Harry Potter and the Black Phoenix

Disclaimer: The Usual. Not mine, JKR owns all. Wish I did. (Oh the possibilities!!!!) *Grins*

Greetings to all Harry Potter Fanfiction.net aficionados, This is my first fix so go easy on me if I screw any thing up. Hope you enjoy. Please review.

Prologue: The Mysterious Phoenix

Outside of a little house in Little Whinning, Surrey a young man was set to work weeding a now completely overgrown garden. It had been almost nine months since it had been weeded. Which only went to further the enraged state of the boy pulling the weeds. He had only gotten half done after being out in the hot summer sun for almost four hours pulling weeds. He wasn't mad at the fact that he had to pull the weeds or even at the sheer number of weeds present. No, he was furious because even after the Order had explicitly explained what had taken place not but a few weeks ago, had the Dursley's decided that Harry need to be doing more chores then usual. And not even normal chores. He had been set to work doing things like repainting the red brick of the small house twice since he had gotten home. They had even set him to getting rid of all the leaves in the yard without so much as a rake.

But one thing seemed odd about today to 'the boy', as Vernon so affectionately called Harry every time he was within hearing distance. The first odd thing that had happened today was that before Harry went downstairs Dudley had stopped by his bedroom and asked if he wanted with the chores that Aunt Petunia was going to assign today. Harry at first puzzled by the behavior of the now thinning blimp that was in front of him. Dudley had finally added exercise to his diet while at school and had managed to loose about fifty pounds while he was away from his parents. Harry just smiled a little bit and said, "No thanks Dudley, I can handle it."

Now he was thinking that he should have said yes to his cousin's question. After all, all he was trying to do was help. Little did Harry know that when he heard the story of Voldemort trying to kill Harry and that one of his servants had managed to kill Harry's god father, Dudley, of all of the people in the world decided that he would try and befriend Harry by the end of the summer if it was the last thing he did. He didn't intend on becoming a close confidant of Harry's just yet. He knew that was impossible. But he wanted to be his friend just the same.

Today was the 30th, Harry thought to him self, and in just under a few hours it will be my birthday again. This made Harry a little happier as he continued to pluck weed after weed form the dry, unforgiving earth. He had so many blisters and cuts on his hands that they looked like someone had just pulled it from a mincing machine or something. Unbeknownst to Harry, Dudley was currently in his room rummaging through all the things he had for something he would give to Harry the next day. After all, it was his birthday tomorrow. Dudley had just received a load of presents for his birthday two weeks ago.

"Yes! I found it. This will work perfect for the gift." Dudley said to no one in particular. "Now all I have to do is come up with a good card to give him. Now what should I say."

Dudley sat there for hours trying to come up with the right words to put in a card for Harry's birthday. Dinner came and went and Dudley still hadn't come up with any thing he deemed worthy of what his cousin had gone through over the summer. What with all the chores and stuff his parents had given Harry.

Finally at about a quarter to midnight he came up with this:

Harry,

I really don't know what to say. After all the nasty things that mum and dad have put you thought this summer. I want to try. So here it goes. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for every thing I have ever put you through. I'm sorry for every punch you had to take because of my friends and me. I hope you can forgive me. After all I am your only cousin. I am also sorry for the loss of your godfather because of that Moldymort guy. Any way I also want to say this.

Happy birthday!!!!

Asking your forgiveness,

Your cousin Dudley

After finishing that he quickly went to sleep. Resolving to give Harry the card and gift to Harry in the morning before breakfast.

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Just as the sun started to creep into the window of his room Dudley woke up

feeling completely refreshed after a good nights sleep. As he awoke he remembered the gift and card for Harry that he had. He needed to give them to him before breakfast so Vernon wouldn't see.

He slowly crept out of his bedroom and down the hall to unlock the locks on the outside of the littlest bedroom in the house. When he finished unlocking all the locks and was standing in the doorway looking at his cousin Harry thrashing about in his bed he realized just what all those noises were in the night. They were Harry's screams and moans because of what looked like horrible nightmares.

Dudley slowly crept over to the bedside and awoke Harry.

"AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!," Harry screamed making Dudley jump, " Huh...oh... what do you want Dudley?"

"Err. Well... you see," Dudley stammered.

"Out with it all ready man, its not like I'm gonna curse you or anything."

"Well, ijustwantedtosayhappybirthday."

"What?" Harry asked.

"I wanted to say happy birthday," Dudley said while handing Harry the gift and card.

"Erm... Thanks," was all that he could manage while accepting the gift and opening the card to read it.

"Do you really mean it?" he asked after finishing the card.

Dudley was about to respond when a flock of owls flew in the open window along with a large black phoenix flew in and landed on the end of the bed. It was about a meter tall and had a large silver lightning bold shaped pattern in the feathers of its chest.

Both boys stared for what seemed like forever. After a few minutes of staring the large bird have an angry thrill and thrust out its leg to Harry.

Finally coming out of his daze, Harry took the letter and opened it after carefully examine the seal.

It was in the shape of a lightning bolt with letters MG raised in an interlocking manner over the silver bolt.

He carefully opened the letter. Out fell a small note and large silver coin. After examining the coin further Harry found that there were two identical black lighting bolts on either face of the coin. He then began to read the letter.

All it said was this:

You are the one, and it is time to come home.

Merlin Gryffindor

Little did either boy know that the coin that Harry was holding was a port key that would activate as soon as the letter was read.

The next instant Harry, the mysterious phoenix and all of Harry's belongings, including those presents and letters that had just arrived from his friends, vanished in a blinding silver light that knocked Dudley unconscious only to be awoken later bye the sour yet worried face of Professor Snape saying, "Where's Potter?"

Well what do think? Is it worth a second chapter? PLEASE REVIEW!!!!????

Once I get one good review I will start working on the next chapter and try to have it posted with in a week.

GOLDENSERPEN666