The Greatest Adventure

The Greatest Adventure

Prompt: Perenelle Flamel gave Pumpkin Juice to Hedwig.

Rating: G

Dumbledore rushed into the chamber housing the Mirror of Erised after dousing the flames in the doorway, in time to see Harry's body fall, Quirrell turn to ash and Voldemort's vaporous form flee the scene. He hurried over to Harry to check if the dear boy was still alive. Thank Merlin, there was a pulse and he was still breathing, even if he didn't respond to his name being called.

As he picked Harry up, he could feel the stone still in the boy's pocket pressing sharply against his hand. He smiled to himself through his tears as he hurried through the chambers to the secret Dungeons exit. The boy had done it correctly.

"Poppy, come quickly, please!" he called out as he entered the hospital wing and laid Harry down on the nearest bed. He saw Miss Granger fussing over the youngest Weasley nearby and turn towards him as he called out, crying Harry's name. As she started to move forward he shook his head at her and with a flick of his wand, moved a set of screens around Harry's bed, effectively cutting him off fromprying eyes. Before Poppy reached the bed, however, he pulled the stone from Harry's pocket and quickly hid it in the folds of his robes.

"Take care of him, Poppy," he said as she hurried over, wand out and diagnostic spells flying. "I fear he's been grievously injured by Voldemort. I must go now, but I will be back soon." He ignored her wince at the name, and brushing some hair away from Harry's scar, he patted the youngster on the head and strode out of the infirmary smiling at the fussing noises he heard the Mediwitch make behind him.

~*~

He knocked on the door, smiling a bit to himself at the decidedly Slytherin carvings that adorned the surface of the wooden door and the frame. A moment later it opened, revealing a sallow-faced, lanky man with curtains of dark hair hanging forward. He was dressed in black silk pyjamas and a matching velvet dressing gown, around which he was hastily tying the belt.

"Headmaster, how may I help you?" came the oily voice of the room's occupant.

"Severus, I need your assistance. May I come in?" He moved past the Potions master as the teacher opened the door further to admit his superior. Dumbledore moved to sit by the fire, and Snape, with a small moue of annoyance, sat across from him in his second-best chair, pulling his dressing gown tighter around him.

"I'm sorry to wake you, but we seem to have a small problem," the headmaster began. "Voldemort was possessing Professor Quirrell all this time and made an attempt for the stone tonight. Harry confronted Voldemort for a second time and won; Quirrell is dead." He ignored the scoffing noise from the other chair. "However, there is really nowhere else to hide the stone. We need to destroy it; it is too dangerous to leave intact - Tom will just try again." He watched the play of emotions move quickly across his friend's face as he tackled with the greed of wanting the stone for himself and the knowledge that Dumbledore was correct in needing it destroyed.

Snape finally sighed in resignation. "How shall we do this?"

Dumbledore smiled in satisfaction. "Thank you, my boy, thank you. This is what we need to do..."

~*~

The two wizards stared down at the small pile of grey ash; all that remained of the Philosopher's Stone. It had taken quite a bit of energy on both of their parts to destroy it, but they had succeeded. Dumbledore gave a slight shudder and, with aquick wand movement, Evanesco-ed the now useless dust. He took a seat next to the table and ran his hand over his face in weariness. After a few moments, he pushed himself up with a great sigh and headed for the door.

"Thank you, Severus. I need to send a message to Nicolas now, and let him know what has happened. This day has been too long already, and there is much yet to be done." He opened the door as Snape waved a weary hand at him to shoo him out of the office.

In the Owlery, Dumbledore looked around to find the right bird to use. He needed one that was fast and utterly reliable. His eyes lit upon the snowy owl, Hedwig. "Come here, girl, I have a mission for you, and I don't think your master will mind if I use you whilst he is laid up under Poppy's excellent care."

She ruffled her feathers a bit, blinked at him before acceding to his request and flying down to the centre plinth. She stuck out her foot to him so he could tie the message on securely.

"Now take this to the Flamel's and come right back. I'm sure by the time you get here, Harry will be awake." She snapped her beak at him once and flew off into the reddening early morning sky.

~*~

Perenelle Flamel stood on the balcony of their modest manor house in the south of France, where she and Nicolas had moved - a century or so ago. She breathed in the wonderful early afternoon air, scented with jasmine and rose oils from the bushes in the garden below. Across the gently rolling hills nearby, she could see a large white owl heading straight for her. She watched as it fluttered down to the stone balustrade and held out its foot so that she could remove the message.

"Well, aren't you the polite one? Merci!" she said as she checked the handwriting on the outside of the envelope. She recognised Albus' spidery scrawl. "Here, you must be thirsty. Come with me and I'll get you something before you need to take off again." She lifted the bird to her shoulder and walked back through the open French doors into the dining room where Nicolas was finishing a light lunch and reading the local newspaper.

"Message from Albus, dear," she said as she handed the note to him and placed Hedwig on the table near a goblet of pumpkin juice. "Here you go, have a good drink now - would you like some chicken bits?" She tore off some of her sandwich and placed it on a napkin near the owl, who was gratefully drinking the juice. She looked up as she heard a contemplative sound from her husband.

"Bad news?" she asked.

"Depends. Albus had to destroy the stone this morning. Seems Voldemort managed to find a way into the school and through the obstacle course Albus had set up, only to be thwarted by the mirror. However, young Potter managed to retrieve the stone and defeat Voldemort yet again."

"Oh, dear! Is he all right?"

"Apparently he will be, although he was injured in Voldemort's attack. He's a lucky young man." He sat back in his carved mahogany chair and eyed his wife of over five-hundred years. "Are you ready to take the next step, my dear? We only have enough elixir for a few more months."

She went to sit on the armrest of his chair, placing an arm around his neck and kissing him lightly on top of his head. "I've followed you this long, Nico, I'm not going to abandon you now. Whatever comes, will come. It is time to move on and leave this world to the younger wizards. We've done enough. As Albus says, let's go on to the next great adventure. I'm ready if you are."

Nicolas chuckled as he snaked his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap to kiss her properly. Neither of them heard the snowy owl leave the room and fly out the open doors to wing her way back to Scotland and her master.