A quill rose into the air on its own and began scribbling furiously. Before long, it had recorded Vaughan's experiences over this short period on the parchment.
Once it had finished, Vaughan folded the parchment and tucked it into an envelope, sealed it, then took a phoenix tail feather from his shoulder bag and set it alight.
After waiting for quite some time, he finally heard a sharp crack from the air beside him.
Thud!
"Caw—"
Fawkes, his feathers in disarray and panting heavily, plunged headfirst to the ground. Yet despite his undignified landing and the icy ground in the middle of the night, Fawkes still glared viciously at Vaughan with wide, furious eyes!
He looked so enraged that he seemed ready to use his sharp beak to peck open the redhead's skull and see what cruel things were inside—
From England to America!
Nearly 4,000 miles, and he had been summoned all the way over!
Was that something a human could do?
And he still wanted him to deliver a letter? Keep dreaming!
Then he saw Vaughan pull out a thumb-sized, golden-yellow vial from his shoulder bag...
Fawkes's eyes immediately went wide. The feathers flaring around his neck instinctively smoothed down, as though he were afraid of frightening that delicious little treasure!
Watching Fawkes stare fixedly at the vial and swiftly become obedient, Vaughan smiled. "Deliver the letter to Dumbledore. If Dumbledore sends a reply, bring it back as well. This vial of Felix Felicis will be your payment."
Ah, this...
Fawkes, exhausted to the point of collapse after Apparating 4,000 miles, dearly wanted to refuse, but...
The enchanting golden gleam of Felix Felicis nearly dyed Fawkes's pupils the same color. After struggling for a moment, the noble phoenix shakily extended three claws!
"Impossible! Felix Felicis is one of