My ashes begin as they always do, simply lying in the pile I once stood above. Not a single breeze to blow a spec away from the rest.

How my thoughts manage to still drift after I've disintegrated always eludes me, yet they're my only comfort before the big reveal.

Time goes by, but I don't know how much time it is. Sometimes it feels as though it could be hours, and other times there's mere seconds from the change.

These wizards don't realize that I can adjust and read into their measurements and time; I'm nothing but a creature to them. It's amusing, really, because they need me, yet they do not value me.

My freedom is not valued by them, but I'll be damned if I did not value it myself.

Ah, much better, my form colored with soot rises out of the ashes. It's always my head that shapes first, and that is fine with me.

My eyes will see everything in a new light. Observing everything around me is my forte.

I continue to come through the ashes, and the soot falls from my body. Good, because I much prefer the rich, crimson color of my feathers. Along with my mind, it is the only thing that does not change.

My talons were golden this time; before, they were black. My beak changed in a similar fashion. Purple, yellow, and orange are always the colors I am never able to determine if they'll appear or not, but that's fine. Crimson happens to be my favorite color.

Crimson is a color of bravery.

I like to believe that I'm brave, yet confined to a single space. However, as my wings spread and my legs stretch, I am no longer caged.

I am free to squawk and call for pleasure. I am free to roam as I please.

As a phoenix, I give faith and hope in rebirth. I give a sense of renewal to those who gaze upon me. I do rise from ashes after all.

I just have to continue rising. No matter the circumstance, I shall rise. I rise from my ashes. I rise from my superiors keeping me in this cage. I rise from it all.

And I will continue rising.

A/N: written for The Houses Competition

House: Hufflepuff; Year/Position: HoH; Category: Drabble; Prompt: Phoenix

Word Count: 378