Story Title: My Brother's Keeper

School: Durmstrang

Theme: Orphanage - Look at loneliness and excluding yourself from those around you.

Year: 4

Main Prompt:[Creature] Phoenix

Additional Prompts: [Quote] "My whole life has been pledged to this meeting with you." - Alexander Pushkin

[Song] Don't Let Me Get Me - P!nk

Wordcount: 1967

AN: AU; not compliant with DH Epilogue, warning for child abuse

My Brother's Keeper

Magic can be scary. It can create beauty or destroy all that once mattered. Dozens of wizarding parenting manuals have been written on how to handle a child's first forms of accidental magic regardless of the chaos that may result. Muggles don't have access to that information though. For every Hermione Granger whose parents supported her every step of the way, there is a Harry Potter, condemned for that which he could not control.

This is the tale of one such boy and his journey toward recovery when his magic burnt to the ground all that he once knew.

"Harry Potter to see you, ma'am."

"Bring him in." Hermione Granger, head of the Wizarding Child Protective Services, replied from inside her office. Her professional demeanor slipped a little once only her oldest friend was in the room. "Thanks for coming, Harry. I'm afraid I have a delicate situation." She handed her friend a folder with a non-magical photo clipped to the front. "These are Andrew and Simon Cheswick, ages 9 and 7. At 8:43 this morning, their home went up in flames in the most impressive display of accidental magic I've seen in many years. Their parents did not survive, and Simon is at St. Mungo's getting treatment for injuries that I have been led to believe may have precipitated the event. The actual fire appears to have come from his older brother in an attempt to protect Simon."

Harry broke in, "You're talking abuse."

Hermione sighed, "You and I both know that the most impressive displays of accidental magic occur because there is a need. Yes, I do believe both children were abused, and now Andrew is missing and likely blaming himself for the situation. Unfortunately, Stanson, the Head of the Auror Department has completely lost sight of the fact that these are children and is treating it like a ridiculous manhunt or something. I need you to find the boy, Harry, before anyone else."

"If eleven-year-old you could see you now, going around the official order of things, she'd be horrified, you know," Harry responded with a tired grin. It went without saying that he'd do what needed to be done to help the children. It might even do him good to have something to focus on and work towards.

"Thankfully, she hadn't yet learned that not all adults are to be trusted. Thanks, Harry."

"No prob, Mione."

-IWSC-

Kingston Lane reminded Harry eerily of Privet Drive. Every house looked like its neighbor until one came to Number 36 where a 'gas leak' had caused a sizable explosion. Seeing the damage, Harry could understand why survival itself was deemed proof-positive of having magic, especially if the only harm wasn't even caused by the flames themselves.

Harry knew enough about the aurors and obliviator squad that the first thing they would have done was canvas the neighborhood for any leads witnessed by the neighbors before wiping their memories. That the child had yet to be found four hours later showed that very little had been seen and that Point-Me's were proving ineffective. It looked like he'd be doing this the old-fashioned way.

As Harry walked around the crater where the house used to be, he noticed something odd in the backyard. While all of the area showed damage from the intense heat, some sections seemed just a little more burned than others. They almost looked like...footprints, spread out in the uneven stride of a child running for their life. Harry could see where the boy must have fallen before continuing to run into the connected forest. Fortunately for the wildlife and unfortunately for Harry, this is where the trail ran cold.

Without any real idea of where he was going, Harry walked deeper and deeper into the woods, calling as he did so for the child, for Andrew. As time passed, his worries grew, but every so often, he'd hear a bird's cry that seemed to say, "Everything will be alright," and his worry would turn into determination to find the boy.

Suddenly, a light flashed before his eyes. A phoenix sat calmly on a branch, staring into his eyes intently.

Harry chuckled nervously. "Well hello there. What are you doing here? The nearest magical area to this must be 100 km from here." The bird seemed to smirk before flashing from one spot to another. "I guess distance doesn't mean much when you can flame travel to wherever you wanna go, huh?" Harry kept his voice nice and low so as not to startle the rare creature in front of him. "I don't suppose you've seen a little boy go through here, have you?"

The previously peaceful bird suddenly let out a loud screech and dived at Harry's arm, knicking it with a talon. Before he could react, the phoenix dropped a single tear into the wound and healed it. A voice filled his mind.

"My apologies, Harry Potter. The one you seek is my chick; if you are to help him as you wish, it is vital that I explain to you the situation and just who he and his brother are. Tell me, what do you know of phoenixes and basilisks?" Before Harry could respond verbally, his mind flashed to the Chamber of Secrets from so long ago. The bird, who was now sitting on his shoulder, seemed excited. "You, you are the prophesied guardian!" A series of images flashed through Harry's mind. A gruesome war between basilisks and phoenixes; neither side giving at all; a prophecy about two human brothers born with the ability to change-one into a phoenix, the other into a basilisk-two brothers destined to stop the war with the help of their familiars and a guardian, one who had both basilisk venom and phoenix tears running through his veins.

Harry did not know whether to laugh or cry. Another bloody prophecy! One involving two little boys not even old enough for their first wands, and he was to, what, lead them into battle?

The phoenix on his shoulder pecked his ear indignantly. "My chick and Bassssilla's hatchling are NOT lambs for the slaughter! The young ones need a place of safety, someone to love them and accept them as they are, no matter their form or powers. It is said that you are to be that for them. Let me know now if that is not the case, and I will have Bassssilla strike you where you stand!"

Harry finally noticed a snake gracefully traveling up and down the branch. Instinctively, he shut his eyes and grasped his wand.

"No!" A small body slammed into Harry, knocking him off his feet. "She's my brother's friend; you can't hurt her, you can't!" Andrew cried, the distress obvious in his voice.

Harry turned away from the snake and carefully held the boy to his chest. "You can't look at her, Andrew. Her gaze is dangerous,"

The phoenix seemed to chuckle inside his head. "Do you really think I would endanger my chick in that way? Basilisks have a third eyelid that they use to control their powers. It would be rather inconvenient if everything around you dropped dead instantly, you know. Considering you're her hatchling's best chance at a good childhood, you're safe enough,"

Ignoring the smug phoenix, Harry turned his attention to the boy in front of him, and everything in him wanted to protect the waif. He didn't give a damn about any prophecy, the shaggy, dirty-blond hair and too-big brown eyes called out to him while the ill-fitting clothing and skinny frame had him battling memories from the Durlseys.

Sitting down on a log, Harry turned to face the child. Softly, he began, "Hi, I'm Harry. You're Andrew, right?" Andrew stared at the phoenix for a moment before nodding. "I've been sent to find you by a friend of mine. Your brother's in the hospital and missing you."

"Liar! Simon's DEAD, and it's all my fault!"

"Oh, Andrew...that's not true at all. Simon's doing just fine. He told everyone that his big brother saved him. What happened at the house was really scary, I'm sure. Sometimes magic happens without our being able to control it, and people can even be hurt by it, but your magic acted to defend your brother. Nothing more and nothing less. In fact, if I'm correct, that fire you made would only be able to hurt those who meant you harm," Harry eyed the phoenix questioningly. She nodded; the fire had been from his phoenix side reaching out and would only hurt those who meant harm.

Andrew sniffled. "Magic? Is that what me and Simon do sometimes? Momma just calls it monstrous. She hates us. Hated us. I really must be a monster to have hurt her, huh? Can you make the magic go away, so me and Simon can be safe for other people to be around?"

Not able to stand it anymore, Harry grabbed the boy in a hug. "You are NOT a monster. What happened to your parents was a horrible accident but in no way was it your fault. It is quite possible that it never would have happened if they had been a little bit nicer to you and Simon. To answer your question, I cannot take the magic away from either of you, but I can make sure that you two get to stay with people who understand magic and will love you two like you deserve."

Andrew laughed hollowly, "Unless you plan on letting us stay in this forest with Flame and Basilla, that's pretty much impossible. They're the only ones who have ever really cared about us, and I can't think of many households that would accept a bird that catches fire or a snake as family pets."

Thinking of the many empty rooms in his cottage at Godric's Hollow, Harry simply responded, "I might have a place or two in mind."

-IWSC-

It took a while, but eventually Andrew consented to see his brother so long as Harry stayed nearby to protect Simon should Andrew's magic act out again. Simon seemed much more open and interested in magic than Andrew; he also did not blame his brother at all for the accident. While both boys had had minor demonstrations of their powers prior to this, Parseltongue in the youngest and playing with candles for the eldest, neither had really experienced enough of the world to know what was magic versus normal kid stuff until they got in trouble with their parents.

By that evening, both boys had crashed out in a large hospital bed, and Harry stepped away to floo Hermione, "What forms do I need to fill out to adopt them?"

"Don't you think you're moving a little fast?"

"Hermione, a lot happened in the forest, much of which I honestly still need a little time to get my head around. All I know is that today felt like the final battle, as if my entire life was leading up to this meeting. I might not know much, but I do know that I can provide those two boys a home they desperately need. Also, I highly doubt you'll find many other takers with their familiars hanging around. Do you happen to know any good books about making one's house comfortable for snakes and birds?"

Hermione's eyes grew wide as saucers. "Harry James Potter, you get your arse in here right this minute and tell me EVERYTHING that happened in those woods!"

Feeling a laugh ready to bubble forth, Harry entered through the Floo as ordered with a cocky, "Yes, ma'am!" Though the events of the day weren't particularly lighthearted, something in Harry's heart told him that this was the beginning of a new and glorious season in his life.