Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, than I would be richer than the queen, and I would not be sitting here writing a fanfiction story. I would hurry and get The Half Blood Prince published!

Chapter 8- The Golden Phoenix

Harry sprinted back to the Gryffindor common room. He wasn't paying attention to anything around him. All of his focus was on the prophecy he had just heard. He didn't want to forget a single word of it. When he reached the portrait of the fat lady, Harry practically screamed the password (Cornish Pixie) at her.

The portrait swung forward revealing a large hole. Harry climbed through the hole and entered a huge circular room decorated in Gryffindor colors of red and gold. The room contained many squashy armchairs and couches each surrounding a fireplace. Harry quickly found Ron and Hermione playing a game of chess. He ran to them and sat down in the closest chair, out of breath.

"Harry!" Hermione cried. "Where were you? You said you would meet us here before dinner. We've been waiting for you."

"Yeah, Mate. What took you so long? I'm starving." Ron added.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "You're always hungry, Ronald."

"It's not my fault. I can't help it." Ron said in defense.

"Never mind that." Harry said growing frustrated. "I need to tell you something important. I just ran into Trelawney and she was acting really unusual. Like she does when she is making a prophecy. Well, I mean she was making a prophecy. She said that my fight with Voldemort was coming sooner than we think and that Voldemort gaining power that we can't control. There was something else, too. Something about a phoenix that carries the weight of the world but the Phoenix was strong."

"That doesn't make sense. What does a phoenix have to do with battle against Voldemort?" Hermione wondered aloud.

"Maybe...er..." Ron searched for a way to state his idea. "Maybe Harry isn't the only one who can defeat V-Vol- You Know Who. Maybe the first prophecy meant there was only one person who could defeat him. The phoenix might have the power, too." Ron voiced his suggestion as Harry and Hermione exchanged glances that said clearly that neither of them thought Ron's theory possible.

"Don't be so thick, Ron. Of course Harry is the only one who can defeat Voldemort.
The prophecy made that clear." Hermione said as if explaining this to a five year old.
"It was just an idea." Ron defended.

"Yes, well, a very unlikely one. Honestly, Ron. I don't know where you come up with some of these things." Said Hermione.

"It isn't that unlikely, Hermione." Ron told her, his voice rising.

"It is about the most unlikely thing you have said since you thought Barty Crouch Sr. was kidnapped and flown away on a broomstick!" Hermione snapped.

"He was bloody kidnapped!" Ron yelled, causing everyone in the common room to stare at him. "Well, 'Mione, if you're so clever, tell me what the prophecy is talking about."

Harry had had enough. He was sick of their constant bickering. Their fighting was causing his head to throb painfully. So he gathered up his bag and furiously headed up the stairs to his dormitory. Ron and Hermione hadn't even noticed that he had left and were still fighting when Harry made it to his room. The last thing Harry heard before he shut the door was Hermione's shout of "Ronald Weasley! You are the most insensitive person I have ever met!"

Harry reached the cool silence of his dormitory. He was thankful that Ron hadn't noticed he left. Right now, all he wanted to do was sit by himself and figure out a way to get rid of his headache. He knew it was no good trying to sleep, because that only made his head hurt worse from his constant dreams and it was way to early to be going to sleep.

They hadn't had any homework that night, so Harry decided he would try reading some of the defense books he got. He began reading from 'Advanced advances in Defense Against the Dark Arts'. It was a very thick and complex book, one of the extra books he picked up while in Diagon Alley.

Even though the book was very challenging, Harry found it oddly interesting. He stayed up late into the night reading and didn't even realize Ron had come in and fallen asleep.
When Harry decided to call it a night, he checked his watch and saw that it was 2:36.

Wow, he thought to himself. I can't believe I stayed up that late reading.

He tried laying in the cold darkness for over an hour before realizing that he was not going to fall asleep. He felt extremely tired, but his mind was not ready to rest. It was aggravating him that he could not get to sleep and knew that he would be in a very bad mood once morning came.

"Harry wake up! We're going to miss breakfast!" Ron was shouting at Harry through the hangings in his four-poster. Harry had eventually fallen asleep around 5:30 in the morning. That still only gave him three hours of sleep.
"Shove off, Ron. Let me sleep!" Harry yelled back at him.

Great, Ron thought, this is going to be a wonderful day. Harry is in a bad mood again. I hate it when he gets like this. I guess I can't blame him, though. He has so much on his plate right now.

"Look, Harry, we have Herbology first. I know it's not the most exciting class in the world, but Professor Sprout will dock points off Gryffindor if we're late. You really need to get up."

"Alright, alright." He growled, finally sitting up and rubbing his eyes. Once he found his glasses and put them on, he began to get fully dressed. It took a while seeing that Harry kept having the tendency to lie back down on his bed in attempts to fall asleep again. Ron was defiantly starting to get annoyed and Harry saw it on his face. He decided that he didn't feel like getting in a row with Ron at the moment, so he hastily stood up and finished putting his shoes on. Within 5 minutes Harry and Ron were down in the common room waiting on Hermione and Ginny. Not to long after, they came down and the Gryffindors walked down to the Great Hall together.

The morning moved fast enough for Harry, and Transfiguration was just spent copying notes from the board. But it was Defense Against the dark Arts that Harry was really looking forward to. He was anxious to see what Tonks would be teaching them about. He was hoping she would be a good teacher, mainly so that she could stay another year. He didn't want to have another hag teaching during his last year.

When Harry, Ron, and Hermione arrived at Defense Against the Dark Arts, Tonks, or Professor Tonks, was already there. Once everyone had entered the room, she began to speak, changing her hair color every time she finished a sentence. The class was amazed at her ability to change her hair.

"Welcome, class. My name is Professor Tonks. I am a metamorphmagus. For those of you who don't know what that is, it means I can change my appearance at will. No, Mr. Thomas, you cannot learn to become a metamorphmagus." Dean Thomas looked surprised that she had been able to predict his question. She continued speaking, however as if nothing unusual had happened. "This year we will begin with patronus'. Can anyone tell me what a patronus is?" Harry and Hermione were the first to raise their hands, although many others, mostly DA members, raised their hands soon after.

"Yes, Mr. Potter. I have heard that you are quite gifted with your patronus. Can you explain to me what it is?"

"Er, yes, professor. It is a silver vapor that takes the form of an animal when done properly. The vapor is used to ward off Dementors."

"Very good, ten points to Gryffindor. Mr. Potter, can you tell me what a corporeal patronus is?"
"A patronus that takes the form of the same animal every time it is performed."

"Correct, Ten more points to Gryffindor." Harry smiled, feeling very pleased that he had just earned Gryffindor 20 points. Tonks went on to explain more about patronus' and Harry found himself tuning out. He knew all of it already and decided that he could use the time to brood on something more important, such as Professor Trelawney's newest prophecy. He was jerked back to reality sooner than he would have liked to, however, by the sound of his name.

"Harry could you please come up here and demonstrate your patronus on this boggart, please?"

"Uh, alright." So Harry walked up to stand in front of Tonks's desk, thinking of a happy memory that would work. He decided on when he first met Sirius.

"Alright, you ready, Harry?" Harry nodded. "One...Two...Three" Tonks opened the lid of a trunk sitting on her desk and out came a tall, hooded Dementor. It was gliding towards Harry, mouth wide sucking all the joy out of him. It just so happened that right as Tonks opened the trunk, Sirius popped in a painting behind her desk with a loud "Hello, Tonksie!" And Harry burst out laughing. Harry shouted "Expecto Patronum!" while still laughing. A bright Stag appeared from the end of his wand and charged at the Dementor.

"Prongs!" Sirius shouted before the stag disappeared. He looked almost longingly at the patronus. Harry realized that Sirius had never actually seen Harry perform his patronus, so he had never seen the stag before. It was apparent that Sirius was reminded of James when he saw the patronus, because when it disappeared, his face fell.

Harry didn't have time to talk to Sirius about it, because at that moment Tonks came running right at Sirius yelling about disturbing her class.

"HOW DARE YOU? I THOUGHT I SAID NO VISITS WHILE I WAS TEACHING!"

"Sorry, Tonks. I thought you had the afternoon off..."

"NO, OF COURSE NOT! I DON'T HAVE ANY OFF PERIODS!"

"I didn't know. Please forgive me, Tonks. I really am sorry." Sirius put on his best pleading look and Tonks calmed down quite a bit.

"Fine, but Sirius, you really need to exercise more caution about whose class you come barging into. Now, if you want to stay and watch you may. But you must keep quiet."

"Aye, Aye, Captain!" Sirius saluted to her and sat back in his frame.

The rest of the class was spent working on patronus'. Each student got a chance to come and try their patronus on the boggart. Not everyone could create a clearly defined patronus, but everyone got pretty close, everyone except Neville that is. Sirius had been mouthing a conversation with Harry earning disapproving glares from Hermione. He was interrupted however by a loud squeal. Neville had collapsed onto the floor and was shaking uncontrollably.

Harry did the first thing that came to his mind and jumped up, shouting "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" as he did so. But instead of the silvery stag that usually erupted from his wand, a large gold phoenix did as well. Harry stood perplexed, staring at the gold bird charging at the Dementor. He had never had any other animal in his patronus, but what was weirder was that it was gold.

Tonks looked at Harry clearly as confused as he was. Ron was staring in awe at the beautiful bird, and Hermione looked as if she was about to wet herself from anxiety. The rest of the class was looking at Harry questioningly as well, but he didn't notice that. Tonks was the first to regain the use of speech, however.

"Mr. Potter, will you please go see Professor Dumbledore? Class, you are dismissed."

Harry swiftly left the room to avoid stares from the rest of his classmates. He reached a long corridor lined in portraits on the way to Dumbledore's office. There he met up with Sirius who looked extremely confused.

"What was that about, Harry?" He asked.

"I don't know." Harry replied truthfully. "I was hoping you could tell me that."

"I haven't got a clue. I thought your patronus turned into James always." He quieted after this last comment. Harry knew he was thinking about his old friend.

"You miss him don't you?"

"Wha- oh, yeah, I guess. He was my best friend. I wish he could be here. He would be so proud of you."

Harry didn't know what to say. He kept a straight face, but he was gleaming on the inside. He felt glad for once that he was himself. If his own father could be proud of who he was, than he, himself, should be as well.

Harry and Sirius didn't talk the rest of the way to Dumbledore's office. Sirius left him at the entrance, obviously going to a portrait in the office. Harry muttered the password and made his way up the stairs. When he got there, he knocked politely.

"Come in. Ah, Harry! What brings you here?" Professor Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk writing a letter when harry walked in. He looked up and smiled, eyes twinkling, when he saw Harry.

"Well, I was just in Defense Against the Dark Arts. We were working on patronus'. I'm not quite sure what happened, but I cast my patronus because Neville couldn't do his, and instead of a stag, it was a gold phoenix."

Dumbledore sighed. But it was a sigh meaning that he had a lot of explaining to do. "Harry, why did you say you cast the patronus?"

"To help Neville. He couldn't do his, and the boggart/dementor was affecting him very badly."

"Well, that is the reason you produced such a special patronus. Only a very powerful wizard may produce a colored patronus. It is one of the obvious signs that you are gaining strength. But the reason it took on a different shape is because you were casting it to defend someone else. That also takes a lot of power to do. Only one other person, that I know of, casts a differently shaped patronus."

"Who is that, sir?"

"Myself, Harry. When I am casting a patronus to help a friend, it takes the shape of a gigantic lion. The power you posses and the desire to save your friend are what allow you to cast such a powerful patronus. That is why it takes a new form. But it will only take that form when you are defending others."

"So, will my normal patronus' still be silver or will they turn gold as well?"

"It will stay silver for now, but as you grow in strength, it will slowly turn to gold. But you are gaining power at such great speed that it would not surprise me if your patronus was gold in the next few times you tried casting it.

"Yes, professor."

"Do you have any more questions for me, Harry? Anything you wish to tell me?"

"Actually there is. Is there any type of potion that might make the pain in my scar go away?"

"Yes, Harry. I have had Professor Snape begin brewing it. It is a painkilling potion. It works much to the same effect as muggle medicine, except much faster and longer lasting. It takes around a week to brew so Professor Snape should be done with it by Saturday. I had a feeling you might be needing some this year, so I went ahead and asked him to make some. All you need to do is use a simple copying spell to make as many vials as you need. Before you run out of the last vial, make some more copies. The spell is "Multiplio".

"Thank you, Professor."

Dumbledore nodded at Harry as Harry walked out the door. He was feeling slightly better now, and knowing that he would soon have a painkilling potion was a relief. Dumbledore watched Harry walk out the door and sighed as he left. Then he turned to Sirius and began speaking.

"That boy is very special. School had only been back for two days, and he has already ended up in my office twice. We are going to have a lot of responsibility with him this year. It is going to be very hard and stressful on all of us. Need I remind you that you must keep an eye on him constantly while he is not in class? Do not let him know that you are following him, however. He would not take that news very well."

"Yes, Dumbledore. You don't have to worry. He's in good hands."

"Thank you, Sirius. You may go."

A/N: Hey everyone! My reviews have grown in number, and I have been getting such great reviews! Please keep it up! It makes me feel so good! Just wondering, but would anyone like me to beta read their story? That means I would proof read your story before you post the next chapter, in case you didn't know. I would be glad to! Please e-mail me at if you would like me to! Also, If you would like me to send you an e-mail after I update each time, e-mail me at that same address saying so. Please keep reviewing!