A/N- This chapter's gonna be a little longer...
Chapter 10- Griffin Clearing
The trees passed by Harry in a blur as he ran with blinding speed through the Forbidden Forest. Small animals avoided the massive predator as he charged through trees, overcome with a desperate instinct to follow the Voice. Harry could hear a pack of Acromantulas attempting to waylay him, but he was too fast and agile for the overgrown spiders to catch.
"This way..." said the Voice from a little to his left as the wind changed in the same direction. Harry instantly veered off his current trail and continued onward, the wind pushing forward. Harry didn't know how long he ran, but he felt it was only for about twenty minutes. Already he was feeling fatigued, the tiger was not an endurance runner. To remedy that he shifted from tiger to direwolf without missing a beat, and instantly felt his endurance rejuvenate. So he pressed forward, fiercely determined to reach his destination, wherever that was.
oOoOoOo
Ginny sprinted up to the castle and through the Great Hall, where the entire student body was enjoying the Halloween festivities. She ignored the questions coming from her friends and marched right up to the teacher's table and stood directly in front of Professor Dumbledore. The old wizard looked up at the red-faced Weasley girl and smiled.
"Ah, Miss Weasley. What a pleasant surprise," said Dumbledore warmly. "I trust you are enjoying the festivities?"
"Harry's in trouble," said Ginny, cutting straight to the point. Immediately Dumbledore's warm demeanor changed to a serious expression.
"What happened," he asked, or more accurately, demanded. Ginny forced herself to stop the tears from pouring down and tried to calm herself before continuing.
"I was walking back from Quidditch practice with him, we were the only two left and we were talking when he just collapsed to the ground and started shaking. He kept looking towards the Forbidden Forest and I tried to pull him up to take him to the hospital wing but he pushed me off him and ran into the forest. He shifted just before he got there and that's when I ran up here."
Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a moment before signaling his Heads of House. He then stood up and gestured them to follow him. "You'd best join us Miss Weasley, along with your brother and Miss Granger," Dumbledore added.
Ginny nodded in affirmation and headed over to where Ron and Hermione were sitting, and to her disgust were feeding each other over the table with sappy grins on their faces. Resisting the urge to vomit, she grabbed Ron by the collar and pulled him up, earning a disgruntled "Hey!" in the process and motioned for Hermione to follow as well.
The three teenagers followed the teachers up to the headmaster's office and were invited to sit while the teachers stayed standing.
"What is going on Albus?" asked Professor McGonagall.
"Mr. Potter has vanished into the Forbidden Forest," said Dumbledore gravely. His answer was met by gasps and murmurings amongst the teachers and Ron and Hermione, though Ginny remained silent.
"How can you be sure?" demanded Professor Sprout.
"Miss Weasley was with him at the time of his disappearance," said Dumbledore. He indicated for Ginny to repeat what she had told him at the feast.
Standing up nervously, she began her tale again. "We had just finished Quidditch practice and Harry and I were the last ones leaving, just like every other day after Quidditch," she said, not noticing the smirks on Ron and Hermione's faces. "We were almost up to the castle when he just collapsed to the ground and started shaking. I tried to bring him back to the hospital wing but he bolted towards the Forbidden Forest and shifted into a tiger just before he disappeared. I ran as fast as I could to warn Professor Dumbledore after that."
There was a brief moment of silence before the teachers started murmuring amongst themselves.
"We should set up a search party," said Professor Flitwick.
"We can't let the other students know that Harry has disappeared, it will cause panic," added Professor Sprout.
"Some of us will have to stay here, make sure everything remains in order," piped up Professor Slughorn, who Ginny hadn't realised until then was the new Slytherin Head of House since Snape's sabbatical.
"Indeed," said Dumbledore. "Filius, I would ask that you prepare a search party. Have volunteers from the staff and some of the more trustworthy prefects join us." Professor Flitwick nodded his assent and quickly left the office. Dumbledore then turned to Professor McGonagall. "Minerva, contact the Order. Have them bring as many as are available for the search." Professor McGonagall immediately went to the fireplace and stepped inside with some Floo powder, shouting "The Burrow!" as she vanished in the green flames.
The three teenagers sat in awkward silence as the other teachers discussed plans to find their friend. Finally Dumbledore looked at them when the talking died down. "Thank you for informing us, Miss Weasley. And to Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger, we thought it best that you were the first to know. You may return to the feast now," he said.
His suggestion was met with immediate resistance.
"You can't expect us to simply sit by and wait for you to find Harry!" yelled Ron.
"He's our friend!" screamed Ginny.
Hermione, ever the more reasonable one, said, "Besides, Ron and I are prefects, and you said you needed us to help. Plus Ginny is the only one who knows exactly where he ran, it would help give you and idea as to where he might be going."
Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling in full force. "You have yet again displayed unwavering loyalty for Harry. Very well, you three will join us."
Dumbledore stood and led the remaining teachers and teenagers outside of the school and met up with Professors Flitwick, Vector, Sinistra, Tonks and Hagrid, along with some of the school prefects. Moony, Kingsley, Mr. Weasley, Bill, Fleur and Professor McGonagall soon joined them.
"Now, our priority is to find Harry and bring him to safety," said Dumbledore to the assembled group. "If you locate him, send up green sparks. If you are in need of assistance, red sparks. If you find Harry and need assistance, blue sparks. Am I understood?" Once everybody murmured their agreement or nodded their heads, Dumbledore turned to Ginny. "Now Miss Weasley, where did Harry run to?"
Ginny led them over near the Quidditch pitch and pointed to the trees nearby. "Through there," she said.
"Very well. Everybody, spread out," send Dumbledore, drawing his wand and leading everyone into the forest. Ginny paused just before the trees.
Please, let him be safe, prayed Ginny. She summoned her Gryffindor courage, and stepped into the haunting forest.
oOoOoOo
The black wolf panted heavily as his tired legs continued running. Sticks and leaves tangled in his thick fur and limbs whipped past his body, but he largely ignored them. Harry could feel that he was close to his destination. Not to far now, he thought. Almost there...
His eyes were assaulted by a blinding light and he ran around a tree. This was no place Harry had ever been before, and he had been into the Forbidden Forest a numerous occasions over the years. Harry figured that no light could penetrate the thick canopy of the forest, especially seeing as the sun should have completely set by now.
He slowed to a walk and shifted into his leopard form, crouching low and moving slowly through the thick undergrowth. He was confident that he was well camouflaged in the bushes and darkness, though knowing his luck, Harry might just run into some monster that could see in the dark. He moved carefully, his padded feet absorbing the cracking of any twigs he might be stepping on, making him an almost completely silent hunter.
The leopard had to squint his eyes as he got closer to the light, and he heard a faint trill that calmed his nerves. Phoenix song, thought Harry. He moved his ears on the top of his head like radar dishes, scanning for potential dangers before slinking out of the bushes. He remained in a tense position, prepared to either bolt for it or fight if he had to.
Crawling closer to the light, the phoenix song grew louder and louder until Harry thought it was right above his head, and sure enough when he looked up, there was a scarlet-winged phoenix with a golden-feathered chest perched on a branch directly above his head looking at him. Harry instantly knew it wasn't Fawkes as it was slightly smaller and had more gold feathers than what Fawkes possessed, and its eyes were an icy blue, unlike Fawkes's beady black ones. It ceased its song and gave a small chirp before it took flight, heading for the light.
Not knowing what else to do, Harry followed the firebird cautiously. Though Harry knew that phoenixes were creatures of light and would never intentionally lead him into a trap, he remained on guard.
His caution proved fruitful when he heard several feet pattering towards him and his hackles rose in tension. From behind a large bush emerged four large wolves of pure white fur and glowing sapphire eyes. Though not as large as Harry's direwolf form, they were clearly not normal wolves. Harry growled in both fear and anger as the large canines approached him, but they largely ignored him as they circled him and sniffed curiously.
They seemed satisfied with their discovery of the spotted cat because they flanked him, two on each side. Harry stood upright, confused as to what was going on until one of the wolves nudged him in the hindquarters with its nose, urging him on. Harry followed the wolf's request and again walked in the direction of the light.
A minute later Harry stumbled in shock. Before him was an enormous arch of white marble with vines weaving its way around it. Carvings of lions, dragons, phoenixes and griffins marked the marble surface, all carved in intricate detail. Harry was extremely curious as to what lay behind the grand arch and was not disappointed.
A green field stretched as far as the eye could see. trees of various species and large rocks and boulders lay here and there across the field, and in the centre of the field was a waterhole filled with the clearest water Harry had ever seen. The black trees of the Forbidden Forest made an imposing perimeter around the huge clearing, and though Harry knew it was dark, an unknown source of light bathed the clearing in warmth and colour.
Even more amazing were the animals and magical creatures that flittered and grazed about the clearing. A pride of griffins lazed about on a crop of boulders close to the waterhole, while a small group of wolf puppies played together nearby, with their parents and some of the griffins watching them protectively. Harry was surprised to see that Talongwing, the griffin Hagrid had used for Harry's class of Care of Magical Creatures was among them. On the far side of the clearing grazed a small herd of gigantic Erumpets, their magical horns pulsing with orange light. Naiads splashed and washed their hair in the waterhole, singing softly to each other. The strangest thing that Harry could see there was a humongous, dull green-scaled Tyrannosaurus Rex sleeping peacefully under the shade of an oak tree, its fearsome teeth jutting out over its lower jaw. Even from here Harry could see that its thick leathery skin was marked with numerous scars. If Harry could gasp in his leopard form, he would have. Instead, he let out a strange sound that sounded like a cross between a sneeze and a meow.
One of the wolves let out a low howl which instantly drew the attention of all the creatures in the clearing, minus the Erumpets, which were too busy eating to either notice or care. The T. rex seemed to not care either, though it did wake up and look at the strange group entering the clearing. The wolves nudged Harry again towards the waterhole, where Harry finally noticed a large rock jutting from the ground that seemed to act like some sort of stand. Harry saw that many of the creatures had gathered around the waterhole, and felt the eyes of just about every creature trained on him, and Harry felt frightened that making the wrong move might anger them.
The phoenix that Harry saw earlier flew over him once more and landed on the rock where it regarded all below it with care in its eyes. The many creatures all looked up to the phoenix, as though waiting for something. Harry had the distinct impression that they were waiting for somebody else to show up to this 'gathering' of sorts, though Harry couldn't see anyone else. Suddenly Harry heard the roar that sounded like the cracking of thunder that shook the very ground and caused the wind to pick up in intensity.
When Harry looked back up to the rock, he was startled to see a lion standing next to the phoenix. It was bigger than any lion had seen before, easily the size of a full grown griffin, if not larger. His long mane and fur was pure gold in the light, and his dark brown eyes sparked with human intelligence. Harry noticed all the other animals bowed before the great lion in respect, and Harry thought it polite if he do the same.
Harry was surprised to hear a deep rumbling that sounded an awful lot like laughing, and looked up to see the lion smiling. Wait, SMILING?! Harry shifted back to his human form, startling some of the creatures closest to him, including a group of very peeved bowtruckles. Harry looked at the lion cautiously.
"Welcome, Harry Potter. We have been expecting you," said the lion in a deep baritone voice.
Harry fainted.
oOoOoOo
Ginny was the first to spot the green sparks that shot up not far from where she, Dad and Tonks were. They quickly ran as fast as they could to find Remus kneeling over something. There was no sign of Harry.
"Did you find him?" asked Dad. Remus shook his head.
"No, but I found his tracks," he replied distractedly. "Ginny, come here."
Ginny did as she was asked and kneeled down next to the werewolf. "Do you recognise what animal tracks these are?" he asked. Ginny furrowed her eyebrows as she looked down at the tracks. Without a doubt, the massive paw prints belonged to Harry's tiger form. Remus then pointed a few metres ahead and Ginny moved up. This time, the prints were smaller and looked distinctly canine.
"He shifted to his direwolf form?" she asked.
Remus nodded his head. "I believe so. Wolves are excellent endurance runners so wherever Harry was going it must have been quite a ways away," he said.
"What about these tracks?" asked Tonks, pointing to numerous prints that had no toes or claws.
"Acromantulas," replied Remus. "They must have been trying to catch Harry. But judging on how much more dirt Harry's feet seemed to have kicked up compared to the spiders, Harry was much faster than them and it looks like he got away easily enough."
Ginny let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She stood back up, brushed the dirt off her knees and looked at Dad. "Should we follow the tracks?" she asked. Dad nodded his head.
"That would be the best option," he replied. "But first, let me send out a Patronus to Albus, let him know we've found Harry's trail." With a flick of his wand a silver Weasel popped out and scurried away from their view. All of a sudden they saw red sparks shoot up into the sky to the east.
"That's where Ron and Hermione are!" cried Ginny.
"Arthur, you and Tonks go and help," ordered Remus. "Ginny and I will keep on Harry's trail."
"But-"
"No buts! We don't have time to argue. They need help and if we all go together we'll lose the trail! Now go!"
Dad gave Ginny one last glance before he and Tonks ran away towards the direction the sparks came from. Ginny shivered, worried for her brother and dad, along with the others who may be in trouble, including Harry.
She was broken from her reverie by Remus clearing his throat. "Come on, we have to keep moving," he said.
Ginny nodded her head and followed her friend.
oOoOoOo
Harry's skin tingled as a light air brushed past his face, tickling his nose slightly. He moaned grumpily as memories of his weird dream floated past his mind. A magical clearing in the Forbidden Forest, a T. rex sleeping under a tree, a talking lion...
Shaking his his head Harry opened his eyes...
And came face to face with said talking lion.
So it wasn't a dream. Harry Potter, the boy who had faced Voldemort five times already in his short life, killed a Basilisk, fought off over a hundred Dementors at once at the age of thirteen, battled and defeated multiple Death Eaters at once, had fainted at the sight of a talking lion.
"Are you all right?" asked the lion in that deep baritone voice that belied a wisdom that could possibly surpass even Dumbledore. Harry sat up groggily, his eyes never leaving the lion.
"F-Fine," stuttered Harry nervously. Harry took in his surroundings. He appeared to be in some kind of grotto, with an opening through the roof that allowed light to seep into the cave. Harry saw that there were stone shelves with various jewels and priceless trinkets scattered about on top. Gold coins littered the grotto's floor like a blanket. The phoenix that had guided Harry to the clearing was perched on a rocky outcrop, preening its feathers.
The lion tilted its head to the side, drawing Harry's attention. The lion's brown eyes sparkled much in the same manner as Dumbledore's though there was an element of sadness behind it.
"I'm not going to hurt you," said the lion, breaking the silence.
"I think I got that," answered Harry. The lion's brows furrowed, asking a silent question.
"Your eyes, they sparkle like Dumbledore's, he's the headmaster at Hogwarts," said Harry, answering the lion's question. The lion let out a low chuckle that had an underlying growl to it.
"Yes, I know who Dumbledore is and I'm quite familiar with that twinkle in his eyes," said the lion heartily.
"Dumbledore knows about you?"
The lion shook his head, his golden mane shaking side to side dramatically from the movement. "No he does not. But I have ways of knowing about the outside world, and am aware of the threat Voldemort poses to the world. I also know of the Prophecy that haunts your dreams at night and the burden it places on your shoulders."
Harry's eyes widened in realization. "You're the one who brought me here! You were the voice in the wind!" he exclaimed.
The lion nodded his massive head. "Indeed. I felt that it was time to take a more proactive role in your life and to further advance your training in ways that no other could teach you," said the lion.
"You're going to teach me? How? You're just a big, talking lion!" said Harry disbelievingly.
To his surprise, the lion only laughed. "Disbelief of the impossible must run in my family," he mocked.
"Your family?" asked Harry. The lion's look changed to a more solemn expression.
"Our family," corrected the lion.
"Our..." Harry paused, the answer dawning on his face. But, that's impossible! He's an animal! He can't be alive, that was over a thousand years ago!
"Yes Harry. Now say hello to your many Greats Grandfather," said the lion gravely.
Harry's mouth dropped open. "Godric Gryffindor?"
The lion nodded again. "I am known as Abraxeau nowadays."
"But, but you're supposed to be dead!" shouted Harry.
"I live as long as the Line of Salazar Slytherin remains on this earth," said Abraxeau.
Harry sat down on a boulder, not saying anything for several minutes. His mind whirled with so many questions. How was he still alive? Why was he in his lion form? What was this cave and the clearing, hidden in the Forbidden Forest?
"How?" Harry finally said. Abraxeau sat on his haunches and sighed, a low rumbling sound.
"As many know, a thousand years ago I came into a major disagreement with Salazar Slytherin concerning which magical children could attend Hogwarts. He believed only the worthy 'Pure-blooded' magical families should be the only ones who should be allowed in the castle, while Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and myself were of the opinion that any child possessing magical ability should be granted access to the school and to learn to control their power to the best of their abilities. The fighting became so great that I was forced to exile my closest friend from Hogwarts forever, but not before he swore to destroy all Muggle-borns and establish the Pure-Blooded as the true rulers of the wizarding world.
"Unfortunately I took not his oath to heart, which cost me dearly. Many years after his exile, Slytherin returned and in act of pure evil, slaughtered my wife and my two oldest sons and daughter and their families and burned the Gryffindor Family home to the ground. Fortunately my youngest son and myself were at Hogwarts at the time, my youngest having just begun his fourth year.
"After receiving news of the massacre of my family I learned that Salazar was coming for my son to end my line, though he did not know who he was at the time. So, in a last attempt to save my family, I urged my last son to change his last name and to keep his shape shifting powers a secret. After my son completed his education, he fled the country to Godric's Hollow and changed his name to Potter while I prepared to face off against my former friend."
The lion's eyes shone with unshed tears as he continued. "The ensuing battle lasted for almost a week before I finally managed to strike down Salazar, but I myself felt close to death. However, as he drew his last breath, Salazar taunted me, claiming that the oath he took would continue with his line until it ended.
"With a renewed purpose, I performed a powerful ritual on myself that tied my existence to my own oath, and I will continue to live until Salazar Slytherin's line is destroyed."
Abraxeau sat still after his tale, not uttering another word. The only sign that he wasn't a statue was the slow swishing of his tail.
Harry was stunned by Abraxeau's words. This lion-turned-man was forced to live until Slytherin's line was ended. And the only one left was Voldemort.
"Why are you in your beast form?" asked Harry finally.
"A side effect of the ritual I performed," said Abraxeau. "I am trapped in my beast form forever, but I have become accustomed to this form to the point where I do not remember what my other forms were like."
"But how can you teach me? You can't do magic in your form," said Harry.
The lion bared his massive teeth in what Harry assumed was a smile. "That is where you are wrong my boy. Through many years of study and meditation, I am able to perform magic at the standard I used to have as a human." Abraxeau demonstrated by breathing on a golden chalice. the air coming from his mouth shimmered as he exhaled, and the chalice transformed into an exotic parrot with scarlet feathers and a white beak. "And obviously I can talk," he added.
"Whoa," whispered Harry. He looked back at the giant lion. "Can you teach me how to do that?" he asked.
Abraxeau gave another deep chuckle. "All in due time Harry. I need to show you around Griffin Clearing first," he said mirthfully. Abraxeau exited the grotto, having to duck to avoid hitting his head. He motioned for Harry to follow, which he excitedly did, eager to learn more about his oldest ancestor and what he would be teaching him.
The phoenix followed and landed on Harry's shoulder, giving off a happy chirp. Abraxeau eyed the pair interestedly.
"Elenara seems to have taken a liking to you," he commented amusedly, lumbering through the tall grass gracefully.
"What?" asked Harry.
"Elenara has decided that you will be her companion."
Harry's eyes widened for the umpteenth time that day. Seeing Harry's expression Abraxeau laughed again.
"I hope Hedwig will not mind," he said between laughs.
"B-But," stammered Harry.
"What is the problem? You should feel honoured, it is not every day a phoenix chooses a human to be its familiar," said Abraxeau. The phoenix in question trilled in agreement.
Harry looked at the firebird, and it stared back at him, it's ice blue eyes seeming to almost dare him to keep arguing. Conceding the point, Harry stroked Elenara's chest feathers affectionately, something he knew that Hedwig and Fawkes both enjoyed. The phoenix trilled in pleasure as Harry scratched the side of her neck, her feathers ruffling over her body as Harry continued to follow Abraxeau.
"What is this place?" asked Harry.
"This, is Griffin Clearing," said Abraxeau. " A safe haven for magical creatures of the Light. I created this place when I first went into exile for a place cut off from the outside world, where I could train my descendants without outside influence."
"What creatures live here?"
"Mostly griffins, erumpets and naiads. We also have a pack of Moon Wolves, who escorted you here. The adults are the offspring of two werewolves who mated during the full moon. We also have some animals that were originally thought to be extinct like that Tyrannosaurus. We also have a pride of sabre-tooth cats." Abraxeau then leaned closer to Harry. "My personal favourite here is the Thunderbird, but he's not here today."
Harry only nodded and followed Abraxeau towards the T. rex, which was drinking heavily from the waterhole. It looked up and stared at the two newcomers with large amber eyes. It nudged Abraxeau with its enormous head then walked away, each of its steps shaking the ground and causing ripples in the waterhole.
"Does anybody else know about this place?" asked Harry.
"No. The perimeter of the haven is surrounded by a powerful Distracter Charm, so anybody who gets too close that shouldn't be here feel compelled to go somewhere else. Only my heirs and creatures of Light are unaffected by the Charm," explained Abraxeau.
Harry nodded his understanding. "What will I learn here?"
"An excellent question," said Abraxeau. "Here, you will learn to use magic in your beast form, though it will only work in your tiger form. You will learn how to wield a sword, advanced Defensive magic and Transfiguration and Charms.
"You will learn to command all kinds of beasts, magical and non-magical. You will also learn to speak in your beast form as I have. In short, I will show you the power to defeat Tom Riddle and end the line of Slytherin."
"But Dumbledore said that love is the power that Voldemort knows not," said Harry.
"Love plays a major part in the fulfillment of the Prophecy, as you will need your friends and family to overcome Voldemort. However it will not do much to help in you the way of an actual duel against him."
Harry snorted in laughter. For some reason the idea of Dumbledore only being partially right sounded highly amusing. Harry looked at his old watch and grimaced at the time.
"I have to get back now," murmured Harry. "Ginny saw me take off and no doubt had gone for help thinking I got put under some spell."
The giant lion raised an eyebrow (though he didn't have any eyebrows, the fold of skin and fur still raised in the same manner).
"Very well. I will call for you when it is time to begin your training," said Abraxeau, bowing his head to Harry. He then straightened and gave Harry a curious look. "Have you thought of an alibi to explain to your friends?"
Harry pulled up short. "Er..." he mumbled.
"Surely you didn't think you could tell them about this could you?"
"Well I tell Ron and Hermione everything!" snapped Harry.
"You cannot speak of this to anyone," warned Abraxeau. "This is a sacred secret you must take with you to the grave and can only be shared to your wife and children when they come of age. Until then, you cannot speak of this except to myself."
Harry grudgingly nodded his understanding. "So, what do you think I should do?"
The lion sat back on his haunches. "I suppose you can say Voldemort attempted to possess and lead you into the Forbidden Forest, where Death Eaters tried to ambush you."
Harry raised a finger and opened his mouth, then lowered his finger back down.
"That actually isn't a bad idea," conceded Harry. "But what will I tell them about my escape?"
Abraxeau smiled and looked at Elenara, who was busy preening her feathers. "She can help you with that."
oOoOoOo
Ginny was panting heavily as she continued to follow Harry's tracks, though Remus was in much worse condition than her, wheezing and sweating profusely ahead of her. Once again Ginny was grateful for Harry's training sessions.
Her thoughts drifted to her father and friends, and hoped that they were alright.
So consumed by her thoughts, Ginny didn't realize that Remus and stopped running and plowed into him, almost sending them both tumbling to the ground. She apologized and looked around.
It was a dark clearing, barely any light shone through. She could vaguely make out an oddly shaped boulder in the middle of the clearing, though it could be several rocks making the strange outline. Something small and bird shaped was moving around the odd formation on the ground, and Ginny assumed it was some animal patrolling its nest.
Remus and Ginny both lit their wands, murmuring "Lumos," to see better. Ginny gasped and almost dropped her wand when their wands lighted the odd shape.
It was an unconscious Harry, with a red-gold bird that looked vaguely familiar. Ignoring the bird, Ginny sprinted over and fell to her knees next to Harry and cradled his head, holding back tears that threatened to spill. She looked him over carefully, and found no serious injuries. His clothes were tattered and soaked with a pleasant-smelling liquid. Underneath the rags Ginny saw wounds closing up, leaving no trace of any damage.
Ginny looked at the bird standing next to her and Harry and saw its ice-blue eyes were glistening with tears, then she made the connection. The bird was a phoenix, and it had probably just saved Harry's life.
Both Ginny and Remus turned their heads to the side when they heard twigs snapping, revealing the location of an intruder. They pointed their wands in the direction of the sounds, and both sighed in relief when they saw it was Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall.
"Goodness gracious, is Mr. Potter alright?" gasped Professor McGonagall.
"He's fine, thanks to your phoenix Professor," replied Ginny, speaking to Dumbledore. The old wizard frowned.
"That is not Fawkes," said Dumbledore flatly. Ginny looked at the bird and frowned as well. She was sure that this was Dumbledore's phoenix, but now that she was paying closer attention she could see the difference.
Though she had only seen Fawkes a couple of times, the first being after he healed Harry in her first year down and the Chamber of Secrets and the second being last year after Harry warned Dumbledore of her father's attack, she was certain that Fawkes didn't have bright blue eyes like this bird. Neither did Fawkes have as many golden feathers, and it was also smaller than Fawkes.
"Regardless, this bird more than likely saved Harry's life, and we can be sure to trust it as phoenixes are pure Light creatures," continued Dumbledore. The phoenix trilled in response, filling Ginny's heart with relief and joy.
Remus knelt beside her and Harry and pointed his wand at Harry, muttering "Rennervate."
Harry's eyes fluttered open and he stared up at Ginny's face in confusion.
"Ginny? What are you doing here? Where am I?" he asked quietly. She smiled and stroked his hair carefully.
"You're in the Forbidden Forest. I'm here with Remus, Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall as well. After you ran off, I went to find help and we've been searching for you for hours," explained Ginny. Harry nodded and sat up, and Ginny found that she suddenly missed having Harry's head laying on her lap. He stared at the phoenix.
"Who's this?" he asked.
"A friend who appears to have saved your life," said Remus. "Ginny and I found it healing you and it looks like it's taken a liking to you," he added amusedly when the phoenix jumped onto Harry's shoulder.
"Indeed. In fact, the last time I saw a phoenix bond with a human was between myself and Fawkes in the final days of Grindelwald's reign of terror," said Dumbledore.
"You mean that this phoenix is now Harry's familiar?" exclaimed Professor McGonagall.
"It appears that way," responded Dumbledore with certainty.
"Cool," whispered Ginny with a mixture of awe and jealousy. "What happened to Dad?" she asked next.
"Your friends had an unfortunate experience with a pack of Acromantulas, though by the time your father and Ms. Tonks arrived the situation was taken care of," answered Professor McGonagall. She then shot green sparks into the air with her wand and sent out a cat Patronus to let everyone know that Harry was alive and safe.
Ginny's shoulders slumped in relief. Seeming to sense her emotions, the phoenix let out another trill, bolstering everyone's spirits once more.
"Now, let us head back to the castle, I expect Mr. Potter is quite tired after this whole ordeal, along with the rest of us," said Dumbledore before he turned around and departed the clearing. Ginny and Remus helped Harry up and they followed Dumbledore back to Hogwarts in silence.
Unbeknownst to everyone else, Harry and the phoenix shared a secret look and Harry smiled wryly.
A/N- Now before anyone says anything, yes, I totally turned Gryffindor into Aslan from the Chronicles of Narnia, and he will be playing a similar role to Aslan, acting as a sort of guide/mentor to Harry throughout the story. Another thing I would like to mention is the change of his name from Godric Gryffindor to Abraxeau (pronounced Ah-brax-oh). I felt that while he still is one of the Founders of Hogwarts, because he is now permanently a big-ass lion the size of a small elephant he would have left behind his old name in favour of a new one, to symbolize the change in direction of his life and destiny. Let me know what you think of his name-change.
I was also tempted to have a griffin as harry's familiar, but I thought better not and decided on Elenara as his new familiar because she will play an important role later on and let's face it, how is Harry going to explain a massive half-eagle-half-lion following him around to classes. Rest assured however, the griffins (especially Talonwing) will play an active role later down the track.
Why a T. rex? The real question is WHY THE BLOODY HELL NOT? I honestly just wanted a dinosaur in my story but I think it will also be featured further down the track. Maybe not so much in this story, but more than likely in the sequel.
Speaking of which yes I have begun working on the Sequel to Gryffindor's Inheritance, which will be titled 'The Mark of the Tiger.'
Another important item of note is that after this chapter I will be taking a temporary hiatus for two weeks what with Christmas coming up and then straight after that I will be heading down to the Gold Coast Australia for a week-long convention starting Friday the 30th. And no, it is not a convention along the lines of Comic-Con but a getaway for adults in my religion aged18-30 (yes, I'm religious, fight me).
Anyway, hope this will tie you down for the next two weeks and HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR FOLKS!