Ginny, who's arms were around Harry's neck, only had a split second to realize that Harry was burning before she heard the voices of several wizards and witches crying out the name of a spell that created water. She was soak and wet, but she only noticed the fact that the water hadn't hit Harry at all. Apparently the flames surrounding his body was keeping it at bay. She started to pull out her wand and try a few spells of her own but she was stopped by Harry grabbing her hand. She stared up into his eyes wondering what the hell was going on.
Something had mended in Harry when he heard the words Ginny had said to him. 'I love you' she had said. Harry reflected over his entire life, he couldn't quite remember a time when those three words had been said to him. He figured that his parents must have told him, but that was so long ago, and he was only a baby, he couldn't recall it. Eventhough he knew that there were people that loved him, many of them being in this very room, hearing her words brought a warm feeling to his heart. Harrys body began to feel with such heat, when he withdrew from the kiss and looked into Ginny's eyes the heat, the fire that was within him exploded.
He felt the sentation of it, the feeling of warmth, of confort, then he saw the flames surrounding him. He had a split second to be puzzled before he saw every person in the room, pointing there wand at him, the only exception was Xanth whom didn't have a wand. Water poured out of all the wands, most of it landed on Ginny, his fire wasn't touched. He wasn't worried however, what ever this was it felt good. It was causing no harm and so very casually he spoke. "Lower your wands, I dont know what's going on but its not a danger."
Most of the people in the room simply stared at him, with there wands at the ready, tring to think of a new spell. A few though, the ones that really trusted him, his two best friends being among them lowed there wands, though looking quite unsure of them self. Hermione and Ron ran to Harry, being very carefull not to touch him. Ron grabbed the back of Ginny's shirt and pulled her way from the fire that had engulfed Harry. Upon doing so and as if this had trigered the event, the fire that covered Harry's body rose above it. It began to take shape, first coming all together in to a small sphere, then expanding into the unmistakable form of a phoenix.
For a moment everyone staired, watching the bird as it formed. It blazed a bright red, orange yellow and blue color, the very color of fire, for that was what the bird was made out of. A couple of the teachers started to step forward but were stopped in the tracks by some type of unseen barrior.
"Whats the meaning of this?" McGonagall asked, when she ran into the invisible defence that Xanth had set up. She had viewed the incident and although she had had no ideal what was happening in the begaining, now that she saw the phoenix she fully understood. She had wanted to walk to him, to congradulate him, but something was stopping her. Something that normally didn't occur went a person managed this. She looked at Harry and wondered if he had somehow wordlessly made the barrior appear.
Xanth walked passed everyone in the room and straight threw the barrior. The people who tried to follow behind him were once again stopped by something they couldn't see. He heard Fred and George both screamed out "what the hell", but ignored them both. Harry felt to his knees, clearly exausted but gave all his attention to Xanth who had began to speak.
In a deep but soothing voice, a voice that was almost seductive he said, " You haven't anything to worry about. I'll remove my barrior immediatly but you have to not surround Harry. You must understand these events and so they will all be explained but know this, Harry has my Loyalty, he is within my protection and I shall not allow all of you to get closer to him further straining him. His magic is very delicate at the moment, havin created such a creature." Xanth waved his hand for effect, making his shield appear a light blue color and then shattering it for everyone to see that it was gone. Everyone started forward but stopped as Xanth raised his hand once again letting them know he would put the shield back in place if they continued there advances.
Speaking once more, and it the same seductive voice, the voice he always used Xanth continued, "I ask that Professor McGonagall please explain the situation, seeing as how I would rather remain quite."
McGonagall stepped forward, she wondered for a moment how Xanth knew, that she knew what had happened, and then she remembered what Dumbledore had done for him. Speaking in a Crisp but quite happy voice she said, "This is hard to explain so I will try to give you a very simple version. As you already know some wizards are born with certain gifts that others dont have, for instants, Mr. Potter his a parlestongue, and Tonks can change her apperance at will. Well this is another one of these gift, though one that is extremly rare, is the abilitly to summon an animal of your essence. I'm not quite sure about the connection the person and the animal have, all I know is Ginny trigered the event."
At this all eyes left McGonagall and traveled to a very confused looking Ginny. She was standing next to Harry, with one arm around him trying hard to keep him on his feet, and the other holding his hand, giving him confort. "How did I start it?" Ginny asked looking defensive. McGonagall looked at is she were stuggling to find the words to explain, when Fleur, Bills fiance cut in.
"Or course you know, you silly girl" she said in a low throatly voice. Bill looked at her stratled, she was trying to compete with the way Xanth sounded. She had always used a pretty voice, but now she tried making it seductive like his, hinting at pleasures of the body that could only be showed in secret. Fluer continued, "you kissed him, and after you did, he exploded, you must have been really hot for..." Fleur cut of her words at the look of embarrasement that showed on Ginny's face.
Making his timing perfect so that it seemed he had inturepted fluer's word, saying the same thing that she would have, Xanth said. "His love. You must have been really hot for his love. In any event there really is no negative to side to this. The positive side is Harry has a new companion, something that is quite powerful. Definitly a valuable tool in his fight against Voldemort." At hearing this name Most of the teachers flinched, though most of the ones in the Order managed to refraim form doing so.
Harry listened to the discussion in silence. Something didn't seem quite write to him. He had kissed Ginny before and nothing like this happened. When he had kissed Cho Change nothing like this had happened. It didn't make since for all of a sudden for him to somehow write for this to have happened after such a long time. Also the way McGonagall had explained the Phonix wasn't explainint the connection Harry felt he had with it. McGonagall had said it was some time of creature, she made it seem like Harry had a new pet animal. Harry looked up at the creature, It felt as if he was it, as if at any moment he would become it, take its form. He looked away from it and his eyes upon Xanth, who was looking at Harry, then flicking his eyes tob Ginny, Ron, and Hermione, and then up the stairs. The gesture was clear to Harry.
Speaking in a loud voice, to overcome all the talking that had broking out, Harry said, "Listen, everyone, Im feeling kind of faint, I'm going to my room to rest a bit."
"I'll come with you" Ginny said, at the same time that Ron said, "Hermione and I will go to." Ginny looked a bit annoyed, after all she was Harry's girlfriend, she needed some alone time alone with him. Hermione nudge Ron, and he cought on, about to say that he would stay downstairs after all but Harry broke in.
"Great, all of you come, and Xanth." Before Hermione or Ron could say anything about not wanting to intrude, Harry grabbed there hands, and proceeded up the stairs, to Ron's room, Ginny and Xanth following behind.
"Xanth wanted us all up here." Harry explained looking at his friends puzzeled expressions. There was no doubt that everyone down stairs thought he just didn't want to be alone with Ginny anymore."
"I wanted you up here for a number of reasons. First to explain what has truly happened with Harry. McGonagall was right about about most of what she said, although she was wrong about just as much. For one, certain people arent born able to... summon an animal of there own. In order to be able to that you have to have been born with a certain level of magic in you, meaning that even the most powerful of wizards wouldn't be able to do this if they gained there power threw other means, like training. Secondly you have to be perfectly one with yourself. This is almost immpossible for most wizards, they are always fighting some inner debate. The reason though, that this piece of magic is so rare is because you also have to become one with another person. Your souls have to mate. This means of course that you two, are perfert for each other, it's meant to be."
"Let me clarifiy things." Hermione said in a very intellectually voice. "Harry and Ginny are meant to be, but that much is obvious. Are you saying that if two people were in love, Ron and me for instance, and our soul mated, and both of us was content with each other, and ourself we still wouldn't be able to do this if one of us wasn't born with a certain amount of magic?"
"Thats exacltly what I'm sayin although i should let you know, Ginny wasn't born with the right amount of magic to be able to...lets just say summon her own animal, for now. She was born with enough though to be able to be the mate of someone that summone one, though she will never have her own, I know this because she would have gotten hers at the same time as Harry." Xanth replied.
"This is too complicated" Ron said. "Its just about impossible for people to meet all of these conditions, how could there ever be more...Whatever the hell that thing is that Harry just maid."
"Thats just the point Ron, thats why this is very rare, in the last century that hasn't been anyone that met all of these qualites except Dumbledore, and now Harry himself. Voldemort was certainly born with the power, and he has alway been at one with himself, even when trying to gain immortality, but he cant love, thats the reason hasn't made a...a...What exactly is it Xanth? you hesititated when calling it an animal summoned before."
"Its me" Harry said looking around the room. "I can feel it, and it feels like me, its like there is now another part of myself. I cant explain it. I simply know that its me, watch." With these words he disapeared. Hermione gasped but Ginny's eyes instintly went to the phonix, it flew to her. After she touched It Harry appeared, the Phonix was gone.
"you see?" He asked. "I am the phonix, there is only one of us. Its like I can cast it out, a part of myself out, that forms that shape, and have it do what i will. Or I can transform my entire self into it, and go about like I just did. When I talk to it, i'll only be talking to myself, though it can answer. If I choose to send it out, I will see what it does, know what it does, hear what it does. There is only one of us."
Xanth smiled and spoke the words that were on his mind. "Thats exactly right, I'm quite surprised actually that you figured it out so quickly, it took dumbledore days."
Looking modest Harry said, "its because of the gift He gave me, I'm stronger."
"Thats true, it did make you stronger, though not by as much as may think. You got no knew information from dumbledore. You just got more thinking space. Although with his gift, and you reaching a higher potential, you shall be able to think as if you had to brains. I mean that quite literally, when you have time concentrate on that, and you'll understand. You will however still not measure up to hermione in brilliance.Do you understand this? You will not be able to think of the things she does, to solvet the problems she can. Sure you can remember things better, even review events in your head, but you indeed got no smarter on discovering things. You are still Harry."
Looking confused at all the new information Ron simply said, " what other thing did you want to talk to us about?"
Xanth paused, he seemed to be thinking of what exactly he should say before saying, " Harry already knows this part but I am a Vampire. And as all vampires go I need blood to survive, although I highly doubt that not having it would kill me, it still would make my life very unconfortable, Imagine for a moment, never eating, always been hungrey and never dieing from that hunger.
Life would be hell."
Hermione had gasped once again when she discovered he was a vampire, and Ron had backed up slowly. Xanth ignored there reaction, So did Harry although he did so because Ginny, who had remainded silent throught out the conversation was placing soft kisses amoung his face.
Continuing where he had left off Xanth said, "I have the usually powers of a vampire, although I'm also a warlock. My fangs, (he opened his mouth, showing them) are retractable, My strenth is superhuman, and so are all five of my sences. I can also read minds."
"But vampires dont read minds" Hermione said, they are natually good at occulumcy, they can since feelings and stuff real wide but thats not mind reading."
"I didn't say being able to read minds was a vampire gift. I have always been able to do it, I dont know why. I just thought that you all should know because I'm going to be constantly around you, and if you dont block me off your everythought could be mine."
"Fine" said Ginny, while standing up. "Thats not really a problem, we trust you, and the fact that you wont evade us intentually, although we will still need to study Occulemcy. I'm not sure what to do about the blood problem, I'm sure Hermione can think of something." She looked at Hermione expectantly.
"Well Yea, I can ask McGonagall..." Hermione began saying but Ginny cut her off.
"Thats good, Look guys I'm getting really tired and I really wanna talk to Harry tonight." With that she got up, still holding Harry's hand and dragged him off to her bedroom.
Harry sat down nervously on Ginny's bed. He looked at her waiting for her to began to speak. Not even allowing thoughts to cross his mind as he wated to see how she took the news of him being able to not only turn into an animal, but seperate a piece of himself, from his body in another form and controll it.
Ginny sat down on the bed next to Harry. He looked a bit worried to her and she wondered why. Maybe he was wondering how Xanth was going to handle being a vampire. Or maybe he's thinking about the prospect of being here, with me, alone in my room. She smiled, She looked at him and let love full her eyes.
"Xanth said we were meant to be. I still cant believe it you know, when you came to the house today, I had to still a hug from you and now not only do I have you , for real. But now you know that my love is true. I've already told you that I've liked you for a long time, It was Hermione who tought me how to loosing up around you the first two years we knew each other. But I didn't tell you that although I loved you then, I was more in the love with 'The Famous Harry Potter'. I didn't really know you then, but as i started to loosing up around you, I came to know you and you were just what I imagined." Tears had started flowing down her eyes.
"Why are you crying?" Harry asked. "We complete each other, as Xanth put it our souls mated, what's there to cry about?" Harry asked putting his arms around her and huggin him to her.
"Its just that I never imagined I could be this happy Harry, short of Voldemorts death." Ginny said.
"Bet I can make you happier." Harry said, with a smile on his face. He pulled Ginny all the way onto the bed. She cruled her body into his, and he wrapped his arms around her. The two of them felt asleep, in each others arms.