Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters whose names can be found in the Harry Potter books.
The door to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom flew open and into the run down lavatory strode Sam with Aidan atop his shoulder. The dragon hybrid's face was full of determination as he allowed his magic to sweep through the bathroom.
As soon as Sam had stepped into the bathroom he felt an almost transparent presence in one of the cubicles, the presence radiated depression.
"Urg" Sam sighed, "Myrtle's happy today."
Aidan chuckled.
Along with the transparent presence of the ghost the dragon hybrid discovered one more interesting fact about the bathroom. One of the sinks was cloaked in an ancient magic. Unlike most magics that seemed to hum softly, this spell seemed to hiss. Weaving it's powers around the sink like a snake around it's prey.
"Aidan," Sam started. "What do you make of that sink?"
The phoenix gazed over to where Sam indicated. "It looks pretty normal." Aidan remarked. "Why? What do you see?"
Sam approached the sink slowly, prodding the foreign magic with his own to check for traps, but the sink did nothing more than sit there.
"It looks like someone cast a very powerful spell on this sink." Sam said simply. "But not with wizarding magic." Sam paused. "This is defiantly beast magic, cast by a serpent. And if I'm not mistaken I can use beast magic to undo it," trailing off Sam raised both hands.
"Exxxposssitussss" Sam hissed and the sink began to move, sliding away to reveal an enormous pipe underneath.
"After you" Aidan said simply, taking flight off Sam's shoulder and with a glare at his familiar, Sam spread his wings and jumped into the black abyss.
With his wings acting like a parachute, Sam simply drifted down the tunnel. The deeper he went, the worse the smell became, the damper the walls and the thicker the moss.
"Yuck," Sam muttered under his breath as he passed the skull of a dead rat. "If this snake hasn't eaten in 100 years, I sure as hell don't want to be the first one he sees. Nothing says meal ticket like an idiot in your hole."
Aidan snorted above him. "Well at least you have one thing to be grateful for" he replied. "The basilic can't actually kill you with his eyes. You need pupils for that to actually work."
Sam roared with laughter "I knew there was a reason for this blind thing."
"Yeah well it's not like sight is all that useful down here." Aidan remarked. "We're in a drainage pipe, and it appears that the builders forgot to install torches, how forgetful of them."
"Well if it helps matters," Sam replied. "The entrance is just below." And with that said, he closed his wings and dived out of the pipe.
With a sickening crunch Sam landed on the bones of hundreds of dead rats.
"Not pleasant." Aidan remarked from the air, where Sam quickly joined him, hovering just inches above the ground.
"Gross." The dragon hybrid agreed.
"Oh look the builders put torches down here, how helpful of them. Now all we have to wonder about is who lit them." Aidan remarked
"You know it could be done by magic," Sam said smugly.
"Is it?" Aidan asked, looking at Sam to confirm if there was any spells on the torches.
"No," Sam said grudgingly and Aidan snorted in laughter.
"In that case, who the hell decided that it would make their day if they entered a bathroom haunted by a ghost, dropped down a giant drainpipe filled with moss, to land in a room filled with dead things and light all these torches!" Aidan remarked sarcastically. "They obviously have no life."
"And aren't fond of dark places." Sam added
"Have a slightly warped sense of fun." Aidan put in.
"But I don't think Dad's been down here yet," Sam remarked and both he and Aidan cracked up.
"Not feeling all that generous towards James at the moment?" Aidan asked the rhetorical question.
"Not particularly," Sam confirmed, before he shot himself forward in a burst of speed from his wings. He and Aidan rocketed along the corridor, not really knowing what to expect, but not really worrying, because really, it couldn't be any worse than what they were running from.
And it wasn't, in the hospital wing James had been revived and the whole course of events had been explained to him and now Lily was freaking out, James was trying desperately to calm her down, Madam Pomfrey had miraculously decided that her patient would not strain himself and so had left the Potters and Sirius to themselves.
"How could we not have noticed!" Lily sobbed, her tears flowing freely as she sobbed on her husbands shoulder.
"Lily just think about this rationally." James reasoned, trying to calm her down. "That thing can't possibly be Harry. For one thing Harry's school isn't finished, and another it's in AUSTRALIA! How could he have possibly gotten here."
"But," Lily started however James hushed her.
"And if you want anymore reason, how could he have got to Hogwarts from Diagon Alley. We always pick Harry up at the Leaky Cauldron, he couldn't have possibly gotten here from there."
"But he's got wings James." Lily argued, her tear stained face looking hopefully up at her husband, desperately trying to believe that just maybe, that man had not been her little boy. "He could have flown here."
"But that's just the point Lily. Harry doesn't have wings, we would have noticed." James replied.
"He said they're resent." Lily argued.
"With the control he has he would have had them when he was staying with us for Christmas." James countered. "And Harry most definitely didn't have wings then."
"He could have used a concealment charm." Lily whispered.
"Harry doesn't have that kind of magical power." James whispered back, resting his head again Lily's. "We both know that he is a truly gifted elemental, but he doesn't have the magical power to cast a concealment charm."
Lily sighed. "Maybe you're right," she whispered.
"You're not." Sirius interrupted the couple suddenly and both James' and Lily's eyes fixed themselves on Sirius.
"What makes you think that?" James asked curiously, honestly not seeing what his best friend was getting at.
"That really was Harry just now." Sirius said sadly. "He's changed but he fights the same. Did you notice the way he used his agility to dodge most attacks. People with that kind of power don't dodge attacks using physical ability, they don't need to. No, that boy fights like someone who isn't used to having raw power like that. Thinking about the fight again, the only spell I saw him use was protego, though I'll admit to being distracted by that bird. He was also a fire elemental, which you experienced first hand. Who else besides Harry do you know with that kind of ability?"
James was silent and Lily who had just began to hope again, burst into tears.
"One of the first spells we taught the boys was protego. So that they could protect each other if they were ever caught alone." Sirius continued. "We made sure that they could both cast it without fault."
"That THING was NOT my son!" James yelled.
Sirius' face suddenly hardened. "I thought you of all people would understand that your children don't always come exactly as you'd like them."
This statement made James freeze and Lily's sobs became the only sound in the room.
"Do you really think?" James asked slowly, his face so filled with sadness that Sirius allowed his own anger to fade.
"Yes," He confirmed.
"It can't be," James moaned, "I fired curses at my own SON! I attacked my own flesh and blood." A lone tear escaped James' eye. Suddenly he straightened and he gently pushed Lily away from him.
"Lilies, I need you to stay here and look after Matt." James said gently.
"Where are you going?" Lily asked tearfully.
"Our son has gone to fight a basilisk." James whispered, "with only a bloody bird for protection."
"The bird however does pack a punch." Sirius interrupted, rubbing his arms in an attempt to lighten the mood.
James grinned slightly but didn't brake eye contact with Lily.
"I'm going to help our son." James said gently and Lily untangled herself from him.
"Well what are you still doing here then?" She asked, laughing lightly through the tears. James grinned and looked over at Sirius whose face had also broken out into a wide smile.
"Well then," James said briskly, "it shouldn't take to long to find a dirty, great snake." And the pair raced from the hospital wing.
Down in the Chamber, Sam was about to get acquainted with the 'dirty, great snake.'
"Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four." Riddle hissed and the great stone mouth of the Slytherin began to open. The hole grew wider and wider, exposing the great expanse of darkness within, and from within the darkness a great snake began to unravel its self. Huge and monstrous; one of its scales was the size of a dinner plate.
But as the snake uncoiled itself Sam watched only in fascination. Ginny Weasley lay at his feet, in her hand was the diary of Tom Riddle. Who would have thought that Voldemort kept one of those anyway? The memory of Riddle stood a couple of feet away, both hands spread out wide as if in praise. And Sam could only laugh, Riddle had been so confused by his entrance, but upon learning that he was the brother of Matt Potter Tom had become so much more friendly. Riddle proclaimed his own greatness, informed Sam on the entire scheme and then had decided that worst injury he could inflict on the 'great' Matt Potter, was to kill his own twin. And that's when the basilisk had made its dramatic entrance.
"KILL HIM!" Roared Riddle but the snake simply turned its gaze to Sam.
"You aren't human." the great serpent remarked and Sam nodded and grinned, Riddle's face was a very amusing sight. He didn't seem to know whether to be angry, confused or curious that his great monster didn't seem in a killing mood.
The snake then turned his attention to Aidan "what are you?"
"I'm a shadow phoenix," Aidan replied.
"Interesting," the snake was not at all interested in killing its company right at the moment, not when you haven't had good conversation in over 100 years. "I've never heard of a shadow phoenix, mind you, I haven't heard of very much at all." The basilisk became quite depressed at this fact.
"Aren't you like 2000 years old though?" Asked Sam. "Bread by Salazar Slytherin himself?"
"Master never allowed me out of the castle." the serpent hissed. "He was afraid that someone would kill me."
Sam nodded at this, "I can understand, I don't think too many people stop to talk to the giant snakes before killing it or it kills them, either one."
"But you did didn't you?" The serpent remarked, "What is it about you that makes you so different, for you are different or I would have killed you by now."
Sam laughed at the basilisk's casual remark about his death. "I'm a dragon hybrid."
"That mating would have been interesting," the basilisk started and Sam let a grin grace his face.
"Err, not like that." He said quickly. "I'm biologically human, but my magic and soul is from dragons."
"Really," the snake hissed. "No wonder you smell so strange."
"Heh," Sam laughed cautiously, not sure whether to be offended or not.
"ENOUGH!" Riddle roared. "Kill the boy!"
The basilisk turned his great head to observe the wizard behind him, and the only reason Riddle didn't die from it's stare was because he was only a memory.
"What right do you have to order me human?" The basilisk asked in a regal tone.
"I am the descendant of SALAZAR SLYTHERIN!!" Riddle yelled, "I am your MASTER!"
And from his pocket Riddle produced Ginny Weasley's wand and screamed out a spell in parselmouth.
The great serpent roared in pain, and Sam saw a binding spell shoot from Riddle's wand which activated rules on the basilic's scales.
That's how Slytherin controlled his pet, Sam thought. The snake was too great to be controlled by a simple parselmouth, he bound it to him by blood.
"KILL HIM!" Riddle roared and Sam launched himself into the air to avoid the fangs of the serpent.
"Why does this stuff always happen to me?!" Sam yelled as he dipped and dived around the basilisk's head, Aidan swooping along beside him.
"You just got all the bad luck possible." Aidan replied as the snake barely missed him.
"Gee thanks," Sam remarked sarcastically. "Now what am I meant to do with this snake?"
"Um, killing it isn't an option is it?" Aidan asked.
"Not really," Sam replied.
"Well what about killing Riddle?" Aidan asked.
"You really like this killing idea don't you?" Sam said. "Sardonic bird."
"What can I say, you bring out the best in me?" Aidan retorted.
Sam didn't even bother to respond to that comment, he just dove to the floor to scoop up the diary.
"NO!" Riddle screamed, and he fired a cutting hex at Sam who simply stuck the diary in front of it. However much to his surprise the spell just bounced off the cover.
"That's so typical." Sam muttered. "Aidan! Keep the snake entertained!"
"What did you think I was doing!? Playing with it!" Aidan screeched in mock anger but Sam just rolled his eyes at his familiar and launched himself upwards, to land on the head of Salazar Slytherin.
Settling down, Sam closed his eyes and allowed the noise to fade away. Looking hard at the dairy he concentrated on the magic within it. Pulsing just below the surface was a stream of red magic, tinged with black and orange. The treads were circling around a glowing orange fragment, in interest Sam poked at the threads with his own power and was prepared when they leapt forward to attack the foreign matter.
"Right," Sam muttered out loud before plunging himself back into the trance.
Carefully the dragon hybrid surrounded the threads with his own magic, far enough away that the threads would not attack. Slowly but surely he began to build up his power around the diary, thickening the sphere of power until it was two inches thick. With a grunt Sam slammed it inwards.
Several things happened at this point. As soon as the foreign magic came close enough the threads tried to attack, but the sheer force overcame them quickly and the power continued to rapidly implode until it reaches the orange fragment. As soon as magic and fragment met the fragment ripped and a scream echoed through the chamber.
The yell snapped Sam of out his trace and he looked up just in time to see Riddle's memory vanish from existence and the runes on the basilisk's scales flare to life.
"NO!" Sam screamed, as the basilisk roared in pain, dropping the diary that was tearing itself apart Sam leapt from the statue.
The great snake could only roar in agony as the runes that bound it to Riddle attempted to bring the serpent down with its master.
"Sam!" Aidan yelled, "look for the connecting thread! It wasn't active before but it should be now!"
The dragon hybrid's eyes immediately locked on the black thread, connecting the diary to the basilisk.
"What do I do?" Sam yelled in desperation.
"Break it!" Aidan yelled as he swooped over to his friend. "Calm down you have to concentrate. Just sever it like a cutting hex."
"Diffindo" Sam whispered, raising his hand and bringing it down in a chopping motion.
The thread broke instantly, releasing the basilic from the binding and causing the diary to burst into flame.
Sam panted from the effort and looked towards the basilisk who lay on the ground in a heap. "Are you okay?" Sam asked.
"Yes," the basilisk hissed softly. "Thank you dragon child."
Sam let a small grin grace his features as he drifted to the floor. "My pleasure."
"What about me?" Aidan said indignantly, "don't I warrant a mention? Everyone always forgets the phoenix."
"Thank you shadow phoenix." The basilic hissed in amusement.
"You're most welcome" Aidan said happily, pruning his feathers. "And now we only have one problem."
"And what would that be?" Sam asked, content to just lie on the stone floor with the basilisk.
"Your Dad and Sirius have just dropped down the pipe and are headed this way."
"What!" Sam yelped and leapt to his feet. "They can't see this! We need to, to, to err, we need to move! Move now!"
"And where do you propose we go exactly?" Aidan asked, "maybe you haven't noticed but we are in the company of a two hundred foot snake, it's very hard to miss us."
"The forest!" Sam exclaimed. "Aidan take us deep into the forest!"
"And now I'm the taxi service." Aidan remarked and seconds before James and Sirius burst into the chamber, the three occupants disappeared in an inferno of black flames.
The animals in the forest went running for cover as a raging fire of black flames erupted suddenly. Creatures heard the thuds as huge, ancient trees were rapidly cleared and the animals retreated further into the cover of the forest.
"Did you have to cause so much destruction?" Sam asked in bewilderment, looking at the twenty or so trees that the basilisk had cleared.
"I didn't realize what had happened?" The basilisk admitted sheepishly. "I thought we were under attack."
Aidan snorted in amusement, "well we're not, I would however like to know your name as it appears, through some very strange circumstances, that we have become acquainted."
"Anguigena," the basilic replied.
"An-gooy-gen-a" Sam tried, twisting his tongue around the strange word.
"You make it sound painful," Aidan remarked and the basilic nodded.
"My master told me my name means serpent-born"
"Master?" Sam asked, "you mean Slytherin?"
"Yes," Anguigena replied. "That man who attempted to control me was not my master."
"Well now no one is," Aidan remarked. "Since you've been freed from the binding you are free to do as you wish. But just a suggestion, if you'd like to live very long, I'd advise sticking to the forest."
The basilisk nodded, "at this point I have no great will to leave 'the forest' as you put it. I smell a great deal of prey in this area, food I have not had in a long time. And I doubt there is a predator in this forest large enough to worry me. Are there any roosters in the area?"
"Not this far in," Sam informed the basilisk and the great snake nodded.
"Then I will take my leave dragon child and shadow phoenix. I have no doubt that we will meet again, and when we do I hope that I may repay the life dept that I owe." The great serpent bowed its head to the Sam and then to Aidan before it dove into the darkness of the forest, it's tail flicking behind it before it disappeared altogether.
"Who could of thought a snake of that size could move so fast," Aidan remarked.
Sam just rolled his eyes at his familiar. "What now?"
"Now you decide if James is worth the time it'll take us to kick his ass." Aidan said smugly.
"I'm not even going to answer that," Sam replied, turning on his heel in the direction he hoped the castle was in.
"You just did," Aidan said happily, swooping after his companion.
"No I didn't." Sam argued.
"Yes you did, you said 'I'm not even going to answer that'"
"But that's not an answer!" Sam protested.
"Yes it is, you opened your mouth and replied to me," Aidan was about to go into full lecture mode when Sam interrupted.
"I'll allow you to be right this one time."
"Thank you, WHAT!" Aidan exclaimed. "Hey, I'm right almost every time, what do you mean ONE time! COME BACK HERE!"
But Sam had already taken off and was speeding back to the caste, laughing at his friend's antics.
"GINNY!" Mr and Mrs Weasley cried out upon seeing their youngest in the arms of none other than James Potter, Sirius Black walking next to him, a grim expression on both their faces.
James lay Ginny down on one of the hospital wing beds and Madam Pomfrey was fusing over her before he'd even straightened.
"Petrified," the nurse muttered to herself and their was an audible sigh of relief from the other occupants of the hospital wing. "Well I was just about to administer the potion, so one more won't hurt." As the nurse bustled away Mr Weasley turned to James.
"James," Arthur said "How can we ever repay you?"
But James only shook his head, "there's nothing to repay, the only thing me and Sirius really did was find the chamber."
"CHAMBER!" Mrs Weasley screeched. "You can't mean, Ginny wasn't!"
"I'm sorry," James said quickly. "I thought you knew."
Just as Mrs Weasley burst into a fresh around of sobbing Madam Pomfrey re-entered the ward, carrying a number of potions. The petrified occupants of the hospital wing, after being administered the potion, began to slowly awaken. Lily and Molly clung to their receptive children while Madam Pomfrey fussed around the ward and Mr Weasley, James and Sirius stood together near the door.
"How did you manage it?" Arthur asked as soon he saw that Molly was calming down.
"We used the map," James said simply but Arthur interrupted.
"But we already tried that months ago!" He exclaimed.
"I know," Sirius replied. "But when we tried it months ago the chamber wasn't open."
"It was open now?" Arthur asked.
"Yes, someone had been down there before we got there and I think the reason the map worked is because it knew the person down there." Sirius answered.
"Who was it?" Arthur asked.
"Harry," James elaborated.
"WHAT!" Arthur exclaimed. "You don't mean your Harry do you?"
"Ha," James laughed sarcastically. "He is the farthest thing from 'my' Harry. But if you're asking if he's my son, then yes. The person who saved your daughter is my son."
"How," Arthur whispered in shock and both James and Sirius sighed.
"I have no idea," he replied. "All I know is what I saw on the map. One minute both Harry and the basilisk are in the Chamber and the next, they're both gone and we could find no trace of them even having been there."
"Do you think?" Arthur said in a hushed tone, "that they could be," he left it open for James to fill in the rest.
"NO!" James exclaimed. "If there's one thing I do know about Harry, it's that he doesn't go down without a fight and their was no sign of a struggle. I'd say they just took the fight to a different location."
"He'll be fine," Arthur said after a moment of silence, clapping his hand on James' shoulder.
James only smiled weakly. "That's not what I'm afraid of." Arthur's puzzled look promoted him to continue.
"I'm more afraid of what he'll think of me." James sighed.
"Well I don't hate you, that's a start."
Every occupant of the hospital wing whipped around to face the doorway, where Sam stood proud and tall.
"Harry!" Lily cried in happiness, leaping up from her position on Matt's bed to hurry over to her other son and throw her arms around him.
Aidan gave an indignant squawk as the movement caused him to have to leave Sam's shoulder and Sam stiffened into his mother's embrace before stepping back firmly and allowing Aidan to land on his shoulder once more. The phoenix would have stuck his tongue out if he could.
"Harry?" Lily whispered, her eyes tearing up but Sam's hard expression did not soften at her tears.
"Would you please address me by my name." Sam said firmly.
"Now Harry," James started but one look from Sam and he fell silent.
"It's Sam" the dragon hybrid said firmly. "If you want to talk, then we do it on my terms."
"Harry?" Matt asked in confusion and Sam turned his eyes to his brother. "You're okay!" The dragon hybrid exclaimed his face breaking into a grin. Matt however wasn't looking at his twin's face, the elder brother was gazing in confusion at his wings.
"What happened to you?" Matt asked and Sam's grin faded slightly.
"This really isn't the place to be having this conversation," he said simply and Aidan nodded in agreement.
"Lets take this somewhere more private" the phoenix said simply and before anyone could object Lily, James, Matt and Sam became engulfed in black flames and disappeared.
The Potter family appeared in a burst of black flames in the sitting room of Potter manor. James managed to stay upright, though barely. While Matt and Lily both fell to the floor in order to regain balance. Sam however stood there as if he'd never moved from the hospital wing.
"Now we can talk," Sam said simply, reaching up to stroke Aidan's head while the phoenix cooed in pleasure.
"WHAT IS THAT THING!" Matt exclaimed as he stumbled to his feet, grabbing a chair for support, though he was rapidly getting feeling back into his legs.
Sam gave a snort of amusement at Matt's brash statement while Aidan squawked in annoyance.
"I'm a rare type of phoenix." Aidan said in an offended tone.
"Well what are you doing here?" Matt fired off. "What are we doing here? What happened to Harry?"
"You are full of questions aren't you?" Aidan replied sarcastically, obviously still offended from Matt previous comment.
"I'm here because I'm Sam's familiar, you are here because I brought you here so we could talk in private without half of Hogwarts eaves dropping and to make this thing short. Harry is in fact Sam who is in fact a dragon hybrid and that is why he looks like he does. Now does anyone else have any more stupid questions or can we actually start now?" Aidan said this whole thing very quickly and dripping with sarcasm.
"You're just sour cause he called you a thing." Sam said in amusement.
"Too right," Aidan replied and Sam chuckled, however the banter was cut short by Lily.
"Harry?" Lily said unsurely and the dragon hybrid turned his attention to her. His features hardening slightly.
"I won't respond to that name" He replied.
"That's the name we gave you." James said sternly.
"I am not the same person." Sam argued.
"You are our SON!" James exclaimed.
"You don't own me!" Sam yelled back, his wings flared out and he couched down, baring his fangs and growling.
"Now Harry," Lily started. "You need to calm down."
"Yes HARRY!" James said pointedly. "Listen to your MOTHER."
Sam snarled and bunched his muscles in preparation to attack, it was only Aidan's claws digging gently into his shoulder that stopped him.
"I suggest you stop bating him" the phoenix said calmly. "Dragon's are not known for their patience and Sam just having just come out of a fight is not helping matters. He made himself vulnerable by having this conversation on your 'territory' so to speak. And with the adrenalin running through his system from the previous fight he is much more likely to attack on primal instincts. And right now you are establishing yourself as the opponent."
The moment of peace that Aidan's speech had provided, allowed Sam to calm down but he didn't take his eyes off James.
"Look Harry,"
Sam pointedly ignored Lily, turning his attention instead to Matt who had been silent throughout the whole argument.
"How can you be a dragon hybrid?" Matt asked. "Did you take a potion or something?"
Sam sighed, "I inherited my magic and soul from dragons," Sam explained for the second time that day.
"Why?" Lily interrupted and Sam sighed.
"You'll have to expand on that," he said sadly. "There are a lot of things that could pertain to."
"Why you?" James asked, "Why our family!?"
Thinking at first that James was asking why not Matt, Sam felt a burst of anger but upon realising James was only concerned about his family Sam's anger melted.
"Honestly, I have no idea." The younger twin said sadly, "Aidan could answer that better than me."
"Aidan?" James asked, Lily had not told him the name of his son's familiar.
"The shadow phoenix," Lily informed him and nodded for Sam to continue and Aidan took over answering.
"I don't really know why specifically Sam was chosen, but I can give you reasons why he was a candidate. For one thing, in order to contain dragon magic the being must have the ability to be very powerful without it. In saying that, if they didn't have dragon magic the being would still be extremely powerful. Next the body must be strong enough to withstand the transformations, for humans are relatively fragile creatures. Thirdly there was a prophecy made concerning when the child would be born," Lily and James stiffened slightly at the word prophecy which piqued Aidan curiosity but he allowed it to slide.
"The child was to be born on the darkest of nights, it was unknown the exact circumstances this would be, but as it turns out. Sam was born on the night of a new moon at midnight."
"What does it mean?" James asked, "to be chosen?"
"It means that Sam is destined to banish the darkness." Aidan replied and when James and Lily stiffened once more Aidan decided to see what they were hiding.
"There was another prophecy made concerning the one who would banish the dark," Aidan bluffed, hoping he was on the right track. Lily and James gave the phoenix looks of pure shock and Sam, who guessed what Aidan was doing, just stood there.
"You know about the prophecy?" Lily whispered and Aidan had to suppress the urge to laugh out loud.
"The one concerning Matt?" Aidan guessed once more and was rewarded with the shocked looks of both Lily, James and Matt.
"Mum, Dad?!" Matt exclaimed. "What prophecy, what's he talking about?"
"I thought that only Dumbledore, Lily, Sirius, Remus and I knew about that." James muttered.
"To some extent you're right," Aidan replied, enjoying this game of cat and mouse. "Only you five know the exact wording."
Lily and James audibly sighed when they heard this, but Aidan hadn't played his trump card just yet.
"However I believe a trade is in order." Aidan said slyly and Lily and James stiffened once more. "We have offered you the knowledge of everything we know, in return I believe we should learn the wording of a prophecy that we are, at least distantly, involved in."
"NO! Absolutely not!" James exclaimed but Lily hushed him.
"If you answer every question truthfully and to the fullest extent of your abilities, then I will tell you the prophecy." Lily said in a soft voice.
"WHAT!" James yelled but Aidan and Sam had already nodded in agreement.
"You may ask whatever you like," Sam said calmly. "I think it's best if you go first and then tell us the prophecy at the end."
"LILY! YOU CAN"T!" James exclaimed but Lily shook her head and locked gazes with her husband.
"I think it's time that they knew everything." She whispered. "We can't say the twins aren't old enough anymore, they deserve to know."
"But," James started however Lily's determined gaze stopped him. "You're right," he sighed and Lily smiled sadly at him before turning her attention back to Sam.
"What is that school in Australia really?" She asked.
Sam grinned, "first and foremost it is my home. But the school itself is for magical creatures; nymphs, vampires, centaurs, ninch - shape shifters." Sam provided explanation of a ninch for James, Lily and Matt who looked rather confused.
"Vampires?" Matt asked, "aren't those are dark creatures?"
Sam growled. "Is uncle Remus a dark creature?"
"No" Matt said venomously and Sam smiled.
"Vampires are no more dark than werewolves."
"They kill people though?" Matt replied but Sam shook his head.
"It's possible for a vampire to feed without actually killing it's victim. Vampires aren't dark, it's the choices that are dark.. It's like saying that all wizards are dark because Voldemort kills."
Matt looked shocked at this, having never really thought beyond dark and light.
"Not all wizards are dark," was all Matt could come up with as a reply and Sam grinned.
"Glad you agree," he said.
"Are there any wizards at this school?" James asked, and Sam shook his head.
"So you were accepted because you have dragon magic?" James asked and Sam nodded.
"So how did you get accepted into Hogwarts!?" James exclaimed.
"Magic is magic," Sam said simply. "The only real difference in the magic wizards use and the magic creatures use is that wizards have to use a wand."
"So why aren't wizards accepted at your school?" James asked.
"Because they have to use a wand." Sam replied "I can choose to use it or not to."
"You never showed any magic when you were little though." James argued.
"My powers were bound," Sam replied.
"What!" Lily exclaimed. "By whom!?"
Sam shrugged, "I think it was just my magic protecting my body. I didn't have the strength at that point to handle it, so my magic bound itself in order to protect me."
Lily nodded in agreement with the theory. "What will you do about this destiny of yours?" She asked.
"Whatever it takes," Sam replied.
Lily smiled sadly, "I think it's time I told you both about the prophecy then." she said.
Matt's eyes suddenly became a bit brighter and Sam felt the adrenaline pump through his veins in anticipation.
"A couple of nights after we were attacked, Albus sat us down and told us that a prophecy had been made about the person who would defeated Voldemort. The exact wording was;
The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...the saviour's powers will be great, but his greatest power will be from the protector...the protector shall gift him with an ancient magic, with this alone can he succeed...the protector will stand wrapped in fire but the saviour must stand alone...the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."
As Lily finished the room fell into a stunned silence.
"It's Harry then," Matt said suddenly and everyone's gaze flew to the elder Potter twin.
"Why do you say that?" Sam asked, forgetting to be angry that Matt had addressed him by the wrong name.
"It said as the seventh month dies, and I was born at 11:59, but you were born right on 12." Matt said simply as if stating a fact known by everyone.
"And that is the exact reason why it has to be you." Aidan said suddenly and the occupants room was once again in confusion.
"Midnight is not the point at which the day is dying," Aidan explained. "Midnight is the mid point, neither one or the other, it is the point of death. 11:59 is the minute before the day is dead, and so the day is dying. The prophecy means you Matt."
"It has to be Matt," Lily informed the room. "He was in my arms after the attack."
"How does that have any significance?" Sam asked but Aidan had caught onto Lily's thought pattern.
"You stood in front of the boys when Voldemort attacked. You were their 'protector' so to speak" Aidan said.
"The protector will stand in fire," Lily said sadly. "Dumbledore believed it was making reference to my hair," Lily held up a lock of her bright red hair.
"And the ancient magic?" Aidan asked.
"Love," Lily replied. "It is practically a forgotten magic, but their exists a ritual that if one accepts death willingly for another then the person they love that deeply will be protected by that love."
"An interesting conclusion." Aidan replied, "and one that will require much thought."
"So you will be staying here during the holidays?" Lily asked.
Aidan glanced down at Sam whose face said he was felt like he was caught between a rock and a hard place.
"It is Sam's decision," Aidan replied.
"Sam?" Lily asked and Sam looked up in shock at his mother using his chosen name.
"I've decided to..."
Author's note: So....readers...this is your Christmas present....I haven't yet decided if Sam will stay for the holidays of not but there are two options. If he stays then you get to see some tension in the family situation; Dumbledore will be informed about Sam and will visit some time over the holidays. I'll also introduce Tonks into the story.
If Sam leaves he will spend his holidays in muggle London. He will still meet Tonks and she won't know that Sam has any magic. Tonks will find out when she is sent on a job to stop a street fight between a wizard and a muggle. When she gets there she finds it's Sam who is fighting the wizard and they have gathered a crowd. Sam manages to knock the wizard out, to Tonk's surprise, and the obliviators arrive to modify memories but Tonks asks to do Sam's herself and Sam chooses to reveal everything to her then.
Review and tell me which option you guys like better.
Merry Christmas everyone, may God bless you all.