November 22nd, 1975
The next few days passed, mainly spent studying and caring for Remus. He was more sore the week of the full moon than usual, so he was doted on by Edith. She spent most of those nights in Remus' bunk, rubbing his back until he was able to fall asleep.
Today though, wasn't a great day for our resident phoenix. First, she spilled an entire pot of ink on her new robes. Then a potion blew up in her face. She suspected it was Lucius getting back at her for earlier in the week. Then she couldn't find her pack of cigarettes.
Then, when she failed one of Mcgonagall's tests she absolutely lost her shit. Her eyes began to flicker into their fiery red. Mcgonagall noticed this and quickly pulled her to the side. "Class dismissed." The class went silent. But no one moved. "I said class dismissed!" She shouted as students now began to shuffle out of the room. James stayed behind.
He came up behind Edith, who was holding her head, effectively burning the ends of her hair. "Goldie.. You need to breathe." He could feel the heat radiating off of her.
"Potter, Please escort Féinics to Dumbledore's office. I will notify him that she is on her way. Do not touch her. Dumbledore tends to like cauldron cakes." Minnie warned him.
James just nodded and pulled the invisibility cloak out of his bag and tossed it over her. They had charmed it to be flame resistant years ago. He held her shoulders over the cloak and led her to Dumbledore's office. Her eyes were glowing by now, that's why James needed the cloak. Once arrived he whispered "Cauldron Cakes," to the statue.
"Go, James." Edith said in an oddly dark voice as she took off the cloak, shoved it at him, and stormed up the study stairs. Her hands began to burn, flames forming and taking over. She wandlessly cast a Muffliato to the room as she let out her most primal scream. Flames shot out in all directions as she yelled.
This happened every few weeks, the fiery anger would take over and she would... combust. Fawkes just watched her, a few fireballs hitting him but having absolutely no effect. He felt bad, he couldn't help her.
Around then was when Dumbledore quickly walked in, nearly getting hit with a fireball. Edith paused, terrified. "I-I'm sorry Albus..! Did I hit y-you?" She trembled.
Albus just gave her a soft smile as he approached her. "Of course not dear. Minerva let me know you were in here. The muffliato was a good idea." He carefully brought his hands up to her forearms. "Remember what we talked about? In and Out." Edith attempted to pull her hands away, she knew she was burning him. He could care less.
She slowly followed his breaths as her glowing eyes dissipated and her hands cooled down. "I'm sorry about your study Albus.. I couldn't stop it.." She said as Albus took the still trembling girl into his arms for a soft hug.
"It's alright. Nothing a good reparo can't fix." He rubbed her back before letting her go. "I am happy you came here though, I have something for you." He gestured to one of the chairs by his desk. "Sit, please."
She carefully walked over, sitting down, slouching into the comfortable chair. The others in the room were extremely uncomfortable. Edith suspected he bought this one just for her.
Albus rummaged through a drawer in his desk and pulled out an old looking photograph. He set it in front of her with a smile.
She looked down at the photo, confused at first. She picked up and examined it closer. It was a moving picture of a man and a woman. Both with wide smiles on their faces as the man kissed the woman's cheek. Between them was a young phoenix that looked oddly familiar. It was her patronus. The man of above average build had red hair and blue eyes. The small woman had light red hair as well along with gray hair. She looked up at Albus, almost as if to confirm what she was suspecting.
"Christie and Brian Féinics. 1958. Your parents, Edith." He folded his hands in front of him.
"My.." The words died on her lips as she stared at the picture, her fingers trailing over the hair on her fathers head. She stared at it in silence for a few minutes before speaking up. "Thank you Albus. Truly. How did you find this..?"
"I did some research. It seems most anything involving the Féinics family had been erased, likely by the laboratory. They wanted to keep you a secret. As we well know. But I managed to get a hold of this photo."
"This phoenix. I've seen it before. It's my patronus." Edith pointed to it in the photo as Fawkes flew up to rest on the girl's shoulder, to also look at the photo.
"Out of every phoenix your patronus couldn't have been me? I'm quite offended, Edith." Fawkes said with a scoff.
"Yes, that is the Féinics phoenix. You know your family raised phoenix's and studied them. That was your family's personal phoenix, passed down from generation to generation. No one knew what happened to that phoenix but I have a hunch. The scientists needed a phoenix to mix with you."
"They... They used my family's phoenix?" She put a hand on her chest, feeling a warmth ignite within her. Almost like an answer.
"I believe they did. He would have been the most compatible with you. I suspect that's why you lived and the other children... didn't. Their magical DNA wasn't compatible with the phoenix's they were using. Your phoenix has been with your family for so long that it was already a part of you."
"Shit.." She cursed, Albus not bothering to correct her language as she was already distraught. Somehow, this brought a smile to her face. It was horrible what they did to her parents... but she still had a part of them living inside her in the form of her phoenix. "Can I take this?" She asked, looking back up to Albus.
"Of course, it's yours." Albus said with a nod and a smile.
"I need to go show the boys. Thank you, again, Albus." Edith stood and put the picture in her pocket. She walked over to Fawkes perch as he stepped onto it. "I'll see you later." She said to Fawkes.
She walked out of the office, noticing how burnt her clothes were. "I really need to invest in some fire resistant clothing." She sighed as she raced down the halls to the Gryffindor tower. Luckily, class was still in session so the common room was empty. She ran up to the marauder's bedroom. She walked over to her trunk, yes she had a trunk in the marauders dorm. She spent most nights there anyway. She took the picture out of her pocket and set it on Remus' desk. As she pulled off her burnt shirt and tossed it to the side she heard shuffling from one of the beds and looked up to see Sirius sitting on his bed in the corner.
He simply waved. "Wow, studying and a show?" He set his book down on his lap. "What's with the burnt clothes Goldie?"
Edith rolled her eyes and pulled off her skirt as well. "Shut up, not the first time you've seen me in my knickers." She grabbed a new shirt and slipped it on, buttoning it up. "I was with Albus, Fawkes got too excited and wanted cuddles. And who am I to deny him?"
Lie. Sirius thought. "It's still gross you call Dumbledore Albus." He eyed her as she redressed. "Could have at least worn one of the lacey ones. Made it more interesting."
Edith grabbed a book off of Remus' desk and chucked it at Sirius. "Don't let Prongs hear you say that, he'll antler you."
"I know, still have a scar from the last time." He said, referring to earlier in the year when they first transformed into their animagi. When you transform for the first time it's hard to transform back with all your clothes on. Edith was unfortunate enough to transform back in only her lacy bra and underwear. When Sirius couldn't stop staring James, who was still Prongs, ran over and rammed him in the stomach with an antler.
Edith laughed as she finished redressing. She grabbed another cloak from her trunk and tossed it on. "You skipping?"
"Yeah, wasn't feeling potions with Snivellus."
"I need a smoke, got some? I have the rest of the period off."
"Love, this is Sirius Black you're talking to, I always have a smoke. Got some special shit from the Prewett twins. But I also just have cigs. Preference?"
"Stronger stuff." She came and sat down on Sirius' bed. Sirius rooted through his bedside table before pulling out two blunts. Probably muggle weed, she didn't care much either way. Sirius patted his chest as he moved his book aside. Edith took the hint and sat with her back to his chest as she took one of the blunts. She snapped her fingers, her thumb igniting into a small flame as she moved it to light the end of the stick, then doing the same for Sirius.
"Still can't believe you can do non verbal and wandless Incendio." Sirius chuckled as he brought the blunt up to his lips, taking a deep inhale.
She'd begun using that excuse when Peter caught her lighting candles in her room with her pinky. Simple enough lie. "Makes it easier to light fireworks in secret. Should have seen that one time I set them off in Dad's room for his birthday." She laughed as she took a hit from hers. Sirius propped his knees up so she could comfortably rest her elbows on them as they smoked together. "Opinion on not going to class for the rest of the day and just getting high?"
"Completely agree." Sirius said with a quick nod.
~~~
The two shared another smoke before just chilling out in the dorm. "Ugh when is someone going to get here with some kind of food... I'm mush." Edith said in a much too chilled out tone.
The universe must have heard her because Remus walked in, not even phased by the smell of weed in the room or the fact that Edith was cuddling Sirius. Once he set down his bag and books and removed his gryffindor robe he turned to the two. "How many did you smoke?"
Edith perked up at the sound of Remus' voice. She hadn't even noticed that he'd walked in. "Mooooooooooooooney!" She cheered, throwing up her hands. "Feuch an innis thu dhomh gun tug thu seoclaid leat, is tu am madadh-allaidh as fheàrr leam a-riamh!" She started rambling on in scottish.
"Goldeye, Scottish."
"Shit. Chocolate?" She asked, holding a hand out.
"Give the girl chocolate Moony! Or we might explode!" Sirius also shouted.
Remus rummaged through his pockets and handed them both a piece of one of his bars of chocolate. "Why must you always get her high?"
"Oi, she asked. I provided." Sirius said as he nibbled on the chocolate and nuzzled into Edith's red hair.
Edith happily ate the chocolate. Then Peter and James walked in. James started right off the bat, yelling at Sirius. "Paws off Padfoot!"
"Hush! Loud!" Edith put her hands over her ears.
"They're high." Remus said as he sat down at his desk. He curiously eyed the photo on his desk that Edith had set there but said nothing.
Peter sat on his bed, pulling out a tin of cookies from under his bed. "Goldie, cookie?"
Edith never hopped up so quickly, running over and crashing on top of Peter, now choosing him as her new cuddle buddy. "Bless you Wormy!" She took a cookie and ate it happily. Peter sat back on his headboard, also nomming on a cookie as Edith set her head on his lap and he affectionately ran his fingers through her hair.
"So Peter gets to cuddle her with no complaint but I get yelled at?!" Sirius exclaimed.
James crossed his arms. "Because you can't keep your grubby paws to yourself. I've seen you with just about every boy and girl in Gryffindor tower."
Edith snorted. "Don't act like i'm so innocent bràthair dhomh. Who else is gonna test them out before I get my share?" She raised an eyebrow.
Remus seemed to gag. "Can we not talk about you and Padfoot virtually sharing people?"
"Aw Moony don't worry, you'll get someone eventually. There's gotta be a mate for you out there!" Edith said, her eyes slowly shutting as she grew more and more tired.
There is someone out there. And it's you. Remus thought to himself as he chewed on the inside of his cheek. He decided to change the subject. "So what's this picture?" He asked, holding said picture up.
Edith's eyes opened wide as she hopped up, jumping over Peter and snatching it from his hands. "That's what I was forgetting! Lookit!" She ran over to James first and shoved the picture in his face. "It's my parents!" The smile on her face grew even bigger by the second.
"What?!" Sirius exclaimed, going to jump up but he ended up face planting off the bed.
James looked at the photo. "Holy shit it is.. They look just like you, Eids." He said to her with a smile. She never knew her parents or remembered them. He was happy she had some sort of visual now.
Remus and Peter stood, crowding next to James to see the photo. "What's with the phoenix?"
Edith set her hand on her chest at the mention of the phoenix. "Y'know how my last name is Féinics? Apparently our family knew the most about phoenix's and studied them. Look!" She grabbed her wand that she had previously set on her trunk and held it up before saying, "Expecto Patronum!" Her patronus soared out of her wand and settled on her shoulder. "The exact same phoenix as in the picture.
The three boys marveled up at her. Minus Sirius, who had fallen asleep on the floor. "That... actually makes a lot more sense. I knew your last name meant Phoenix in Irish but it never really clicked." Peter said as James handed Edith back the photo.
"Yeah, things are slowly starting to fall into place. Albus found it for me, he's been researching." Edith put the photo back into her pocket.
"Stop.. calling him.. Albus.." Sirius said, still half asleep.
Edith laughed, her head was still foggy though because of her magic metabolism the high effect slowly began to wear off.
"I'm gonna beat his arse when he wakes up for getting my sister high." James said as he walked to his bed, plopping down and laying on his back.
"It wasn't all his fault." Edith rolled her eyes, going to Sirius' now empty bed and grabbed another blunt from his nightstand. "You don't control me bràthair." She raised an eyebrow, lighting her thumb on fire once more and lit the stick. "I needed to calm down after today. Merlin bless the Prewetts and their muggle weed." She sighed in content as she took a drawn out hit.
James knew she was right, especially after he saw her on the verge of her breakdown as he led her to Dumbledore's office. He still protested, "Mum isn't going to be happy to find out your smoking."
"I've been smoking since last year, Prongs. It's only when I'm really stressed." Edith leaned back as Remus came over next to her, sitting down next to her on Sirius' bed. He plucked the blunt from her lips and put it between his instead. "I think we could all use some chill around this time of the month."
"Cheers, Moons." Edith pumped her fist in the air as she watched Remus take a long drag of the blunt. She'd seen him do it multiple times before. Somehow now though, it was sexier?
What? What are you thinking, Edith? Stop looking. He's Moony. Your best friend.
He's also incredibly hot. Have you seen those scars?
Hush inner-Edith. Not the time.
The two finished off the blunt, just relaxing on the bed until it was time for dinner. Edith was sandwiched between Sirius and Remus as they both had arms slung around her as they attempted to hold each other up, stumbling down the halls. The three crashed down onto the bench at the feast table.
"Turkey! And when I'm the most hungry!" Edith groaned.
Mcgonnagal looked up at the girl. With a swish of her hand a bowl of spaghetti appeared in front of Edith. Minerva knew it was one of Edith's favorites.
"Woah! Magic!" Edith marveled.
"You're a witch Goldeye." James said with a laugh as he dug into his plate.
"Damn right!" Edith said with a smile as she dug into hers as well.
~~~
Translations:
Feuch an innis thu dhomh gun tug thu seoclaid leat, is tu am madadh-allaidh as fheàrr leam a-riamh: Please tell me you brought chocolate, you're my favorite wolf ever
bràthair dhomh: Brother of mine
Hope you enjoyed! Until Next Time!
~Airshii