Reconstruction of a Death Eater

Passing the Trust

Harry leaned against the doorpost leading into the ballroom and braced himself. He always needed to gather his courage before entering the make-shift hospital with its fancy chandeliers and folding army cots. It angered him that good people fighting for the Light could not go safely to St Mungo's when their lives depended on the quality of care they received after battling the Dark. All they could get was one ex-St Mungo's medi-wizard and Poppy Pomfrey's admittedly wide range of experience, but it was sometimes not enough and good people died.

Still, there shouldn't be too many injured in the hospital at this time. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had been thwarted on a number of fronts and the casualty list had been reasonably light these past few months. Steeling himself, Harry eased one leaf of the double doors open and crept into the darkened area on tiptoes.

"Mr Harry Potter!"

The squeak made him jump and gasp as Dobby wrapped long arms around his legs, effectively hobbling him in the middle of the aisle. "Gods, Dobby, you half scared me to death! What are you doing here?"

"Dobby is bringing supplies to Mr Harry Potter's house and is cleaning Mr Harry Potter's spare rooms and is making sure Mr Harry Potter's guests have clean bed linen and towels, which is Dobby's job now."

"I - you mean Remus' and my house?" Harry corrected softly, trying to keep the house elf's voice down.

"Oh no, Mr Harry Potter, Sir; the Ministry said Mr Remus Lupin-Black cannot have a house now. He is a werewolf and is not allowed to have a house of his own, so he said it is now all Mr Harry Potter's house. Is Mr Harry Potter not knowing this, Sir?"

"I - no Dobby, I didn't. When did this happen?"

"Yesterday two days ago, Sir; Mr Remus Lupin-Black is being very busy telling other werewolves how to be hiding their children and their houses and their monies. He is back now and he is not happy to be an animal."

"Dobby!"

"I am so sorry, Sir, but this is what Mr Remus Lupin-Black tells to Dobby when Dobby is asking."

"And where is Remus now?" Harry asked softly.

"He is destroying Mrs Black's painting, and making a hole in Harry Potter's wall."

Harry laughed; the almost rusty sound seemed out of place in the dim sick hall. Someone stirred off to their right, a vague figure sitting up on one elbow to stare in their direction. "That you, Potter?"

"Mrs... Figg?" Harry questioned uncertainly.

"Aye, it is, Lad. Well, don't just stand there gawping, come over here where I can see you. Well! You have grown up, but not that much taller, hey? How have you been since you moved to Hogwarts permanently?"

"Quite well, Mrs Figg, and you? How are the cats?"

"Oh, they are very well, cats usually are. Saw that pig of a cousin of yours the other day; Minky scared him so badly he broke wind to give himself a better turn of speed." The old woman cackled with relish at the memory, then held her ribs as they ached against the jiggling. "Damned Death Eaters! No respect for age! You never know where they are going to pop up next!"

"Where did they get you, Madam?" Harry asked politely as he helped ease the old woman down against her pillows comfortably.

"They were in Diagon Alley, of all places! I was shopping and they just came out of no where! Wands flaring, masks flashing, curses going willy-nilly! Silly buggers, no style!" she grumbled disgustedly.

"Who is that you have with you, Bella?" a new voice asked curiously from their right.

"A neighbour of mine, Phyllis, haven't seen him for a while."

"Was he hurt in the attack too?"

"No, of course not, you daft Besom; he's Harry Potter, the lad I used to babysit for those terrible Dursley pigs."

"The Harry Potter? Oh my goodness, and me in a hospital gown and all, at a time like this. Oh, for goodness sake, how awkward. I am very pleased to meet you, Mr Potter, we've heard so much about you," the woman, at least as old as Arabella Figg, simpered.

"Aye, since he were two years old belike!" Arabella snorted in disgust. "Go to sleep, Phyllis, you are dreaming!"

"That wasn't kind," Harry sniggered, squeezing the old woman's hand gently. "I'm actually looking for Molly Weasley. Do you know if she is in here?"

"Yes, she brought someone new in a few hours ago and immediately put up the privacy curtain. I don't think they're holding out much hope for this new one, looked like a mummy with all those bandages and spell bindings on it. We couldn't even tell if it was a man or a woman, to tell you the truth."

"Oh. Perhaps I shouldn't disturb her," Harry pondered softly.

"Aye, and perhaps you should. Sometimes, in those death watch situations, it's nice to know there are living folk about," Mrs Figg counselled gently. "Off you go lad, and quietly."

Standing up, Harry nodded, squeezed her hand and moved silently down the central aisle toward the closed privacy curtains. He wondered who would be so badly injured that they had to wrap him up like a mummy. Most wizarding medicine didn't require bandages or stitches or any of the other things Muggles took in their stride. Moving carefully and slowly, he eased his hand into the fold of privacy curtain and carefully moved it aside very slowly. The charms on the curtains allowed for slow movement, the rationale behind them saying that it gave time for the attendants to refuse entrance to a visitor. Anyone trying to move quickly would find the cloth took on the properties of steel plating.

Harry managed to put his head around the screen and glanced at the patient laying flat on the bed. He wasn't familiar so Harry ignored him as he looked further in for Molly. He spotted her slumped in a chair beside the bed, her head tipped to one side, resting on her hand. She looked very uncomfortable and cold as he eased in, the black circles under her eyes so very dark she looked like a panda. Taking his wand out slowly, Harry very carefully wove a warming spell around the sleeping woman, a half smile curving his lips as she moved and smiled in her sleep.

Turning to leave, Harry nearly shrieked when he realised the man on the bed was now sitting bolt upright, his eyes wide open. He must have been tall as his face was on the same level as Harry's, so close their noses almost bumped as Harry turned away from Molly. The squeak of surprise was cut short as the man's black eyes caught Harry's green and froze him to the spot. There was no iris to those eyes, only pupil, black and reflection-less, bottomless pits of blackness sucking him into another place.

"From Elder Snake to Younger Lion,

In marble cold, holds the timeless bier

Come from the Blood, through Fire rising,

The new Phoenix gives up the old."

Harry knew the voice, knew it as well as he knew his own but could not place it, no matter how hard he tried. Even worse, he could not move away, as he felt something touch the side of his hair then settle around his neck. Whatever it was, it moved against his chest and seemed to snuggle down under his clothes. Frozen in place with never a spell whispered, Harry was unable to move or do anything to stop it. For a horrible moment he was suspended in a limbo of nothingness, worse even than when he shared Voldemort's dreams. Then he was free.

His breath came out in a shuddering gasp as he realised he was staring into the man's eyes, his forehead resting lightly against the stranger's. Realising his limbs were now free, Harry all but threw himself away from the man who slowly sank backwards until he was once again lying as still and as unmoving as an effigy. Molly snorted a little in her sleep, the ordinary sounds of the ward coming over the privacy screen in the normal, muffled way. For a moment Harry wondered if he had dreamed the whole episode but then he felt some odd weight around his neck. Moving cautiously, he pulled the neck of his shirt out with one finger and peered down at his chest. There was definitely something there but it was snuggled tight to his upper breastbone and he couldn't see it.

Curious, he eased out of the security screen and headed for one of the mirrors on the ballroom wall near the door, unbuttoning his shirt as he went. Before he could take a proper look the door opened a crack and both Ron and Hermione slipped in, both staring at him in surprise.

"Harry.... Why are you half undressed?" Hermione asked curiously, keeping her voice down to a low murmur.

"I-I.... The oddest thing just happened to me," he muttered, turning back to the mirror and pulling his shirt open while peering in the mirror.

"Whoa! Now that is beautiful, seriously creepy, but beautiful," Ron remarked, peering over one shoulder while Hermione peered around the other arm.

"It's a serpent, a cloisonné serpent on a gold chain," Hermione said knowledgably. "It looks really old and very well made, a hand-made piece, not a mass-produced one. Where did you get it?"

"Your mother's patient just gave it to me," Harry told them, slipping his fingers under the gold chain and trying to pull it off but the chain appeared to be too short. "What? But he didn't undo the catch; he just slipped the chain over my head!" He pulled on the two ends but could not snap the chain either.

Ron grabbed it with both very large hands and tried his strength, only letting go when the chain seemed to shrink and try to strangle Harry. "This is bad, very bad," he remarked to his best friend as Harry gagged a little then realised the chain had again lengthened to a comfortable, but not removable, length.

"Well, it's obviously a wizard's piece of jewellery or it wouldn't try to be irremovable. Perhaps we should ask Mr Weasley or Professor Lupin about this?" Hermione counselled sensibly.

"Remus is here? Where?" Harry demanded.

"Oh, he's here alright but he's not like he used to be, believe me!" Ron smirked as Hermione led the way to the kitchen.

Harry eyed the hole in the wall with disbelief as they passed it, Tonks having hung a curtain up over the gap. At the kitchen door Harry paused for a moment then grinned widely when he saw his Godfather sprawled in the chair, a foot hooked on the far rung as he teased Tonks who was cooking something. Laughing, he flung himself forward, hugging the werewolf unselfconsciously as Remus caught his balance and the young man who was pounding on his back.

"Harry! It's so good to see you! When did you get here? How did you get here?" Remus demanded, pushing him back to arms' length and studying him closely. "Are you in trouble?"

"No, of course not, or at least, I don't think so. Hey, have you ever seen anything like this?" he asked, opening his shirt again.

"Phew! That's an expensive piece of glitter, no doubt about that!" Remus commented, lifting it with a finger and studying the intricate scales on the snake carefully. "A bit of an odd piece for a Gryffindor to start wearing, don't you think?"

Tonks turned and gaped at the snake pendant but even as she opened her mouth to comment, there was a blinding burst of light from the snake's eyes that sent Remus toppling back off his chair and Tonks diving for her wand which was on the bench. Harry squawked indignantly as his best friends drew their wands on his Godfather and his friend even as Remus straightened but did not put away the wand that had all but leaped into his hand.

"Now that was an interesting thing," the werewolf remarked softly, staring at Harry's neck with narrowed golden eyes. Before anyone could react, he cast Acclaro with a twist and whistled silently at the results, Tonks following suit as she lowered her wand, too. "There's no evil in it and now it is a Light symbol rather than a snake."

"What? What's happening? Guys! Hey, guys! Talk to me, please!" Harry was totally ignored as his friends examined and admired his pendant until he simply buttoned up his shirt again. "Have I your attention, now? Good! What the hell happened just then?"

"Harry, language," Remus said almost reflexively and Ron burst out laughing, making the werewolf blush vividly. Ignoring the redhead's almost silent teasing of, 'don't do as I do, do as I say,' he cancelled his Acclaro spell and set his chair back on its legs before seating himself again. "The snake turned into a phoenix, just as perfect in every detail."

Harry blinked then his eyes went round as something seemed to take over his mouth for a few moments.

"From Elder Snake to Younger Lion,

In marble cold, holds the timeless bier

Come from the Blood, through Fire rising,

The new Phoenix gives up the old."

It was gone instantly and he coughed hackingly as Hermione reached into her inner robes for her ever-present notebook to copy the verse down. "What appalling metre but it has that sort of 'Trelawney' feel to it. Harry, how do you feel?" she asked with clinical interest.

"Really, really cranky!" he snapped glaring around impartially. "First, I get assaulted by a patient, who gives me a mysterious pendant and a very bad poem, then my Godfather attacks me with a flash spell, and then I am told I have a phoenix around my neck instead of a snake..."

"I didn't flash you, the snake flashed me as it became a phoenix," Remus corrected softly.

"... and everyone is pointing wands at me like I was a bad guy," Harry finished in aggrieved tones that sounded a lot like a petulant whine even in his own ears.

"I think you have just been assaulted by an incoming prophesy," Tonks said lightly but her hair was a plain brown, a good indicator that she was both serious and unsure.

~~*~~

Hermione nodded sagely while Ron's jaw dropped as he stared from one person to the other. Tonks leaned over and pushed his jaw up with a finger tip as she scattered plates over the table as if she was dealing cards. With a practiced flip of her wand, she landed a heaped platter of bacon, eggs, and sausage followed by a bowl of baked beans and a bowl of chips onto the table.

"If you want toast, burn your own," she commented as she flung herself into the nearest chair which tottered undecidedly before landing on four legs and dug in only a fraction of a second behind Remus. "That snake pendant was around Snape's neck when I saw it a few hours ago and it was impossible to take off. It was magically attached of course, but nothing special."

Remus raised his eyebrows questioningly, his mouth full of sausage and eggs. Before he could swallow, Ron clicked his tongue in enlightenment. "'Elder Snake' is Snape of course and 'Younger Lion' is Harry. The 'whatever it is' has passed from the snake to the lion already." It was Hermione's turn to gape at her friend in surprise making him blush vividly. "What? It's really obvious, isn't it?"

"Earth to flame. Snakes live in the earth and Phoenixes renew in fire so that would mean the change in the pendant, wouldn't it?" Harry muttered then shook his head. "No, that's not right it's 'Come from the Blood, through Fire Rising,' sounds like something is being summoned."

"Well, the last line is sort of rhetorical, new phoenixes always leave the old one in the ashes, everyone knows that."

"But this seems to imply that the phoenix is raising something besides itself, do you see? And to which phoenix is it referring?" Remus asked around a large mouthful of food. He shrugged when he realised he had their undivided attention. "In the time of the greatest persecution of witches in Germany, the code phrase for the freeing of a witch was 'the phoenix has risen from the ashes', just a bit of trivia for you. The phoenix could be a person, a cause, a thing or even a bird, and that is what we need to work out."

"I wonder if there is a reference in the library," Hermione mused, picking at the second breakfast while the boys dug in enthusiastically. She noticed Professor Lupin took frequent pulls from the bottle that sat at his elbow and every time he did Tonks' grin grew wider. Leaning across to the older witch, Hermione murmured, "What are you planning?"

"Not a thing," Tonks assured her with a twinkle and a wink. "Being a metamorph-magus has advantages and I plan to practice my talent at any point I can. After all, practice makes perfect, and he doesn't like 'little girls'."

"Very true," Remus replied, his grin showing a lot of teeth as he blinked innocently.

Tonks grinned back then casually filched a piece of bacon off Harry's plate to replace the sausage and bacon Remus had just stolen from her. Harry frowned and pinched Ron's food making him howl and stab Hermione's last sausage as she shook her head in resignation. "Do they ever grow up?" she asked rhetorically and Tonks giggled as Remus stole Hermione's eggs to clear her plate.

"Not so you'd notice," Remus murmured wickedly as he finished his plateful, more than both boys managed to demolish together. "That hit the spot," he nodded and blew Tonks a kiss before finishing the bottle of chocolate liqueur and belching quietly into his hand as he rose. "Well, I had better have a quick word with Arthur and Draco before I push off again."

"What do wombats and werewolves have in common?" Tonks said in a non sequitur to Hermione, making the boys frown and shake their heads at the silliness of women in general and these two in particular. When Hermione grinned and shook her head a little, Tonks pursed her lips and spoke at a more normal tone. "Eats, roots and leaves."

There was a splutter of laughter from the students and Remus, poised in the doorway, burst out laughing. "Is that an offer?" he asked the grinning Tonks, ignoring the other three totally.

Tonks wiggled her eyebrows and followed him out. "Take care of the dishes, guys," she tossed over her shoulder as they disappeared.

"I don't know if I should laugh or barf," Ron muttered, his ears bright red.

"I guess we're all grown up now," Hermione replied thoughtfully as she gathered the dishes and sent them over to the sink with a charm.

"An off-colour joke makes you conclude that?" Ron questioned incredulously as he put away the dishes Harry washed and Hermione dried Muggle fashion.

"Well, would either our Professor or an Auror make such a joke in the presence of children? Of course not, ickle kiddies need to be protected from such nasty topics so yes, I'd say we have finally been accepted as grown-ups." Hermione nodded decisively.

"What gets me is how can Remus laugh when his world is crashing down around him?" Harry burst out resentfully. "They have revoked the rights of werewolves to own property..."

"...or have the raising of children," Ron continued grimly. "I overheard Tonks and Professor Lupin talking in the sitting room. Remus said Sirius wanted him to adopt you too, Harry, but he wouldn't let Sirius put his name on the documents in case they used it against you. And he was right; our Percy told Professor McGonagall about it before the ministry could take you away."

"I know, Sirius told me just before.... He also told me - and this is in strictest confidence - that he was married to Remus and stuff - yes Hermione, they were gay and married very quietly when they first left school, is that a problem for you? - And that I was to watch out for Remus just as Remus would look out for me. It was a bit of an eye opener but not hard to accept once I got used to the idea. Actually, it sort of made me feel better about Sirius dying even if Remus wasn't officially named, do you see?"

Before they could get any further into the discussion, Arthur Weasley came in and stopped short to see his youngest son and his friends sitting at the table. "What are you lot still doing here, especially as it is a school weekend?" he asked in surprise but without anger.

"Er, Hi, Dad, I - I... that is...." Ron took a deep breath then let it out in a whoosh. "Sit down Dad, I have something to discuss with you, something important."

"Do you want us to leave?" Hermione asked delicately.

"Nah, it concerns Harry too, and you, I suppose," Ron said offhandedly making his father stare at his perceived rudeness and Hermione roll her eyes. "Look Dad, Professor McGonagall has invited Hestia Jones and Mad Eye Moody to come to school and begin giving Auror training to any candidate who meets the academic and practical criteria. Harry and I took the tests last month and we have both been accepted."

"Well, congratulations boys, but your mother is going to go be a bit upset, you know, Ron. We would prefer you go into something a little less dangerous..." Arthur began then bit his lip as his youngest began to colour up.

"Like banking?" Ron snapped, then sighed and ducked his head. "Sorry, Dad, that was mean. Look, point one; we are going to have to battle, whether we like it or not and no one is going to be safe. Point two; He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is going to come after Harry sometime and that is a given. Point three; we are going to be either next to Harry or near enough to get caught in the cross-fire, too. At least this way, we will both have a fighting chance to survive the encounter or at worst, do some real damage before...."

All three young people exchanged long and knowing looks, far too old for such young and bright faces, making Arthur's heart ache for them. They were not even eighteen yet and already resigned to looking death in the face. The most incredible part was their ability to laugh and enjoy their lives even though one of them had a death sentence hanging over his head and his two friends were voluntarily sharing in his fate without a qualm or a demure. Hopeful eyes watched him across the table as he sighed and rose.

"I'm very proud of you, Son, well done. Enjoy the training and don't worry about your mother, I'll make sure she understands. Well done, Harry, too, you'll both make very fine Aurors, I know." He held out his hand to both young men and added a good hug for both before putting his hands on his hips and staring across at all three. "It still doesn't explain why you are here instead of at Hogwarts."

"Er, well..." Ron began, but Harry cut him off with a grin.

"You see, Sir, we are playing hookey. It's a Hogsmeade weekend. Since we have our Apparation licenses, we just ... popped in?"

Arthur snorted and shook his head, grinning back. "Don't get caught," was his only comment as he wandered out into the hallway. "Now, what am I going to do with this hole in the wall?" he mused aloud.

"Definitely growing up," Hermione grinned at her two best friends as they gathered their things in preparation for departure.