Chapter 4
The Death Eater had thankfully taken her from that bedroom. Being in that room with only those two bimbos for any human contact was slowly driving her insane. The Death Eater led her with her wrists still shacked to a room in the downstairs area. She was scared, but she would never show it. All she could think about was finding a way to escape, to get back to Charlie. Now that she was out of that room, which had an anti-magic barrier around it, she had a chance.
Voldemort was there, she had wondered when she was going to be brought before him. The Death Eater sat her down at the table, opposite of Voldemort.
"Would you like some tea?" he asked her. She looked at him stunned, what universe did she wake up in?
She found her voice, "I wouldn't," she replied, "Even if I was dying of thirst."
"Now, now, don't be like that." Voldemort scolded, "I wouldn't kill you like that, I still need you."
"You need me?" Lena asked, "Why could you possibly need me?"
"Because of where you work," Voldemort replied.
"There are lots of people who work at the Ministry, why me? I'm just a secretary at the Pest Advisory Bureau." Lena told him.
"Don't be coy with me little Miss Marx, I know you are an Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries." Voldemort reached down beside him a brought up a book and put it on the table so she could see it.
"Where did you get that?" it was an ancient tome she had reported missing from the Department about six months before.
"I have my sources, but it seems I can't find a soul on this earth who can read a lick of it." Voldemort explained.
"If you can't read it or translate it how do you know that it's of any use to you? For all you know it could be a book on how to properly clean your socks." Lena inquired.
"Cheeky little witch, aren't you. I know what is in the book; I want to know how to use it."
"And whose magic do you plan on stealing?" Lena asked.
"You can read it?" Voldemort said surprised, "This might just be my lucky night."
Lena remained quiet, gathering her inner strength it was almost time to make her move.
"Translate this for me and I give you my word that I will let you go. Obliverated of course and no memory of ever being here, but you would be free and alive." Voldemort offered, "It's certainly more than I offered the other four Unspeakables that I here. They were of no use to me and ended up dead."
Lena took the book and opened it, skimming through some of the pages. "Since I'm going to have my memory erased and all, whose power are you trying to steal?"
He remained silent.
"Pity," Lena sighed, "It would have been useful information." She placed her hands firmly onto the open book, "And you were right before, I can be cheeky at times, but I'm not a witch." Lena closed her eyes and suddenly the book was on fire. Voldemort was so busy trying to put the fire out that he didn't notice that his robe was on fire as well. Lena got up from her seat, turned around to find the Death Eater standing right behind her. She balled up her right fist and knocked him one, right into his mask, knocking him down. Lena quickly took back her hand and shook it from the sting of her fresh wound of hitting something hard. Turning to the door she heard a curse being muttered from behind her, but she tripped over something, twisting her left ankle in the process, she saw the bright green flash pass by above her. There were some bookshelves in the room, she raised her hand and a fire ball erupted from it setting the books on fire. Quickly getting up, she limped out the door, not looking back.
As she limped through the house she set things on fire, hoping to bring the place down with everyone inside. She looked into every room, trying to find a way out. Lena ended up in a bathroom; she smiled as she saw a huge mirror. She climbed on top of the counter and said a spell over the mirror, the surface rippled and she went through it. After she was gone, the mirror shattered.
*
"Charlie?" Ron, Harry and Hermione entered the kitchen the next mourning for breakfast. Ron noticed Charlie sitting at the table staring off into space, "Are you okay?"
"Leave Charlie alone Ron," Molly told him, setting out breakfast, "Come and eat."
"What's going on Mum?" Ron asked.
"Lena's gone missing." Molly replied.
"Who's Lena?" Hermione asked.
"She's my girlfriend," Charlie replied.
"I thought the two of you had split up?" Ron asked, "I mean you went to Romania, she went to the U.S."
"It's called long distant relationship," Charlie said, "We thought it funny to see how long we could keep it from you."
"They will find her Charlie." Molly assured him.
"Everyone keeps saying that Mum," Charlie sighed, "It's the condition they find her in that I'm worried about."
"Can I get you anything dear?" Molly called to Madison who was in a far corner drinking out of a black mug. She hadn't left the kitchen all night.
"I'm fine," Madison replied.
"You might want to move," Molly suggested heading for small window, "You'll be in the path of the sunlight and there's a couple owls wanting to get in."
Madison temporarily moved and Molly opened the window. Some owls came in and delivered the post as well as the Daily Prophet to its subscribers. Hermione open the paper to reveal the front page.
"Oh my god!" she exclaimed.
"I think she's still sleeping." Harry replied.
"Listen to this, `Malfoy Manor in flames'" Hermione read the Headline, "Sometime in the night the Manor erupted in flames; no one knows how it started. The entire Malfoy clan got out safely." Hermione quickly read more to herself, "They can't stop it; it's burned the entire building to the ground. It's been reported that it's still smoldering."
The newspaper was passed from person to person to read the entire article. Madison suddenly left the room.
"I wonder what happened to start it." Harry wondered.
Madison came back in with a Severus in a coughing fit coming behind her, his face and robes covered in soot.
"Oh dear, what happened?" Molly asked with concern. Madison was getting a glass of water.
"Why did you ever go back to him?" Madison said furiously, "You're going to get yourself killed! And then I'll have to bury you. Why does he always have to put you under that curse?"
"After what happened last night Madie, it was worth it." Severus replied as he coughed some more.
"Your nose is broken," Madison said as she checked where the blood on his face was coming from.
"Yes I know; pain is a clear indicator."
"Snarky again are we?"
Solarea stuck her head through the door, "Charlie, your girlfriend wouldn't know how to travel through mirrors would she."
"Why do you ask?"
"Oh, it's just that someone has been trying to come though the mirror in the front hall." Solarea replied, "And there's a message, `Charlie, are you there?'"
Charlie quickly rushed out of the kitchen followed by everyone else but Madison and Severus.
"What was that about?" Severus asked.
"Charlie's girlfriend has gone missing." Madison said as she was patching him up.
"Lena Marx?" He remembered she and Charlie Weasley where close at Hogwarts.
"How'd you know?"
"She's the one who did this." Severus told her pointing to his nose.
*
The mirror in the front hall had the words glowing on them.
"That's Lena's writing," Charlie confirmed.
"Alright, stand back." Solarea put her hand on the mirror and it rippled. It stopped showing their reflection and showed another room, a bathroom. Lena was sitting by the bathtub on the floor with her eyes shut. Charlie, seeing this, quickly rushed out the front door.
"Charlie, wait!" Molly cried.
Through the mirror, a few minutes later, everyone could see Charlie enter the bathroom, kneeling beside Lena. Charlie saw a bag of ice on her left ankle.
"Lena?" he said softly. She stirred, opened her eyes and looked at Charlie.
"He's going to come after me Charlie," she whispered, "I've pissed him off; he'll want to kill me."
"Bring her here Charlie," Solarea told him, "We'll keep her safe."
"Come on," Charlie scooped Lena up and headed out the door.
"This place is harder that Fort Knox to get into," Lena mentioned as she hobbled along with Charlie helping her.
"Good, it must mean I'm doing my job right," Solarea said, "I'm Solarea."
"Oh bloody hell," Lena said with amazement, "I mean it's an honor to meet you."
"Come on dear," Molly hustled, "Let's get you patched up shall we."
Everyone was back in the kitchen now, waiting patiently to hear how both patients got this way.
"What happened to your hand?" Charlie asked when he noticed it bloodied and bruised.
"I had to punch one the Death Eaters while escaping," Lena explained, "Unfortunately they had their mask on."
"If you ask me, you did a bang up job," Madison said still working on Severus's nose, "No pun intended."
"You mean…" Lena figured it out in head, "Did he recover the book?"
"It's been reduced to ashes." Severus replied.
"Just so we're clear," Charlie said, "You both were at Malfoy Manor?"
"Is that where it was?" Charlie showed her the Daily Prophet article. "Good luck putting that out."
"I'm curious as to how you managed to do what you did," Severus questioned.
Lena was hesitant, "I should talk to my Mum; she's probably worried about me."
"And the fact that you told the Dark Lord you were not a witch," Severus continued.
"Yeah, probably shouldn't have done that," Lena mused.
"Lena you can trust everyone in this room, what you say will not leave this room unless you will it." Charlie assured her.
"But he's a Death Eater," she said referring to Severus, "I assume everyone here is okay with that?"
"For lack of a better term, he's our spy," Molly told her.
"I am a Mage," Lena explained, "When I was little my parents moved here from the Mage Lands. The move was mostly because of me, because I am the Fire Mage."
"I wondered when you would show up," Solarea said, "Though I didn't expect you here amongst Wizards."
"What's so special about be a Fire Mage?" Ron asked.
"Every generation has an Elemental Mage, Fire, Air, Water, Earth; in that order." Solarea explained, "Before Lena was born there was an Earth Mage. When she dies, an Air Mage will be born."
"I have the ability to control the element of fire." Lena said, she held out her hand palm up and a tiny flame appeared and danced around. "So earlier when I set fire to everything in my path, I made it strong enough so it can't be extinguished for a while."
"What's this book that we don't want Voldemort to recover?" Solarea asked.
"I have studied it a while ago," Lena explained, "It tells you what you have to do, to be able to steal magic from anything or anyone. It was really old and written in a rare mage language."
"Did you know about this?" Solarea asked Severus.
"Not until last night," Severus responded, "I don't think he is sharing this information with anyone."
*
"Are you alright Sirius?" Harry asked. It was later that afternoon; most of who had stayed up all night was asleep.
"I'm worried about your Aunt Sol," Sirius admitted.
"Why, what's wrong?" Harry asked with alarm.
"She's seems different lately," Sirius explained, "I think I am the only one who can see it though."
"Why don't you just talk to her?" Harry suggested, "She's only been back a month. And she was gone a long time, maybe something happened while she was gone."
"Maybe," Sirius then left the room in search for his love.
He found her asleep in their bedroom; Sirius quietly backed out and closed the door. He was talk to her later.
In truth Solarea's body was sleeping, but her mind was elsewhere; somewhere unknown or at least forgotten.
"I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me."
"I would never forget about you Tavion."
"I know why you are here," Tavion told her, "Though if I'm not careful someone will think I've gone crazy, talking to myself."
"I would have come personally, but I've been feeling out of sorts lately," Solarea explained.
"Have you talked to Sirius?" Tavion asked, "He has noticed that something is bothering you."
"I think I am trying to come to terms with this myself before I tell him, it's such a big change."
"You know, I knew this was going to happen when you first met each other." Tavion told her, "Out of all the years that you've existed you have never done this, never experience this. Yes, you will be tired, sometimes sick. But that will pass."
"But why now? Why could it not have happened when this war is over?"
"You may be a god Solarea, but not even the fates cater to your wishes."
*
"So, what's on your mind," Sirius lay down next to Solarea on their bed, it was nearing dinner time.
"I think I was being too harsh about this whole Ministry Ball." Solarea replied, "I might actually be fun. We've been on our guard so much lately."
"Or it might be an excuse to get a new dress made."
"Yes, I'll defiantly need a new dress." Solarea added, "And take Hermione to get one as well."
"We men will need new dress robes ourselves you know." Sirius noted. Solarea smiled contently and rolled to her back looking up at the ceiling. "I've been worried about you lately."
She looked back at him, "About me, whatever for?"
"You may not show it, but I know something is different about you." Sirius admitted.
Solarea looked back to the ceiling, "I was thinking of having a little get together with Voldemort."
"You're changing the subject."
"No I'm not, honest; this is relevant to this conversation." Solarea told him, "As I was saying, I was thinking of meeting with Voldemort, comparing schedules, and try to hold off on him reeking havoc on this world until after April or May."
"You see now, I can't help but notice you're trying to tell me something, yet you're being sarcastically serious. Why would we want that?" Sirius asked; weary that he'd be at the butt end of another one of her jokes.
"It's just with this Ball coming up and the fact that I'll be coming along in the family way, then there's your birthday in November." Solarea explained, "Voldemort reeking havoc is just a confliction in my schedule."
"Are you saying what I think you're saying," with this Sirius loomed over her so she could not look at the ceiling, but look at him.
"I don't know," Solarea was being cheeky, "What is it you think that I am saying?"
"How is this possible?"
"Well, you remember three weeks ago, the night of Harry's birthday? I seem to recall us doing a lot of celebrating. I think I need not elaborate." Solarea explained.
"How do you know?" Sirius asked, "I mean with you being you and all."
"It's just something I know, I can feel. It's a drastic change; it's kind of hard to miss. Not to mention a few dizzy spells and nausea." Sirius was silent after that. "Are you ok?"
They both sat up, Sirius had his back to the headboard while Solarea sat facing him.
"It just seems unreal." Sirius said, "I mean, when I asked you to marry me way back when and you told me all about you, I had accepted that I would never be a father if I choose to be with you and now here we are. We are going to have a baby."
"Well it defiantly your child," Solarea joked, "because it has the worst timing ever."
"We have to celebrate." Sirius said happily.
"Privately, yes." Solarea told him, "I want to keep this to ourselves for now. I don't exactly know what is to be expected. I don't really have any references to guide me. Let's just get comfortable with the situation first before we tell anyone."
"Alright," Sirius agreed.
"But I want you to treat me normal. No acting as if I've grown an extra head or limb."
"What? What are you talking about?"
*
"I smell Hogwarts letters." Solarea announced when she walked into the kitchen with Sirius. Harry happily game his Aunt his letter which announced that he was Head Boy. "I am so very proud of you."
"Way to go kiddo," Sirius playfully punched him in the arm.
"Hermione's Head Girl and Ron got Quidditch captain." Harry told them.
"That's wonderful, congratulations to the both of you as well."
"Thank you," Hermione said feeling proud herself.
"How are you doing Lena?" Solarea asked the Mage.
"Better now that I've had some sleep." She replied, "Charlie and I plan to go over to my flat tomorrow to get some of my stuff. I hope it's no burden for me to stay here?"
"No, none at all." Solarea answered for her, "In fact I like seeing this house full up. The more the merrier. Just be careful."
"Aunt Sol, do you mind if you watch us duel after dinner?" Harry asked, "We need to show you something."
"Sure," Solarea replied.
After dinner the four of them headed for the dueling room. It was a room that Harry had practiced magic in so the Ministry could not detect underage magic.
"We were practicing our Patronesses earlier," Harry told her, "And it didn't go as well as it usually does." Harry pulled out his wand and showed her. Instead of the brilliant ghostly stag that usually emerged, his wand fizzed, crackled and popped.
"All three of us are having the same problem." Hermione told her.
Solarea smiled a knowing smile. She walked over to where they were standing. "I want you to close your eyes and concentrate on your surroundings. Now Harry, you said that you could sense that Madison was different than you. Do you sense that from me, a difference from Hermione or Ron?"
It was as if Harry could see with his eyes shut. He concentrated hard on sensing a difference. He didn't see anything clear but saw colors. Harry opened his eyes; Hermione and Ron were surrounded by blue while Aunt Sol was a blinding white light.
"Don't say what colors you see, I want the two of you to try as well." She told Ron and Hermione. They tried as well and were successful.
"What do the colors mean, and how are we able to do this?" Hermione asked.
"Let's look at the people that come around here. All the Weasley's except you Ron have a green color, same as Sirius and Moody. Remus is a sort of chartreuse. Dumbledore has a turquoise to him. Madison is a blackish-green. Lena is a purple." Solarea finished her list. "The color represents a person's magical essence. Most likely any Wizard you see will be green, muggles are orange."
"But we're Wizards Aunt Sol," Harry said, "And we saw blue."
"Well if you're not green than you can't be Wizards now can you?"
"Just tell us, please."
"Your magic has evolved; it is a very rare thing." Solarea explained, "All three of you were born Wizards, but now you are Mages."
"But that's not possible," Hermione objected, "There has to be some mistake."
"It's the reason your magic isn't working." Solarea continued, "Mage's magic is different from Wizard's magic."
Suddenly there was scream coming from somewhere in the house. The four of them rush out of the room, Solarea keeping the other three behind her. Another scream came, but it was more of a cry of pain, it was from the kitchen where the majority of the house guests where located.
Lena was sitting at the table while everyone else was either trying to help her or stood back to observe. She had her head down while she gripped the edge of the table with her hands.
"Just stay back," Lena warned them, "It'll be fine."
Solarea noticed that Dumbledore had arrived, Fawkes along with him.
"Albus, what is going on?" Solarea asked him.
"I believe that remains to be seen." He replied.
The back of Lena's shirt caught on fire, but she was still insisting everyone stay back and remain calm. Clearly it was painful, even for the Fire Mage who could resist fire. After a couple minutes the fire died down. Whatever had happened, it was over. Fawkes sung a soft song as he flew over close to Lena.
"I'm ok," she told everyone.
"Is this what happened last time?" Charlie asked.
Lena nodded, "Help me take off my shirt." Charlie helped her out of her damaged shirt, "What is it?" she asked eagerly.
"It's a Phoenix," Charlie said in aw as reveled Lena's newest body art. The red Phoenix had it's wings spread open across her back.
"What?" Lena exclaimed in surprise. She looked towards Fawkes and started to cry silent tears, she wiped them away with her injured hand. Upon contact with her tears her hand healed, "Thank you," she whispered to Fawkes.
"What happened?" Ron asked quietly from behind.
"Elemental Mages receive animal guardians as their power grows and as they accomplish things. The animal marks them." Solarea explained, "Lena just received her second guardian, the Phoenix."
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