The Phoenix Prophecy

The Phoenix Prophecy

Book II - Chapter 1 - Part 4

Sunday, August 16,^, 1998

Author's Note:

It has been quite a while since I last posted. Over the course of the past year, I had noticed a considerable reduction in the number of readers following this story. That, coupled with my own dwindling interest in all things `HP' led me to seek out new and exciting worlds of fiction. Enter Roswell. Roswell never caught my eye until it came out on DVD. Two episodes, and I was hooked. The story line interested me so much that I decided to try my hand adding to its collection of fan-fiction. By the time I completed the first episode of my work, I came to realize just how similar the worlds of HP and Roswell are. Whether the heroes use magic or alien-powers is pretty much immaterial to the overall goals of the story. Characters that we can identify with are what keep us interested in any work of fiction.

After a couple of emails from readers who were disappointed that I had stopped working on this story, I decided to go back and try to pick up where I had left off five months ago. I was mildly surprised to find out just how much I had missed the company of my favorite group of wizards and witches. Picking up from where I left off didn't take anywhere near the effort I thought it would. Time—for writing—is still my scarcest resource. I hope to be able to work on both stories so that neither of them gathers too much dust between posts. As it is getting on towards winter, time for writing should be somewhat more plentiful than it has been.

Enough extemporizing, its time to get back to moving the story forward.

As always, thanks for your continued interest in this story.

The Hogwarts Oracle

Ron: (8:00 AM)

We left the door to our bedroom open so that we would hear Jessica when she awoke. Not that it was necessary. Jessica had no difficulty making herself heard whenever she felt like it. There was nothing wrong with her lungs, not in the slightest. Thankfully, she only screamed when she was hungry—a lot more often than I imagined possible—or when she need to be changed. Most of the time though she was a happy baby and a joy to be around. Several times when Gretchen was more than a little frustrated, Martha would smile at her and offer some advice that didn't seem to help much. During these times, I tried to keep out of the way or just take Jessica for a walk if I sensed that Gretchen was about at the end of her rope. Usually Gretchen would just let me go—I think she needed the break—but occasionally she would run after me and we would go for long walks through the woods. The fresh air of the outdoors seemed to agree with Jessica and she would stop fussing quickly once we were outside. In the beginning, this caused Gretchen to feel inadequate as a mother until she figured out that it was the fresh air and not my superior parenting skills that were responsible for Jessica's sudden change of mood. It had been less than an hour since Jessica had been fed, so I estimated that we could have a leisurely breakfast before she awoke and demanded our undivided attention once again. Mum and dad were on a very short leash.

Everyone but Harry, Hermione, Alec and Nicole were seated at the large table when we entered the common room. Sirius and Madelyn had finished eating, but the Blyth's and Professor McGonagall had just started. Gretchen and I quickly filled our plates from the breakfast buffet and joined the others at the table.

“Are Harry and Hermione still sleeping?” I asked of no one in particular.

“Good question,” Sirius replied grumpily. He was obviously less than happy over something.

“I'm sure they will be around when they are ready,” Madelyn replied and cast a look at Sirius that reminded me of the way that mum looked at dad when she was upset with him.

“What about Alec and Nicole?” Gretchen asked.

“Nicole told me she was going to eat breakfast outside,” Martha answered. “I assume Alec may have joined her.”

“Sirius, we need to come up with some way of repaying the elves for their hospitality,” Walt said as I was stuffing a large fork-full of scrambled eggs into my mouth.

“Yes, I know. I attempted to offer Lemke some of the gold coins that we brought back from Marcus' island, but he wouldn't hear of it. I was afraid to press the issue for fear of offending his pride.”

“We can't just live as their guests forever,” Madelyn added. If my mouth had not been full of toast and bacon, I would have disagreed with her. Never in my life had I eaten food that was as good as the food the elves served each and every day. This place was paradise.

“I'm not so sure about that,” Sirius replied.

“This place gets my vote,” I added quickly, after swallowing a large mouthful.

“Mine too,” Katie chimed in.

“You just like it here because you don't have to feed the chickens and gather up the eggs,” Martha said as she affectionately tussled up Katie's hair. Katie didn't reply, which meant that Martha was right, mostly.

“You can't be serious…I mean, you can't mean that,” Madelyn said, leveling her gaze directly at Sirius.

“I am not trying to suggest that we stay here forever. I just meant that the elves don't seem to be in any hurry for us to leave,” Sirius replied and glanced around the table. “I get the distinct impression that they enjoy having us around. Remember, most elves are in the service to a family or institution.”

“You better not let Hermione hear you say that,” I added. “Not unless you want a lecture on why elves should be free.”

“Speaking of Hermione, where are those two?” Sirius replied glancing around the room.

“They will be here in their own good time. Stop fretting over them. They aren't children any more. They can take care of themselves,” Madelyn replied as she took hold of Sirius's hand and patted it gently.

Gretchen caught my eye and I noticed her eyebrow rise slightly. I'm sure she was thinking the same thing I was. Namely, that Harry and Hermione wanted to be by themselves for the most obvious reason. I hopped that the first time for them was as wonderful as it was for Gretchen and me. I squeezed Gretchen's hand affectionately and smiled at her. Her slightly impish smile in return told me that we both were thinking the same thing.

“Well whenever we do leave here, we are going to need some money to get settled wherever we go,” Walt said, interrupting my pleasantly erotic thoughts.

“That shouldn't be a problem. We have a small fortune in gold coins,” Sirius replied, turning his attention to Walt.

“Actually, it is a problem. Or at least it could be if we do not go about it the right way,” Walt said. Something in the tone of his voice sent a shiver straight through me.

“What do you mean?” Madelyn asked.

“The gold coins that we brought back from Marcus' island are very old and very rare,” Walt answered.

“Good, that should make them worth even more,” Sirius replied.

“Oh there're worth more alright, a lot more,” Walt began. “Trouble is, coins that rare and valuable are bound to attract attention, a lot of attention. The kind of attention we don't want.”

“What do you mean?” Professor McGonagall asked.

I was startled by her sudden participation in the conversation. Normally she ate her meals in silence, only speaking when asked a direct question. Even though she tried hard not to show it, Professor Dumbledore's death had been especially hard on her. And why shouldn't it be? They were friends for more than fifty years. Evidently, her sudden interest startled the others as everyone turned to look at her.

“Are you implying that using these coins will bring trouble our way,” Professor McGonagall asked after no one answered her first question.

“That is exactly what I am saying,” Walt replied. “The Realm is basically a feudal society. It has not changed to any degree in the past ten thousand years. This is primarily due to the fact that over ninety percent of the Realm's population has magical abilities. Tradition being extremely strong in our society, it has keep things pretty much as they always have been.”

“What has the Realm's political and social structure to do with rare gold coins?” Gretchen asked, voicing my thoughts as well.

“Each of the five major geographical areas in the Realm is ruled by a supreme wizard. Most of these wizards have ascended to power through less than honorable means. In many cases, they have murdered any and all who have gotten in their way. Theoretically, we have a basic charter that guarantees personal rights and freedom, but those in power or those that serve that power pay little heed to the charter. In short, if you have something that would be of value to those in power they have no compunction about taking it from you by any means possible.”

“Are you implying that the gold coins are useless to us?” Sirius asked.

“No, they are of value. But we must be extremely cautious in how we use them.”

“Walt, would small amounts of gold, say in the form of nuggets, be noticed by the powers that be?” Professor McGonagall asked.

“Raw gold is usually easier to convert to cash or credit with little or no notice,” Walt replied. “What did you have in mind?”

“Melt some of the coins into randomly shaped nuggets and exchange those for the less noticeable coin of the Realm. Unless you are planning on making a major purchase—such as a sizeable castle or other property—you should be able to convert Marcus' coins to useable gold for years to come. That will provide us with enough useable coin for all of our needs for years to come.”

“That would work,” Walt replied thoughtfully. “Sadly the coins, because of their age, are worth one hundred times the value of the raw gold from which they are made.”

“Having a hundred times as much money, but being dead or someone's prisoner doesn't seem as attractive as being free with a lesser amount of money,” Professor McGonagall suggested.

“You make an excellent point, Minerva” Sirius replied. “All the money in the world is worthless without your freedom. I for one would be most happy to live out my life in a modest home where we can live in peace and enjoy the company of good neighbors.”

“Since I have never had much money, I doubt that I will miss being rich. But I know for a fact that I would miss my freedom,” I added, smiling at Gretchen as she smiled back at me.

“Sounds like we have a plan. Now all we have to do is decide where we are going to live,” Sirius added as he looked impatiently around the room once again. “Where are those kids?”

Hermione: (8:30 AM)

“Is someone lost?” I asked just after Harry and I stepped unnoticed into the tree house.

If truth be told, I was feeling more than a little jittery when I scanned the room and my eyes came to rest on great-grandmother. My stomach was still pretty queasy from this morning's bout with—whatever it was—and that wasn't helping to boost my confidence. Before we entered the room, I knew exactly what I was going to say and how I was going to say it. Now, I wasn't so sure of myself. Before I had a chance to question myself further, Harry squeezed my hand firmly, smiled at me and led me towards the table where everyone was seated. If Harry was nervous, he sure wasn't showing any signs of it. Drawing on his strength I calmed the butterflies in my stomach as best I could, forced a smile and prepared myself for whatever was about to happen.

“No, no one's lost,” Sirius grumbled, a deep frown creasing his face.

“That's good to hear,” Harry replied cheerfully.

“Better tuck in while everything is still hot,” Ron said when we reached the table. “The blood sausage is a might strong, but the scrambled eggs are to die for.”

Ron's description of the food reached my ears at the same instant the smell of the food on the table reached my nose. Without the slightest hesitation, the butterflies in my stomach transfigured themselves into bats and attempted to force their way up and out of my throat. Clamping my jaws shut and sealing my mouth with my hand, I looked around the room, panic-stricken that I was going to start retching in front of everyone before I could make it to one of the bathing rooms.

“This way!” Madelyn exclaimed as she jumped up knocking her chair over, grabbed me by my free hand and began pulling me towards one on the open doors leading from the room.

I'm not sure which hurt worse, the pain in my gut, or the ache in my jaw. How I managed to make it to the bathing room without loosing it was a small miracle. I dove headlong for the bowl the instant I spotted it. My jaws lost out to my tortured stomach as soon as my hands clamped onto the sides of the toilet bowl and the violent retching began all over again.

An interminable time later, my stomach stopped trying to climb out of my throat and the retching eased up. I could feel it at the back of my throat, ready to start all over again, with just the slightest provocation.

“Hermione, drink some of this,” Madelyn said as she held a cup of bubbling, clear liquid in front of me.

“I can't,” I replied through clenched teeth as my stomach began churning as soon as she placed the cup in front of me.

“Trust me. It will settle your stomach,” she added as she continued to hold the cup in front of my face.

“If I'm right, it won't cure what ails you. Only time will do that,” she added, her voice soft and full of compassion.

“The first swallow is the hardest. After that, it will be much easier. Believe me; I know that for a fact.”

It took me a full minute just to relax my throat enough to be able to even attempt to swallow even a tiny sip. Madelyn had to place the cup to my lips, as my hands were too shaky to be of any use. Closing my eyes, and through sheer force of will, I allowed some of the bubbling liquid to seep into my mouth and trickle down my throat. I was terrified that the retching was going to start the instant the liquid hit my stomach. But to my surprise, my very grateful surprise, I felt my stomach begin to relax almost immediately. After several more sips, my stomach was beginning to feel almost normal.

“Everything all right in here?” Martha asked a few minutes later when she poked her head into the room.

“We're getting there,” Madelyn sighed, standing up. “Help me get this wretched girl to my bed.”

I was about to protest that I didn't need any help, but I was too weak to argue. Dizziness overtook me when they pulled me to my feet. They literally carried me to the bed in the adjoining room.

“How is she doing?” I heard great-grandmother ask as I felt myself settle into the comfort and security of the bed.

“That is what I aim to find out,” Madelyn replied as she placed a cool hand on my forehead. “If my suspicions are right, our brave young lady is suffering from an acute case of morning sickness.”

I heard every word that Madelyn said, but their meaning didn't register. At least not until Martha put it terms that were impossible to miss.

“You think she's pregnant?”

“I sure hope so, otherwise I'm going to be really worried,” Madelyn replied cautiously.

“Hermione, I'm going to ask you a direct question and I would appreciate an honest answer. Are you and Harry sexually active?”

Even though I knew what she was going to ask, her words landed on me more heavily than I thought they would. For an instant, I felt guilty, as though I had done something wrong. Looking up at Madelyn, Martha and great grandmother should have intimidated me, but it didn't. In a flash of insight I realized that the decisions I made were totally my own and that as long as my actions didn't place a burden on anyone else then no one had the right to decide for me.

“Yes, we are,” I answered as firmly as my aching throat would allow.

“When was the last…no, let me rephrase that. How long has it been since the first time you had sex?”

“About twelve hours or so…I think,” I replied trying to mentally calculate the time.

“You're sure?” Madelyn asked, looking thoughtful and somewhat disturbed.

“Reasonably sure. I didn't stop to record the exact time in my journal,” I replied a little more testily than I intended.

“Even if you are off by another twelve days, it blows my theory out of the water,” Madelyn replied.

“You thought I was pregnant, didn't you?” I asked, a dark suspicion clawing its way from the back of my mind, causing goose bumps to rise up on my arms.

“Yes, I did. It seemed to be the most likely cause of your violent reaction to the sight and smell of food.”

“I was just as sick an hour ago and there was no food in sight.”

“What! This same thing happened an hour ago?” Madelyn demanded, obviously more than a little disturbed by what I had just told her.

“Yes. At the time, I just thought it was because I realized that I would most likely never see my parents again. Now, I have no idea what's wrong with me.”

“Well, it definitely takes a lot more than a single day to develop morning sickness,” Madelyn answered. “So we can rule out your being pregnant.”

“I wouldn't be too sure about that,” Martha added. “After all, Gretchen and Ron ended up with their baby in what appeared to be just a few minutes.”

“You do have a point, Martha,” great grandmother said, the wrinkles in her forehead standing out prominently as she thoughtfully rubbed her chin.

“There is something else, but I'm a little embarrassed as to how to put it,” I volunteered as Martha and Madelyn waited to see what great grandmother was going to come up with.

“No need to be embarrassed,” Martha replied as she sat down beside me and took my hand. “You have joined the ranks of womanhood. You're one of us now, so just tell us what's bothering you.”

“I'm going to sound like a complete idiot, but I had this feeling that last night wasn't the first time Harry and I had sex, which is ridiculous as I know it was the first time. I couldn't possibly forget something that wonderful and memorable,” I said in a rush, trying to get my misgivings out in the open as quickly as possible.

“The first time is something we all remember and cherish,” great grandmother replied as she smiled more warmly than I had ever seen her smile before.

“If you have been pregnant long enough to develop morning sickness then conception must have taken place when you were in Kai and Nyssa's possession,” Madelyn said briskly. “Easy enough to confirm.”

I gasped and tried to move out of the way when Madelyn drew her wand and pointed it at my tummy.

“Relax. This won't harm you or your unborn child, if there is one,” Martha said as she placed a comforting hand on my stomach.

“Wamb Occupare,” Madelyn said as she traced a small circle with her wand just a few inches above my navel.

Unable to speak, I watched as a thick jet of white smoke emanated from the tip of her wand and coalesced into a small sphere just above the surface of my tummy. The sphere reminded me of one of the crystal balls I had seen in Madam Trelawney's classroom. Just how close I was to being correct was revealed a moment later when the smoke transfigured into the unmistakable shape of a male human fetus. For several seconds no one said a single word as we all just stared at the image of a fetus floating a few inches above my tummy.

“Congratulations, child. It looks as though you and Harry are going to have a son,” great grandmother said, a broad smile on her face.

I wasn't sure which shocked me more. That I was pregnant and going to have a son or that great grandmother actually seemed pleased as could be by the event.

“I will mix you some more of the potion that I gave you a few minutes ago to help keep your tummy from acting up,” Madelyn said, as she too smiled warmly at me.

“How far along am I?”

“My guess would be about three months, give or take a week,” Madelyn replied, throwing a questioning glance at Martha.

“That would be my guess as well,” Martha added as she gave my hand an affectionate squeeze.

Without warning, the devastating scenario that Nyssa had forced me to live through replayed itself in my mind and I shuddered violently.

“What's wrong?” Madelyn asked, instantly alert.

“I'm scared.”

“Well, that's natural,” Martha said, as she continued to sit beside me and hold my hand.

“I'm not scared of being pregnant,” I replied, my voice shaking noticeably. “I'm scared of what fate lies ahead for our son.”

“Hermione, don't put too much faith in the visions that Nyssa forced on you,” great grandmother said. “The future is not preordained. A lot of things can and do happen along the way. For now just try and enjoy the fact that you and Harry are going to have a son.”

“Harry doesn't know. I need to tell him right away,” I exclaimed as I tried to jump out of bed and nearly fell flat on my face.

“Hold on there, Hermione,” Madelyn said as she caught me and gently lowered me back down on the bed. “Martha, why don't you fetch Harry around so these youngsters can talk.”

“Sure thing,” Martha replied and quickly left the room.

“Hermione, just take it easy for a few hours and you should be just fine,” Madelyn said affectionately as she and great grandmother prepared to leave the room when Harry arrived.

Harry looked a lot like I felt. Hopefully what I had to tell him wouldn't add to his obvious worries.

Harry: (9:00 AM)

I was a nervous wreck by the time Martha came for me. I had not been able to sit still since Madelyn had practically dragged Hermione from the room. My imagination had done its bloody best to come up with the worst possible reasons for Hermione's sudden illness. I was almost too scared to enter the bedroom for fear of what I would see.

When I finally laid eyes on Hermione, my heart sank from the shock of how pale and weak she looked. The phrase `death warmed over' came easily to mind. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I entered the room with as cheerful a face as I could manage.

“Is she going to be all right?” I asked as I approached the bed.

“She is going to fine. Try not to worry.”

“I won't,” I lied as I sat down on the edge of the bed and placed Hermione's waiting hand in my own.

“We'll be in the sitting room if you need anything,” Madelyn said just before she and Professor McGonagall left the room, closing the door behind them.

“Do they know what's wrong with you?” I asked gazing into her eyes, which were the only thing about her that looked the least bit lively.

“Yes they do…actually there is nothing wrong with me,” Hermione answered hesitantly.

“Nothing wrong with you!” I exclaimed a little louder than I meant to. “I don't call heaving your bloody guts out, nothing.”

“Harry, just relax and let me explain.” I could see from the look on her face that she was upset. I just knew that `nothing' was going to turn out to be a horrific `something.'

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shout,” I replied in a normal tone of voice as I raised her hand to my lips and kissed it.

“My lips could go for some of that,” she replied a small smile breaking out on her face.

“You're sure? I mean I don't want hurt you.” I was almost trembling from all the crazy thoughts racing through my head.

“Yes, I'm sure…and since when would a kiss from you ever hurt me?” she asked as she held out her arms and beckoned me to kiss her. “Just be careful not to push on my tummy. It's still kind of tender.”

Placing my hands on either side of her chest I slowly lowered my head until our lips touched. Scared to put too much pressure on her, I held back from firmly pressing my lips against hers. Apparently, this wasn't the kind of kiss that she had in mind as she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me quite thoroughly.

“Well, your lips are in good working order,” I said after she finally released me. “Now, what's the bad news?”

“I don't have any `bad news', or at least I hope you don't think its bad news…Harry, we are going to have a son. I'm pregnant. It appears that I am suffering from nothing more than a strong dose of morning sickness.”

“Then, there is nothing wrong with you? You aren't going to die…or anything like that?” I felt as if a great weight had just been lifted from my shoulders and that I could finally breathe normally once again.

“That's great, that's just gr…

What Hermione had actually said suddenly penetrated my thick skull and my words caught in my throat.

“You're going to…have a baby?” I managed to choke out after swallowing several times. “A real, live baby?”

“Yes, Harry. A real, live baby,” Hermione replied, smiling at me with a dazzling sparkle in her eyes.

“How, when?” I was in a state of euphoric shock.

“As to the how, the only thing that makes sense is that you and I must have had sex while—

“While we were on Eden, or wherever Kai and Nyssa were keeping us after they rescued us from being incinerated,” I finished for her.

“Exactly! Madelyn estimates that I am about three months along.”

“And she's sure it is a boy?”

“It would appear so, but we won't know for sure for another six months.”

“Hermione, are you okay with this?” I asked suddenly realizing the enormous impact that this would have on our lives.

“If you mean, am I okay with the fact that I'm pregnant, then yes, I'm okay with it,” she replied a serious, thoughtful look on her face. “Which, of course is a darn good thing as there isn't much that I can do about it now. Given a choice however, I would have preferred waiting awhile longer before having a child. But given everything that has happened to all of us, this may not be so bad after all. Our son will be close to the same age as Ron and Gretchen's little girl. Raising our child at the same time Ron and Gretchen raise theirs would be helpful, as I have no mothering skills. Since Gretchen seems to have plenty, maybe she will loan me some of hers.”

“Don't say that. You're going to be a terrific mum,” I said firmly.

“You think so?”

“I know it for a fact,” I replied and leaned down and kissed her softly.

“There is one part of this that I am anything but okay with,” she said after our lips parted. The anger that flashed through her eyes caught me completely off guard and I sat bolt upright.

“Kai and Nyssa had no right, what so ever to do what they did to us!” I could see that her anger was ready to break out into a fit of rage at any second.

“Not only did they violate both of our bodies, but they took from us something that was ours and ours alone,” she continued before I could say a single word. “Harry, they stole from us the right to decide when we were ready for sex and the memories of our first time together. I feel as though I have been raped…

“Oh, God! Harry, I didn't mean that!”

I knew that Hermione was really angry and I didn't blame her in the least. Hell, I was almost as mad as she was. I tried not to let her remark bother me, but I wasn't completely successful in hiding it. She instantly saw the anguish I felt and her fury instantly evaporated, only to be replaced by deep sorrow a moment later.

“I'm not angry with you,” she continued, tears forming in her eyes as she sat up and placed her hands on the sides of my face. “I don't blame you for any of this.”

“I know you don't,” I replied as I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her closer to me. “I'm not upset. Really, I'm not. We have both been used. Kind of makes you feel like breeding stock.”

“Exactly!”

“You mentioned the memories of our first time together. As far as I am concerned, last night was our first time together and I will cherish those memories for the rest of my life. Nothing will ever replace them.”

“You mean, we won't get better with practice?” A look of impish delight wiped away the sorrow that had filled her face and I felt my heart rise.

“I didn't say that,” I answered just before we tried to crush each other's lips.

“Practice may have to wait a bit. My stomach is so tender that I can hardly stand it.”

“I know. Whenever you feel up to `a practice session', just let me know.”

“You can count on it, Mr. Potter,” she replied as she leaned her head on my shoulder and we just sat there holding each other.

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Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all associated characters, places and themes are the property of J.K. Rowling. This story may not be published commercially without the express written permission by the author.