Unpredictable Life

“What have you been up to, Severus?” Voldemort walked around the battered wizard who was held in place by black chains Lucius had conjured. “Have you been trying to block me out?”

Severus didn’t bother to open his eyes. If he had, he would probably have fainted, and being unconscious in the same room with the Dark Lord was a risk he could not afford to.

“What shall we do to him, Master?” Lucius asked eagerly.

If I’d been paying attention like I should have been, I’d be mauling your precious, porcelain face into the rough castle wall right now.

“I don’t know – let’s make him talk, perhaps,” Voldemort answered. The Potions Master could feel the grin radiating from his ex-Master. “Crucio.” Severus couldn’t stop his body from tensing and a silent cry escaped his throat as he writhed under the torture. “Finite Incantatem.” The excruciating pain vanished and he sagged, propped upright by the black metallic chains.

“What have you done to my Mark, Severus?” the Dark Lord asked coldly.

“I have done nothing,” the ebony-haired wizard answered harshly. He screamed when Voldemort inflicted the Cruciatus Curse on him again and this time, the pain was more intense than anything he had ever been subjected to. He cried shamelessly even as he fought against the curse. The Dark Lord intensified the spell and the ex-Death Eater felt as if he was suspended in time. His mind was on fire and his body was in indescribable agony.

Harry. The image of his lover smiling at him during evenings the Gryffindor had skipped dinner in the Great Hall to join him flitted through his mind and he hung on to the memory as though it was a lifeline to his sanity. I will not fall … I will be with Harry….

A banshee-like wail penetrated his subconscious musings and he winced. He opened his eyes briefly to see a man, looking quite deranged, standing by the doorway that Voldemort had sealed several minutes earlier.

:Sleep, Severus. Sleep,: Fawkes’s mental voice filled his mind.

:Are you mad, phoenix? I can’t sleep,: the onyx-eyed wizard protested weakly.

:Your body can’t keep up with the curse and if it continues, you’ll go mad. Then what will happen to Harry? He needs you too much, Severus. Trust me,: the phoenix said stubbornly.

His eyes focused again on the stranger and he nearly cursed aloud when he saw that it was his lover’s godfather. The hell if I’m going to be saved by him!

:You’re being absolutely obnoxious, Severus!: That was all the warning Dumbledore’s pet gave him before he slipped suddenly into a deep slumber.

Sirius stood at the threshold for several moments surveying the chambers. There were four Death Eaters, not counting the husband of his cousin. They were the first to rush at him. Thinking quickly, he muttered a complicated sounding spell while waving his wand in an arc. The four Death Eaters fell to their knees, dropping their wands and clawing at their own throats.

One of these days, I have to thank the fellow who invented this hex, Sirius thought to himself. “Protego,” he said quickly as a red jet of light came flying at him. He watched in satisfaction as the four wizards stopped moving and lay on the floor, as though they were dead. They weren’t of course. Another long sweep of his wand caused Lucius to fly across the dungeon, right at Voldemort. Unfortunately, the Dark Lord was shrewd enough to cast a barrier before his worshipper could smash into him.

Several long strides took him to the unconscious Severus. “Lacerare,” he muttered softly and caught the Potions Master in his arms. This is a goddamned useful spell.

“Surely you don’t plan to walk out of here alive, Professor … Wulfe, I believe,” Voldemort said silkily. The sapphire-eyed wizard set Severus down on the floor gently.

“We shall see, O Lord of Darkness,” Sirius answered with a taunting smile. He was pleased to see Voldemort’s crimson eyes narrowing in thought. “Shall we begin?” he asked politely.

“Work hard, Slytherin,” Voldemort replied with a steely smile.

“I always do. Would it help if I informed you that I’m a Gryffindor through and through?” An insane grin broke out on his face as the Dark Lord stared at him in surprise.

At the same time…

The group of DA members came across a number of Death Eaters and Dementors, all of whom were stalking an expansive gray-metallic shield and trying to get through. Without speaking, Harry and Ginny quickly went for the Dementors while the rest of the students moved to deal with the Dark Lord’s underlings.

Hermione’s loud cry echoed throughout the castle, “PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!!!”

“Stupefy!” Neville’s spell stunned Dolohov effectively.

“Petrificus totalus!” Hermione yelled again, followed by, “Accio wand!”

“Lacerare!” a Death Eater countered and Ginny whimpered in pain.

“Crucio!” another Death Eater cried. Hermione swiftly blocked the spell with a Shield Charm, and the Cruciatus Curse was deflected onto a recuperating Dolohov.

“Accio wand!” Hermione commanded sharply and the magical tool slid from the Death Eater’s loose grasp, whizzing through the air as it homed in on the bushy-haired prefect. She caught it and pointed her wand at the slim object. Loud snaps heralded the breaking of the wand and she threw the pieces to the floor.

“Incendio!” Ginny said angrily, her thin top revealing some of the places where the hex had hit her. The collar of her opponent’s shirt caught fire.

“Boiling pitch!” Ron shouted several seconds later.

“EXPECTO PATRONUM!!!” Harry’s baritone thundered and his silver stag swiftly charged two Dementors at one time. The Dark Creatures let out hisses of pain and when the teenager’s Patronus withdrew, they took off. Ginny’s cheetah took care of three more Dementors.

Harry looked around for his friends. When he saw Ron, he said incredulously, “Boiling pitch?”

“Well, it worked, didn’t it?” Ron answered bleakly.

“Yes, Ron. I can see that,” Harry said mildly, watching as Ginny’s opponent, now totally engulfed in flames, ran screaming into the bulk of his fellows. Those who weren’t fast enough caught fire.

“Finite Incantatem!” one of the wizards shrieked desperately but the flames grew brighter instead.

Since the combination of spells worked well enough to suit their purpose, they began duplicating them. Soon, part of the Entrance Hall was illuminated by Death Eaters who had been set ablaze.

“That will more or less keep them busy,” Hermione said a little breathlessly. “Let’s try to get through the shield.”

“Yeah,” Harry agreed and the group ran toward Dumbledore’s shield. They could hear several sets of footsteps running behind them but did not turn to look.

When the emerald-eyed Gryffindor penetrated the shield and landed on the other side, he felt an odd sense of dislocation. He nearly collided with the old Headmaster and managed to stop just in time. He didn’t think the outcome would have been good had he disturbed the old wizard’s concentration.

“Go,” Dumbledore said faintly to him and he nodded, almost ready to run off again.

“Albus!” the squeaky voice belonging to the Head of Ravenclaw House made the young wizard jump in surprise. “I’ll take care of the shield. I’m better at them than you are.”

“All right, Filius. Take over,” Dumbledore said solemnly.

Tonks, Kingsley, Moody, and even Bill came through.

“Bill? What the hell are you doing here?” Ron and Ginny exclaimed.

“An emergency alarm went off. Professor Dumbledore informed us that we could Apparate since the enchantments about Hogwarts have been broken. More of the Order are on their way,” the oldest of the Weasley siblings explained.

“Bill, Alastor, come with me. I need to make sure that the Slytherins are all right,” the Headmaster said shortly.

“Hear you,” Moody replied.

“Bloody hell!” Fred exclaimed as he and his twin came through, followed by some grim-looking Aurors. “Who set that group outside on fire?”

“We did,” Ginny said meekly.

“Tonks, Fred, George, go and make sure that the Hufflepuffs are all right,” Dumbledore instructed.

“Harry,” Kingsley pulled The Boy Who Lived aside. “Do you know where Severus is?”

“In his private chambers,” Harry answered automatically.

“Lead the way,” the Auror said gravely.

“But –”

“It’ll take too long to explain,” Hermione answered Neville promptly. “We’d better get moving, Harry. Professor Wulfe might need help. I can’t believe he went down there by himself.”

Her words set off a silent reaction inside Harry. The throbbing on his forehead increased and his heart began beating rapidly in his chest. Severus…. He walked briskly down the stairs and absently cursed a Death Eater who tried to jump him as they turned a corner.

“Severus’s room is right this way. The Slytherin common room is somewhere on the left,” Harry said. His voice sounded distant even to him.

“I’ll take the lead if you don’t mind, Mister Potter,” Kingsley said quietly, and he and several of his people screened Harry effectively, just in case some of Voldemort’s followers were blocking the entrance to the Potions Master’s chambers. The Auror’s caution was spot on. The group found themselves caught in a crossfire the moment they got near Severus’s quarters.

“The rest of you!” Kingsley turned and barked sharply at the students. “Go back to Professor Flitwick! It’s too dangerous for you!”

“But –” Ginny began to protest.

“He’s right!” Harry shouted. “SERPENSORTIA!!!” The emerald-eyed wizard was thinking of a constrictor as he said it. A huge serpent appeared in midair and launched itself at the face of a wizard.

“Aaaaarghj!!!” the man’s screaming was cut off as the reticulated python sank its small, razor-sharp teeth into the wizard’s nose and started coiling about the man’s frame. The Death Eater toppled onto a colleague. The python was large; at nearly twenty-two feet long, it weighed several hundred pounds. Both men found themselves trapped.

Emmeline Vance disentangled herself to reach Harry and she summoned a large bat and began knocking at the trapped men until they fell unconscious. “Never thought that I’d be a Beater once again,” the witch muttered. “Were you going to call the serpent off them?” She looked inquiringly at the Golden Boy.

“Should I?”

“No, encourage it to keep a tight grip on them.”

“The rest of you!” Kingsley shouted again. The left side of his face was bleeding sluggishly. “I want you to go to where Professor Flitwick is! Go NOW!” he ordered.

Harry worked his way past his friends and hexed a Death Eater brutally to reach the entrance of his lover’s chambers. He saw several immobile bodies littering the floor of dungeon room. He gulped, fighting off the terror he felt at the thought that Sirius was dead once again. He sighed in relief when he saw his godfather in a defensive stance. He entered the room quietly. It looked like Draco’s father wasn’t aware of his presence.

“Move aside, Edan!” the teenager heard Lucius Malfoy tell the black and silver-haired wizard.

Sirius did not answer but stood protectively in front of Severus’s limp form.

“Is it to be now, Potter?” a voice asked silkily and Harry froze as he felt warm breath upon his neck. He spun on his heels and saw the entrance of the room solidifying before a shocked Kingsley. Harry was trapped inside the dungeon with the sorcerer who had tried to kill him on more than one occasion.

“Avada Kedavra!!!” Lucius yelled and Harry ducked quickly as the bolt of green light was deflected by his godfather’s protective shield.

“Sirius! You’re going to get me killed if that thing keeps deflecting hexes!” Harry yelped, taking the moment of distraction to knock Voldemort off his feet.

“Black?” Lucius hissed. Sirius shrugged.

“What do you want from Severus, Voldemort?” Harry asked impassively, looking down at the Dark Lord.

“Are you concerned about him, Potter?” Voldemort replied, smiling mirthlessly as he stood up.

“Don’t get any ideas, Voldemort. I can do the same thing to Malfoy over there,” the teenager answered. He kept his stony expression although a distant part of his mind was screaming at him for his impertinence.

“You’re joking, aren’t you, Harry?” his godfather responded.

“You mean murdering people? I did set a python on a man just minutes ago,” Harry answered in detachment.

“No, the other thing,” Sirius corrected.

“It kind of squicks you, doesn’t it? But yeah. Sev confirmed it when I told him about certain things I had seen in my dreams,” the raven-haired Gryffindor said casually. Without looking away from Voldemort, he spoke to Lucius. “Imagine the fun I would have telling Draco that his father is cheating on his mother, and with who. He’d probably throw up his toenails.” The senior Malfoy blanched.

Lucius had taken his eyes off the handsome-looking professor. Sirius had no trouble hexing the wizard into oblivion. To be safe, he wound so many magical cords around him that Lucius would have trouble getting loose.

Harry turned back to face Voldemort, who was watching them all with an inscrutable expression. The Gryffindor felt as though some unseen force was controlling him, urging him to lift Voldemort’s left hand. He shuddered when he touched the Dark Lord’s skin and felt a little nauseous when he heard the other wizard’s sharp intake of breath. He stepped closer and stared directly into the Dark Lord’s dark crimson eyes.

“Severus is no longer yours to command, Voldemort. I have made him mine. I will protect him at all cost and will not allow you to touch him ever again. Each time you call him, the Dark Mark weakens. Give me enough time to research, and I’ll probably be able to find the counter-curse for it. Think about how your followers will feel when they know that they could turn their back from you forever, without having anything to fear,” Harry said softly. “We are connected, you and me. And since you were the one who had arranged to take down the castle’s protections, I just have to make sure you put them up again.”

He took a step backward, still holding onto Voldemort’s left hand. A maelstrom of confusion broke out in his mind. What am I doing? What in Merlin’s name going on!

:Lover, hush.:

Emerald eyes widened. The voice that bounced inside Harry’s mind was unmistakably Severus’s. What the –

:Not now, Harry. Summon Godric’s sword,: Severus ordered in a no-nonsense tone. :Make sure that he is holding onto the hilt too. Then drive it downward between you.:

Harry didn’t argue and did as he was told. He felt the familiar coolness of the hilt of the sword and Voldemort swore. The teenager quickly pushed the hilt onto the Dark Lord’s palm and clasped his free hand over it.

“Immobulus,” Harry said firmly. The other wizard froze.

A rushing noise began to fill the Gryffindor’s ears and it steadily intensified. He determinedly kept his eyes open as a gale sprouted out from below their feet. The wind itself was preventing him from driving the tip of the sword downward.

:You have to do it, lover,: Severus urged him.

:Damn it, Sev! I’m trying!: Harry shouted furiously, not caring if the idea of talking in his own mind was ridiculous. The teenager took a deep breath and felt movement from underneath him. The Dark Lord was fighting against the immobilizing charm. Harry took a deep breath. He pulled the sword upwards a little before throwing his whole body behind it to force it down.

Instead of penetrating the room’s stone floor, the blade seemingly pierced thin air and a vortex of visible energy surrounded the blade. The energy began to flicker and whirl, faster and faster until Harry was forced to let go of both Voldemort’s hand and the sword. He was thrown several feet away, collided with his lover’s mahogany desk, and slid down to the floor.

His hand immediately flew to his hip and the pain generating there foretold a bad bruise in days to come. He blinked his now watery-eyes and saw that Voldemort was trying to wrench his hand away from the sword.

“Urgh!!!” Harry yelled, clutching at his forehead.

“NOOOOOO!!!”

Harry managed to force his eyes open and watched as Voldemort and Lucius were pulled into the vortex. Suddenly, they were thrown out as a bluish light exploded from the core. His mouth dropped when the two wizards disappeared through the dungeon wall. Five minutes later, the gale and the vortex disappeared, leaving The Boy Who Lived sitting on the floor and staring at the empty space.

The sound of drawers being opened drew his attention and before he realized it, Sirius was pressing an ice pack onto his forehead. “Your scar’s bleeding,” his godfather answered Harry’s unspoken question.

“Do you think Voldemort’s dead?” Harry managed to ask but Sirius shook his head plaintively.

“I don’t think so, Harry. I think he’ll be back … once he manages to get his wind,” the sapphire-eyed wizard answered as he quickly went to examine the teenager’s lover. Shakily, the green-eyed Gryffindor managed to crawl forward to take the Slytherin’s head.

“Sev, wake up,” Harry said hoarsely.

“He’s in a coma,” Sirius said shortly.

“No, he isn’t or else he wouldn’t have been ordering me about just now,” Harry babbled.

“What in Merlin’s name are you blathering about, lad?”

“Don’t look,” Harry said and promptly dipped his head down to kiss Severus. A minute later, the Potions Master gasped for air.

“Harry, I’m shocked.”

The teenager ignored his godfather, uttered something under his breath and kissed his lover some more. Severus was trembling slightly and Harry pulled back to examine the extent of damage done to his lover.

“Madam Pomfrey will heal you in a jiffy,” Harry said, relieved. “Is anything broken?”

“My nose,” Severus muttered.

Harry allowed himself to smile. “It doesn’t look like it’s broken.”

“Shut up.”

“Okay,” Harry answered blithely and leaned down again to capture Severus’s swollen lips. :Are you going to tell me what’s going on?:

:How amazing! He can hear – and speak too!:

“Who the blazes was that!” Harry pulled away quickly and looked into the Potions Master’s black, guilty eyes.

“What the hell is going on with you two?” Sirius all but screamed in frustration.

“Sev, you told me last year that there wasn’t such a thing as being able to read thoughts – or something like that. Then how is it that I heard your voice in my head?” Harry demanded.

:That’s because Severus didn’t stop to think that such a thing could be possible. You have Empaths running about the world so it should stand to reason that there might be Mindspeakers running about too,: the mysterious owner of the voice spoke, almost in a smug kind of tone.

“Am I crazy, Sev? It bodes ill that I’m hearing voices, right?”

“That was Fawkes,” Severus whispered.

“That was who?”

“I said it was Fawkes,” the Potions Master grated. “Fawkes. The Headmaster’s pet. The phoenix.”

:That’s funny. I thought he couldn’t hear me, so why is he hearing me now?: Fawkes fretted.

Harry frowned when he heard a strange murmur in his head but couldn’t quite make it out. His eyebrows flew up to his forehead when the phoenix began swearing so colorfully that it made even the stoic Slytherin blush.

:I see,: Fawkes replied to someone other than Severus or Harry in a slightly pained tone.

The entrance to Severus’s chambers melted away and Dumbledore stomped in, swearing. His bird appeared, calmly perched on one of Severus’s armchairs.

“You have opened doors you shouldn’t have opened in the first place, Fawkes. I don’t need complications. Harry doesn’t need complications,” the old wizard spoke harshly.

Several other people flooded into the room; Madam Pomfrey was one of them. She looked suspiciously at the way the emerald-eyed Gryffindor was holding onto Severus and the teenager hastily helped his lover up for a thorough examination. The Slytherin had other ideas rather than submitting readily to the nurse.

“What doors have been opened, Headmaster?” Severus demanded, looking at the old wizard penetratingly.

“I shall be as blunt as possible, Severus, Harry. When Severus controlled you to do what needed to be done, Fawkes merged your mind together with Severus’s, so that you could get specific instructions. However, when the magicks of Fawkes, Voldemort, yourself and Severus came to play, it appears that the Potions Master inadvertently transferred some of his powers to you. Was that clear enough?” Dumbledore said icily though his discontent was directed toward his pet. His light azure eyes turned to gaze at the raven-haired teenager. “This means that you might be hearing his and Fawkes’s voices in your head. I have no idea if it is temporary or not.”

“It’s not really making sense right now, Sir,” Harry piped up. “But I didn’t like that part that said that you were controlling me, Sev,” he glanced at his lover. His dark-eyed lover was guiltily silent.

“I think you should be up at the Hospital Wing, Severus,” the school nurse said stiffly.

“I will not be treated up there,” the Potions Master replied stubbornly.

“You’re in no position to argue with me!” she deftly pinched the bridge of the wizard’s nose and Harry winced when Severus started shouting in his mind.

:Your nose was really broken?: Harry asked meekly and flushed slightly when his lover glared at him.

“You too, Mister Potter,” Madam Pomfrey said shortly.

Harry nodded and looked about the room. He saw Dean, Neville and Seamus staring at him, mouths gaping in shock. Hermione smiled at him tremulously. Then he remembered something.

“Professor McGonagall!”

“No worries, Mister Potter,” Professor Flitwick spoke up. “It appears that I will have to gather a group of my students to teach the poltergeist a lesson.”

“Include the Bloody Baron in the plan too!” Ginny suggested.

“She’s all right?” Harry asked, feeling a little dazed.

“Professor Firenze sort of absorbed the Curse,” Hermione answered, her voice turning hoarse. “He isn’t doing too well and Hagrid’s quite upset.” She was giving Dumbledore a somewhat accusatory look.

“Are they dead?” Kingsley Shacklebolt knelt down beside an unconscious Death Eater.

“No. I just encouraged them to think that there’s something stuck inside their throats,” Sirius answered.

“Professor Dumbledore. Why are they still here while Voldemort and Malfoy have disappeared?” Harry asked, pointing at the motionless bodies of the Death Eaters.

“I believe that they were too weak,” the old wizard answered.

“You didn’t hex Malfoy hard enough,” Harry commented to his godfather.

“Don’t rub my face in it, kid,” Sirius said sourly.

“Are my students all right, Headmaster?” Professor Snape asked as a couple of house-elves materialized with a stretcher.

“They’re all unharmed thanks to Alhena Moon’s brother and father. If not for them, I don’t think anyone would have realized that something was wrong before it was too late,” the old wizard replied cheerfully. “The other students are safe as well,” he added. The grim-face Potions Master just snorted.

“Professor Dumbledore,” Professor Sinistra called sharply from the entrance of Severus’s chambers. “Minister Fudge is here to speak with you.”

“I would really appreciate it if you people would get the hell out of my chambers,” Severus said scathingly.

“We will, we will,” Dumbledore said good-naturedly. “Miss Granger, do you mind helping to move these bodies up to the Great Hall? And go straight to bed if you have a mind to.”

“It’s all right, Professor. Mobilicorpus,” the witch chanted.

“Now, Professor Snape,” Madam Pomfrey began, “please get on the stretcher.” Severus gave the school nurse a very unfriendly look.

“I can still walk,” the wizard declared; he swayed as soon as he rose to his feet. Harry’s reaction to help his lover was immediate and the teenager was unaware of his friends’ stunned expressions.

:No, you can’t, Sev,: Harry stated and smiled faintly. :This is really a useful thing to have. I can talk to you without letting my friends hear the mushy stuff.:

:Have you forgotten me already?: Fawkes inserted.

:Not bloody likely,: Harry snorted. :Get on the stretcher, love. The sooner they take you up, the less the likelihood that anyone will see you as an invalid.:

:Why can’t I stay here?:

:I don’t think the nurse likes it very much having to walk up and down the staircases just to treat you.:

:Shut up, Fawkes,: Severus snapped.

Harry and Sirius helped the weakened wizard onto the litter. Sirius, the teenager saw, was looking at the Slytherin with a wicked gleam in his eyes. Two well-muscled Aurors picked the stretcher up and Harry slowly followed after them. His friends caught up with him and together, they walked through the corridors in silence. The Slytherins were already up and all of them were heading upstairs. Some students saw their professor in the stretcher and accompanied the two Aurors as they ferried their Head to the Hospital Wing.

The emerald-eyed wizard climbed the last flight of stairs and entered an Entrance Hall filled with brilliant globes of light. The charred remains of several Death Eaters littered the floor and there were many officials scurrying around. Harry saw Madam Pomfrey talking quickly with another nurse. The latter turned and beckoned to a group of young adults and they all went up the staircase.

Harry’s group was walking in the same direction when he saw a stricken-looking Hermione hurrying along, holding the hand of a tawny-haired man.

“Remus,” Harry heard his godfather whisper and he was pushed aside. The sapphire-eyed wizard ran toward his lover and took the hand away from the frizzy-haired witch. “What happened?” Black asked Madam Hooch in a panicked voice.

“He collapsed, Professor Wulfe. He was hit by the Cruciatus Curse twice and the full moon is just a few nights away. You know what that means better than I do,” the witch answered wearily.

“Will he be all right?” Harry demanded, his voice catching the attention of Percy Weasley, the Minister and several reporters.

“Mister Potter!”

“What happened?”

“Is it true that the Dark Lord has stepped foot in this castle?”

“Who is the werewolf to you? Or to the Defence Assistant Professor?”

The Boy Who Lived turned and glared at them, green eyes flashing dangerously.

“I don’t think it is a good time to ask Mister Potter any questions, ladies, gentlemen,” Professor Dumbledore cut in meekly.

Hermione managed to worm her way into Harry’s arms and he held her, with Ron draping his arm over his shoulders. “Will Remus be all right?”

:He ought to be. It’s not his first time in battle,: Severus answered quietly. :But the fact that he is weaker than before …:

“I’m all right.” The words were spoken softly but heard nonetheless. “But I need you to be with me … this Thursday. I don’t think Severus managed to brew the Wolfsbane Potion.”

“I’m always with you,” Sirius answered quietly and the bronze-eyed wizard smiled before falling asleep.

:Cloying,: Severus said mockingly.

:Yeah, but aren’t all lovers cloying?: Harry answered with a smile.

“Uhmmmm … Harry,” Neville started. “That’s him. That’s your godfather, right?”

The emerald-eyed Gryffindor exchanged quick looks with his two best friends before nodding in response. Longbottom sucked in a sharp breath and he blurted out. “Him and Lupin?”

“You can’t say that it is surprising,” Ron said. “They’ve been close since they were teenagers.”

Harry was about to give a smart remark when his vision blurred and felt his knees go weak. His red-haired friend was swift to stabilize him before he could fall backwards on the staircase.

“Surely you don’t expect me to carry you, Harry,” Ron said with a slight smile.

“Up your arse, you redheaded devil,” he snorted in reply.

“How I wish I could shout that you’re trying to be a martyr to the man up there,” his friend said mournfully. Harry shook his head and let out a silent chuckle, depending on his two friends to guide him as they walked.

A day later.

Harry Potter woke up to the sound of chattering and turned his head toward the source. He unobtrusively got his glasses from the side table and put them on. His Potions partner was in the next bed, Draco was sitting by her side. Madam Pomfrey came by and clucked at him, ordering the Slytherin prefect to sit on a chair. The silvery-haired boy ignored her, of course. The nurse fussed about the witch and exclaimed happily when a big, muscular man stepped into the hospital wing, followed by a younger man with blonde, silver and green highlights in his shoulder-length hair. To Harry’s surprise, his nemesis immediately got to his feet and stood smartly, unconsciously straightening his sleeves.

The handsome wizard with dyed hair greeted the nurse with a smile and walked over to Alhena. Harry watched as Draco shook the wizard’s hand and the Gryffindor’s eyes widened when the newcomer hugged the witch sitting on the bed.

“Draco,” the burly wizard greeted politely.

“Sir,” the Slytherin prefect replied.

“Mister Potter!” Madam Pomfrey said by way of greeting. “You’re awake as well.” She left the room and returned with a tray of what smelled like hot chocolate to Harry. “Here, drink this.”

Harry slowly sat up on the bed and took the cup from her. He took a cautious sip and sighed blissfully. He looked about the hospital wing and saw Remus sleeping several beds over and across of him. However, his lover wasn’t there. He became more alert and tried to see if he could still talk to his lover the other way.

:Ssshhh … don’t disturb him, Harry. You know what a load of distraction you can be,: Fawkes said.

:He is brewing the potion? Is he well enough to do that?: Harry asked worriedly.

:Your lover is a stubborn man. He got out of bed in the middle of the night. I think he might be doing it as a sign of gratitude to your godfather,: the phoenix continued.

The Gryffindor couldn’t help but chuckle, earning himself curious glances from the bed beside him. Alhena caught his eye and she smiled at him.

“Harry,” the witch spoke, “this is my dad,” she pointed her thumb respectfully at her father, “and this is my brother.”

“‘Morning sir, Kailen,” he acknowledged.

“Oh, you know me?” Kailen said in puzzlement.

“Alhena’s told me quite a bit about you,” Harry replied quickly.

“Oh …” A shadow seemed to pass across the wizard’s face. “What did you tell him?” He quickly wrestled with Alhena on the bed.

“Kailen!” the witch squealed. “I told him that you’re a self-important jackass! Get off me, bro!”

“Alhena,” Mister Moon said dangerously but his eyes were looking fondly at his two children.

“Duncan. Kailen.” A new voice carried over the girl’s giggles.

“Professor Dumbledore.”

The old wizard was about to say something to Alhena’s father when he caught sight of Harry. “Good morning, Harry. I –”

“HARRY!!!” Hermione and Ginny yelled. Both girls rushed at him and it was a good thing he hadn’t been holding his cup. He hugged them gladly and kissed the top of their heads in turn. Ron followed at a more sedate pace and he rolled his eyes at the girls’ behavior.

“Oi. What’s all this caterwauling? I’m a sick man abed, you know,” Remus’s gentle voice reached their ears.

“Excuse me,” Sirius wormed his way past the Headmaster. Alhena’s giggles echoed inside the Hospital Wing and there were several embarrassed coughs, with Draco’s being the loudest.

“For the love of Merlin. You two aren’t exactly alone and I expect you to act your age and not like a pair of teenagers,” a hoarse female voice grated, effectively causing Sirius to break the kiss. Harry’s godfather stood by the werewolf’s bed, blushing heavily. “Not all of us are so tolerant of your kind of re –!”

Harry shoved his face into Ginny’s hair and started laughing hoarsely at McGonagall’s stupefied expression as Dumbledore drew her into his arms and kissed her soundly.

“I believe that’s the first time they’ve kissed in public,” Duncan Moon commented to his family.

:Poor Minerva. I believe she has forgotten that she wanted to lecture your godfather and his lover,: Fawkes observed after Dumbledore pulled away and returned to the Moons.

“So …” Harry began to draw his friends’ attention. “How long have I been asleep?”

“A day,” Ginny answered and plopped onto a chair. Hermione remained on the bed, same as her boyfriend. “While you slept, we went snooping.”

“Snooping?!” Ron said indignantly.

“Weren’t we? We’ve been walking around along with an assorted number of Slytherins, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, keeping our ears open for Professor Dumbledore. Dean, Neville and Seamus are keeping a close eye on the reporters while Cho and her girls are watching the Minister and his fellows carefully,” Ginny said. “Oh, and just so you know, Dumbledore’s canceled all our lessons this week until the dormitories have been made one hundred percent safe and the staff has a chance to get some well deserved rest.”

“How’s Firenze doing?”

“He’s been through worse,” Hermione answered. “He is recuperating in his classroom.” Then she suddenly exclaimed. “Crookshanks!” Her cat jumped onto her lap. “Where were you? I was so worried!” She rubbed her cheek against his face.

“Hello Siege.”

Harry turned his head sharply at the word. Siege is Malfoy’s cat? He stared at the silvery-haired Slytherin in astonishment. From the looks of it, the tiger-striped cat was very friendly with Draco. It started struggling a little and the prefect let him off. Siege moved off and settled comfortably on Alhena’s lap.

“I don’t trust him with animals, Green-Eyes. Siege is mine,” the bronze-eyed witch said slyly.

“Okay, okay, didn’t mean to pry. But I thought you had an owl,” Harry said as he gave her an inquisitive look.

“Yes, I do, but his owl taunted Dawn so much that she’s sulking,” Alhena answered.

“And she is still sulking,” Kailen said with good humor.

“That explains her absence. It’s so funny that this time, it’s a cat who is more dependable.”

“Professor Dumbledore,” Hermione looked at the Headmaster, “on the night – no, morning – the enchantments about Hogwarts failed, we were woken up by something. What was it?”

“I believe the Moons should explain it,” the old wizard replied and glanced at Duncan Moon.

“I told Harry once that my father and brother invent spells for a hobby,” Alhena began. “My father has a problem with his memory and for some reason, this,” the Slytherin witch held a ball made up of crocheted metal chains and studded with sapphires, “ended up in my trunk. I will not even say the word ‘coincidence’.” Then she looked at her brother, who shrugged. “Now, I’ll let the two brainiest people in my family talk about this curious-looking ball.” She tossed the object carelessly in Harry’s direction.

“That is what I call a Dementor-Alarm – I’m sure you know what it means. I made it especially for my daughter,” Duncan began.

“We tried it several times at home and nothing out of the ordinary happened. Alhena was kept in the dark because it was essential for her not to know about it,” Kailen inserted. “But since nothing happened, we thought it was defective and decided not to pursue the project.”

“As you know, my daughter is an Empath – she received the Gift from me. Dementors have a very distinct impression on people but their presence is easily identified by people such as the Headmaster or by Empaths. What the metal and sapphires do is pick up what my daughter feels and then amplify those feelings. What you were feeling was the fear that always comes when one is within the range of a Dementor.” Mister Moon looked apologetically at his daughter. “I am forgetful sometimes, but perhaps the reason why the Dementor-Alarm was in her trunk was because I placed it there. My gift of Foresight isn’t very reliable but I don’t usually argue with my instincts.”

“You have a remarkable family, Alhena,” Harry said to his Potions partner.

“Oh, do you mean Draco’s remarkable too?” She blinked her eyes innocently.

Ron snorted derisively but Harry, Ginny and Hermione were chuckling at Kailen’s uproarious laughter, Draco’s red face and Duncan’s calculating look.

“I think he has to win over your father first, girl,” Sirius observed.

“I agree,” Duncan replied, sizing Draco up.

“Why on earth did I want to be yours?” the Slytherin muttered.

“Regrets already, boy?” Kailen started, cracking his knuckles and staring at his sister’s boyfriend menacingly.

“You can let go of her if you want. I’d be more than happy to replace you,” Harry said, without knowing why he spoke.

“Well now,” Duncan started, smiling faintly.

“Bite your tongue!” Sirius, Remus and Fawkes exclaimed.

Harry snickered at Duncan’s broad grin, Alhena’s mirthful expression and Draco’s glare.

“Don’t you dare set your eyes on her, Potter! She’s mine.”

“Five points from Gryffindor for trying to meddle in someone’s private affairs,” a silky voice filled Harry’s ears, tinged with venom. “I see that you’re up, Remus. You’re lucky that I had the foresight to keep the initial batch of the Wolfsbane potion – I didn’t have to wait two days to finalize the concoction.” Severus Snape, a purpling eye decorating his face, walked into the room holding a goblet with smoke pouring out of it. He handed the cup to the Defence professor.

“Thank you, Severus.”

“It’s nothing, werewolf,” the Potions Master replied and turned back to watch The Boy Who Lived.

“I think you’re in trouble,” Hermione said into Harry’s ear.

“Yes, Hermione. I know,” the emerald-eyed teenager replied in resignation.

:Love is a strange thing,: Severus’s mindvoice caressed the insides of his mind and Harry forced his breathing to stay even. The teenager dimly felt Dumbledore’s phoenix carefully pulling away from his consciousness.

:Why?: Harry asked as he drank in the sight of his dark-eyed lover watching him.

:It was love that brought your godfather to me. His love for you surpassed his animosity for me. He chose to enter the dungeon, not caring for his own life, but only to make sure that I would still be here for you,: Severus sounded frightened and it was quite visible in the way he fisted his hands.

:It is his nature, love. Sirius is a Gryffindor,: Harry said gently.

:But –:

:Don’t worry about it, Sev. He’s alive, Remus is fine and you’re already on your feet.:

Later that night.

A black-robed wizard strolled lazily into one of the castle’s many towers. He raised his hand and the doors opened to let him out, to breathe in the autumn air. Severus Snape stood beneath the dark sky to think. His meditation was cut short when he felt the familiar presence of Black.

Severus cursed Harry’s godfather silently. He had not wanted to face the man but the urge to see his emerald-eyed lover had overridden his stubbornness to avoid Sirius. Does he expect me to fawn at his feet for saving me? He snarled and turned to face the taller wizard. The way the blue-eyed man looked at him was quite unnerving. Sirius broke the eye contact and stepped forward, leaning to look down at the waves crashing against the face of the cliff.

“Obviously, you’re reluctant to thank me for saving your hide,” Black said almost flippantly. Severus did not speak and merely watched the other wizard

Finally, he blurted out, “Why did you come after me? Alone? Without backup? Without waiting for Dumbledore who could at least make sure you’d be all right?”

“Harry’s happiness is more important to me than anything, Severus. If keeping you alive will help achieve it, then it’s the only thing I that I could do to make sure he’ll keep on smiling. I don’t want to see it disappear,” Sirius said gravely. “But I’m sure you have figured that out.”

“What makes you think that I’d able to keep him smiling if you happen to get yourself killed, again?” Severus countered.

“I’ll just have to make sure it doesn’t come to that, but I might need some help to make it possible,” Sirius answered. He pushed himself off the railing and approached the Potions Master. “On a more cheerful note, since you’ll be my future godson-in-law, why don’t we call a truce? It’ll be easier on all of us since we have to work fairly close together?”

“You wish,” Severus snorted and walked away.

“I’ll take that as a yes, Snivellus!” Sirius called after him.

“Stop calling me that!” the grim-faced man yelled. However, as he walked, he felt a certain lightness about himself and he smiled. A truce with Black. The world has ended.

:Yes, it has. But a new world is about to be created. One without bitterness, but something much more complex,: Fawkes interjected cryptically.

:Stop trying to give me headaches.:

In Siberia.

Voldemort sat on an armchair, seething with anger. He snarled at himself and rose to his feet to check on his follower. Lucius was in bed, fighting a high fever and the Dark Lord cursed at the weather.

It has been Fawkes all along. He was the one responsible for the weakening of the Dark Mark. He is the reason why Dumbledore is powerful. But I felt Severus too. He is bound to the phoenix the same way that Dumbledore is. He cursed himself for not seeing the connection earlier. Now Harry Potter is tied up with all three of them. He sneezed suddenly and his eyes flared in shock. He sneezed again. It appeared that the Dark Lord was not so invincible after all; he had managed to catch the influenza bug.

“Master,” a voice croaked and he turned to see his servant struggling to sit up. “You should have gone back. You’re a serpent and not at all suited to the cold weather.”

“You can warm me up,” Voldemort interrupted.

“But I’m sick,” Lucius protested weakly.

“So am I. It’s a reprieve. Once I recover, we can get to work. I want the giants in my pocket before the winter is out. We’ll march to war when spring comes. I want the goblins and the werewolves too.”

In Remus’s chambers.

Remus and Sirius both woke up at the same time. Madam Pomfrey had let the werewolf return to his chambers to rest and that was where Sirius had headed straight after his short talk with the Potions Master.

“Why the hell were we dreaming about him?” Remus fretted. “I thought only Harry would be connected to him like that.”

“I think it might have been me … you know, The Veil business,” his blue-eyed lover said almost guiltily.

“Shall we go bother Dumbledore?”

“Might as well. What do you think about the werewolf part?”

“I think I’d like Dumbledore to steal the rug out from under Voldemort. I’m quite sure I won’t like the outcome if Voldemort manages to capture the interest of werewolves all over the world,” Remus answered. “Damn, I wish we could take a break.”

“Already missing the idyllic days of summer?” Sirius asked sweetly as he changed into something more presentable than his sleeping robe.

“Please don’t use that tone when we have to do business, Siri,” Remus said almost plaintively. “It’s really distracting.”

“I get the point,” Sirius replied with a hint of humor in his voice, his eyes drawn to his lover’s pajama bottoms.

“You’re hopeless,” Remus sighed when his blue-eyed lover threw him back on the bed.

“But you’re not complaining,” Sirius observed.

“Why should I? You always win in the end so why bother trying.”

“It’d help keep me on my toes, you know.” The room was quiet, the silence punctuated by soft moans as the two men kissed. “Who knows, you might win someday.”

“Shut up, Siri,” Remus mumbled, deftly unbuttoning his lover’s shirt.