Chapter Ten

Lord Voldemort stood triumphantly over the body of his finally vanquished foe. Harry Potter lay still, cold and lifeless on the floor. He could hardly believe he had done it after all these years Harry Potter the boy who lived, was dead. Looking at him Voldemort couldn't believe he hadn't killed him sooner, he looked so young and defenceless. A flash of red distracted him from his thoughts; he looked up and to his surprise saw a phoenix circle around the room before landing on the floor next to Harry.

"Wormtail, get rid of it." He ordered and, obediently Wormtail starting towards it. He had almost reached the bird when a golden light appeared around the bird. Startled, Wormtail jumped back.

"What is going on Master?" He said looking shocked at the bird whose golden feathers had now started to fall rapidly on the floor, the light had grown and now covered Harry's body. A sudden movement in the corner of the room made both of them jump.

"Would you care to explain what is going on?" Asked Professor Dumbledore who had regained consciousness and was emitting the same cold fury he had done at the end of the previous year. Voldemort bolted towards the fire and called out some obscure name, which Dumbledore didn't catch. Wormtail however didn't get out of the room before Dumbledore froze him with a freezing spell.

A phoenix's song now filled the room as Dumbledore dropped to the floor to see what was happening. A flash of light suddenly blinded him and as his sight came back to him he gasped.

One Week Later

"So the trial was a success."

"Yes he's free at last."

Harry could just about make out voices among the cloudy vision in front of him. What trial? He felt as he had done earlier in the year as though a herd of hippogriffs had trampled on him. He opened his eyes and found he was in the hospital wing. Raising his head a bit he could see the two voices were coming from Professor Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey.

"Ah Harry you're awake." Professor Dumbledore said walking over to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"What happened, how did I get here?" Harry asked bewildered the last thing he remembered was Voldemort.

"Well you see Harry, I am only taking Pettigrew's word for this."

"Wormtail, you've spoken to him, what?" Harry interrupted.

"Yes I have spoken to him Harry" Dumbledore continued talking before Harry could interrupt him again. " According to Pettigrew Voldemort used Avada Kavada on you."

"What I died?"

"Yes Harry you died."

"But I'm here."

" Yes apparently you are, Harry, if you would let me continue. I regained consciousness just after this but apparently Fawkes then flew in and there was a flash of light that appeared around you. I then regained consciousness and Voldemort panicked and got away, but Pettigrew didn't manage to."

"So you caught him, Sirius might be free."

"Yes I did catch him and Sirius is already free."

"What, when?"

"Harry you've been unconscious for a week the trial results came in this morning and Sirius was pardoned. Anyway this light grew and Fawkes started to moult feathers and then suddenly there was a burst of gold and you were alive and, well, Fawkes unfortunately wasn't."

"I thought Phoenix's couldn't die?"

"No creature is immortal, Harry, they just have longer lifespans. That is why when Nicholas couldn't make the elixir of life anymore he died." Madam Pomfrey then came over and shooed the Headmaster out, saying her normal thing of how the patient needed rest.

Harry spent the rest of the evening thinking over what Dumbledore had said to him. It was around sunset when something that had been lurking in the back of his brain suddenly resurfaced, the prediction.

"When Enemies unite in the form of a baby, They will be killed by those still not united. The child will be left alone, More powerful than any before him. This child will grow up unaware of these powers, Until he is killed by those who are still not united. A flame will sacrifice it's self for the child"

It seemed like a millennium ago since that Divination lesson. Well he already knew his parents were the united enemies and he was the child, and he had been left alone not knowing about his powers, and he had been more powerful than anyone he used to know had been. Voldemort had killed him and a phoenix had sacrificed itself for him, you could call a phoenix a flame Harry thought. Then something struck Harry, what if the prediction meant he would be more powerful than any other wizard before him. Harry was still lying there thinking this through when Madam Pomfrey came over and told him to go to sleep.

The next day Harry found himself besieged by well wishers. Ron and Hermione were the first two and they stayed all day, as it was a weekend. Both looked very pale and worried. The rest of the Weasleys also came, as did most of Harry's class and Hagrid.

Harry was desperate for news as to what had happened at the trial but all Ron and Hermione would tell him was that neither of them had been allowed to give evidence, as they weren't eighteen and Wormtail had been sent to Azkaban for life in a high security cell.

Harry had almost given up hope at seeing Sirius again when the next morning the hospital wing door flew open.

"Sirius." Harry cried as the familiar figure walked towards him.

"Are you okay Harry, I mean really okay?" Sirius said looking really quite worried as he hugged Harry.

"Never better." Harry said grinning.

Later that day Harry and Sirius between them managed to persuade Madam Pomfrey to let Harry go. Sirius sent Harry off to the common room saying he had some business he needed to attend to.

Harry sat in the common room debating whether or not he could be bothered to go to his next lesson. He was still debating this when the portrait hole opened and in climbed Ron and Hermione.

"Harry why are you here, shouldn't you still be in the Hospital wing? Hermione asked

"Well fine I'll go back there if you want me to." Harry joked, faking an angry voice but not succeeding that well.

"Are you coming to next lesson then?" Ron asked, Harry just shrugged

"What is it?"

"Er Defence against the Dark Arts, oh come on Harry Lupin's hardly going to do anything that exhausting for you."

"Fine I'll come." The three of them, after Harry had gone and got his books, walked of down the corridor together. They were still two floors away from the classroom when the bell went.

"Er anyone else think we should run?" Hermione suggested, Ron shook his head.

"Oh he's really going to take points away from us isn't he." Hermione shot him a reprimanding look.

"Yes well I don't really want to try that thanks." They ran the rest of the way.

Harry pushed open the door of the classroom " Sorry we're late Professor Lupin but. Sirius what the bloody hell are you doing here?"

Sure enough Sirius Black was standing at the front of the classroom looking as though he had just taken the register.

"Nice to see you three have decided to join us." He said smiling. Ron and Hermione walked in behind Harry both their faces had a similarly shocked expression on them. "If you had been here on time you could have heard what I just said."

"Well go on tell us what was it?" Ron said indignantly.

"That I am the new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher."

"What happened to Professor Lupin?" All three said in unison.

"Oh he's fine you see I take one class a week and he takes the other now are you going to sit down or just stand there in the doorway all lesson because frankly I don't care either way." Harry, Ron and Hermione all walked over to their normal seats at the back of the classroom and sat down.

After a very enjoyable Defence lesson where they didn't do that much Harry traipsed down with the rest of his class to dinner. Harry couldn't help but notice that as he walked in the great hall a hush fell over the room. Harry knew from Ron and Hermione that only a few people knew he had actually died and that most people just thought he had been severely injured.

After the school had finished eating Professor Dumbledore stood up.

"Shh quiet now please I have a few words I would like to say. First welcome to our new Defence teacher Professor Black." At this he paused and waited for the customary applause, which greeted new teachers, the noise was a nervous clapping as most of the school wasn't sure still whether he was a murderer. Apart from the rest of the school there was a very loud clapping and cheering coming from the direction of the Gryffindor table in particular from Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"Next you all know what took place in the school a few days ago." At this most of the school turned and glanced at Harry before turning back to Dumbledore. "Well I have a few points to give out to a certain Gryffindor Fifth year. I award 250 points to Mr Harry Potter for bravery I couldn't have expected from anyone. I would have awarded more but the maximum number of points a teacher can give one student is 250 so there we are."

The cheers that could be heard from the Gryffindor table was so loud Harry was sure they could be heard in Hogsmeade and beyond.
THE END

Okay that's the end people, please review and let me know what you thought.