Disclaimer:
I own nothing; it all belongs to J.K.Rowling. I'm just borrowing
the characters to play with for a while. This is for pleasure only,
no profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
CHAPTER ONE – Freedom
Albus Dumbledore arrived at the cold shores of Azkaban to pick up Harry Potter and decide what should be done with him. He had not seen him in nine years and assumed he would be incoherent and severely malnourished. With Harry Potter you cannot really make accurate assumptions and Albus was unsure whether he would be sane. Assuming he was still sane, he wasn't sure if Harry would be happy to finally be free or too full of anger still at everyone. Albus wasn't even sure if any of the possibilities would be good ones. Of all the possible ways he expected Harry to be, he would never have expected this.
Harry was looking relatively fit and perhaps a little bit anxious. But his eyes held neither malice nor happiness. It was as if they were bursting full of complete indifference. This was not the haunted look all the other prisoners had.
Harry acknowledged the Headmaster with a tilt of his head. "Good afternoon Albus."
Albus's confusion was quite visible. "Hello Harry. How are you feeling?"
"More anxious and excited than I've been in ten years." Harry said in a bit of mocking honesty.
Albus smiled. "I would imagine so. You look much healthier than I was expecting. Do you require any immediate assistance or can you walk with me to the warden's office?"
"I think I'll manage just fine." Harry stood and decided that being open and addressing most of the man's questions would make his future easier. Harry smiled at him, snapped his fingers and the bars and door to his cell disappeared. Harry calmly walked out next to the Headmaster.
Albus's eyebrows jumped in surprise at this. Apparently Harry could have broken out at any time and given his appearance may have done just that many times in the past.
"Before you jump to conclusions, this is the first time I've left this cell in ten years. And I won't be answering all your questions, but I know some cannot be avoided."
Albus continued to coolly examine the young man in front of him. If his instincts were correct, Harry posed no danger to him at all, but could completely destroy him if Harry chose to try. "Since you no doubt know much of what I'm going to ask, would you care to merely explain it to me in your own words?"
Harry shook his head. "Not particularly, no. But I'll try to answer the ones you ask."
Albus was realizing just how little control he had in this situation. "Let's walk to the warden's office and converse along the way."
Harry motioned with his hands to allow Albus to lead and he would follow him there. "After you and fire away."
"How is it that you're not only sane but in surprisingly good condition?"
"After a little over two years, the dementors barely affected me. I used my time to exercise and practice magics."
"Magics? What sorts of magics and how? I was under the impression the cells prevented prisoners from most forms of magic."
"I practiced all kinds of magic. And you know most magic relies on belief. I believed my magic would work."
"How were you able to practice? My understanding was you only had a 5th year's education and were reliant on your wand for magic."
"Well I have lost a lot of my reliance on wands. And like I said, I believed in it."
Albus wasn't sure he believed all that but certainly detected no lie. Harry's calm demeanor was quite frustrating the old man. "Have you been in contact with anyone? Did they provide you with the assistance and education?"
"I suppose I have been in contact with one person. And they never willingly provided me any assistance."
"Who?"
"I'm sure you know who it was. You've no doubt seen my file and know no one has come to visit me."
This thought made Albus more uncomfortable. "So your link with Tom remains active?"
"When I choose to open it yes."
Albus paused and asked, "What is your opinion of your parent's murderer now?"
They arrived in the empty office and Harry sat down in a chair while Albus sat in the other one. "Nice wording there Albus. My opinion is that he is a homicidal psychopath with an immense amount of power. He makes for a horrible adversary but an even worse ally. Is that what you need to know?"
Albus looked at him quizzically. "You have no desire to fight him?"
Harry leveled a gaze straight into Albus's eyes. "No more than I do you."
Albus flinched at that thought. He knew he wouldn't survive against both Tom and Harry. He seriously doubted he could handle just Harry. "I've never meant to harm you Harry. I only had the good of the wizarding world and your best interests at heart."
"You're taking this conversation in a dangerous direction Albus. Perhaps we should speed this up so I can be out of your hair a bit quicker."
"We could use your help. Tom has been slowly gaining ground. Minister Diggory has been a huge help, but we are not winning this war."
"You're right, you're not winning. But you won't get my help."
"Harry. You know the prophecy. The wizarding world will most likely fall without your help."
"In the interests of justice, considering the wizarding world felt I deserved to be locked in prison, I think it would be quite just if it got imprisoned itself."
"You would condemn us all?"
"No, though that would be my right to since you all condemned me first. I'm merely leaving you. You've condemned yourselves." The complete lack of emotion as Harry said these things disturbed Albus more than anything else. Albus was at a loss.
"Is there anything that can be done to mend this rift Harry?"
Harry smiled a little for the first time. "This isn't a rift Albus. This was a complete break and separation. You may have been trying to exercise some control and to mold me, but I've learned too much about your character and what your trust is worth to further continue our relationship."
"Are you referring to me or to the wizarding world?"
"Both."
"I fear if you do not allow yourself to forgive you are going to wallow in darkness and negativity."
"Your fears are groundless. I've been letting you read my emotions this entire conversation and I know you felt no signs of darkness or negativity. Either directed towards yourself or Tom."
Albus was liking this less and less. He was hoping Harry had been suppressing and hiding his emotions but to actually feel so little was scary. Tom felt full of hatred and distrust. Harry felt like he had been Kissed. "So what are you going to do with yourself now?"
"Leave Britain. Find somewhere I can call my own. Make a home. Study more magic. Things that would make the people I care about feel proud. Fighting your war for you is not on that list."
"Have you no happy memories left? Do you not wish to even visit with your friends? Or to perhaps finish your Hogwarts education?"
"I've plenty of happy memories. Reliving them now doesn't bring as much joy as they used to, but I still have them. As for friends, I can think of no wizard alive I would call a friend. Hogwarts curriculum has little left to offer me, and the idea of becoming a student there again is ludicrous. Although," Harry paused briefly thinking, "I would like to talk to her. Would you like to go there now?" Harry finished extending his hand.
Albus tentatively reached out and grasped Harry's hand and felt the telltale signs of being a passenger to apparition. Slicing straight through the wards and arriving directly in front of the front door really should not have surprised Albus. But it did. He chuckled to himself "I see you haven't read Hogwarts, A History."
Harry smiled at the feelings Hogwarts was giving Harry. He ignored Albus's joke and was communicating with the castle. To the Headmaster's surprise, the stone wall seemed to melt away into a doorway.
"Excuse me Albus. I would like to talk to Hogwarts for a bit and catch up with her." And Harry quickly walked in the mysterious door before the Headmaster could say anything. The doorway disappeared and melted back into stone.
The Headmaster didn't know what to think now. His control over the wards and his bond with the school hadn't even twitched this whole time. He walked up to his office and sat comfortably thinking about and waiting on Harry. He was probing his link with the castle asking where Harry was, what they were talking about, why the castle responded to him. He was a bit alarmed when along the bond he heard Harry's voice reply back "I'll be there in less than five minutes."
About four and a half minutes later a golden doorway appeared in the middle of the Headmaster's office. Harry stepped out and looked at the Headmaster as the doorway seemed to disappear. Fawkes let out a triumphant trill and flew up in the air circling Harry a few times. "Thank you Fawkes. That was wonderful. It's good to see you." Harry said with the brightest smile Albus had seen yet.
Fawkes chirped back in response and settled onto Harry's knee once he was sitting down. Fawkes and Harry were looking at each other seemingly having a conversation with their eyes. Harry spoke up "Would you let me try Fawkes?"
Fawkes trilled back something that Albus interpreted as "I'd be honored." Albus was quite curious what was going on. Harry gently placed both of his hands on either side of Fawkes head. Fawkes looked deep into Harry's eyes before bowing his head and giving him a little head butt. Albus saw some sort of sparkle of magic swirl between them before Fawkes leaped back up and started trilling again. Albus was still unprepared for the continuous surprises when Harry stood up and with a pop transformed into a phoenix that looked almost like a brother to Fawkes, but clearly not exactly Fawkes. Harry trilled out a song that had very little effect on Albus's mood. He then paused and hovered and exploded in bright white flames that receded to reveal a human Harry Potter again. "That was amazing Fawkes. Thank you."
"Harry? Would you mind sharing with me what you just did?"
"Sure Albus. A simple explanation would be I just exposed my magic to Fawkes and he in turn showed me his. I then gave him a gift, and he gave me one in return. My transformation and rebirth were his gift to me. Should make dying a bit easier now." Fawkes flew over and cuffed Harry in the head for that comment. "Oh stop Fawkes, you know I wasn't trying to use you."
"Harry, are you implying you are now immortal?"
"You're assuming I wasn't immortal before." Harry was saying with a smirk. "Geez Fawkes, you've got my disposition all playful now." A trill was responded and Harry added "Yes, I'm sure that it was purely for Albus's benefit and you're taking no joy in this at all."
"Forgive me for intruding, but what did you gift Fawkes in return?"
Albus was startled to hear the response in his head. "He thought I might like some advanced talents in Legilimency."
Albus jumped back in his chair and looked at his companion. "Fawkes?"
Fawkes seemed to be laughing as well as a phoenix can. "Albus?"
"Oh my. This can make things much more fun." Albus said with a smile.
"This may mean you're going to have to stop crapping in Albus's lemon drops." Harry commented with a smile. Fawkes was unprepared for his new brother to start throwing out secrets and lost control of his flight and smacked into the painting of Dilys Derwent. Albus and Harry were both laughing at the normally graceful phoenix doing his best to make that move look intentional.
They were interrupted by a knock on the Headmaster's door. Albus bellowed out "Enter" and wasn't too surprised to see Dobby walk in. "Dobby is all packed and has said his goodbyes, Harry."
Albus had a playful smile and said "I take it I'm losing one of my best house-elves?"
Harry's face adopted a grimace and said, "Probably most other elves would take pride in that comment, but Dobby never belonged to you, Albus. He's his own being, not property, and I invited my friend to come along with me." Dobby wasn't as hurt by the comments as Harry implied but he certainly was happy to hear him voiced as a friend, even an equal. Dobby smiled and said "Looking forward to it, Harry. And thank you, Headmaster, for the employment and home for the past thirteen years. Dobby knows the Headmaster is brilliant, and probably knew Dobby would be leaving."
"I apologize if I offended you Dobby, and you have been most welcome and will continue to be welcome back here in employment or to visit any time you wish." The Headmaster responded genuinely.
"Well, I think this is where we should say goodbye. I think I'm going to let Dobby teach me a thing or two about this freedom stuff he's always talking about." The Headmaster was bothered by how calmly Harry could say things like that. "I really wish you would stay and help us, but I can see now is not the time. Will you be reachable by owl?"
"I've been trying to remain as courteous and respectful with you as possible Albus, but I hope you are not misinterpreting that as false hope. I have very little respect for the wizarding world. I may remain visible and active in the magical world, but do not misconstrue that as being the same as the wizarding world. And, if you can convince him, my newest brother over there will always be able to find me." Harry said with a nod towards Fawkes. Fawkes let out a trill and perched briefly on the top of Harry's head. Fawkes bent straight down and was looking at Harry upside-down with a phoenix smile. A brief nibble on Harry's nose and he took back to the air before settling on his perch.
"Good day Albus."
"Be well Harry."
"So tell me Dobby, have you ever traveled by phoenix fire?"
Dobby had a quizzical look and shook his head. "No."
Harry popped into his new phoenix form flew around the room trilling a song that brought smiles to Fawkes and Dobby's faces before grabbing Dobby by the shoulders and flashing away in a burst of fire. Albus again was confused that Harry's song had no effect on him. It gave him neither good nor bad feelings. It sounded hollow and left him with a feeling of emptiness.
