Purpose

~ Chapter 46: Sweet Moments ~

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

**********

In the Great Hall...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

: Come with me. :

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

**********

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

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

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

**********

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

**********