Transition

Remus Lupin was carefully picking up a piece of torn fabric when his instincts told him to run. He turned abruptly and saw something glimmering in the distance. Then he heard a scream and froze when he recognized that the voice belonged to Harry.

“Everyone! Run!” he shouted, which caused Luna Lovegood to look at him strangely for a moment, then grabbed Susan Bones. The group ran, passing through huge oak trees and trying to avoid tripping on the uneven ground as they did.

The Defense professor glanced over his shoulder occasionally and slowed when the light faded. The others were still running, but they turned back when wizards and witches mounted on brooms rushed at them. Tonks landed beside Lupin and demanded what had happened in a harsh voice.

“Harry. Something happened,” he said absently, panting.

“We’d better go check, Tonks,” one of the Auror’s colleagues said firmly.

Ten people carefully edged their way towards the source of the peculiar light. Tonks absently thrust the Firebolt at Luna. “Here; hang on to this. I need both hands – if something is out there. Be careful with it – it’s Harry’s,” she said, her violet eyes flicking left and right at her surroundings.

Remus realized that he was clutching the scrap of cloth tightly in his palm, and hastily put it inside his pocket. There was an ear-piercing shriek and he narrowed his bronze eyes. Then the ground beneath his feet vibrated as hooves pounded on it. Centaurs?

His screams merged with those coming from Hermione and Ron, and also from a bird. Harry recognized it somehow. That shriek – full of pain and challenge – was from Fawkes, Dumbledore’s phoenix. It was the creature’s talons that had sunk painfully into his shoulders.

What are you doing? Harry thought weakly. His strength was fading and his vision was darkening. The pain in his shoulders grew more pronounced, and he wondered inanely if there was a dragon was breathing fire on his back. Suddenly, the spell that held him frozen where he was vanished. He toppled slowly to the ground and lay weakly on his side, staring directly at Starkmind’s peaceful face. There was a huge gash along the side of the wizard’s neck, but it had stopped bleeding. Harry blinked stupidly, wondering why he and the rest were not burnt to ashes, for the golden light that had enshrouded them was gone.

“We’re still alive?” Ron squeaked. He was half-lying on Snape’s legs and his girlfriend’s stomach.

“I think so, mate,” Harry replied hoarsely.

“My leg hurts like hell,” Hermione groaned.

“Get off my legs, Weasley,” Snape mumbled. “Potter – I will kill you if the tubes broke when you threw yourself at me.”

Someone cursed profusely and Harry stared at his ex-lover in amazement. He’s alive!

“Bluestone will nag at me for weeks. I can’t believe that I fainted. What happened?” Starkmind murmured, cracking one eye open. “Damn,” he swore again, slowly raising his fingers to probe at the stinging wound.

“There they are!”

It was Hagrid, and he was bellowing orders to people Harry could not see. His vision was beginning to blur. He felt his gigantic friend come over to see if he was all right. “Merlin, lad! What happened to yer?” Hagrid gently picked him up and purposely walked in the direction of the castle. Knowing that his friends were all right, he allowed himself to slip into the darkness. A voice however, echoed in his mind even as he fainted.

“Your friends may be all right, but what about Draco? What about the Slytherins?”

“There they are!”

That sounded like Hagrid, and exchanging a startled look with Tonks, Remus jogged towards the voice. The half-giant saw him before he did, and he nearly jumped out of his skin when the gamekeeper started bellowing for stretchers.

“Merlin,” Remus breathed, staring at Harry’s group in horror. He heard Tonks and some of the students offering to go back to the castle. “Get the medics,” he heard himself say. Hagrid had already scooped Harry up in his arms, and the Defense professor was honestly shocked to see the teenager’s red robes turning a darker shade of scarlet.

“Hagrid! Hurry! He’s bleeding!” Remus informed the man urgently. Hagrid stared at him for a moment before looking down at Harry’s limp form.

“Blimey!” the man exclaimed and walked even faster.

Remus slowly walked towards Firenze and a second centaur that he could not identify. They were examining two piles of ashes, both several feet apart from each other. The second Divination professor looked up at him and smiled briefly. “This one was burnt completely. I doubt he is anyone from the school.” He pointed at the black pile of ashes with one hoof. “And yes – he was human before he was incinerated completely by whatever weapon he had.”

“He wasn’t from the school,” Hermione confirmed in a weak voice and Remus knelt carefully beside her. Something about the angle of her leg struck him as odd. “Damn … I think I fractured my leg,” she whimpered. “And not because I was flying either … how my dad will laugh.”

“Get off my leg, Weasel!” Snape yelled.

“Don’t shout, man! You’re giving me a headache!” Starkmind snapped.

Remus ignored the two wizards and warned Hermione that she was going to feel a lot of pain when he moved her leg. She simply gritted her teeth. Snape was still yelling at Ron in the meantime. The professor’s voice must have irritated her – she was much closer to him – and she snapped.

“Sir, if you don’t get your hand off my arm right now, I swear I’ll bite it, while Professor Lupin splints my fractured bone,” she hissed, her fingers already inching to grasp the Potions Master’s. Snape looked at her as though she had gone mad.

Remus resumed his task of securing Hermione’s injured leg, while Ron carefully lifted himself off the witch and the irate Potions Master. The litter-bearers returned to the scene with Bluestone tagging along anxiously. The Veela quickly went to Starkmind’s side as soon as he saw his husband.

“Take Hermione to Madam Pomfrey immediately,” Remus instructed an Auror paired with Ernie Macmillan. The two went to task instantly. Then the werewolf helped Ron to his feet and the red-haired Gryffindor paled almost instantly.

“Sprained my ankle,” he said to the older wizard. “But I’m okay.”

Remus shook his head and ordered him to go and lie down on one of the stretchers. Ron remained stubborn and limped forward, but Dean judiciously jinxed him with the Leg-Locker Curse.

“Hey – hey! Put me down!” Weasley yelled in alarm when Neville and Seamus cast the Levitating Charm on him.

The students and the Ministry officials slowly made their way back to the castle, leaving Tonks, Professor Lupin, Professor Snape and Firenze behind. Remus did not go with the rest because he needed some time to calm himself. He was somewhat in shock, and distressed about Harry’s condition and the mishap that had befallen the Slytherin students. He started to pace, fully aware that Nymphadora Tonks was keeping an eye on him and Snape was collecting samples from the two separate piles of ashes.

“Aah!” the Potions Master gave a strangled yell.

Lupin stared hard at the head of Slytherin House and noticed that the wizard’s black eyes were transfixed on the pile of light grey ashes. Something was stirring the ashes but there was no wind to disturb it. A raptor-like head slowly popped out and Snape swore.

“Bloody phoenix!” The wizard’s face was so distorted in disgust and anger that Remus nearly laughed aloud. He didn’t, thinking that it might not be a good idea to poke fun at Snape, who was already anxious to death about his students.

Fawkes let out a cry of victory, launched itself from the ground, and vanished right after he flew over the Potions Master. The centaurs took off at a leisurely gallop and Tonks sensed something in the air and took her leave, mumbling something incoherent as she passed Remus.

The golden-eyed wizard scrutinized his dark-haired colleague. The latter was staring blankly at a tree trunk, but Remus could see just how distraught he was. The wizard’s lips were white and his hands were shaking terribly. Then Snape’s stony expression returned and he was about to follow in the centaurs’ direction when Remus intercepted him.

“Leave me alone, Lupin. I need to get back to the stadium,” Snape said through gritted teeth.

“I won’t let you,” Lupin said shortly, increasing the pressure of his grip on the Potions Master’s arm. “You aren’t thinking clearly enough right now to be of help. You couldn’t even manage to play with your chemistry set right now.” Lupin stared penetratingly at Snape’s face and the wizard lost control of his expression, unnerved by the piercing golden eyes.

“I –”

Remus stopped him with a look. “I know how you feel, and although you certainly don’t want to admit it, you’re damned protective of your own students,” he said matter-of-factly. Then he smiled weakly. “Although some of us had hoped that your protective nature would encompass the students of the other Houses,” he continued with a slight edge in his voice.

Silence fell and the two wizards looked at each other – Remus calmly and Snape edgily.

“I can not stay here,” the Potions Master said with finality. “I have to see –”

“Go to the hospital wing then. Maybe drink one of your own potions – something that will make you detached for the time being, so that you can work without getting overwhelmed with emotions,” Remus suggested.

Snape’s brows furrowed in thought and he finally nodded wearily.

“That’s the first piece of good advice I’ve heard from you for quite some time now,” the black-haired wizard said grudgingly.

Remus snorted derisively. “That’s because it’s the first time you actually listened to what I’m saying.”

They started their trek towards the castle, with Remus trailing quietly behind the Potions Master. Lupin had an unfathomable expression on his face as he watched Snape walk, thin shoulders tensed and back stiffened. The gentle-faced professor sighed and tentatively reached out a hand to grasp at Snape’s elbow.

Snape predictably turned around with a menacing growl, glaring at Remus in irritation. His annoyed expression turned into disbelief when the Defense professor drew him closer and kissed his lips.

Remus’s mind was racing with dozens of thoughts, all telling him that he was crazy, but it was hard to ignore the way his body felt at the contact; it was electrifying. He wished that he could taste Snape – but blood, dirt and dust made it difficult. His colleague’s defensive posture relaxed slightly, and a part of him yelled triumphantly in silence when Snape made his own move to deepen the kiss.

When they broke apart, they were panting slightly and their faces were slightly flushed. Remus braced himself but thankfully, Snape did not hex him. There was a slight gentleness in the way the Potions Master looked at him.

“We’d better get back before they think we’ve gotten waylaid,” Snape said finally.

Remus nodded. This time they walked side by side, and Snape found that having company could sometimes be a good thing.

Several days later.

He heard voices, but they droned on and on, the words unintelligible as Harry slowly came around. Someone yelped in pain, and the raven-haired Gryffindor thought he heard Madam Pomfrey soothe the victim with her soft voice. He opened his eyes slowly and saw the familiar ceiling of the infirmary. A distant part of him was amused; he never failed to be in the infirmary each year.

Draco….

He wanted to sit up but found he could not. He did not bother struggling with the invisible bonds that Starkmind had set up on him.

“Hey; look who’s awake,” someone said.

Odd … that sounds like Fred.

“Nearly gave our mum a heart attack, mate.” It was Fred. George’s head appeared, nearly touching his twin’s cheek.

“Welcome back to the living, foster brother,” George greeted cheerfully.

“Huh. Thanks,” Harry croaked out a reply. “How long have I been out? Are the Slytherins all right? Were there any casualties?”

“No to the third question, yes to the second –”

“– and three days to the first,” Fred supplied. “Your shoulders were damaged quite badly so the half-Veela and the too-bloody-good-looking companion he had with him placed some restraining spells on you.”

“To prevent you from moving too much, or in this case – at all,” George said solemnly. “I think they’ll lift the restraints when Pomfrey gives them the thumbs-up.”

“The so called ‘too-bloody-good-looking companion’ with Starkmind is his husband.” Harry laid back and tried to recall the events that had happened on the day of the Quidditch Final. “What are the two of you doing here?” he asked the twins conversationally.

“To check up on our siblings and you, of course,” Fred answered. “Bill was supposed to come over, but we kinda miss Hogwarts and its secrets.”

“So we volunteered.” George shrugged. “Anyway, the kids here deserve to cheer up a little.”

A slightly noisy commotion interrupted their conversation, and Harry slowly turned his head to his left. “Hey, I can’t really see. Where are my glasses?” Fred, or maybe George, slipped his glasses on and Harry stifled a chuckle. Snape was arguing with Bluestone and Remus about something.

Harry watched as Bluestone threw his hands up and walked away in disgust, swearing quite profusely. Harry turned back to watch Remus staring daggers at the stubborn Potions Master.

“You’re not needed here, Severus,” Remus finally said harshly. “You’ve already done what you could for your students. What they need now is rest.” The werewolf’s expression hardened. “Out of respect, I didn’t trouble you with the need to brew my potion. But if you carry on, without a decent night’s rest, you aren’t doing any of us favors.”

“You had better rest, Snape, before you become an inconvenience to the healers,” a new voice spoke up acidly. It was Starkmind with his neck neatly bandaged. He looked quite well, considering that he had been injured. Bluestone had summoned him in the hopes of persuading the head of Slytherin House to rest. Snape, however, remained defiant.

“It looks like the professors over there are in need of a little help,” Fred mused and exchanged a mischievous glance at his twin. Harry looked at them with mild interest.

“Yes, yes, I agree. After all, we’d be doing our part, wouldn’t we? Making sure that there aren’t any more patients for the poor nurse,” George agreed, speaking in a sententious voice.

Fred and George withdrew their wands from their pockets. “One … two … three! Sleep!!!” the two muttered. Harry laughed when Snape’s head drooped and he heard the Potions Master snore softly.

“Well,” Starkmind said and exchanged amused glances with his husband and Professor Lupin. “Looks like our work has been cut down for us.”

“Well … let’s tie him up and carry him off to his dungeons,” Remus said with a broad smile, winking at the Weasley twins in appreciation. Starkmind and the Defense professor then took care of the hexed Potions Master while Bluestone came to Harry’s side.

“Good afternoon, Harry,” Bluestone greeted. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore,” Harry replied. “But I would like to move a little.”

“Don’t like being tied up, do you?” Bluestone smiled sympathetically. The Veela chanted something under his breath while his hands rested gently on the Gryffindor’s shoulders. Harry sighed when the invisible bonds vanished and he could relax his shoulders.

“I think I need a massage,” he muttered. Bluestone unbuttoned his shirt and examined his shoulders.

“Well, I think you’re well enough to go back to your own bed, but no heavy work,” Bluestone warned him. Harry slowly sat up on the bed and rubbed at his shoulder. His other one felt the same way, and he curiously asked Bluestone what had caused it. “As far as I know, Fawkes sank his talons into your shoulders. Professor Dumbledore’s phoenix took the full brunt of whatever weapon that was activated that day.”

“You actually suffered burns,” Fred inserted. “I think the phoenix burst into flames while still on you. But no scars.”

“Is Fawkes all right?”

“Alive and he’s got more brilliant scarlet feathers this time.” The Headmaster walked into the infirmary with a cheerful smile. On his shoulder was his familiar, looking about the hospital ward with bright crimson eyes. “I’m glad to see you that you are all right, Harry. Your friends Hermione and Ron are in the Great Hall, by the way.” Dumbledore stared at him for several seconds. “Well, I’ll trot further down and look in on some of the Slytherins who are still here.”

“Those are the students who were relatively badly hurt.” Bluestone frowned as he tried to recall something. “The witch … Pansy? She has quite a few broken bones, and I don’t think she will resume attending classes very soon. And … Malfoy, I think, the boy with white-gold hair, he is still unconscious.” The Veela gazed at Harry with a knowing look. Fred and George shifted in their seats uneasily. Bluestone excused himself and went to look for the school nurse.

“Uhmmm … Harry?” Fred started, his face showing his anxiety. Harry tried to keep his expression neutral although he had the feeling he knew what the twins were going to ask. “Are you and Malfoy…?”

“Well … Harry, we didn’t mean to, but we kind of removed your ring –”

“– while you were sleeping,” Fred finished and took a deep breath, bracing himself for the riposte from Harry.

Harry sighed in defeat. “It’s not really a secret,” he said reluctantly. “Hermione and Snape knew.”

“How about Gin and Ronniekins?”

“I don’t think they do. And I’m not telling them, until we’re both sure that this is not a one-year kind of fling,” Harry replied and got out of bed carefully. “So keep this information to yourselves.”

“You’re intending this to be a long-term relationship?” the twins squeaked. “And you mean … you are really … homosexual?”

“Well … yes. I’m much more comfortable with Draco than anybody else,” Harry answered as he put on his sneakers. “And I thought you knew that I like both sexes.”

Fred and George looked a little sick. “Really, Harry?”

“What’s up with the both of you?”

“Nothing … but…”

“Never mind, George.”

“What in the blazes?” Harry yelped when Fred suddenly kissed him.

“We’re so doomed,” Fred said to his twin.

“Truth is, Harry,” George paused, “we have a crush on you.”

“Merlin … you’re joking,” Harry said, unsure if he should feel flattered or alarmed. “I thought you two were straight!”

“You can’t blame us!” Fred protested. “You have such a nice chest, you know.”

“And I’m glad we came down,” George said.

“You know what?” Harry told them as the three slowly walked out of the infirmary. “I think that the two of you should start dating again.”

“How about a foursome?”

“Nope … and I don’t think Draco wants to share me with anyone.”

“What he really is trying to say is, ‘Don’t even think about laying one finger on Draco Malfoy’.”

“Fine. Draco is mine. Mine, mine, mine. You can’t have him.”

“You absolutely have no sense of adventure.”

“I thought you two hated him. Why don’t you try to fish for someone else? Oliver perhaps?”

“You mean Wood?”

“Who else can I mean? Is there some other Oliver that we know?”

The three of them held on to the railing and waited for the staircase to stop moving. Harry scowled at the portraits that were listening to their conversation eagerly.

“Oliver. It’s been quite a while since we saw him,” Fred said absently, but George was frowning.

“Wait – wasn’t he among that solemn Auror’s group? The witch named Raveneye or something like that?”

Fred snapped his fingers. “Yes! He was talking to Sinistra during lunch!” he said excitedly. “Bloody hell … that was him?” His eyes widened to the size of Galleons.

“What on earth are you guys yapping about?” Harry said impatiently. To his aggravation, the twins eagerly took off.

“We’ll see you later, Harry!!!” Fred shouted and grabbed George’s arm, leaving Harry feeling quite nonplussed at their behavior.