A/N: Hey everyone. I worked very hard and got the next chapter finished before I left for medical school. I hope that you like it. It may not be the best, but it is certainly the most important chapter yet.

Harry Potter: Prophecy of the Phoenix – Chapter 14

James Potter guided his wife into the Phoenix Chamber with his hand on the small of her back. She had been ill lately, and he had tried to convince her that she should remain home that evening. Even with the promise that he would fill her in with the details of the meeting as soon as he returned home, she had stubbornly refused.

James yelped and pulled back his hand as his wife was suddenly surrounded by an aura of flame.

Both the chamber and Fawkes trilled notes of excitement, but James was absolutely frantic.

"Lily!"

"I'm all right, James. It doesn't hurt."

In fact, it was almost soothing, and she felt a stirring in her womb, a feeling that her doctor had told her that she would not feel for several weeks yet.

Despite her assurances that it was not painful, James could not shake the panic stemming from the fact that his wife was surrounded by flames.

He felt a reassuring hand in his shoulder and heard Dumbledore's soft tones, "Relax, she's in no danger."

Sure enough, the flames ebbed, and James immediately pulled her into a protective embrace.

Lily seemed amused. "I told you that I was all right."

Dumbledore was smiling widely as James released his wife.

"My sincere congratulations to the both of you."

"On what?" James queried, feeling quite lost.

Instead of responding to James's question, Dumbledore focused on Lily.

"My apologies. I did not realize that you had not told him yet."

"Told me what – oh." James interrupted his own frustration with sudden understanding as his mind put together her symptoms and the congratulatory remark. His eyes became saucers as he looked at Lily in disbelief. "No."

Lily smiled back sweetly, "Yes, Daddy."

"But how did this happen?"

Dumbledore's lips twitched in amusement, "Perhaps your wife could educate you in the matters human procreation after the meeting."

Lily had to drag James over to the table where he slumped into his chair as if he had just been assaulted.

Sirius whispered to both of them, "Are you two okay? What happened over there?"

The remaining two Marauders looked equally as inquisitive.

It was Lily who spoke, as James could not trust his voice yet.

"James just got a little bit of surprise. Don't worry. We're both fine."

The actual meeting itself blurred in Harry's mind's eye much like a muggle VCR fast-forwarding through a superfluous scene on a videocassette. It cleared again as Dumbledore asked James and Lily to remain.

"I'm sure that both of you are wondering exactly what happened here tonight. While I cannot provide you with a definite answer, I can offer you a speculation. Many years ago I happened across a prophecy involving a phoenix and a serpent. I knew even then that the serpent was a reference to Voldemort."

"And you think that our baby is the phoenix." Lily spoke without question in her voice.

"Yes, I do."

"What did the prophecy say, Albus?" James asked, looking uneasy.

"I ask that for your own safety and that of your child's that you do not repeat what I am about to tell you to anyone. This includes Sirius, Remus, and Peter."

They both nodded, and Lily placed a protective hand against her still flat abdomen.

Dumbledore summoned a scroll, explaining that he had made himself a translation from the original, but he had no doubts about the accuracy of the translation.

He read aloud only what Harry himself had read, and Harry wondered whether Dumbledore had chosen not to recite the entire prophecy to his parents of if Dumbledore really did not know about the missing page.

Lily burst into tears, and James put his arm around her.

"Oh, James. How can we bring a baby into this world knowing that his purpose is to die?"

"Are you sure, Albus?" James questioned.

"I have suspected for some time that the first two lines referred to your unique heritage and Lily's name although the stag reference never has made sense to me. With what happened tonight, I am almost certain though only time will tell." He then turned his kind cerulean eyes to the distraught mother, "Lily, while it is true that the ending of the prophecy is most unsettling, it does not give an age for your child for when it comes to pass. It very well could be my age. Until then, you love him, encourage him, and discipline him like any other child, and you tell him of the prophecy only when you think that he is ready or that it is necessary."

Fawkes landed on Lily's lap, and Lily's tears subsided as comforting warmth began to spread through her. The phoenix then laid its head against her abdomen, and she felt the same stirring sensation within her.

The vision faded as a loving smile came upon her face.

A single pearly tear trailed down Harry's feathery cheek.

It was strange that he could feel the ache of loss and the soothing of fulfillment at the same time.

Finally he had a vivid memory of his parents other than that of their deaths, and yet that memory only served to make them more real to him, to emphasize what had been cruelly ripped away from him.

The tear clung stubbornly to the edge of his cheek before losing its fight to gravity. It was the small plume of smoke that drew Harry's attention to the table.

A note of surprise left his throat and echoed vibrantly throughout the chamber.

Even though the table was magical, it was also very old, indicated by the fading color and the various scratches and scuffs that it had earned over the years. That is, it was faded and scratched everywhere except in a tiny circle where his tear had hit and where table had been remarkably restored.

Harry blinked in amazement. He had spent so much time researching, picking through miniscule sentences in large volumes, and he had dragged Ron into the library during his winter vacation only to have the answer fall so naturally into his lap.

His tears had healing powers, meaning that a magical animagus inherited both natural and magical instincts of the animal, which meant that his suspicions regarding how his animagus form would save his life were most likely correct.

The kernel of hope that had seeded during his discovery of the missing page now began to bloom inside of him. There was a way to defeat Voldemort without his life being in vain.

There was a flutter of wings as Fawkes landed beside him on the table.

"Dumbledore has a pair of frantic visitors in his office. Apparently, after transforming into a stag and returning to human form you collapsed in pain and disappeared."

Harry released a sigh of relief. It seemed as though he had left the Marauders' quarters in his human form. Finally, something had gone right.

Fawkes cocked his head as if sensing something. "You finally saw didn't you?"

The vivid memory of the love in his parents' eyes for their newly discovered unborn child and the anguish in their faces when they heard the prophecy came to the front of his mind, and fresh tears began to pool in his eyes.

"They both loved you very much, Harry. You should never forget that."

Though Harry knew that he probably would not receive an answer, at least a helpful one, he had to ask the question anyway.

"Why didn't Dumbledore tell my parents all of the prophecy."

Fawkes thought a moment before responding. "Quite simply because he did not know and still does not know that there was any more to tell."

That took a moment to sink in. Not only had he actually been given a straight answer, it had not been the one he had been expecting.

"Do you mean that he doesn't even know about the missing page? I thought for sure he was the one who had it."

"There are times that fate reveals too much of itself and must take measures to conceal what it must. This is true of the final portion of the prophecy. Somehow revealing what it says now may actually alter what is supposed to be. The information has been missing for some time now, and it has even faded from phoenix lore though it was once well-known."

"Then how do you know about it at all?"

Fawkes looked torn once again and then provided the answer reluctantly, "Though the details have faded, the knowledge remained that the final part of the prophecy dealt with the third reign of darkness."

"No!" Harry protested, feeling the desperate need to escape for the second time that night. A fury was beginning to burn through him.

"Harry-" Fawkes started calmly.

"No, it's just not fair. How-how could he be reborn with me?"

"There are spells that he could use that could strengthen his link to you such that he could come back with you. That's why you have to be so careful about keeping your form a secret and why you should not transform when the time comes until it is absolutely necessary."

"Then I won't come back at all. If I die then he stays dead."

The kernel of hope was now effectively destroyed. At the moment he did not care anymore whether his life would be in vain as long as his death would not.

"No, Harry, you were meant to be reborn. You felt it the first time that you read the prophecy."

"Not if it means bringing Voldemort back with me. I'm not that desperate to save my life if it means that I'm responsible for Voldemort returning again."

Fawkes caught the significance of and the guilt riddled in the last statement but felt that there was no need to open another Pandora's box at the moment.

"We don't know if Voldemort himself is involved in the third reign. It may in fact be a new Dark Lord that is somehow associated with him, and if you do not allow yourself to be reborn, the world could fall to the darkness."

Hermione had told him once that he was only human, but in fact he was a puppet being controlled by invisible strings.

"Why does it have to be me? I never wanted this, never asked for this." His words were laced with true anguish.

Fawkes looked at him solemnly. "And that, Harry, is exactly why it had to be you."

Harry could not decide which sensation that he was feeling was the most prominent. He was so furious, so confused, so overwhelmed, and so tired. He wanted to scream, to shout, to reflect with decibels of his own production the unfairness of it all, but instead he whispered, "I don't want to do it anymore."

He fled, first by air, and then at the soonest opportunity, he transformed back into his human self. He could barely feel his feet hitting the ground and found himself running blindly, letting his instincts guide him to a destination that he had yet to choose.

A collision shocked his senses back to his surroundings, and a grip on his forearm was the only thing that kept him from falling on his rump.

"Potter, watch where you're going!"

It was only then that he realized he had literally run into Snape.

Harry tried to stutter through an apology, but Snape was too impatient to wait for it.

"Come along, Potter. You've had all of your professors searching the castle for you, and I daresay that we all have better things to do with our time."

Harry's feet became rooted to the ground. The last thing that he wanted to do was to go to Dumbledore's office, which is where they would be inevitably heading.

He was not prepared to pretend that everything was okay, and he had not come up with a believable story as to what happened. He was well aware that would have to face what he had learned that evening, but now was not the time, not when everything was so fresh.

"Perhaps you misunderstood me. Let me be clearer. We will be taking a trip to the headmaster's office so that I will not have to waste any more of my valuable time."

Snape was glaring at him, but there seemed to be a minuscule twinge of concern visible in the onyx orbs when Harry neither moved nor responded.

"Has someone petrified you, Potter?"

"No, sir." Harry found his voice and was horrified when it cracked a little.

"Then we have an appointment to keep. If you have problems making under your own power, I have no reserves about stunning you and floating you up there."

For a brief and ridiculous moment, Harry wondered how far he would get if he simply bolted in the other direction, but being floated into Dumbledore's office would not help his predicament any.

Finally, he convinced his limbs to move and trudged reluctantly alongside Snape to the stone gargoyle.

Harry received another glare as Snape spat out the password. It seemed as though word had spread through the teaching staff that Harry was ultimately responsible for the prank played on the Weasley twins.

When Snape escorted Harry in, albeit a little roughly as his legs threatened to lock themselves outside of Dumbledore's office, Harry immediately felt guilty for delaying.

Upon seeing him, the relief in the room was almost tangible. Sirius was at his side immediately, wrapping his arm around the young wizard's shoulder and guiding him to a chair. Though Sirius took a seat beside his godson, he kept a hand squeezing with gentle pressure for the dual purpose of reassuring Harry and reassuring himself that Harry was not going anywhere.

Dumbledore's eyes flashed over at Harry, to gauge his condition, before turning his attention to Snape.

"Thank you, Severus. If you would be so kind as to inform the others that the search is no longer necessary."

"Of course." Snape replied curtly, spinning sharply to make his exit.

Dumbledore shot a calm smile in Harry's direction. "Would you care for a lemon drop, Harry?"

Would he care for a lemon drop? No he would not care for a lemon drop. What he wanted was to have a normal life, to be something between "Boy" and "The Boy-Who-Lived." He wanted just to be Harry where the thing that he feared most was his upcoming O.W.L.S.

Sensing his turmoil, Fawkes landed on his shoulders. Harry tensed, remembering what the phoenix had revealed, but felt himself relax as the phoenix worked his magic.

Steeling himself so as not to burst into hysterics, Harry met Dumbledore's eyes and replied softly but firmly, "No, thank you, sir." Then beating them to the question that he knew they wanted to ask, he added, "I don't know what happened. All I know is the transforming hurt, and then I was waking up in a corridor of the castle that I had never seen before."

"Are you in any pain now? Do you need to go to the Hospital wing?" The boyish enthusiasm that had lit up Sirius's face was gone, replaced by parental concern.

"No and definitely no. If I go to the hospital wing one more time this year, I think that Madam Pomfrey's just going to make me move there permanently."

This time it was Harry that was trying to lighten the mood while Dumbledore remained serious.

"Harry, I need you to think carefully about how you left. Do you remember touching anything? Do you remember any particular sensations?"

Harry thought for a moment. At the time the transit had seemed instantaneous, but now that he looked back on it, through the pain and other sensations, there had something, almost like a tugging sensation. Whether it was a result of him or something else, he could not be sure.

He missed the subtle shake of Remus's head, indicating to the headmaster that he could detect no foreign spells on Harry.

"No, I'm sorry." The words came out easily, and Harry wondered if it was a good thing lying had become easier since the beginning of the year.

However, unease began to creep through him at his headmaster's probing gaze, telling Harry that he was not as comfortable lying to his headmaster as he had first thought. A jolt of concern shot through him as Dumbledore's shoulders slumped as if under an invisible weight, and the twinkle in his eye faded, emphasizing the wrinkles in his wizened face.

"There's no need to apologize for that which you can control. I'm sorry to say that I cannot offer you an explanation for your disappearance, but, unfortunately, I understand the circumstances of your transformation quite well." Dumbledore paused a moment to close his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were cracked with regret. "I've already spoken to Sirius and Remus. I'm afraid that you will not be able to continue with your animagus lessons."

Although canceling the lessons had been his plan from the beginning, there was a genuine sadness that rose inside of him at Dumbledore's words. He could not bear to look at his godfather and see the inevitable disappointment in his features.

Sirius squeezed Harry's arm, trying to draw his attention. "I'm sorry, Harry. I know that you must be disappointed. I guess that it wasn't such a great Christmas present after all."

As Harry looked up to face the pair, Lupin winked at him, "But don't worry. We'll find something else to give you for Christmas."

"That's not necessary." Harry felt really low, undeserving of a present. He felt awful for deceiving them, especially when they were putting aside their own disappointment and trying to make him feel better.

Sirius looked as if he was appalled, "Of course it is. What kind of godfather do you take me for?"

"Besides, knowing Sirius, he already has something up his sleeve." Remus spoke with a straight face but with obvious sarcasm.

"Well, if you're going to poke fun, Moony, I won't let you help, and you'll have to think of your own present."

Dumbledore cleared his throat and the Marauders fell silent, but Harry was relieved to note that Dumbledore's eyes had regained a bit of their sparkle.

"Would the two of you mind continuing this conversation elsewhere? There are some things that I would like to discuss with Harry alone."

Sirius actually opened his mouth to argue, but shut it when Dumbledore's eyes rested upon him. The blue depths were both commanding and pleading, and it was the latter that Sirius could not argue against. He squeezed Harry's arm again, hoping to provide a reassurance that he could not find the words to express.

"I'm all right, Sirius." The words did little to placate anyone as they came out sounding rather hollow.

You always are, Harry. Sirius thought sadly. For not the first time he sent a silent plea to James, asking for some guidance in helping his son.

"I'll see you later, Harry. If you need to talk…" The sentence trailed with the open invitation.

"Thanks."

There was a growing part of him that wanted desperately to confide in his godfather, to simply blurt everything out, to finally talk to someone and allow himself to have a little help. However, despite his resolve not to be the puppet of fate any longer, he found himself keeping his silence.

When the pair had completed their reluctant exit, Dumbledore stood from the chair behind his desk and sat in the chair Sirius had previously occupied, as if closing more than the physical gap that had separated them.

It was not his headmaster that sat in front of him but the man who actually resided in the shell of the great Albus Dumbledore, and that man seemed surprisingly vulnerable as he began his narrative.

"I was about your age when I began my own independent study to become an animagus. My powers were growing much as yours are now, and classes were becoming too easy for my tastes, so I decided to give myself a challenge. It took me only a week to get through the initial transformational processes, which should have taken months. The following night I was convinced that I could complete the transformation. I barely got past the initial stages before I felt as if I was being ripped apart. I managed to return to my original form before I collapsed. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the hospital wing. Apparently, one of my housemates discovered me lying on the ground unconscious. After I was released, I tried to transform only once more, but the pain began even sooner than it had before. It's still one of my deepest regrets today that I will never be able to take my form."

Dumbledore's eyes shifted so that they were looking longingly at Fawkes, and Harry knew then exactly what form Dumbledore had the potential to take.

A fresh surge of guilt flowed through him, stemming from the fact that Dumbledore had opened up to him thinking that he was sharing a similar pain to relieve Harry's own when in fact Harry was hiding the truth from him.

"I told you this, Harry, because sometimes things like this happen. It doesn't make you any less of a wizard, and it's not your fault, but it is okay to feel disappointed."

"Thank you." Harry murmured weakly.

Dumbledore smiled, and suddenly it was his headmaster sitting across from him again.

"Now, I will trust your judgement that you do not need to go to the hospital wing, certainly you've been there often enough to be an accurate judge, but I'm sure that you must be exhausted. If I know them, Sirius and Remus will be waiting for you at the bottom of the stairwell to take you back to your dormitory."

Fawkes flew back to his perch as Harry stood to leave. Internally the battle had not been won about what role he wanted his life to play. If he decided simply to die, it would not matter who knew about his form. He could tell Dumbledore everything as well as Sirius and Remus. In a way, his life would be much simpler if he simply died with Voldemort, but what if Fawkes was right? What if his death allowed another Dark Lord to plunge the wizarding world into darkness? What if the easy path for him condemned everyone he cared for?

Just as Harry reached the door, Dumbledore called out a soft question. "Harry, are you sure there isn't something that you want to tell me?"

"I'm sure. Good night, sir, and thank you for everything."

In fact, Harry had never been less sure of anything in his life.

Despite everything, he could not stop the corners from his lips from twitching slightly upwards when he saw Lupin and a large black dog at the bottom of the stairwell.

"Harry, you have to help her. She's either going to hurt herself or drive herself mad." Ron announced flopping down on his bed the next evening.

Harry looked up from his Charms essay, "Is she still practicing?"

"I went and joined her for awhile. I know that it's difficult magic, so I really don't care that I'm not making progress yet, but she does. She's a mess Harry."

Harry looked down at his essay. It was due in the morning, but he knew that he was going to have to scrap it anyway. His mind just could not focus on his work, and he had to admit that his essay was not the least bit coherent.

"All right." Harry agreed. "But if she kills me, I'm coming back to haunt you."

The Gryffindor common room was remarkably empty. It appeared as if the Gryffindors had decided that it would be safer to do their homework somewhere else that evening.

"Expecto patronum!"

Harry was amazed at the desperation in Hermione's voice.

"Hermione, stop." Harry commanded softly but firmly.

She whirled to face him with a bit of a crazed look to her features.

"I can't stop, not until I get something."

"Then let me help you. Look, the way I figure it, you've helped Ron and me loads of times over the years. We owe you several times over. Let me help you just this once."

She looked defeated, but she agreed.

"Good. Sit down."

"Sit down? But I can't take a break now. I-"

"I'm not asking you to take a break. Trust me, Hermione."

A soft throbbing was beginning to emerge against his skull, and this time it had nothing to do with his scar.

She sat, but she did not look happy about it. Harry sat beside her.

"Now the first thing that you have to do is relax. You're not going to get anywhere if you're so frustrated that you can't think straight."

The irony of the statement was not lost on him. After all, Dumbledore had purposely frustrated him to get results, and Hermione's frustration was preventing her from achieving them.

"I want you to close your eyes and think about your happy memory. Go back to the moment and remember how it made you feel."

Harry let her sit there until a smile quirked onto her face and the crazed tension had smoothed out of her face.

"Now, stand up, open your eyes, and try the spell again, focussing on that feeling."

"Expecto patronum!"

Hermione's face fell when nothing happened yet again.

"No, don't get discouraged." Harry spoke quickly. "It's the joy that feeds your patronus. Find a different memory, a stronger one, and try again."

"Expecto patronum!"

Again there was nothing, but there had been the edge of frustration in her voice as she had spoken the spell.

"Hermione, you have to relax. Don't force it."

There was a moment of silence before Hermione cast the spell again.

"Expecto patronum!"

Ten minutes passed much the same with Harry encouraging Hermione and urging her to relax, and he was beginning to doubt his methods. He felt helpless and useless, and he noticed that there were tears glittering in Hermione's eyes.

She lowered her wand in defeat. "Maybe I just can't do it."

Harry met her eyes, seeing the tears about to fall, and decided that he was not about to let her give up.

"Just try it once more. We can always continue later, and I'm sure Remus would be willing to help. He'd probably be much better at helping you than I am."

There was just something about his voice. Hermione looked at him, really looked at him for the first time since he had returned from his animagus lesson. There was a pain and conflict that had not been there before, and she was horrified to discover that she had no idea when it had happened nor why. She had been too immersed in her own problem.

Looking into his eyes, she focussed on the aftermath of the troll attack in her first year when she realized that Harry and Ron really cared about her, the day that their friendship had begun.

A tiny wisp of silver smoke emerged from the tip of her wand, and for a moment it seemed as though Hermione could not believe it.

Then, she squealed loudly and wrapped her arms tightly around Harry, thanking him over and over again as if babbling.

"I didn't do anything Hermione. It was all you. Why don't you go tell Ron the good news? He was worried about you."

Hermione released him and looked at him as if he had just suggested something quite vulgar.

"But I'm not allowed in the boy's dormitories."

Harry shrugged. "You're a prefect. If you feel the need, you can take points away from yourself afterwards. I think five should be sufficient. Now go on."

With only a smile, she raced up the stairs.

Harry had not been so nervous about a Quidditch match since his first game. He had been off since the revelation in the Phoenix Chamber, but he had not realized how off he had been until Angelina had pulled him aside after the last practice and had asked if there was anything bothering him.

His teachers were beginning to approach him about the decline of his work quality, and he had assured everyone that nothing was wrong.

It was the biggest lie he had told to date.

He had promised himself that he would put aside all worries until the end of the game for the sake of his team. Besides it was dangerous to be distracted during Quidditch. Harry had obtained his fair share of injuries when he was paying attention.

The familiar fire of excitement lit in his stomach at the release of the Quaffle to begin the game. He began to circle the pitch, looking for the familiar glint of gold of the Snitch.

Cho Chang was right on his tail. Ever since the end of the Triwizard tournament, he had not been able to see her in the same way. It was amazing how death could so effectively destroy a crush.

He shook himself forcefully. This was not the time. He had a Snitch to catch.

The Gryffindor team, while they had always been good, was playing at a level that Harry had never seen. As Alicia made a near-impossible goal, Harry realized that they were playing so hard because they were worried about him. They were trying to raise their lead above Ravenclaw such that catching the Snitch would not matter, and they were doing a fair job. The score was already thirty to nothing.

For the first time, his mind completely cleared with his new incentive. He would not let them down.

He sped away from Cho, weaving in a pattern around the Bludgers so that she could not follow. Once he had shaken her, he slowed, perusing the field for the tiny metal object.

He dipped a bit, thinking that maybe he had seen something when a spell hit him. There was an instant of searing pain as all of the air was forced from his lungs, and he could not make them work to draw in more.

He knew that he was falling, and he heard cries of alarm from the crowd. He tried to find the focus that Dumbledore had been trying to help him find. It didn't matter that his lessons thus far had been, in his opinion, less than successful.

He was feeling dizzy, fuzzy, and quite a bit desperate. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion, and he wondered how long he had been falling.

The restricted feeling in his chest was lifted, and with his first breath he screamed, "Accio Firebolt!"

The broom raced into his outstretched hand, and he maneuvered his body so that he could mount it only five feet from the ground. He zoomed back up to the playing field, furious. That had been intentional.

Immediately he scanned the Slytherin section and saw Draco Malfoy wearing an incriminating smirk on his face, and right above his head was the Snitch.

Harry flew faster than he had ever flown before right at Malfoy.

The smirk left Malfoy's face, and he ducked seconds before Harry would have smashed right into him. As it was, when he pulled up with the Snitch held up victoriously in his hands, the edge of his broom whacked Malfoy on the back of the head, accidentally of course, with a satisfying thud, hard enough to be quite uncomfortable but not hard enough to knock him unconscious.

Lee Jordan was ecstatic. "Gryffindor wins 240 points to 10!"

Harry landed to find the Weasley twins clap him on the back, "Great catch Harry."

Harry looked at his teammates, who were beaming, "Me? What about you guys? You've been holding out on me. Since when have you been able to play like that? Keep it up, and Slytherin won't know what hit them."

"What happened, Harry? Why did you fall like that?" Alicia was the first to ask, but the others were obviously curious.

"I was hit by a spell." Harry's eyes were glittering. "Let's just say that Malfoy had better practice very hard before our match because I'm not going to pull any punches."

As the team left the field Fred and George flanked him and both put an arm around his shoulder. He was not sure which one spoke, but the sentiment seemed to be a shared one.

"After the party, we're going to have a little chat with you a Ron about a little thing called Fountain fizzies."

Harry did not recognize where he was, but there was a tingle of familiarity in the back of his mind that was like an itch that could not be scratched. Wherever it was, there was rubble everywhere and there was evidence of a recent battle.

"Not Harry-"

The words whispered through his mind and Harry realized where he was. This was what was left of Godric's Hollow.

There was a series of pops and Harry immediately recognized Dumbledore, Sirius, and Remus.

The three of them saw what Harry had not: a pair of wands lying on the ground.

Sirius called his godson's name out in utter anguish as all of them ran towards the wands and the apparent final resting sites for Voldemort and Harry.

Harry felt his heart break in half. He could not bear to see them hurting so.

Sirius collapsed onto his knees as if his world had come to an end, unable to believe that he had failed his godson so miserably.

A tiny fist shot up from amongst the rubble, gray from what appeared to be ash, and an infant's cry echoed in the midst of destruction.

Harry gasped as a pair of vibrant emerald eyes stared back in the infant's head, and as Sirius brushed the ash from the baby's face he uncovered the familiar lightning scar.

"Harry?" Sirius breathed.

"Albus, how…?" Remus could not even finish the question.

"Merlin." Dumbledore gasped in amazement. "That was why the prophecy referred to him as a phoenix. It didn't have anything to do with him being part of the Order at all. I'm sorry Harry. I thought that I was protecting you."

Harry stared at his younger self in shock. All this time he figured that he would somehow return as he left. It had not even crossed his mind that he would begin again as an infant, but now that he thought of it, it did make sense.

"Let's get him back to Hogwarts, Sirius, and have Madam Pomfrey make sure that he's all right." Remus spoke breaking through the shock that had come upon Sirius.

Sirius lifted the infant completely clothed in ashes into his arms like a precious treasure that he was afraid would break or disappear.

The babe settled into the warmth of his arms, and the emerald eyes gazed at Sirius's tear-stained face with a look that was much older and more mature than the infant's apparent age.

"It will be better this time, Harry. This time you'll grow up with me like you should have in the first place. We captured Wormtail tonight. It's only a matter of time before I'm cleared of all charges."

Sirius's face was conflicted, full of hope and yet inexorably sad. His godson was alive, and yet the Harry he had known was gone.

The last time Harry had a vision of the future, he had changed it. He had saved Snape's life. Maybe he could change this too. Maybe he could be reborn as a phoenix. They would mature faster, but that would mean that they would believe him dead for at least a couple of months.

Harry awoke, his mind still in turmoil over the last part of the prophecy, but at least now he had made a decision. He knew what he had to do.

A/N: Well, you guys got some answers. You know now that Dumbledore does not have the page and that his form is a phoenix. I will update when I can, but I will continue. Have not fear. Now onto the reviewers:

Chava: I'm very happy that you liked the Snape scene. Thanks for the preview and convincing me to leave it in. I liked the idea of the Fountain fizzies as well. They came only because I could not think of anything for Harry to give Ron for Christmas.

shawn: The wait was not so bad this time. Thanks.

Lani Lalaith: I hope that you enjoyed the rest of it.

venus4280: Well, I'm afraid that you didn't quite get that answer did you, but you got others. I hope that this chapter was just as entertaining.

Kim: No fear. I've done that myself. Try to stay through the end because the end is the best part and was the inspiration for the rest of the story.

tnythms: Look, I did.

CounterCurse: Well, I actually answered all of your questions. It would not kill Harry to tell them, it would just risk Voldemort finding out and allow him to resurrect himself along with Harry.

ultrasoul: No, he does not have the ability to become any animal that he wants. Though he took the stag form, he could not hold it. Your Snape comment is right on, and I'm trying to manipulate that misunderstanding to develop the interactions between the two. Fred and George weren't angry, just very embarrassed. They had a good laugh later. Um, sorry about not telling you exactly how he got there. Thanks for the input.

Padawan JaAQ: Well, this might not be as bad a cliffhanger for you. Thanks.

Thundering Lights: I'll make a confession to you… I continually reread my story because I can't remember everything. I can understand what you mean. Did I help with your suspicion about the prophecy? Thank you for the rest of your encouraging words. I just can't respond accurately to them.

howling wolf: No problem. If there's anything else, just ask.

gaul: No, he wouldn't. His form is a phoenix and nothing else. As for how he made it that far in the stag transformation, that's a question for another time. I hope that you liked this chapter.

Charma1219: Oh, good. I was anxious about the scene with the Snape and Harry talk, and I'm glad that you like Dumbledore. He's one of my favorite characters. Keep enjoying it.

chrissy: Thank you. I won't stop writing. One day, I'm determined to publish something.

Von: All right. It's my fault that I jumped the gun. You guys will get to vote for which version you want in the last chapter. Until then, I won't be able to keep track, but thank you. We'll see how Harry actually got there. The revelation that I have planned is much more dramatic than that, but still fun. Yes, poor Hermione. I think that it was good for her to have to struggle. Yes, I'm grateful for the computer labs. I will try my best to update, but I will continue no matter what.

Sakura Le: Oh, yes. They were quite worries. Poor Hermione nearly drove herself crazy, and the twins have been asking for that for a long time.

knuckz: I will, don't worry.

unght2001: Thanks.

Illusia: Umm… maybe you see the potential now. If I told you about the sequel, it would ruin the ending. You hit the tear thing right on. I've had that planned for a while. It's not fair ruining the cliff hanger by reading the little details, but once again you were right. As for the apparation… well, we'll just have to see how that happened. Yes, it did. Remember that Sirius told Harry that they weren't expecting much. Imagine their surprise. As for why Harry was able to transform originally so quickly, he's Harry. The Marauders were normal in learning their forms.

ranger: Thanks, I will.

Ranchel A. Prongs: I understand. I hope that you liked the Hermione resolution.

krazymelmo5385: Thanks.

Tara: Well, you have a couple less questions at least.

phoenixrising: No, he does not have unlimited forms. It would be no fun if Harry was all-powerful. Hurdles make it better. :-)

Xirleb70: Thanks. The competition is interesting, but I'm glad that you win.

baasheep: Well, as for how he left, that's still a mystery. Harry will not be all-powerful, just powerful enough to justify what happened when he defeated Voldemort the first time. Yes, that's exactly where the bursting into flames came from. Symbolism is great isn't it? Sirius will always be a Marauder at heart, but he has been in Azkaban for 12 years. That will sober anyone. Dumbledore does not know and will not know until the time is right. I understand being overwhelmed all too well. Believe me. That is a good idea to write the entire fic and then post, but I don't have the patience to do that. What area of medicine do you want to go into?

kateydidnt: Not quite. Hopefully, this is a better note to end on before the big move.

Twinlakeshgrl: The chapters just get longer and longer. It will be finished. Thanks.

Wizard: Sorry. I hope that this eases the edge of the seat thing.

Insane Pineapple from Naboo: Oh, they won't be disappointed, but they will be quite surprised when they do find out. Does the scene in the hall count as another conversation because I nearly died when I read your review. Am I that predictable?

Mella deRanged: Thanks.

Arizosa: Don't vote yet, but thanks for the enthusiasm. :-)

Kathleen: You do realize that if I die I can't write anymore, right?

Zahri Seb Melitor: Well, your inner fangirl should be happy with some of this chapter. Yes, Dumbledore uses humor as a defense mechanism. The poor man has had so much responsibility in his lifetime. Very much like Harry actually. Did you like the answers?