The Phoenix and his Flame
ONE SHOT. Story time at the Burrow. A fairytale about the origins of the phoenix, flame travel and rebirth from ashes. Includes a soul bond.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything. The Harry Potter series and all its characters, along with all rights to them belong to J.K. Rowlings.
This is my first Fanfiction story, so reviews and comments would be very much appreciated. This story started out to be just the introduction to a story I thought out about a soul bond between Harry and Ginny, inspired by the work of other Fanfiction writers. But after finishing the outline and planning for the story, I realised I'll probably never write it. So if you are interested in using this story as a basis for a soul bond story between Harry and Ginny, feel free to drop me a line. You do not have to use any of my other ideas.
It was bed time at the Burrow and the only two children at home were the Weasley's youngest son Ron and their only daughter Ginny. Their five older sons were at Hogwards School for Witchcraft and Wizardry or in the case of the eldest two already finished with school, working and not living at home anymore.
Bed time at the Burrow also meant story time and tonight they sat in Ron's room on the bed.
"So, what story do you want to hear tonight?" asked Arthur, while making himself comfortable.
"The story of The Three Brothers," piped up Ron.
But Ginny interrupted, "Ron, it's my turn today! And I want to hear the story of The Phoenix And His Flame!"
"Not again!" moaned Ron. "It's always that or a story about 'Harry Potter'."
Arthur quickly intervened. "Ginny is right, it is her turn tonight, so we will have her story tonight."
Ron groaned again, while Ginny shot him a triumphant smile while making herself comfortable on her dad's lap.
Arthur began the story:
"Once apon a time there was a man named Phoenix. Phoenix was handsome, strong, charming and very brave. However, he was an ordinary human man back then, with nothing extraordinary about him except for the fact that he was a wizard.
One day while on his travels he came across a group of dementors in the woods. He was about to turn and run when his eyes fell on the most amazing sight before him: A beautiful maiden lying on the ground beneath the hovering dementors surrounded by a ring of fire keeping off the dementors. She was fighting to stay conscious but still saw Phoenix, to her the most handsome man she had ever see. It was love at first sight for both Phoenix and the maiden. The maiden cried out for Phoenix to run and save himself. Phoenix however pulled out his wand to battle the dementors. With the help of his courage and bravery, Phoenix managed to banish the dementors. Just as all seemed over, Phoenix stumbled over some exposed tree roots. He fell to the ground and hit his head on a rock, rendering him unconscious. The beautiful maiden ran over to Phoenix sitting down at his side and crying over his body while healing him of his injuries, being a witch well taught in the art of healing spells. When Phoenix woke up the young maiden introduced herself as a young witch named Flame from a nearby village.
When Flame was about to leave, Phoenix insisted that he accompany her home. When they reached the house, Flame proceeded to tell her parents all about how Phoenix had saved her life. Flame's father, who was a powerful wizard, gave Phoenix the gift of apparition, as a thank you for saving his daughter's life.
It was clear for all to see that Flame and Phoenix loved each other very much and so they were soon married.
But Phoenix was restless and soon wanted to resume his travels now made easier with apparition. However back then side-along apparition had not yet been invented and he could not take another person with him. He and Flame loved each other very much and he was loath to leave her behind. Flame could see his misery and it broke her heart, so she proceeded to bind herself to him in all magical ways she could think of. And it worked. They were now connected in all ways magically imaginable, allowing Phoenix to take her with him when he apparated.
Phoenix and Flame together travelled far and wide, exploring the world. The pair shared a great compassion for the world and its people and therefore used their gifts of bravery and healing to help many in need.
They were very happy together and their love for each other grew stronger and stronger. Due to the true love that Flame and Phoenix shared and the pureness of their souls, the original binding turned into a soul bond making the pair truly one, magnifying their magic and turning them from ordinary to extraordinary.
Their deep love for each other was clear to see and together with their good deeds inspired many. However this and their great magical strength also made others very jealous. So on one of their travels into a far away land, the couple came across a council of three powerful dark wizards. They lured the couple into their dark castle trapping them there with spells while they deliberated on what to do with them. The first suggested turning them into crows, an omen of evil and death. However the couple's souls were too pure, so instead of turning into crows, they turned into majestic song birds. So the second suggested killing just the one to make the other suffer. However the love of the couple was too deep and their magic and souls so interwoven that instead of one dying, their bodies merged into one. The wizards were getting angry now so the third suggested burning the bird alive, drawing inspiration from its flame coloured plumage. However they underestimated the couple again. Their magic was too great and their souls too pure to let evil prevail, so as the flames were lit, a separate ring of fire sprang up surrounding the majestic flame coloured bird protecting it from the worst of the evil flames. Instead the flames engulfed the three dark wizards. When the fire had burned out, all that remained was a small baby bird surrounded by a ring of fire, being reborn from the ashes.
This is why the phoenix has got the colours of flames as his plumage and whenever a phoenix appears flames travel with him, they help protecting him from ultimate death and then rise again together with him from the ashes.
This just shows that even the greatest magic, the purest soul and the deepest love cannot beat death but merely modifies it into the eternal cycle of life, death and rebirth. For the phoenix this rebirth is immediate and into the same body, for most, it takes a lot longer for a suitable body to be found for rebirth. "
Arthur looked around him to see that both Ron and Ginny had fallen asleep. Ginny woke up when he moved her off his lap. So after tucking Ron in, he and Ginny walked down the stairs to her room. While tucking Ginny in Arthur asked her a question he had wondered about many times.
"Ginny, why do you like the story of 'The Phoenix and his Flame' so much? You know I won't laugh at you, if that is why you always say 'I don't know' when your brothers ask you." Ginny's brothers had long discovered that Ginny had a huge crush on Harry Potter and teased her about it often.
Ginny replied, "Ok, I'll tell you, but promise you won't laugh."
"I promise."
"I always see Harry Potter as the Phoenix and me as the Flame," Ginny replies with a deep blush.
Arthur was silent for a moment and then said, "Ginny, we have talked about this before. You do know that Harry Potter is just an ordinary boy, don't you?" After Ginny nodded he continued, "And you also know that he may never notice you, never mind fall in love with you, right?"
At this Ginny stubbornly replied, "I know daddy, but I will marry him someday, you'll see!"
"Ok, good night then, Princess", Arthur said as he kissed Ginny on the forehead.
"Good night, daddy", Ginny mumbled already half asleep.
As Arthur walked down to the living room he wondered about Ginny's answer and if there might just be more to it that somehow Ginny knew about. But mostly he was once again worried about when his little girl's dreams about Harry Potter would be shattered and her heart broken by it.