Harry itched at his arms in annoyance as he sat in Dumbledore's office. The
long feathers were hidden back under his sleeves, but they sure itched a
lot. It was no wonder why birds spent so much time preening themselves.
Professor Snape and Dumbledore were talking in hushed whispers, not too far
away, while Ron and Hermione fidgeted uncertainly next to him in their
chairs.
Suddenly, Ron's face broke into a huge grin. "Harry, since you can fly now, imagine the possibilities! You'll butcher the Slytherins in Quidditch! I mean, who needs a broom if you got built on wings!"
"Ron! You know just as well as Harry and I do that Quidditch is played on brooms!" Hermione scolded.
"That's just because most people can't fly!" Ron retorted. "Imagine the look on Malfoy's face when Harry dives off his broom and flies after the snitch! That'd be priceless!"
Harry couldn't help but grin himself at that thought. It'd be worth exposing his secret to the school just to see the Slytherins cry out in shock as the Gryffindor seeker flew broomless.
"Harry, may I have a word with you?" Dumbledore said suddenly. Harry stood and crossed the room to where Snape and Dumbledore were. When he reached them, Dumbledore motioned the two of them to go into the back room, where he normally held conferences with people that he didn't want to have interrupted. Once in there, he turned his attention back to Harry.
"Potter, how far have your transformations gone?" Snape asked, bluntly.
Harry blinked for a moment before stuttering, "W-what do you mean?"
"Harry, we need to know how far along in the transformation process you are," Dumbledore said, softly. "Take these shorts and go ahead and change into them in the bathroom over there. We need you to take off your robe, shirt, and pants so we can see how far you've transformed."
Harry would have liked very much to argue that he didn't want to, but he knew that would get him nowhere. Silently, he took the shorts and walked out of the room to change.
When he came back in, he stood silently, feeling very exposed. Dumbledore and Snape both gaped for a moment before quickly regaining neutral expressions. Harry's skin had turned from being moonlight pale to a bronze gold, and not the sort one could get from a tan. When he held his arms straight out, the plumage of the draping feathers fell to his waist. The feathers on his head were no longer than his hair had been, yet they were still very much feathers. His toe nails were starting to look a little more like talons, though not very much, and the shape of his eyes were slightly more hawkish looking. Dumbledore then asked him to turn around so he could see his back. At first glance, it looked as though Harry had a terrible, metallic sunburn. His skin was deep red with black accents and gold highlights running along it. The feathers from his arms were Scarlet with gold on the very tips with black on the scarlet, forming a zigzag pattern.
"How far along is he in the transformation," Snape murmured so only Dumbledore could hear.
"It's happening much quicker than I had expected it to," Dumbledore admitted quietly. "He should have looked like this four months from now. We're going to need to put a speeding charm on the potion to have it finished in time."
"Professor?" Both Dumbledore and Snape looked at Harry. "May I put my robe back on? It's a little chilly. . ."
"Of course," Dumbledore said. He then walked over to his bookshelf, scanning the titles of the books as Harry pulled his robe back on. "Harry, do you know what sort of Phoenix you are becoming?"
"Er, no sir. I didn't really know there were more than one sort, actually," Harry admitted, softly.
Dumbledore took a book off the shelf and approached Harry again. "There are five different sorts of Phoenix, Harry. The very first Phoenix was the Greek Phoenix. They are nearly always solid red, though occasionally they have purple somewhere on them. They looks sort of like a mixture between an Eagle and a pheasant. Then, there's the Ho-Ho, or Japanese Phoenix. They're swan like birds that are either all red with yellow and orange and long necks, which is what Fawkes is, or they're white with any other colors you can imagine on their wings and tails. Then, there's the fire Phoenix, which is made entirely out of fire. They're quite rare and can only survive in Volcanoes. There's the Augurey, or the Irish Phoenix, which is all blue and black in color. It constantly loses its feathers and cries all the time. It's song even drives people insane!"
"Please, Headmaster, tell me I'm not going to be an Augurey!" Harry pleaded.
Dumbledore chuckled. "No, Harry, you will not be an Augurey. You're turning into this last breed that I was about to mention. It's the Arabic Phoenix. They're built like a combination between an eagle and hawk, and they are the smallest breed of Phoenix. Their top half is scarlet with intricate designs on their wings. Their lower half is gold. They are closely related in appearance to the Greek Phoenix, and they have the ability of the Phoenix song and tears that the Ho-Ho has. Being that they are the smallest Phoenix, they are also the fastest fliers. They have terrific eyesight, for they can spot anything from miles away. Their tail feathers aren't extremely long, for that would slow their flight, yet it is longer than the average bird. They are also sometimes called 'the healer birds', for they were known at one time to fly around in the skies, seeking out the ill and injured, then they'd heal them. They also never attack anyone or anything unless they are attacked first. They burn every fifty years." Dumbledore then handed Harry the book he was holding with a picture and description of an Arabic Phoenix. Harry was stunned at the sight of the bird. If he had thought Fawkes was a pretty bird, then the Arabic Phoenix was gorgeous. He had never seen anything like it in his life.
"So, I'm going to be that?" Harry asked, breathlessly.
"Yes, I believe it is safe to say you are," Dumbledore chuckled. Snape glanced at the picture of the Phoenix, then looked up at Harry with respect. He quickly masked it with a scowl.
"Now, I do believe that is all, Harry. If you notice any other changes, please inform us immediately," Dumbledore said firmly. "You may go back to your dormitory after you change back into your clothes."
*Thank you, sir.* Harry grimaced slightly as Dumbledore laughed. "Er, Thank you sir."
Author's Notes: I did not make up any of the stuff about the Phoenixes, just to let everyone know. The Augurey is the creation of JK Rowling, and is from the Book of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The other four have lived in legends for as long as people have been around. Also, the Snidget comes from Quidditch Through the Ages. Once again, it is not my own creation.
Also, I just need to clear something up real quick. A lot of you have e- mailed me, telling me that I completely copied Lela Star. I did not in any way copy her fic, Dying Angel. I put up the challenge in June 2002, and SHE asked ME if she could use the fic. I gave her permission, but she never gave me credit. Those of you who told me about this to try to save me from trouble (jenny), I thank you very much for looking out for me. For those of you who were accusing, I'd like you to remember that I said very specifically earlier that I have a LIST of everyone who has answered my challenges in my author bio. LelaStar is in there. So please, look before you accuse. My challenge were posted in June 2002, so any response after that is either in response to my challenge, or they're stealing it from me. Please look at the publish date, and if it's earlier than when I posted, then feel free to accuse.
Now, I'll answer some questions that some of you asked. I apologize that I can't thank each of you individually for reviews, but just know that I thank you very much for them. They mean a great deal to me.
1. In response to Usaka, you can find a list of responses in my author bio. It has the title of the story and the authors next to it. Hope that helps!
2. This is for Mark Scottson. Thanks for that second wonderful suggestion! You seriously should make an account and start writing. I'll see if I can take you up on that second idea too; it might appear in a future chapter. If it does, you'll get all the credit for it.
Ok, that's all the questions I saw. I'll update again as long as the reviews come in!
Suddenly, Ron's face broke into a huge grin. "Harry, since you can fly now, imagine the possibilities! You'll butcher the Slytherins in Quidditch! I mean, who needs a broom if you got built on wings!"
"Ron! You know just as well as Harry and I do that Quidditch is played on brooms!" Hermione scolded.
"That's just because most people can't fly!" Ron retorted. "Imagine the look on Malfoy's face when Harry dives off his broom and flies after the snitch! That'd be priceless!"
Harry couldn't help but grin himself at that thought. It'd be worth exposing his secret to the school just to see the Slytherins cry out in shock as the Gryffindor seeker flew broomless.
"Harry, may I have a word with you?" Dumbledore said suddenly. Harry stood and crossed the room to where Snape and Dumbledore were. When he reached them, Dumbledore motioned the two of them to go into the back room, where he normally held conferences with people that he didn't want to have interrupted. Once in there, he turned his attention back to Harry.
"Potter, how far have your transformations gone?" Snape asked, bluntly.
Harry blinked for a moment before stuttering, "W-what do you mean?"
"Harry, we need to know how far along in the transformation process you are," Dumbledore said, softly. "Take these shorts and go ahead and change into them in the bathroom over there. We need you to take off your robe, shirt, and pants so we can see how far you've transformed."
Harry would have liked very much to argue that he didn't want to, but he knew that would get him nowhere. Silently, he took the shorts and walked out of the room to change.
When he came back in, he stood silently, feeling very exposed. Dumbledore and Snape both gaped for a moment before quickly regaining neutral expressions. Harry's skin had turned from being moonlight pale to a bronze gold, and not the sort one could get from a tan. When he held his arms straight out, the plumage of the draping feathers fell to his waist. The feathers on his head were no longer than his hair had been, yet they were still very much feathers. His toe nails were starting to look a little more like talons, though not very much, and the shape of his eyes were slightly more hawkish looking. Dumbledore then asked him to turn around so he could see his back. At first glance, it looked as though Harry had a terrible, metallic sunburn. His skin was deep red with black accents and gold highlights running along it. The feathers from his arms were Scarlet with gold on the very tips with black on the scarlet, forming a zigzag pattern.
"How far along is he in the transformation," Snape murmured so only Dumbledore could hear.
"It's happening much quicker than I had expected it to," Dumbledore admitted quietly. "He should have looked like this four months from now. We're going to need to put a speeding charm on the potion to have it finished in time."
"Professor?" Both Dumbledore and Snape looked at Harry. "May I put my robe back on? It's a little chilly. . ."
"Of course," Dumbledore said. He then walked over to his bookshelf, scanning the titles of the books as Harry pulled his robe back on. "Harry, do you know what sort of Phoenix you are becoming?"
"Er, no sir. I didn't really know there were more than one sort, actually," Harry admitted, softly.
Dumbledore took a book off the shelf and approached Harry again. "There are five different sorts of Phoenix, Harry. The very first Phoenix was the Greek Phoenix. They are nearly always solid red, though occasionally they have purple somewhere on them. They looks sort of like a mixture between an Eagle and a pheasant. Then, there's the Ho-Ho, or Japanese Phoenix. They're swan like birds that are either all red with yellow and orange and long necks, which is what Fawkes is, or they're white with any other colors you can imagine on their wings and tails. Then, there's the fire Phoenix, which is made entirely out of fire. They're quite rare and can only survive in Volcanoes. There's the Augurey, or the Irish Phoenix, which is all blue and black in color. It constantly loses its feathers and cries all the time. It's song even drives people insane!"
"Please, Headmaster, tell me I'm not going to be an Augurey!" Harry pleaded.
Dumbledore chuckled. "No, Harry, you will not be an Augurey. You're turning into this last breed that I was about to mention. It's the Arabic Phoenix. They're built like a combination between an eagle and hawk, and they are the smallest breed of Phoenix. Their top half is scarlet with intricate designs on their wings. Their lower half is gold. They are closely related in appearance to the Greek Phoenix, and they have the ability of the Phoenix song and tears that the Ho-Ho has. Being that they are the smallest Phoenix, they are also the fastest fliers. They have terrific eyesight, for they can spot anything from miles away. Their tail feathers aren't extremely long, for that would slow their flight, yet it is longer than the average bird. They are also sometimes called 'the healer birds', for they were known at one time to fly around in the skies, seeking out the ill and injured, then they'd heal them. They also never attack anyone or anything unless they are attacked first. They burn every fifty years." Dumbledore then handed Harry the book he was holding with a picture and description of an Arabic Phoenix. Harry was stunned at the sight of the bird. If he had thought Fawkes was a pretty bird, then the Arabic Phoenix was gorgeous. He had never seen anything like it in his life.
"So, I'm going to be that?" Harry asked, breathlessly.
"Yes, I believe it is safe to say you are," Dumbledore chuckled. Snape glanced at the picture of the Phoenix, then looked up at Harry with respect. He quickly masked it with a scowl.
"Now, I do believe that is all, Harry. If you notice any other changes, please inform us immediately," Dumbledore said firmly. "You may go back to your dormitory after you change back into your clothes."
*Thank you, sir.* Harry grimaced slightly as Dumbledore laughed. "Er, Thank you sir."
Author's Notes: I did not make up any of the stuff about the Phoenixes, just to let everyone know. The Augurey is the creation of JK Rowling, and is from the Book of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The other four have lived in legends for as long as people have been around. Also, the Snidget comes from Quidditch Through the Ages. Once again, it is not my own creation.
Also, I just need to clear something up real quick. A lot of you have e- mailed me, telling me that I completely copied Lela Star. I did not in any way copy her fic, Dying Angel. I put up the challenge in June 2002, and SHE asked ME if she could use the fic. I gave her permission, but she never gave me credit. Those of you who told me about this to try to save me from trouble (jenny), I thank you very much for looking out for me. For those of you who were accusing, I'd like you to remember that I said very specifically earlier that I have a LIST of everyone who has answered my challenges in my author bio. LelaStar is in there. So please, look before you accuse. My challenge were posted in June 2002, so any response after that is either in response to my challenge, or they're stealing it from me. Please look at the publish date, and if it's earlier than when I posted, then feel free to accuse.
Now, I'll answer some questions that some of you asked. I apologize that I can't thank each of you individually for reviews, but just know that I thank you very much for them. They mean a great deal to me.
1. In response to Usaka, you can find a list of responses in my author bio. It has the title of the story and the authors next to it. Hope that helps!
2. This is for Mark Scottson. Thanks for that second wonderful suggestion! You seriously should make an account and start writing. I'll see if I can take you up on that second idea too; it might appear in a future chapter. If it does, you'll get all the credit for it.
Ok, that's all the questions I saw. I'll update again as long as the reviews come in!