The Phoenicans

Chapter 3 - Guardians

As the darkness claws

At your heart.

Don't forget who you belong to,

Don't forget I'm yours.

For If you fall I will too,

If you crumble-

My soul will die.

Not like a Fairytale - Dreamkaste

The room smells stale, cold. You stand there, taking in the lifeless scene; a single body is slumped on the floor, lying in a pool of thick, red blood. The body is pale; you lean down and touch it. It's cold as ice; it looks fragile on the floor. The person's eyes are closed, not because of sleep, but because of death. At a single glance, you think that the person died because of an accident - you are wrong.

You walk slowly around the body, examining it carefully. You notice that the person's shirt is drenched in blood; with a flick of your wand, you remove it. You notice some unusual marks on the person's body; long deep slices into their back, like claws. Bird claws. You back away from death, hating the way it claws at you. As you reach the door, you notice a mark on the person's wrist. It's a brilliant red tattoo of a bird; it has a small '1' above it, the mark of a Guardian.

"The first Guardian is dead," you scream, terrified. Knowing that the identity of the last of a great race is in trouble. Only they know who their Guardians are. You realise what this means.

"What is it?" a gruff voice questions you. It's a guard. He shakes you repeatedly, trying to get you to answer him. You look up at him; the tears begin to fall from your eyes. You look down, watching them shatter like glass as they hit the cold stone floor.

"A Phoenician's gone over," you shriek, grasping the guard. "A Phoenican has gone over to You Know Who."

"I must warn the other Guardians," the guard mumbles, helping you up. "Get rid of his body, burn him."

With a shaking arm, you lift up your wand and whisper a spell. Suddenly the Guardian's body is alight, the flames licking the ceiling. You whisper goodbye to the Guardian, exiting the room. The war for you is no longer about protecting muggles and muggle-born wizards and witches, it's about revenge.

*~-~*

Jessica Patil sat in front of the large stone fireplace that gave the Ravenclaw common room a sense of power. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. Once again, she had been laughed out of her classes by harsh students who were supposed to be her friends. Tears filled her eyes as she remembered the harsh, stinging words of her fellow Ravenclaws.

"Liar," they jeered at her. "Joke, fool, freak, lunatic!"

"Stop it," Jessica howled, covering her ears to block the continuos chant. 'Lunatic,' she thought to herself, as she rocked back and forth. 'Freak? I don't think so.' A maniac-like laugh began to drift through her head. Jessica looked around to see if anyone was coming, breathing out a sigh of relief at the fireplace. "If I am crazy," she whispered to herself, "why do things I see always come true?"

Ever since she had been young, Jessica had been plagued with strange dreams. Dreams that always seemed to come true. The dreams used to be small things, like Marii breaking her favourite doll, or seeing herself fall over and scrape her knee. Jessica could even remember when her scariest vision was of Marii breaking her arm when they were playing catch the gnomes.

'My life was so simple then,' she thought, smiling to herself.

However, as she got older, her visions got more serious. She saw her sister getting into fights with Melissa Malfoy weeks before they actually happened. She saw Ireland winning the World cup but Victor Krum catching the snitch. However, her most frightening vision was when she saw a little boy with deadly green eyes and a lightening bolt scar help resurrect a dark force against his will.

Jessica began to see the dark force get stronger. She saw creatures deemed unworthy of the wizarding world flock towards the dark force. She saw Vampires, Werewolves, Acromantulas, Giants, and Lethifolds, all creatures of the night, flock to the darkest creature of all. A creature with eyes as red as blood.

"Snap out of it, Patil," Jessica said, standing up and brushing away traces of the fireplace. "You're going to be late for breakfast with Vince."

Jessica quickly grabbed her things and made her way down to the Great Hall. It was going to be hard to explain to Vince, who got hurt so easily, why she was late. Jessica sighed to herself; somehow, she knew it was going to be one of those days.

*~-~*

"Wormtail," A cold voice hissed.

"Y-yes m-master?" Peter stuttered, avoiding his master's fiery red gaze. "What would you ask of... of m-me?"

Peter watched as his master rose swiftly from his seat, his scaly-black body seemed to wriggle unnaturally. Peter squeaked as his master touched him gently on the cheek, sobbing as his master cut his face. Feeling the warm blood trickle gently down his cheek, Peter wiped it away with his sleeve.

"Stop blubbering, you rat," his master hissed as he flung Peter to the ground. "I need you to do something very important for me." Peter stood up slowly, making sure none of his bones were broken. He turned and nodded to his master, the signal for him to continue. "I need you to find the other two Phoenicans."

"But..." Peter squeaked, knowing that if he was caught or failed he would die. "Why can't she do it?"

"Gemma's on a mission," his master snapped. "She's getting rid of the four Guardians, and besides, she won't be able to get into a place protected by magic undetected. Only a rat like you could do that."

Peter watched as his master left, slamming the door behind him. He dropped to the floor in defeat, knowing that if he failed his master, he would die. If he was caught near the other two Phoenicans with malicious intent, he would be slaughtered on sight. Peter lifted a hand to his chest, he could feel his own heart beating, asking a single question. Where in the world would he find the other two Phoenicans?

*~-~*

"Miss Patil," a stern voice called, distracting Marii from her breakfast. "Professor Dumbledore has requested that you and your sister meet him up at his office after your classes. The password his Sugar Quills."

'Great ,' Marii thought, smiling politely at her head of house. 'Probably Professor Magenta with more instructions about the mental state of Jess and I.'

"Yes, Professor," Marii said smiling, watching as her house head walk towards Jessica, probably to tell her the news.

Jessica was so similar and yet so different from her. Jessica had different hair, different interests, even a different taste in music. But yet, they still found solace in each other's arms. They would always be there for each other in more ways than one. Marii looked at her sister and smirked. She was talking to a tall, muscled guy, probably the one she'd been talking about for ages. Marii stood up from the Gryffindor table and waltzed towards her sister. It was time she got to know the guy.

*~-~*

Harry Potter was sitting in front of the common room fire when he first saw her, the girl that had been haunting his dreams for the past couple of nights. He was sitting there, reading a book, and she entered like a goddess, like in a dream. She was wearing a soft, cream nightgown, which seamed to float around her as she walked. Her long cinnamon brown hair was out, blowing around her.

She floated up to him and said, "Harry, have you seen my advanced charms book?"

That was when he realised; the girl wasn't a goddess like he thought. The girl was his bushy haired, best friend, Hermione Granger. Harry had never seen her in this light before, beautiful, elegant, and single. Harry had smiled up at her and shook his head, then she left.

It had been a three days since that evening, and Harry hadn't been able to get her out of his mind. Now he was sitting next to her, his thigh was gently pressed against hers. He wished that she would turn and kiss him.

"Hermione?" He questioned, fiddling with his scrambled eggs.

"Yeah?" Hermione said, facing him with a smile.

"WillyougowithmetoHogsmeadenextweekend?" He questioned quickly.

"What, Harry, I didn't catch that?" She said grinning.

"Will you go with me to Hogsmeade next weekend?" Harry mumbled, blushing.

"Oh, yes, Harry, of course I will," she squealed. "I've been waiting for you to ask for ages, since last year in fact."

Harry grinned back at her. He was so relieved; it was easier than he thought. He began to eat his scrambled eggs, planning for the greatest weekend of his life.

*~-~*

"Hey, Jess," Jessica turned away from Vince to look at her sister. "Who's this then?"

"Hey, Marii," Jess mumbled, moving away from Vince slightly. "This is Vincent Crabbe."

Jessica watched her sister in anticipation. Hopefully Marii would approve of Vince, then she wouldn't have to worry about her parents. If Marii liked the guy, her parents would probably like him to.

"Hello, Vincent," Marii said, holding out her hand. "I've heard so much about you from Jess."

"You must be Jess' sister," Vince muttered, grabbing Marii's hand. "Don't call me Vincent, just Vince."

Jessica breathed a sigh of relief. Vince liked Marii, and Marii liked Vince. Jessica would now be able to introduce him to her parents, and maybe she could visit him over the holidays. She sighed, looked at her sister, then smiled.

"You like him then," Jess whispered to her sister.

"Yeah," Marii whispered back before turning to Vince. "I heard you made Slytherin Keeper, congratulations."

"Thanks," Vince said, blinking. "Do you play?"

"Yep," Jess answered for her sister. "She's captain, and a Beater."

"One of the best," Marii continued.

"Beater?" Somebody interrupted. Jessica turned and saw a slim boy with white-blond hair and sharp pointed features.

'This must be Draco Malfoy,' she thought to herself. 'He looks exactly like Vince told me... the white-blond hair, the sharp pointed features... wow.'

"A girl playing Beater," Draco Malfoy continued, running a hand through his distinguishable hair. "Why would you even consider becoming a Beater, Patil? You must be a real bird brain."

"You wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of one of her bludger hits," Jessica snapped at the boy, knowing the hidden depth of his insult. "She's knocked plenty of people cold."

Jess watched as the boy smirked, then grabbed Vince's wrist. Beckoning Vince he purred, "Come on Vince, let's leave before the bird's friends decided to come for her.

*~-~*

Slowly, Draco walked away from his friend and the two girls. He was letting a small smirk play across his face; he knew that Vince was totally infatuated with Jessica Patil, and vice versa. When he reached the Slytherin table, he piled his plate full of eggs then sat down. He began to eat and watch the Gryffindor table like he always did. The usual scene was playing out; Granger was smiling gently at Potter, winding her fingers through his unruly black mop.

Draco watched as she whispered something in Potter's ear, and Potter went red. Draco watched them whisper, smile, joke with each other. Without realising it, he sighed when Potter stood up and began to walk away. Without realising it, he gasped when Granger stood up and ran over to Potter. Without realising it, he fainted when Potter kissed Granger, In fact, he wouldn't realise he had fainted until a few hours later.

*~-~*

'That's odd,' Harry thought to himself. 'Ron has never stopped eating halfway through breakfast before.'

Harry watched in amazement as his friend, Ronald Weasley, stopped stuffing his eggs into his mouth. Ron was looking past Harry, so Harry followed his friend's gaze. Harry looked and saw Marii shaking hands with Malfoy's cronie, Crabbe. Harry turned back to his friend.

"Must kill Malfoy, must kill Crabbe," Ron began to chant repeatedly, grinding his teeth together.

Harry began to laugh and he was soon joined by Hermione. He looked directly into her eyes and blushed, she was so beautiful. She was making him feel... intoxicated.

"Hermione," Harry whispered, making her beam at him. "You're looking very pretty today."

"Thank you, Harry," she purred, in a very un-Hermione way. "That's very nice of you. Ron, what do you think?"

Both Harry and Hermione turned and looked at Ron. His chanting had become louder and angrier, he was still staring past them at Marii and Crabbe. Once again, Harry looked over at his new friend and saw that Malfoy was walking away from them. Marii looked angry, her sister looked annoyed, and Crabbe was blinking stupidly. Harry watched Malfoy sit down at the Slytherin table, then he turned back to his friend.

"He's become a real pain in the arse lately," Hermione whispered, making Harry laugh.

"Isn't he always?" Harry asked Hermione.

"Yeah, but he's been worse lately," Hermione looked into Harry's eyes and smiled. "He reckons he's quite good looking, but he doesn't hold a candle to you."

Harry felt himself go warm, he enjoyed the fact that such a pretty girl thought he was good looking. Harry made a few more jokes about Malfoy, which made his friend laugh. Then his watch beeped, causing Harry to check the time, nearly time for Divination.

"Well 'Mione," Harry said, grinning at his friend. "See you later."

Harry stood up and began to walk away. He could hear somebody's light steps running up to him. He felt a soft grip at his shoulder, he turned and faced them.

"Don't you want to give me a proper goodbye?" Hermione asked him, blushing slightly.

Harry grinned at his friend. Slowly, he leant forward, feeling her hot breathe on his lips. Harry, feeling braver than usual, captured her lips with his. (EWWW!!!)

THUMP!

Harry broke the kiss and spun around. Draco Malfoy was lying face forward in his breakfast. Something had obviously caused him to faint.

*~-~*

Marii spun around, her blood red hair whipping behind her. She saw a familiar white-blond head of hair, hanging over a bowl of scrambled eggs. Jessica was giggling and Marii could see why. Draco Malfoy was laying face down in a bowl of eggs. Marii looked at Vince, Draco's friend. He looked dumbfounded. He stood there blinking for a few minutes, then rushed to help his friend.

Marii began to laugh at the hilarity of the situation when Jessica clamped a hand over her mouth saying. "Quiet, don't embarrass me in front of my friend."

That was when Professor Snape rushed in. He sort of loomed over his pupil. He began to shout at Draco, then he calmly drew his wand and muttered a spell. Marii watched as the pale boy opened his eyes and stood up. He was wobbly at first, then he was fine.

Marii tapped her sister on the shoulder, "Come on, Jess, let's go see if Malfoy's okay."

*~-~*

"Draco," A familiar voice snapped at him. "Wake up... Enervate!"

Draco snapped his eyes open, everything was blurry. He slowly worked his hands up, on top of the table. He pushed hard, trying to stand up. After a few moments, he succeeded. He rubbed at his eyes, ignoring the strange grimy feeling, and everything came back into focus.

"Draco?" a concerned voice asked. "Are you okay?"

Draco looked up, studying the facial features in front of him. It was Vince who had spoken, he was leaning towards Draco. Draco could feel his hot breath against his cheek.

"Drakey," Pansy's familiar horse-like voice squealed at him. "Your handsome face is covered in-in... eggs!"

Quickly, Draco conjured up a mirror and stared into it. His angelic white-blond hair was streaked with yellowish-white egg, ruining it. Draco muttered a cleaning spell then sighed. His hair would be ruined for the rest of the day.

*~-~*

Severus Orlando Snape had always been a quiet man. When he was in school, he always kept to himself. He only shared his life with the books he loved so much. He had always been an observant man. After all, he'd figured out Lupin's secret. He'd always thwarted Potter's and Black's attempts to sabotage his work. Severus, after all, was the first in his year to realise that Lily Evans was attractive. He even knew what it was like to fall in love with a mudblood.

When he saw the look of shock on his favourite student's face when Potter kissed Granger, he was frightened. And when Draco fainted into his royally scrambled eggs, Severus' suspicions were confirmed. Draco Lucius Thomas Ian Damien Iullius Nathaniel Constein Malfoy had a crush, but on who?

Severus Orlando Snape had always been an observant man but, finally, he had been thwarted. Was Draco in love with a muggle born or a half blood? Severus, for once, didn't know the answer, and he probably never would.

*~-~*

Dear Journal,

Today was pretty boring, didn't really learn anything new. The only class worth going to was potions, where Longbottom's cauldron exploded again. He turned Snape's hair hot pink! It was hilarious. But even that was ruined by Potter. Potter and Granger spent most of the lesson holding hands, looking lovey-dovey. And as I walked pass them, they kissed. I felt like I would barf.

Why does he have to ruin everything. I think he exists just to annoy me sometimes... I am just sick of him always being around, like he can't find anything better to do than annoy me... Maybe that's it, maybe annoying me is the only thing he enjoys doing. What a loser.

Something interesting, besides Snape's hair, happened today. I found out that the Gryffindork Patil is a Beater! She'll probably be killed. Everyone knows that female Beaters play an average of four games before they ruin their career.

Ick! I just ran a hand through my hair. I t was ruined this morning. I was watching Potter, his dazzling entrancing icky green eyes which always make me shiver barf, weren't watching me for once. They were on Granger. He kissed her, and the next thing I knew I was face down in my breakfast.

What the hell! It's not like I'm one of the members of the 'Harry Potter is my God' club. I don't think he's the greatest looking guy in the world... I'm much better looking than him... I mean fainting over Potter... Oh God! I fainted over Harry 'look at me' Potter...

I FAINTED OVER HARRY JAMES POTTER!!!!

Draco Malfoy

P.S. Why did I faint over Potter of all people?

P.P.S. I fainted because he kissed Hermione 'I'm a mudblood' Granger... Why would I faint over that...

*~-~*

Albus Dumbledore looked at his fellow staff members and cleared his throat. He had a long speech to make, and he would need their full attention. He cleared his throat once again, and began.

"As you know, this year the quidditch tournament will be different," Albus thundered, his echo bouncing off the walls. "Eight teams will be playing instead of the usual four. To accommodate the other four teams, practices will be shared with a team for the Academy."

Dumbledore smiled a weak smile as the Professors began to argue between themselves. The argument between the house heads was the worst. Dumbledore, who was used to the arguments, raised a hand to silence them.

"Each house will train with it's Academy counterpart," Dumbledore continued. "Gryffindor with Antipodean, Ravenclaw with Phoenix, Hufflepuff with Billywig, and Slytherin with Ashwinder. Tell the students they can strike a compromise with the other students, if they feel the need to. Now on to more important matters, the Patil tw-"

"Ahem,"

Dumbledore turned and saw Marii and Jessica Patil standing there, looking fabulous in their school robes.

"Ahh girls," He said beckoning them in. "Come inside, we were just talking about you."

Dumbledore watched as the two girls cautiously entered the room. He motioned for them to sit and they followed. Now the two were prepared for the long conversation which was about to take place.

Something else other than "claws" because you've already said about claw makes. Maybe "pulls" or "grabs" or "grips"

It'd probably be better to say mouth. "Stuffing his face" or "stuffing eggs into his mouth" but as it is, I get a mental image of him poking eggs all over his face and making fork marks on his skin

Really "minutes" or "moments"?

Does he really need this many names? Would Snape - his teacher - really know them all off the top of his head, even if he is a close family friend? And do we need to know them?