Storm Clouds

The Eye of the Storm

**~**~**~**~**~**

In the hospital wing three hours later Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred and George sat and worried. Morgan had returned to her human form fairly quickly after the last spell she cast, but Ginny was still a phoenix. She perched on the bedrail of where Morgan lay, unconscious.

"Shouldn't she be back to normal by now?" George asked, casting a nervous glance at his sister. Ginny glared and snapped her beak at him. She had obviously understood his words.

"Who knows?" Harry said with a shrug. "Maybe there's something that she has to do to restore herself. We'll just have to wait for Morgan to wake up before we can know."

"When do you think that will be?" Ron asked, carefully watching his sister for any signs of avian irritation. "I mean, Mum and Dad are not going to like this. Not at all."

Harry rolled his eyes and chose not to respond. He was certain that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would not like their only daughter being a bird. Especially Mrs. Weasley. But it wasn't like anyone had any control over what had happened. They just had to wait for Morgan to recover, or for Ginny to figure it out on her own and transform back.

He rested his head on the back of his chair, letting the continuing discussion swirl around him. He had no worries for Ginny; judging by the glint in her coppery eyes she was just fine. It would all work out in the end. His eyes started to drift closed; it had been a long morning.

"ARGH! Gin, for pity's sake!"

Harry's eyes snapped open and he raised his head in time to see Ginny swoop down on George with an angry burst of phoenix song. It wasn't hard to understand why; relieved of any anxiety as to her health, the twins had gone right back to teasing her without mercy. No wonder she was trying to peck George's eyes out.

"Ginny," Harry said. She turned and looked at him, her eyes bright with anger. "Come here," he concluded, and Ginny flew the short distance and perched on his knee. With one last baleful glance at her brothers she closed her eyes. It wasn't long before a strange combination of phoenix song and human snoring started to issue from her.

"I don't blame her for falling asleep," Hermione commented. "It must have been exhausting, having to channel the magic of something that powerful."

Harry nodded once to show that he agreed, but didn't voice his thought that it was likely to be worse when she managed to transform back. Returning to her human state, on top of everything else, was likely to render her as much, if not more, comatose than Morgan.

That'll make for some fun explanations when the elder Weasleys arrive, he said to himself. He rested his head on the chair again, closing his eyes deliberately. Ginny's phoenix-snores were oddly hypnotic; he had to fight the urge to slip into a deep sleep.

A coughing brought his head up this time, and he instinctively glanced to the bed. Morgan was stirring. Her eyes remained closed, but she had shifted on the bed and pulled one hand from underneath the blanket.

"Fetch Madame Pomfrey," Fred said, and Hermione rose and ran to the far end of the hospital wing. She came back with the mediwitch following close behind. Pomfrey ran her wand over Morgan's prone form, giving small, satisfied nods every now and again. When she completed the magical scan she turned to all of the students.

"She's all right. She might not fully wake up for another day, and I can't blame her. That was abnormally powerful magic she used. Even though it was shared. . . ." Her voice trailed off. "She's lucky she didn't do more damage," Pomfrey concluded, her voice low.

"Luckier then who?" The voice was unexpected, and recognized by everyone gathered around Morgan's bed. They all turned in time to see Ginny, restored to her human form, collapse in a heap on the floor.

**~**~**~**~**~**

Three days later Harry took the stairs to the hospital wing two at a time. He was nervous and edgy; Morgan and Lupin had left Hogwarts the day before on an unspecified errand. From some things overheard he suspected they were trying to find some evidence to clear Sirius' name. Morgan had been reluctant to leave Ginny, still recovering from her first ever transformation. Only something as important as freeing Sirius would have pulled her away.

He pushed open the hospital door, wincing as they creaked to announce his arrival. The figure seated beside Ginny's bed glanced up from the magazine she was reading.

"You'd think with all the witches and wizards around here someone could take care of a rusty hinge," Pansy said, placing her magazine on the table next to a large vase of flowers. "Its loud enough to wake the dead."

Harry smiled slightly, then turned a look of concern on the bed's occupant. "Wake the dead, yes," he commented, pulling another chair close and sitting. "But not enough to wake Ginny."

Pansy also glanced at the unconscious fourth year. "She's fine, Harry. Madame Pomfrey is the best." She reached out and laid a hand on top of Harry's. "Plus I had my father come and take a look at her."

Startled, Harry stared at Pansy in shock. "You. . . Your father. . ."

Pansy nodded. "Ginny's not an ordinary witch. She's the next Guardian of the Phoenix, after all. She deserves extraordinary attention." She removed her hand from Harry's and brushed stray hair from Ginny's forehead. "And she's something of a friend, now." She grinned. "All of you Gryffindors are."

Harry could only smile. The transformation of all of them over the course of the year was quite amazing. Somewhere along the line he, Ron, Hermione and the twins had stopped thinking of Pansy as a Slytherin, and had come to regard her as simply a friend.

He extended his arm and clasped her hand in his. "Likewise, Pansy."

Pansy gave a brief nod and moved to leave the room. At the door she stopped and turned. "Harry?" When he glanced up she continued, her eyes on the floor. "I know you were worried about what side I would chose."

"No, I. . . "

Pansy held up her hand and lifted her gaze. "Don't pretend; I'm smarter then that." She took a deep breath. "But I wanted you to know that there's nothing to worry about. Morgan was right when she said that I had been given power for a reason. I'm not going to waste it on evil things."

Harry smiled. "I'm glad to hear it."

**~**~**~**~**~**

"Should we let him sleep a bit longer?"

"Its almost six. He'll miss dinner if we don't wake him."

"So what? Its not like we can't nick food from the kitchen if need be."

The voices around him sounded slurred and indistinct, almost as if only one person were speaking. The fog started to lift from his mind, and Harry blinked rapidly before lifting his head from the pillow.

Which turned out not to be a pillow at all, but Ginny's legs. Disoriented, he looked around the hospital wing. Some things were clear, but there was an odd, fuzzy quality to his vision, which he quickly corrected by straightening his glasses. When he did the faces of Ron, Fred, George, and Mr. Weasley came into sharp focus.

"Returning to the land of the living, are you Harry?" Mr. Weasley said, smiling.

"More or less," Harry replied, his voice harsh and raspy. Ron poured him a glass of water from the pitcher on the table. Harry took it gratefully and gulped it down. Only when his thirst was slaked did he notice that sunlight was no longer streaming through the high windows, and the torches were flaming in their brackets. He pushed his glasses up and rubbed his eyes. "How long have I been here asleep?"

"A couple of hours," Fred answered. Its almost time for dinner."

Ron had stayed silent during this exchange. He was concerned for his friend as well as his sister. Although not plagued by nightmares Harry was not sleeping well; the dark half-moons under his eyes stood out starkly against his pale face. He spent nearly every free minute he had sitting at Ginny's bedside in the hospital wing. But he knew of something that would bring his friend back.

"They've re-scheduled the DADA practical O.W.L," Ron said, and when Harry winced he grinned. "And Morgan and Lupin are back."

Harry stood up so suddenly his chair shot out from under him and clattered into the bed beside Ginny's. "What?! When?!"

"Less then five minutes ago. Young Mister Weasley certainly wastes no time."

Harry turned to the door of the hospital wing in time to see Morgan sweep her cloak from her shoulders. An enormous sense of relief flooded him, and before he had time to think he was across the room and throwing his arms around her in a bone-crunching hug.

Morgan was too surprised to move at first. She had seen for herself that Harry was not a physically demonstrative person, so such a display seemed quite out of character. She was also worried about embarrassing him with her response. When she felt hot tears on her neck she threw caution aside, and held her nephew close. "I'm sorry, Harry," she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear. "I'm sorry I had to run off like that." When she felt him nod she released her hold and pulled back slightly, surprised to find herself staring directly into his eyes.

"You've grown," she commented, smiling slightly.

Harry returned the grin, surreptitiously wiping the tears from his face. "It happens to fifteen year old boys." He replaced his glasses. "Well? Did you discover anything to help Sirius?"

Morgan glanced at the other occupants of the hospital. She had everyone's undivided attention except Ginny's. She looked at Lupin, and he smiled at her with a nod. "We did," she announced to a collective gasp from those assembled. "We were able to find Pettigrew's body."

Harry felt his heart sink to the soles of his feet. He had almost forgotten that Voldemort had killed Wormtail, and with him almost any hope of freeing Sirius. "How can that help Sirius?" he asked. "Without Wormtail alive. . . ."

"At least we can prove that he was quite clearly not killed almost fourteen years ago," Lupin said as explanation. "And that was enough to get the Ministry of Magic to agree to giving Sirius the trial he was denied all those years ago."

"But. . . But. . ." Ron sputtered. "Why a trial? Pettigrew was obviously not killed all those years ago, so there wasn't even a crime! How can Sirius be tried for a crime that never even happened, let alone one he didn't commit?"

"Relax, Ron," Morgan said. "Its really just a formality. Despite the lack of a trial Sirius is officially down in the books as a convicted murderer. There has to at least be some sort of hearing so he can be put down as officially not guilty."

"When is the trial to take place?" Mister Weasley asked.

"Next week," Lupin replied. "You'd best contact him, Arthur, so he can present himself to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. They want to keep him in custody until the trial, but its mostly for show."

Mr. Weasley gave a nod and with a last touch of his daughter's hand he left the hospital wing. Ron, Fred and George watched their father leave before turning back to Morgan and Lupin.

"So, Sirus will be officially free and clear after all of this?" Fred asked.

"More than likely," Morgan said. Her mouth twisted in disgust as she continued. "Of course, its difficult to predict anything with Fudge, but I can't imagine Amelia Bones - she's the head of Magical Law Enforcement - ignoring all of this. And the final decision is hers." With the end of the explanation Morgan turned her attention to Ginny. "No change?" she asked.

"None," Harry said, walking back over and resuming his seat at Ginny's bedside. "Madame Pomfrey insists she's fine, and Pansy even had her father come and examine her. He said the same thing. But she won't wake up!" He looked up at Morgan. "Why won't she wake up?"

"The first time a Guardian goes through the transformation is an extreme shock to the system, Harry", Morgan explained. "Even though she shared the force of the magic with me its still going to be hard on her. Give it time; when she does come around I can assure you she'll still be the same Ginny we know and love."

**~**~**~**~**~**

The forest was dense and overgrown. It reminded Ginny of the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts, yet she felt no nervousness as she trod a well-worn path. The track was dappled with sunlight, and when she looked up she could just make out blue sky.

The path suddenly broadened and opened into a small clearing. In the center was a circle of stones, and on the eastern side of the circle was a carved stone chair. A throne, actually. The arms were intricately carved with images of birds and the back was covered in runes. They were of a type that Ginny had not yet studied in Ancient Runes, but she moved for a closer look anyway.

"Hello, Guinevere."

Startled, Ginny spun around to confront the unexpected voice. It belonged to a man who towered over her petite form; at a guess she figured he was over six feet tall. His scarlet and gold robes were belted at the waist, and an empty scabbard hung from the belt. Some instinct told her who the man was, and she found herself greeting him like an old friend.

"Godric Gryffindor, I presume," she said with a smile.

He grinned in return. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You seem very close to young Harry Potter."

Ginny felt her eyes widen. "How. . .?"

"Its hardly difficult to see it, Guinevere. On both your parts. I simply strive to be a little more observant then the average. . ."

"You're spying on us?!" Ginny exclaimed, her temper starting to rise. "Is this something that all disembodied greatest-wizards-of-their-age make a habit of?"

To her increasing irritation Gryffindor simply smiled. "You have fire; I like that. I've always heard that red on the head means fire in the. . ."

"GODRIC!"

Gryffindor's smile faded and the blood rapidly drained from his face. Looking around Gryffindor's taller form Ginny could see who the new voice belonged to. It was a woman; tall and slender, with hair red enough to rival any Weasley. She was dressed in robes of deep blue, which gave Ginny an idea of her identity even before Gryffindor turned to face her, sickly smile firmly in place.

"Rowena, my dear! Lovely to see you!"

Rowena Ravenclaw merely crossed her arms, raised an eyebrow and gave Gryffindor a hard stare. He began to blush and stammer, which caused Ginny to swallow a giggle.

"I. . I was going to say that red on the head means fire in the heart. Nothing else." His grin widened. "Unless you would like me to enlighten Guinevere as to another version of that expression. . .?" he said with a glance at Rowena's own head of flaming red hair.

"Childish as ever, Godric?" a smooth voice interrupted. There was a slight sibilant quality to it; almost, but not quite a lisp. It was an oddly calming voice, and Ginny quickly turned to confront the newest arrival. She couldn't hold back the gasp that erupted.

The man was standing immediately behind her, but what had caused her exclamation was the sight of the snake he wore draped around his shoulders. The reptile was huge, at least in her eyes; as thick around as one of her legs and so long it nearly reached the ground on both sides of its holder. The man was not overly tall, with dark hair and eyes that reminded her of pieces of amber. His robes were a brilliant green and his belt a shimmering silver. Like Gryffindor an empty scabbard hung from the belt. Again the newcomer's identity was fairly obvious.

"So," Ginny said, glancing around the small clearing. "Where's Helga?"

"She may be too bright for her own good, this one."

Ginny took note of the last individual to arrive. She was small; a full head shorter than Ginny, with a full, rounded figure. Her hair was so blonde it was almost white. Ginny met the eyes of all four of her companions in turn. "So," she said, "to what do I owe this honour?"

Slytherin stepped forward and gestured to the carved stone chair. "Sit, Guinevere. This may take some time to explain."

**~**~**~**~**~**

Harry held his breath as the door to the side chamber opened and the panel filed back into the courtroom, Amelia Bones leading the way. Behind her was Fudge, looking very disgruntled, and then the heads of all the Ministry departments, including Ludo Bagman, who looked as if he'd rather be anywhere but where he was.. At the end of the line strutted Percy Weasley, who had been functioning as the court scribe. The self-important look on his face made Harry smile at the same time it made him want to smack Percy silly.

When the entire panel had taken their seats a hush fell over the packed courtroom. Even the standing-room-only press gallery was silenced. Madame Bones took a moment to shuffle the papers before her and adjust her glasses before she glanced up at Sirius. She gave him a curt nod, and Sirius rose to his feet. Mister Weasley was sitting beside him and he also stood.

"Sirus Nigellus Black," Madame Bones began. Her voice was so grave that Harry felt a shiver of fear that perhaps, against all expectations, she would send Sirius back to Azkaban. "All the evidence relating to your case has been reviewed by this panel of the Wizanegmot. It is the opinion of most of us - " Here she cast a scathing glance at Fudge, who squirmed in his seat. " - that you be exonerated from any wrongdoing in the death of Peter Pettigrew." A murmuring began to grow in the room as a grin started to spread across Sirius' face. "It is also the decision of this panel that you answer for the crime of your escape from Azkaban." Harry felt his jaw drop. "However, given that you voluntarily gave yourself up and submitted to the judgement of the Wizanegmot I hereby declare that sentence to be suspended." She banged the gavel twice. "You are free to go, Mister Black."

A shuddering gasp passed through the room, then the applause and cheers began, quietly at first, but then growing in intensity. From his seat in the spectator's gallery Harry saw Sirius shake Mister Weasley's hand, and then throw his arms around the taller man in a crushing embrace. Mister Weasley's grin was every bit as broad as Sirius'.

"Come on," Ron said from next to Harry as he got to his feet. "Let's see if we can get through this crush alive."

Harry stood and began pushing his way through the crowd. Ron took Hermione's hand and followed after. It took a good ten minutes for them to reach the floor level, and another ten to get passed the throngs of people congratulating Sirius. As they drew closer they could hear Madame Bones offering one, last, legal admonition to him, even as she took his hand in congratulations.

"You'd best register as an Animagus soon, Mr. Black. I don't want to see you in a courtroom again after all of this."

"No offense, but I hope I never have to speak to you again," Sirius fervently replied. "Believe me." He shook her hand heartily. "Thank you," he said, his voice lowered. "Thank you for believing me."

"I believed the evidence, Mr. Black," Madame Bones replied, her voice severe. She spoiled the effect with a wide smile. "Luckily the evidence supported everything you said." And with one last nod she left, moving easily through the crowd, which parted to let her pass. A number of reporters pursued her, shouting questions at her back. It left a clear path for Harry, Ron and Hermione to finally reach Sirius.

His eyes lit up when he saw the three of them, but he didn't speak. He clasped Harry's hand and pulled him close, squeezing him with one arm around his shoulder. Sirius then released Harry's hand and reached out to pull Ron close in another one-armed hug, just as Hermione wrapped her arms around Sirus' waist. There was a flash of light and a burst of purple smoke, but for once Harry wasn't bothered at the thought of a photographer. He was too full of happiness that Sirius was free.

"Much as I hate to stop the celebrating. . ." Mr. Weasley's voice cut in and Sirius released Harry and Ron. Hermione dropped her arms and took a step back; Harry say her reach for Ron's hand even though she tried to hide the motion in the folds of her robes.

"Absolutely, Arthur," Sirius agreed. "I need to get registered, so I don't get hauled before the court again." He put and arm around Harry's shoulders again and steered his godson toward the double doors at the rear of the room. "Then we'll go back to Hogwarts and include Remus and Morgan in the real celebration!"

A gaggle of reporters followed them as they made their way to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement offices. Sirius attracted a number of stares and even a few gasps of shock, but he ignored all of it, the smile never leaving his face. Whispered conversations broke out behind them, and Harry assumed the story of Sirius being exonerated was starting to spread.

When they burst through the double doors of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement the witch standing behind the desk paled and swayed on her feet. She looked as if she were about to faint, but Sirius took no notice.

"I need to register as an animagus," he said. "Could you tell me which office I need to go to?" The witch opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She settled for pointing to a door to her right. "That way?" Sirius asked. When she nodded he gave her a smile of thanks, and moved toward the door she had indicated. It bore a small brass plaque that read Animagus Registry.

When they opened the door a small bell sounded. It was followed by a wheezy voice that came from behind a shelf of books. "One moment, please."

Sirius tapped his fingers on the counter as they waited. It was nearly ten minutes before an ancient and stooped wizard appeared from behind the shelf. When he saw Sirius he gave a start and clapped one hand over his heart. Sirius, apparently frightened that his sudden appearance would give the old man a heart attack, quickly produced the scroll he was holding in one hand. "I've been exonerated! Not guilty on all charges!"

The stooped wizard took the scroll and held it close to his eyes. When he was finished reading he lowered it slowly. "Very well, Mister Black," he said. "How may I help you?"

"I need to register as an animagus," Sirius replied. "I've been an illegal one for a lot of years, and the last thing I want is more trouble with the law."

The wizard manning the office pulled a small, leather-bound book from underneath the counter, picked up a quill and began writing on the last page. When he was finished he looked up at Sirius. "If you would, please, I need to see what form you take."

Sirius nodded once, and the rest of them stood back a bit. In the blink of an eye Padfoot appeared; a great, hulking, bear-like black dog.

A strangled sound, half gasp, half shriek, made everyone glance at the registrar. Sirius gave one inquisitive bark and the man gasped out loud, clutching one hand over his heart again. "A Grim. . . ." he managed to choke out immediately before he fell to the floor in a faint.

**~**~**~**~**~**

"And then he collapsed in a faint! We thought he keeled over dead at first, but Hermione checked and he had a pulse."

Seamus, Dean and Neville laughed out loud, and Sirius grinned sheepishly. "I guess I should have thought of that before springing Padfoot on the poor man," he said. "But I was so used to not even thinking about how it appeared." He shrugged. "Still, no permanent harm done. He'll be fine and I'm officially a registered animagus now."

They were all sitting at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, enjoying the last few pieces of apple pie with generous amounts of whipped cream. They had arrived back at Hogwarts just as dinner was commencing, and Sirus' entrance had been greeted with gasps, shrieks, exclamations, and even a few faints. He had ignored it all, however, purposefully striding to the staff table and handing his pardon to Dumbledore. The headmaster had quickly scanned the document, then announced to the entire school that Sirus was now a free man, and was to be treated as any other guest. The Slytherins had looked aghast, the Hufflepuffs wary, the Ravenclaws curious, but the Gryffindors had cheered and welcomed Sirius like an old friend. He had spent most of the meal holding them enthralled with the entire story of his escape from Azkaban and subsequent life-on-the-run. By the time desert arrived they had progressed to describing the court hearing and the events of his animagus registration, which had proved a hilarious hit.

Harry was distracted during the entire meal, however. He kept glancing toward the doors to the Great Hall, as if expecting someone's arrival. He had just picked up his last forkful of pie when he tensed and the fork clattered to his plate, splattering Ron with whipped cream.

"Harry, what. . ." Ron began, but Harry was already on his feet and striding to the door, which at that moment framed Morgan and Lupin, standing on either side of a pale and shaky Ginny. With no hesitation (but considerable gentleness, given her weakened state) Harry wrapped his arms around Ginny and held her tight. After a moment he felt her sag against him, and her arms encircled his waist.

"You're OK," he whispered, burying his face in her hair. "You're OK," he repeated.

He felt her nod against his shoulder, and then her own started to shake as if she were sobbing. He held her tighter, reminded of that day by the lake when she had cried, and he had held her until the storm of her emotions blew itself out. She tucked her face against his neck and clung as if Harry were her only sanctuary.

"Harry, you can let her go," Morgan said quietly. "Trust me, she's not going anywhere."

"Yeah, Potter. You can let go of our sister anytime now."

It was Fred's voice that finally penetrated Harry and Ginny's private world. Ginny lifted her head, and after one lingering look into Harry's eyes she stepped back away from him. Her three brothers moved in and took hold of her in a many-armed Weasley hug; she all but disappeared in the midst of them.

When Fred, George and Ron released her Ginny took a moment to glance around the Great Hall. Her eyes lit on Sirius. Her jaw dropped, which made Sirius grin. "Its OK, Gin," he said. "I've been completely exonerated and pardoned. I'm free."

Ginny smiled. "That's wonderful," she said. "I'm happy for you, Sirius." And she stepped forward and gave him a quick hug. When she released him Morgan and Lupin came forward. Harry noticed that they were holding hands, and Morgan appeared to be blinking more often that strictly necessary. That and the brightness in her eyes made Harry believe she was holding back tears.

Lupin and Sirius shook hands before Sirius took hold of his friend in a crushing embrace. When they stepped back from each other they both had tears on their faces. "I. . . That's. . . " Lupin stumbled as he tried to express his feelings in words. Sirius took pity on him, however. "I know, Moony. I know."

"Well, I have to say that your timing is impeccable, Sirius," Morgan said.

"My timing?"

"Yes, your timing," Lupin rejoined. He glanced at Morgan and took her hand. "Because, you see, we have an announcement of our own to make."