Lion's Fire

"What the bloody hell is going on here?" Ron's angry face was quickly turning a shade of red that would have made a copper kettle blush. Staring at the people in the room around him, he suddenly realized where he was. "Grimmauld Place, h-how did I get here? you can't Aparate..."

"Enough, Ronald, if you would have calmed down instead of bellowing like a rhinoceros with a thorn up its nose I'm sure that Mr.-"

"Magus," replied the man standing over Harry.

"Thank you," said Hermione. "Mr. Magus would explain why we are here." They looked at the centre of the room where Mr. Magus and another of the two strange wizards sat murmuring over Harry's body stretched out on the table.

"I'll explain as soon as the other one has arrived. He's stable and should wake up soon," Magus replied gesturing to Harry. As though in answer, Harry began to stir and groaned as he opened his eyes. "Where am-"

"In your home. Grimmauld Place," replied Magus. "How are you feeling? Pain, nausea, tingling?"

"No, just a splitting headache."

"That's the general reaction to being pulled from someone's mind," replied Magus with a small laugh. "Kathryn, is the tea ready?"

"Yes." This from the witch standing by the stove where water had been boiling. She had rich, auburn hair, pulled up into a bun that accented the two white stripes running through her hair. She had the same loose robes as the others, but hers were a lighter brown and green with a rich velvet cloak.

"Now we just wait until-" Magus was cut short by sharp rapping on the door, to the surprise of all, Mrs. Black did not start her usual tirade; this fact was put out of their minds as the next person strode into the room carrying the unconscious form of Draco Malfoy.

"Snape!" Ron looked as though he wanted to continue but was cut off.

"Calm down, Ron. I sent for Severus," said Magus from the corner as he stood up. "How is the boy, Severus?"

"Not well, he lasted through Voldemort, but afterwards, I'm not sure what Lucius put him through before they came home."

Kathryn finally stepped forward and conjured another table with a flick of her hand and motioned for Snape to place Draco on it. Afterwards, she leaned over him and began to murmur in a quiet voice. "Repeated exposure to the Cruciatus and similar curses, nothing from our side, far as can tell, Magus," she said after thirty minutes. Magus slowly exhaled and looked relieved, but then looked at Harry in confusion.

"Stand still for a moment and let me check something." He concentrated for a moment, then both of them were engulfed in flames that were white and blinded the room temporarily; as the light faded, Magus was muttering, "Morgana, what have you done? Spellfire here?" He looked at Kathryn and said flatly, "Did you know about this?"

"Well, she had mentioned something. I'm sure it was in one of her reports-"

"Has she lost her mind without me noticing, or did it take a holiday while she and Merlin were stationed here? What if a Channeler had awoken without a Guardian to recognize the gift? The damage would have been catastrophic!"

"What's done is done, and luckily, Harry seems to be the first Channeler since Merlin, so we can relax."

"What's so special about this Spellfire anyway?" drawled Draco Malfoy, who was now conscious and had watched the exchange between the two.

"Now that we're all awake and supposedly lucid, I can begin this long and complicated story. Sit, this will take awhile."

"Mum!" shouted Ron as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley along with a thoroughly drenched Remus Lupin walked in.

"Ron! Thank goodness. When Remus had said you were injured I feared the worst." She looked at the tables where Harry and Draco sat to Ron and asked, "But it doesn't look like you were injured, so then-"

"Magus told me that Harry and the other boy had been hurt. I assumed it was Ron when I couldn't find him after Harry had fainted." Lupin looked at the two boys in understanding, "But it seems that he meant Draco rather than Ron."

"Excuse me, but who exactly are you, and where are we, and why are we in the Black family home?" Mrs. Granger asked from the corner.

"Yes, I would like to know that as well. I have trusted you with my son's life this far but I grow impatient, so kindly indulge me." The pale woman that stood in the doorway was still beautiful despite her lack of sleep. Narcissa Malfoy had always been one to take pride in her appearance so this vision of her was strange to most of the room.

"Yes, Narcissa, you have been patient and more trusting than I could have hoped for, but we do need to wait until Mr. Granger arrives. In the meantime, however, tea anyone?" Magus offered the teapot and a tray of gingersnaps around as they waited. A few moments later, a nebulous of light announced the arrival of Mr. Granger with a girl who could have, if not for the difference in their heights, been Elena's twin sister.

"Alanna! They got you away from your books. I am impressed," Elena chuckled and it was obvious that this was an old joke rather than a sore spot between them.

"It's good to see you again too, big sister, and I only obsess over my books as much as you do over your birds," Alanna replied in the same amused tone as her sister.

"Now, now you two. I think we have kept everyone in suspense as to who we are long enough." Magus said to the two sisters, "If you want to catch up you can reminisce in the library." To the room at large he added, "Find a comfortable position, this may take some time to tell."