The next time Dumbledore visited, was the morning he was set to return to Hogwarts. He came to Harry's bedroom, a twinkle in his eye.

"Come with me, James. I have a gift for you. A birthday present, if you will. I think you'll like it,"

Curious, Harry got up from where he'd been reading a Defence book and followed his Headmaster down a corridor to a room he hadn't been into before. Dumbledore held the door open for him and closed it behind him. Harry looked around. He couldn't see anything. Suddenly Dumbledore clapped his hands together.

There was a burst of flames in the centre of the room near the ceiling and a magnificent phoenix soared through the air towards him. He landed on his shoulder and peered at him through black eyes. At first Harry thought it was Fawkes, but then he noticed the darker red colouring and slightly larger wings, and the brighter gold that shimmered in his wings.

"As you can no longer use Hedwig, I thought you might be needing a new pet."

"But… sir, we're not allowed phoenixes as pets, just cats, owls and toads."

"You should know by now that the rules do not always apply to you, James," Dumbledore twinkled. "Are you going to name him?"

"Yeah, sure…" he thought for a while. "Um… Cicatrix. I think,"

"Well chosen. I think you'll find that he does not need a cage or anything like that, he is completely self-sufficient, though extremely loyal. He will have a burning day every so often, once every two months I believe, and for that time he will have to stay in your dorm and you will need to feed him, but other than that you shouldn't have to."

"What do I feed him?"

"Dragon's liver,"

"But… I haven't got any!"

"Don't worry, I didn't think you would, so I brought some along. You can buy it at Hogsmeade too, so you should be fine. Don't look so worried. I'm sure he'll be an excellent friend,"

"But, what do I say when the others ask about him?"

"Tell them the truth. That I gave you him,"

"Ok, if you say so…"

"It will be fine. But I must warn you, you will be treated in a different way to that which you are accustomed. You are no longer The Boy Who Lived. You are simply a new student. And the charm will wear off after the first few weeks. It should hopefully be a welcome break from the attention you have had forced upon you in your previous years. But now you know what the teachers expect of you, I am sure you will be able to manipulate your way into their good conscience straight away. I will be seeing you this evening. Remember, James."

"Yes sir," Harry replied humbly. Dumbledore handed him a sack of what he supposed was dragon's liver and twinkled to him before leaving him alone with Cicatrix.

Snape gave him a Portkey to Platform Nine and Three Quarters at eleven later that morning. He weaved in amongst the students milling around, and was shocked at the dismay he felt when nobody at all called out to greet him. He did get many weird looks, of course, for two reasons – one, he was new, and two, there was a large, beautiful phoenix sitting on his shoulder, black eyes scanning the crowd. He was grateful to finally get a compartment and close the door, away from prying eyes. He hauled his trunk up into the overhead and settled with Cicatrix on his lap, occasionally feeding him titbits of dragon's liver. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back as Cicatrix began a phoenix song to lull him to sleep. He was drifting off when the door banged open and Ron and Hermione came bursting open in a whirl of greetings and hugs. Harry dragged open his eyes and found that Cicatrix had disappeared.

"Where did he go?" he said desperately, immediately awake.

"Who?" Hermione asked, her brow furrowed.

"Cicatrix. He was here a second ago, he was sending me to sleep…"

"Oh," Hermione said, and blushed. "Is he your boyfriend?" she asked tentatively. Harry stared at her for a while, and blinked a few times before bursting out laughing.

"No, he's my… pet." Ron joined in the laughter too, and Hermione blushed even harder. "Cicatrix! Where've you gone?" Harry called. He was rewarded with the haunting notes of a phoenix song.

"James… that's a phoenix song," Hermione breathed. As she spoke, Cicatrix came soaring through the door to settle on Harry's lap. Ron and Hermione stared at him in awe.

"Wow," they said, almost in unison.

"Where did you get him?" Ron asked, astounded.

"Dumbledore gave him to me,"

He took out his wand to close the door when he realised that it still had no core.

"Crap!" he swore. Hermione looked slightly affronted. "Sorry, it's just… my wand hasn't got a core in it. I forgot about it."

"You can do it now, I should think it's allowed."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked, surprised. She nodded.

"OK then… Cicatrix, do you mind?" he asked his phoenix. A single feather dropped gracefully from his tail onto the seat. He took out his wand and Hermione opened it with a quick charm. He laid the feather in the space, and was about to close it when he had another idea. He looked down at his pet. "Will you cry for me?" he asked, almost apologetically. Cicatrix gazed at him for a moment before lowering his plumed head to the wand. Three silvery tears leaked out of his eye into the gap. They sparkled there. Harry fumbled in his pocket.

"What are you getting now?" Ron asked. Harry pulled a penknife from his pocket and, before anyone could stop him, dug it into the palm of his hand. Ron yelled and Hermione screamed.

"James, what are you doing?" she shrieked. Harry allowed a few drops of blood to seep into the wand before he closed it, and grabbed Hermione's wand to seal it himself. For a few seconds it froze over with ice, but then a flame shot down it starting at the tip which melted all the ice off. Harry yanked the blade from his palm and more blood gushed out. He grasped his own wand and healed it. The skin stitched together seamlessly, and the whole process was followed by silence.

"Merlin's balls…" Ron whispered. Hermione smacked him on the arms. Harry handed her wand back and smiled gratefully.

"Thank you," he said brightly. He looked out of the window. "We ought to get changed into our robes. We'll be there soon, and I don't fancy our chances if Snape catches us wearing Muggle clothes."

Ron and Hermione stared at him.

"For a second there, you sounded as though you could have been here all the time! How do you know how Snape would react?"

Harry blushed, furious with himself for accidentally slipping.

"Just guessing,"

"He's right though," Hermione said. "We should get changed,"

Ron nodded and hauled their trunks down from the overhead. Harry tugged off his top and pulled his robes on over his T-shirt and jeans. They were just the right length, just covering his black rock boots and the sleeves to the tips of his fingers. The gold and maroon trimmings shone out at him in the fading light, and Harry frowned.

"They've been turned into Gryffindor robes in my trunk," he said, puzzled, then laughed. "Dumbledore," he said happily, whilst Ron and Hermione shot him odd looks.

"Hi!" said someone from the doorway, and Harry turned to see Ginny and Luna Lovegood standing, already changed. Ginny noticed him and frowned. "Who's that?"

"This is James Antares. James, this is my sister, Ginny, and Loony – sorry Luna – Lovegood. They're in the year below us,"

"Pleased to meet you," Harry said and offered his hand. Ginny took it dubiously.

"You sound familiar… almost like Harry," she said sadly.

Harry couldn't help but notice the uncomfortable tension that settled over the compartment. Hermione bit her lip and looked at her hands, Ron suddenly decided that the ceiling was extremely interesting, Ginny let out a small sound like a whimper and shuffled slightly, and Luna was just Luna. Luckily, he didn't have to endure it long as the train suddenly jolted to a stop in the Hogsmeade station. Harry turned to Cicatrix.

"Follow the house-elves who take our stuff up to our dorms. I'll see you there this evening he said, and offered some meat to the phoenix. Cicatrix ate it quickly, and let out a single note that helped Harry calm his nerves.

"We'll take you to meet Hagrid tomorrow," Ron said with forced enthusiasm as they walked past him, earning a big wave. Harry reached out to touch one of the Thestrals waiting patiently to pull the carriages up to the castle. He stroked the silky mane, but pulled his hand away sharply when Ron started gawping at him.

"Can you see them?" Hermione asked, awe-struck. Harry nodded sheepishly. Hermione looked half sympathetic, half impressed. Ron just shook his head and climbed into the carriage.

"I wonder who'll be Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher this year?" Hermione pondered as the carriages rumbled up the road to the castle. Harry grinned when he saw her fingers entwined with Ron's on the seat between them.

"Lupin, I think," he replied. "I heard Snape and Dumbledore talking a few days ago. Snape doesn't seem to like the idea," he added for good measure.

"Oh, he hates him," Ron said matter-of-factly. "They've hated each other since they were at school. You might want to know, Lupin's a werewolf. The Slytherins always laugh at him for it, but he's a really good teacher."

"Cool," Harry said, and peered out of the window. He could see the pinpricks of light that were the lights attached to the small boats which contained first years as the glided across the lake. He turned to see Hermione peering at him closely. He blushed.

"What?"

"How did you get that scar?" she asked, intrigued. Ron kicked her gently as a reprimand.

"That's rude," he muttered. Harry laughed.

"No, it's fine, I don't mind." He tried to appear calm on the outside, but inside he had turned to ice. He hadn't a clue why he had the scars. They were weird, he had to admit. But how did he get them?

"James?"

"Huh? Oh… sorry, right, yeah, um… they're from when I was little. I don't remember how I got them," he lied again. Damn. He hated lying to his friends so much. The carriages stopped and they climbed out, walking up the steps into the Entrance Hall. They turned right through the massive oak doors into the Great Hall.

The House tables were done out in the house colours, and Harry couldn't help but look up to the teacher's table. Snape was watching him, but looked away, apparently slightly flustered as Harry met his gaze. Smirking inwardly, he turned to the Slytherin table. Malfoy was giving him an odd look. He stared shrewdly at Harry for a few seconds before glancing at Snape then back at Harry. Harry flushed slightly and hurried to sit down between Ron and Seamus.

"Who're you?" Seamus asked jovially. Harry groaned. He suddenly realised that he was going to have to put up with a lot of this. He allowed Ron to explain, and waited impatiently for the Sorting to commence. Just as the hat was about to start singing, the low, mournful song of a phoenix came leaking into the room. Every head turned and stared as Cicatrix swept majestically into the Hall and soared over to Harry, who resembled a beetroot. The phoenix landed on the table before him, looking pleased with himself, still singing.

"I told you to go up to the dorms!" he hissed furiously, all to aware that everyone was staring at him. Cicatrix merely trilled happily then fell silent. Harry went even deeper red and gently smacked the phoenix's beak. Cicatrix ignored him and settled on the table in front of him. McGonagall cleared her throat, glaring sternly at him, and re-began the Sorting. Harry buried his head in his hands, wishing the Sorting over and Dumbledore to begin speaking.

"Welcome to Hogwarts!" he said after five more minutes, his voice rumbling across the Hall. "Welcome to a new year, and a new beginning. But, I am sure that you will all be more likely to listen to an old man's drivel once your stomachs are sated, so let the feast begin!"

He clapped his hands and plates erupted over the tables. Harry grimaced as the plates left a space around his phoenix.

"You're not getting away with this, you know," he growled. Cicatrix looked completely at ease, and reached out to snatch a piece of pork from Harry's beak. Harry tapped him sharply on the beak. "If you're not going to go to the dormitory, you could at least behave," he said coldly. Cicatrix looked repentant, and Harry started to devour his meal.

He listened to his housemates chatter amiably around him, and risked another glance up at the teacher's table. Snape was watching him again. Before he could send the Potions Master a puzzled look, however, he had looked away, staring at the Slytherin table. Harry followed his gaze and caught Malfoy's eyes as the blond shot both him and Snape another confused glance. Ignoring the two of them, Harry scanned the top table again. Indeed, there was Lupin sitting talking to McGonagall. He looked a little rough. Perhaps the full moon was approaching.

Harry finished eating and gazed up at the ceiling. The stars twinkled gently, not unlike Albus, and a cloud drifted over the moon. Harry noticed that it wasn't anywhere near the full moon. Why then was Lupin so unwell?

He blinked as a gentle ticking sounded. Bewildered, he glanced to Dumbledore, and sure enough the man was tapping his spoon against his goblet to call for silence. It fell immediately,

"Now you are all full and comfortable, I shall begin my speech." He said warmly. "Feel free to fall asleep, however I must ask that you do not snore too loudly,"

This earned a few laughs from the Gryffindors, but scowls from the Slytherins. Cicatrix suddenly recognised Dumbledore's voice and stood up, singing out. Everybody stared at Harry, who blushed again and clamped a hand over Cicatrix's beak.

"Shut up. I said behave!" he snarled. Cicatrix tried to squawk but his beak was held firmly. "Shut up! Just let him finish his speech so I can take you upstairs!" he hissed. The phoenix grumbled a bit more before settling down. Dumbledore cast Harry an amused look before continuing.

"I would like to introduce the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lupin, who is returning to us this year after a few years break. I trust nobody will mock his state of being," he said, with a stern glance over at the Slytherin table.

"First years should note that the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds to all students. Mr Filch has asked me to remind you that magic is not allowed in the corridors, and he has added even more objects to his list. Quidditch trials will be organised by the Quidditch captains of each House. First years are not permitted to play Quidditch.

"Now, I must ask you to indulge in a few minutes silence in remembrance of a person who will be sorely missed," he glanced at the confused faces that were scattered about the Hall. "For those of you who were unaware, I am sad to inform you that over the summer, Harry Potter died. His house was set on fire by a group of Death Eaters and he could not get out. May his soul find peace," he murmured, and bowed his head.

The rest of the school immediately followed suit, apart from Harry, who gazed out over the heads and held back a tear that threatened to form in the corner of his eye. They were doing this for me. They truly are sad that I died…But that's not what I want, I don't want their pity, and I never did do… I don't want all the attention…

He fumbled in the front of his robes for the dog tag and looked it over. He would have to make sure nobody else saw this. Looking up at the teacher's table, he was shocked to see Snape staring at him once again. He frowned, his mouth twitching down. Snape gazed at him blankly for a few seconds before bowing his head. Harry suddenly felt compelled to follow suit. He stared at the table and pushed his dog tag back into his robes, waiting for the rest of the Hall to break out of its reverie.

The common room was not the place Harry knew it to be. The whole place was cast with a sombre atmosphere that seemed to dim the torches that should have been burning brightly on the walls, and the fire, which should have warmed the room, did nothing to raise the temperatures. Once again, McGonagall called a minute's silence before sending them off to bed in a choked voice. For once, nobody protested.

Harry lay in his four-poster, Cicatrix on his perch that Dumbledore had generously provided the room with. He couldn't hear Neville snoring, so guessed the other boy must be awake.

"Neville? You all right?"

"You're awake?" Neville said.

"Hey," came Seamus's voice.

"Are we all awake?" asked Dean.

"Guess so," finished Ron. "Um, James?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you, er, I mean, would you…"

"Spit it out," Dean grumbled.

"Shut up. I meant, could you ask your phoenix to, er… sing for us? It might help us sleep," he sounded almost apologetic. Harry grinned in the dark in spite of himself.

"Sure." He pulled back to hangings to look at his phoenix. "Will you send us to sleep please?" he asked. "I'll forgive you for that stunt at the feast if you do," he added.

Cicatrix immediately began a slow song that made Harry's eyes droop.

"Thanks James," Ron mumbled from across the room. Harry closed the hangings again and lay back, the phoenix song washing over him, allowing him to rest in peace.

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