The stone's symbol stared back at him, its familiarity freezing Harry to the bone. His breath felt shallow, skin going cold and clammy. How was it here? What about the—
Harry slapped his hands on the table in his rush to get up. Bella startled at the suddenness. "Harry?"
"I'll head out for a bit," he whispered distractedly, eyes elsewhere. Bella tilted her head in question, uncertain of the sudden switch. But he was already stepping out of the kitchen, beelining for his room.
Hurrying to his trunk, he snapped open the secret compartment. On top of his folded invisibility cloak, whole and unbroken, lay the wand that had killed him. He had previously attempted to be rid of it by all means; magic and physical. But the remaining splinters had doggedly stuck by his side, left hidden in his trunk since he had arrived in Forks. Now a whole wand again. Harry groaned, "Why are you fixed? Why are you both here now?"
He grabbed the cursed thing and rushed out again, going for the front door this time.
Charlie peeked from the hallway where the fuse box was located. "Going out? I'll have the power working again soon."
Harry nodded, "I won't be long," he assured him, rushing outside.
Fawkes was sat waiting in a tree, no doubt having sensed his disconcertion. The wizard halted, staring frantically at his friend. Wasting no time, the bird fled to his shoulder and they ported off once in cover.
"This isn't right," Harry breathed, standing with his back to the forest wall, the ocean off the cliff below him. He held his shaking hands out, keeping the familiar artifacts far from his body; the wand thrumming with power, but the stone curiously lacking in presence. The colour of it so dark Harry thought it might absorb all light around. His heartbeat rushed in his ear, his breath unsteady. He didn't want these. He didn't want anything to do with them.
He threw the wand out. It flew further than he'd expected, landing deep beneath the waves. Next was the ring. He pulled at it. Stuck, it wouldn't come off. He ripped at his finger. Still wouldn't budge. Trying the stone itself finally worked. The little black rock popped off with no problem. With the wind and his heartbeat in his ear, he swung his arm back, throwing the cursed thing off the cliff for it to join the Death Stick. It flew off in front of him, joining the wand in the dark ocean.
Breathing heavily, Harry waited, glaring at the waves as if daring them to return the items. Fawkes cooed comfortingly by his ear. Perched on his shoulder, the weight was a physical reminder of his soothing presence.
A tree groaned behind him. Casting his head towards the sound, the previous wall of trees had been broken; unrooted, felled and cracked. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, the momentary loss of control an embarrassment to the fully trained wizard.
Harry sighed, reaching up to stroke the phoenix, grateful for his presence. His panic had almost eradicated the forest around him.
Fawkes leaned away from his hand, examining it curiously. He trilled, troubled, drawing Harry's attention to it.
The stone was back. Sitting quietly on his new ring. The discovery brought his attention to the previously unnoticed weight in his other hand; the wand somehow tucked beneath his fingers.
Harry threw both again. And again. He tried burying them, melting them, sending them off with Fawkes. He considered using fiendfyre.
After an hour, he laid on his back on the grass, ringed hand held up in front of him, undestroyed wand in the grass beside him. He'd had to admit defeat, having exhausted his options of destruction and abandonment. Fawkes had wrestled the conjured knife from him when he'd considered amputation. The bird sat on his chest, also drained from the fruitless work.
"This is ridiculous," he puffed. "My cloak hasn't moved, why are these two so—so clingy all of a sudden!"
He took another moment to breathe before getting back up. At this point he was just completely done with all of this. Mentally cursing whoever the actual original creator of the Hallows may have been, Harry got up from the grass.
He sighed for what felt like the tenth time that day. "They must be waiting for us, best get back."
The power-out from his sparking magic had been fixed when he got back inside, Charlie smiling at him from the couch as he entered the living room. "Got lost again?" he teased.
"Fawkes came to my rescue."
The bird in question hopped onto the couch, perching beside Bella. She pet him gingerly. "Now you can call for help," she reminded him with a grin.
"You think you're any match against Fawkes?"
The morning moved swiftly from there, Jacob and Billy visiting in the evening to celebrate. Or, more likely, to nab slices of the pizzas Charlie had ordered. On discovering Harry's newly gifted technological device, Jacob immediately plopped his phone number in, excited at the aspect of reaching him easier.
The comfortable atmosphere almost let him forget the looming presence of his new unwanted adornment and wooden companion. The latter of which seemed to allow being hidden, just not abandoned, so at least Harry could leave it in his trunk without worry of suddenly staking someone when he went for a handshake. The ring was for the most part unnoticeable, carrying no weight to it; magical or physical. Only Harry's knowledge of its unrelenting attachment to his finger kept reminding him, his heart stuttering each time he caught sight of it.
Still uncertain of the meaning of their reappearance, he resolved to halt his panic. At least until he could get some more information. Even his encyclopaedia friend wouldn't be much help in this matter. Most of the people with information on the Hallows were considered nutjobs, hunting after fairy tales. And, if Harry was completely honest, most of them probably were crazy. So instead of ripping his hair out questioning the matter, he'd rather just try to enjoy the rest of the day. Peacefully ignoring the wretched obsessed items, he did just that.
…
The very next day, Harry was laying in bed, lazily flipping through some pages on a more interesting magic theory book he'd procured at the Nelson's magic shop not too long before. Having appeared as a costumer a great many times for potions, books and other important equipment throughout the summer, he was easily considered a regular at this point. Of which included the benefit of particularly good reading tips from Mrs Nelson herself.
His phone ringed then, from its designated spot on the desk, far enough away to hopefully survive magic spikes in his sleep. He picked it up warily, pressing the green button with excruciating care.
A bit of static sounded before Jacob's familiar voice came through, "Hello," he dragged out the word happily.
"Hey Jake," Harry answered, stiff as a board as he struggled to keep his magic completely in check to avoid any sudden sparks.
"What're you up to?" the younger boy asked excitedly.
Tossing the book to the side of him on the bed, Harry answered, "Ah, nothing. Just at home, bored. I can come over if you'd like," he suggested.
Jacob quickly agreed. "I'll probably be in the garage."
Hanging up, Harry peered at the clock. Going by bus it'd take him about half an hour to get there, so he had some time to waste before he could apparate over. Deciding to do just that, he called for Fawkes.
The phoenix appeared before him, feathers aflame. He landed on his outstretched arm before extinguishing himself. "Where have you been?"
Fawkes raised his wings, flaming off once more, this time bringing Harry along. They appeared surrounded by greenery. Harry glanced at his friend curiously. The bird bobbed his head down to the ground.
Harry followed his friend's eyes. "Oh," he exclaimed. He was stood on a path, walked and worn, but not by human feet. Imprints of paws and claws remained in the dirt. The owner must've been a heavy animal to leave such deep marks in the dry dirt.
He followed it curiously, Fawkes gliding lazily through the air above him, before coming to a rocky stream. The path continued on past the flowing water. He walked ahead, carefully balancing across the mossy rocks.
A flock of birds screeched, flying off in a hurry from the thick forest. He paused, halfway across the wide creek. A branch cracked, rustling bushes signifying the approach of something big from upstream.
Another crack sounded from the other side. So, several somethings.
It wasn't long before a huge animal stepped out. A canine the size of a horse. Well, that explained the pawprints. Its thick brown fur was only marred by the mask-like grey markings around its eyes.
"Cute," Harry remarked. The oversized wolf sneezed in displeasure, sitting down with a curious tilt of its head, one ear flopping down at the movement.
His magic rose to investigate, swiftly picking up on the same familiar connection to the spirit in the forest. The wolf flinched as his magic washed over it but sat calmly again though tense. His magic deemed the animal a non-threat.
A deep growl from the other side drew his attention. Another wolf. Taller than the first even, and coal black. It seemed far more hostile, teeth on display as it stalked closer. The golden eyes of the creature were glued on him. A mistake, as it suddenly tripped, tumbling down the slippery stream rocks.
Rolling painfully, the animal whimpered as it descended, barrelling past him. Harry winced with each harrowing hop. Landing in the stream's larger puddle, it lay still for a moment, legs spread out and ears folded against its head. At least wolves didn't have to worry about embarrassing themselves to their packmates, Harry mused with humour.
"You good down there?" he asked the clumsy wolf. It hadn't looked like a pretty fall.
His companion was still in its previous place, now rolling around barking short, raspy yips. Harry would almost say it was laughing.
He hopped easily down the rocks, water splashing as he reached the shallow pool where the wolf remained still. Wading closer, his shoes filled with water, pants clinging uncomfortably to his legs.
"You hurt?" he asked with concern, frowning at the unresponsive canine.
It got up, suddenly. Not looking up once, the wolf immediately booked it from the stream. Stumbling once more before it disappeared into the bushes on the other side. Its thick, dripping wet fur left a dark trail on the rocks and dirt. At least it didn't appear to be too debilitated from the unfortunate fall.
Its friend was still yipping on the height above.
Harry shook his head at the animals' antics. "You ought to go check on your friend, you beast," he called up to it. It hopped, far more elegantly, down to the side of the pool he stood in. Harry reached down and splashed some water at it. It jumped away again, shaking its fur. "Laughing away at his unluck, not very nice," he reprimanded.
The wolf huffed, pawing at the ground in disagreement.
"Don't look at me like that, you know what you were doing."
He walked out of the creek, settling down on a drier rock next to the passive animal to remove his shoes. Water leaked out of it. The wolf had seemed uncomfortable when touched by Harry's magic previously, so he refrained from drying himself off, instead slipping them back on. Although wet, at least they weren't filled with water anymore. He'd dry off when the wolf was gone.
It shuffled closer to him hesitantly.
"What do you want now? I don't have a stick, no fetch today."
Instead of fetch, it seemed his shoulder was more interesting. The wolf sniffled where Fawkes had been sitting there earlier. Just as he did, the phoenix in question dove down, settling in the same spot right in front of the wolf's nose. It hopped back in fright.
Fawkes trilled curiously, leaning forward from his human perch.
Stepping around the wolf, the two went on their way. "Got to be going," he said, waving goodbye. The wolf didn't make a move to follow, sitting back down on the bank of the creek as he watched Harry disappear behind the foliage.
Fawkes didn't waste time once out of sight, porting them both to the forest behind Jacob's house. Harry walked the tiny trek left on his own, the phoenix vanishing once more in a cloud of flame. Absentmindedly throwing a drying charm at himself, he reached the garage, the clinking of tools sounding from within the thin walls.
The side door to Jacob's car project was opened, one of the boy's legs sticking out. Harry walked up to him leaning down to have a look at his work. It seemed the younger boy hadn't realized his presence yet.
He was humming as he handled some wires dangling out from a gaping hole in the middle of the dashboard.
"What you up to?"
Jacob jumped, a gasp ripping from his chest. "Holy shit," he exclaimed, tense and pale. "You scared the hell out of me."
"Sorry," Harry laughed unsympathetically.
The other boy relaxed again, breathing out to steady himself. "I'm replacing the radio, just got a new stereo system the other day."
"Big out-of-the-way garage, music; when's the party?"
"I don't think Dad would appreciate a bunch of kids getting drunk in his backyard."
"Killjoy."
Jacob rolled his eyes. "It's one step ahead at least. To a functioning car, I mean."
Harry stepped back, casting a critical eye on the pile of scrap. Lacking a tire, rusted up and with a headlight busted, knowing that was only the physical surface problems, he couldn't see it becoming very functional.
"Shut up," Jacob said, kicking his legs out to get up from the driver's seat.
"Didn't say anything."
"Words weren't needed, I see the way you look at her, you ass."
"Is it 'her' now?"
"She's gonna be a beauty one day," he asserted, stroking the roof affectionally.
Harry clapped him on the back, smiling indulgently. "Invite me to the wedding when she is."
The next hours followed suit until afternoon. The two enjoyed the summer day inside, under the cover of the shabby building. Music playing on low volume through the car stereo, they sipped on lemonade in big plastic cups as they talked.
Jacob set aside his empty cup and opened the side door, scrambling around in the messy glove compartment as he looked for another CD.
The garage door flew open, startling Jacob so much he knocked his head on the roof of the car. Harry chuckled at his unluck today. Looking up and rubbing at the smarting spot, the boy sighed irritably. "Today's not my day," he muttered before raising his voice, "What do you want, Quil?"
The boy, Quil, snickered lightly, eying up Harry. "What are you two doing in here? Working in secret?" he cooed suggestively.
Jacob threw his empty plastic cup towards him. "Shut up will you."
"I'm afraid I wouldn't be of much help on the car," Harry stated offhandedly.
"English?" Quil inferred from his accent. "You must be Harry," he grinned.
"It would seem so."
Jacob rolled his eyes and interrupted before Quil could ask for further details. "Where's Embry?"
"Still up in Neah Bay, his mom decided to stay another week. Guess the family missed them."
Nodding, Jacob got back to his search, finally pulling out some black cover with a yellow smiley face on it. He replaced it, the disk player taking a second for each button to register.
"Still working on this junk?" Quil asked. "You've had it for, what, half a year? Barely any progress."
"It's getting there, bit by bit," he defended. Considering the whole car was in bits that wasn't really saying much, but Harry refrained from mentioning that. "What are you doing here anyway?"
Quil shrugged. "Just bored. Did I interrupt your date?"
Jacob looked like he regretted throwing his cup earlier, now left empty-handed. Harry laughed. "I'm the third wheel here," he corrected, gesturing between the car and his friend.
"Oh yeah, I forgot. Congrats, man. You deserve each other."
"Stop ganging up on me," Jacob whined.
…
It was the weekend before the new semester. He'd be entering muggle school for the first time in seven years. Apparently he'd been better prepared for the placement exam than expected. He had, somehow, been placed up a year. He'd just progressed an eight-year education in two months. Merlin, muggles had it bad. He wasn't sure if he should be nervous, but having survived worse perhaps he'd hold off on the anxiousness. At least he'd probably share some classes with his cousin. Unfortunately, that also meant he'd be sharing the same ones with her beau.
Harry was eating breakfast at the kitchen table whilst Charlie was watching the news in the other room. The man on the telly talking loudly about this or that before it cut to the national weather forecast.
"…in Colorado we have a sunny morning, but clouds will soon start rolling in from the east. We're expecting another thunderstorm this evening, so stay inside, folks!"
Harry froze, the spoon of o-shaped cereals hanging in front of his open mouth. "There's a storm in Colorado?" he called out to Charlie.
"Often are," he grunted back in confirmation, still stuck watching the rest of the program.
Harry felt like banging his head into the table. He'd wasted a month waiting for a blasted storm to pass through Forks when he could've just apparated or had Fawkes help him across the country to a more lightning-prone area.
Today was as good as any day then. Colorado was far, but he should be able to make it in less than an hour with a few breaks between each jump.
He waited, checking the forecast repeatedly, as the day passed by. Placing his potion in an opaque wrapping and throwing it into his pocket to protect it from the sun, he was ready. The two flamed off, making it to the new state in less than seven hops and before even half an hour had gone by. Not bad for travel without a portkey, although Fawkes looked quite beaten.
It was hot and the air was unbearably dry. But the sun above him was becoming obscured rapidly.
Harry paced impatiently in the open field he'd found. The first transformation was supposedly quite disorienting and best done in a place you wouldn't hurt yourself or your surroundings.
"What if it doesn't work?" he wondered out loud. "What if I've done it wrong?"
The phoenix whistled reassuringly in response, laying deadbeat in the grass.
Harry groaned, anxious as the road to his plan came to an end. It had seemed far simpler when the concept had been the extent of it.
He flopped down in the grass next to his friend, arms spread out. "I could turn into an elephant or something," he complained. Such a big, conspicuous animal would be useless for his purpose. "Or worse; a half-elephant. Can you imagine that?" If something went wrong, he might end up stuck with animal mutations. The thought was jarring.
Fawkes trilled happily.
"I'd rather not live my life with a trunk, thank you." He frowned as another thought hit him. "Or what if I become a fish, and suffocate before I can turn back?"
The evening was spent in equal portions excitement and trepidation as the skies darkened further and the wind picked up.
Waiting impatiently in the field, he took a deep breath. His hands shook from the excitement and nerves.
A light flashed across the dark sky then, unexpected from the dry sky. A thundering rumble soon following. Harry startled at the suddenness, but quickly pulled out the potion. It was already warming up as he held it.
He unholstered his wand to his hand. Pointing it at his chest, he whispered, "Amato Animo Animato Animagus." The same chant he'd recited every day, now for the final time.
He held up the bottle, peering at it sceptically. The mixture darkened, turning a blood red. Harry sighed, reholstering his wand, and popped off the cork.
"Here goes nothing."
The small amount was gulped down in one. For a moment, he felt nothing.
Fawkes tilted his head curiously at the lack of reaction, his eyes squinted to diminish the heavy wind's attack.
Warmth built up in Harry's heart slowly. A sharp, fiery pain struck him within seconds. He grasped at his chest, falling to his knees. The sound of the howling wind cut off replaced by a double heartbeat, the uneven drumming filling his ears.
Disoriented, he spotted feathers. "Fawkes?" he called out, reaching towards the creature.
He peered up at it. It wasn't Fawkes. Rather, it was a small bird of prey, covered in black feathers, its beak and eyes similarly colourless.
Blinking his eyes, it disappeared. The sound of the storm around him returned to his ears, wind and more thunder after one another. He was sat between the long grass. Fawkes hopped over, settling on his leg.
The phoenix nipped him, warbling curiously.
He rose unsteadily, checking his fingers, feet and body for any changes. Thankfully it seemed he was still wholly human. The process had been a success.
He breathed out, recalling the bird he'd seen before coming back to his senses. He wasn't an expert on bird-ology, or ornithology, as both Hermione and Bella would no doubt correct him and didn't recognize it more than perhaps being either a hawk or a falcon.
"Let's give it a go then," he mumbled.
With the image of the animal clear in his mind, he visualized the transformation. The burn returned, this time more uncomfortable than painful. It spread throughout his body, his muscles and bones stretching and shrinking unnaturally. The feeling of his clothes and shoes melting into his skin was, however, perhaps the most disturbing.
Shaking his head from heavy winds, the sensation was unfamiliar as feathers bristled. He opened his eyes, seeing only green straws, everything hyper focused. Calling out for Fawkes, only a chirp sounded instead of the bird's name.
Crimson suddenly filled his vision. He looked up. It was Fawkes, three times bigger than Harry. He fell back in shock. Looking around again, everything was so clear. He hadn't used glasses since Madam Pomfrey had fixed up his vision in first year, but this was on another level. The details these new eyes could catch were so focused it became unsettling.
Fawkes cooed at him, carefully waddling closer. He gently nudged him with his now-huge beak. Harry felt like a child next to the phoenix. The motherly behaviour from his friend not helping on that front, besides Fawkes was a male bird.
Shaking his head again, he once more visualized the transformation, willing himself back to humanity. This was a little too unnerving for him to process in one night.
Fawkes soon flamed them both back again, taking care for longer breaks this time. Once home, the bird settled on his perch, preening his feathers meticulously. Cleaning up wasn't the worst idea, Harry thought.
He picked up a change of clothes and rushed upstairs for a shower, eager to relax in the hot water.
A bird was definitely the desired option in regards to his plan, Harry pondered. Another animal could've done as well, he supposed, but the confirmation of his love for flying was a relief nevertheless. It had come at a good time too. Tomorrow was his last day off before school and he'd need the extra hours.
It was going to be a long day.
…
Notes: Harry be done with all this Hallows nonsense.
Thank you fantasy92 for suggesting Harry's jinx would make Sam clumsy in wolf form as well, haha – poor wolf.
Thank you very much flyboy38 for suggesting that Harry just check the national weather forecast. I feel very stupid, but I'm very happy for your perfect advice.
Harry's no special bird or anything, nothing magical. Although I took some liberties with the colour pattern *-* I felt like he was perfectly capable of defending himself in human form without needing to be a nundu or something.
And tada, he overstudied and landed himself a year up. Realistic? Maybe not, but bear with me, if you don't mind.
Lastly, very important question: How are students typically organized on the first day back from summer vacation to High School in the US? Also feel free to let me know more stuff, especially in regards to small American towns like Forks. I'm really not that familiar with what culture differences exist :p For example: is underage drinking considered really taboo? Partying etc is never mentioned in the books, apart from the graduation party which I'm pretty sure was non-alcoholic. Feel like Bella must've just been like 'a good kid' but maybe her abstinence is the norm over there? I know the age limit is a lot higher after all. Any small things like that which can concern Harry's life as a teen in Forks would be appreciated. Feel free to send any such info in reviews or dms!