The Phoenix Prophecy

Chapter Seventeen: The Return

Monday – Late Evening - July 21^st

Sirius: 11:30 PM

While Madelyn and I made sure all the kids were covered with comforters, Martha and Walt placed the now sleeping twins in the center of another bed and surrounded them with pillows. Once all the kids were settled, the four of us joined Albus and Minerva who had taken a seat by the cozy fire that was burning cheerfully in the fire pit. As soon as we sat down Madelyn snuggled against me and I wrapped my arm around her shoulder.

I was glad that Albus had insisted on placing all of the kids under a sleeping spell. With everything we had been through today, they needed a good, restful night’s sleep. With out the sleeping spell they would surely have spent a restless and fitful night. I was considering asking Albus to do the same for Madelyn and I. Spending the night as guests of the elves seemed about as safe a place to spend the night as I could imagine. Getting a sound night’s sleep, completely unaware of what was going on around me, did not appear to offer any real danger. Ordinarily I did not like using sleeping spells no matter how exhausted or distraught I was. From long habit, I usually slept with one eye open so that neither man nor beast would catch me unaware. I made a mental note to ask Madelyn what she thought of the idea when the time came for sleep, if it ever did come.

Ever since we sat down to eat, a sense of dark foreboding had been gnawing at me. No matter how hard I tried, I could not shake off the feeling that something was terribly wrong and getting worse by the minute. When I tried to convey my concerns to Madelyn, she listened patiently. Nevertheless, I could tell that she didn’t really believe there was anything to worry about. I had to admit that it was hard to worry in the comfortable accommodations the elves had provided for us—not that that stopped me.

While I was telling myself to relax, for what seemed like the hundredth time, that I was just being my usual paranoid self, Lemke and Mystie—at least I think it was her—suddenly appeared next to the bench Albus and Minerva were sitting on. Both of the elves had grave looks on their faces, but that was not what drew our immediate attention. Mystie was holding a human infant in her arms. The baby was wrapped up in a pink blanket, which clashed with the bright red hair on the top of its head. I was certainly no judge, but to me the infant appeared to be newborn. The child could not be more than a few days old, at the most.

“Grand Master Dumbledore, Something has taken place that we do not understand,” Lemke said after a few seconds of silence. “When my brothers transported Ron Weasley and Gretchen from the island, they were taken directly to our healing room. Mystie and two of our best healers were summoned to do whatever they could to restore Ron Weasley and Gretchen to good health. After a quick examination, Mystie and her sisters were fearful, that their patient’s injuries were too severe to be cured and that they were going to die. Before they were able to begin any treatment, Ron Weasley and Gretchen vanished from the healing room. As you can imagine, this sudden and unexplained disappearance caused my sisters considerable anguish. Nothing like that has ever happened before. But what was even more disconcerting was the fact that Ron Weasley and Gretchen reappeared several minutes later, in perfect health, with this child in Gretchen’s arms.”

After hearing what Lemke had to say I was utterly speechless. It was obvious from the expression on Mystie’s face that she was more than a little troubled. Martha was the first to recover from the shock of what we had just been told.

“If this baby arrived in Gretchen’s arms, why did she not bring the baby with her when you brought them to this room just before supper…and anyway, whose baby is this?”

“We do not know who this baby belongs to,” Mystie answered. “As to your first question, Ron and Gretchen were sound asleep when they reappeared. I thought it best to take the child away before they awoke. If Gretchen woke to find a strange child in her arms, it could have created a severe emotional shock. Until we knew more about what had happened to them and where the baby came from, I though it best to keep the child and the knowledge of what we had witnessed from them.”

“Well, I don’t think there can be much doubt as to who this baby’s parents are,” Martha said after she got up and walked over for a close look at the child. “One look at the red hair, and the nose and mouth, would tell anyone that this child belongs to Ron and Gretchen. I would wager anything you care to name that this is indeed their child, except for the fact that it is utterly impossible for that to be the case. Honestly, at this point, I don’t know what to think.”

“Martha, you aren’t making any sense,” Walt added, looking as confused as I felt. “Which is it? Is this Gretchen’s baby, or is it not?”

“It sure looks like it is, but I know of no magic that will create a perfect human baby in a few minutes. Even the foulest, darkest magic could not conceive of something like this. She is too precious to be the result of some evil conjurer,” Martha replied as she took the child from Mystie—who seemed a little reluctant to give it up.

“I would assume that any power capable of restoring Ron and Gretchen to perfect health in such a short time, when they we so close to death, could accomplish just about anything,” Albus said after he got up to take a better look at the child. “Am I correct in assuming that this child is female?”

“Yes, Grand Wizard Dumbledore. The child is female,” Mystie replied, suddenly looking very angry. “I hope this child does not bring a curse down on Ron and Gretchen. They have been through so much already.”

“I am just being foolish,” Mystie continued. “It would be impossible for such a sweet, innocent creature to have even the tiniest shred of evil associated with it. Please ignore my ranting. The matter of Ron and Gretchen’s recovery has left me a little flustered.”

“That’s completely understandable,” Martha replied, smiling affectionately at the infant she was rocking gently in her arms.

“Well, Albus. What do we do now?” I asked. Never in a thousand years would I have guessed something like this would happen.

“To tell the truth, I’m not really sure what we should do.”

“Albus, I think this child, along with Ron and Gretchen’s miraculous recovery, is some sort of sign,” Minerva answered after she walked over to get a closer look at the child. “There has always been a feeling within many members of our magical world that some ‘higher intelligence’ guides us and intervenes from time to time. Up until this moment, I have never experienced anything that would prove that assumption. Looking down on this child, I cannot help but believe that such a ‘higher intelligence’ exists. I am not sure this is to my liking as it will force me to re-evaluate many of my beliefs.”

“I think we need to wake Ron and Gretchen,” Martha suggested. “Possibly they can shed some light on what happened to them or where this baby came from. Besides, if this is their baby, Gretchen will not be happy if we let her sleep all night before we show her their child. I know I would be most unhappy if anyone kept my newborn child from me.”

“Martha, ‘most unhappy’ is putting it mildly,” Walt added, grinning knowingly at me.

“I think you are correct, Martha,” Albus said as he gently placed his hand on the infant’s head. “Waking Ron and Gretchen appears to be the only way we are going to learn more about this child. I do not detect signs of any spells on this child. She appears to be completely normal. I see no reason not to return this child to Gretchen’s arms.”

“Please excuse me,” Lemke interrupted and disappeared before anyone could reply.

“Now what do you suppose that is all about?” I asked of no one in particular.

“I’m sure we will find out in due time,” Walt replied.

“This child is getting hungry. We had better be waking Gretchen soon or I shall have to feed her,” Martha said after the child started to cry softly.

“I’ll see to it right away,” Albus replied and started for the bed where Ron, Gretchen and the other kids were sleeping.

Albus had only taken a couple of steps towards the bed when Lemke reappeared. It was obvious from the look on Lemke’s ashen face that something dreadful had taken place. Lemke was scared, of that much I was certain. Albus quickly reversed his course and walked over to where the elf was standing.

“Lemke, take a few deep breaths and tell us what has happened,” Albus instructed the elf in a calm voice that contradicted the intense concern that showed on his face.

“Grand Wizard Dumbledore…for the past hour…most terrible events been happening throughout the Realm…most terrible,” Lemke managed to say under the extreme duress that he was obviously experiencing.

The room was suddenly as quiet as a tomb. None of us dared to so much as breathe. Even the child in Martha’s arms was quiet. After Lemke offered nothing further, Albus asked him to elaborate on the ‘terrible things’ that were taking place. Between my feelings of foreboding and Lemke’s fear, I knew that what ever had happened was going to bloody awful.

“I am afraid that the destruction of the island where Grand Wizard Gawain made his home has unleashed evil forces that will destroy the Realm and every living creature on it. From the reports that I am getting from fellow elves in various parts of the Realm, it would appear that the ‘Demon of the Dark’ was not destroyed with the island as we had thought, but merely set free to inflict his rage and cruelty upon the inhabitants of the Realm. That alone has dire consequences for all living creatures, but it is not the worst of what has happened. I must also inform you that the destruction of the island has resulted in the eruption of a volcano of unimaginable, devastating proportions. The sea for many miles around the volcano has begun to boil and the air is filled with a thick black poison that kills every living creature that is exposed to it. If the volcano continues to spew out its deadly poisons, then the world as we know it will be dead within a week.”

By the time Lemke had finished speaking Albus was as pale as Lemke. Never in all the years that I had known him had I ever seen Albus look as distraught and anguished as he looked now. For a moment, I thought he was going to collapse. Minerva was staring at him as if she could not believe her eyes. I stood there completely thunderstruck as I watched Albus sink down onto the bench he and Minerva had been sitting on. Albus looked every single day of his one hundred fifty plus years of age.

“Lemke, are you quite sure of what you have just told us?” Albus asked.

“Yes I am sure. If you step outside, you can see the glow from the volcano on the horizon with your own eyes,” Lemke replied stiffly. He was apparently miffed that Albus questioned his belief of what was happening.

“Truly, I did not doubt your word, Lemke. I was just overwhelmed by the ramifications of what has happened. Please do not take offense,” Albus replied quickly and bowed his head in Lemke’s direction.

“Lemke is sorry for being impolite with Grand Wizard Dumbledore.”

“There is nothing to sorry about. We have all had a very trying and difficult day.”

“Albus, what are we going to do?” Minerva asked nervously after he sat down next to her. “Surely there must be something that we can do.”

“There is only one thing that can be done,” Albus replied after several moments of agonizing silence. “I must use the Time-Turner to travel back in time and prevent the destruction of the island. I alone am personally responsible for the catastrophe that has been unleashed on the Realm. Therefore, it is my responsibility, and duty, to correct the damage I have caused.”

“Assuming for the sake of argument that you can undo the destruction of the island, do you realize that Harry and Hermione, along with Madelyn, Lemke, you and myself will be trapped on the island with the ‘Dark One’ and his forces?” I asked, gazing at him in an attempt to determine if he truly understood the consequences of what he was proposing. If Albus was no longer thinking rationally, we were in serious trouble—no pun intended.

“Yes, I am painfully aware of that fact,” Albus replied briskly, some of his usual vigor returning to his voice. “However, there is no need for Madelyn, Lemke and you to remain on the island with Harry and Hermione’s spirits and myself. You three will be free to leave even if the island is not destroyed.”

“What! Now just wait one damn bloody second. If you think I am going to run out on you, and Harry and Hermione, you can think again,” I shouted more loudly than I intended. I was completely astounded that Albus would even suggest that I would do such a thing.

“The same goes for me as well,” Madelyn added before Albus could reply.

“I truly appreciate your desire to stand by me in this darkest of dark hours. Nevertheless, I see nothing to be gained from your staying on the island. It is tragic enough that Harry, Hermione and I will most likely perish, as we will not be able to escape from the island. All of you must return to Earth and do whatever you can to stop Voldemort from inflicting his will on the innocent wizarding families of our world. I must return to Marcus’ island and prevent its destruction. I cannot allow the Realm to be destroyed just so that Harry and Hermione can free themselves from the curse that binds their souls to the island. I am confident that both Harry and Hermione would agree with me if they were awake.”

“Albus, I am sure that they would both agree with you. Young as they are, they are not so self-centered as to believe that their lives are more important than all the inhabitants of the Realm. The point I am trying to make is that with our help maybe we can find a way to free Harry and Hermione from the curse that binds them to the island and then all of us can leave the island,” I replied, glancing at Madelyn to make sure that I was not speaking out of turn for her. Which, of course, I wasn’t from the affirmative nod she gave me.

“If I thought your presence would give us the slightest chance of freeing Harry and Hermione from their bondage I would not hesitate to take you both up on your offer. Sadly, as of this moment, I do not know how to free them from this curse. Luther and Eliza are most likely the only ones who know how to release them from the spell. With the ‘Dark One’ and his followers freely roaming the island I believe that we will be captured and killed in very short order. No, Sirius, as much as I truly appreciate your offer, I can not, and will not, accept it.”

“Very well, Albus. But just how do you propose undoing the destruction of the island?” I asked, hoping to find a need that would require our help.

“The instant I joined together the ‘Rings of Power’, Fawkes, Iseult and I apparated from the atrium to a safe distance away where we waited for the flash that would signal the destruction of the island. I plan to lay in hiding and separate the rings just as soon as I—the I from the past—have apparated from the room. I estimate that I will have about five seconds to reach the rings and separate them a safe distance apart after the phoenixes and I apparate out of the atrium.”

“If you do that, then there will be no flash and Lemke will not transport us back here to his home,” I pointed out, feeling that I had found a flaw in his plan that would require our help.

“The instant I have separated the rings, I will then create a powerful flash with my wand to simulate the explosion that signaled Lemke to transport you back here.”

“Albus, are you sure you are not being overly hasty in your decision?” Walt asked. “If we took some more time we might be able to discover another means of freeing Harry and Hermione from the curse.”

“Time is the one thing we do not have. With each passing minute, the calamitous consequences to the Realm continue to expand. When I travel back in time and prevent the destruction of the island, all of those consequences are going to suddenly vanish. As you probably know, the true danger of traveling backwards in time is that you will do something that will significantly alter the future that has already taken place. If this alteration is great enough, it has been theorized that you might destroy time itself and thereby cause our universe to cease to exist. That is why we cannot afford to spend any time searching for another way to free Harry and Hermione from the curse Luther and Eliza have placed on them.”

“What will happen to Harry and Hermione?” Martha asked, gesturing towards the bed where the kids were sleeping peacefully.

“From the instant I undo the destruction of the island Harry and Hermione’s spirits will no longer inhabit their bodies. Their spiritless bodies will die within a few days, but their spirits, confined to the island, will linger on until they realize what has happened and decide to depart the physical world.”

“This just can’t be our only choice,” I said in the silence that followed Albus’ words. “Why don’t we all travel back to before Harry and Hermione were placed under the curse? Better yet, all the way back to yesterday morning when I found the rings that placed Ron and Gretchen under the aging spell. That is the real cause of all of our problems.”

“The Time-Turner is not capable of unraveling that much time,” Minerva answered. “The more people that it transports backwards in time, the less amount of time it can go back. The Time-Turner that I am carrying is getting very old. In fact, this Time-Turner is the same one that Hermione and Harry used to rescue you from the Dementors a little over three years ago. I doubt very much that it would transport three people more than three or four hours into the past. It certainly would not transport all of us back a day an a half.”

“Even if the Time-Turner could transport all of us back to yesterday the consequences to our reality would be devastating,” Albus said after he rose slowly to his feet. “Every second that passes increases the risk of altering the past to affect the present. I must go now before it is too late.”

“Albus, I know this going to sound crazy, but I think that you should take Harry and Hermione with you,” Madelyn suggested. “If they are left here then their will be absolutely no chance for them to survive. On the other hand, if you take them with you then they still have a chance for survival. You have no way of foreseeing what will happen once you return to the island. I think we should wake them and ask them what they wish to do. They are no longer children; they are young adults. It should be their decision as to what course of action they wish to follow.”

For several seconds no one said anything. We all just looked at each other.

“You are quite right, Madelyn,” Albus replied after glancing at Minerva who nodded her head in agreement with Madelyn’s statement.

Albus walked over to the bed and released Harry and Hermione from their sleeping spells. Waking them took several seconds, as they were exhausted from the day’s events. Somewhat bewildered and stifling yawns they sat up on the bed.

As Albus explained what had happened and what must be done, the looks on Harry and Hermione’s faces changed from sleepy indifference, to shock, to horror and finally to utter hopelessness. By the time Albus had finished talking I was no longer sure that we had done the right thing. It might have been kinder to let them die peacefully in their sleep. As it was, Harry had to swallow hard several times before he could force himself to speak.

“When do we leave?” was all that Harry managed to ask.

“I am afraid that we must leave immediately,” Albus replied gravely.

“Will we be able to say goodbye to Ron and Gretchen?”

“I am sorry but we must leave immediately. Madelyn and Sirius will explain what has happened when they wake the others in the morning,” Albus answered as he placed his hand on Harry’s shoulder. “I truly wish there was some other way of undoing the cataclysmic events that have resulted from the destruction of the island, but there is no other way available to us.”

“Lemke, I am in need of your services one last time. If you would be so kind as to travel two hours back in time with us and then transport the three of us to the island, I would be forever in your debt,” Albus said as Harry and Hermione got slowly to their feet.

“It would be an honor, Grand Wizard Dumbledore,” Lemke replied, bowing deeply.

“If my recollection is correct, we should arrive back on the island several minutes before the island was destroyed. That should give us enough time to place ourselves in a position to reach the rings and separate them before the island is destroyed. If we are successful, you will know about it shortly thereafter.”

“Albus, I don’t know what to say,” I managed to choke out as I pulled Harry and Hermione into a big hug.

“Nothing needs to be said, other than to wish us well.”

“Somehow under the circumstances that does not seem quite nearly enough,” I replied after I let go of Harry and Hermione. The realization of what was happening had not really sunk in yet. It seemed like a bad dream, only it wasn’t.

“Come, we must go now,” Albus said before anyone else could speak.

Silently we all followed Lemke as he led us from the room. Once we reached the clearing beyond the doorway set in the tree, we could see a faint orange glow on the distant horizon.

“When the orange glow vanishes you will know that we have been successful in preventing the island’s destruction. You must promise me that you will not attempt to rescue us, as we will most likely not survive for very long. Remember us with fond hearts and loving memories in the years to come,” Albus said as we all stared in awe at the distant sky.

“We will never forget you,” I said in as firm a voice as I could manage.

Minerva handed Albus the Time-Turner after which she kissed his cheek, along with Harry and Hermione’s, after which she stepped back to stand between Walt and I. We all watched in a state of stunned silence as Albus lengthened the chain on the Time-Turner so that it was long enough to encircle the four of them. With a brief smile, he activated the Time-Turner and they were gone.

The numbness I felt had nothing to do with the cool night air. There was nothing we could do except to stand there and wait for the orange glow to vanish from the distant sky. After what seemed like an hour, the glow suddenly vanished and I felt a wave of dizziness wash over me. As the dizziness faded, it was replaced with a cold emptiness that felt very much like the despair I had known while I was a prisoner in Azkaban. Even though the stars were shining brightly, this was the blackest night of my life.