A/N:
Written for Round 4 of QLFC
Team: Montrose Magpies
Position: Beater 2
Prompts: (Word) Soul, (Dialogue) "I'll survive. I always do."
Creature: Phoenix
Word Count: 1060
Final Burning Day
Albus Dumbledore was dead.
From the Headmaster's Office, Fawkes could hear the cries of despair, coming from students and staff alike. He took flight from his perch, and soared out of the window, letting out his pain in the only way he knew how – song.
He flew across the grounds of Hogwarts, singing his lament, and thought back to the time when he had discovered his oldest friend was fast approaching death's door.
Fawkes nibbled softly on his feather, as he groomed himself, when he heard the telltale signs of his owner and friend's return from his journey. It had not escaped his notice that Albus had been gone for a longer period of time than usual.
He lifted his head from beneath his feathers and glanced in the direction of the door. He watched as it slowly creaked open, and a rather dishevelled version of his friend entered.
Fawkes' eyes ran up and down the length of his friend's body, as he checked to ensure that he was unharmed, and when his eyes fell on the hand that was pushing the office door closed, his heart sank.
The tips of his fingers were as black as coal, and whatever had caused his friends injury was slowly spreading through the rest of his hand. Fawkes knew that without assistance his friend would surely become gravely ill.
He ruffled his feathers slightly, as his friend meandered over towards his desk. Fawkes closed his eyes slowly and felt them brim with tears.
A gentle hand touched his back and began to stroke him absentmindedly as he gathered the only means he knew of to cure his dearest friend.
"Don't worry, Fawkes," he whispered quietly. "I'll survive. I always do."
The phoenix lifted his head and glanced up at Albus inquisitively.
Why was he refusing his tears?
Why was he going to allow himself to needlessly suffer?
"There's no need to look at me like that, Fawkes," Albus said to him softly, removing his hand and scribbling a quick letter. "This is nothing to worry about. I'll be right as rain in no time, you'll see."
Fawkes didn't believe him for one moment. He had known Albus for far too many years to miss the subtle tells of a lie from the man he considered to be a master at keeping secrets.
To the untrained ear, Albus' voice would have sounded exactly the same as it usually did, but Fawkes had noticed the minute rise in pitch. He was quite sure that Albus was trying harder to convince himself of this fact than he was Fawkes. It also hadn't escaped Fawkes' notice that the usual twinkle in his friend's eyes was missing.
The phoenix felt Albus' gentle touch as he placed an envelope in his beak.
"Deliver this to Kingsley," he requested in a gentle voice. "It is imperative he receive it as soon as possible."
Fawkes fluttered his wings and took flight out of the open window in the Headmaster's Office.
During his flight to the Ministry, Fawkes began to wonder how long his dear friend had left, and what impact his approaching demise would have on all those who held him in high esteem. Albus Dumbledore was one of the driving forces behind the resistance against Voldemort; what would happen to it once he was gone?
xxxx
The journey to and from the Ministry was quick, and Fawkes soon found himself soaring across the Great Lake and towards the Headmaster's Office.
As the phoenix got closer to the window, he noticed that his friend had the company of Severus Snape, and he appeared to be locked in an intense conversation with him.
Fawkes knew that it was wrong, but his desire to know more about his friend's predicament got the better of him. He had to know what was wrong with Albus, and if there was any chance of saving him; he had needlessly lost too many companions in his long life, and to lose another as dear as the Headmaster would be devastating.
He observed from a distance, as Severus held Albus' hand and his wand in the other. His lips moved quickly, as he muttered barely audible spells and charms that were unfamiliar to Fawkes.
After several minutes of watching, the Head of Slytherin house released the Headmaster's hand. Fawkes noticed that he had resignation written all across his features.
"Why, why did you put on that ring?" Severus sighed heavily. "It carries a curse; surely you realised that. Why even touch it?"
Cursed! His friend was cursed.
"I... was a fool. Sorely tempted..." he heard his friend respond in a painful voice.
In all the time that Fawkes had known Albus, he had never heard him describe himself as a fool.
"Headmaster, have you consider phoenix tears?" Severus asked. "I'm sure that Fawkes would be more than willing to aid you."
Fawkes nodded his head in agreement with the Slytherin and was glad to hear him talking sense to his friend.
"Severus, I never had you pegged as an optimist," he heard Albus chuckle. "You know as well as I that phoenix tears will not work."
When silence fell between the pair, Fawkes flew through the Headmaster's window, and dropped the response from Kingsley on the desk, before settling on his perch.
He couldn't believe that there was no hope for Albus, and that one day soon he would be faced with having to lose his friend.
Fawkes allowed his song to come to an end, as he arrived at the spot where he had first encountered the gentle and kind man he had come to call his dearest friend.
He settled on a rock, and his feathers began to burn. The phoenix took in the beautiful surroundings of the tranquil place one last time, and allowed himself to accept the finality of everything.
Today would be his final burning day; something that a phoenix only experienced when he or she lost a human or creature with whom they shared a close bond. It seemed only fitting to him that this would happen on the day that the world lost Albus Dumbledore.
He burned brightly for several minutes, and soon only ashes remained where he had stood.
A light breeze blew, and his ashes began to scatter into the wind, whilst his soul departed to join his friend again.
A/N:
Let me know your thoughts in a review
All feedback is appreciated
xoxo