AN: This is not a story I plan to continue. I may add more at a later time, but instead this "story" will be a collection of partial stories. I am willing to let anyone else continue writing them on the condition they are kept at T or below, no slash, no lemons, no self-inserts. Keep it canon. And I am sent a link so I can read it too. I'd be willing to beta anyone who wants to continue one of my ideas. Thank you.
Disclaimer: I do not have either an J or an R anywhere in my legal name, therefore I could not possibly be JKR. I own nothing of value. I am merely creating a plethora of "what-ifs" in her world.
- - - - -A Surprise Visit - - - - -
Summary: Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley have disappeared. Harry's not going to make it to his trial for underage magi because he disappeared from the Dursley's at the same time little Ginny Weasley disappeared from the dinner table in a flash of light. And now Dumbledore has called a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix, not to discuss finding the two missing teens. No, he deems it important to tell the Order about staffing changes at Hogwarts!
Dumbledore stood at one of the long, dingy dining table in the gloomy kitchen of headquarters. The Weasley boys and Miss Granger were all sitting around with a look of confusion on their faces. Mrs. Weasley had been most upset when he stated their presence would be needed as they knew the missing teens best. Albus knew his announcement about the purpose of this meeting would upset several people, and he was now standing back listening to Molly and Sirius yelling at him about needing to find the children. Severus was standing with his back to the corner with a perpetual scowl in place, most likely upset at the extra work Harry seems to be creating and his so-called "attention-seeking" ways. Albus looked to his right, his old friend Moody was mumbling something about not being vigilant, and how they should have place three more guards at Privet drive, one of them in poor Harry's room. To Albus' left were two others who were looking on in amusement at the people who refused to allow Albus to finish speaking on the day's agenda.
Finally, Severus stepped out of the shadows, "ENOUGH" he yelled in a voice that had brought even NEWT level students to their knees, quivering in fear. "Let the Headmaster finish, so I may get back to more important matters."
"Thank you Severus." The headmaster surveyed the room, a little half smirk playing on his lips, the twinkle in his eyes extra bright, as though the whole room was about to on the receiving end of a prank worthy of the reputation of the Marauders. "I called this meeting, to speak about the staffing changes at Hogwarts. Three days ago, Minister Fudge informed me that if I could not find a defense professor by the August 1st, he would find one for me. He insinuated that his choice of professor would be his Senior Undersecretary, Madam Delores Umbridge, who rather unfortunately, I do not find to be adequately skilled to teach defense. She barely passed her NEWT, and has been working a desk job in the bureaucracy ever since. She is also extremely fond of initiating laws into the Wizengamot that would leave all those who are not of "pure wizarding blood" in prison or worse. As of July 31st, I have found a new defense professor, on the condition that Binns is replaced with the new defense professor's wife as history professor. I daresay Madam Flamel is well and thoroughly capable of teaching the class, seeing as she has lived through so much of it. Nicholas holds a mastery in defense as well as alchemy, and actually taught me much of what I used in my fight against Grindewald."
Dumbledore made to sit down, as if finished, when he stopped, partway back down to his seat, and said, "Oh, and a search party is not necessary for Mr. Potter and Ms. Weasley, seeing as Nicholas informed me some months ago that they would be taking the two teens for training. Lady Flamel was quite insistent that Mrs. Weasley not be informed, because she would refuse, however Arthur did give his permission for Miss Weasley to be trained, though admittedly he did not know when or how she would be leaving for this training." Dumbledore sat down and pulled out a bag of lemon drops, offered one to Perenelle Flamel, who took it. Both sat merrily sucking on lemon drops while Molly Weasley began to rant about not knowing where her baby was, and if they were here, then who was watching the children.
Nicholas Flamel looked around the room, shook his head at the antics of both his wife and former student. "I hate to ruin Albus' fun, but I really must. Molly, Sirius, Remus, I will speak with the three of you and with Arthur this evening about the training your children are undergoing. I realize this is difficult for you, but I can guarantee you they are perfectly safe, and you will speak with them this evening."
Arthur and Molly Weasley, Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel, and the three bachelors Albus, Remus, and Sirius, sat down in the library after dinner that evening. Albus put up several privacy wards. "Really Albus, is that the best you can do? I know for a fact that those Weasley twins can get through that ward." Nicholas stood up to put another ward in place; the whole room seemed to flash in fire for a moment, though nothing was different after it faded away.
"Now, the reason we are here is quite a complex matter. I suppose I should start with where the two teenagers are, I will then cover why and how." Nicholas' words left everyone but his wife and Albus looking even more confused. "Harry Potter and Ginerva Weasley are not being trained by us, they are being trained by the same man who trained Perenelle and I." Nicholas stopped to let his words seek in for a moment.
Remus seemed to be the first to grasp the reality of the situation. "Master Flamel, according to everything I have read, you and your wife are in your seventh centuries of life. Are you trying to say you sent Harry and Ginny back in time six centuries? Seven centuries? How are they going to get back? It was proven, by you I believe that time travel forward in time is impossible, while jumping back works, you have to live through each moment! How do you suppose then to get them back here where they belong?" Remus and Arthur looked bewildered, with a hint of anger seething behind their eyes, while Sirius and Molly jumped up and began shouting at Nicholas for his reckless endangerment of children. Molly suddenly sat back down and began sobbing, "I'mm n-never g-going t-t-to see my ba-bay again!"
Sirius collapsed into his chair, looking white as a ghost when he heard Molly's proclamation. "They'll be back won't they, they've got to, the stone, the Philosopher's Stone, that's what you're famous for isn't it, please tell me, you use it to get them back here!"
"Calm down please, we don't mean to cause you distress Mrs. Weasley," Perenelle Flamel spoke quietly, laying a hand on Molly's shoulder. "Let my husband finish, we promised you would speak with them, and you shall. But let Nicholas finish his explanation. He's spent years perfecting this speech." Molly took the handkerchief proffered by the new Hogwarts history professor, "of course, of course, please, just let me see my baby!"
"Yes, well. Remus, you were only partially correct in your statements about my history and accomplishments. You see, while "Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel" have been around for just under seven centuries and whose greatest achievement is considered to be the Philosopher's Stone, that's not our ages or our greatest achievement. My first mentor was a man by the name of Ambrosius, here in Britain, in what would now be called the 4th century BC. Yes, I did say we sent Harry and Ginny to him—please just listen. Ambrosius taught us the way of the Druid, and he performed our bonding." Nicholas stopped and looked lovingly at his wife of more than 2000 years.
After Ambrosius died, my wife and I decided to travel. We went to Greece; it was here that I first developed a reputation that is still remembered today. You see there was a powerful wizard in Athens who decided I should die so he could bind my wife to himself in a dark ritual. Cronos killed me, twice actually. It was then we discovered the truth of ourselves, you see, the Stone is not the source of our continued existence; rather it is our identity as phoenix. One of the few titles I have, which I never despised was that of Phoenix Lord. In truth, all phoenix were once wizards and witches who fought for the light, and who died for the light. But never before was a phoenix able to return to their human form before me. You see Cronos was not the first dark wizard to kill me."
Here he stopped, observing the room as the four adults who did not know this story hung onto his every word. "The first time I died was when I was a child, just a few months after my first birthday. Because I was not yet bonded, I had to return as a human. You see every phoenix is a bonded pair. Usually the witch and wizard bond at a young age, sometimes as early as 3 or 4 years of age. Of course the bond is not always that of husband and wife, sometimes the bond is that of siblings in all but blood. Though frequently, the bonds begin as that, and change as the younger member of the pair reaches maturity. But I was not bonded, and without the bond I could not be a phoenix. But by changing back once, I am always able to change between phoenix and human. As is my wife, she could not be permanently a bird, while I was human, so she too can take on a human form as a phoenix."
He stopped again. Waiting, to see who would make the connection first. "So, is that why you sent Ginny and Harry back, are they human phoenix as well? Is that how Harry survived that Halloween?" Arthur queried tentatively. "Remus eyed the old pair knowingly, "No, that's not it. They aren't friends with Harry and Ginny, they are Harry and Ginny, and they sent themselves back in time to preserve the timeline. I've studied my Greek mythology. The dark lord Cronos was defeated by the lightning god commonly referred to as Zeus. And Harry, the muggle myths had better be wrong to the extreme. If you've treated Ginny the way Zeus supposedly treated his wife, I can guarantee Molly will find a way to kill a phoenix."
"I assure you, those stories are an exaggeration of the truth. The muggle legends have Zeus having a great many children with just about anything female he could get near. Part of being Phoenix is fidelity; he could not cheat on me, especially since we share each other's memories. Another part is we cannot have children." Ginny explained before her mother could go off on another rant, looking rather sadly at the floor. "The truth is that one of Cronos' sons got hold of some of Zeus' hair, and an old version of polyjuice potion, which would pass on the potion-induced genetics, so the children certainly appeared to be Zeus'. But we caught Hades and saw to it he would never do such a thing again. We then did what we could to support those children, since we couldn't have any ourselves. We took on several of the children as apprentices.