Chapter 127
Chapter 127
Dumbledore kept the professors behind.
Plainly, he did not intend for Suer to take part in what followed.
Using fiery travel repeatedly had left Fawkes somewhat tired. After bringing Suer back to the dormitory, the phoenix glanced sidelong at the few egg tarts remaining on Suer’s table, then looked towards the door.
“I understand, I understand.”
Having the kitchen and common room on the same corridor certainly made things easy. Harry and the others had to sneak down from the top of a tower while taking care not to run into Filch on patrol or professors out for a stroll.
“Good evening, sir.” The kitchen house-elf gave Suer a deeply respectful bow as he entered.
After Suer explained what he wanted, the house-elf swiftly prepared an enormous pile of food.
“These are Big Sister Fawkes’s favourites,” the elf said.
Wait!
Big Sister Fawkes?
Dumbledore’s Fawkes was a girl?
Judging by the elf’s practised movements, this was plainly not Fawkes’s first visit to the kitchen in search of something tasty. Who would have thought?
“Would you like me to deliver it to your dormitory, sir?” the house-elf asked eagerly. “Sir?”
Recovering from his shock, Suer looked at the food piled across the table and decided that he would indeed have difficulty carrying it all back in one trip.
He had not expected Fawkes to be capable of eating so much.
Wait, phoenixes could eat meat?
“If it won’t be too much trouble… having it delivered to the dormitory would be best.”
The house-elf trembled and gave another deep bow. “It is our honour to contribute our abilities in service to wizards, sir.”
With the house-elf’s help, matters were naturally much easier for Suer. He did not forget to ask for some food for himself as well. Dashing up and down the castle in the middle of the night had made him somewhat hungry, even if he had only been a spectator throughout.
Naturally, Suer could not forget dried fish for Crookshanks either. The cat’s whereabouts at this hour were simply unknown.
Upon returning to the dormitory, Suer found the large ginger cat he had been thinking about.
A comical tuft of fur was missing from the top of Crookshanks’s head. Watery eyes met Suer’s upon entry, while Fawkes was already feasting on the food that had arrived first.
Right. It was not difficult to guess what had happened.
Judging by the complete mess in the dormitory, a fierce battle for territory had plainly taken place during the ten minutes Suer had been away.
Cats had a natural interest in birds.
Fawkes was a phoenix, which counted as a bird — probably?
“Burp!” Fawkes swept away all the food like a whirlwind, released a fiery belch, then flew onto Suer’s shoulder in a rush of wings and gently patted him with one wing.
Suer read the meaning in Fawkes’s haughty gaze.
It was probably — Young man, you know how to conduct yourself. I am very pleased. Big Sister will look after you from now on.
Fawkes then turned into a mass of flame and vanished. A brilliant golden feather drifted down, and Suer caught it with a swift hand.
In game terms, it would have counted as a rare item: Phoenix’s Blessing, a Summoning Feather.
Even a complete novice like Suer could sense that the phoenix feather was filled with an enormous amount of magical energy. When he held it close, he could even feel an invisible force nourishing his body.
One feather was not enough, Big Sister Fawkes!
In that brief span of time, Suer had already reached a decision. Big Sister Fawkes was an extremely powerful backer, and he had to cling on tightly!
With luck, perhaps he could ask for one for Angel as well. Whatever else the child lacked, she could not be allowed to lack nutrition.
Hermione needed one too, as did his future mother-in-law, and his beloved foster mother…
Nowhere near enough…
“Meow…” Only after Crookshanks confirmed that the large bird had truly disappeared did the cat trot out from the corner, rub against Suer’s leg and meow in a voice full of grievance.
“There was nothing I could do either, Crookshanks.” Suer crouched down, stroked the spot where a small patch of fur was missing and offered some comfort.
“That was a phoenix. There is no shame in losing.”
“There, there, don’t feel wronged. Try some freshly made dried fish from the kitchen.”
Over the next few days, Suer’s progress with the Patronus Charm remained stalled. Hermione was curious about Crookshanks’s missing tuft, but accepted Suer’s fabricated explanation.
Telling Hermione that Crookshanks had fought a phoenix was out of the question.
Knowing Hermione, she would certainly continue asking why the phoenix and Crookshanks had fought, where the phoenix had come from, and on and on…
Professor Dumbledore did not send Fawkes to haul Suer into the headmaster’s office again.
It was as though the basilisk had never appeared in the castle at all, and the events of that night had been nothing but a dream.
In short, the days were peaceful.
At dusk one day, Suer was preparing to visit Hermione in the hospital wing when he felt the second heart in his chest suddenly grow active.
An inexplicable impulse forced Suer to stop at once. He ran to a corridor with windows and looked outside.
At some point, the setting sun in the west had been obscured by a bank of heavy storm clouds, and the air had begun to carry the scent of dampness.
The distant Black Lake was no longer as calm as usual. Its formerly frozen surface had shattered, and a gigantic black squid could be seen waving its tentacles. Paired with the gloomy weather, it presented a positively Cthulhu-like sight.
A thunderstorm was coming! Suer realised it at once.
At last!
Although his heart urged him to set out as quickly as possible, Suer chose to return to his dormitory. An Animagus transformation involved far too many uncertainties. Even perfect completion of every preliminary step could not guarantee complete success.
He still needed a little luck for the final push.
It was time to use the Felix Felicis his aunt had given him.
Suer hurriedly retrieved a small, distinctively shaped bottle from deep inside his dormitory cupboard. The golden liquid swayed gently with his movements, and visible motes of gold drifted within it.
I choose you!
Without hesitation, he poured the entire vial of Felix Felicis into his mouth. The cool liquid slid smoothly down his throat the instant it touched his tongue.
According to the description of Felix Felicis, it would make Suer exceptionally lucky for the next twelve hours.
Yet he felt as though he had merely drunk a little orange-flavoured juice.
Something seemed to have changed, yet perhaps nothing had. Everything was as usual.
Perhaps the potion needed time to take effect… Suer comforted himself with the thought.
He therefore waited quietly in the dormitory for several minutes, but nothing happened.
Time was running short. He had to reach the clearing in the Forbidden Forest before the first peal of thunder.
Suer decided not to wait any longer, but the dormitory door suddenly opened and Crookshanks walked in carrying a red-and-gold feather.
Wait, was that not the feather Fawkes had left him?
But had he not hidden the feather carefully?
How had Crookshanks managed to dig it out?
There was no time to worry about that. Suer traded a large bowl of dried fish for the feather. He feared that hiding it again might cost too much time, and missing this opportunity could force him to start all over again.
So he casually stuffed the feather into his pocket.
He hurried out of the castle.