Just like last chapter, we'll be hoping around a bit as we slowly move the plot forward for third year. Side note: Depending on how much of my plans I get through with this chapter there may be a bit before the next because I'm going to be using excel to create a proper schedule for Harry. One that makes sense, even if it completely throws things from canon out the window. Side note 2: I've decided to ret-con a remark from chapter 4 about how Gryffindor and Hufflepuff second years only have Astronomy together, after thinking about creating a working schedule. Astronomy and Herbology are what I changed it to.
'There's really absolutely no need to go through the entire events of his first 2 years over and over again, you know? You can just have Harry start explaining it and then do a mini-timeskip until the explanation is over.
Also, Susan is a bit too mature here imo. Harry being more mature than his age is somewhat fitting because of the things he went through, sure, but Susan? No way.' - Review from a guest.
My response: You partially picked up on what that section of the story was hinting at. The whole point to the conversation was to show Susan is mature as well, so I couldn't really do a mini time skip like you suggested. The reason? They haven't figured it out yet, but their bond was still present no matter how weak it had become. So some things kinda bled across their link and affected each other. It'll be explained better when they start to learn about some of the abilities they gain as soulmates.
Now just to cover my ass, I'm going to copy and paste my disclaimer from the first chapter. After all it doesn't hurt to have the reminder every so often.
I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER. I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS. I DON'T EVEN CLAIM OWNERSHIP OVER THE IDEAS THAT WERE PUT TOGETHER TO MAKE THIS STORY.
XxXxXxXxX
Harry took a deep breath. The public reaction after word about the events from the Wizengamot meeting was quite favorable. In fact, the Daily Prophet was publishing letters from the citizens calling for and demanding to have a proper trial for Sirius. As the Wizengamot only met once a month unless the Chief Warlock called for an emergency session, it was left to the Minister of Magic to set a trial.
Yet as Harry predicted Fudge was silent on the matter. So in order to show he meant what he said, Harry decided to follow through with Dumbledore's suggestion on curtailing Malfoy's power. As he was the Acting Lord for the Black family he called for a meeting with Lucius.
While he still hadn't fully forgiven Dumbledore, he did trust the mans advice on how to handle the slippery bastard that was Lucius Malfoy. But he also trusted the advice his allies had given him. It helped that he had chosen a neutral venue for their talk, with a 'neutral party' to play mediator.
"Potter."
Lucius spat as he approached. Before Harry could open his mouth to respond the 'neutral party', Jackson Pucey spoke up.
"You have been called her to hold a civil discussion Mr. Malfoy. Not to mention you were called to meet with the Heir Black. Address him as such or bring dishonor on your house."
Harry had to hide a smirk as Lucius glared at the man that reprimanded him.
"Pardon me then. Heir Black."
Even though his attitude was called out, Lucius couldn't drop the venom from his voice. Jackson looked to Harry to see how he should react, but the green eyed boy waved him off.
"I'll get right to the point. I don't like you, and you don't like me. But you will work with me, or I'll destroy your family name."
Harry commented as he stared right back at Lucius.
"And how, pray tell, would you accomplish that?"
"I'm a natural Occlumens. You slipped a black diary belonging to Tom Marvolo Riddle, to Ginny Weasley back when we were out shopping for school supplies. We both know that diary was Voldemort's."
Harry had to give it to the man, Lucius had a decent poker face. But his eyes had given him away. Lucius knew exactly what Harry was talking about.
"I have no idea what you mean."
Harry just snorted.
"Cut the Hippogriff shite. Your eyes widened just enough to show me you knew exactly what I was talking about."
Lucius was impressed that the boy had read him. So he conceded.
"You could prove I gave her the diary, I'll admit. But that won't be enough to ruin my name and you know it."
"Not even if I reveal that the dark magic that made up the diary possessed and manipulated Ginny into opening the Chamber of Secrets and releasing a basilisk?"
That made Lucius pale. The news article about how Harry was magically emancipated didn't say what kind of beast he had to fight. It just had pictures of Harry calling the sword to him as proof that magic granted him the title of Lord Gryffindor while he was defending the school. But a basilisk? The idea of such a beast was terrifying.
"You jest."
But Harry shook his head. Gesturing to the pensive he'd had sitting beside him, Harry replied.
"See for yourself."
While Lucius was examining the memory, Harry flashed a thumbs up to Jackson Pucey. They had decided to show not just his memory of battling the basilisk, but the conversation with Riddle as well. The idea was to bait Lucius into loosing his temper. Since Harry had used the pure-blood traditions to set up what was essentially a parley, if Lucius did anything even remotely aggressive Harry would be able to use magic enforce 'The Olden Ways', which would force the older Malfoy male into doing whatever Harry asked him to.
When Lucius came out of the memory he was red in the face and had developed an eye tick. The platinum blonde haired man looked right at Harry. A mixture of furry and respect was present even as he moved his hand towards the top of his cane. In the blink of an eye his wand was in his hand. But he didn't have it pointed at Harry as they had expected. Instead it was pointing straight up as he held it by the halfway point rather than the handle.
"I, Lucius Abraxsis Malfoy, swear on my magic to perform any one act that Harry James Potter requests of me to the best of my ability, as payment for unknowingly and unintentionally protecting my son. So I Swear, So Mote It Be."
There was a light blue magical glow that surrounded him as he gave his oath, signifying that magic accepted. Harry was bug eyed at the fact. But he couldn't let his shock stop him.
"I'll admit, I didn't expect this. May I ask why you decided to make that oath?"
Lucius took a deep breath before he responded.
"I don't believe the drivel of that specter. But I did see and recognize that diary. From how callous that Riddle person was acting, I realized that none of the students were safe and that includes Draco. By killing that basilisk you protected him, even if it wasn't your intention. It may not be a life debt, but House Malfoy does owe you a debt for protecting our scion."
Jackson Pucey hadn't expected Malfoy's move either, but after hearing the reason he understood. The honor of House Malfoy demanded he act, so he did however begrudgingly. Harry took a deep breath as he closed his eyes in thought. There were several different requests that came to mind, but on their own he wasn't sure if any of them would be enough to curtail the man's power.
When Harry's eyes opened, they were glowing ever so slighting. Jackson and Lucius both were taken aback by the sudden steel to his voice when he spoke up.
"I have ideas but nothing concrete in what I would ask of you. So, let's talk."
XxXxXxXxX
Professor McGonagall had confirmed his elective choices. Though they weren't as close, Harry was still friendly enough with Hermione to learn that she had been stubborn in wanting to learn all she could and had signed up for every elective she could. Neville had signed up for Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures. Susan was only taking Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. Susan's friend and roommate, Hannah, who joined them occassionally during their study sessions had signed up fro Divination and Care of Magical Creatures.
Thanks to living with the deputy headmistress, Harry was able to learn the required book list early. Sharing it with his friends, they bought their supplies, along with extra books to help prepare for the school year.
Thus their study sessions went from being focused on completing their assigned summer work, to reading ahead in all of their classes, and helping each other out, even if it was for a class they didn't plan to take. Which is why the group of soon to be third years found themselves at the McGonagall family home with Harry going through a few basic magic theory classes, learning to channel their magic through their bodies rather than their wands.
Even if in the end Harry was the only one to go through with it, they all now had a deeper understanding of the process to become an animagus.
Dumbledore who had been popping in from time to time, offering little bits of advice here and there, watched intently as Harry followed the directions to control his magic. Thanks to his natural ability 'Mage Sight' he could see the flow of Harry's magic racing through his body as the young wizard did everything he was instructed to do. There was a proud smile on his face as he did.
"Minerva. I do believe Harry is ready to attempt the transformation. We just need to find out what his animagus for is."
The bearded man muttered to his companion as they sat a short distance from the students. But Harry still heard him. With a smile, he nodded towards Fawkes, who trilled softly, understanding that the young phoenix animagus was about to surprise everyone.
In his mind, Harry firmly held onto the image of the red bird. Channeling his magic inward, he started at his head and worked his way down his body to his feet. Because he was focused on maintaining the image in his head, Harry had closed his eyes, but he felt the changes to his body as he shrunk in height.
He heard the startled gasps all around him, even as he stopped noticing changes being made that he could perceive. But he kept his eyes closed for a moment longer just to make sure. The moment he had decided to open his eyes however he was thrown into disarray as he felt his body being picked up.
He opened his mouth to say 'put me down' but all that came out were random squawks as he twisted around to see who had grabbed him.
Giggling at his reaction Susan, couldn't help but give Harry a smile that was a mixture of bubbly happiness and pride.
"You did it Harry!"
This caused him to stop trying to get free from her arms. He not only heard the emotions in her voice, he could literally feel them in her magic. He was certain that if he'd been in his normal body he'd be blushing at being the center of her attention this way. After all he could sense everything from her. The happiness, the excitement, the pride, even the fact that she was slightly aroused by his magical might.
"But it shouldn't be possible?!"
Hermione finally commented as she found her brain after seeing Harry become a magical creature. Shockingly it was Neville who responded first.
"Hermione, our school books are nothing but lies when it comes to the animagus transformation. It's not something only a select few are capable of. Anyone can do it so long as they put forth the effort. It is possible to have a magic form, just exceedingly rare."
Hermione turned to stare at Neville. Confused and slightly frustrated with him saying that a book could be wrong. But the headmaster butted into the conversation.
"Mr. Longbottom is correct. As to why the books are allowed to be printed with such a lie. Well, as a rule, wizards tend to be lazy. Lazy enough that a mistake when attempting to learn the animagus transformation could have disastrous effects. So they lie about only a select few having the ability, because then only those dedicated enough to learn about their form will do so. It is a published lie that was done in an effort to prevent accidents. Magical creatures are possible animagus forms. The problem comes from the fact that you must have enough magic to take said form in the first place. Very few wizards or witches ever reach the required power level in order to become a magical creature for an animagus form, and even then very few of them actually have a magical creature for their form. It is mentioned to be impossible in the books because it is exceedingly rare for a person to both have the power to take such a form, the personality traits required for whatever magical creature their form may be, and the willpower to study and learn to become an animagus."
Hermione just nodded as she listened, correctly thinking that as a professor, the headmaster would know what he was talking about.
"What do you mean by the personality traits required for their form? I know you don't get to chose what your animagus form is. But how does your personality affect your animagus form?"
"Instincts. Desires. Talents. Skills. Your personality traits, both good and bad. All of these are factored into your animagus form. After all whatever animal your form will take, it is a representation of your most innate and primal qualities. For example, Harry here. Would it be a stretch for any of us to say he is the most talented flier in all of Hogwarts?"
Hermione shook her head even as she looked for a quill to take notes.
"His innate skill on a broom means that whatever animal form he takes, it must have an equal level of skill in the air. Hence the fact his form is avian. Phoenixes are known the world over as beings of sacrifice. They willingly put themselves into harms way to protect others. Something we have seen Harry do a few times already. Do I need to go on, or are you starting to understand the animagus transformation better Miss Granger?"
Even as he was explaining, Dumbledore was revising everything he knew about Harry and the prophecy. He had at first thought it was Harry's capacity to love that would be the power that Voldemort's didn't know. But after seeing the young man's animagus form, and remembering the results of his inheritance ceremony, Dumbledore was starting to think the 'power the Dark Lord knows not' wasn't a literal line, and instead meant it was a power that Voldemort just did not possess.
It was that realization that made him recall Harry's comment of 'You've got a god complex and you don't even realize. Holding information to close too you chest, never getting a second opinion, never admitting that you've made a mistake.'
He had admitted to making a mistake, but he didn't actively acknowledge it as one. Instead he'd attempted to alter his original plan to fit the new information. The dawning horror of the realization was matched by the shame he felt at the fact he had tried to deny and ignore it until now.
The bearded wizards mind was focused on other things so he didn't notice that the young Gryffindor girl had said she didn't need any more clarification about the animagus transformation. In fact, he didn't notice when the students all walked away to return to their other studies. Nor that Fawkes had gone with them. It wasn't until he was hit with a Stinging Hex from his deputy headmistress that he snapped out of it.
"What's got you traversing through your mind now Albus?"
Knowing that he had to be honest with everyone and not just himself he began to explain.
"I had an epiphany of sorts. First upon seeing Harry's animagus form it suddenly hit me that I might have taken some lines from the prophecy a bit too literally. For some reason that made me think back to the day he confronted me about the choices I made in regards to him and his life. If you'll recall, he accused me of having a god complex and not even realizing."
Minerva nodded.
"Aye. I do remember him saying such."
"He was right. At that time I only acknowledged his words peripherally, trying to reconfigure my plans based of the new information. But just now, it actually hit me. The truth of his words, I mean. I had been too secretive with some of the information I had. I didn't trust others enough to think about getting a second opinion. I didn't even think that someone else might have another solution."
The witch beside him just snorted.
"That's what happens when you let people put you on a pedestal and then look to you for everything. I've discussed several things with Mr. Potter since we've moved here to my family home, and I have to say I think he's right. His take on things is quite simple. You became so well known that the people grew lazy and trusted you to have all the answers rather than try to solve problems themselves. The populace of Britain has become akin to sheep, needing someone to act as their shepherd."
Dumbledore didn't say anything in response. He couldn't really. Looking over his actions in the past just proved the statement she'd given him from Harry to be true. After a moment of silence he turned towards where the students had gone, knowing he was looking at the future leaders of the wizarding world here in Britain.
"I've grown too old for this..."
He sighed heavily.
*Meanwhile*
"I wonder why the headmaster became so lost in thought."
Hermione commented to herself as they returned to reading ahead in their school books. Neville and Hannah weren't paying any attention, both having dived right into the third year texts for Herbology. Harry had a thoughtful look on his face as he chatted with Fawkes, not really acknowledging Hermione's question. Susan however frowned. After learning about the level of interference the man had done with Harry's life she didn't really want to think about him.
"I don't know, but I'm not really sure I want to either."
Hermione noticed the frown, and heard the distaste for the headmaster in Susan's voice when she responded. Having heard Harry's explanation of things, she understood that the headmaster had made mistakes, and that one of his mistakes could have destroyed the bond between Susan and Harry. But at the same time, she didn't fully understand why it was so important, nor why the other girl seemed so inclined to dismiss the man.
"Why are you so distrustful of the headmaster? Sure he made mistakes, but he's still a great man."
Even though he wasn't really paying attention to the words between the two girls, Harry could sense the emotions rising in them. Now that he had connected with his animagus form, his natural empathetic abilities as a phoenix were present in his human form as well.
"Hermione, have you heard the saying 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions'?"
Susan had asked, the tinge of frost to her voice making Harry wince. For some reason he could feel the phoenix's thoughts resonating with his own. Spinning around to face the two Harry looked to Hermione first.
"Everyone makes mistakes and everyone has flaws. The headmaster made mistakes yes, but not all of them can be forgiven, nor should they be forgotten. In fact some of his mistakes would be quite damning had they been made by others. Besides you should never just obey and listen to people in a position of power and authority. They have to be held accountable. 'Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely' I believe the saying goes."
After a quick breath Harry spoke again, though this time it was directed towards Susan.
"Sue, I know you're still angry over the mistakes Dumbledore made in regards to me. But you can't just ignore everything else. Dumbledore may have lost sight of the truth, but if he couldn't redeem himself Fawkes would have left by now. I'm not saying to trust him unconditionally, or to forgive him entirely just yet. Forgiveness and redemption are earned after all. But you do need go give him the chance to earn it in the first place."
Harry didn't know it but the two professors had come to join the students by this point. Yet they remained silent as Harry spoke. Both were full of pride at how he handled the situation and prevented it from escalating into an argument. Though they were also a bit awed by the level of maturity and wisdom to his words.
'Well said my young friend. Your innate level of wisdom may surprise others, but in reality is it just one of the qualities necessary to be a phoenix. We are avatars of wisdom, manifest in undying fire, born to remind the world of the truths of magic and nature. Many look to us as creatures of light, forgetting that we house great power as beings of destruction and renewal.'
Harry heard Fawkes say as the bird hopped from the back of the chair it had been resting on to sit on his shoulder. Of course Dumbledore as Fawkes bonded familiar understood as well, though the rest only heard a soft and melodious trill.
His partners words were enough to cause pain on par with the realization that Harry's accusation of him having a god complex did. So wanting to retreat and actually reflect on all he had realized, Dumbledore coughed to get their attention.
"I know you must be enjoying your chat with Fawkes, but I'm afraid I must get back to the school and finish up some paperwork."
Understanding the hidden truth, Fawkes hopped over to Dumbledore's shoulder. Before flaming them away however he called out to Harry.
'Whenever you want to work on learning your abilities as a phoenix, just call my name.'
XxXxXxXxX
The summer had progressed slowly after Harry finally managed to take his animagus form, which was only a day after his meeting with Lucius Malfoy, but Harry found himself happy that it was going so slowly. He was free from the Dursleys, was actually able to hang out with his friends, and progress was being made on getting Sirius free. Of course it was slow progress as they had to bring the man's health back up before he could stand an official trial, but it was still progress.
Thanks to his invisibility cloak and assistance from Amelia, Harry was able to sneak into the hospital room where they had Sirius recovering from his time in Azkaban. At first, Harry did so just to see the man that was his god father and third legal parent in person rather than memories and pictures. But the third time he'd been caught by Sirius because his cloak had gotten tangled around his foot and pulled down to reveal his head.
Luckily for him, Sirius had known about the family cloak and didn't scream or shout when he saw Harry. After that Harry had been bombarded with questions, some of which he answered and some he didn't. It was only once Harry felt comfortable speaking to Sirius that he answered questions about life before Hogwarts, and even then he made Sirius swear an oath to stay quiet and calm. He really didn't want to risk loosing the person that was the closest to being his actual family just because Sirius murdered the Dursleys.
Like Susan, the man was upset with Dumbledore for his actions, but unlike the young witch, Sirius understood that Dumbledore had acted based on what information he had available. It's not a crime to make mistakes because you don't have all of the necessary information after all.
"My concern is more along the lines of why your parents will wasn't read."
Sirius had mumbled once Harry finished explaining it all to him. Harry sighed.
"Goblin magics recognized mum and dad were dead yes. But that doesn't mean they could enter the Potter family vault. As the last living Potter I would have to have been present for them to open the vault. Until a family line has gone defunct, the goblins cannot enter the family vault without a blooded scion of the family present. It could have been accessed when Hagrid took me to get my school supplies for first year, but I didn't know and Hagrid was somewhat rushing me along."
Harry bit back a chuckle when Sirius smacked his forehead with his palm as he remembered what the green eyed boy had pointed out. He understood that after the hell the man had gone through in Azkaban, it might have affected his memories. Though another part of his mirth was from the public reaction when he had published his parents will. After all they did request that it become public after it was read. The public had gone berserk over the Potter's will.
The Daily Prophet reported that they had received letters on a daily basis demanding that Harry's moniker of 'The-Boy-Who-Lived' be swapped to 'The Chosen One' after learning that their might have been a prophecy that explained why he defeated Voldemort as baby (though they did use Voldemort's nom de plume of 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' instead of calling him Voldemort).
Then there was an outpouring of money being donated to Saint Mungo's in the hopes of funding a cure for Neville's parents, simply because Alice Longbottom was Harry's god mother. While it was a good thing, Harry did frown that people were doing it because of him. Of course Neville was starting to receive a lot of public goodwill as well just because he and Harry were god brothers (luckily the Longbottom house elves were already screening Neville's mail anyway).
He had already gotten the word out about Sirius' innocence, and had quoted James and Lily's will to do so, which meant the public reaction wasn't as strong about that section of their will. Of course, they still sent letters to Wizengamot members and high ranking members in the ministry, practically demanding that they do something. Harry had cut off the majority of the letters though, as the day after his first session at the Wizengamot he sat down with a reporter from the Prophet and explained, that now that it was public information, only the Minister could call for a trial. He mentioned that he didn't push for action after revealing it because Cornelius Fudge could use his ministerial privileges to block the request, making it so Sirius would never have a trial as once something is blocked by the Minister of Magic through ministerial privilege it can never be brought up again. Of course Harry stressed it was only a small possibility but he wasn't ready to risk Sirius's freedom by pushing it.
The largest outcry was against Dumbledore however, because they had to reveal why Harry didn't have even a rudimentary level of the required etiquette or understanding of the wizarding world. While they were willing to believe that Dumbledore had made a mistake, they wanted him to pay for it. After all Harry had been raised in the muggle world by muggles that his parents will had expressly forbidden him from interacting with. In fact his popularity took such a hit, that people were starting to wonder if he could handle being the headmaster at Hogwarts, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and Supreme Mugwump for the ICW at the same time.
For his part, Dumbledore responded well to the criticisms being directed his way. No one else in Britain has the power, or charisma he did, so they let him hold onto his political titles without much of a complaint. It was his seat as the headmaster that he had to fight for. In the end he just barely held on to his role at Hogwarts, and even then it was only because Harry spoke in his favor. Though that was mostly because he didn't want the investigation into his life before Hogwarts. He really wasn't ready for anyone to know that his life had been hell. He knew that professor McGonagall and madam Pomfrey both suspected, but even now, he had only give vague statements about how bad it was, and that was to Susan and Sirius only.
As his mind slowly re-centered on the here and now, Harry glanced to the clock in the corner of the room. It was almost dinner time, and he wasn't supposed to be visiting Sirius. Sighing he stood and wrapped his invisibility cloak around his shoulders.
"I've got to get going before people realize I'm missing. I'll see you later Padfoot."
"Yeah, see you kiddo."
Sirius responded softly. The loneliness in his voice was enough to make Harry want to rage at Cornelius Fudge for stubbornly staying silent and not calling for a trial already. He'd already removed Lucius Malfoy from the equation, so unless someone else from the Dark faction was blackmailing the Minister into staying silent it should have happened already. Sirius wasn't completely healthy yet, but he had recovered enough that even the Healers were saying it was perfectly safe for him to be given Veritaserum for a trial.
XxXxXxXxX
Dumbledore sat at his desk, hands steepled in front of him as he bowed his head in thought. Ever since he realized that Harry was correct about him having a god complex, the old wizard had been thinking. Working backwards through his memories in regards to Harry he found several small mistakes that he luckily hadn't been called out on, though when combined, they were enough to make him seriously question if he even deserved the respect and trust others had in him. The largest piece of confusion though was Harry's relationship with his aunt and her husband.
Albus sighed as he recalled Harry mentioning his parents thought he had set up Harry's time with the Dursleys to make him seem as if a savior for getting Harry away from them, even if only temporarily. While he understood it wouldn't be the same as having a set of loving parents, he had hoped that as family, Petunia would at least raise Harry properly.
But when he combined that thought with the pure relief on Harry's face when Minerva said she'd be his guardian and he wouldn't have to return to Privet Drive, well it was clear that Harry didn't feel comfortable with his relatives.
"What was his life like before he received his Hogwarts letter?"
He muttered to himself as he considered things. If it was bad enough that James and Lily thought he was trying to make Harry see him as a savior, then it was possible he was repeating the same steps he had all those years ago that lead Tom Riddle down a dark path. In fact it wasn't just possible, but extremely likely that without some kind of intervention Harry could have become just like Voldemort.
It was a dangerous and sobering thought, to realize that his hubris had caused one Dark Lord's rise. But to think there was a chance he could have caused a second one?
Sighing Dumbledore told himself that he needed to find out just how badly he had screwed up in placing Harry with his aunt.
"Moppsy."
With a soft pop a house elf appeared in front of him.
"Yes headmaster?"
"Would you please summon Severus for me?"
XxXxXxXxX
Harry found himself flying without a care roughly a week after he'd learned how to assume his animagus form. Partly because he wanted something to do, and partly because he found it a lot easier to clear his mind while in the air. Normally he'd be on his broom, but upon hearing how Harry wanted to get up in the air to relax, his transfiguration professor had suggested he work on getting used to controlling his body while in animagus form. It was a completely different experience to fly with his wings rather than on a broom.
It took a bit of getting used to, not just because he had to move in different ways to fly, but because his phoenix form had better hearing and eyesight. A flash of red just off to his side startled him enough that he almost closed his wings and fell.
"Sorry there, Harry. Didn't mean to startle you."
He heard the trill that was Fawkes speaking to him.
"It's fine Fawkes. You here to fly with me and kill time?"
"Maybe after a bit. Albus has been a bit busy lately so I haven't been able to come by and start teaching you about the different magical abilities of yours thanks to being a phoenix animagus."
"Ah. I suppose we should land then. I don't think it'd be good to split my attention while flying just yet."
His fellow phoenix just chuckled in response. Moments later the two birds were seated on the branches of a tree that was just in sight of the back door to the McGonagall family home.
"I'm going to give you a quick run down of all of your phoenix abilities, then we'll slowly work through them one by one."
Since it made sense to work one skill at a time Harry just nodded.
"There are three abilities that you can only use while in your animagus form. First, healing tears, like the ones I used to help you with the basilisk venom. Second, while in your animagus form you can take any one spell that would be fatal and instead burst into ash before reforming as a chick. A quick note, if this happens to you, you'll have to wait for at least 24 hours before attempting to return to your normal form. The third ability that can only be used in your phoenix animagus form is weaving your magic into your voice so as to soothe those that listen to your song."
In order to make sure he wouldn't forget easily, Harry had reverted back from his animagus form and waved his wand, summoning a quill, some ink, and a sheet of parchment to make notes on.
"So, healing tears. For my notes, is there anything that I wouldn't be able to heal with my tears?"
Fawkes clicked his beak as he shook his head no.
"Alright. You said I can take any one spell that would be fatal, but what happens if someone hits me with another spell while I'm in the baby phoenix mode?"
"You won't be able to return to normal, but that doesn't mean you can't use your magic. In fact if it happens you'll likely instinctively use another of our phoenix abilities to escape to a safe place to heal before another spell can be sent your way."
A bit worried at the idea of being that vulnerable Harry shuddered before taking a deep breath and moving on.
"What do you mean by my song?"
"Phoenix's have the ability to weave magic into our cry. When we do, it becomes a song, which you can use to help uplift the moods of your friends and family. It's a similar effect to a Cheering Charm, but far stronger and it lasts far longer."
Harry was nodding his head even as the quill in his hand jolted across the paper.
"I see, I see."
"Now these last few abilities you can eventually learn to use while human. All phoenix's are able to create and control fire, to the point we can convert our bodies into flame for physical objects to pass through. A majority of spells will as well, unless it is extremely overpowered or one that is already powerful enough like the spell Defodio. We are able to Apparate, which is a form of magical travel, but our method is different from the standard version that wizards use."
Fawkes continued with his explanation on phoenix abilities. But Harry cut him off before he could get too far down the list.
"I've read about Apparition. What is the difference between how wizards do it and how phoenix's do it?"
"Apparition is the ability to travel between locations nearly instantaneously. Different magical species have different ways of doing so. Wizards direct their magic to act on their body in such a way that it distorts, twisting in on itself as it travels through a separate dimension to reach their destination in the blink of an eye. Phoenixes however use magic to convert our bodies into heat and travel along the wind. We move at the same speed, but according to my bonded familiar, it is far more comfortable to Apparate with the phoenix method than the wizard one."
Harry smiled when he looked up at the bird.
"Was that what you used to leave after helping us get out from the chamber? If so I had told myself if you were telling me the truth about my animagus form I would see about that being the first thing you teach me."
Fawkes' laughter filled the air before he responded.
"Yes young one, that is what I used to leave that day. As for teaching it to you first, I'm afraid not. Mostly because we are going to start with the most difficult ability first. You see we phoenixes are also able to use our magic to alter our bodies. For example when I blinded that basilisk I used my magic to make my talons three times the size they are now, then I hardened them so they wouldn't break."
Harry found himself looking at his fellow phoenix with wide eyes. The animagus transformation was the easiest of the wizarding methods of self transfiguration (well, easiest aside from being born as a metamorphmagus). After all the transfiguration spells were much harder than the animagus transformation, and the potions that could do so were extremely complex.
"I see you understand the difficulty. But there is a reason we'll start with this ability. If you can master it, then the other phoenix powers will be much easier to learn as you'll have a starting point to work from in controlling your magic as we phoenixes do. Now take your phoenix form again and let's get started."
EDIT: I'm updating this chapter with this edited in note. The reason? I felt the need to warn you all that the next update will be a while. Real life is about to get busy for a week as I prepare for my wedding, and then I will be on my honeymoon for at least two weeks (possibly three depending on if my wife and I feel the need to relax more).