The Phoenix's Fire

The Truth about Necromancy

Chapter 8

Rising slowly to his feet, Sirius headed out of his room in search of something to do and to find out what all of the screaming was about. Popping his head into the doorway of Alexia's room his eyes widened in surprise at the sight before him. Pushing aside the bitterness that rose within him at seeing Harry with somebody other than his daughter, Sirius smiled at the two. Closing the door quietly, he made his way back to his room while wondering how this would affect the already short length of his daughter's life.

*****

The kiss was short and sweet; the end was not. Pulling back suddenly, Alexia shoved Harry away.

"As flattered as I am by your sudden interest in me, this won't work. You're still obsessed with Destiny Black and I refuse to be second best to a memory." Seeing the hurt expression on his face, she sighed but refused to back down. "I'm going to just forget that this ever happened." Turning her back to him, she waited for him to leave.

Touching her arm softly, Harry whispered, "What if there was no Destiny? Would you have been willing to give it a try then?"

"Even if Destiny wasn't an issue, there would still be the fact that I'm me."

"I don't understand."

Facing him, she smiled softly. "You're not ready for real commitment. I want somebody who will be willing to stand by me for all eternity. I don't want some short fling; I'm ready for the real thing."

"I completely understand that but how will you know if it's the real thing if you don't at least try?"

"What about Destiny?"

"Destiny was my first love and she will always be my friend. She's gone though and I have to move on. It's so strange... For the first time, I feel that I am really able to let her go; that with you, the pain of missing her will vanish. Is this making any sense?"

Smiling softly, Alexia didn't answer. Biting her lip, she looked up into his eyes. "Alright, I'm willing to give this a go if you are."

Smiling happily, Harry opened his mouth to reply when Sirius burst into the room.

"Harry, sorry to interrupt but we're needed at headquarters."

Nodding, Harry turned to Alexia. "We'll finish talking later, okay?"

"Okay. Oh!" Hurrying into the bathroom, she returned moments later with a piece of parchment folded up like a note. "This may be of some importance to you. I was just scribbling it down when you first came. I get the feeling there was more to it but I got knocked out of the trance-like state and didn't get to see anymore."

Glancing down, he asked, "Is it-"

"Yes. Read it when you get to work."

Nodding absentmindedly, Harry followed Sirius out the door.

Waiting until she was sure they had both apparated away, Alexia reached into her pocket and pulled out a muggle cell phone. Dialing a number, she allowed it to ring once before hanging up. Immediately her phone rang back.

"Yes." She replied tonelessly.

"R.J.L reporting."

"The prophesy has been delivered and his trust has been gained. Don't allow this to be screwed up."

"Understood." Without another word, 'RJL' hung up.

*****

Apparating into the apparition room, Harry asked what exactly was going on.

"We've gotten word of a Death Eater meeting at the Flying Dragon and we're going to crash it."

"The Flying Dragon? I'm not familiar with that pub."

"I'd certainly hope not! There's a road at the end of Knockturn Alley that only the very worst go down. It wasn't even named out of fear of it. The Flying Dragon is at the end of THAT road."

Mischievously, Harry asked if he'd ever been there. Grinning back, Sirius launched into a story about the Marauder's at the age of sixteen sneaking down Knockturn Alley, getting lost, and the panic that had ensued.

Laughing, Harry dropped the prophecy off at intelligence and made his way to the meeting room. Madeye Moody stood at the head of the table as the field agents gathered around.

"It has been reported that a Death Eater meeting will be taking place tonight. Potter, choose a team and be ready to go to battle in an hour. You are to subdue and arrest only. The people are demanding public executions."

Nodding, Harry began to call out the names for his team.

*****

An hour later, Harry, Sirius, Remus, Arabella, Stanton, Dakota, and the elf Mia had all apparated to the middle of the nameless alley. Ducking into a narrow alleyway between two buildings, Harry began to make sure they were all ready.

"We know how this works kid," Arabella replied calmly to his worried remarks. "Let's just get this over with, it's beginning to rain."

Agreeing, they turned to go and froze.

There before them stood the brilliant red phoenix that he had first seen before the battle with Voldemort. Letting out a quiet song note, the phoenix flew over and landed in front of him. Turing its head to its tail, the bird pulled out a feather and dropped it at his feet. Giving one last note, the phoenix flew to the top of a large pile of boxes and watched them without moving.

Watching it closely, Harry leaned down and picked up the feather. Tucking it into his pocket, he nodded at the bird and commanded his team to move.

"What's with the feather?" Sirius whispered.

"I'm not sure," Harry replied. "What I want to know is why that bird keeps appearing every time we go to fight the Death Eaters."

*****

The mission was completed quickly with the capture of fifteen Death Eaters and only slight injury to the Light forces. Returning to headquarters at dusk, they were surprised to find out that two other raids had been performed with success and no injuries. A total of thirty Death Eaters had been caught that day.

"The strangest thing," Agent Vivian Malone, the leader of the second raid said, "was that before we attacked, a phoenix dropped a feather on us and just sat watching us enter. It was gone when we exited."

Surprised, the man in charge of the third raid gasped. "A similar thing happened to us!"

"A phoenix?" Dumbledore asked curiously, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "The phoenix is known to be a symbol of hope, the only creature that continuously beats death. Perhaps seeing it gave the agents the hope they needed to win." Pausing, Dumbledore asked to see the feathers. Looking closely at the red and silver, he finally sat them one the table. "They're just regular feathers. They'd make good wands-"

As the statement was made, all three feathers burst into flames. Incinerating immediately, not even the ash remained.

"Bloody hell," Malone gasped in shock.

"Maybe they were sent as good luck tokens..." Dumbledore mused, eyeing the scorch marks on the table.

"By who," Harry asked, "and why would they burn?"

"Because they weren't for me, they were only meant for you."

"It matters?"

"Apparently to whoever sent the bird to you it does."

"So you have no idea who sent it?"

"No. We'll just have to wait and see what happens next."

*****

Arriving home that night, Harry found Alexia sitting in the white gazebo in the backyard holding a dead blue bird. Raising her gaze from where it had rested on the bird, she sighed before lowering her eyes again. Sitting next to her, Harry tried to suppress the disgusted shivers that were running through him from being so near the dead animal and instead looked up at the stars.

"They're pretty, aren't they?" Alexia asked. "They're something you can always count on..." Rising to her feet, she carried the dead animal to the edge of the woods that surrounded his home and threw it in. Turning back to him, she asked how his day had gone.

"Umm..." he muttered, glancing to where the bird had just been tossed. "There were three raids today and all of them went off without the slightest problem. What did you do?"

Shrugging, Alexia picked at the material of her dress. "Thought about things. This world... it's totally and irrevocably screwed up..." Walking to the stairs of the gazebo, she stepped out. "Did you look at the prophecy?"

"No, it's in intelligence."

"There's nothing to decode about it. It's in plain English. I suggest you see it... soon."

*****

Sitting in Julia Snow's small apartment, Selena glanced nervously around. The walls were covered in pictures of Julia's only daughter Destiny, as a child, and as a teenager. There were pictures of her in dresses, in Halloween costumes, up in trees, and floating in pools. In no picture though was the little black haired girl playing with another person.

"Why are you here?" Julia asked, jerking Selena out of her thoughts. "No offense but you just disappeared over twenty years ago and now you're back."

Biting her lip, Selena spoke. "I'm sorry about that, I really am but you have no idea what it was like to have had your boyfriend murdered."

Blinking in disbelief, Julia gasped out, "I had no idea? I had no idea! Do you have any idea what it was like to be the fiancé of a convicted murderer and to be carrying his child? In one night I lost Lily, James, Sirius, Peter, and because of your selfishness, you! All I had left was Remus and you know good and well that that man never stays in the same place for more than six months at a time! I was all alone! I had nothing left but a little girl who every time I looked at her, reminded me of what I had lost! I feel horrible now when I realize that my daughter thought that I hated her! The one time she asked me about her father I had just been fired from my job because they found out about Sirius and I said that he was a monster. A few weeks before I had told her that she was just like her father and I guess she took it to mean that I thought she was evil." Sniffing, Julia glared at the woman before her. "The worse thing is that the entire time, it was Peter's fault."

"I know. I got word of it about three months ago."

"So you didn't know?"

"Did I know that he was responsible for Lily and James' deaths? Yes, I knew. It didn't matter though. I thought Sirius had killed all those people and for that he did deserve Azkaban." Bowing her head, Selena whispered, "That's why I'm here. I wanted to tell you that I was sorry."

"Sorry for what; for believing it like the rest of the world? You couldn't have known. I don't blame you and neither would Sirius."

"No, not about the Sirius thing... Peter he... Peter would tell me things, little things that wouldn't really make sense at the time. I was his sounding board. He would rant to me and while he was doing that, it never really made any sense. I always figured he was just trying to get it off his chest and nver thought about it. After I got word from Dumbledore that the Potters were dead, I put it all together. All that ranting finally made sense. Peter was working for Voldemort and had betrayed the Potters."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I thought Sirius had murdered all of those people so I didn't think it mattered. I know that Peter received the Order of Merlin, First Class and all that but... I didn't want to get in trouble."

"Why would you have gotten in trouble?"

"You know what the court system was like back then. If they thought you had anything to do with Voldemort, no matter how insignificant, you went to Azkaban. I was afraid that if I came forth with information that would help nobody, I would be thrown in a cell and left there to rot... So, I came here today to tell you that I was sorry for not putting things together and for not helping Sirius and you when you needed me the most."

"You still don't need my forgiveness. You've done nothing for which you should be ashamed."

"I have done nothing and for that I am ashamed. Please... Forgive me..."

Seeing that she wasn't going to back down and stop feeling guilty, Julia smiled through her tears, leaned forward, and wrapped the blond in her arms. "I forgive you. I'm so glad you came back, I've missed you so much!"

*****

Two weeks had passed since the day that Harry and Alexia had sat together under the stars. In that time, Harry had seen the prophecy Alexia had made. It technically was a vision, not a prophecy, and it was indeed very clear in its meaning: Harry was going to die. Alexia had seen Harry lying on the ground, covered in blood, and an open hole marring his chest. Sirius had begun to panic and had insisted that Harry go into hiding. The Mage had refused.

Harry and Alexia had grown to be inseparable since their first kiss and was now the Wizarding Worlds most popular couple. When Sirius and Julia announced their engagement and hopes of being married immediately, Harry invited Alexia to the wedding as his date. She refused. After much begging, she finally agreed reluctantly just to silence him.

Arriving at the church, she sat in the back while Harry stood up front with Sirius and Remus. Attempting to blend in with her surroundings, Alexia slouched down into her chair.

"Isn't this wonderful dear?" an old lady asked her. "To finally be able to be together after all this time and so many trials..."

"Yeah," the white haired vampire muttered, "peachy."

After the ceremony had ended and everyone had moved on to the reception, Harry finally tracked his date down.

"What are you doing over here by yourself?" Harry asked making his way over to the deserted corner that she was sitting in. "The parties over there!"

"I'm just not feeling very social at the moment."

"Well, Sirius wants you to meet Julia so just pretend to want to be here for a few minutes and then you can go back to sulking in the corner."

"I don't want to congratulate them!"

Grabbing her arm, Harry dragged her forcefully over to where the newlywed couple was standing.

"Julia, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine and my date, Alexandria de Winter."

Hearing the name, Julia's eyes snapped over to Alexia and gave her a closer look.

"Alexandria?" Julia asked. Stepping closer to the fair haired woman, she didn't seem very surprised when Alexia backed away.

"No," Alexia stated firmly.

"No what?" Sirius asked curiously.

Shaking her head, Alexandria hurried from the room and out the door.

"What was that all about?" Harry asked. "Do you two know each other?"

"Yes, she-" Julia broke off as people approached to congratulate her and her new husband. "I'll tell you tonight, after the guests have left."

Nodding, Harry waited.

*****

After most of the guests had left and only the Blacks, Harry, and the cleaning crew remained, the three headed over to Julia's apartment that had yet to be cleaned out. Walking up the stairs, Harry glanced around. The walls were covered in pictures, the furniture was nice and overall, it seemed like a very happy place.

"Sit down," Julia said, bringing tea into the small living room. Sitting in an arm chair across from the two men, she looked back and forth between them. "How well do you know Alexandria de Winter?"

Sirius spoke first. "I don't really know her at all. She's the Seer that we went to Las Vegas to get. Harry knows her better, he's dating her."

"Oh, I have no doubt that Harry would like her," Julia muttered. "What do you know about her?" she asked Harry.

"I know that she's a vampire that was born in the 1600's and the general stuff that led to her being changed. Um... I know she isn't fond of sunlight but loves the stars."

"So you know the little things about her?" At his nod of confirmation, she scowled. "And you still didn't figure it out?"

"Figure what out?" Sirius asked confused.

"Alexandria de Winter is not a vampire."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked. "Of course she is!"

"I assure you she's not. At least she isn't as of yet."

"Then why does she have the ring of the vampire?"

"She wears it in case she decides to live or, technically, become undead." Getting up, Julia disappeared into the kitchen.

"You know," Sirius mused, "we never did see her drink any blood."

"Yeah, but if she's not a vampire, what is she? I mean, the woman bleeds SILVER blood. That is most definitely NOT a human trait."

Shrugging, Sirius turned to face his wife as she came back in with a few Magically Magical Markers and a picture. Sitting down, she laid a Muggle picture on the coffee table between them.

The picture was just as Harry remembered Destiny to be. Long black curls cascaded down her back as topaz eyes shined up through thick eyelashes. Small, beautiful, delicate: this is what Harry remembered most of the girl that had once pledged her heart to him.

Handing Harry the markers, Julia pointed at the picture. "Take this one and color here and this one here."

Frowning at her, he did as he was told. Taking the black, Harry colored in the eyes. Uncapping the white, Harry blinked down at the picture. Eyes widening, Harry furiously started to color in the hair. Sitting back to look at his work, he could feel his mouth gaping open like a fish.

Lying before him was an exact replica of Alexia.

"But-but-" Sirius stuttered uncomprehendingly.

"How?" Harry asked, completely stunned. "I mean, I thought Destiny was dying!"

"She is," Julia stated.

"Well, she certainly doesn't ACT like she is!"

"Well, her dying is a bit different from a normal persons' death. She won't weaken as she dies- well; she'll have weak spells towards the end- she'll just vanish. All the signs are there: her hair has lost all of its color, the light blue of her eyes has darkened, and she's pale as death. All of this time you spent searching for her and she was right there helping you, keeping you alive."

Shaking his head to clear away the cobwebs that were forming, Harry frowned at the older woman. "Alexia- Destiny said that she was turned into a vampire in the 1600's, that she's been a vampire every since then..."

"Destiny doesn't lie, she just doesn't tell the whole truth either. She'll only tell you what she wants you to know. I'm positive that she never SAID that she was a vampire."

"But she did!"

"Did she? Think hard."

Pausing, he shook his head negatively. "No, she never said it but she definitely hinted at it."

"You believed what you thought was the truth and she just didn't bother to correct you. Destiny really is a de Winter though and they are the largest vampire clan still alive."

"How exactly is she a de Winter?" Sirius asked. "I mean, she looks exactly like that Alexandria girl in this fairy painting we have of her."

"That's because Alexia and Destiny are one and the same, they always have been." Looking over at Harry, Julia asked him to repeat the story that Alexia had told him. After retelling the tale, Julia nodded. "The story is true- well, almost all of it. Alexandria refused to be changed into a vampire as her twenty-second birthday drew near. When her house was burned by an angry mob that had found out that she was a witch, she was the only one who escaped unscathed. Alexandria begged Stanton to save her family so that they would always be there for her and he did. Her and her family disappeared into the forest but she was caught soon after. She hung for the crime of witchcraft and died over three hundred years ago."

Nobody moved after this pronouncement. Finally Sirius spoke. "She reincarnated then?"

"Yes."

"How? Why? Why didn't she become a vampire? She could have survived being hanged!"

"The price of immortality to a Necromancer is great- to great for her obviously."

"What price?" Harry whispered.

"Complete loss of power. Destiny is THE Necromancer; there will be no others until she gives up her claim WILLINGLY to the throne. She won't do that though. For as much as she whines about hating being different, she loves being what she is." Sipping her tea, Julia continued. "There have been many Necromancers before Destiny but she is the one that has lasted the longest. She has never chosen immortality in any of her lives, her choice is always death. All the others have chosen vampirism after the first or second life."

"How many lives has she lived?"

"About fifteen or so. In all of them, she has never lived to see her twenty-second birthday."

Thoughtfully, Sirius said, "Stanton does hang around headquarters an awful lot now that I think about it. He's the one offering to change her, isn't he?"

"Yes, but only out of loneliness. It's hard for them to have been always separated because of what they were but have had power to make up for it and then lose that power and still be shunned. There are a few still out there that once possessed the power of Necromancy, but of all of them, Stanton was the only one that truly had the chance of reaching Destiny's level of greatness."

"Whoa! Wait a second!" Sirius gasped. "Stanton was a Necromancer?"

"At one time, yes. He had faded almost completely before he agreed to be changed, hence, the color of his hair."

"So... if they choose immortality, a new one is born?"

"When the world is in need of them; yes."

"What happens if they choose death?"

"Then they wait where ever they vanish to until the Dark Creatures are about to become endangered and they just... reincarnate."

"What I don't get is why that idiot wizard would betray her!" Harry snapped.

"I don't understand that either, Harry. Why do you always feel the need to make sure she dies before she's twenty-two?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me."

"How could it possibly have been my fault? I wasn't even alive back then!"

"Oh," Julia replied smugly, "I assure you, you were." Seeing his confusion, she said, "In every life, you reincarnate too. In those lives, you make sure that she never completes The Fade. For some reason, you always love her but wind up through some circumstances, killing her. Don't make that mistake this time around."

"I won't. I'll die first."

"I don't suggest doing that either. Destiny's very existence is tied to you. You die, she dies. It doesn't work the other way around though; you live no matter what happens to her."

"Are you sure? About Destiny not being able to survive without me?"

"It's never been proven but from the way she gravitates to you, everybody is positive it's true."

"How do I always reincarnate with her?"

"I have no idea. I'm thinking though, that since she has so much control over the dead, she can put them back into bodies and let them live again."

Glancing up from where he'd been staring into his tea cup, Sirius asked hesitantly, "Hey Harry? Before you knew it was Destiny and thought she was just the vampire Alexia, did you love her?"

Sighing, Harry rose to his feet. "Yes, I did." Without another word, he left the apartment.

"Well," Sirius said, leaning back in his chair, "this sure has been a romantic wedding night."

Rising to her feet, Julia moved over to sit next to her husband and smiled up at him. "It is kind of romantic for them if you think about it."

"I fail to see how any of this could possibly be considered romantic."

Smiling, Julia said, "They fell in love as children and even after so many years of separation they managed to fall in love again. I mean, they didn't even know each other as their childhood loves but their hearts did. I guess what the fairy tales are true: true love really will overcome any and all obstacles."