A/N: This has been semi-beta'd by Bea. Thanks, Bea. It's only been semi-beta'd because Bea has several essays to write.

Also, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to a California girl mother of a toddler stuck in rainy Washington. I too am a California girl stuck in a cold place. I'm in New England, though, so I win the coldness award (well, actually…Nessi and Mirage etc. win for coldness as they are in Canada). You, on the other hand, win the really-awesome-and-nice-and-spirit-lifting-review-award. Anyway, embermorningstarr, this is for you.

Enjoy!

Chapter 48: Tea Time

At a calculated one minute after three, Harry knocked on the door to the headmaster's study. The heavy door swung open immediately. "Come in," said Albus, getting up from behind his desk.

"Hi," said Harry. Harry followed Albus over to the tea table and armchairs.

"How's your day been?" asked Albus. He gestured Harry into one of the chairs and sat down in the other.

"Fine actually, I guess. I just…I just took a nap."

"Goodness, really? Nothing is better than a good nap, and no one is more deserving than you right now; you must have been exhausted."

"I'm still quite groggy—I was so disoriented when I woke up that left all of my…things in my room before I came up here. I'm surprised I remembered to put my glasses back on. Some defense teacher I am, hmm?"

"I promise to protect you should the situation arise."

"Thanks."

They chatted for a half hour about the tournament, discussing some of the student duels and commenting on some of the more interesting magic. Finally Albus seemed to remember the pretense of the visit, tea, and wandlessly summoned a teapot. He made it hover over the table and then wandlessly conjured some flames (which still cast no light) beneath the pot to boil the water.

"Still no light?" Harry asked.

Albus smiled wistfully. "Not unless you can shed any one the situation."

"I've got nothing, sorry."

"I'm thoroughly baffled. If I were unable to create heat wandlessly, I would be less confused; heat and light are both electromagnetic waves, albeit of different wavelengths. If I could not create heat, I would suspect that I am making a ball of magic rather than making magic that creates electromagnetic waves. As it is, however, I am able to make waves of a certain length (in the infrared spectrum, certainly) but not in that of visible light. I have considered experimenting in other spectra, for instance radio waves or—"

"I'm sorry, Albus. You lost me at electromagnetic," said Harry.

"Physics, Harry, physics. It's more related to magic than many witches and wizards acknowledge. Physics is probably the most important and most misunderstood component of magic."

"I thought your mantra was that love was the most misunderstood and important component of magic."

"Is it…?"

"Pretty sure. You were always all 'Love is like oxygen! Love is a many splendored thing. Love lifts us up where we belong. All you need is love!'"

Albus frowned doubtfully. "Goodness, really? I have yet to see any evidence to suggest that to be true—that either that will be my 'mantra' or that it is true magically, but I believe you speak the truth. As of now...I do not underestimate the…importance and joy of love, but I do not see it as relevant as physics to the practice of magic."

"Right…" said Harry, surprised to ever hear those words out of Albus Dumbledore's mouth. Albus remained untroubled.

"How has your magical creature animagus research gone?" asked Albus.

"I'm pretty sure there's nothing to find, though I can't be completely sure without the Wizzernet which hasn't been invented yet. I don't know how I made it through seven years of Hogwarts without it."

"What is the Wizzernet?"

"Like the internet but for wizards."

"What is the Internet?"

"Like magic but for muggles. Very useful for finding information. Anyway, if anyone's ever tried turning into an animagus of a magical creature, they didn't document it very well or didn't succeed—"

"Or survive," interjected Albus.

"Well, thanks," said Harry. "What I've guessed is that people don't try to turn into animagi of magical creatures because magical creatures have more complicated auras and don't usually let people in long enough to figure them out. When I was touring to find a form, the animals were really easy to read, but Fawkes can block me out any time he wants."

"Well, maybe if you asked nicely."

"He's cooperative. I'm doing this for him, after all. I'm just saying that's why no one's ever done it before. Probably."

Albus nodded in thought for a moment. "So, try it."

"Ok."

They looked at each other for a moment.

"Life is short," said Albus.

Harry glared at him. "Says you. You're like…seventy."

"Seventy six."

"Why do you look thirty five, again? It's like…"

"Magic? I do eat a lot of fruits and vegetables."

"Seriously, though," Harry persisted. "Do you do something? You look—"

"Really, Harry, let's not discuss my vanity. Are you ready to transform?"

"What, now?"

"Mmm…Yes. What better time? You have my expert supervision at your disposal."

Harry was about to scoff and say that he didn't need supervision, but then he remembered what happened the last time he'd tried an animagus transformation. Instead he rolled his eyes.

"Alright."

They stared at each other for another moment.

"Really? Now?" asked Harry after a moment. Albus just nodded.

Harry was about to make up some excuse to procrastinate, some reason why not to try when a sudden warm wind seemed to sweep over his whole body—through his body. The wind grew so fierce that he was lifted into the air. Though Harry was caught in a storm, not a paper blew in Albus's office and the tea in Harry's cup didn't even ripple.

Harry cried out in surprise and tried to say, "Albus, what's going on? Are you doing this?" but found he couldn't form words. He also realized that that was a stupid question. He knew exactly what was going on and who was doing it. Fawkes was taking over.

Harry was now several feet in the air and only dimly aware that Albus had stood up. He became aware of a warm tickling sensation at his feet that made him sweat and itch. The tickling moved to his ankles, and his feet became uncomfortably warm. The warmth spread up his body, and he gasped in discomfort.

"Harry?" Albus asked. Harry could hardly hear Albus through the roaring in his ears. "Harry I think I know what's happening. You're going to burn! You have to stop! Stop, Harry, stop!"

But Harry couldn't stop—he hadn't started in the first place. His entire body was now consumed in burning pain. He heard a scream and realized it was coming from his own mouth. Though his Gryffindor pride and bravery prevented any thought of pleading from crossing his mind, Harry did ask, with his last conscious thought, 'why, Fawkes? Why?'

Albus pulled out his wand, but it was too late. Harry vanished in a spire of violently whirling flames, hovering in the air.

Albus cried out in shock and began chanting feverishly with his wand aloft. To his surprise and frustration, he was thrown backwards into armchair and his wand vanished in flames that singed his hand. The furious look on Albus's face was like thunder blossoming from a dark cloud. He now knew that it wasn't Harry making the change. Something was burning Harry alive.

Before Albus could do anything else, though, the storm of flames in the middle of the room dropped to the floor. The flames dissipated rapidly until all there was left were a large pile of ashes and a mangled pair of glasses.