Harry hesitated a bit. Then he said, "In fact, Sirius did mention a way." In an instant, the Slytherin looked very curious. So, Harry went on, "He said that mere power couldn't upkeep such a charm after its caster's death. Therefore, it has to be tied to something -- some object, being, whatever. Anyway, if we destroyed that thing, the charm would become undone."

"Well, that certainly makes it so much easier," Lucius said bitterly. "Now we just have to find out what object or being Dumbledore has used, and destroy it. Is there anything else to do before lunch?"

"I never said that it was easy," the younger wizard snapped defensively. "Just that it could be done."

After breakfast he decided to take a look around at his new surroundings; he most certainly was going to stay there. As he went outside Snape came with him, along with Moony. The two started to play some kind of their own variation of tag, or something equally confusing.

Harry sighed as he saw the childlike man. This was so wrong. Once Snape had been a powerful, intelligent wizard, one that nobody had ever surpassed on any field. Knowing this, he had often given the students almost impossible riddles to solve. Very rarely had any of his tricks been even noticed, leave alone undone.

One time had somebody solved Snape's puzzle, though -- and of course it had been Hermione. Even her victory hadn't been truly a victory, as Snape had given them quite a lot of hints -- Hermione was just the only one to put them all together.

On their seventh year, they had got a special assignment in Potions: Everybody was to write an essay on the best Potions Master of the last century, Perseus Evans. Having found only tiny bits of information in the school library, the desperate Gryffindors had been shocked when Draco Malfoy had presented his perfect essay to the class. Then, however, it had been Hermione's turn...

Once again Harry was swept away by his memories.

**

"Now, we've heard the official version," said Hermione cheerfully. "The one Professor Snape keeps in his desk drawer for those Slytherins who know who and how to ask. I, however, am going to tell you the true story." With a quick glance at their professor, she continued, "The undoubtedly best Potions Master of this century, the man who is also known as Perseus Evans, was born as Severio Amorio Snape to Julio and Marinelle Snape on the 9th of January 1960, in Naples, Italy. When little Severio was five years old, his father died, and the rest of the family moved to England... Shall I continue, Professor Snape?" She smiled mischievously at him.

Snape slowly clapped his hands. "Congratulations, Miss Granger," he said dryly. "I'm truly impressed. You have figured out what ten full batches of seventh year Potions students couldn't."

"You -- you mean that's true, Professor?" Malfoy blurted out. "You are Perseus Evans?"

"Spot on, Mister Malfoy," drawled Snape. "I wonder how everybody has managed to miss it this far. At the first time ten years ago, it was more a joke, but when nobody figured it out, I decided to continue the tradition. I've won the game one thousand and ninety-seven times this far. Students' score is, by now, one." Turning towards Hermione, he said, "That's fifty points to Gryffindor for figuring it out, Miss Granger -- something I've promised to the Headmaster. And five points from Gryffindor for your cheek. Now, do please tell me... What gave me out? I must destroy all evidence for the coming years."

"Well, at first, I couldn't help but wonder how Evans could be considered better than you -- after all, you've invented the three most complicated potions known, including the Wolfsbane Potion. Also, it was kind of suspicious that there was so little information of such a famous and respected person, and not one picture of him. Then I found a description of Evans, one that says that he's left-handed. As I've seen for myself that you are both-handed, I then compared Evans's signature in one of the school library's books with your signature from the time you hurt your right hand. I noticed you'd simply signed all Evans's books with your left hand." With a bit of a grin, she added, "Also, I began to wonder when you told us that Evans has never published the recipe for the Literate Letter Potion, and then told us to brew it, writing the recipe on the blackboard."

"That I've only done the last five years," the professor told calmly. "I was beginning to wonder why nobody noticed it, and decided to make it easier -- and still nobody could guess."

**

Oh, yes. Professor Snape had truly been one to be noted for both his skills and wit. Now, however, he was a mere shell of what he had once been. It truly hurt to see him walking around that way, those once flaming onyx eyes now empty of anything but childish wonder at everything he saw.

"What are you thinking so concentratedly about, Potter?" asked a quiet voice, startling him. As he spun around, he was met by Lucius' raised eyebrow. "My, my. Isn't the great Harry Potter easy to scare."

"I just wasn't on guard at the moment," Harry tried to explain. "Anyway, I just remembered one of our Potions lessons." With a glance at Snape's direction, he added, "To be exact, the one on which we learnt that our disliked, horrid professor was in essence one of the most praised geniuses of our time."

"Ah, yes. Perseus Evans." Lucius' smile was half bitter, half sad. "He chose that name because he thought that nobody could ever think he would use the family name of one of his most hated enemies. Why he chose to go under a pseudonym at the first place is still beyond me. I kept telling him that he deserved to get praise for all his hard work and success, but he still insisted on using a false name whenever he published his findings or new recipes. If anybody knew who Perseus Evans really is, he'd be a celebrity."

"Maybe that's just what he wants to avoid," Harry suggested. "Although he didn't seem too reluctant to get an Order of Merlin for catching Sirius back on my third year. Perhaps..." Then, his eyes widened in realization. "I know," he hissed. "What good would he have been to Dumbledore if he'd been a respected and well-known person? The mysterious, dark and disliked git worked so much better for his position as a spy. The old bastard must have convinced him to use a pseudonym."

Lucius' face darkened at that. "You're probably right," he muttered. "Another sin on Dumbledore's conscience. For some reason, I am not too surprised, though."

"Well," Harry sighed, "we just might manage to find a way to finally win him. If we are lucky. To do that, we have to find the storage of his power and destroy it. Not an easy thing, now is it?"

"Well, you know, I've been doing some thinking," the blond said levelly. "The destroying part we still have to figure out. And, well, finding -- but at least we know what we should look for."

"Well?" Harry looked up at the elder wizard in amazement and surprise. "So what is it?"

"What did Dumbledore have that was strongly magical, powerful, and likely to last forever?" asked Lucius dryly, raising a blond eyebrow with a slightly amused expression. "Besides Hogwarts, that is?"

For a moment, Harry just stared at him confusedly. Then it dawned on him. "Fawkes! But of course. Nothing can kill a phoenix permanently, after all... But as that is so, how can we ever break the spell?"

"I wouldn't say that's our primary problem," said the older wizard. "The foremost problem is that we have to find that phoenix. It hardly still sits around in his office, after all."

Harry nodded slowly, deep in thought. Then, however, he rushed back inside, Lucius following him with notably less hurry. Grapping the Daily Prophet on the table -- apparently Snape had never cancelled his order, and Lucius made sure the owl was paid for its efforts -- he started to skim through it. At last, he exclaimed triumphantly, "Here!" and reached the newspaper out for the other man to read.

The text itself didn't mean much anything. However, there was a picture on the page that had drawn both of their attention. It was a Wizarding photo of Hogwarts, students moving about on the grounds. What they were most interested in was the statue they saw standing in front of the castle.

"The best hiding place ever," said Harry, "is right under everybody's eyes."

*

Harry glanced warily around. It seemed too easy. In the old days there'd been no way he could have got this deep in the Hogwarts grounds without being detected and most probably stopped -- but then again, in the old days Dumbledore had been the Headmaster. Nowadays, there was some hope that the leader of the school was actually good and didn't think that any incomer might be a threat to their authority.

He glanced to his side where Snape stood, Moony nervously pawing around the darkhaired man's feet. Lucius was nowhere to be seen, of course, being a fugitive, but Harry could all the time feel the scales of a snake wrapped around his arm under his sleeve.

There were a few students walking around on the grounds, as it was Saturday. Some looked surprised, but a few of them obviously recognized him, considering the frightened looks on their faces. He must work fast if he wanted to get rid of the phoenix before the whole school faculty got to the place.

The statue -- rather, a group of statues -- was simply huge. It consisted of an enormous dragon, bigger than any real dragon Harry had ever seen, a phoenix, a lion, and a snake. The lion and the snake were tangled in a fight in the middle, the dragon was circling them, and the phoenix was attacking the dragon, just as stony and motionless as the others but nevertheless floating in the air. They were truly states of art, perfect to the last hair, feather, or a scale, their natural colours making them seem almost real.

Now, Harry let the snake slip from his sleeve to the ground as more and more students seemed to be coming nearby, as well as a couple of teachers. "Come to help if need be," he said. The snake just nodded, not using even Parseltongue to reply. Well, that was all great and well with Harry.

At first, he'd have to find out whether the phoenix truly was containing Dumbledore's powers. However, to cast the detecting spell he must be really close to the object. And, with the phoenix being frozen in the middle of an endless flight, he had no choice but to try to climb up there.

Determinedly Harry went to the dragon's side, lifting one foot onto its slightly raised paw and lifting himself upwards. Soon he was on the huge animal's back, balancing his way towards the neck and the phoenix. Suddenly, Snape cried out, "Don't tickle the dragon!" It sounded like his usual nonsense, but something in his voice made Harry stop. When he then realized what the Slytherin meant, he froze. Too late, though.

Just then, the dragon blinked slowly. "Tsk, tsk, Potter," it said with a deep voice. "Don't you ever learn?"

They had been wrong. Dumbledore's powers weren't within the phoenix.

Instead, Dumbledore himself was within the dragon.