The Phoenix Will Rise

It was when they entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom that Hope knew where they were going. Then, when Albus waved his wand to reveal the secret passage under one of the desks, it all made sense.

The mirror of Erised, of course!

Hope grinned and bounced on her toes as they descended the stairs, entering the little bunker where the mirror was kept. An enchanted mirror would be her best chance of leaving this dimension- Albus Dumbledore was brilliant.

When Albus and Newt stopped in front of the mirror of Erised, her oval mirror was turned around so that she could see them again. 

Hope grinned and, despite the cold chills that ran over her skin, focused on Albus' moving lips.

Oh, touch the mirror, she finally interpreted.

Hope nodded eagerly, already starting to reach her hand forward. She'd be getting out! After days and nights of living in constant muted color and chilling cold, she'd leave this place for the warmth she so dearly missed. The relief was so intense she could cry.

Then, something strange happened. 

Albus and Newt's expressions shifted, but they no longer looked at her. 

They were focused on something behind her. 

Frowning, she hesitantly peered over her shoulder.

It was him.

Yellow teeth bared in a snarl, the rest of his face covered in the dark cloak that hung loosely around his body. He was in the mirror with Hope.

And he looked pissed.

Turning on her heels, Hope lurched for the mirror's surface with the palm of her hand. She couldn't guarantee she'd be able to fight him in this mirror realm, and it wasn't a chance Hope was willing to take.

Hope cried out as long, bony fingers gripped her shoulders like talons, cutting through her shirt. She stumbled as he yanked her backward, falling away from the oval's light.

"NO!" Hope slammed her elbow into his face with a sickening crunch and clawed her forward. Kicking her legs out to be free of the tangled heap they were in.

Burning pain sliced across her left calf, but Hope didn't stop once she got to her feet. It was like running on nothing, but she didn't stop. She didn't look over her shoulder to see if he was on her heels; she just kept running, and with both hands pushed through the mirror with so much force, she shattered through it.

Or, at least, she thought she shattered it.

Fragmented light bounced in every direction, casting gorgeous rainbows. The world spun with color and shimmering glass before righting itself.

In front of her stood Albus and Newt, holding the oval mirror in their hands. It looked nothing more than a reflection now. Containing nothing more or less than what it should. Hope looked up and down, then side to side of the new frame she was in before realizing she was inside the mirror of Erised.

Panting, Hope held the stitch in her side. Her heart raced as she realized once again she'd narrowly escaped the cloaked man.

"Hope." Albus mouthed and walked up to the mirror. He smiled warmly before holding a hand up and pressing it against the mirror.

With a hard swallow, Hope held up a shaky hand.

Please work, she silently begged. Please get me out of here.

Pressing her hand against where his hand was, she was met with another flat surface. A certain distance between them that she couldn't quite reach. Just as her heart began to sink, her hand practically melted through the mirror, her fingers intertwining with his.

In the next moment, she fell forward, falling into Albus' outstretched arms.

It was then that Hope realized how cold she actually was. Even as Newt wrapped his arms around her from behind, she began shaking violently.

Her teeth chattered as her body convulsed in desperation to seek warmth. The rest of her thoughts were void as her body tried to shut down from some form of what she could only assume was hypothermia.

"Your lips…" Albus murmured, looking down at her with a slight frown. His thumb stroked lightly along her bottom lip, but she was so numb she couldn't feel it. It was like she'd gotten a little too much novocaine in her face.

Turning her head, she gazed at the mirror of Erised and stared at the woman in Albus and Newt's arms.

Her skin was grayish pale with dark shadows under her eyes, and her hair was dulled of any shine. It was her lips that frightened her most.

They were blue.

As if she'd been swimming in the Arctic Ocean without breath for far too long.

"We need to get you to the hospital wing," Newt murmured, stroking her shoulder lightly. "I don't think she'll be able to walk…may I?"

Hope vaguely heard their exchange before Newt scooped her into his arms and cradled her to his chest. Even with his body heat and the added layer of Albus laying his jacket over her, Hope trembled horribly.

"She's bleeding…" Albus' voice sounded from a distance, though she knew he was right there.

"...look…cut…" Newt's voice responded, though Hope couldn't understand it the further she went under.

"...to…awake…" Albus said in a panicked voice.

"Hope!" Newt shouted then, bringing her back a little. She forced her eyes to open and stared at his face. They were moving quickly through the castle. "Keep looking at me. Don't close your eyes."

Why not? She thought. It had been days since she last slept- rest sounded like the exact thing she needed.

Something soft replaced the warmth of his body, but her fingers clutched his shirt.

"Hope it's going to be okay," Newt murmured, massaging her hand lightly to ease her grip on his shirt.

"Asphodel and an Ashwinder Egg," Madam Florence rattled off some ingredients, "yes, finely ground if you please."

A burning hand pressed against Hope's forehead, but while she knew it was uncomfortable, she couldn't seem to move to prevent it. It was as though she were paralyzed.

"It'll take about twenty minutes to stew; in the meantime, try your best to keep her warm. She's like ice. How on earth did this happen?"

A fireplace roared to life not far from her.

Fire- she'd craved its warmth for so long. Hope tried to turn her head to look at the flames, wanting to see their vivid hues for herself, but it was like her limbs were filled with lead.

Newt suddenly rested his hand on the bedspread and onto her chest. He began rubbing slow, deep circles. It hadn't occurred to her how slow her heartbeat was until she listened directly. 

She focused on his face then, unable to tear her eyes away from his features as she took in short, shallow breaths. The smile she'd missed was nonexistent as he worked to bring heat back to her body. Still, seeing him in the flesh made her heart pick up the pace a little.

The happiness and joy that coursed through her- the love that filled her soul, began bringing some warmth back to her chest and spreading out slowly like thawing ice.

"Look at her, look at you," Madam Florence chuckled in her throat, "I daresay that's a look of pure love, Professor Scamander."

Newt met Hope's eyes, and the smile she'd been waiting for broke the surface, green eyes shimmering with a new form of adoration more potent than any time before. 

Another surge of warmth filled her chest as Newt reached forward and stroked the stray tears that dripped unknowingly down her cheeks.

"Here we are then," Madam Florence said as a kettle screamed, "You'll feel some warmth with some of this."

Albus sat on the other side of Hope, and together, he and Newt propped her up, resting her head on their hands as Madam Florence carefully poured the steaming liquid down her throat.

It wasn't enough to burn her tongue or cause injury, but the taste of spice was so potent Hope coughed, barely able to swallow it down as it forced its way back up.

"Come on, dear. I know, just a bit more." Madam Florence frowned as she ladled more potion into Hope's mouth, and this time, Albus held her jaw to help her have more time to keep it down. Tears flooded her eyes from the pain of the acid-like spice as she was forced to choke it down.

It was worse than Wolfsbane and Vervain combined.

However, the relief she felt was almost instantaneous. Hope collapsed onto the bed, raking in a deep breath that filled her lungs pleasantly. 

Finally, after an eternity of strain and tension, her body relaxed. Her muscles melted into the bedding, and all she wanted to do was sleep.

The unfortunate truth is that you don't always get what you want.

Hope gasped as Madam Florence lifted the covers at her feet, revealing her legs. Now that Hope could feel her skin again, it felt as though her calf was on fire.

Sitting up, suddenly sober of her exhaustion, Hope looked down at her legs. The right leg seemed fine, but the left had a long, nasty gash starting from the side of her knee down to where her ankle started. It was swollen and inflamed with splotchy redness.

"What's this from?" Madam Florence asked, looking up at her with a furrowed brow.

Hope swallowed hard. "Someone cut me with a dagger…" Her gaze shifted left to right, looking at Albus and Newt, knowing they would know who.

"When did this happen?" Florence asked, shaking her head, careful not to touch the affected area.

"A few minutes ago," Newt murmured. 

"Minutes?" She asked, looking up with a frown. "And it's already this infected?"

"Yes," Hope replied numbly, looking at the deep gash. Under normal circumstances, Hope wouldn't much care for a cut. What concerned her was this simple question- why wasn't she healing?

Madam Florence continued. "How does it feel?"

Hope wiggled her toes and cringed. "Like a bad sunburn." It was as though she could feel the heat radiating off the area.

Nodding with a sigh, she chewed her lip. "We'll need to clean it out, but it won't be pleasant."

"Hm," Hope couldn't help but smile crookedly, "I have a fairly high pain tolerance."

It took a half hour.

Hope leaned back against the headboard, staring straight ahead with a clenched jaw and arms crossed tightly over her torso. Tears pricked her eyes occasionally, the deeper Madam Florence had to scrub the wound with her bristle brush.

She was being thorough, at least.

Newt and Albus seemed to know better than to speak and distract her from ignoring the pain. It was for the best, honestly. If they'd said a word, she probably would have lashed out. 

Madam Florence suddenly stopped scrubbing, staring down at the wound. "I don't understand." She murmured.

Following her line of sight, Hope watched the cut begin to revert back to the reddened, puss-filled infection it had been when she'd first started.

Hope deflated a little; she didn't know if she could take another scrubbing session. Her nails bit into her palms as she let out a shaky breath. Next to her, Albus rested his face in the palms of his hands, forehead creased in worry.

"This should be working-" Madam Florence murmured as the flutter of flapping wings filled the air.

In a fluttering show, a fiery orange and red bird landed on the foot of the bedpost.

All eyes landed on the Phoenix as it hopped onto the bed and leaned over Hope's leg. Staring in shock, Hope watched as the creature released a few tears that sizzled into her skin. 

Within a minute, the infection was gone, and the gash was sealed over.

Hope's jaw dropped as she looked up at the Phoenix, too stunned to speak. Thinking back to Newt's mini lessons on creatures while working in his suitcase, she recalled the information that a Phoenix possessed healing tears and, coincidentally, seemed to gravitate toward Dumbledore's

Why, she had no idea, but as she looked over at Albus, who now smiled affectionately at the bird, she realized he must have somehow summoned him.

Maybe it was a desperate desire or a silent prayer- in any case, the Phoenix had answered. 

Hope turned to the Phoenix, a thank you on her lips just as it pushed off the bed and flew across the room, leaving through an open window.

"Wonderful creatures," Madam Florence smiled wistfully as she examined Hope's leg, "I was worried you'd be fighting an infection for days. Now then," she patted her newly healed leg gently, "thawed and healed or not, you'll be spending some time here. No excuses." She added as Hope opened her mouth to argue. "You need rest, and I'd like to monitor your condition."

"We'll keep you company," Newt murmured with a soft smile, taking her hand to his chest.

Hope nodded with a soft sigh, happy Madam Florence didn't seem to have an objection.

Over the next ten minutes, Madam Florence heated Hope's mattress from underneath while Albus and Newt settled into beds on either side of her. Only when Madam Florence departed into her chambers for the night did Newt and Albus move their beds closer so they touched.

Hope was absolutely exhausted and wanted nothing more than to sleep. Yet, her body and brain buzzed with some sort of adrenaline.

"Hope," Albus chuckled softly, "you need to sleep. We can talk all about this after rest with fresh minds."

Chewing her bottom lip, Hope looked up at the dark ceiling, mauling his words over. "But I can't sleep until…" Hope slowly looked over at Newt, who lay next to her, watching her intently. "I'm sorry." She breathed.

Newt frowned and reached forward, stroking her cheek lightly with his thumb.

"You have no reason to apologize, Hope. I shouldn't have-"

"Called me selfish?" Hope shrugged and forced a sad smile. "Speak the truth? The thing is, I am selfish. I'm a selfish person. I've looked out for myself for so long that I'm used to only worrying about myself. Only thinking about what I want or need…" She trailed off. "I shouldn't have disregarded your emotions just because it wasn't what I wanted to hear." 

Silence filled the space.

"Hope," Newt murmured, "you know I trust you, don't you?"

She pursed her lips. How could she answer that without lying?

"I've questioned it." Hope finally murmured, voice strained.

Newt moved a little closer, hovering over her now. "I'm sorry I made it seem as though I don't. I do trust you. Your judgment, your power. It's just…I fear losing you over all else. I can't function around the thought. Not knowing if you'll come back."

Studying him a moment, Hope nodded. "So then this won't get better between us unless we both make some changes."

"Changes like what?" He asked, stroking the collar of her shirt, lightly tracing the pattern.

"Hm," Hope murmured in thought, "I'll try to…inform you before I willingly go into life-threatening situations?"

That earned a laugh from him, but it was still good to see him smile. Even if the topic at hand wasn't her favorite.

Newt nodded. "I would appreciate that immensely, and in return, I will," he looked down at her now with a soft smile, "I'll try to be strong enough to let you go when you need me to."

"And I will continue combing my beard morning and night." Albus hummed, laying back with his fingers crossed under his head as he gazed up at the ceiling with a cheeky smile.

Hope grinned and rolled over, elbowing him lightly in the ribs. 

"Asshole."

They had to stifle their laughter with their arms and pillows, and for the first time in so long, Hope could feel herself age back. Like she could let herself be innocent, even for a brief moment in time.

Naturally, it lasted only a moment as her thoughts began to wander. A few minutes passed, and Hope was sure everyone was on the brink of sleep, but something was gnawing at her. Something she'd been thinking of on and off the past few days.

After all, she'd had so much time to herself she really could only reflect on the recent past.

"Was that what Sylvia wanted, Albus?" Hope asked, breaking the silence.

"Hm?"

Hope recalled that day in the warehouse when Newt and Albus had been trapped in a cage. Right before they'd taken her life in front of them.

"Sylvia wanted something from you for someone. Did she want the Phoenix for him or whoever it was?"

"No," Albus murmured with a sleep-filled voice, "no, Syliva was searching for something different. I never found out who it was for, but she was desperate to obtain it."

Hope frowned, turning her head to look at him. "Well, what was it?"

"A special stone," he nodded, watching her, "enchanted by the moon."

It took a moment for Hope to click the pieces into place, and when she did, she sucked in a soft breath of air.

The Moonstone.