Child of the Phoenix

by DZ2

A Sirius Secret Response: When Harry thinks he's all ready to go back to Hogwarts, Sirius drops a bombshell that changes EVERYTHING! Now, in the knowledge that he's more than your average wizard, can Harry adjust to a new life, a new destiny and a new FAMILY? Bonded Powerful Harmony;

14. The Truth About Harry

Child of the Phoenix

Disclaimer: As Before

Plot: Response to my A Sirius Secret Challenge: Just when Harry thinks he's all ready to go back to Hogwarts, Sirius drops a bombshell that changes EVERYTHING! Now, in the knowledge that he's more than your average wizard, can Harry adjust to a new life, a new destiny and, above all else, a new FAMILY?

Dedication: I wish to dedicate this story to everyone that continues to provide positive reviews for my stories and the feedback that I enjoy; the recommended reads for this story are: Ruby Tinted Glasses by StormyFireDragon and Tinkerbell and Claws by mrsKnitewolf.

Harry/Hermione; Scott/Jean

Bobby/Marie; Peter/Kitty

Normal Speech

'Thought'

'Telepathy'

Review Answers:

Winged Seer Wolf: I have the powers in mind, Winged, but I'll say this much: one of those three that you 'suggested' is what I have planned; I hope you enjoy what I have in mind for them;

StormyFireDragon: I wanted to avoid a few cliché choices and, while Luna is a cliché choice, I would have to agree that Blaise is someone that doesn't play on the main plot all that often; oh, and thanks for your informal help with this chapter, Storm: the story that I was inspired by really helped;

T4: There's no such thing as a short story, just short-attention-spans for those who can't be bothered with finishing; also, the others ARE mutants and their powers will be revealed in the next chapter;

Sakura Lisel: Believe it or not, the addition of Bishop was a last-minute sort of thing that inspired me to keep this story going and, THANKFULLY, not have to get rid of it: I've worked too hard on this to quit now;

The icy reply had every head turning to face Harry, who was now facing Dumbledore with a new sense of loathing and deep-seated hatred, though all that was taken away when Harry added, "I've had it with you thinking you can tell my party what they can and cannot do, Albus."

'Be careful, Harry,' Stephen warned Harry, but the Child of the Phoenix overcame that warning with four words;

"We need to talk…ALONE!"

Chapter 14: The Truth about Harry Summers

Though Harry had asked, borderline demanded, for Dumbledore to meet with him alone, he didn't go into the meeting truly alone, not when his bond with Hermione kept him in full reaching distance of the Sorcerer Supreme, his girlfriend and his parents. However, thanks to his own telepathic prowess, Harry was able to keep that fact a secret from Dumbledore as he watched the old man take a seat behind his desk, a small feeling of anticipation hidden behind those twinkling blue eyes as he offered Harry a lemon drop.

Despite the animosity between them, Harry had to laugh as he asked, "Albus, if I asked you a question, would you actually answer me truthfully?"

"Depends on the question, my boy," Dumbledore replied, feeling a little concerned as to Harry's familiarity with him. Then again, he wasn't truly one of Dumbledore's students, so there was a fine line there and Harry was yet to cross it.

"Why do you offer people lemon drops when they enter your office?" asked Harry, a humorous laugh escaping him as he added, "Believe me when I say that I could sense any charms or potions laced into them with my Mystic Power, but I don't sense any…so, why is that?"

This time, it was Dumbledore's turn to laugh as he unstuck two lemon drops of his own as he asked, "Harry, do you know what I was doing while I was waiting for Hagrid to bring you to me on the night after Halloween?"

"What sir?"

"I was speaking with Professor McGonagall," Albus explained, his voice filled with reminisce as he explained his point, "And I offered her what was, at the time, a sherbet lemon, which is like a lemon drop, but with a really fizzy centre. My point is that while I had my own, we talked about the rumours of the day before and how we argued against leaving with the Dursleys. However, what I didn't tell Minerva when she asked me what a sherbet lemon was as I told her that they were sweets that I'd grown fond of, but what I didn't tell her was why I'd grown fond of them."

"And why was that?"

"It was Lily Evans that first introduced me to them," Albus explained, his words filled with that same reminisce and, to Harry, it actually looked like the man might start crying. "It was her fifth year and she'd just been caught by old Headmaster Dippet sneaking out to meet with James for a moonlight date; anyway, she seemed worried and offered me one of her own while we waited for the Headmaster. While I was stunned that such a surprising taste could come from Muggle backgrounds, they seemed to help me assure the young woman that all was well. I talked with her about the dangers of meeting out of hours and she listened to me, but I never forgot that first time."

"So…why do you do it now?" Asked Harry, his own words edged by a mix of shock and amusement at the thought of a moonlight date, especially between Lily and James. 'Trust a Marauder to try and breach curfew for something so…extreme as a date with the girl of his dreams.'

"To remind me," Albus answered, interrupting Harry's train of thought, "That night, while I had my own sherbet lemon, I thought back to the day I met Lily for the first time and I was actually saddened by the day's events. It was against my better judgment that she died by trusting the wrong man then and, now, it seems that I am fated for history to repeat itself."

"What do you mean?" asked Harry, feeling slightly drawn into the true reason for the conversation, "You keep saying that it's for my own good that I do as you say and don't think I haven't felt your compulsions against me, but what, exactly, are you trying to turn me into?"

"A hero," Dumbledore answered, the very mention of the words making Harry laugh, but Dumbledore continued, "Laugh if you will, Harry, but you know that I have known your true identity for some time. What you may not know is that I feel that I, myself, have become…cursed."

"Cursed how?" asked Harry, linking his fingers as he listened to Dumbledore.

"You," Dumbledore answered, "From the first moment that Lily and James introduced you to me, you have been…a spark that refuses to die out no matter what challenges you face. From the deaths of your…of Lily and James to your time with the Dursleys and even your trials and challenges here at Hogwarts, you have grown in spirit and have always remained one thing in my eyes, Harry: precious."

"What…what do you mean?"

"Let me explain," Dumbledore replied, linking his own fingers as he looked to Harry, "And I promise that I won't try to read your mind or do anything to sway your judgment, but please, Harry, give me a chance to explain."

"I'm listening."

"When I was a young boy," Dumbledore explained, his words filled with that same reminisce from before, "I had two people that were precious to me, although we were raised differently and parted by education and childish beliefs: those two were my sister, Arianna, and my best friend who, I am not ashamed to admit, became my lover, Gellert Grindelwald."

"Wow," Harry gasped, never once suspecting the home truth about Dumbledore, "But I thought that you and Grindelwald…"

"Duelled?" asked Dumbledore, earning a nod from Harry, "We did and that was years after we became so close: I trusted him, I loved him and I thought he could help me balance out the world…for the Greater Good, which was how Gellert had always put it. However, in one of our earlier duels, my sister was killed and I knew that it was Gellert that had caused the stray spell to strike her. We began to part and I started to draw myself away from him, but, when he came out as a Dark Wizard, I knew that I had to stop him."

"And in turn," Harry muttered, seemingly understanding what was being said here, "You lost the other precious thing to you: Gellert Grindelwald's love."

"Yes," Dumbledore added, "And for a long while, I thought that I would lose out on that precious feeling again, but then, in the moment I told you about, I started to see Lily as the same sort of precious feeling: I wanted to shield her from the darkness and in her, I will admit, I saw my sister: challenging, but bright; strong-willed, but not so easily swayed by lies and deceptions and, for a while, I had thought I could keep her safe. Her and James joined the Order and worked with me to bring down Tom, which is how they came to defy him three times as the prophecy states."

"What prophecy?" asked Harry, remembering how Severus had spoken about overhearing a prophecy.

"One concerning you and Voldemort," Dumbledore explained, sighing deeply as he rubbed at the bridge of his nose, "And I suppose that, now you've asked me for the truth on one side, you ask for it on another. It's a prophecy that was given by Sybil Trelawney and, in turn, caused me to hire her and watch over your family and…another boy's so closely."

"Neville Longbottom's," Harry whispered, recalling how Remus had told him that they were so close in family friendships.

"Yes," Dumbledore continued, not at all upset that Harry was figuring all this out on his own accord, "I had thought I could protect you and keep you both shielded from Voldemort, but, once again, I let myself and I let Lily and James trust the wrong man."

"Pettigrew."

"Yes," Dumbledore nodded, trying to ignore the feeling of rage that had come with Harry's one word, "The prophecy, Harry, states that a child would be born as the seventh month died with the power to destroy the Dark Lord once and for all. Given that you were the last one born at the end of July, I held a hope that you would become this…scion of good; but, as you know, I also knew that you were not Lily and James' child."

"How did you know?" asked Harry, getting to a question that he himself hadn't asked his own parents or Sirius about.

"Like I told you," Dumbledore explained, "I had kept an eye on Lily and James through their Order careers and James' role as an Auror and, a few weeks after the fated date, Lily came to me and explained that she and James had suddenly gained a child. She knew that you were born on July 31st, but she was silent about how it had happened when I was so certain that she had not changed much with the typical signs of pregnancy."

"So you figured that I was a fake? How did this affect your prophecy?"

"It didn't," Dumbledore explained, his words now showing an edge of sorrow, "My poor lapse in judgment and my desperation to see an end for Tom chose to bring about the events that led to that night. I told Lily and James to take you into hiding and I thought that you were safe, but then, Lily came to me and begged me to switch Sirius for Peter."

"Did she give an explanation?"

"Actually," Dumbledore replied, his own eyes narrowed as he answered, "No: she just said that she couldn't rely on Sirius, which was unusual since she had named him your godfather, but, to my own disbelief, I had agreed and set you on the path that led to…well to today."

"Yeah," Harry remarked, clenching his hands suddenly as he asked, "Let's get back to the path as you put it: you say that Sybil Trelawney gave this prophecy? Now, Headmaster, would that be the same Trelawney that predicted my death on an almost daily basis and happened to give a second prophecy regarding Wormtail's revelation and Voldemort's return?"

"I see what you're saying, Harry," Dumbledore agreed, his voice filled with that same regret, "And Stephen and High Master Rameses both told me that her prophecy was a fake, but, you have to understand that a second generation of darkness cannot happen: Tom must be defeated."

"That doesn't explain why you were so willing to hurt my friends, my loved ones and my family to get to me," Harry exclaimed, his skin tingling with a magical essence that actually had the portraits over Dumbledore's heads retreating into their frames. "Or why you wanted me back so badly when, before then, you were always so warm and welcoming and made me feel I could talk to you about anything? And what about my trial, Albus? Why couldn't you look at me then when you seem so intent on keeping me close now?"

"Harry," Dumbledore replied, lifting his hands to the boy, "Please calm down: I see that I was wrong to ignore you then; maybe if I hadn't, I could have helped you overcome these trials: you see, unlike the rest of the world and several Muggles and wizards, I have no quarrels with the mutant nation. As you saw yourself, I know all about Charles Xavier and his X-Men and I know who Scott and Jean Summers are; he may not recall it, but I also know about Mr Howlett and his little operation."

"Then why?" asked Harry, accidentally releasing a blast of energy that destroyed several instruments behind Dumbledore; doing his best to draw in his energy, Harry asked, "Why the lies? Why the manipulations? Why try to destroy me?"

"I would never try to destroy you, Harry," Dumbledore argued, his eyes now holding an edge of anger as he added, "And I am disappointed in you for thinking that: don't you understand what I'm trying to tell you? I care about you, Harry: you are as precious to me as a son or a grandson and I don't wish the fate of those that I lost before now to happen again. Here, in Hogwarts, I know you're safe and free from those that would use you or draw you towards evil: I'm sorry that I have appeared to be some sort of monster, but I was afraid that if people believed you were as precious to me as Arianna, I'd lose you too."

"Was…was Arianna a mutant, Headmaster?" asked Harry, earning a confused look from Dumbledore, which prompted Harry to explain, "It just confuses me that a witch couldn't protect herself and how you said that it was Grindelwald that fired the stray spell that killed her: then you say that both Lily Potter and I are as precious to you as she was. The same Lily Potter who, as Lily Evans, became the blood-sister of my Mother and, in turn, looked after and helped raise me into the mutant warrior that I am today. So, was…was she?"

"She was," Dumbledore answered, smiling softly as he shook his head, "And she introduced me to that world, a decision that I shall never regret: however, I do regret what happened to her and how I lost her. You have to understand, Harry that, in those days, there weren't people like Charles Xavier that could help her, so my parents kept her secluded, using illnesses to keep her hidden from the world. But Gellert found out and, despite his wish to balance the world, he could not accept those with gifts greater than his to exist."

"Like you, you mean?"

Harry had never seen Dumbledore move as fast as he did at that moment: the old man seemed to leap across the desk and, grabbing Harry's arm, he pulled him so close that his broken nose was touching the tip of Harry's nose. With his blue eyes fixed on Harry, Dumbledore hissed in an angered voice, "Listen to me, Harry Summers, and listen well: my sister, at her age, was as powerful as most of what you would call a Class Four mutant: she could harness the elements and bend them to her will, including the elements of steel and storm. There was nothing that she couldn't do and I was proud and humbled to be her brother."

"Let go of me or I'll rip your hand off," Harry growled, his fingertips now turning into his vibranium claws: if Dumbledore used magic on him, he was ready for it.

"Not until you hear me and understand this," Dumbledore told him, "I loved my sister and I was happy that she had her own power; it's what made her unique and gave her a skill beyond all that we teach here. Now, nearly a full century later, I see a child who registers as Class Five to mutants and I also see as precious to me as she was. Do you think for one second that I would stop that child from discovering his powers? If it hadn't been for Tom's return, you would have still come into your powers and, when that happened, I would have happily let you go to your family, but I do not hate that you are more powerful than many of this school's occupants, even more powerful than me."

"You're lying," Harry exclaimed, "What about Stephen? He told me how you reacted when he said that he suspected I was…"

"The Magus Maxima," finished Dumbledore, "The single most powerful of sorcerers and mutants since Merlin himself: yes, I was horrified and I didn't want to believe it, but not because I was unhappy that you would be out of my reach. I was scared, Harry, because I knew that such power could draw you to the same side as Tom and Gellert and, if that happened, no-one could stop you, not even me."

"I…I know what could happen," Harry confessed, meeting Dumbledore's eyes as he added, "I've seen it…from one who has true powers over foresight. But you have to understand, Albus Dumbledore that I would never let anyone or anything turn me to that path. That's why I came back to Hogwarts; though this vision showed me…showed me the end of this school as a place of learning and made it seem more like a prison by…by my hand, I still came back."

"This vision," Dumbledore remarked, releasing Harry's hand before he pointed towards his Pensieve, "Would you…would you show me what you saw?"

"Only if you answer me one last question," Harry remarked, rubbing at his wrist while he retracted his claws.

"Of course."

"You want me safe," Harry explained, his eyes filled with a sense of scepticism as he looked to Dumbledore, "Because I'm apparently precious to you and you want to help me come into my power as…as the Magus Maxima…that right?"

"Yes."

"Then why did you send the mutant known as Magneto and his Brotherhood after me?" asked Harry, shaking his head with a sense of disbelief as he added, "Why did you endanger Muggle lives on Liberty Island just to have him retrieve me?"

"Harry," Dumbledore answered, placing his hand over his heart as he told him, "On my sister's grave do I swear to you that I have no idea what you're talking about."

"What…what do you mean?"

"I have heard of Mr Lensherr and his band of rogues," Dumbledore explained, indicating the Pensieve as he added, "But I swear to you that I had nothing to do with him finding you and trying to capture you in America."

"But then…" Harry whispered, honouring his own promise as he moved to the Pensieve, "If not you…then that means…could it have been Tom?"

"If you let me," Dumbledore explained, "We can figure that out together, but first, if you'd be so kind as to drop your memory into the Pensieve?"

"I can do one better," Harry replied, drawing on the Mystic Arts before, with a wave of his hand, he projected the chosen parts of his memory into the Pensieve.

Flashback Start

Harry and Hermione wandered across what looked like a large desolate desert, a searing heat shining down on them and around them, a sound of…actually, there was no sound. No nothing; looking around, Harry saw what looked like sparse buildings on the horizon and, every so often, blackened trails that looked like they'd once been tracks of some vehicle or maybe even some beast's footprints.

"Where is this?" asked Harry, his words coming out, though only Hermione could hear him.

"I…I don't know," Hermione replied, keeping close to Harry as she added, "But there's something…something familiar about it; like…ruins."

Being Hermione, Harry realised that she was right; the blackness around them suddenly revealed ruined buildings and crumbling remains while the searing heat then gave way through its haze to reveal a rusted, broken sign in front of them, a sign that had horror in Hermione's eyes while Harry looked confused and in denial:

XAVIER INSTITUTION FOR GIFTED YOUNGSTERS

"The Mansion?" asked Harry, moving through the remains of what was their home, "How? What sort of trick is this, Web?"

'It is no trick,' Madame Web's voice answered, before Harry and Hermione found themselves being sent through a whirlwind of the dark energy commanded by the psychic; when it cleared, Hermione actually smiled when she saw the same searing heat wave-like area, but this time, they were standing in front of an upright, fully-built, but apparently well-guarded building they knew very well.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

The school appeared to look the same, but, as she looked closer, Hermione noticed heavily-fortified barbed wire fences, electrical gates that seemed charged with an energy that looked familiar, but, through her shock, she couldn't figure out the how or the where. The Black Lake, which had once been a boundary to the school, was now a frozen lake with several spires and what appeared to be metallic skeletons of ships and planes frozen in time and destruction.

The Forbidden Forest now had the same wire-like defences and signs of death and mutilation all over the place; even though they were trapped in a vision, Harry and Hermione could still hear sounds of guttural roaring and screams that made Hermione cringe while Harry closed his eyes. What sort of…of…Apocalypse were they being shown?

'If this is the outside,' thought Harry as they walked up the path towards the school, 'I shudder to think what the inside looks like.'

He soon got his answer when the main entrance of Hogwarts came into view, but, instead of grandeur and a sense of home, there was something about it that didn't seem homely; instead, there were two large, towering behemoths that appeared to be made of metal, a pair of blood-red optics staring from within the heads of the metallic creatures. As for the grand oak doors, they were now replaced by pure crystal and engraved with a symbol: a letter Z with four dark-appearing animals set around it: a dragon, a serket or giant scorpion, what looked like a deformed horse-like creature with leathery wings – a Thestral – and finally, as though to encourage the darkness, there was a werewolf.

"What happened to Hogwarts?" asked Hermione, Harry shaking his head as he looked to the school, though he had to gather every ounce of his courage as he heard more screams and sounds of battle and bloodshed coming from within.

Once more without answers, Harry felt the energy gather around them and, this time, they were dropped off in what looked like a large remake of a Gladiator's pit, the edge of the pit lined with live magical plants and defences that would make Harry cringe. What made it worse was the sight of Dementors and larger, fiercer dark-cloaked creatures that Hermione explained were Lethifolds guarding the entrances to the arena. Suddenly, before any questions could be asked, Harry saw one side of the arena opening and, from inside, there came a large, heavily-armoured, black figure with a blood-red cloak billowing behind them, the face of the creature hidden by a hood and cowl that seemed to resemble the face of Death himself.

Across from this armoured figure, Hermione nearly choked on her own sobs when she saw a child, barely older than twelve, being thrown into the arena, the child's screams running through her, though they were made worse when the child screamed at the figure, "No, Master: please, I'm sorry: please don't punish me; I'll do anything, I swear."

"I spent my entire life," the armoured figure growled, the tone of his voice holding a malice that would have frightened even Voldemort and Darth Vader combined into submission, "Rebuilding our society into this utopia and now I hear talk of rebellion, of injustice against the world where homo superior is now homo supremia; tell me, my daughter, do you not enjoy being the Princess over all?"

"Daughter?" asked Hermione, Harry sharing her sickness as he saw the armoured figure lift his hand, the air above him crackling with mystical energy while the girl continued to beg.

"This," growled the armoured being, "Is the price that you pay for upsetting the balance of the One Kind: we mutants were freaks, but now we master the world…I master the world: it is because of ME that you even exist to have your power. But now, if you will not keep your loyalty to me, to your own Father, then you can join the rest of humanity where they belong: bound in the deepest pits of hell's domain for eternity! You are no mutant, child, you are, and always will be, a traitor!"

Harry and Hermione turned their heads away as the energy summoned by the armoured figure was released, the scream of the child echoing in the ears of the two magi-mutates as they tried not to look, but something inside Harry told him straight: he must.

Glancing to the armoured figure once more, Harry listened as he addressed the crowd, "For a long while now, I have kept the peace for mutants everywhere; humans are no longer our threat, they are now our slaves! Any that deny this Regime, this paradise, they are the true traitors to our kind. As High Councillor of the One Kind, I command you to go out there, flush out those who are pathetically weak and human-loving and bring them to their knees! Now go and spread the warning to all: that I, the Magus Maxima, am coming for them!"

A cheer exploded around Harry and Hermione and the last thing that they saw was the same Z-shaped symbol on the ground of the arena where this warrior, this Magus Maxima, had murdered his own child.

Flashback End

Removing the memory from the Pensieve, Harry looked up to Dumbledore as he shuddered with a sense of disdain at seeing that evil once again; stepping back from the Pensieve, Harry explained, "That Z that you saw stood for Zenith, which was I wanted to call myself as an X-Teen, but, after seeing that image, I changed it to Primus. Despite what I felt for you, Albus, I've always considered Hogwarts as my home and I figured that, if I was going to save it, I had to do it from within the school itself. I won't let that vision come to pass and not you, not Voldemort and not any shred of evil will force me to change my mind."

"Harry…" Dumbledore gasped, actually horrified as to what he'd seen: it was worse than Gellert and Tom combined and, because of Dumbledore's blindness, there was a chance that vision could come true. Meeting the eyes of his student, the headmaster asked, "How…what have I done? I thought I could keep you safe and yet…I was making it worse; challenging Stephen, threatening your friends, coming after you when it was clear that you were safe with Charles and his group. Harry…I know that I may not deserve it, but…please: forgive an old fool for his blindness. Let me help you learn more about your power so that, together, we can make that vision nothing more than a nightmare that is better best forgotten: please…Magus Maxima."

Harry looked right into the eyes of Dumbledore and beyond: he looked right into the man's mind, though it surprised him when he found no resistances against this. He saw the day that Dumbledore spoke of: speaking with Professor McGonagall outside the Dursleys and, before he left Harry alone, Dumbledore seemed to actually pray that the baby would be all right.

'It makes sense now,' Harry thought, his own eyes filled with a sense of wonder, 'He left me with them because there was nowhere else for me to go: Remus wouldn't be allowed, Sirius had gone mad with revenge and my own family didn't remember me.'

He saw Dumbledore's point of view on the day that Harry came to Hogwarts; how he leaned forwards with an expectant air at seeing Harry alive and well: he saw that the old man was relieved, not planning or manipulating anything, and he was pleased to see Harry there because of how he felt towards the boy. He saw that same day in the Hospital Wing: a sense of relief flooded Harry through Dumbledore's memory of seeing the boy wake up and live once more, though he felt a sense of worry when Dumbledore told him that love had saved him.

'Why?'

'Your powers had come out to help you,' Dumbledore's voice echoed around Harry's mind, 'I lied to you because I was afraid how the Dursleys would treat you if they knew that you were a mutant; I did not restrain your powers and, had they come out, I would have helped you so that they would have worked in your favour.'

Pulling out of Dumbledore's mind, Harry found his cheeks suddenly damp and, as he lifted his fingers, feeling tear streaks under his touch, he looked to Dumbledore before he asked, "Do…do you honestly want to work with me? To help me?"

"I do," Dumbledore answered, "And I'll do whatever it takes to prove it to you, Harry: you wish to be inducted into the Order? Done; your mutant friends given protection? I'll have Order guards here within the hour; I can even help Stephen if you want me to."

Harry actually smiled, the same warmth that he'd always felt with Dumbledore now coming back as he laughed and, moving around the table, he held out his hand as he laughed, "You silly old goat: all I want is to feel like I'm wanted here again…no protections, no hidden motives…just…allies: friends, even."

"You have yourself a deal, Harry," Dumbledore replied, taking Harry's hand before he found himself surprised as Harry hugged him, feeling warmth surge back into his old bones as he asked, "Now, as proof of my…redemption, tell me: is there anything that I can do to help? Anything at all."

"Well," Harry answered, looking down at the old man's desk where his wand was stored, "You…you can tell me why I feel a strange pull to your wand, Headmaster."

"This?" asked Dumbledore, picking up the wand and holding it out to Harry, "It's the Elder Wand, Harry: one of three artefacts that, together, form what is known as the Deathly Hallows. There are three of them and, though you don't know it, you hold one of them and, if I may be so bold as to quote myself, you use it well."

"Dad…I mean James' cloak?" asked Harry, earning a nod from Dumbledore, "What…what's the third?"

"A Stone," Dumbledore explained, though he felt a strange sense of want enter his mind as he felt that Harry deserved to hold the Elder Wand for some reason. "It's known as…as the Resurrection Stone and it's…current location is in a ring…owned by…well, by Tom, but…Harry, would you mind taking the wand from me?"

"Huh?" asked Harry, taking the Elder Wand as he was asked; however, as he did so, a loud crash of thunder echoed around the school and, within the office, Fawkes suddenly entered a Burning Day while the Sorting Hat let out a gasp of shock and, behind Dumbledore's chair, the Sword of Gryffindor began to glow with golden light.

At the same time, the Elder Wand itself had begun to glow and, as Harry held it, the young mutant struggling to keep a hold of the wand as its glow travelled up his arm and, within seconds, had engulfed him in its white light.

"Headmaster…" he yelled, his energy spiking as beams of white light shot out of his body, striking at certain points of the chamber before they rebounded, forming a shape of white bands similar to the rings around an atom's structure. "What's happening?"

"It's happening," Dumbledore answered, stepping aside and, just in time as the Elder Wand suddenly extended outwards, its shape flattening and sharpening until it formed a glowing blade of a golden-hilted sword, a curled dragon insignia nestled on the cross-guard.

When the sword had fully materialised, the lights faded and, when they did so, Dumbledore gasped in shock when he saw that Harry had undergone a new transformation: his body was more defined with a heroic posture, his dark hair now a colour that matched the bright, star-light white of the bands that had just flown out of his body and, instead of green eyes, Harry now held a pair of golden-coloured eyes that seemed to crackle and spark as though holding a storm in their glare. He was dressed in a suit of white robes that held no specific markings or crest save for the classic X-Men X-shape on his left, the glow of the sword now dimming as it left Harry's body.

"What…what happened?" asked Harry, looking to his new appearance and apparel.

"I think," Dumbledore answered, "The answer lies in that beautiful weapon in your hand."

Glancing down, Harry's eyes narrowed as he looked to a set of runes within the blade, runes that seemed to be written in ancient Roman script, though, as Harry looked closer, he saw a name inscribed within the runes of the blade:

EXCALIBUR

"Excalibur?" asked Harry, lifting the sword and, holding it in his hand, he asked, "Does…does this mean…that I'm…"

"Yes," Dumbledore replied, in shock as to the power he'd just felt flowing freely off his honorary grandson, "You have been officially recognised as the Magus Maxima: congratulations, Harry."

"Thank…"

BANG!

The loud crash of Dumbledore's door being blown off cut Harry off and, as he looked to the door, he nearly laughed when he saw his Father, Stephen, his Mother and Logan all standing at the door, Cyclops' eyes glowing with the warning red light of his optic blasts as he demanded, "What the hell just happened, Dumbledore? Where's Harry?"

"I'm right here, Father," Harry answered, his voice the same as ever, which was thankful as Jean's eyes met his before, to his surprise, Stephen approached him, took one look at the sword in his hand and, stepping back, he bowed low to Harry.

"My Lord," he muttered, his voice filled with honour as he explained, "You've finally done it, Harry: congratulations."

"Stephen," Harry remarked, looking to his mentor, "Please don't bow to me: it reminds me of that…that vision; and everything's okay: Dumbledore, sorry, Albus here told me everything. He's not our enemy and, more frightening than relieving, but he's not the one that sent Magneto after me."

"So, who did?" asked Logan, watching as Harry moved to the window of Dumbledore's office, his eyes now looking out to the world beyond.

"I don't know," Dumbledore answered, following everyone else's gaze as he watched Harry stare out across the school grounds, "But I will do whatever I have to in order to help you and Harry protect your friends and family; now that he's come into his true station, he'll need teaching in the Art. Dr Strange, would you allow a misguided old fool to help you teach him?"

"I would," Harry answered, which basically meant that Stephen said yes as well.

However, the eyes of the X-Men, the Sorcerer Supreme and the Headmaster of Hogwarts were all focused on Harry as he seemed to look out over the scene of Hogwarts, the blade of Excalibur, much to everyone's surprise, changing back into the Elder Wand before Harry pocketed the wand and, without turning, he whispered, "Wherever you are, I'm ready for you."

"Everything all right there, cub?" asked Logan, silencing himself as Harry turned back to face them, the look of determination and strength within his eyes reminding Logan of his days when the X-Men had been about to go into battle against Magneto or some other force.

"What's wrong, Harry?" asked Stephen, now on his feet and watching his apprentice and his superior-in-magic as Harry wandered over to Fawkes' ashes, gathered them up and set the phoenix hatchling down, before he stood up once more and, moving around Dumbledore's office, seemed content to use his magic to repair the damage he'd done.

"Harry?" asked Cyclops.

"Let him be," Dumbledore explained, his own eyes filled with his years of wisdom as he added, "Something has caught his attention and it seems that only Harry knows what it is; when he wants to tell us, he will."

"Dumbledore's right," Harry finally spoke, meeting the eyes of his friends, family and mentors as he added, "If you're going to teach me, then we should move: we need to see about Blaise, Susan and Luna and then we'll need to get down to learning about my new power."

"Why?" asked Stephen, not liking the haunted tone of his young protégé.

"Something's coming," Harry answered, his words filled with strength and purpose as he added, "And it's coming here…for me."

Chapter 14 and Harry's true form is revealed, his true power known and his station revealed to the world, but can he overcome his fears and doubts and worries about Dumbledore and whatever is coming?

Also, what power will the Magus Maxima truly hold and can Harry control it or will the future vision come to pass?

Keep Reading to Find Out…

Next Chapter: The new X-Teens learn what their powers are and Bishop makes his way to Hogwarts, where Primus waits for him: what does he want and why's he after Harry? Also, Hermione learns about her final power and Harry taps into the Magus Maxima to help repay a debt and honour a promise;

Please Read and Review…

AN: I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter; if you were expecting fur to fly, I'm sorry to disappoint you: the idea for a near-calm encounter and Dumbledore's redemption – which IS genuine – came from StormyFireDragon's story 'Light in the Dark' all thanks to my old friend;

AN 2: There are now only three chapters left of Child of the Phoenix before it's done: I have placed a poll on my profile to decide the name of the sequel; cast your vote now. I won't reveal anything about the sequel until the LAST chapter; just a heads-up there;