Chapter 1:

A History Lesson

It had been a long day. Harry had woken up that morning fully rested after his 'dream' the night before. And it was a good thing too because the Dursleys had decided that today, Harry would do a few extra chores. Harry had looked at his list blankly, not daring to speak against it in fear that he would receive more to do.

Chores:

Paint the garage door

Paint the fence-both sides!!

Mow the front lawn, and the back

Weed the garden

Redo the landscaping of the garden

Clean the garage

Clean the attic

Wash the windows-both sides!!

Vacuum the house

Mop the floors

Clean the kitchen after each meal

Harry finally decided (though he already had a sneaking suspicion) that the Dursleys were quite mad. But nonetheless, Harry set to work. And by 8:00 that night, he was finally finished. But Harry was too tired to eat dinner (that is, if you count stale bread and a glass of water as dinner). So he simply went straight to bed. Little did he know what would come of that slumber.

Harry was once again in a large forest. Only this time, it somehow seemed different. But he couldn't figure out why. He was standing in a large clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a very large, very ancient looking willow. The trunk of the tree had intricate carvings on it that Harry had never seen before. His curiosity getting the better of him he headed toward the tree. He was drawn to it somehow. As he stepped up to the tree, he could have sworn he heard someone humming. Cautiously, Harry reached out and put his hand on the tree. Or at least he tried to, but the moment his hand and the tree connected, Harry felt himself falling. He wasn't sure, but he thought he had fallen into the tree. He landed hard on the ground of wherever he was and he stood up quickly. He tried to see where he was, but Harry's glasses had fallen off. So the entire room was fuzzy.

"Those glasses of yours could become a nuisance. I think we ought to take care of that" said someone in the room.

Almost instantly, Harry could see perfectly without his glasses. Shocked, Harry examined his surroundings carefully; marveling at the way things looked without the help of his ever present glasses.

 He was in a cave, he knew that. But this cave was different. It was made of millions of different crystals that were all different colors and shining brightly. The cave was full of different shelves containing many different books, and tables with potions, quills, more books, trunks, telescopes, magnifying glasses, maps, staffs, a wand here and there, a pensive, and many more things Harry noted.  Amazed, he looked around for the owner of the voice and found an old man who closely resembled Dumbledore sitting at a desk and smiling at him. The old man had long  hair and a long beard just like Dumbledore, except this man's hair was a bit more silver. He wore long blue robes with shooting stars streaking across them, and a large, blue hat that was slightly bent at the tip. The man's eyes were what caught Harry's attention the most though. They were a deep emerald green, not unlike his own. Except this man's eyes held a deep wisdom in them, and Harry felt a sense of trust for this man.

"Who are you?" asked Harry.

The man chuckled. And standing up, began to walk towards Harry.

"That is a very good question young man. But first, who are you?"

"I'm Harry Potter." Replied Harry simply.

"Is that so? Well then, you're not the boy I was expecting. Oh no not at all. This is quite a puzzlement indeed." The old man began to mumble to himself incoherently.

"Um, who were you expecting sir?" asked Harry.

"Ahh, a young man with respect for his elders; a rare thing indeed; don't ever lose that my boy. And to answer your question, I was expecting you."

Harry was very confused now.

"But I thought you weren't expecting me?"

"No, no. I wasn't expecting Harry Potter. But I was expecting you" said the old man as if that explained everything.

"But, I AM Harry Potter."

"No my boy, Harry Potter may be your name, but it is not who, or what you are. Who and what we are is shaped by our actions, our beliefs, our emotions, and our instincts. So again, I ask you, WHO are you?" said the old man patiently.

Harry wasn't sure how to answer. How could he? Not even he knew who he was.

"Um, well, I'm a wizard." Harry said, hoping this might help.

"Are you?" asked the old man.

"Well, I can do magic. I guess that makes me a wizard."

"Magic can not be done my boy.  Magic is energy, it is life, and it is everything around us. It is a part of you, as it is everyone else. Everything in life and death is connected to it. The people you call muggles are as connected with magic as you are. The only difference is that you were blessed with the gift of harnessing that power and working with it to create or destroy something." The old man noticed Harry's confused face and said, "I think we need a bit of a history lesson."

Harry inwardly groaned. 'I hope he isn't like Professor Binns' thought Harry.

The old man led Harry to a small room on the other side of the cave. In this room, Harry was in awe to see that they no longer seemed to be in the cave. The room they were in had no walls, and the night sky seemed to surround them, its stars floating among them. It was almost as if they actually were in space. Then, the old man spoke.


            "You see my boy, when this world was created trillions of years ago, humans did not exist. In fact, they would not come until the earth itself was already very ancient. Instead, a race of great power resided on this planet. These people were called Akitians. They closely resembled humans. In fact, the only physical difference between the two was that Akitians had wings. Akitians also had magical abilities that were far greater than any human could hope to dream of. The Akitians were ruled by what you or I would call a King and Queen. And this species lived contently for thousands of years. But one thing that Akitians and Humans do share is a conflicting nature. Like humans, some Akitians desired power, while some simply hungered for destruction. And so, the Chaos wars began. And they were aptly named Harry. These wars ravaged the earth in such a way that you could feel the earth's very essence beginning to wane.

 Finally, one Akitian stood above them all and put an end to the wars. It is not known how, not even to me. But he did. Not only that, but he helped to mend the scars that had been forged into the earth, and created what was hoped to be an everlasting peace. This man became the new king, and he ruled his people well. But his advisor, a very powerful prophet, had a vision. Their very civilization would come to an end to make way for a new race of beings, humans. This prophet saw these humans, he saw their nature, and their thirst for power, and the wars they would have. He told his King of his vision. And so it was decided that they would accept their fate. Because once a vision occurs, there is no way of changing it. However, they decided that they needed a way to help these new beings find the peace that the Akitians had worked so hard to create. And so, as one, they all bonded their powers together and sort of fused into one being. This being that they became took the form of a giant bird; a phoenix to be precise. This phoenix was pure white, with a long, flowing silver tail. Its eyes were a deep blue sapphire, and its song could be heard throughout the world.

 This phoenix hid itself away from the world and watched and waited for the arrival of the humans. And when they did arrive, the great phoenix sang its beautiful song and somehow the humans were able to become a part of magic, as I told you earlier. But some of the humans found that they, like the Akitians, were able to channel this power and accomplish things with it. Those who could and those who could not lived peacefully for thousands of years. But as time passed, fear enveloped those who could not channel the power. And fear, as it always does, turned to hatred. And the two split into what you would call muggles, and magiks". The old man stopped for a moment to take a breath. As he had been talking, images of what he had been saying were appearing all around Harry, as if he were actually watching history happen.

"So, are you with me so far?" asked the old man.

"I think so" replied Harry.

"Good, because we have much more to cover."

"Now, where was I? Ah yes. The years passed by, and the hatred between the muggles and the magiks mounted. Finally, the great phoenix, who was now father to many more phoenixes like the ones you see today, could take no more. And so it decided to once more fuse. Only this time, it would fuse with a human being in the hopes that its influence could help the humans shape their life with peace. It entered a young woman by the name of Verina. Nine months later, she gave birth to a child, a child that was in fact the human form of the great phoenix. This child, who had no father, was thought to be a demon because it had no father. However, I need not go into his adventures because you already know them."

"I do?" said Harry surprised.

"Yes, you see, that boy's name, was Merlyn. But, you may call me anything you like." Merlyn's eyes twinkled as Harry looked at him with a mixture of awe, surprise, and doubt.

"But, Merlyn is dead! How could you be him?" asked Harry.

"Well, I am dead. What you see before you is only a shadow of my former self. Now, if I may continue.  I became a very powerful magik as you know. I trained Arthur to become a great King. Vivian, whom I believe you already met," Merlyn said as he pointed to the necklace Harry still wore, "gave him the sword Excalibur. And with it, and my training, Arthur brought England into a golden age of peace and prosperity. But the peace did not last. Treachery, deceit, corruption, black magic, and finally human nature helped create the downfall of Arthur and myself. I became trapped in the willow tree, which is actually a portal to a dimension created entirely of caves, which is where I now and shall forever reside. But when I died hundreds of years ago, the phoenix left as well and fused with another, and another, and another. Heroes, kings, queens, commoners, all sorts of different people became one with the phoenix. But not one was able to bring true peace to the world.

            One of the founders of Hogwarts, Godric Gryffindor, is the most famous host of the phoenix in the wizarding world. Of course, no one knows that, or anything about the phoenix; only the person who has become one with it knows. Currently, the phoenix is searching for a host. And you Harry have been chosen since birth to be that host."

            Harry stared at Merlyn completely dumbstruck.

            "M-me? But why me?"

            "Because Harry, like all those before you, you are pure of heart, and for another important reason. You see Harry, contrary to what is believed, I did marry (in secret mind you) and had a child. My daughter, whose name was Christiana kept the secret of her heritage until the day she died. She married a young man by the name Godric Gryffindor the second, the son of Godric Gryffindor obviously. They too had a daughter, and she married a man by the name of Thomas Potter."

            The realization of what Merlyn had just said began to dawn on Harry.

            "So, I'm related to you and Godric Gryffindor!!"

            "Yes, this automatically makes you more powerful than the average wizard, capable of things beyond what those around you could comprehend. You are in a sense already a part of the phoenix and there for the Akitians because you are related to me, and I was created by the Akitians soul. I know this is very confusing, but you will understand in time" said Merlyn.

            "Ok, so what happens now?" asked Harry.

            "Right now, I am going to train you. Help you prepare for when you will merge with the phoenix. You see, even though you are quite powerful, you are not yet physically, or mentally strong enough to withstand the powerful energy that you will have. Especially since you are merging with it so much later than many others did."

            "Why didn't I merge with it when I was a baby?"

            "Because at that time, the phoenix was already merged with your mother, Lily Evans, and when she died the power would have gone to you except that it felt you weren't yet ready. So it chose instead to return to its true form and wait for the day when you would be ready, which will be your fifteenth birthday. Today is July 16, which means I have two weeks to prepare you. But in this room, time does not exist. We could be here for years, and only minutes would have passed in the real world."

            "So where do we begin?" Harry asked, excitedly.

            "Why Harry my boy, we start where everyone starts, the beginning!!"

"Excellent! You learn quickly Harry. But you are still leaving your left side open to attack."

"I'll remember that Arthur. But at least I'm doing better than I did in the beginning!" Harry replied laughing.

Merlyn had started Harry's training immediately. At first, it had consisted of Harry simply getting into better shape and eating better food. His time with the Dursleys always left him too thin and malnourished. Harry had posed a question to his new mentor on their first day of training.

 "Merlyn, what's the point of this if I'm still asleep in my reality?"

"It is true that you are still asleep Harry, but the magic of this place helps your body to change even though you do not age (because time is non-existent here). As you grow here, so does your body grow in your reality."

Once Harry was back to good health, Merlyn had him practicing meditation, and other exercises that would help to calm his mind.

"Meditation is essential for you join with the phoenix. When you do merge, a million thoughts, feelings, and senses will explode around you. It will be as if you were experiencing the world through Akitians themselves. Which, in a way you are. The meditation will help you to clear your mind and ease into your change. It will also allow you to enter a type of void where you can talk face to face with the Akitians."

After Harry was able to meditate fully, Merlyn had called upon the spirit of King Arthur, Merlyn's first pupil, to teach Harry the principals of fighting and strategy. So far, Arthur had taught Harry to use the sword, daggers, the staff, the bow and arrow, (Harry somehow felt at ease with all of these. and he also showed Harry (with the help of Merlyn of course) his many battles, including his last, at the reasons he made certain decisions and their strategic significance.

Merlyn taught Harry the finer points of chess, which also enhanced his strategic abilities. Harry secretly couldn't wait to meet with Ron again so that they could play a game of chess. He also tutored Harry in dueling, which Harry found he had talent for.

And so, what felt like a year to Harry, became a week in his reality. With one week left to go, Merlyn and Harry said farewell to Arthur and left the timeless place. Back in the caves that were Merlyn's home, Harry was allowed to read and/or take many books from Merlyn's collection. Even though he knew he would never be able to read them all, he was still determined to try.

Merlyn continued to teach Harry the history of the world, and of the myths and legends that were true and that were not true but simply based on a true event and exaggerated greatly. He taught Harry more about the connection that magic had with all things, living and dead, and also entertained him with stories of when he himself had been a boy, or even when Arthur had been young and impetuous. Finally, it was July 30th, and the time soon came for Harry to leave the caves and his mentor and prepare himself for the coming of the phoenix.

"I have two gifts for you Harry. Since tomorrow is your birthday. My first gift, is this trunk." Merlyn waved his hand and a beautifully made trunk appeared. It was made of ancient oak which was the finest wood to carve anything out of because the wood itself is magical and bends to your will, allowing you to carve it into amazing things. On the lid of the trunk, the design that was on Harry's necklace had been carved marvelously. And like all wizard pictures, this carving came alive. The fox and the griffin rubbed their heads together as a sign of affection, and the winged unicorn that seemed to charge at you from the flames that the phoenix created stared at him with knowing eyes, while the phoenix sang a beautiful song that Harry knew only he could hear. There was one lock on the front.

"This trunk will open for you and you alone. Simply put your hand on the lock and say open, and it will open into a bottomless compartment that will hold anything you wish. If you put your hand on the lock, and say 'open library' then will open to reveal a compartment that you will actually be able to enter. In it you find an organized collection of all my books since you seem determined to read them all." Merlyn chuckled at this.

"Lastly, if you say 'open Caves' it will transport you back here, incase you have need of me."

Harry was amazed at all the trunk was able to do.

"Thank you Merlyn! It's wonderful!" Harry said at last.

"You're quite welcome my boy. Now, to receive my second gift, follow me."

Harry followed Merlyn into the timeless room as he had come to call it after his year spent in there. Once they had entered, Merlyn raised his arms and said an incantation. Instantly someone appeared a few feet in front of them. It took a few moments for Harry to realize that it was his mother, Lily Evans.

Shocked, he simply stood there. But his mother had other ideas. She ran to her son with her arms spread and hugged him tightly. Both of them cried openly for many minutes before Lily finely pulled away from her son.

"So, I see Merlyn has finely brought us together" said Lily.

"But, How are you here mum?" asked Harry.

"Merlyn called upon my spirit, just as he did Arthur's. He would have called your father also, but Merlyn could only call one other person. Even his powers are have limits.  When he contacted us in the spirit realm (he can do that somehow) he asked which one of us should see you. James immediately said it should be me. Although he wanted to see you more than you could imagine Harry. We love you so much. And we are very proud of you and all that you have become. We've been watching over you, and we have never, not once, regretted dying to save you."

Harry was once again crying, as was Lily and once again they embraced.

"Come, we have much to talk about" said Lily.

And so they both sat down in the timeless place and talked of simple things and important things. They talked of the past, the present and the future, about James and all the things he had told Lily to tell their son. Merlyn watched them from a distance, smiling at mother and son reunited.  

However, Lily finally had to leave. For spirits can not linger long in anyplace other than the spirit realm. She and Harry shared one last hug before they parted, and Harry thanked Merlyn even more profusely for his second gift.

"Harry, seeing you happy is a gift to me. Now, it is time for you to return to your reality. Now, I must remind you that you that you can not tell anyone about me, your heritage, the Akitians or your training. No one must know. It is too dangerous if too many people are aware of what you are able to do. I may give you permission in the future to tell Ron and Hermione, and maybe others later on. But until I say so, tell no one."

"I won't Merlyn. You have my word."

Merlyn led Harry out of the timeless place, and into the middle of the cave. Merlyn took out his wand, which Harry had rarely seen him use, and before he did anything, he asked Harry one last question.

"Who are you?"

Harry thought a moment. Merlyn had asked him this question everyday since his arrival, and everyday he had been unable to answer. But now, the answer came to him as clear as day. Harry smiled and replied,

"I'm me."

Merlyn smiled with pride before saying, "That's all we ever are Harry. That's all we ever are. Goodbye." He tapped Harry on the head with his wand, and with a 'pop!' Harry was gone.

Authors Note:

So what did you guys think? Please review, it makes me extra happy. If you're confused, don't worry, I'll try to tie up any loose ends in the next chapter. If there is something particular that confuses you, put it in your review and I'll make sure to especially cover that.