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The Phoenix Rises	By : greenwizard11 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male Views: 44621 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 60
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- 62
Harry had been
spending so much time with Draco he�d completely forgotten about Dumbledore and
the Horcruxes until a third year brought him a note. It was from Dumbledore
wanting to see him right away. Harry�s heart jumped up into his throat.
Dumbledore must have finally found another one.

�He was curled up in front of the fire with
Draco. He kissed the blond tenderly and told his friends where he was going.
His knees were shaking a little as he walked through the halls. He didn�t know
what to expect, though he didn�t think it could be worse than facing Death
Eaters at the Ministry. And Dumbledore was going to be with him this time.

He knocked on
the office door and entered the office. Dumbledore was waiting, wearing a black
travelling cloak. �Did you find one?� Harry asked.

Dumbledore
nodded. �Yes, Harry, and I said you could come with and I will keep my word.
However, you must listen to me. If I tell you to hide or to run you will do so,
do you understand?�

Harry nodded,
swallowing hard. He was getting more nervous by the second.

�And if I tell
you to run and save yourself?� Dumbledore asked in a very serious tone.

�I�ll do it,�
Harry answered. He didn�t like the idea of saving himself if Dumbledore
remained in peril, but he wanted to go. He was a part of this whether he wanted
to be or not.

Dumbledore
seemed satisfied with his answer. �All right then, I want you to go get your
Invisibility Cloak and meet me in the entrance hall.

Harry nodded
and ran back to Gryffindor tower. His friends weren�t expecting him back so
soon. �So, are you going?� Hermione asked.

�Yeah, he
found one,� Harry answered.

�Be careful,
mate,� Ron wished him luck.

Draco pulled
him into a hug when he came down the stairs after grabbing his cloak. �Be
careful,� the blond whispered. �Do what Dumbledore says and come back to me.�

�I will,�
Harry whispered back. He gave Draco one last kiss and left for the entrance
hall.

Not only was
Dumbledore waiting for him, Harry�s dad was there too. The two older wizards
were arguing. �James, I told you I wanted you to stay here. I want the castle
protected while I�m gone.�

�And there are
plenty others here for that,� James argued back. �I�m going, and that�s all
there is to it. You don�t know what you�re facing�you might need backup.�

Dumbledore
could tell he wasn�t going to win this one. �You stubborn little�very well, you
can go too. We�d better get going. Harry, put on your cloak.�

The three men
walked together all the way down to Hogsmeade. They pretended to go to the
Hog�s Head Inn; then, when they were sure no one was watching Dumbledore held
out his arms. �All right you two, since neither of you know where we�re going
we�re going to have to do side-along.�

�I hate
side-along,� James grumbled as he took Dumbledore�s left arm.

Harry reached
out to take the older wizard�s right arm. He wasn�t very fond of Apparation period. Seconds later he felt like his body was
being squeezed through a tiny tube. Just when he thought he was going to
suffocate they were standing on top of a cliff by the ocean.�

They were on a
high, rocky cliff. A chilly breeze carrying a salty scent blew over them. A
full moon hung in the sky, its shimmering glow shining down on them. �How is
this place important to Voldemort?� Harry asked.

�He was here
as a child,� Dumbledore answered. �There�s a little town nearby. The orphanage
probably took the children on an outing there. I believe Tom somehow found his
way here, and he brought two younger children with him to terrorize.�

The two adults
approached the edge. �Take my hand, Harry,� Dumbledore said, reaching out his
good hand.

Harry took it
and was pulled off the edge. Instead of falling like he�d first anticipated,
the three of them floated down to the bottom, coming to rest on a large
boulder. When Harry turned to face the cliff wall he saw an opening where water
was flowing in and out in time with the waves.

�This is where
we�re going to have to get a little wet,� Dumbledore announced.

The two adults
slid into the water and started swimming. Harry followed them, shivering in the
freezing water. He followed them into the pitch-black opening. A few feet in,
the water gave way to dry land. The wizards climbed out and lit their wands.
Harry stood by the water, soaking wet and teeth chattering, while James and Dumbledore
studied the rock wall. �Oh, yes, we�re in the right place,� Dumbledore thought
out loud.

Suddenly James
looked very pale and clutched at his stomach. He doubled over and vomited. �Are
you all right?� Dumbledore asked, worried.

�Yeah, let�s
just get in and out of here quickly,� James answered, wiping his mouth with the
back of his wrist.

�How do you
know we�re in the right place?� Harry asked. �And what�s wrong with Dad?�

Dumbledore
gave him a soft smile. �Harry, magic always leaves a trace.� He glanced over at
James before looking back at Harry. �And some wizards are more sensitive to it
than others.�

�I�ll be
fine,� James tried to assure Harry. He kept one arm around his stomach as he
headed to one side of the little cavern and started feeling the wall with his
fingertips. �It�s just that the darker the magic is, the more it feels like a
sickening taint.�

Harry watched
as Dumbledore moved to the other side and started feeling along the wall as
James was doing. James was near the back of the little cave when he cried out
and fell back, curling up on the ground. Dumbledore rushed to his side and
helped him up. Then he too ran his fingertips over the rough stone wall. �I do
believe you�ve found it.�

�And there�s
something very bad on the other side,� James said as he moved to stand by
Harry.

Dumbledore
took a few minutes to study it, whispering softly in a language Harry didn�t
understand. �That seems a little silly,� the Headmaster commented.

�This is
Voldemort we�re talking about. You expected intelligence?� James commented.

Dumbledore
chuckled softly at the comment. �From what I can gather, the door requires a
blood sacrifice.�

�Why is that
silly?� Harry asked, thinking it was more gruesome than amusing.

�Because the
blood sacrifice was meant as a way to weaken his enemies,� Dumbledore
explained. �He doesn�t seem to understand that there are worse things than
physical injury. What�s even more laughable is that I don�t think it will
require much blood.�

James rolled
his eyes. �Sounds like someone read Blood Magic for Beginners
and stopped at that.�

�He doesn�t
seem to have a very firm grasp on the concept, does he?� Dumbledore said as he
reached into his robes for a small silver knife. �Though given his obsession
with pure blood, one wouldn�t expect him to pursue any deeper understanding
once he found what he wanted to hear.�

The older
wizard made a small slash on his wrist and held it up to the stone wall. Sure
enough, a piece of it slid away to reveal another cavern. The inside was pitch-black
except for a pale green glow that seemed far away.

The three
wizards ventured forth, their wands held out in front of them. A few paces in
they came to the edge of what looked like a large body of water. James held his
arm out to stop Harry from going too close. �Don�t touch the water. There�s no
telling what he did to it.�

Harry nodded
and followed James and Dumbledore as they started around the water�s edge.
After a few minutes a wave of nausea started to wash over him and he let out a
barely audible groan. �Slow, deep breaths,� James said. �We�ll be out of here
soon.�

They hadn�t
gone far when they came to a chain lying on the ground and disappearing into
the water. Dumbledore knelt down and cautiously reached out to grab it. As soon
as he touched it the smooth surface of the water began to boil, and something
started to rise out of the depths. It was a small boat. �Will we all fit in
that?� Harry asked.

�It looks like
it was only meant to fit one,� Dumbledore said as he studied it. �Harry, you
climb in first. Knowing Tom as I do, he wouldn�t view someone your age as a
threat, so you probably won�t even register. James, we�re going to have to
figure out a way to trick it into thinking we�re only one person.�

Harry climbed
in as directed. While Dumbledore was trying to think, James picked him up and
threw him over his shoulder. The older wizard squeaked in surprise, but didn�t
fight or argue. �I suppose this will work,� he sighed.

�You need to
cut down on the lemon drops,� James grumbled as he carefully climbed into the
boat.

It was a very
tight fit, but as soon as James was in the boat started to move, silently
sailing toward the green glow. Harry wondered how big the cavern really was; he
couldn�t see much of anything through the inky blackness. It felt big, though.

It seemed to
take forever to reach the green glow, which was emanating from a small, rocky
island. When the boat stopped, James motioned for Harry to get out first but
warned him not to go too far. Then James tossed Dumbledore ashore, who landed
on the slippery rock surface with surprising grace. James followed last, and
the three of them stood looking up at the stone staircase.

�So it�s up
there?� Harry asked, pointing to a white marble basin at the top.

�I believe so,
yes,� Dumbledore answered as he approached it. Harry and James followed
closely, ready for anything.

They all
leaned over to peer into the basin. It was filled with an opaque green liquid.
The two older wizards studied it closely. �What do you think?� Dumbledore asked
James.

James leaned
in a little closer. �I�m not sure. It looks like it might be Dementor Essence. I don�t believe it�Voldemort actually did
something intelligent. The question is, how do we get
around it?�

�I believe it
was meant to be drunk,� Dumbledore said, conjuring a goblet.

�But, sir!� Harry protested. �There has to be
another way.�

Dumbledore
shook his head. �No, Harry, there isn�t. Don�t forget what you promised me.
You�re to do whatever I tell you, no matter what. What I need you to do is make
sure I drink all of this. I may beg you to stop, but you can�t let me, no
matter what. James, I need you to stand guard.�

�Are you sure
about that?� James argued. �If that�s what I think it is, then I�d be better
suited to��

Dumbledore cut
him off. �No, you need to make sure nothing happens to Harry. You�re both more
valuable than I am.�

James sighed
and crossed his arms, but didn�t argue any further. Dumbledore dipped the
goblet into the liquid and drained it. Harry was relieved when nothing happened,
but then Dumbledore fell to his knees and started to mumble unintelligibly.

Harry looked
to his dad for help. James looked a little worried, but motioned for Harry to
do what he was told. �Go on. It shouldn�t kill him. I�m sure there are other traps
for that.�

�Brilliant,�
Harry mumbled and picked up the goblet. He filled it again and brought it to
the Headmaster�s lips. �Sir, you need to drink this,� he urged.

Dumbledore
obeyed and gulped down the thick liquid a second time. Seconds later he began
to convulse, begging Harry to make it stop. Harry desperately wanted to make it
stop, but he didn�t know how. All he could do was fill
the goblet a third time. It seemed like this was going to take forever.

After the fifth gobletful Dumbledore was in tears.
�I�m sorry!� he cried out and the sound echoed off the stone walls. �Please,
I�ll do anything!�

�Drink this
and it will all be over soon,� Harry tried to comfort him. He looked to James,
whose gaze was fixed on the water as if he expected something to jump out of
it.

After the
sixth goblet the basin was almost empty; Harry could see a silver chain lying
at the bottom. He was filled with relief because that meant this was almost
over. �Sir, just one more,� he pleaded.

�No, I can�t!�
Dumbledore sobbed. �Why I can�t is none of your damn business!�

Harry was
taken aback at the outburst. He�d never heard Dumbledore cuss before. �Sir, you
have to. Just one more.� He�d never felt so helpless
in his life; not even when he watched Voldemort murder Cedric.

To Harry�s
relief, when the last of the potion was swallowed Dumbledore became still and
quiet. It seemed like he was coming back to reality. Harry grabbed the locket
and headed back to the boat, eager to get out of there.

�Water,�
Dumbledore requested weakly. �Please, I need water.�

Harry wanted
to get out of there so badly that he wasn�t being cautious anymore. Without
thinking he reached down to scoop up some water with his hands.

�Harry,
don�t!� James cried, but the warning came too late.

A cold, pale
hand shot out of the water and gripped Harry�s arm like a vise. He cried out in
surprise and tried to pull away, but he couldn�t. The creature was too strong. �Help!� Harry yelled as he felt himself being pulled into
the lake.

A bolt of white
light shot past him and suddenly the arm holding him was on fire. The creature
shrieked and retreated back into the cold blackness. Harry scrambled up the
stairs to stand beside his father. He watched in horror as more creatures that
looked like dead bodies climbed out of the water and headed right for them.

James started
throwing white fireballs at them as fast as he could. The Inferi
burst into flames on contact and their screams were deafening.

The effects of
the potion were starting to wear off and Dumbledore was back to his old self,
but he looked tired and weak. �James, keep holding them back,� the older wizard
ordered, and he grabbed Harry�s arm to lead him back toward the boat. James
followed, burning every Inferius that emerged from
the water.

They soon
stopped coming, and Harry climbed back into the boat. James picked Dumbledore
up again and was right behind him entering the boat. James kept a wall of fire
around them just in case as they sailed back to the opposite shore.

The door where
they had come through the rock had closed, so Dumbledore had to cut himself
again to make a blood payment in order to open it again. Harry wished they�d
let him do it, but at the same time he was glad they cared enough to be so
protective of him.

It was a long
swim back to the rock, and both adults looked exhausted. �I�ll Apparate us back,� James said as he climbed out of the
water and dried himself off. Dumbledore nodded and grabbed James� arm. Harry
reached for the other arm and held his breath in anticipation of the unpleasant
sensation he knew was coming.

When the world
came back into focus they stood at the castle gates. A sense of relief washed
over Harry, but it only lasted a moment. Three sets of eyes looked up to see
the Dark Mark hovering in the sky above the castle.

Harry�s heart
leapt into his throat. Death Eaters usually used that mark when they murdered
someone. Who was it? Had they finally gotten to Draco and Lucius?

Harry was
brought out of his panic when James and Dumbledore broke into a run toward the
castle. Neither of them were very steady on their feet, but adrenaline was
rushing through them, bringing both of them a second wind.

The Mark hung
over the Astronomy Tower, so that was where they headed. Sounds of a battle
could be heard elsewhere, and James left to join in. Dumbledore continued to
the tower and Harry followed him. He needed to be sure Draco hadn�t been killed
while watching for him to come back.

�When they reached the top they found no one.
Harry was still worried about Draco and the rest of his friends and family, but
at least there wasn�t anyone dead at the top of the tower. Harry had turned to
head back down when Dumbledore abruptly ordered him to hide under his
Invisibility Cloak. Harry only hesitated for a moment before throwing it over
himself.

Seconds later
he could hear footsteps approaching. Nott emerged, with Crabbe and Goyle right behind him. �Ah, Mr. Nott, so good to see you,�
Dumbledore greeted him. Harry couldn�t believe what he was seeing.

Nott pulled
out his wand and pointed it at the Headmaster. �You fool, I�m here to kill
you!� the Slytherin boy spat.

�I gathered as
much,� Dumbledore said calmly. �But I also know that you�re no killer,�

�How would you
know?� Nott shouted. �The Dark Lord wouldn�t have given me this task if he
didn�t think I could do it.�

Harry could
see that Dumbledore was weakened, and he tried to move so he could help, but he
found himself frozen where he stood. He silently cursed Dumbledore for
insisting on protecting him so much.

Dumbledore
took another ragged breath and gripped the wall a little more tightly to hold
himself up. �Actually, I believe he chose you because he needed someone inside
the school. I don�t think he ever intended for you to actually succeed. By the
way, how did you manage it?�

�The vanishing
cabinet,� Nott answered, not lowering his wand. �The one in
the Room of Requirement. It has a sister at Borgin
and Burkes. I fixed it so I could use it to let the other Death Eaters in.�

�That�s
brilliant,� Dumbledore smiled softly. �I never would have thought of that. That
was very clever.�

�Don�t
patronize me!� Nott shouted. �Don�t you understand that I�m here to kill you?�

�If you were
going to, you would have done so already,� Dumbledore pointed out. �Theodore, I
want to help you. I can protect you just like I have the Malfoy family.�

�You haven�t
protected them. My father and his friends came to kill them, too.�

Dumbledore let
out a weary sigh. Then they heard more footsteps coming toward them. Harry
prayed that it was someone coming to help Dumbledore. To Harry�s disappointment
it turned out to be Fenrir Greyback.
�You haven�t finished the job yet, boy?� the werewolf growled.��

�He�he keeps
trying to distract me,� Nott made up an excuse.

�Well, hurry
up and finish it!�

�I should�ve
known you would be here, Fenrir,� Dumbledore
commented. �Your taste for children is infamous.�

�How could I
resist?� Fenrir gave a wicked grin.

�Did you hear
that?� Nott turned his head to stare at the doorway. Harry noticed that the
boy�s arm was shaking uncontrollably now.

�Now you�re
just stalling!� the werewolf shouted. �I didn�t hear anything.�

For a moment
Harry was afraid that Nott had heard him, but moments later a streak of black
lunged at the werewolf�s back. Harry watched as a black panther ripped, clawed,
and tore at its prey. Fenrir tried to fight back, but
it wasn�t a full moon and he was ill-equipped for a physical fight in his human
form.

All Nott and
his thugs could do was stand there in horror as blood splashed all over them. Fenrir was pinned down and razor-sharp fangs viciously
ripped out his throat. He lay there gasping for air, most of it gurgling out
through his wound, while the large cat transformed into James Potter. James was
covered in blood, but he didn�t seem to be bothered by it.

�Well, well,
what do we have here?� James eyed the three boys with an evil glint in his
eyes. �Three children trying to play with the big boys?�

�James, please
don�t harm them,� Dumbledore said. �They are only children.�

Nott�s gaze
was still glued to the mangled corpse on the floor and without warning he was
sick all over the floor where he stood.

James laughed.
�Aww�the little bitty baby Death Eaters can�t stand
the sight of a little blood. I don�t know how you ever expected to be initiated
when you can�t stomach the work involved.�

�James, that�s
enough,� Dumbledore chided. �What these boys need is help.�

James pulled
out a knife and took a few steps toward the Slytherin boys, who were trembling
in fear. �I�m not so sure about that,� he said as he eyed them. �I warned them
not to fuck with me and mine. Severus warned them, too. But did they listen? Apparently not. It seems they thought they could be big bad
Death Eaters and kill you to gain favor. You know, I was never one to tolerate
stupidity.�

Dumbledore
gave up and slid to the floor. He knew when it was useless to argue, and his
legs could no longer hold him up. James continued to approach Nott, seemingly
unconcerned with the other two. �You were also too stupid to think about the
fact that the castle was not only crawling with Aurors
but with teachers. I just came from downstairs. I came up here because the Aurors are wiping the floor with your fellow Death Eaters.
It�s just me and you now.�

Nott seemed to
have finally remembered he had legs, because he backed up toward the edge of
the tower. James advanced until they were standing face to face, with Nott was
pinned against the railing. �You don�t have anything to say to me?� James asked
in a disappointed tone. �You�re not even going to beg for your life?� He looked
around for a second with a strange look on his face. �I feel like I�ve been in
this position before. I think I know just what to do with you, Nott.�

Harry could
have sworn he saw a flash of red in his father�s eyes as James gave the boy a
hard shove. Nott fell backward over the railing and plummeted toward the earth,
screaming in terror. James leaned over to watch, his face expressionless. �It�s
funny how things repeat themselves sometimes.�

�Oh, Papa,� Dumbledore
groaned. �Why do you do these things to me?�

Harry was so
surprised and confused it took him a moment to realize he could move again. He
took the cloak off, and Crabbe and Goyle cried out in
surprise when he suddenly appeared.

James whirled
around. �Oh, I�d almost forgotten about you two. Boo!� he shouted, lunging at
them. The two goons screamed and ran for the stairs while James burst out
laughing so hard he could barely breathe. After a few minutes he straightened
himself up. �I don�t know, maybe I really am just a rotten, evil bastard.
Harry, are you all right?�

Harry could
only nod. He�d just witnessed the murder of a classmate for the second time in
his young life. James gently laid a hand on his shoulders. �It�s all right. I�d
be worried if you didn�t react this way. The world already has one too many
evil bastards running around as it is.�

The three of them headed down the stairs. The few
Death Eaters who were still standing were retreating. James and Dumbledore kept
Harry shielded between them while they joined the battle. Minutes later the
last Death Eater made it to the gate and Disapparated.

Dumbledore and
James seemed to fall to the floor at the same time. James yawned and rested his
head against the wall. Lucius rushed over to them. His arm was bleeding
heavily, but other than that he seemed unhurt. �James, are you all right?�
Lucius asked as he knelt down to examine his fianc�.

�I�ll live,�
James answered. �What about you and Julian?�

�Julian is
with Severus,� Lucius answered. �And I�m fine. I saw Draco a few moments ago.
He got a nasty blow to the head, but I think he�ll be all right.�

James leaned
up to give Lucius a peck on the cheek. �I�ve had one hell of a night. I�m going
to go crawl into bed and sleep for a few days. You go down to the Hospital Wing
and get that arm looked at.� The moment he finished speaking his head fell to
the side and he was out cold.

�Don�t worry,
Lucius,� Dumbledore assured him. �He�s only sleeping. He wasn�t hurt as far as
I can tell. Harry, if you wouldn�t mind helping me up?�

�Oh, yeah,
sure,� Harry said as he leaned over to pull the Headmaster to his feet. �Let�s
get you to the Hospital Wing, too.�

�No,�
Dumbledore shook his head. �Take me back to my office, and then I want you to
go get Severus.�

Harry didn�t
think that was a good idea, but he obeyed orders once again. He really couldn�t
wait until he was seventeen. He made sure Dumbledore was resting comfortably in
his office and headed down to the dungeons.

He knocked on
the Potions Master�s door. �Sir, Dumbledore asked me to come get you.�

�What�s my
daughter�s middle name?� the question came from the other side of the door.
Apparently Snape was being cautious, though Harry could hardly blame him.

Harry had to
think for a moment. �Um�Rosalyn, isn�t it?�

The door
opened. �Correct,� Snape said, opening the door. He already carried a black
leather bag in his hand. �Now, where is he?�

�In his
office,� Harry answered.

�Very well. You�ll have to stay with Arabella and
Julian, then. They can�t be left alone.�

�But I need to
make sure my friends are all right!� Harry protested.

�I�ll send
someone down to tell you everything they know,� Snape assured him, and he left
hurriedly.

Harry was
torn. As much as he wanted to go find Ron and Hermione, Snape was right. The
babies couldn�t be left alone, especially when it was always possible that a
Death Eater or two could still be hiding somewhere.

He went inside
the room and closed the door behind him. The two infants were in their cribs
side by side, sleeping peacefully. Neither of them had any idea what was going
on outside, and Harry hoped they would never have to go through anything like
what he�d just gone through.

***

A/N;� These chapters just
keep getting longer and longer.� I�m sure
you guys aren�t complaining though.� I
hope y�all liked it.� Snape isn�t a
traitor and Dumbledore isn�t dead.�
*Restocks the review room cookie tray*�
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The Phoenix Rises