AN: I always had one problem with the Harry Potter of both the books and the movies, and that was how anticlimactic the last battle between the Dark Lord and Harry Potter was and not to mention just how weak Harry was at the end even though he was supposed to be the Dark Lord's equal.

The final duel at the end of DH was just a profound disappointment for me, I mean Harry literally won through sheer dumb luck and Voldemort's own stupidity. Not to mention all the bad calls the Trio made during the Hunt...

This story hopes to address that by creating a more independent Harry, one who has truly accepted his role as the fated foe of the Dark Lord, one forged in the fires of war and betrayal.

In this story Harry will take battle more seriously and actually aim to at least maim if not kill his opponents not fire fucking Stunners at them, whilst getting shot at by Killing Curses!

Harry will be more magically powerful than Voldemort but that doesn't mean he will be able to steam roll over Voldemort instantly like in some fanfics where Harry gets a power up.

Voldemort has literally decades on Harry in both magical combat and knowledge and is a ridiculously powerful Wizard in his own right, though Harry's increased power levels will give him a fighting chance in a duel against the Dark Lord and every spell or piece of arcane knowledge Harry learns whilst on the run shrinks the difference between the two mortal enemies.

This story will include the Deathly Hallows as a part of the story.

Featuring an Independent, proactive and more ruthless than Cannon Harry.

Pairings for Harry undecided. Not Slash. (Sorry it's just something I don't enjoy writing.)

This story has not been Beta'd so apologies for spelling and grammar mistakes. As alsways I don't own Harry Potter or any of the cannon characters they all belong to Jk Rowling the Queen of Quills herself!

There is no schedule for new chapters so expect new chapter releases to be sporadic!


Chapter 1

Location:

Unknown (Under Unplottable Charm).

England.

The United Kingdom.

"I thought you knew what you'd signed up for" said Harry

"Yeah, I thought so too."

"So what part of it isn't living up to your expectations?" asked Harry. Anger was coming to his defence now. "Did you think we'd be staying in five star hotels? Finding a Horcrux every other day? Did you think you'd be back to Mummy by Christmas?"

We thought you knew what you were doing!" shouted Ron, standing up; and his words pierced Harry like scalding knives. "We thought Dumbledore had told you what to do, we thought you had a real plan!"

"Ron!" said Hermione, this time clearly audible over the rain thundering on the tent roof, but again, he ignored her.

"Well, sorry to let you down." Said Harry, his voice quite calm even though he felt hollow, inadequate. "I've been straight with you from the start, I told you everything Dumbledore told me. And in case you haven't noticed, we've found one Horcrux-"

"Yeah, and we're about as near getting rid of it as we are to finding the rest of them- nowhere effing near, in other words!"

"Take off the locket, Ron." Hermione said, her voice unusually high. "Please take it off. You wouldn't be talking like this if you hadn't been wearing it all day."

"Yeah, he would." Said Harry, who did not want excuses made for Ron. "D'you think I haven't noticed the two of you whispering behind my back? D'you think I didn't guess you were thinking this stuff?"

"Harry, we weren't-"

"Don't lie!" Ron hurled at her. "You said it too, you said you were disappointed, you said you'd thought he had a bit more to go on than-"

"I didn't say it like that- Harry, I didn't!" She cried.

The rain was pounding the tent, tears were pouring down Hermione's face, and the excitement of a few minutes before had vanished as if it had never been, a short lived firework that had died, leaving everything dark, wet and cold. The sword of Gryffindor was hidden they knew not where, and they were three teenagers in a tent whose only achievement was not, yet, to be dead.

"So why are you still here?" Harry asked Ron.

"Search me!" said Ron.

"Go home then." Said Harry.

"Yeah, maybe I will!" Shouted Ron, and he took several steps towards Harry, who did not back away. "Didn't you hear what they said about my sister? But you don't give a rat's fart, do you, it's only the Forbidden Forest, Harry I've-Faced-Worse-Potter doesn't care what happens to her in here, well I do, all right, giant spiders and mental stuff-"

"I was only saying- she was with the others, they were with Hagrid-"

"-yeah I get it, you don't care! And what about the rest of my family, the Weasleys don't need another kid injured did you hear that?"

"Yeah, I-"

"Not bothered what it meant, though?"

"Ron!" said Hermione, forcing her way between them, "I don't think it means anything new has happened, anything we don't know about; think, Ron, Bill's already scarred, plenty of people must have seen that George has lost an ear by now, and you're supposed to be on your deathbed with spattergroit, I'm sure all he meant-"

"Oh, you're sure, are you? Right then, well, I won't bother myself about them. It's all right for you two, isn't it, with your parents safely out the way-"

"My parents are dead!" Harry bellowed.

"And mine could be going the same way!" Yelled Ron.

"The GO! Roared harry. "Go back to them, pretend you've got over your spattergroit and Mummy'll be able to feed you up and-"

Ron made a sudden movement: Harry reacted, but before either wand was clear of its owner's pocket, Hermione had raised her own.

"Protego!" She cried, and an invisible shield expanded between her and Harry on the one side, and Ron on the other; all of them were forced backwards by the strength of the spell and Harry and Ron glared from either side of the transparent barrier as though they were seeing each other clearly for the first time. Harry felt a corrosive hatred towards Ron: something had broken between them.

"Leave the Horcrux." Harry said.

Ron wrenched the chain over his head and cast the locket into a nearby chair. He turned dot Hermione. "What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you staying, or what?"

(End of extract taken directly from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)

"I…" She looked anguished as she looked between the two boys before she slumped and dispelled the Shield Charm and looked up teary eyed at Harry and said in a soft tone. "I'm sorry Harry."

Ron looked startled for a moment as if he hadn't believed she would really choose him over Harry before a smug look came over his face. As he reached for Hermione's hand pulling her out the tent as she kept her head down not even daring to look Harry in the eye as she abandoned him.

Harry stood there in silence staring at the flap of the tent's entrance as they left, barely able to comprehend what was happening. As he heard the whip-like sound of someone apparating the truth finally reached his brain.

They'd abandoned him.

He couldn't help it, his knees felt weak and he wobbled slightly as he crumpled to the floor in the middle of the tent staring at the entrance in shock.

They'd left him. His two very best friends in the world, the boy and girl he would have given his life for had walked away and abandoned him on the most dangerous, most important mission of the entire war.

Maybe they would come back? Maybe they just needed a breather away for the stuffy tent? He'd better make sure just in case. Getting up off the floor, still holding his wand numbly in his fingers he walked out into the clearing. Pulling up the hood of his coat he sat on the tree stump outside even as the rain poured down onto him drenching the coat in an instant. So what if he got a little wet, he had to wait for them, he refused to believe they'd really abandon him, they wouldn't really leave him, would they? After all, they'd been through together? And so as the raindrops splattered against his coat he sat there, fingering his wand in his hands even as he scanned the area around their camp for any sign of the return of his friends.

He would wait a long time. Six whole hours in fact, before he had to give in to the truth. They wouldn't be coming back.

A lone tear falling down his face he stood slowly, his joints sore from being still for so long. Stretching he heard the crack of several bones even as he turned around and stumbled listlessly back into the tent. He was pale, shaky and his once vibrant green eyes were now dull and lifeless.

Long honed survival instincts forged from years of growing up at Privet Drive under the tyranny of the Dursleys and his various encounters with the Dark Lord and his forces told him he needed to move on before someone found him. So it was with almost mechanical movements Harry began to pack his things away, taking extra care to wrap the Locket in cloth and place it in a small wooden box inside the tent, he had no desire to even touch the disgusting thing not after what it had done to his friends.

He was disheartened to learn that Hermione still had the beaded bag on her when she left but he continued even without until he stood outside the tent his task completed. His long coat flapped in the wind as he raised his wand and tapped the glowing Rune on the edge of the tent causing it to begin to pack itself away. He watched it as the tent folded itself into a bundle of cloth which he grabbed and tucked under one arm.

Looking around one more time he closed his eyes and let out a shuddering breath before he opened them and turned on his heel disapparating with a crack! Leaving the area empty and void of any trace anyone had ever been there.


Scotland.

The United Kingdom.

Harry reappeared in a small valley in Scotland with an audible crack that reverberated off of the surrounding hills like an echo. There was nothing around but steep inclines covered in lush green grass with dark grey rock jutting out at the peaks where the grass could no longer grow. Harry had apparated onto a small plateau of grass next to the little river that snaked its way through the valley. Harry shook himself slightly, the pita patter of raindrops hitting his coat lessening in the valley where the rain was far less intense than back in the forest. Moving on autopilot he drew his wand from his coat pocket and waved it in front of him as he began to set up the Protective Enchantments that would keep him hidden. Protego Totalum, Salvio Hexia, Repello Muggletum , Cave Inimicum and the Disillusionment Charm were all cast in quick succession and the dome of protective magic briefly flared an almost opaque blue as the Enchantments became active before disappearing as the Disillusionment Charm took effect keeping him away from prying eyes. Happy his wards were in place he took the tent out from under his arm and set it in the middle of the protected area. Tapping the Rune once more he stepped back and watched the tent unfold until it was back in its former glory. As he stood there looking at the dim light coming from inside the flap of the tent he'd shared for so long with his two best friends the day's events caught up with him and hit with all the force of a sledgehammer.

He stood there in silence completely motionless as tears began to fall from his face mixing with the rain as the hit the ground. As he stood there his wand fell from his hands which held fallen listlessly to his sides. Swaying in the wind Harry's legs buckled under him and his knees crashed to the grassy floor as he let out a keening wail.

His two best friends had betrayed him and left him to finish the mission alone. He loved them above everyone and everything else in the entire world. Ron and Hermione had been his light and reason to fight. They had been the brother and sister he'd never had. Both of them had been the family he'd never had. It was for them and their future that he was willing to fight and bleed for.

WHY!? That single word reverberated around Harry's head as he continued to wail into the sky even as rain continued to fall down onto his face, his heartbreaking as sat there in the gloom alone and so very, very lost.

Having driven his voice hoarse he bowed his head, tears continuing to fall from his eyes as he took deep shuddering his breaths, his body trembling and shaking with emotion as every memory of his two best friends flashed across his mind, both the good and the bad, the highs and the lows.

Ron, his first ever friend. The awkward gangly boy who had walked into his compartment on the train to Hogwarts asking if there were any spare seats. The boy who had been amazed by his scar and amazed at his legend. The boy who hated Slytherins in the same way Malfoy hated Gryffindors. The boy who would talk Quidditch with him for hours on end. The boy who drove a girl to the bathroom in tears. The boy who came with him to save the girl in danger, helping him to defeat a Mountain Troll threatening her. The boy who constantly whined about homework, the same boy who sacrificed himself in a chess match to help him save the Philosophers Stone. The same boy who ignored his sister for an entire year and didn't notice her getting possessed by an evil spirit. The same boy who was willing to fight a Basilisk alongside him to rescue the little sister he'd ignored. The same boy who got jealous over the amount of gold in his vault, accused him of entering a death tournament and gave a half-hearted apology in reply. The same boy who ignored him all summer afterwards and yet was willing to risk death to save his friends Godfather. The same boy who'd spent the year afterwards almost ignoring him too busy attached to a girl's lips to care about his friend. The same boy who'd walked out on the most important mission of the entire Wizarding War. The linchpin mission of the Lights war effort.

As every memory of Ron sped across his mind, his despair, desperation, sadness, rage, and anger increased and deep within him something that had been tied to him since the first three months of his life began to crack.

As the memories of his time with Ron ended so began the memories of his time with his other best friend, the sister of his heart. Hermione. The slightly standoffish girl who had come into their compartment on the Hogwarts Express looking for a toad of all things. The same girl who had prattled on about every facet of the castle. The girl who tried to help a classmate and got insulted for it and sent off crying. The girl who lied to protect the two boys who had rescued her from a Mountain Troll even though it was the fault of one of the boys that she was even there in the first place. The same girl who hounded him to do homework all the time. The girl who helped him to solve the puzzles to save the Philosophers Stone. The same girl who developed a creepy crush on their fraud of a Defence Professor and the same girl who solved the riddle of the monster in the Chamber of Secrets. The same girl who had handed in his gift to the teachers without even telling him. The same girl who had helped him to save his innocent godfather from Dementors. The same girl who had stood by him during the Tri-Wizard Tournament when everyone else had abandoned him and the same girl who had abandoned him the summer afterwards, leaving him without any information whilst he rotted away at Privet Drive. The same girl who had dragged him into teaching Defence against the Dark Arts to a bunch of students even though he didn't want to. The same girl who had willingly followed him into what she believed to be a trap to save his Godfather from Voldemort himself even getting injured in the process. The same girl who had then spent the next year berating him and accusing him of being a cheat for using a book with notes in it even as she made cow eyes at their other best friend. Yet, even so, she had accompanied him on this hair-brained adventure even breaking into the Ministry to steal from one of their most important employees. Yet now she had after being loyal for so long abandoned him.

Every memory of Hermione crossed his mind as he saw her exasperated face when he was being difficult about learning, her scolding him and Ron for doing something stupid, all the three of them laughing at some joke.

Every memory filled him with happiness and sadness and an unending feeling of betrayal. He had never felt such emotional turmoil in his life. The only time he could remember feeling such depth of pure emotions was the fear and love he felt for his Godfather as he cast the Patronus Charm to banish the Dementors trying to kill Sirius. It had been the single greatest piece of magic he'd ever performed.

As the great turmoil of emotions reached a boiling point a limiter on his very magic core began to break down under the sheer emotional turmoil.

Unknown to anyone James and Lilly Potter had placed a binding on their son's magic when he was four months old. Even as such an extremely young age, the boy had been creating powerful Accidental Magic something that only appears in most children when they are at youngest five or six years old. This has both parents worried for multiple reasons. One there was the chance that his Accidental Magic could accidentally hurt him or others if he wasn't careful. Two, they were in the middle of a vicious war, a war they were losing. If the enemy were given any indication of just how potentially powerful their son could become if he was given a chance to mature, they would do everything in their power to snuff him out before he became a problem. That would increase the already large target that was on his back for being the subject of a prophecy that concerned the downfall of the Dark Lord. So they devised a plan to not only stop their son from hurting himself but also provide him protection if the Dark Lord ever came knocking.

Lily Potter née Evans had long been considered a prodigy in Charms and Arithmancy and her husband James Potter was considered a genius at Transfiguration. Together they had looked for anything that would help them to protect their son. Their search had eventually brought them to the Black Library, one of the most extensive collections of Dark Arts knowledge in the world. There they discovered the groundwork for what they needed. A Ritual that would create an impenetrable protective shield around an individual that would stop any and all attacks from another specifically designated wizard. The only problem was that it required a willing human sacrifice and a large amount of magic power to fuel the Ritual.

Taking the book containing the Ritual without Sirius's knowledge the married couple got to work on unravelling the Ritual and reworking it for their purposes. In the end, after a month's work, they had completed their work. A part of the Ritual was anchored to little Harry's magic core so the magic needed to power the Ritual could be channelled from him. This had the effect of stopping almost all of his accidental magic. The other part of the Ritual was anchored to the two parents so in the case that You-Know-Who did come for them they would be the human sacrifice needed to activate the Ritual.

Their plan worked. The death of Lily Potter in front of her son's crib was enough to fulfill the required sacrifice for the Ritual and when the Dark Lord pointed his wand at little Harry all the stored up magic that had been stored up was released flinging the Dark Lords spell back against him. Unfortunately, a complication appeared that neither Lily nor James could have prepared for, the meddling of Albus Dumbledore.

For you see whilst his intentions had been good he had made a grave mistake that would cost Harry dearly. Dumbledore had mistaken the Ritual for a love based spell known as Sacrificial Protection and in his haste to get Harry protected, failed to identify what he was looking at. Using the remnants of what he believed was the Charm Lily had caste he created a set of Blood Wards over Harry's Aunt's house that would be tied to their shared blood giving Harry and the Dursley's protection from any attacks by Wizards and Witches after him for revenge. Unfortunately what he had really done was force the Ritual's protection into a ward which was powered directly from Harry's magic, something that is strongly discouraged by Ward Crafters as Semi-Permanent or Permanent Wards like the one Dumbledore cast should have been inscribed on Ward Stones that draw the magic directly from the ambient magic in the air and ground rather than from a Wizard or Witch who in most cases wouldn't be able to maintain the power of a Ward and simply collapse due to Magic Exhaustion. In the case of someone as immensely strong as Harry, it limited the amount of magic he could use at any time by an immense amount. Especially at Hogwarts which was so far away from Privet Drive. This drain had continued throughout his time at Hogwarts years until he'd turned seventeen and the Blood Wards had finally fulfilled the parameters Dumbledore had set when he'd placed the Wards and they came crashing down on his 17th birthday.

Unfortunately, his magic had been blocked for such a long period of time that Harry had been unable to access it properly even though the Wards that had been absorbing all that power were gone. It was only as he suffered under the extreme emotional distress of the betrayal of the two closest people in his life that the last barrier on his core began to break.

With one last shuddering breath Harry clenched his fists, raised his head towards the sky and roared at the heavens. Letting out all his feelings into the pain and rage-filled scream, he tried to let out every emotion he'd bottled up for so long. The sheer amount of emotional distress Harry was trying to release in that single moment was enough to break the last block keeping his magic in check.

THUMP!

Deep within Harry, the last bind on his magic shattered with the sound of tinkling glass and with a roar a tidal wave of magic cascaded into his body. Great power began to thrum through his body, power that Voldemort and Dumbledore could only look enviously at made itself known to the world as it exploded from his body in an awe-inspiring show of magical might.

The first indication of his new power level could be found in his eyes. Many in the past had described them as beautiful, like clear cut emeralds, yet as Harry's magic began to manifest the green irises began to literally glow with repressed power.

As Harry's eyes began to glow small green bolts of pure magic energy began to spark across Harry's body looking like tiny lightning bolts as Harry's magic continued to manifest itself uncontrollably. Harry stopped his angry roar as he felt the massive amount of magic rushing through his body, Harry tried to wrestle control of the immense amount of magic in his body but he'd never tried to control such a large amount of magic before and he quickly lost control of the violent magic and so with the sound of an explosion a wave of pure magic energy was released from his body. The visible wave of energy erupted from his body kicking up gale force winds as it radiated out from his body. Only the Runes that created the magical tent kept it anchored to the ground rather than get thrown up into the air as the magic radiated outwards.

The wave of magic smashed into the Protective Enchantments surrounding the camp and they flared causing them to become visible and a dome of opaque blue energy surrounding the tent became discernible to the naked eye. The immense wave of magic was absorbed by the Enchantments, strengthening and reinforcing them, causing the dim blue glow of the Enchantments to become brighter and brighter as more and more magic was poured into them. As more and more magic was dumped into them they began to become unstable, too much magic poured into too small an area. Bolts of blue coloured magic crackled all over the surface of the dome as it become overloaded with magic. Harry knowing instinctively on some level that something was wrong reached out in his panicked state and tried to direct magic. Harry had no experience controlling such a vast amount of magic having only ever been using a fraction of that power. Desperate to do something, anything, he pushed with all his will into forcing the magic down into the ground. With one titanic mental push, he slammed the magic into the earth.

The massive bolts of magic flickering on the dome were forced downwards into the ground on the outside edges of the dome. As the ground was saturated with untamed magic it began to shake as it splintered and broke apart as the uncontrolled energy fractured the earth. Rocks were cracked in two and fissures were formed in the ground in a fifty diameter area around the Enchantments boundary, it looked to all the world as if a localised earthquake had hit the valley, ruining it. As the ground stopped shaking the Protective Enchantments finally bled out enough magic to stabilise, the dome now a near solid blue colour that hummed with energy.

Harry sat panting, kneeling in the grass as the immense amount of magic in his body began to settle and calm after being so violently released. looking around he went wide-eyed as he saw the near solid blue shield that had been casting a blue light over the small area inside the barrier begin to fade away and become invisible once more as the Disillusionment Charm kicked in, hiding the protective dome.

His sadness temporary forgotten he marvelled at the dome protecting him from the outside world as he gazed around in surprise at the edge of what he knew was the barrier. Even though he couldn't see it with his eyes he could feel it surrounding him. All Wizards and Witches are sensitive to magic but this was something completely different, whereas before he had been able to sense things like Enchantments when he crossed them now he could feel the exact location of the Protective Enchantment and the magic coming off of the Charmed Tent something he hadn't even thought possible before. It was like his sensitivity to magic had been ratcheted up to eleven. He was rather surprised by this discovery not that he was overly upset about it. In fact, in truth he rather liked it.

Now curious he felt for his magic deep within and came upon the shock of his life. His magic had always felt like it rested deep within him, something that took effort to call upon as if he had to drag it out of his body. Now though, it felt like it was resting just beneath his skin, throbbing with energy just waiting to be released.

Not to mention the sheer amount of magic he now had available to him. To put it metaphorically it felt like his magic reservoir had been a small lagoon but now the barrier between it and the sea had been broken and he now had access to all the power of the endless sea. For that was truly how much magic in his core Harry felt he had. His magic core had expanded exponentially in size and he felt like he was swimming in power. He had experienced a similar sensation once before when he'd summoned his first Patronus to save his Godfather from a horde of Dementors. But he had only felt that ocean like power for only a second as he'd cast the Charm and written the sensation off as stress.

Taking a deep shuddering breath Harry smiled to himself, finally after all this time, after all the battles with Voldemort and the war that had felt hopeless even before his friends had abandoned him he finally felt hope burn in his heart. He felt powerful, like never before but more importantly, he felt free. Like some weight that had been on his shoulders all his life weighing him down had been lifted off. He felt right. He felt like this power should have always been his, should have always been accessible to him and now with it back he could finally feel complete once more.

Reaching down Harry grabbed his wand out of the dirt and as he picked it up he felt his magic rush into it as his the Wand reconnected with his core. The Wand literally began to hum and vibrate in his hand as power ran through every vein of the holly wood.

As the bond between Wand and Wizard completed Harry was surrounded in a beautiful golden light that flickered as if it was fire. The golden light travelled across his body as Harry sat there watching the light show dancing across his body in fascination. The golden flickering fire seemed to slowly but surely coverage and coagulate at the end of his Wand. Lifting his wand up in front of him Harry watched in fascination as the golden light left a small trail through the air as he moved his Wand. Struck by a sudden idea Harry flicked his wand in front of him.

He gasped in amazement as the ball of golden light was thrown from the end of his wand only to transform into the shape of a golden Phoenix that banked in the air and began to circle Harry leaving a trail of golden sparks in its wake that shone like tiny specs of gold creating a truly beautiful sight.

As the golden Phoenix finished its fifth circle around Harry it slowly began to disintegrate until it had become golden particles that slowly vanished. Harry sighed as the last mot of golden light hit the ground and faded away. The first time his Wand had bound itself to him back before he'd begun his magical education had produced a far less physical reaction!

He was jolted out his memories of visiting Ollivanders Wand Shop by a ball of fire that burst into existence in front of his kneeling form. Harry hurried to raise his wand to counter whatever threat that was going to appear. His magic boiled under his skin ready and eager to be used as the tip of his wand began to glow with magical energy.

The spell Harry was about to let rip from his Wand died as he took in the being that emerged from the flames. A large crimson and golden bird emerged from the flames, the bird hanging in the air, its wings whipping up the grass as Harry sat there looking at it in surprise and not a little shock.

"Fa-Fawkes?" His throat hoarse and croaky from all the screaming and crying he had been doing. The bird eyed him with his gleaming black eyes, Harry didn't know how but he could tell that those sharp coal like eyes softened as the Fawkes landed on the ground in front of him and walked up to him before nuzzling his face with his head as the Phoenix trilled, its melodic voice calming Harry down as he felt happiness from the bird trying to comfort him.

"Th-Thank you Fawkes." Harry said softly as he reached up to stroke the birds head even as it continued to nuzzle his cheek.

They continued like that for a few minutes, each taking comfort in the presence of the other. Eventually, Fawkes pulled away and stared Harry in the eye, seeing to examine him.

Harry looked at the bird he hadn't seen since Dumbledore's funeral and was confused. "How did you find me, Fawkes?" It wasn't really a surprising question considering the fact that he had only just Apparated here and was under the most powerful set of Protective Enchantments he'd ever seen or heard of cast.

The bird looked at him as if he was slightly dim before taking a long hard look at the Wand in his hand then looked back at him again with a deadpan look.

It took a few seconds for Harry to put it together and he looked down at his wand in surprise as he remembered where the feather in the wand had come from. He gasped. "Do you mean when I rebound my wand the feather in it called out to you?!"

Fawkes got a decidedly smug look on his face as he bobbed his head in confirmation.

"What is it Fawkes? Why are you here?"

The bird eyed him critically as if judging him, Harry got slightly nervous, he would be lying if the stare from Fawkes wasn't unnerving, the only one who had ever been able to engage the Phoenix in a staring contest had been surprisingly, Hedwig.

After a solid minute of unblinkingly staring Harry Fawkes seemed to find something he liked and he closed his eyes and began to sing.

It was a soft, yet strong melody, unlike anything Harry had ever heard before. Fawkes always possessed the power to lift his mood whenever he heard the bird sing but this…

Harry felt like he had been filled to the brim with joy, happiness, hope and every other positive emotion as the most beautiful thing he'd ever heard floated into his ears. He could feel the tears of joy now beginning to fall from his eyes as he basked in the warmth of Fawkes's song. He was distracted as he felt Fawkes' magic reach out to his and try to form a connection.

He gasped. Did that mean Fawkes wanted to become his Familiar? The magic felt warm and inviting like a warm blanket and he couldn't help but revel in the feel of it. Not to mention he got a flash of his oldest companion, the beautiful and proud Hedwig, his former Familiar as Fawkes' magic tried to connect with his and Harry got the odd sense that his oldest friend would have been happy for him for getting a new companion. She had always mothered him, and Harry had once jokingly compared her to a mother hen, he'd never done it again after being chased around the castle by the amused yet highly insulted bird. In the end, he knew that above all else Hedwig only wanted him happy.

It was the flash of his old Familiar that did it for Harry. Reaching out with his own magic Harry merged his own magic with that of the Phoenix's and tried to push his magic towards the Phoenix in the same way Fawkes tried to do to him.

Unknown to Harry this was not how one was supposed to form a Familiar Bond, something he'd never consciously done with Hedwig and he would have been seriously reprimanded by anyone with even an ounce of knowledge on Familiar Bonds but alas there was none to tell him the folly of his actions. The proper way to form a Bond between a Wizard and his companion was to open one's magic and allow the Familiar to form the connection to the Wizard. After all most don't have the sheer amount of power, will and control to send magic back during a bonding but as Harry's magic merged with Fawkes' the immortal, Phoenix began to be changed by Harry's powerful magic.


Arabian Desert

Egypt

African Continent

Phoenixes are ancient creatures, their origins lost to the rivers of time. They are beings of pure magic and represent the same purity of heart and soul that Unicorns do, due to their nature they can be somewhat solitary creatures and yet when they gain a connection with someone they hold it with everything they have for they are extremely loyal creatures. Due to their nature as beings capable of interacting with the soul with their singing, they are empaths and extremely magically sensitive. To meet one is one of the rarest events in the entire Magical World.

The Phoenix that had been known as Fawkes had been lonely since his former Master had passed. Sure he had been vehemently against some of the plans his master had for the young Green-eyed One he'd taken such a shine to but he truly loved his Master. They had been through so much together and in the end, despite some of his methods, the man wanted only the best for the Green-eyed One and the rest of the wand wavers. He was perhaps manipulative and sometimes deceitful but in the end, he was a good man Fawkes was proud to have accompanied through life.

As he soared across the sand dunes of the country the humans referred to as Egypt, a country Fawkes remembered was one of the oldest in human history outside of Atlantis itself. He could still remember some of the magical humans who lived in the country who had tried to befriend him and some who had tried to capture him.

He had lived a long life as a Phoenix and sometimes he could get caught up in his memories of the past.

As he drifted through the sea of memories his thought continued to drift back to the Green-eyed One. Fawkes couldn't quite put his claw down on why he liked that specific human so much. The boy was definitely one of the bravest wand wavers he'd ever met. It was extremely impressive to challenge a King of Serpents, especially one as old and powerful the one under the castle. Not to mention that there was something about the boy's magic and presence that just made the old Phoenix just feel reinvigorated. That was why he had gone to help the boy against the Abomination.

He glided effortlessly around a towering dune with no particular destination in site.

He did this a lot, these days. He rather enjoyed it, it was nice to just fly and not be cooped up in an office though the lack of company sometimes made it a bit lonely.

He almost didn't feel it at the beginning, it was small, a tug on his soul, like a fragment of him in a distant place was calling out to him. But as the seconds passed it got stronger and stronger and he was unable to ignore it.

It wasn't exactly difficult for him to guess what it was that was calling out to him. The only parts of him that he'd ever willingly given away were two feathers to the wandmaker who lived on the island country

The first feather had ended up in the hands of one who would use it for evil. The young human child had already been tainted by darkness before he'd ever picked up the wand that contained his feather. Fawkes had hoped that the boy could be steered back onto a better path but alas it was not to be. The boy revelled in hurting the innocent for no other reason but personal amusement, Fawkes had seen that the moment he'd first been introduced to the boy. It only got worse as the boy went through school the boy only getting cruller and cruller as he matured and found new ways to hurt others. However, throughout all this Fawkes held out the hope that the boy could one day be saved, it was only when the boy turned sixteen did Fawkes realise that the boy had gone past the point of no return and was beyond any sought of redemption.

Fawkes was the only one to sense it, not even his vaunted Master had sensed the difference in the boy but the Immortal Phoenix did. There was something missing from the boy, not something as trivial like a missing piece of clothing or even something wrong with him physically. No, there was something fundamentally missing from his very being. The boy had torn out a piece of his very soul. An act anathema to the very nature of Phoenix's. The boy had defiled his very soul, his very essence going against nature itself using a Ritual so vile and heinous it was considered comparable to Demonology, for it involved the slaughter of a true innocent, a baby. With that act the young boy had begun his road towards becoming the Dark One, it was now an inescapable fate and when the boy left the hallowed halls of the school Fawkes knew that it would be a dark day when that particular Alumni returned.

He was proven correct for not ten years later the boy returned a man grown reeking of malice, his soul split and shattered even greater than before. The man was now an affront to nature itself. Luckily his Master saw the darkness in the man and rejected his application to teach at the school for the wand wavers.

It wasn't long after that he was proven correct when the man declared war against the magicals of the island nation. Cutting a path through them as he slipped his born name and took on a new one. To the magical beings of the country especially the Dark Creatures he was the Dark One. The one who promised them equality and freedom from the Ministry with one hand and oppression and slavery with the other. But all knew that he was without a doubt a monster of the foulest order. Willing to do anything in his pursuit of power and domination. Fawkes felt pure disgust every time he thought of the fact that one of his tail feathers had helped the man slaughter the innocent and assist him in his rise to power.

On the other hand, his second feather had fallen into the hands of a young green-eyed wand waver with a very different heart. Both wielders of his feathers had seen darkness and been tormented before they had bonded with his feathers, one had fallen into the darkness and revelled in his ability to in turn torment his tormentors, the other had risen above the darkness and vowed to be better than those who had tormented him. The Green-eyed One was everything he could have hoped for in a wielder of his feather. Brave, loyal, compassionate, humble and noble to a fault. Yes, the boy held darkness in his heart but he had resisted its allure. The boy's magic sung of hope, happiness and joy. Fawkes had watched the boy in secret and heard the tale of him bravely facing an incantation of the Dark One even when he was but an inexperienced chick in order to save the children of the school. It was this act of bravery that pushed Fawkes to assist him against a King of Serpents. It had shocked the old bird to see the boy even when poisoned and obviously in great pain crawl along the ground in order to free the young female wand waver from the thrall of the shade of the Dark One. It showed resilience and strength of will he rarely ever saw in any human and never one so young.

Oh, Fawkes was aware that the boy wasn't perfect, he had a temper and could at times be impatient and somewhat short-sighted and slightly lazy, yet despite all that, the Green-eyed One was still one of the most genuine individuals Fawkes had ever met. He'd been forced to face the Dark One multiple times and always managed to attain at least a draw against him, a feat not many could hope to replicate. He had a charisma that inspired other to be better than they were, to reach higher than they thought they could and do things they had never thought possible and Fawkes felt privileged to have met the young man.

So Fawkes felt mixed emotion as he tried to focus in on which feather was calling out to him. It took no longer than an instant to focus in on the correct one. He was overjoyed to discover it was the wand of the Green-eyed One and not the Dark One. They were easy to tell apart for the Dark One's feather was tainted by the vile magic that had been channelled through it. He was confused to find that the wand was calling out to him almost like a beacon, a call he couldn't deny nor did he truly want to. It had gotten lonely after his Master's death and he was always glad to see the Green-eyed One.

So with a flap of his wings, Fawkes disappeared in a ball of fire as he zeroed in on the beacon, using it to guide him to the correct location leaving behind a barren desert, empty of all life.

Scotland.

The United Kingdom.

Fawkes reappeared using his signature flame travel only to blink as he took in the green-eyed One in front of him. The boy was stood there staring at him, the tip of his wand glowing and Fawkes could feel the power almost boiling under his skin just waiting to be let out. The boy was far, far more powerful than he was the last time he had seen him back at the funeral of his former Master. In fact, Fawkes reckoned the boy was even more powerful than the Dark One.

But it was not the power that truly startled the Phoenix (for Fawkes had seen many powerful humans in his life.) No, it was the look in his eyes and the feelings that were rolling off the boy in palpable waves that really caused him alarm. The boy was radiating anger, sadness, pain and despair and his eyes were clouded by a sense of betrayal. It felt like he was drowning in the negative emotions that clung to him like a shroud. More than that, the events that caused the pain seemed to be recent, the emotions too raw to be otherwise. In all honesty, he looked broken. Like he'd been battered and beaten and finally given up. All the fighting spirit that had once blazed in him like a small sun had almost been completely snuffed out. It was sad to see him so low despite now being able to call on so much power. Yet despite the near all-consuming despair that clouded his young friend Fawkes still held out hope for the young man for he could see deep within the boy a spark of fire that had been kindled by the discovery power he now wielded.

It was small, barely there and all it would take was a strong wind to snuff it out altogether. Fawkes could not, would not allow that, the Green-eyed One was the only one who could hold back the darkness that was consuming this island. He was a fate touched one, one destined for greatness. More than that though he was Fawkes' friend and as a Phoenix Fawkes was never going to leave him alone. It just wasn't in his nature to do so.

"Fa-Fawkes?" came the question from the Green-eyed One. His voice was hoarse and he could latterly feel the emotions contained within his voice. Fawkes wanted with all his immortal soul to drive back whatever was hurting his friend but all he could do was offer him a little comfort.

So with a beat of his wings, Fawkes lowered himself to the ground and walked forward nuzzling his head to his friend's cheek as he sung to try to calm his friend's emotions. Fawkes was happy yo notice his friend relax as he stroked his feathers.

"Th-Thank you Fawkes." Came the Green-eyed One's hoarse voice and Fawkes could only hope as he sang to the boy that he was helping. As they sat there for a few minutes Fawkes was deep in thought as an idea came to the forefront. The boy was on the precipice, the fire of defiance was flickering in his chest but it could go out at any time. He needed help and Fawkes was ready and willing to give it.

Pulling back he looked into the sparkling green eyes of the boy. The boy looked at him with quizzically and in an almost inaudible voice asked "How did you find me, Fawkes?"

Fawkes looked at the boy before staring at the Wand in the human's hand, the one that contained his feather before looking back at him. Fawkes thought that conclusion was pretty obvious.

Harry seemed to catch on pretty quickly as he looked down at his wand and said. "Do you mean when I rebound my wand the feather in it called out to you?!"

Fawkes was happy, it seemed the young human caught on quickly as he nodded in confirmation. The next question drew the conversation back to the idea Fawkes had settled on. "What is it Fawkes? Why are you here?"

Fawkes became solemn as he looked into the eyes of the Wizard he was going to bond with. Fawkes knew that the young human needed him and he was more than willing to fight and stand along one as great as the Wizard in front of him. He had never actually bonded with someone so young and in such a precarious mental state so this was defiantly going to be interesting. The Phoenix could see the spark of fighting spirit that rested in the boy's heart had gotten stronger in his presence though it was now stained with the darkness that stained his current emotions. Fawkes couldn't really blame him, whatever had shattered the youngling's world had been truly monumental and shaken him to his very core. An event like that left marks. He would never be truly Light, he was too scared for that and would more than likely stand somewhere between the Dark and the Light. Fawkes was fine with that, just because he wouldn't be purely Light didn't mean he couldn't be good and fight for the innocent. Yes, Fawkes was happy with his choice.

Closing his eyes Fawkes sunk into his magic as he began to sing, projecting his aura outwards in preparation to form the bond with his new Master. The singing continued as Fawkes reached deep into his being, pulling out magic form his very soul as he slowly but surely pushed it towards his hopefully new Master's core. Hopping with every fibre of his being that the young wizard let him and accept the bond.

Harry's magic seemed to rear back as if shocked as it sensed the slither of Fawkes' magic coming towards it. The Wizard's magic seemed hesitant, almost afraid and Fawkes was suddenly very worried he would be rejected.

Yet, in a single sudden moment, Harry's magic seemed to calm and become welcoming, for a lack of a better word. Pushing ahead Fawkes let his magic move towards his new Master's core once more only to pause as he felt the young Wizards magic flow outwards towards him! The magic

This wasn't right! This wasn't how one formed the bond! He shivered as he felt the Wizard's magic flood his body and without warning the magic began its work twisting Fawkes to suite his Master's wish.

What divided normal animals from Magical Creatures was the magic that interlaced their entire existence. For most magical creatures their very existence is a biological impossibility and it is only with the assistance of magic can they truly function. A Dragon's wingspan is far too small to lift its body and yet against all the laws of physics it does, horses that can only be seen by the dead should be impossible and yet they are not. It is only through magic do these beings exist and so magic is tied to their forms to a far greater degree than the likes of Wizards and Witches.

This meant that theoretically they could be changed on a permanent basis by a foreign magic entering their body. Most of the time this would result in the death of the creature as the foreign magic tore them apart. The foreign magic unable to interact with the native magic of the creature, the two different magic's would mutually destroy each other, killing the host. There was only one time when a Magical Creature would be receptive to a foreign being's magic and that would be during a Familiar Bonding,

Fawkes felt like every part of his body itched as he let out an indignant squawk of protest. He would be honest with himself, he'd never heard of any other Master push magic back into their familiar during a Bonding and he was somewhat scared of the outcome but mostly he felt extremely uncomfortable as he felt the foreign magic in his body begin to integrate itself and begin to change his physical form.

It began as Fawkes stumbled backwards away from Harry as his razor sharp claws dug into the earth to keep him standing. Stretching his wings out Fawkes shook as the colour of his feathers began to change colour. The transformation began on his tail feathers which turned from a deep red to a bright white colour, the colour change continued up Fawkes' back as red feathers continued to turn white. As the colour change reached the bird's breast the golden coloured feathers turned to a black colour as dark as the night's sky. Next, it moved onto his wings, whose feathers transformed from the red and gold to white. Finally, the transformation reached the Phoenix's head. The hair around its beak and head turned a now familiar white leaving the Phoenix a completely different colour.

The next noticeable difference was the now bright green eyes of the White Phoenix. Whereas before they had looked as black as obsidian the eyes now looked as green as spring grass.

Fawkes looked down at himself in surprise before raising one of his wings to examine it. He instantly came to the conclusion that whatever these changes were, they were now permanent. It was obvious whatever had happened, it wasn't a simple Colour-Changing Charm. Looking up Fawkes saw his Master's surprised face staring at him. Squawking angrily he made sure that his new Master knew he did not appreciate his new changes.

Harry sat there looking at the now white Phoenix in shock, he hadn't expected Fawkes to change colour! Why did the weird shit always happen to him! He'd never even heard of a Phoenix that wasn't red and gold, Merlin Dammit! As Fawkes looked up at him Harry's breath hitched in his throat, a pair of luminescent green eyes were staring back at him, looking decidedly unhappy with him.

Fawkes stretched out his wings and looked at Harry before squawking angrily and Harry was shocked to feel foreign emotions of anger, annoyance and indignation slam into his brain. It didn't take him long to realise that the Bond had completed. Happiness filled him as he realised that at least he wasn't going to be completely alone like he thought he was going to be after Ro-…Weasley and Granger had abandoned him although a twinge of sadness ran through him at Fawkes' reaction it seemed like the Phoenix wasn't happy to be Bonded to him.

Almost as soon as that thought passed through his mind Fawkes began to calm down. The negative emotions quietened down as the bird stopped squawking and just looked at him before trilling quietly and Harry felt a blanket of comforting emotions wash over him through the Bond causing Harry to smile at his new companion.

"Thank you Fawk-"Harry stopped as he felt a wave of dissatisfaction wash over him through the Bond as he said the bird's name. Blinking in surprise he looked down at his companion who looked distinctly like he was frowning.

"What's wrong Faw-"There it was again, the spike of dislike and irritation as he said the bird's name. Tilting his head to the side Harry wondered what was wrong. It took him a few moments before he finally landed on why he didn't want to be referred to as Fawkes.

Looking down he asked tentatively. "Do you not want to be called Fawkes anymore?"

He got a feeling of confirmation through the Bond as the bird trilled happily in response.

Moving on Harry asked. "Do you want me to give you a new name?"

The Phoenix formally known as Fawkes trilled happily once more as he bobbed his head up and down in confirmation.

Harry chewed on his bottom lip as he closed his eyes in thought. He had no idea what name to give the now white Phoenix. He didn't want to give him a name he didn't like and he wasn't exactly very good at coming up with names. He'd named his Owl Hedwig after all.

It came to him in an instant of inspiration. "Wurren. That will be your name. It comes from the Zeta Phoenicis star system of the Phoenix Constellation. I would have picked Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, but alas that's already taken" Harry shrugged, who knew Astronomy would ever be useful.

The Phoenix formerly named Fawkes seemed to consider it for a moment before trilling as the newly named Wurren bobbed his head in happiness at his new name.

Harry smiled at the sight before yawning, it had been a long day after all, what with Ro- Weasely and Granger leaving.

He felt a familiar wave of comforting emotion as the overwhelming sadness and rage returned with a vengeance. Taking a deep breath he reigned his emotions back in before looking at his companion and giving him a small smile of thanks before he stumbled to his feet. His legs having gone to sleep at some point after having been kneeling for so long.

Turning around he walked back into the tent, he sighed quietly and shut his eyes as tears threatened to return as he looked at Granger and Weasley's beds. He looked back as he saw Wurren fly in through the entrance and fly up to the top of the tent landing on one of the poles keeping the tent up. Harry just smiled at the bird before he turned around and walked over to his bunk. Stripping out of his soaked clothing he put on a pair of loose pyjama trousers not even bothering with a shirt as he slipped under the covers of his bed.

The emotions of the day and the extreme change in his magic had tired him out and so it was with little surprise that he was out like a light as soon as head hit the pillow.

The Wizarding World and the Dark Lord would soon learn that it would be a very different Harry Potter that would awake the next morning. One having faced the heart-wrenching feeling of utter betrayal and been forged anew with greater power than ever before. For the Dark Lords Equal was now unshackled and the Lion within the young battle hardened Gryffindor roared for blood.