The Legend of the Serpent's Tongue

The Legend of the Serpent's Tongue

Part 2

Encounter at the Burrow

"Oh, you two boys, I don't know what demons possessed you the day you were born," Molly Weasley gently scolded her twin sons, Fred and George, looking down from where she was sitting at the picnic tables which had been set up in the yard. "I do not find having a pink and purple beard all that funny."

"I don't know dear, I think you look stunning in anything you wear." Arthur Weasley chuckled, hugging his wife. "What do you think of mine?"

"I think the orange clashes with your red hair too much," she smiled giving him a quick kiss.

"We could always come up with some new colors," Fred offered with a grin. "I have been working on chartreuse and periwinkle."

"I think you should try and get them to turn out the colors of the Hogwarts houses," Ron remarked eyeing Dumbledore to see his reaction.

"Excellent idea," the old man beamed, "we can give out the candies to each house at the Halloween Feast!"

"There you go Ron," his brother Charlie grinned, "you will forever be remembered as the Beard Man of Hogwarts by the faculty."

"Hey, we created the candy," George huffed playfully.

"Then maybe the entire staff will hex you two instead," the eldest Weasley son, Bill, added amused.

"Not to mention what they will do to poor Ginny. She has another year to go in Hogwarts, and I will be teaching there," Harry looked at them over her glasses, pretending to look stern, and failing miserably.

"Headmaster Mr. Dumbledore, the teachers won't really hex the twins, will they?" Phaedra asked in confusion.

"No, Phaedra, we are only teasing them."

"Good, I like them, they're funny. I think I will marry them."

"Both of them?" Mr. Weasley asked taken with Phaedra's charm and quick wit.

"Yes, they are both the same, so they must come as a set," she replied pertly.

"Fred, what are you up to? You are writing a mile a minute on that parchment you took from your pocket," Sirius inquired.

"I am taking Dumbledore's suggestion to heart and trying to come up with the proper mixes to make the beards in the school colors. I think it really would be fun for the students and faculty at the Halloween feast."

"I agree, let me know if you get the formula in time for this year's feast," Dumbledore laughed. "In the meantime, would you pass some more of this excellent potato salad?"

"I know, it is absolutely fabulous, isn't it? It is a recipe of Harry's aunt," Circe informed them.

"Harry dear, could you give me the recipe too?" Molly Weasley begged. "It is really delicious."

"I will write down the ingredients for you. There is no set amount on the spices, you just have to season it till it tastes right," Harry replied looking at Molly Weasley affectionately. She was the closest thing to a mother Harry had ever had, and she loved the entire Weasley family.

"When do you start your Auror training, Ron?" Sirius inquired. "You know I was an Auror before I was sent to Azkaban."

"I remember Harry telling me. I start on Monday. My Dad and Dumbledore spoke with Mr. Moody and he decided to put me into the summer course. He is giving me the day off for the ceremony at Hogwarts."

"When did this occur?" Harry asked immediately alert. Ron had not been scheduled to start the training until September. "Moody and Sirius were going to spend some time training me to free lance."

"And so we are," Moody's gravelly voice interrupted from the other side of the garden. "I'm sorry I'm late, Molly, but there was a report of some Death Eater activity over in Little Hangleton, not far from the Riddle House."

"Were any of the Death Eaters apprehended?" Severus questioned tersely.

"No, but we did find Voldemort's snake in the house. A trap set going down into the basement also injured Shacklebolt. The stairs were charmed to give way and he fell onto a bear trap, and caught it right in the ass. Fortunately, he missed the spikes set up on the floor. Broke his leg in the fall though, and he will be spending the night in St. Mungo's."

"Do you have any idea which of the missing Death Eaters was there?" Dumbledore inquired studying his glass of lemonade.

"We spotted Zachariah Firelight and William Ghostly, along with Nott, but none of the other suspected Death Eaters. The problem is many of the people we suspect of being his followers have suddenly disappeared. The others are trying to keep up an appearance of respectability."

Harry had been listening quietly when she realized that Phaedra was listening too. This was no conversation to be having in front of a child.

"Excuse me, but I think this conversation should wait until later," she remarked deftly nodding towards Phaedra.

"But I want to hear what happened to the bad wizards and the snake," Phaedra pleaded.

"Harry is absolutely right, you will be having nightmares with all this talk of dark wizards," Circe replied sternly.

"Alastor, I have forgotten my manners," Molly apologized, "please sit down and have something to eat."

"Thank you Molly, I am starved," Moody replied helping himself to some chicken, hamburgers, salads, and corn on the cob. He then took out his flask helping himself to a long drink. "I see the twins have a new formula for coloring hair," he chuckled.

"It actually grows these beards," Arthur responded showing off his colorful face, while Moody grunted and took another drink.

"I see you still prefer your own flask," Harry grinned.

"Constant Vigilance, my dear, I can't stress that enough. You will learn. Just you wait until Sirius and I start working with you. Young Weasley will also find how important it is when one is responsible for both their life and the life of their partner."

"Professor, we already know. We learned it the hard way, battling Lord Voldemort," Harry said quietly, Ron nodding in agreement.

"I still want to know what happened to the big snake," Phaedra sulked.

"Ah...Lass, we took her to the zoo. She'll be better off there and no threat to anyone," Moody answered.

"Miss Harry, can we go and visit her and you could talk to her?"

"My instincts tell me that Professor Moody would very much like it if I did so, although for other reasons," Harry considered looking at Moody with interest. He merely winked his brown eye, giving her a crooked smile, while casting his blue eye around, before turning to talk to Dumbledore, Arthur Weasley, and Tiberius Snape, who had been listening intently.

"Bill, "Harry directed her attention to the eldest Weasley son, "are you still working in Egypt?"

"Actually Harry, I am going to be going to Mexico, Central America and finally to South America not far from where Charlie is working with the Peruvian Vipertooths. I will be curse breaking at some ancient Aztec, Incan, Mayan and Toltec ruins while doing a comparison to the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians. Some of their gods are based on the same principles. One that occurs quite frequently in all ancient cultures is the serpent god. Dragons are also considered as serpents."

"Gee sounds like fun, if the curses don't get you the dragons and snakes will," Harry grinned. "You Weasley boys really love living on the edge."

"Harry, you will find if you ever have sons that they never stop getting into trouble. The more dangerous the better," Molly shook her head, rolling her eyes heavenward.

"Oh, I don't know Molly," Remus laughed, "Harry is a girl and she seems to get into quite a bit of mischief."

"Humph, I never asked to be a celebrity and slayer of dark wizards. It was sort of foisted on me. Of course, I did get this rather sexy scar along with it."

"Since when do you think your scar is sexy?" Sirius asked amused.

"Since I started parting my hair on the side as my bangs grew out, I can pretend I am a slinky movie star from the 1930's or 40's," Harry quipped throwing one arm over her head and tossing her hair so that it fell into her face over one eye.

"Don't quit your teaching job, Sarah Heartburn," Severus remarked drolly.

"That was Sarah Bernhardt, which you would know if you had taken the trouble to study Muggle Theater or cinema. Besides, I was trying for more of a femme fatale look, like Veronica Lake. Then again I could be rather Vampy like Theda Bara."

"Harry I didn't know you liked old movies," Tiberius remarked looking up from his conversation with Moody and Dumbledore, startling Harry who was unaware he had been listening.

"I kind of got to know some of them because my Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon used to watch them on the telly. They would also rent videos once in awhile. My aunt loved to pretend she was Gloria Swanson or Betty Davis."

"Are you telling us that Petunia Dursley thought of herself as a glamorous woman?" Severus inquired looking at her askance.

"Not only that, but Uncle Vernon thought he could sing like Nelson Eddy and dance like Fred Astair," Harry replied laughing so hard at the memory she nearly choked on her pumpkin juice.

"You know Harry, I haven't a clue who any of those people are," Ron said looking around at the grins on the faces of the older wizards, while his sister and the twins looked as puzzled as he was. His other two brothers were more aware of the Muggle world and seemed to know what Harry was talking about.

"Harry is referring to some Muggle movie stars of a bygone era," Dumbledore explained patiently, "who have all long since passed away."

"Would Hermione know about them?" Ron questioned looking from Harry to Dumbledore.

"Probably, her parents are both Muggles, so it is likely she has at least heard of them," Dumbledore responded.

"Maybe we should get a television. It would help us to all be more familiar with what is going on in the Muggle world and their culture," Arthur Weasley suggested with an excited glint in his eyes.

"Not on your life, Arthur Weasley," Molly responded adamantly, hands on her hips. "I know you just want one to see how it works! Why, you would have it in a million pieces inside of half an hour. Besides, I don't think it would show us how the Muggles really live or behave."

"Uncle Severus, can we have a television? My friend Althea has one."

"I will consider it Phaedra, but everyone in the house must agree. The house actually belongs to Sirius and he may not want one."

"Your uncle is right," Lupin smiled at Phaedra, "with so many of us sharing the same space we should all agree."

"I'm all for it!" Sirius exclaimed raising his arm, which was still bound to Severus' at the wrist, jerking the other wizard's arm into the air as he did so. "Sorry Sev, I keep forgetting," he blinked feigning innocence.

"Do you?"

"Miss Harry, they're at it again."

"I can see that Phaedra."

"Did I miss something here?" Moody's gravelly voice asked in confusion. "Black, why are you and Snape bound together?"

"It was Harry's idea to make them see how much they have in common," Molly nodded, "and a darn good one if you ask me!"

"How long will the two of you be mutually impaired?"

"At least a week," Sirius chucked, smiling sheepishly at Moody.

"Unless we kill one another first," Snape glared, sneering evilly at Sirius.

"Well I guess we're about to have our first trial," Sirius rose from his seat, "since I need to use the lavatory."

"At least your timing is half way decent," Snape replied rising, "because I need to go too."

The two men moved quickly in the direction of the house, each pulling on the other, acting more like a pair of boys than grown men. Harry watched them go with a smirk, and Ron noticed she was blushing.

"Harry, what are you thinking that your cheeks are so red? They're only going to the loo."

Harry looked at Ron, leaning over to whisper in his ear, "Do you think they'll keep acting like little boys and compare?"

"Christ Harry," Ron started laughing so hard he spit out the mouthful of Butterbeer he had just taken, realizing she was talking about their private parts.

"Ron, watch it! You've gotten Butterbeer all over me," Ginny sputtered, spinning around from where she had been talking with Remus

"Sorry Gin, but Harry just said something a bit naughty."

"I know," Remus smiled winking at Harry, "I heard it."

"Oh Merlin, I forgot about his super sensitive werewolf hearing. Come on Ginny, lets help your Mum clear the table for dessert and I'll fill you in," Harry said getting up hurriedly and starting to discard the paper plates with Ginny in tow.

A few minutes later Ron and Lupin grinned at one another, as they heard Ginny let out a loud whoop of laughter, as she saw Sirius and Severus returning. The two men looked decidedly uncomfortable as they resumed their seats.

"Excuse me Professor Moody, but how is Tonks?" Ginny asked. "I had hoped she would be here tonight."

"She's fine, but had to be on duty tonight. I gave her the afternoon off to pick up young Malfoy at the station."

"I thought I saw her there, but they left before I could say hello. We were all too busy with the diversion to get Harry away from the reporters."

"And I will be eternally grateful," Harry stated matter of factly. "I hope Malfoy isn't giving her father any trouble."

"Her father may be a Muggle, but he has been very patient with the boy. Draco has a lot to learn, but he is young enough to change his ways of thinking."

"Well he has made a remarkable recovery after all he has gone through," Ginny replied adamantly. "I know he will turn out fine."

"Gin, we're talking about Draco, not some innocent little kid. He was being groomed to be a Death Eater for Christ sake," Ron retorted annoyed at his sister's defense of the young man. He and Draco had come to terms with one another following the murder of Draco's mother by his father, but he still did not trust him.

"And his father was a cold blooded murderer who was going to kill his only son just because the Dark Lord wanted it!" she argued growing angry with her brother. "You have no idea what Draco is really like."

"Ginny Dear, why don't you and Harry take Phaedra inside so she can use the bathroom and then bring out the desserts?" Molly Weasley asked putting her arms around her daughter reassuringly to diffuse the situation.

"Yes, Mum. Come on Phaedra you can help too."

"Thanks," Harry whispered into Molly's ear as she got up to follow the two younger girls into the house. She suspected that Mrs. Weasley knew Ginny had started dating Draco Malfoy, and knew Ron would be furious.

"Now what brought that on?" Arthur Weasley asked looking at Molly curiously. "Ginny seems to be on the defensive concerning Draco Malfoy."

"She was just being kind dear. All these kids have seen too much and had to grow up too soon. I think she just feels sorry for him," Molly replied, wondering if her suspicions about Draco and Ginny were true.

"What are we having for dessert Mum?" Charlie Weasley asked in an effort to steer the subject away from the Malfoys.

"We have ice cream, fruit salad, and chocolate cake. Harry also brought along some marshmallows, chocolates, and something called graham crackers. She said Muggles like to toast them over the grill for a fun treat. She thought Phaedra would like them."

"Sounds cool, here come the girls now. I am looking forward to some of your home made cake."

"Now you know I made it special for you since you have to go back to South America. It was nice having you and Bill home, even if it was under such dark and sad circumstances."

"I know Mum," Charlie replied giving his mother a hug. He was more than aware she was referring to the war with Voldemort and the death of their other brother, Percy, whose ambition had led him to join the Death Eaters.

Percy had redeemed himself when his family was attacked for a second time and the Dark Lord had wanted him to kill them. He had saved both Bill and Charlie, who had been seriously injured, and helped his father to stave off the attack on the Headquarters of the Order, but it had cost Percy his own life.

"Here come the goodies!" Phaedra cried with delight as they reached the table. "Can I have a piece of cake and some ice cream Mummy?" she questioned Circe.

"Of course dear, but don't overdue it or you will get a tummy ache."

"Umm...I love chocolate. Miss Harry said she is going to teach me how to toast marshmallows and make snores."

"I think you mean smores, Phaedra," Dumbledore beamed, looking at the array of treats Harry and Ginny had brought, "you take the toasted marshmallow and put it on a graham cracker with a piece of chocolate candy on top."

"Yummy! Did you ever have them Mr. Headmaster Dumbledore?"

"They're one of my favorites," Dumbledore whispered conspiratorially, "I can't wait to taste some."

"I should have guessed you would know about smores," Harry laughed. "I don't think there is a sweet that has been invented that you haven't tried during your life."

"Well, I am one hundred and fifty, so I have had a lot of time to try them."

"Hmm...If I understand the aging process in the wizard world, you are middle aged. Many wizards live to be quite old, well over two hundred, and often around three. We have all seen the witches and wizards who come to Hogwarts to administer our O.W.L. and N.E.W.T level exams which means you still have plenty of time to discover more treats."

"I would very much like to explore the candy store you and Severus visited that time in London."

"Ah, yes, the one with the silly name of Dentist's Delights. I am sure Hermione's parents love the place," Harry joked and they all laughed, knowing that Hermione's parents were both dentists.

"Harry I have never had a smore, would you make me one?"

"I would love to Remus, and while I am at it I will show Phaedra how to toast the marshmallows," Harry told him taking the little girl over to the barbecue and putting a marshmallow in a stick. Once the marshmallow melted enough she put it on the graham cracker and added a piece of chocolate. "Here you go Phaedra, there is one for you and one for Remus."

"Mr. Remus, they're good," Phaedra licked her lips as she gave the smore to Remus.

"Delicious, I'll have another, Phaedra."

"I want one too," Sirius chimed in.

"Miss Harry you had better make a bunch of them, everybody wants them."

"Will do, Phaedra, if you will help."

"Okay, will it help to teach me how to do potions?"

"It might since you need to know how long to heat things just right. This will help you to see what happens when you wait too long or undercook something."

"Really? Then I better do the cooking."

"All right, but you be careful. Don't get too close to the fire, and if the marshmallows start to burn, you pull them out immediately."

"Yes Miss Harry," Phaedra agreed putting marshmallows on a stick to toast. She then made the smores, and brought them over to Remus and Sirius.

"Hmm..." Sirius studied the little girl as he ate his smore, "this is even better than your Uncle Severus could have done. Why don't you make him one too, this way he can see how good you are at cooking, and start you off on the potions," Sirius grinned wickedly at Snape, knowing he could not refuse his young niece.

"Uncle Severus, Mr. Sirius says I did a good job. Would you like to watch me cook? He says I am ready to make potions."

"I will be happy to watch you, Phaedra, but Mr. Sirius is not a Potion Master. I will decide if he is right," Snape glared at Sirius for putting him on the spot.

"I will watch you also, Phaedra," Tiberius Snape said coming over, "since I would like to try one of your smores. You will be seven soon and we should start you over the summer with some simple potions."

"Did you hear that Miss Harry? Great Uncle Tiberius says I can start to make potions!"

"Then you had better show them how well you manage to toast the marshmallows and make the smores so you will be allowed to mix a simple potion."

"I will teach both of my uncles how to do it," she stated matter of factly motioning her uncles to follow her over to the fire. Severus got up with Sirius in tow, and Tiberius followed, shaking his head at the battle of wills between the two young men.

"Now, what do you do first?" Tiberius asked, humoring his niece.

"First you must lay out your 'gredients."

"You mean ingredients," Severus corrected.

"Uncle Sev, I am teaching you how to make them. You have to listen to what I say!"

"Who ever says she is not a Snape needs to have their head examined," Sirius snickered in Severus ear, who then elbowed him sharply in the ribs.

"Mr. Sirius you need to listen too!" Phaedra admonished, as Severus sneered back at his rival. "Now first you have to lay out the in-gre-di-ents," she stated, pronouncing each syllable this time as she laid out the graham crackers with the pieces of chocolate beside them. "Next you put the marshmallows on the stick and hold it over the fire. You do not want it to burn, just get nice and soft so it is all gooey, but gold on the outside. You have to keep turning it, like this," she said demonstrating as the marshmallows cooked. "This one is done," she stated removing it from the flame, "so now you put it on the cracker, and then this piece of chocolate goes on top," Phaedra explained, putting the smore together and giving it to her Uncle Tiberius. She then repeated the process for Severus and Sirius, waiting patiently for their opinions.

"You have done very well," Severus stated with a slight smile, "what do you think Uncle?"

"I think with the proper supervision we can all start to teach Phaedra some simple potions. It will also be good practice for Harry, since she will be teaching in the fall herself. She can supervise Phaedra, and we will supervise her."

"Harry, I think you have opened up a can of worms," Sirius chuckled. "You have found yourself back in Potions with not one Professor Snape, but two."

"Miss Harry, where is the can of worms? I only see the marshmallows."

"No, honey, it's an expression, like out of the frying pan and into the fire."

"Miss Harry, what is out of the frying pan?" Phaedra asked confused.

"It means I thought I was finished with Potions lessons with your uncle, but instead I will now be taking lessons from both your Uncle Severus and Uncle Tiberius while I teach you potions."

"Is that why my uncles are so happy? They are both smiling at you, and they are doing that thing with their eyebrow."

"Yes Phaedra," Harry laughed rolling her eyes, knowing both Snapes had maneuvered her into a corner, "they are really enjoying themselves."

""I'm glad you made them so happy," Phaedra smiled innocently.

"Yes, Harry, I haven't seen Severus so happy since he cornered me in the Shrieking Shack," Sirius teased with an evil smirk, remembering the night Snape had trapped him after his escape from Azkaban.

"I can make him even happier, but unfortunately you will be rather...um...put out."

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked suspiciously.

"Well...you are going to be stuck downstairs with all of us since I have decided to start working with Phaedra on Tuesday since I will be at the Ministry on Monday. Unless some kind of miracle occurs, you and Severus will still be bound by the wrists in unholy matrimony," Harry snickered with an overly wide smile, her green eyes glittering wickedly.

"Now wait a minute honey, I don't need a potions lesson."

"A refresher might just be a good idea, Black," Moody's gravelly voice remarked from where he was sitting, munching on a piece of watermelon, "that is if you are still planning on doing some free lance Auror work besides training Harry."

"Yes, Alastor I have every intention of helping you, but I really don't think..."

"Nonsense son, a brush up on some of our draughts will come in handy. You are probably quite rusty in that area."

"All right, whatever you say," Sirius growled glaring at Snape, whose sneer had gotten wider.

"Don't look so ecstatic Severus," Harry chuckled tilting her head coquettishly, smiling like a vixen, "it works both ways. Professor Moody and Sirius are going to start working with me on Thursday and Friday, so you will have no choice but to follow along. If I know Sirius he will probably think of something involving subterfuge and shadowing."

"I can assure you I am skilled at both," Snape replied.

"We will just have to see about that," Sirius looked at Snape, his brown eyes bright with mischief.

"It seems to me we are going to have a very interesting week," Dumbledore said looking at the two men shrewdly. "They will either kill one another or Harry's plan will work and they will become more than just tolerant of one another.

"Harry... Bill and Charlie want to get a game of Quidditch going, are you up for it?" Ron called over to her, changing the subject.

"Who else wants to play? Do we have enough people?"

"We have seven with the twins and Ginny, which means we're one short if we do four man teams," Ron responded.

"I will be happy to help out," Remus volunteered since neither Sirius or Severus are able to play owing to their situation. It would be too dangerous."

"Great!" Ron and Harry chorused.

"Miss Harry, I can't play Quidditch, I don't know how to fly." Phaedra's face fell at the notion of the others playing a game without her.

"Ron, Phaedra's right, it won't be fair to leave her out. Isn't there something else we can do?"

"We could teach her how to fly. Do you think Circe will let us?"

"Did I just hear my name?"

"Yes, Circe, we were going to play Quidditch, but that would leave Phaedra out. So we were wondering if instead we could teach her to fly," Harry inquired doubtfully.

"Harry, I don't know...."

"Please Mummy, you said when I was seven I could start to learn. I'm almost seven now...please?"

"Phaedra, even if I said yes, you don't have a broom."

"That won't be a problem, Circe," Molly Weasley interceded. "We have a small broom that all the children used when they started to fly."

"I don't know," Circe said nervously. "What if she falls?"

"Then we'll catch her," George quipped.

"Yeah, we've never lost a trainee yet," Fred agreed grinning.

"Now you two stop it!" Molly scolded the twins. "You will get Circe even more nervous than she is already."

"Sorry Mum, we just wanted her to know that we would all be up there with her," George apologized.

"Please Mummy....I really want to fly. I want to learn how so I can play Quidditch too."

"Circe, if it will make you feel better, I will go up with Black. We are both skilled fliers and can manage to fly side by side without difficulty," Severus assured her. "That is if Black has no objections."

"Of course not, I think it is high time Phaedra learned how to fly," Sirius adamantly tossed his head.

"But none of you has a broom with you. We all apparated or used floo powder," Circe protested anxiously.

"Circe, you are just making excuses," Tiberius admonished his niece gently.

"You know how nervous I am about letting her fly."

"Circe, you don't like to fly, do you?" Harry inquired gently.

"I had a bad fall when I was in my third year at Hogwarts, and have never liked to fly since."

"Yes, yes, I remember it well. It was during a Quidditch practice and you were hit with a bludger," Dumbledore remarked thoughtfully. "But you shouldn't let your dislike of flying influence Phaedra. Let her learn and decide for herself, Circe. As I recall you were quite good yourself before your accident."

"You're all sure she will be okay?" Circe looked at them doubtfully.

"Yes!" came the resounding replies from all around her.

"Very well," Circe sighed, "you can let them show you how to fly, Phaedra. Just promise Mummy you will be careful."

"Yes Mummy, I promise," Phaedra beamed flinging her arms around her mother, hugging her tightly. "But what will Miss Harry, Uncle Severus, and Mr. Sirius do about their brooms?"

"Headmaster, if I may?" Harry asked pretending to pout.

"And if I say no?"

"Then Sirius will just have to summon it for me along with his."

"Sorry Honey, but I am rather tied up at the moment," Sirius pursed his lips, shaking his head negatively, eyeing his bound wrist.

"Severus?"

"Unfortunately I am in the same situation as your godfather so I will be unable to assist you in securing your broom."

"Remus, they won't let me have my broom. Will you get it for me?"

"I'm staying out of this one, Princess."

"You mean to tell me, not one of you will summon my broom?" Harry knew they were just playing with her, but was growing annoyed.

"I guess not, Honey. You will just have to sit this one out."

"Accio Harry Potter's broom!" George Weasley's voice rang out, and Harry gave him a big smile.

"Thanks George, at least someone here really cares about my feelings," Harry remarked snubbing her three protectors, and giving Dumbledore a genuine pout.

"Harry, you didn't ask me if I would have summoned the broom," Dumbledore reproved her.

"You didn't volunteer to summon it either," she stated coldly, letting him see she was truly disappointed in him.

"Miss Harry, look!" Phaedra suddenly squealed from her mother's lap.

She was pointing at the sky and Harry's boom was coming to them. George caught it deftly, and handed it to her.

"Here is your broom, My Lady," he said bowing with a flourish, as Phaedra giggled at his antics.

"Thank you George," Harry said giving him a quick peck on the cheek, noting the dark looks from her three protectors. "Do you have the broom for Phaedra?"

"Mum went to get it," Fred answered. "We'll meet you in the air," he indicated the others already waiting.

"Okay," Harry and George replied in unison.

Harry turned at the sound of Sirius and Severus summoning their brooms, but did not say anything; she merely looked at Remus, who had opted to play chess with Bill. Alastor Moody, Arthur Weasley, and Tiberius Snape were playing cards with Dumbledore, who was beating them at Gin Rummy. Molly returned shortly with the small broom and handed it to Phaedra.

"Here you go Phaedra, be careful and have a good time," Molly beamed.

"I will Mrs. Weasley."

"Phaedra, what do you say to Mrs. Weasley for letting you use the broom?"

"Thank you," she hugged Molly with a big smile. "I'm ready Miss Harry, what do I do first?"

"Put the broom on the ground. I want to show you how to pick it up."

"Ah...shades of Madam Hooch," George laughed playfully.

"Harry is quite right, she needs to learn to pick up her broom first," Severus' voice came from behind her.

"You mean like this?" George quipped undaunted. "Up!"

"Mr. George, the broom came up for you!" Phaedra's brown eyes were wide. "Will it do it for me?"

"Give it a try and find out," Harry winked.

"Up!" the broom did not move. "Up!" still no result. "UP!" Phaedra said forcefully for a third time, and the broom shot up into her hand. "I did it! I did it!" she exclaimed with delight.

"Very good, Phaedra. Now get on your broom from the right side, and hold it steady like this," Harry demonstrated the proper way to hold onto the broom, and Phaedra placed her hands on the broomstick.

"Now what do I do? It isn't flying."

"You have to kick off," Sirius smiled, "like this," he showed her how to push up from the ground. Severus, moving in perfect harmony, did the same, the two men separated by only six inches of magical rope. They both waited, hovering about ten feet in the air.

"Go ahead, Phaedra, give it a try," George urged.

"Miss Harry will you go with me?"

"We both will. We will go on the count of three. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"One," George started counting.

"Two," Harry followed.

"Three," they all said together pushing off from the ground, rising slowly into the air.

"Splendid!" Severus arched his brow, giving his niece a thin smile.

"Look everybody," Phaedra called, "I'm flying!"

The adults sitting round the table all looked up, Circe somewhat nervously, to see the small group hovering in the air with Phaedra. Her Uncle Tiberius gave her a wave, nodding his head in approval, and Molly Weasley clapped with delight. Bill Weasley and Remus were grinning with pleasure, Remus taking advantage of the distraction to move his Bishop, capturing Bill's Knight, much to Bill's chagrin.

"Excellent, Little One!" Dumbledore beamed with pleasure. "You will be playing Quidditch in no time."

"Phaedra, you be careful," Circe smiled anxiously.

"I am Mummy. I have lots of good flyers for company," she called down to her mother. "How do I make it go?" Phaedra asked the others animatedly.

"You lean forward in the direction you want to fly, and use your muscles to tell the boom how fast you want to go," Harry explained, gently leaning forwards very slightly to proceed in a forward fashion for a few feet then guiding the broom in a circle to return to Phaedra and the others. "Go on and try it. We will all be here with you."

Phaedra leaned forward, but her muscles were tense and, she had tightened her grip on the broom, whose enchantments took it as a signal for speed. The broom jumped forward and sped upwards. Harry was reminded of Neville Longbottom during their first flying lesson at Hogwarts, as she flew pell mell after Phaedra, the others in pursuit.

"Miss Harry, what should I do?" Phaedra yelled as Harry came abreast with her.

"Relax your grip and sit upright, letting your body go limp," she responded firmly, "the broom will slow down and stop."

Phaedra did as Harry instructed and slowed the broom to a gradual stop, looking at Harry with a delighted smile. "That was fun; can I make it go fast again?"

"Absolutely not!" Snape stated firmly. "You need to practice getting control of the broom first. You can fly around in slow circles with us to learn how to manage it, then Harry and I will let you go faster with one of us!"

"Okay Uncle Severus, but I'll bet Mr. Sirius would let me go fast," she teased noting the smirk on the other man's face.

"Not unless he wants me to hex him from here to China," Snape sneered at his companion.

"I hear those Chinese women are fantastic in..."

"Sirius, not in front of Phaedra!" Harry cut him off blushing furiously.

"I was going to say in their ability to give a back rub," he laughed mischievously.

"Now why don't I believe that?" she answered unable to look him in the face.

"Nor do I," Severus agreed, left brow arched in amusement over Harry's discomfiture.

"Gee, I wouldn't mind hearing about those Chinese women," George joked gleefully.

"Then ask Cho Chang. I'm sure she will be happy to explain," Harry snapped.

"I don't understand. What do Chinese people have to do with me learning to fly?" Phaedra asked innocently.

"Absolutely nothing," Harry stated firmly. "They were just making naughty jokes. Now let's do some flying. Come on Phaedra, hold your broom gently, and lean forward just a little bit like this," she demonstrated again and Phaedra followed suit, flying slowly beside her, the others following.

They all flew together joining along with Ron, Ginny, Fred, and Charlie Weasley for the better part of an hour. Phaedra caught on fast and was fearless once she learned how to control her broom, and played a game of broom tag with them. Harry and the others were having a wonderful time. It had grown dark and the night sky was lovely with the myriad of stars, Sirius shining brightly above her, eclipsed only by the crescent moon. As Harry swung around to tag Ron, she caught an odd movement out of the corner of her eye. Pulling her broom to a short stop, she stared out into the darkness, and gave a loud gasp. From where she was flying she could see a group of black robed figures attempting to hide behind the trees and rocks which dotted the landscape on the other side of the Weasley's property. Her instincts alert, she knew they were Death Eaters.

"Ron, get Phaedra out of the sky and down to Dumbledore and her Mum now! Sirius, Sev, there are a group of Death Eaters over by the woods!" Harry exclaimed breathlessly, swinging her broom over to where they were flying.

"Are you sure, Honey?" Sirius queried immediately alert.

"Yes, they're moving in a line towards the house. We have to get out of here fast."

"It's too late for that," Snape informed her, his eyes glittering, as they all flew down to the ground. "Moody, we're being watched by a group of Death Eaters, we need to get help immediately. Circe, go with Molly and get Phaedra into the house. We will take up positions out here to try and ward them off."

"I will send Fawkes for help," Dumbledore said closing his eyes and calling aloud, "Fawkes come!" The beautiful red and gold bird seemed to appear from nowhere at his call, and tying a brief note to his leg the bird disappeared.

"Mummy are the bad wizards coming here?" Phaedra asked as her mother and Molly whisked her off towards the house.

"Yes, Phaedra, we have to get inside," Circe told her drawing her wand, Molly joining her anxiously.

"Ginny...Harry...Ron, you three get inside and help to protect the house with Molly and Circe. Let us cover the grounds," Moody directed them.

"I..."

"No, Harry, get inside, you have been through enough already," Sirius argued sternly, scowling at her darkly.

She felt unusually calm, and attributed it to the fact that Sirius was right. She had seen and been through more than enough for a girl of almost eighteen.

"Severus isn't he just so cute when he scowls," Harry grinned moving to do as Sirius directed.

"That is a matter of opinion," Snape replied looking down his nose at Sirius. "Albus you are going to remove these bonds now aren't you?" he asked indicating where he and Sirius remained bound by the wrists.

"Harry, this was your plan," Dumbledore reminded her before she could leave, "Do you want me to free them? I know you would not want them in any more danger than they are already in."

"Professor Dumbledore, should you feel they are in a situation that could be life threatening, then yes, you can free them. In the mean time they will do quite well having to watch each other's back."

"Come on Harry," Ron called, "Phaedra is scared and wants you to stay with her."

"I'm coming," Harry said heading to the Weasley house. As she entered the living room she glanced over at the clock with all the Weasley family names, noting the hands all pointed to 'Mortal Danger' and knew it was more than accurate.

"Miss Harry, those mean wizards are going to hurt us," Phaedra sobbed clinging to her mother.

"Phaedra, do you remember how brave you were last Christmas when we were kidnapped and the Dark Lord was chasing us?"

"Yes."

"Well this is just going to be another adventure. You have to be very brave and help us to guard the house. Can you do that?"

"Can I use a wand?"

"No, you are too young, but you can hide over here behind this chair by the fireplace and make sure no one tries to get in using the floo system. If they do you are to hit them across the knees with this poker," Harry told her seriously, handing Phaedra the poker from its rack by the hearth. "I am making you a junior member of Dumbledore's Army, the name used by the students who helped to defend Hogwarts."

Harry knew that Molly had closed off the floo system as soon as the threat was revealed, but needed Phaedra to stay calm. She felt that if the little girl believed she was helping, she would be less afraid during the battle.

"Mummy, Miss Harry is letting me be a helper for Headmaster Mr. Dumbledore's Army."

"Then I will expect you to hold your head up high and show those bad wizards that they should never mess with the Snapes or anyone else that is loyal to Dumbledore," Circe told her daughter, casting a grateful look at Harry. She knew the teenager would protect Phaedra as if she were her own blood.

The women all took up positions where they could watch the doors and windows without being seen from the outside, and waited for the onslaught to begin. A few minutes later the sounds of wand fire could be heard from the outside. Harry had secreted herself over by one of the living room windows, so that she could see the battle and yet remain secure. She was able to count at least ten persons that were Death Eaters, which meant that there were even sides on the outside if they were the only attackers. She suspected that this was not the case, and even as this thought was going through her head, she heard a crash from the second floor and the sound of wand fire. Ron was in trouble!

"Ron!" Harry screamed, "Are you all right?"

"It's okay; I was able to stop him from getting inside. It was Jeb Darkwoods; he was in Slytherin at Hogwarts. I think he was in the same year as the twins."

Just then, the house was rocked by an enormous blast, and there was a fire in the kitchen. Molly Weasley was knocked unconscious by the kitchen door, and Phaedra began to cry.

"Mum!" Ginny screamed, running towards the kitchen, which was in shambles.

"Ginny put out the fire, and take care of your mother," Circe yelled as she moved over to comfort Phaedra.

"Ron, Ginny, cover the house. I am going to transform and try to see what is going on outside," Harry yelled.

Pulling open the front door she transformed into her animagus form, a brilliant scarlet and gold Phoenix, and flew up to the roof. She could see at least twenty Death Eaters, and a number of Dementors converging on them from all sides. As she watched, a large ball of fire came towards her and she had to dodge to the left to avoid being hit. She could see Remus and Bill attacking the Dementors with Patronus spells, and Dumbledore was engaged in a battle with a tall thin man whom she did not recognize. Moody was pinned down at the back of the building by two men resembling Crabbe and Goyle. Sirius and Snape were over by the wall trying to help Dumbledore, but they were outnumbered. Harry noted they were still bound together and immediately regretted telling Dumbledore to leave them that way. As she wondered where the Aurors were, there came several loud popping noises, and Tonks, along with several others apparated into the foray. Just then, a rush of wand fire was directed towards Dumbledore, and Fawkes flew over to help him, but there were too many, and a Dementor swooped in his direction. Harry flew down towards him to help but he had disappeared! She also noted that there were two Dementors going into the house by the rear windows and immediately flew back inside and transformed.

"Expecto Patronus!" she yelled along with Ron who had come storming from the other room. The Dementors immediately vanished.

"Harry there are too many of them," Ron called from across the room.

"The Aurors are here, but it is just awful out there. I didn't see your dad anywhere and Moody is pinned down in the rear of the property."

"Christ, and here I thought with Voldemort gone..."

"Miss Harry," Phaedra screamed from downstairs, "help!"

Harry ran downstairs taking two steps at a time, to see Circe unconscious and the tall thin man who had been fighting with Dumbledore carrying Phaedra out the front door. She immediately transformed and flew after him, knowing that she had to get to Phaedra before he could get away. Both Severus and Tiberius Snape heard Phaedra's screams, and were attempting to make their way towards her when her captor raised his wand to disapparate. Harry saw her chance and the man was shocked when a huge talon snatched the wand from midair, preventing him from leaving.

"Stupefy," three voices yelled in unison, and Harry recognized them as the Snapes and Sirius. The Death Eater collapsed severely stunned.

She immediately transformed and was the first one to reach Phaedra, pulling her out from where he had fallen on top of her.

"Where is Dumbledore?" she asked breathlessly as Tiberius reached her. Phaedra was crying and Harry was rocking her gently in her arms.

"He took off with Moody after Nott, and it seems we have captured Mulciber," Tiberius informed her as he bound the unconscious man. "Where is Circe?"

"The bad wizard killed Mummy," Phaedra sobbed reaching for her Great Uncle.

"No, Phaedra, your mum is unconscious, but she is alive," Harry reassured the child handing her over to Tiberius.

"My sister is injured?" Severus asked worriedly.

"Yes, she is in the living room, over near the fireplace," Harry told them noting that the Aurors were searching the grounds, but the other Death Eaters appeared to have fled the area.

"Tonks," Sirius called, "we need help in the house, and Circe is injured."

"So is Mrs. Weasley, where is Arthur?" Harry asked looking about.

"I'm over here, Harry," he responded coming from the other side of the yard. "Where is Molly?"

"Ginny is taking care of her in the kitchen. She was hurt in that explosion."

"Mum is hurt?" Fred asked running over to them?"

Harry nodded, "where are your brothers?"

"Bill and Charlie are over in the garden with Remus. It seemed like the Death Eaters made it a point to go after them, but we don't know why. I can't find George. We got separated out back."

"You guys go inside and see to your families, I will look for George."

"I'm going with you; Dad will make sure Mum is okay. I have to find my brother," Fred wrung his hands in consternation."

"Harry, be careful, the Death Eaters may come back. You should have stayed inside until the fighting ended," Sirius reprimanded her, but his eyes told her he was proud that she had been there for them.

"You should be used to her reckless and impulsive behavior by now, Black, it is not unlike yours," Snape reminded him.

"Come on Fred," Harry took Fred by the elbow, ignoring Severus remark, "let's go and find George. I'm worried about him."

"Yeah, it isn't like him to be missing like this. He likes to play pranks, but he never would scare us like this," Fred answered leading the way to the last place he and his brother were together. "This is where we got separated. George went into the trees after one of the Dementors, and I was dueling with one of the Death Eaters over near the garage."

"George," Harry and Fred each called together. They were met by nothing but silence.

"Hey little brother, this is not funny," Fred called out again, "game's over. Come on out!"

"George, it's Harry...Please answer me." Silence.

"Here comes Remus with Charlie, maybe they've seen him," Fred told her anxiously, pointing to where his other brother and Remus were approaching them, wands lit against the darkness.

"Remus, Charlie," Harry hurried over to meet them, "have you seen George?" she asked hopefully.

"No, we've come to help," Charlie answered for the two of them.

"On God, he was following a Dementor the last time Fred saw him. He has to be all right," Harry moaned.

"Harry, we will find him, don't worry," Remus hugged her comfortingly. "Let's all divide up and search the field and in the trees. Charlie you try over by the stream, Fred you go to the left, and Harry and I will take the woods."

"Remus, would it be better if I transformed and searched from the air? I can see better, and the moon will provide some light along with that from the wands."

"All right, why don't you fly in a circle around the field and then go over the copse of trees where he was last seen," Remus directed her.

Harry nodded and transformed. Taking flight, she began flying in a slow circle, looking for her missing friend. She was just about to enter the copse when she saw a dim light at the base of an old oak tree. She hovered in the air and let out a loud screeching noise to alert the others on the ground, and then descended to investigate. It was indeed George Weasley, the tip of his wand still lit, lying on the ground beside him. He was lying face down, and at first, Harry feared he was dead, but close examination revealed he was still breathing. His breath was coming in shallow gasps. Harry checked his pulse and found it was weak, but steady. Fred and the others came running over, each with a look of consternation etched onto their features.

"George," Fred gasped going to turn his brother over, but Charlie stopped him.

"We should turn him in the log roll fashion. He may have some broken bones and internal injuries," Charlie said trying to sound calm as he restrained Fred. "Remus you get his neck and try to keep it stable, while Fred and I turn his body," Charlie instructed, indicating to his brother to take George's legs. The three men gently turned him, and George groaned, but did not wake up.

Harry kneeled down beside him, and using her healing skills, began to scan him for injuries, an eerie blue light emanating from her hands. One leg was obviously broken at the knee, and there was a large bump on his forehead, which was an ugly shade of purple. Harry checked for a skull fracture and was relieved that she could not detect any, but he did have a concussion.

Tonks had been scouting for them, and arrived while Harry was scanning George. "Your Mum is going to be fine, she was just knocked out, and suffered some cuts and bruises. She is refusing to let us send for the healer. Your father is with her now."

"Is everyone else okay?" Remus inquired.

"Circe was stunned, but she will be okay after a hot bath and a good night's sleep. Phaedra is prancing around telling everyone how she tried to stop the bad wizard with the fire poker and that she is in Dumbledore's Army. All the others are fine. Nott and the other Death Eaters escaped, and Mulciber has been taken into custody."

Harry was calmly listening to this while she worked on George's injuries, and looked up as soon as she was done. "George is going to be fine. I have mended the broken leg, and made sure he had no skull fractures. He has a mild concussion, but I think he will wake up in a minute."

"He seems to be breathing better," Fred commented with relief.

"I think it would be a good idea if a trained healer checked him too, just to be on the safe side. I don't have experience with head injuries," Harry stated as George moaned again and his eyes fluttered open. He looked up at her for a minute, a confused expression on his face, before giving her a feeble smile.

"Hi, pretty green eyes, were you worried about me?"

"He'll be fine, he's flirting," Fred quipped with a crooked smile, visibly relieved.

"You scared us all half to death," Harry smiled warmly.

"Are you able to tell us what happened?" Remus asked as Charlie helped George to sit.

"I was dispatching a Dementor with my Patronus, one of the few spells Fred can't do," George grinned crookedly at Fred, who glared good-naturedly at his twin, "when one of the Death Eaters jumped me. I tripped backwards, twisting my leg and hit my head on a rock."

"You broke your leg when you fell, and you have a concussion," Charlie informed him soberly. "Harry used her healing skill on you but says you should have a licensed healer check you just to be on the safe side."

"Humph, I don't need one of those quacks, Harry did just fine," George snorted, rising to his feet and weaving unsteadily, Charlie and Fred on either side of him for support.

"Just the same, Dumbledore will want you to see a healer, along with the others," Tonks stated matter of factly. "He always does with members of the Order,"

"Let's get back to the house," Remus said quietly. "I don't think we will be attacked again, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

"I agree," Tonks replied in affirmation, "the others will be worried."

They all walked back to the house, and were met in the yard by Ron and Ginny, who had been watching for them. They both came rushing up and hugged George, the memory of having lost their brother Percy still fresh in their minds.

Once they were all safely inside, Dumbledore insisted they see Angus McBride, the local healer from Hogsmeade. Harry learned that while McBride was not a direct member of the Order, he did the healing for them. He complimented her on her natural healing skills and again told her she should take the required courses to become licensed. Harry just smiled and told him that right now she had enough to do, but would consider it in the future.

Molly, Circe, and George were all given a clean bill of health, but told to take it easy for the next couple of days. The two women were each given a sleeping potion to take before going to bed and George was given a headache potion, and put on bed rest for the next two days. He grimaced at that, but Molly put her foot down, and surprisingly enough so did Fred. He had been more worried than he had been willing to admit about his twin. Moody had assigned Aurors to the Weasley house, and he and Dumbledore had put up extra wards to protect the family from further attacks.

Moody had also sent a number of Aurors to the house in Ottery St. Catchpole, accompanied by Dumbledore, to make sure it was also secure. It turned out that the building was intact. Apparently, the Death Eaters had tried to gain entry, but had been driven back by the wards placed on the property. Fortunately, the dogs had been inside when the attempt to invade the house had occurred, or Nott would have killed them in a manner that no one wished to discuss. Once they were given the all clear, Harry, Remus, Sirius, the Snapes, and Dumbledore all apparated back home, with Dumbledore taking Phaedra with him rather than using the floo system. They were all tired, and wanted nothing more than to go to bed, when Harry remembered that Sirius and Severus were still bound at the wrists.

"Harry, you are going to let us separate for bed, aren't you?" Sirius asked giving her his best smile, batting his puppy eyes at her.

"I would find it most agreeable myself. I believe we have learned our lesson," Severus stated quietly. "We worked together as a team, and managed not to kill one another."

"Severus, Sirius," Harry smiled looking up at the two of them demurely, "I care about both of you. What you both have to learn is to forget the past and start to care for one another as friends, not just coworkers or allies. So no, you will remain together for the week."

"But Honey..."

"Potter!"

"You see, nothing has changed. I'm not expecting a miracle, just some sign that all the teasing and harassing is over between the two of you. Honest criticism is fine, but not deliberate insults. Snape has to get over his old hurts, and you need to realize he is not the slimy git you make him out to be. No one is perfect, not even Dumbledore, but I want us all to be happy and able to live together even if it isn't in perfect harmony."

"Harry," Sirius looked at her with a grin, "when we get loose you are going to find out that pay back is a bitch."

"It will be interesting, to say the least," Snape agreed giving her an evil half smile.

"If it makes you two more aware of how much you actually have in common then it will be worth it. Now, I'm going to bed. Circe is upstairs with Phaedra, and she is waiting for me so she can take a hot tub before she retires for the night. I will see you both tomorrow," Harry said giving them both a kiss on the cheek. "Sleep well... together..." she laughed running from the sitting room as the two men glared at the prospect of having to sleep, bathe, and eat together for the next week.

She then said good night to the others before retiring. Phaedra was still awake, and Harry allowed her to curl up with her in the same bed. The two girls fell asleep nestled together, Harry's arm flung over Phaedra protectively.