Birth of a Phoenix

Ch. 2- Growing Bonds

A/N: The second chapter of my story, and the beginning of Harry's transformation to a powerful wizard. It won't be overnight and it won't be easy, but it will happen. Thank you for the positive feedback on the first chapter, and thanks again for coming back for more! Enjoy!

Harry awoke the next morning in his Hospital Wing bed feeling quite well rested. He smiled at the sunlight streaming through the window of his private room. He smacked his lips, but there was no bitter dryness that he associated with Dreamless Sleep Potion. He frowned. If he hadn't had any potion, and he hadn't had any nightmares, what had happened?

"Morning kid, are you feeling a little better after some sleep?" Fawkes trilled warmly, withdrawing his head from under his wing. Harry grinned, remembering the events of the previous day and nodded.

"Yeah, loads, thanks for helping me sleep," Harry smiled and ruffled the Phoenix's head causing him to trill appreciatively.

"Good, you can repay me by getting me some food, I'm ravenous," He clacked his beak for emphasis.

"What do you want, just human food?" Harry asked.

"Nooo, I want a big bowl of seeds with a side of worms and small insects," Fawkes drawled sarcastically.

"Ok then, that can be arranged, no problem," Harry laughed as Fawkes humphed.

"Get me some real food, cheeky bugger. I want bacon!" Fawkes attempted indignation, but failed, ending up laughing as well. They were both silenced by a knock at the door, which Harry unlocked, allowing Dumbledore into the room levitating several steaming platters of food into the room. Fawkes hopped from the headboard and flapped to a floating tray, snatching several strips of bacon and wolfing them down. Harry laughed and the bird glared at him, causing him to laugh harder. Dumbledore watched in amusement. He waited patiently as the two ate and when they were finished he explained how Harry's summer would work.

"Well Harry, I have made some provisional plans for your 'additional tutoring' this summer," Harry took a swig of pumpkin juice and nodded for him to continue, "I have contacted several people outside of our staff here for their individual skillsets, and you will be taking classes in every field focusing on pushing you to your very limits. They are to be difficult, practical, and individualized. You will be given a greater berth to choose what areas you wish to pursue, and you will be working on several independent study projects over the course of the summer. And that will only be three days a week. Three others will be spent with the best tutor I could find; unfortunately he cannot come here, so you will have to go there. Sunday will be your day off. Any questions Harry?" Harry shook his head, "Very well, I will bring young Miss Weasley by later today, for the record, I believe that was a very good decision," Dumbledore nodded and Harry grinned, feeling inexplicably lighter after hearing that. Dumbledore patted Harry on the shoulder and, without really thinking about it, Harry pulled the old man into a hug, which he returned warmly, and when they broke apart, his smile was more genuine and the sparkle in his eyes was a little deeper and warmer. He left and Fawkes sang a warm, sentimental song for a few moments before hopping back to Harry's shoulder and nuzzling his neck. Harry sat on the foot of the bed enjoying the companionship of the bird. It was, he decided, the most fulfilling relationship he had ever experienced. He hadn't known his parents, he had never had a good relationship with his Aunt and Uncle, the Weasleys had treated him like family but he never felt wholly accepted, he didn't know Sirius well at all, and even Ron and Hermione were obviously meant for each other while he was third wheeling. Fawkes, however, had chosen Harry for who Harry was, not what he was supposed to be, not because he was a sad orphan, and not because of some obligation. It was a good feeling.

"Harry, have you ever considered what it would be like to die?" Fawkes asked introspectively. Harry gave him an incredulous look.

"Yes, quite often, usually when such an outcome is a distinct possibility, like when I'm fighting Dark Lords or giant reptiles," Harry responded, not actually upset like he would be if anyone else had asked, it was strange.

"Aren't they one in the same? But seriously, not liked horribly murdered dying, more like peaceful, surrounded by your loved ones dying. I imagine that it would be a lot like falling asleep and drifting away," The bird stared at the ceiling pensively.

"Really, could you have gone more cliché than that description?" Harry rolled his eyes.

"It's a cliché because it's accurate," Fawkes said emphatically.

"Oh yes, and I'm sure you've had it confirmed by how many dead people exactly? In my experience, they aren't so hot at answering questions,"

"Ever heard of a near-death experience Harry?"

"Oh yes, I have them every June actually, not all they're cracked up to be," Harry only then realized that he was actually joking about his fortune, or rather, his misfortune, "Since when are the majestic light creatures known as Phoenixes so good at bad jokes?"

"Hey, you're the one making all the bad jokes! And they call it making light of the situation for a reason. The Light would never win if we sat around all mopey all the time," He gave Harry a pointed look. For having a tiny head and a beak, Harry found it was quite easy for him to determine Fawkes' facial expressions.

"Oh sure…" Harry made a retort and Fawkes shot back a quip, and so they bantered on until Ginny and Dumbledore arrived several hours later.

Ginny was fuming. Snape had once again blamed her for something she had not done. Matter of fact, she was pretty sure she had been framed. She had been working on her potion when, suddenly, an ingredient on her station had shot off on a trajectory towards some Slytherin's cauldron. Snape had immediately snapped and dragged her down to the Headmaster's office where she was now sitting. Snape had just released her arm, but when she turned to glare at him, he had left. That was strange.

"Ah, Miss Weasley, I have a request of you, and I am sorry for whatever Snape did to get you out of his class without raising suspicions as I asked," Dumbledore bore Ginny's glare with ease, "First I will need you to wear this necklace and not take it off until I say you can," He held the necklace out to her.

"No," She refused hotly.

"Excuse me?"

"You remember what happened my first year?" Dumbledore nodded, "And you still expect me to accept some random magical object from you without any idea of what it does?" Dumbledore frowned slightly.

"He had warned me you might react this way, let's only hope he is correct…," Dumbledore mumbled and Ginny's brow furrowed in confusion, "I hope he doesn't mind, Fawkes!" The headmaster called and the Phoenix burst into existence, looked at the two, grabbed them, and disappeared.

They reappeared in a private room in the Hospital Wing which was inhabited by none other than (if the Hogwarts rumor mill was to be believed) mortally ill Harry Potter, who was sitting on the end of his bed smiling.

"She refused to wear it," it was a statement, not a question, "I told you so, and it's quite wise of her. Although, given the circumstances Ginny, would you please wear it? I promise it is safe," Ginny looked at him for a moment before accepting the necklace. Harry would never hurt her.

"Ah, excellent, I shall leave you to it then Harry," the Headmaster nodded and exited the room. Fawkes remained, resting on Harry's shoulder, he trilled and Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Pervert," he said, seemingly to the bird, Ginny frowned and wondered what Harry could want.

"Oh, yes, sorry Gin, I'm sure you're curious as to why you're here. Well, basically, I want to talk," Ginny's facial features remained fixed, but inside her chest, her heart jumped. He was opening up, and to her of all people, "Well, the necklace acts as some kind of shield to prevent people from getting into your head, sort of a counter to what the Diary did," She shuddered, "You need to wear it because what I want to talk about is a very big secret. Or several big secrets all stacked on top of each other, and I need someone to talk to about it who isn't an adult," Ginny smiled and sat where he patted on the end of the bed, resisting the desire to sit much closer. Harry too was resisting placing her closer to his body, ignoring Fawkes' advice of 'you've got her alone in a room, go for it," and trying to respect the fact that she was in a relationship.

"So when are Ron and Hermione getting their necklaces?" Ginny asked, waiting for Harry to reveal that they already knew as usual.

"They won't be, you will be the only one to know these things, save Dumbledore, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and myself," Harry was rewarded with a huge grin, even if Ginny's eyes showed confusion.

"Why not? They're your best friends, why keep this from them?" Ginny was very confused, and her heart trying to beat its way out of her chest wasn't helping. She was over Harry she had told herself, the crush was gone. But it was not. Oh no, now it was something else, something she didn't quite understand. She pushed it down as she had gotten so good at doing.

"A number of reasons, first off, we only have one necklace, and I can't only tell one of them anything. And Ron, even with the necklace, well, he's your brother; you know he can't keep his mouth shut. Hermione is good at keeping secrets, until she encounters something she doesn't understand, in which case she will spill everything to anyone who promises answers," Ginny nodded in agreement. It was a rather accurate assessment of his two best friends.

"And you don't want her nagging you about it either," Harry nodded in agreement, "So why me?" She braced for the answer, that she was weak little unassuming Ginny, safe to trust with the information and easy to use, as Tom had proven, to achieve one's goals.

"Easy, you can keep a secret, you have to in that household, you're tough growing up with six brothers, but you're still nice and easy to talk to, and you won't nag me or berate me, and you won't be afraid of me, and your smart, and you're just the best choice," And I fancy you and want you to break up with Corner and date me instead, he didn't say, cutting off his rambling. Ginny's heart fluttered a little more and she hoped he really felt those things. If he didn't, it might break her.

"So what's the big, elaborate secret?" Ginny leaned in a little and Harry began to recite the insane chain of events that had led him here. The resurrection, his training, Dumbledore's Vows, the Prophecy, Fawkes, everything Harry could think of, he spilled to her, save one important thing. In the end, he felt lighter than even Fawkes could make him. Ginny had slipped an arm around him early on, which had later developed into a full hug. Harry, drained by the effort of telling the story, dropped his head on top of hers. Ginny gave a little sigh of contentment as he let her hold him, letting herself, for a moment, realize how much she loved this boy and just how unfair his life was. Eventually, sadly, it was time for her to return to class and she left a slightly saddened but overall much happier Harry in his room. When she was gone, Harry flopped on his back and sighed a long, deep sigh. He was glad he had chosen her. She had been sympathetic but not condescending, worried but not anxious, and she had been everything he had needed. She had been Ginny. Fawkes trilled a heartsick tune and laughed and Harry stuck his tongue out at him. Fawkes laughed harder and, despite himself, Harry joined him.

The final week of school passed quickly and soon the school was devoid of students save for Harry and Ginny Weasley, who had demanded to be allowed to be present for the bonding between Harry and Fawkes, and had been allowed to stay and then Floo home, faking illness to avoid suspicion. Currently, Harry was standing in the Great Hall, which had had all its tables pushed away and in the center of its considerable floor space a double ring of runes inside a large circle glowed with a faint white light. In the center of the rings was an infinity symbol, which had Fawkes perched in one loop and Harry standing in the other. Outside the ring Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey, and Ginny were standing. Ginny and Dumbledore were smiling, but McGonagall and Pomfrey both looked inexplicably nervous. With a trill, Fawkes looked Harry in the eyes and McGonagall began to chant. McGonagall was performing the ritual because no one wanted to push the boundaries on Dumbledore's Vows. As she continued, Harry felt warmth begin in his toes. He knew it was flames licking at his feet, but he didn't dare look down and break his eye contact with Fawkes. Slowly but surely, the comfortable warmth licked up Harry's legs, arms and torso. Soon it was around his neck, then his nose, before it reached his forehead. Then it changed. His head exploded into pain as the fire began to actually burn and a migraine tore through his head. He screamed and Fawkes let loose a horrible shriek, the sound of a Phoenix in pain, as the flames around his forehead burned a vivid green, instead of the warm white-gold they should have been. Ginny tried to jump to Harry's side, but Dumbledore restrained her until the runes ceased to glow and both man and bird fell to the stone floor. In a flash, Ginny was at Harry's side, only to pushed away a moment later by Madam Pomfrey, who did some quick diagnostics. Her expression when she looked up said it all, Harry Potter was dead. The silence that befell the room was like a blanket, only punctuated by the sobbing, incoherent pleas from Ginny asking Harry to wake up. She had dropped to the floor and pulled his body against hers.

Harry, meanwhile, was standing in what appeared to be King's Cross station, except it was white, empty and clean and the walls glowed with white phosphorescence. Harry looked about him, before his eyes fixed on the train that rested in the station. He knew where that train would take him; it would take him to see his parents and his grandparents. Cedric would be there. Harry looked at his feet where two bundles sat. One, swaddled in white, was a baby phoenix and the other, in black, was the atrocity that Voldemort had been before the ritual. Harry picked them up and began to walk slowly towards the train. As he neared it, the little Phoenix cried a single tear which splashed to the ground at his feet. It flowed into a large puddle causing Harry to look down, but instead of seeing his reflection, he saw a scene of his body on the floor of the Great Hall, with Ginny clutching him to her chest. It shattered Harry's heart as she begged for him to return. He couldn't tell her no, and he never would be able to. In his best imitation of a Muggle football keeper he raised the Babymort and held it straight out in front of him, dropped it, and kicked it with remarkable accuracy and force onto the train as it gave a loud whistle and rocked into motion. Harry gathered the Phoenix in his arms, turned on his heel, and strode away from it.

Harry awoke, back in his physical body, with a gasp. Ginny's eyes got huge and Harry wrapped his arms around her tightly, reveling in the warmth of her body. Quickly though, he realized that his head was pounding. Across from him, Fawkes stirred.

"Owwww, my head is killing me," The bird complained, in Harry's head. Harry's reply was instinctual.

"Yeah, well my head actually did kill me, deal with it," Harry retorted. Fawkes chuckled mentally.

"Touché," Fawkes groaned as he stretched his wings, "I suppose the bonding process is complete then,"

"I would assume so," Harry replied out loud as his concentration lapsed.

"What was that?" Ginny was still holding him close. Harry was beginning to feel woozy.

"Mmn, Nothing, you're very pretty," He mumbled unintelligibly before passing out, Ginny shook him but Madam Pomfrey assured her that he was still alive and just needed rest. Soon enough, Harry was back in the Hospital Wing. Ginny had been forced to leave, but only after Harry promised to write often and to stay alive until she saw him again.

Harry remained in the Hospital Wing for two more infuriating weeks before being allowed to move back to his personal quarters, which was simply a refitted teacher's residence. It was nice though, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a sitting room, and a study. Harry's things had been placed in the largest bedroom already, so it was simply Fawkes on his shoulder trilling happily about their freedom. Harry was agreeing mentally. They entered the room and Fawkes flapped up to the exposed rafters, perching next to Hedwig who, much to Harry's relief took to him instantly. He made his way into his sitting room and his eyes went wide with surprise when he saw the large black dog sleeping on his sofa.

"Snuffles! Get your mangy arse off my couch!" He laughed as the dog started and fell ungracefully onto the floor before turning into a black haired, gray eyed man. Sirius Black, mass murderer and escaped convict, and also Harry's totally innocent godfather, wrapped him up in a big hug, which he returned.

"Hiya Pup, heard about your excitement with the Phoenix, and, you know, the whole dying thing," His voice was light, even when discussing Harry's untimely demise and subsequent resurrection.

"Sirius! Is it safe for you here? Aren't they still looking for you?" Harry asked with concern, the last thing he wanted was his godfather getting kissed because he needed help.

"Absolutely safe, I have it on good authority that the DMLE are completely stump and that Director Bones is swamping even Fudge's personal Hitwizard lackeys with work related to Cedric Diggory's mysterious death during the tournament," Sirius chuckled, he had long had a good relationship with Amelia Bones. Harry smiled at him, "Actually Pup, I've been meaning to see you about something, but Mooney's crashed after the full moon last night, so it'll have to wait. I can, however, give you my other talk. You see, when James and Lily went into hiding, we knew that I might end up raising you, so James and I, quite sure of my inability to give fatherly advice, took a page out of Lily's book. Literally, we wrote a book about, well, guy stuff," Sirius handed Harry the book, Harry blushed.

"I know about the birds and the bees Sirius,"

"Oh, but there's so much more than that! That book is the pinnacle of the Marauder's romancing prowess. Which probably explains why it's so short, but nevermind that, it's yours now, use it well!" He clapped Harry on the shoulder and they both laughed, falling into an easy banter that anyone watching who had known them would have associated with James Potter and younger Sirius Black. Soon, it was time for Harry to go to bed, by doctors' orders, but before he slept, he read the book Sirius had given him cover to cover. Three whole times. It was not the veritable porn collection Harry had expected; rather covering all of the fatherly girl advice James and Sirius (with some input from Lily) could come up with, all in James' handwriting. It was a wonderful, meaningful connection to his parents, and also quite practical. As sleep took him, Harry's head was still whirling with thoughts, some about his family, some about a particular redheaded girl, and surprisingly few about Voldemort.

The next morning, Harry made breakfast, a task he found much more pleasurable when it was for people he cared about than when he had done it for the Dursleys. Remus and Sirius, when they finally awoke, tore into Harry's cooking like wolves. Actually, that was probably a relatively accurate description, given their canine transformations. Over breakfast, the three bantered with casual easy like friends who had known each other for years. A long discussion about some of the Marauders' greatest moments led Sirius to unveil a thick, dusty tome with a large script 'M' on the cover. He dropped it on the kitchen table and looked to Harry. Remus stood behind Harry's chair and placed a hand on its back.

"Harry, this should have happened when you were eleven, but as I always say, better late than never," Sirius grinned before adopting a very comical serious face, "I believe it is time to induct Harry into our little brotherhood, don't you Mooney?"

"Absolutely, Padfoot," Remus nodded solemnly.

"Then let us begin! Harry, please place your hand on the cover of the book," Harry did as Sirius asked, the beginnings of a smile crossing his features, "Harry James Potter, Son of Prongs, do you solemnly swear you are up to no good?"

"I swear," Harry mimicked Sirius' mock gravity.

"Do you solemnly swear to uphold the Code of Honor, Chivalry and Civil Disobedience?"

"I swear,"

"Do you solemnly swear to always take pompous arrogant Slytherins down a peg when necessary?"

"I swear," All three were now fighting a losing battle with absolute hysterics.

"Do you solemnly swear to stand against the Dark Whore and his Dick Eaters as only a Marauder can? To uphold the Light through pranks and justice?"

"I swear," Harry's face was beginning to hurt.

"Then I, Padfoot, through the power invested in me by myself, do dub thee Prongslet, Son of Prongs, and declare thee a Marauder. You are now granted the privileges and knowledge that such an honor confers, welcome to the family," Sirius clapped Harry on the shoulder, as did Remus. Then, after a brief silence, they all collapsed in a fit of laughter. They remained that way for several minutes. Finally Sirius recovered enough to slide the book to Harry.

"There you go Prongslet, you know the words," Harry opened the book to find it blank, so he tapped the cover with his wand.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," At that, the book sprang to life in Harry's hands. The dust disappeared and the cover became a vibrant, near garish royal blue. On the inside cover it read 'The Marauder's Compendium of Pranks, Jokes, and Gags, By Mooney, Padfoot, Prongs, and Mrs. Prongs". Harry looked at it in awe, its sheer thickness was incredible, and Harry was sure that some of the things in it would make the twins look like amateurs, "You guys wrote a book? That seems very, un-Marauder like, don't you think?"

"You know, we weren't idiots in school, we all managed the Animagus transformation, and James, Mooney, and I were 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in our class respectively," Sirius looked at Harry as if reprimanding him, but couldn't manage it.

"So who was first?"

"Your mother, damn woman beat Prongs in every subject except for Transfiguration and DADA, and instead of being upset, he goes and marries her. No competitive spirit in that relationship, he was whipped. Of course, she invented half the spells in that book it seems like, so I can't complain," Sirius laughed, a little sadness in his eyes. Harry, on an urge, gave him a big hug, which Sirius happily returned. Much to Harry's surprise, Remus leapt onto the two, tackling them in a big bear hug. They all wrestled around laughing until the two men were out of breath. Harry danced lightly on his toes around his two supine companions, teasing them relentlessly. In response, they hexed his mouth shut and his legs together, which Fawkes took his sweet time removing.

"Hey, I'm trying my best, but this whole Wizard Magic deal is weird. I don't see you just flaming about all over, now do I?" He berated Harry good-naturedly about how difficult his new abilities were. Harry just chuckled, but kept the idea of flame travel in his mind for later. Once he was free, Harry went to the Compendium for revenge, but he was swept away by even the brief introductory section, entitled "Poker Faces. And a Variety of Other Faces for Any Occasion". Harry, engrossed, began to read.

The key points of the chapter were surprising to Harry. The Marauders, in their trademark faux gravity, postulated that a poker face, instead of hiding all emotion, was most effective when it portrayed an emotion its wearer wasn't feeling. Harry found that the idea of never becoming flustered, or being at a loss for words, or showing fear or uncertainty quite intriguing. That night, he began the exercises outlined in the book, before falling asleep much too late, especially given what the next day and the start of his training would bring.

A/N: Alright, so that should introduce the Harry/Fawkes relationship, and the evolution of their bond will be a hinging point of the story. This also explains why Harry suddenly is in a better mood and has more raw power. As always, I own nothing, and thanks to my beta KariMaud for letting me know I'm not crazy. Please review and come back for more!

Cartman1701: I share your concerns when the term "Badass" comes up usually, but in this story, Harry will work hard and still won't always win. He'll make mistakes, have trouble, and do stupid things. I call it "Badass" because he will be tough and well trained, like a Mad-Eye type, with fewer scars. And Occlumency will be a pain in the ass, promise.

Guest (1): Thanks! I think I have a pretty solid plan for this story actually, so I can't wait for it to come together.

Lord Jawblinneron: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy it!