Chapter 7

The Phoenix Call

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, home to almost a thousand living beings. The castle itself was 'alive', because of all the magic the living beings 'dropped'. The castle cracked as the warmth of the first beams of sunlight hit its stones. The castle seemed to have great pleasure in absorbing the light.

Then, two 'plops' were heard and the building cracked again. This time in greeting, which pleased the two new comers immensely. Both were cloaked and their faces were only partly visible, but their mouths revealed big smiled.

There was one who bore strange burn marks on his face. He spoke: "Well, I think that the castle is glad that we're back."

The other one laughed. "I think that it's glad, but not because I'm back."

The two moved closer and both could hear that there was a lot of activity in the Great Hall. Both smiled at each other and their eyes were shining with an evil sort of glint. The one nodded to the other and before one could blink, was the one with the burn marks gone.

Harry James Potter landed into the Great Hall with a burst of flames. The hall was packed with students and all teachers were present. Since it was the first day of school and no one knew their timetable yet, there were many sleepy faces sitting on the breakfast table. Though, after a burst of flame, everyone was wide-awake.

Harry chuckled at all the shocked faces. Not many people would have guessed that he still had some sense of humor. After all, he had gone through a lot of harsh times. But since he had met Jack, he had gained not only a lot of lost humor, but also a brother. Not that the Weasley bothers meant nothing to him. They were more of his family, because when one is alone, he creates his own family.

Harry sensed that all of the teachers' wands were pointed at him and the older ones were rushing forwards to protect the younger ones.

"Who are you? What do you want?" The voice of Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of the school, seemed to force every other sound away.

Harry smiled and turned towards the respected headmaster. "Why, I only wish to say 'hello'. Is that so odd?"

Minerva McGonagall narrowed her eyes and she seemed to want to hiss like an angry cat. "Who are you?"

Harry' smile widened and he lowered his hat. The teachers seemed to be all a bit taken aback at the site of him, but Harry just laughed. "Do I look that horrible?" He turned so that everyone could look at him.

There was a lot of movement and before Harry could react, someone crashed into his barrier. He looked at the fallen one and his smile softened. "Hi Gin. How are you?"

She looked up at him from where she was lying. "Is it really you?" she asked softly tears glistering in her eyes.

Someone helped her up as Harry pondered the question. "When is it really me?" he asked, more to himself then to anyone else. "When can you truly say that you are really you? I guess part of me is here and part of me is hidden, not yet revealed to anyone but Jack."

Ginny looked at him, confusion clearly shining in her eyes. She took a step closer and stretches out her hand. When her hand finally reached the barrier, she moved close enough to reach it.

Ron and Hermione had finally reached Harry too and both looked at their friend carefully, but Harry had only eyes for Ginny.

"Can you lower the barrier?" she whispered.

Harry shook his head. "It's for your own safety. And for mine too, I guess. When you touch me, you'll burn."

Someone snorted. "Really! Trust Potter to be melodramatic."

Harry turned and his flaming green eyes vested on Severus Snape. The sneer on his face seemed to fade a little as he saw the red flicker of flames reflected is those green eyes. "If you think nothing of my warning, then touch me." Harry' voice was much deeper and more intense when he said those few words.

Severus seemed to think nothing of it. "I'm not a foolish Gryffindor who will risk his life for his 'friends'. But to prove my point," he picked up a spoon from the table.

"Severus be wise," Dumbledore said in a voice that clearly betrayed his concern, but Snape ignored him.

Harry made an 'opening' in his barrier so professor Snape could come through. He reached out one arm from under his cloak. The arm was scarred, as if a million different knives had been driven through it. Some places on the arm were even burned black.

Snape locked eyes with Harry before he placed the spoon on the others arm. Harry' eyes turned completely red this time and his skin looked like it was on fire. The burns on his face first turned red and then changed into black.

The spoon turned red hot and caught fire. On that moment many things happened. Most of the students disappeared except for the fifth year Gryffindors, Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Cedric Diggory and Fred and George Weasley. Fawkes flew into the Great Hall, Jack hot on his heals and Severus Snape dropped the spoon.

Snape nearly fell backwards as he tried to get away from the scene. "Look what happened," McGonagall cried. Everyone had the same shocked and terrified expression on his or her faces.

"You fool," yelled Jack, as he came closer, with a hint of panic in his voice. "Do you have any idea what you just did?" It looked like a scene from a movie, as he came running down the hall, cloak blowing furiously around him.

Ginny turned towards him. "Jack, what's happening? How did you get here?"

Harry' skin had turned completely black. The barrier disappeared and Fawkes was hovering above him.

Jack ignored the rest of the questions. "Keep as far away from Harry as you can. The Phoenix is rising." He grabbed a bag from one of his pockets. He made a circle around Harry and him with some yellow powder from the bag.

With a clap of his hands the powder ignited. Yellow flames made a circle around the two men.

Tears fell from Harry' eyes as Jack tried to make contact with him. "Harry, come back to us. You're at Hogwarts. Push it away. The Phoenix had no power over you. You destroyed one link; you can destroy this one too. Come on Harry, you can do it."

Jack' words seemed to really work, because after a few seconds Harry closed his eyes. Then Jack did something that no one expected. He slapped Harry in the face.

"What are you doing," both Ginny and Hermione cried, but Harry responded immediately. He opened his eyes again. He smiled and fainted.

The yellow flames disappeared with a snap of Jacks fingers.

(Few minutes of struggle, into Harry's mind)

My body reacted and flames seemed to burn me up from the inside once Snape took the bait. Trust that man to be blind for the danger ahead. But then again, when it came to me, Severus Snape was always playing with fire.

I can feel how the Phoenix uses my mouth to speak, like it had done before. I try to push it away, but I was so overwhelmed to see everyone again, that I had lowered my guard. I can only listen to its call for revenge and freedom.

My body burns and my soul hides in the shadows, scared to be burn by the raging flames inside of me. I can only watch helplessly at all the scared faces around me.

And then I hear it. Another is calling. Singing to me for support. I can see how the patterns of Jack enter the Great Hall. I'm only glad that he if here, but I feel my mind slipping. Shadow and Flame are taking up my mind, swallowing me whole.

Then, familiar flames, pushing away the shadows. They are crying to me, telling me that I should return. That the path that I'm walking now is wrong. But how can it be wrong? It's warm and comforting.

At last I can see Jack. His voice is like a broken record, only heard in stages. But Fawkes is talking to me as well. And they are right. This has to stop, because I know the risk. I know the cost.

Pain is now running through my body, pulling at every muscle and bone. And finally I feel release. An escape. Freedom.

(Back to the normal perspective)

Once Harry had been settled into the Hospital Wing with a strange sort of blue glue on his skin and madam Pomfrey had been strictly requested not to touch him, everyone once again settled into the Great Hall.

Students had been given their timetables and had been requested to take the morning off and go back to their dorms. Some were whooping with glee, others where muttering about being able to sleep in and some, mostly Ravenclaws, where disappointed.

Jack was pacing up and down the teachers table, which had been emptied before. Professor Dumbledore had first requested that he should not walk on the table, so Jack had paced on the stone floors. But after a few minutes he had once again chosen the wooden table to pace on.

Ron and Cedric were silently watching Jack, while Hermione and Ginny were whispering to each other. Some of the teachers had retired to their rooms, but Snape and McGonagall had stayed in the Great Hall, but they were far from silent.

"You should not make rash decisions!" McGonagall said in her stern voice, as if speaking to one of her students.

"And Potter shouldn't have made that proposal!" Snape said, trying to defend himself. He was standing with his arm crossed, standing like a little child who refuses to see his mistake.

"You were the wiser one in that situation!"

"Potter made the wrong moves here!"

"Potter is still a child!"

"And that was proven once again today!"

"Why than did you make the mistake of taking the bait?"

"To prove that Potter is just one more foolish Gryffindor and that he is just as arrogant as his father!"

"STOP IT!" Jack yelled as he stops pacing and turned towards the two professors. "You can only talk about what should and shouldn't have happened. But you are not focussing on what has to happen now! Professor Snape made a mistake that anyone unaware of the situation could have made, but now he has to deal with the consequences. What you saw today was the Phoenix trapped inside of him. And that is also the reason why we came back today. Whether he likes it or not, Harry needs help. We came here for that help."

Snape turned to him with a sneer. "Help you will not get from me! I will not help an attention seeking little -"

"Till there and no further professor," Jack said with burning eyes. "Harry is not an attention seeking person. He is the most forgiving, kind, strong and just person I've ever met and I've met a lot of people professor. The problem is that you don't wish to look past Harry's appearance. You're afraid that once you look further that he looks more like his mother then his father on the inside. And don't you dare to deny it."

Snape clapped his mouth shut and looked in a different direction. But he kept his body facing Jack.

Jack had fallen silent too. He looked tired and he lowered himself unto the table. Something seemed to shatter inside of him and he rubbed his face with his hands.

When his face came into focus again, his face seemed strangely wet. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded tired and helpless. "I just don't know what I supposed to do anymore."

A/N: You're welcome to yell, but hey at least Harry's back.