Harry was just recovering from the worst beating Vernon had ever given him when Hedwig scratched at the window. Harry sighed and slowly rose to his feet to let her in.
It was nearing midnight, and as he dare not turn on a light for fear of Vernon's continued wrath at his "Useless wasting of there precious resources", it took Harry a few moments to open the window latch. Hedwig waited patiently for Harry to fully open the window and step back before she entered which was totally unlike her.
That's when Harry realized it wasn't Hedwig , Twas just another snowy owl. Harry was disappointed for he had sent Hedwig out days ago with a note for his godfather, Serious Black. He glanced around to see the snowy owl sitting regally on his small bed.
Harry went over and sat next to the unknown owl. When he really looked at it he realized that it could never have been Hedwig in the first place, this owl was much to large. The owl held up its leg and Harry noticed a rather large and hastily folded note spelled to its leg.
Curious as always Harry slowly put out his hand to grab the note. But before he could reach it the owl nipped his hand drawing blood . Harry quickly pulled away and started to suck his fingers.
It was a moment before he realized that it was changing, the "owl" as he now suspected it wasn't began to change shape and color, though the note remained the same. Startled Harry fell away and landed on one of his many bruises causing him to black out for a moment.
When he came to the thing was reforming . It was becoming what looked to be another bird. Harry blinked, Then gasped Because what he saw looked vaguely like old Dumbles Phoenix. This one was shining from an inner light. It was at least twice as large as Faux and many times more beautiful. The feathers on this magnificent beast ranged from the Golden of a precious Metal to a color resembling freshly made honey. Harry followed the sleek lines of the phoenixes back to its tail feathers witch were long and graceful and looked so soft as to pass unnoticed over inattentive skin.
Harry crawled along the floor closer to this magnificent being while his eyes roamed upward to its proud chest and sharp predators beak. Just like that Harry's hand stopped inches from the floor. He held in thrall by the Phoenixes eyes witch were a color that can only be described as molten gold, they made Harry's own eyes tear with there beauty. What stopped Harry's breath and nearly his heart was what they held, An unearthly intelligence that can only come with enormous power and even grater age. The eye's of the Phoenix seemed to grow larger the longer Harry looked into them until they appeared to fill his vision, it was then that the Phoenix let out a melodious burst of song filled with deep bass tenors and a happiness that seemed to make the room brighter. It was this that snapped Harry out of his revere.
Harry blinked and when he opened his eyes the Phoenix's had returned to normal. Harry continued his crawl toward his bed and that wonderful bird. As Harry reached it the Phoenix held up its leg reminding him of the note. Harry reached out, conscious of what had happened last time. As Harry touched the note the spell ended and it fluttered to the floor he slowly picked it up and unfolded it, He gasped at who it appeared had written it.
Dear Descendant,
If you are reading this than my old friend has carried out my last wish. If she has come at the correct time then you are about to receive your inheritance and you should read this quickly. Down the hall the grandfather clock struck the first bong of midnight Harry covered his ears so as to read uninterrupted, he continued. You are from a long line of very old and very powerful daemon mages, like Daemon's we are extremely strong in wandless magic and we cannot use wands. But unlike normal daemons at the beginning of our change we merge with an animal to become one, though if the animal is powerful enough it doesn't disappear and we just obtain parts and abilities of that animal. The stronger the animal you merge with the more powerful you are. If the merger is successful what you can gain is unimaginable, but if the merger fails you die. To merge with your animal it needs to take your blood before your transformation and have the blood in or on it while you do.
Signed
Your Ancestor
P.S Since nothing in life comes without a price the more powerful the animal the more painful the merger will be.
Harry finished reading just as the clock down the hall finished its midnight clatter, he looked up at the phoenix and the blood on its beak and said "O Shit". Then the pain began, it was the most terrible pain that Harry had ever experienced, it was worse than having his arm re-grown, it was like having his entire body re-grown. It was worse than Voldimort's Crucio a hundred times worse no one thousand and it seemed to last forever. Gradually the pain stopped leaving only a bitter iron taste in his mouth telling him he had bit his tongue.
Harry sobbed and stopped sure that someone else was in the room, to tired to even look around, Harry sighed and again there was a beautiful sound. Slowly Harry realized that it was himself that was making these sounds, he gasped and then cried out 'even my gasps are beautiful' Harry thought .
The Phoenix slowly pecked at his arm startling him. What startled him more was the voice that spoke inside his head 'Young one Come, we must take our leave from this horrid place, I fear if you are seen by mortal eyes before you can control your beauty there will be no end to your lovers'
Harry rose slowly and he was startled by how graceful he felt, he turned to follow the bird and stopped. He walked closer to his mirror and gasped.
The figure in his mirror looked nothing like his old self, His raven locks were streaked with gold and they framed a face that was perfection. The cherubic lips were in perfect harmony with a strong, straight nose that bespoke regality grater than that of most kings, this was set between two glowing green golden flecked eyes. These eyes widened in surprise as they traveled down to a body that's only similarity to his old one was the torn and tattered cloths that rest upon it.
The skin of his body was a wonderful tan that comes from years of sun and a pure, happy soul. Harry's muscled body went beautifully with his angelic wings. Harry did a double take 'holy shit I have wings' he thought. Her voice entered his mind again "Of course My young one what else did you expect would come from merging with a Phoenix' Though she didn't speak aloud Harry could tell she had a note of laughter in her thoughts.
"Where do we need to go" Harry asked 'we must first go to the Goblin Bank to acquire clothing suitable for your new form, and then we must seek a meet with the counsel' she replied.
"What counsel" Harry asked 'I Cannot tell you at this moment' she waited a second and said 'we must stop dawdling and be off, open the window and fly with me. you should know what to do' Harry blanched but did as he was told. After he opened the window and stepped away, the Phoenix flew out and Harry being a Gryffindor closed his eyes and jumped after throwing caution to the wind,(no pun intended) .
Almost immediately he felt the pull of gravity, he waited relishing the queer feeling, then opened his wings. As if by instinct they flapped, he ascended quickly, 'it felt natural' he thought. Slowly Harry opened his eyes to the most inspiringly beautiful site he had ever seen.
Though he was flying extremely fast he could make out every detail of the landscape below him. Then something dawned on him that he just had to yell "I Don't need my Glasses" This piled on top of everything else that had happened to him made Harry Gloriously, wonderfully, enormously happy and he just had to laugh, So that's just what he did.
