Birth of a Phoenix
Ch.3- Blood, Sweat, and Tears
A/N: As usual, your response has surpassed even my wildest expectations. A reviewer said something last chapter that completely opened up a plot point I hadn't even considered. You guys are brilliant and I love reading your reviews! This chapter begins training for Harry and also the Continuing Rebirth of Severus Snape subplot. As always, I own nothing, but I hope you enjoy nevertheless! And don't be shy, leave a review!
Harry awoke the next morning relatively early, his instincts that had for so long protected him from the Dursleys kicking in. He slipped down to his own kitchen and quickly made a light breakfast for himself, leaving some out for Remus and Sirius, whenever the two lumps hauled themselves out of bed. He sat down to eat, grabbing the newspaper from Hedwig, rewarding her with a warm pat and a bit of bacon. He finished and picked up the folded paper on the table. Opening it, he found that it was his schedule for the day. Apparently, each day would be different, adapting as needed. He gave it a quick once-over as he dressed. First was Defense, which had been allotted an hour, followed by Transfiguration, which had, for reasons Harry couldn't fathom, been allotted three hours. After that was lunch, then he went straight to Dueling for an hour and then to Occlumency with the dreaded Professor Snape. It was followed immediately by Potions, also with the dreaded Professor Snape. Finally that day he had Auror Skills, and then several hours in the evening for Independent Study, with a note that he should be exploring the benefits of his bond with Fawkes. Harry folded it away and set off for the Great Hall, where his Defense class was set to take place.
Harry was surprised, upon his arrival in the Great Hall, to find that instead of one Professor, he had an assembly of Professors and other people. Included amongst them were McGonagall, Hagrid, Flitwick, Snape, Mad-Eye Moody (The real one), a woman with bubblegum pink hair, a tall black man with a military haircut, Remus, and Sirius. Harry looked at them for a moment before McGonagall stepped up to speak.
"Good Morning Mr. Potter, we decided that for your first class, we should probably do an introductory session, to introduce ourselves and what we'll be teaching, as well as some other things," She waved her hand, conjuring enough chairs for the assembled group, who sat, "First off, your classes. Monday through Thursday you will be training with us in Defense, Dueling, Auror Skills, Transfiguration, Charms, Tactics and History, Potions, Arithmancy and Runes, and Occlumency and Legilimency. I'll yield the floor to each class' teachers for a brief syllabus," She sat down and Moody, the two in Aurors' robes, and Remus stood up. Moody opened
"Alright Potter, between the four of us, we'll be teaching Defense, Auror Skills, and Dueling. I'm Alastor Moody, the real one, you know Remus Lupin, and these two are Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks,"
"Just Tonks to you, kid," The woman interjected.
"Yes, she hates her first name. Anyways, In Defense, you will learn the same things you would in school. In Dueling, however, we'll teach you the fun stuff. Fighting! Whether it's with a wand, a sword, or your fists, you'll learn to be the best. Finally, Auror Skills is where you'll learn tracking, stealth, deductive reasoning, interrogation, and the like. Any questions? Good," Moody concluded. Next was Flitwick, who remained seated, primarily because he got shorter when he stood up.
"In charms, we will move away from boring household charms and get to work on various ways to incapacitate, harm, or otherwise disable as well as disguises and enchanting, plus whatever else you need," He squeaked with a glint. Harry had heard that Flitwick was once a champion dueler, so that class was assured to be interesting. Next in line were, surprisingly Remus and Sirius. It was Sirius who spoke.
"Okay Pup, in History and Tactics, we'll be teaching you how to plan things. We're also going to teach you why Purebloods like my dear family are the way they are," Sirius spoke with lilting sarcasm, "Know your enemy and whatnot. You'll also need to learn diplomacy, by which I mean the elegant art of kissing ass," Harry laughed. Any class with Sirius Black couldn't be boring, even History. Next was Snape, Harry groaned inwardly.
"I will be attempting to instruct you in the art of Potion-making, and I expect progress beyond anything you have ever shown me. Additionally, I have been delegated the onerous duty of teaching you Occlumency, the art of protecting your mind from invasion. If you believed that Potions was delicate, you have another thing coming when it comes to the arts of the mind," Harry shivered, that didn't sound pleasant. Finally, McGonagall rose.
"I will be teaching you Transfiguration, focusing on combat Transfiguration, and also Arithmancy and Runes, where you will be expected to gain a basic mastery of the subjects before we apply it to fighting Dark Lords," Harry did a double take. The notoriously strict McGonagall had just cracked a joke, and even smiled a bit. Harry observed that several of those gathered were not teaching, noticing this, McGonagall added, "The rest of us will be here either to aid other teachers or to assist you in your independent studies. Now there is one more thing I believe we must address. Your power, Mr. Potter, has grown significantly and you are now one of the more powerful wizards in the world, as raw core strength goes," McGonagall hoped Harry would get over his modesty and accept it, but, true to form, he did not.
"What? No, that can't be right, a lot of people do way better in class than I do, and when I do magic I still feel tired all the time!" Harry protested vehemently.
"Mr. Potter, I believe your lack of success in class is less about your abilities and more about some deep-seated need to allow others to do better than you," Harry flinched, knowing, deep down, that she was right, "Now your power, which you so humbly refuse to believe in, is slightly more complicated to comprehend. Initially, when you were born, your magical potential was measured already to be very high, and your years at the Dursleys' and with Voldemort's essence in your scar, it only grew," She saw Harry's confusion and came up with a better metaphor, "Your magic is like a muscle Harry, everyone is born with different muscle strength and different potential. Your friend Hermione has the magical equivalent of great muscle memory. Now like muscles, the more you work your magic, the stronger it will become. Imagine if, starting at one year of age, a person had a heavy rock placed on their shoulders and had to carry it all the time, all while keeping up with his counterparts. Over time, his muscles would adapt and become strong enough to keep up with everyone else while still carrying that load. Now suddenly, one day that burden is removed. He is now much stronger because he is no longer fighting the weight and can use his strength for other things," McGonagall took pride at the understanding that welled up in Harry's eyes, "Now I believe that almost concludes our time here. You and I will remain here, the rest of you, have a good day," It was obviously a dismissal, and the group quickly disappeared, away from McGonagall's stern gaze.
When the room cleared, McGonagall sat, conjured a desk and turned to Harry once more, "Well Mr. Potter, I'm sure you're wondering why such a ridiculous amount of time has been given to my class. It is because we will be beginning what many consider the most difficult Transfiguration there is, indeed, many cannot do it at all. It is the Animagus transformation. Originally, I was going to save this for later, but upon discovering that you will be spending time in close proximity to Sirius Black, I have decided that you should learn it from someone with a Mastery in Transfiguration, not someone who achieved it under the cover of darkness whilst still in school," Harry laughed and the corner of McGonagall's lip twitched, almost smiling, "The fundamental steps are quite simple, you take the potion, find out your animal, and then begin meditating to draw it out and transform. Today I will be administering the potion to you, putting you in a trance, hence the three hours," She reached in her robes and pulled out a vial, handing it to Harry. She conjured a large mattress for him to sit on, "Now, when you drink the potion, you should see a field of different animals, but you will only feel a draw to one. It will touch you and you will wake, and that will be your form," She gave Harry the go-ahead and he downed the potion, falling into the trance and backwards onto the mat.
Harry did indeed find himself in a large field of animals, ranging from the domestic to the exotic. He sat down on a rock and waited for an animal to approach him. After several minutes, a large, regal wolf began to stride towards Harry. It stopped in front of him as if appraising him and then stepped close to him, pressing their foreheads together. Harry felt a chill and then the wolf's colors had changed. Its eyes were green and its coat was black, but instead of waking, Harry watched as the wolf sat next to him. Harry frowned, but could do nothing but continue to wait. Soon enough, a huge snake slithered towards Harry, rising up. Its head sprung forward, pressing against Harry's like the wolf had. Similarly, its colors also changed, its scales becoming black and its eyes green. But still Harry remained, with the snake coiled at his feet. Another few minutes passed before Harry was approached again, this time by a lean, powerful panther. Like the two before it, it touched heads with Harry and changed colors. It then settled opposite of the wolf on Harry's other side. Harry was beginning to get worried, when he heard a joyous cry. Looking up, he saw a gorgeous Phoenix diving towards him. It landed on Harry's lap, nipped his nose and then laid its head against his. Unlike the others, only the Phoenix's eyes changed. This time, Harry snapped awake, sitting up on the mattress. He let out a long breath.
"Is everything alright Mr. Potter? What animal will you take?" McGonagall looked mildly concerned.
"Well, I'm not actually sure, you see," Harry began, confused.
"You were out for longer than is normal, did you not see an animal? It's quite alright if you didn't, a majority of people can't," She looked more concerned now.
"Oh no, quite the opposite actually. I saw a wolf," Se brightened at this, "and then a snake, and then a panther, and then a Phoenix," She now looked confused.
"Well, which one touched you?"
"All of them," Harry stated. Fawkes came to settle on his shoulder, chuckling mentally.
"Oh," McGonagall looked floored, "Well, it has long been rumored that Merlin had two forms, but four? That is quite the feat," Harry's mind was already going a mind a minute though.
"You know, I inherited Voldemort's Parseltongue abilities, I wonder if I also got his Animagus form, that would explain the snake," Harry spoke to Fawkes, who was quite well educated after many years in Dumbledore's office.
"Quite possible, also the Phoenix form could be a result of our bond, which leaves only the panther and the wolf as your forms," That made sense, but they agreed to ask McGonagall. She was the expert after all.
"Thinking about it, could I have adopted the snake from Voldemort, like parseltongue? And then the Phoenix could be because I've bonded to one," Harry proposed to the Professor, who nodded once, deep in thought.
"Yes, that could be, and then the wolf and the panther could both be yours because of their physiological similarities, making it easy to become both," She said, half to herself, "That is quite intriguing by any means Mr. Potter, but it will not do to dwell, what form would you wish to pursue first?" Harry thought for a moment before coming to a decision.
"The wolf first," Fawkes gave him an indignant look, "The Phoenix strikes me as immensely difficult," Fawkes huffed.
"You are probably right. We are almost out of time, but I want you to take this book. In it, find the picture of the wolf and tap it. It will move, run, jump, etc. Observe how it moves and what it looks like, the clearer the picture in your head is, the easier the transformation will be," Harry nodded in thanks and she dismissed him. He returned to his quarters for lunch.
When he arrived, Harry found that Sirius and Remus had practically lit the kitchen on fire. He shook his head, dousing the roaring flame that had ignited from the bowl in the center of the counter before rounding on his Godfather and Remus.
"How do you two idiots survive? You can't even make food properly," He shook his head, trying to look exasperated, but secretly laughing.
"Hey! It was just corn flakes, I don't know how we screwed it up; Mooney was the one who tried to stir it with a spell!" Sirius threw up his hands and Remus looked at his feet.
"Only you two could catch cereal on fire," Harry shook his head, "From now on, leave the cooking to me, okay?" The two Marauders nodded vigorously and Harry set to work making grilled sandwiches. He served them and the three sat down to eat. While they were eating, Harry asked a question that had been nagging at him.
"Okay, so if Sirius is my Godfather, what is Remus?" He asked the two men and both immediately perked up.
"I'm your other Godfather, I suppose," Remus replied, but Sirius waggled a finger in his face.
"Nope! There can only be one Godfather! You are the Godmother, obviously," Sirius and Harry laughed at Remus' expression, a mixture of shock and anger.
"Yeah, you can be my Furry Godmother Remus!" Harry teased, referring to Remus' 'Furry Little Problem'. Remus glared and Sirius and Harry high-fived, both still giggling.
"Okay, very funny, time for Harry to go to class, can't skip when you're the only student," Remus practically shoved Harry out the door, still looking mildly irked. Harry winked at him and held out his arm for Fawkes to land on as he swooped out of the room. The duo made small talk in their minds as they made the short walk back to the Great Hall where Harry would be learning Dueling.
Harry's four Dueling teachers were quite possibly the most entertaining, but also the most effective, teachers Harry had ever had. Moody was emphatic and direct, and every point he taught had a scar and a story to back it up. Kingsley was a powerful presence, both in body and in attitude. He was warm and kind and his booming laugh was vaguely Hagrid-esque. The best part, however, had to be Lupin and Tonks, who – despite their only recent meeting – played off each other like longtime friends and bickered good-naturedly. Harry was, within the class period, certain that they would end up together. He had never seen Mooney smile so much. The subject matter, on a completely different note, wasn't any kind of fun and games. The period had begun with a 'test' of Harry's abilities, which was really just the 4 teachers ganging up on Harry and beating him into the floor. He had, they claimed, impressed them, but Moody had started him off by setting him to do physical training. So that was how Harry found himself running around the lake while Tonks followed him on a broom, teasing him relentlessly and hitting him in the bum with Stinging Hexes whenever he slowed down too much. Finally, he collapsed his entire body feeling like jelly.
"Excellent work, Potter, we'll make a competent dueler out of you yet," Moody stood over him and stuck out his hand and Harry took it. Moody hauled him to his feet and then promptly swept them out from under him and drove his palm into Harry's sternum, sending him back to the ground, "Just a preview for tomorrow. Remember, Constant Vigilance!" He laughed and Harry groaned.
Harry somehow managed to haul his beaten body to the dungeons, where he would be forced to endure an hour of mind-rape with all of Gryffindor's favorite greasy haired bat.
"You are late, it is a shame I cannot take house points during the summer, Potter," Snape sneered at Harry, and Harry groaned, "Many instructors of Occlumency will try to tell you simply to clear your mind of all thoughts in order to perform Occlumency. They are idiots. Instead of trying to clear your mind, I want you to focus on a wall made of the strongest material you can think of and imagine it shielding your thought, ready, Legilimens!" Snape attacked viciously and Harry tried to picture the walls of Hogwarts Castle, but the illusion blown apart by Snape, who began moving towards Harry's more personal memories. Finally he managed to drive Snape out, but the attack immediately recommenced. By the fifth onslaught, Harry's head was pounding and Snape hadn't reduced his power at all. Finally, as Snape began to try to dig into Harry's memory of his conversation with Ginny, one of the most personal and intimate experiences of Harry's life, Harry reached out for one last rage-fueled gambit. He called up his memory of Voldemort's Crutacious in the graveyard, and of the way it had combined with his scar pain to make Harry want to die more than anything. He gathered the memory and he forced Snape into it and held him there with all of his might. He watched as Snape's eyes went wide and his body began to convulse, and Harry panicked. When he finally managed to release Snape from the memory, the many didn't move, except to quiver slightly in a heap on the floor. Harry rushed over to the man, his innate compassion trumping any of the hatred he felt for the man at the moment. He rolled the man over and shook him, but he received no response. He gripped the sides of the man's head, willing him to get better, to wake up. Suddenly, Harry's palms began to glow a soft gold and Snape's tremors ceased. In that moment, Severus Snape awoke staring up at the face of Harry Potter and, for the first time, saw not the black hair of James Potter but the green eyes, sparkling with concern, that had made him care for Lily Evans. Harry, in similar fashions, was not seeing the greasy, hook-nosed, bat-like git that he knew to be Snape, but rather a tortured soul who routinely put his life on the line for a cause. Even if that cause was Severus Snape. Something passed between the two men then that would change their relationship forever.
"Are you all right Professor?" Harry extended his hand to the prostrate man.
"Yes, I'll be fine Potter, that was quite an, ingenious, tactic I must say, even if it lacked any form of subtlety," He seemed to take a deep breath, "Harry, we need to have a long talk, I believe," He said, shocking Harry with his use of his first name, "I understand that you don't trust me, and I will admit that I have given you no reason to. You have expressed concern about Dumbledore's trust in me, so allow me to enlighten you about my… motivations. I knew Lily Evans since before Hogwarts; I was the one who told her what she was and taught her about the magical world. We were close, even after we were sorted into opposite houses. Matter of fact, she was like a sister to me, the only person to ever truly care for me, but then I did something stupid and pushed her away, so I turned to find that family bond wherever I could. It just so happened that I found it with the Death Eaters. It was I who told the Prophecy, the first part of it, to Voldemort, not knowing that it would bring about the death of your mother. When he killed her, well, my loyalty always lay with Lily Evans, and by extension, Albus Dumbledore," Snape let out a long sigh and, assuming Harry's eyes were not playing tricks on him, wiped away a few tears. Harry blinked slowly, trying to cope as his worldview shattered around him. Snape not a bastard, what would be next? Would gravity suddenly stop holding him down? Would the Dursleys welcome him back with open arms?
"Wait, is Snape showing his feelings? I'll be waiting on the invitation to Voldemort's tea party any day now," Fawkes summed up Harry's feelings quite well as he flashed in to settle on Harry's shoulder, "Sorry I'm late, I was busy… uh… hunting, yeah, that's it,"
"You forget that I always know where you are. Namely, in the kitchen abusing Dobby's kindness," Harry sustained his mental back-and-forth with Fawkes while simultaneously following Snape's instructions as he hurriedly – and rather awkwardly – moved on to Potions, obviously eager to leave his sentimental moment in the past. He did not, however, reinstate his normal mode of snarky sarcasm and biting remarks, which both pleased and confused Harry immensely.
Harry exited the Great Hall after dinner with the staff, wherein he had partaken in a lengthy review of his performance courtesy of Mad-Eye Moody, who had informed him that his effort had not been enough to defeat Voldemort and he would have to try harder. Harry hadn't appreciated the sentiment. He was currently on his way up to the library with Fawkes perched on his shoulder trilling some happy tune. Tonight he and Fawkes planned to explore the depths of their bond in an attempt to uncover just what they were capable of. As he walked, Harry reflected on how much his life had already changed because of the bond he shared with the majestic Phoenix. He no longer had a piece of Voldemort inside his head, which had expanded his magical power and for the first time, Harry felt at peace with himself. He no longer had fits of anger and sadness, and his temperament had mellowed, both with the removal of Voldemort and the introduction of Fawkes. In a short time, Fawkes had become invaluable to Harry as a friend, a sounding board, and a confidant. Their thought-speak and much more primal sharing of emotions had quickly become intrinsic to Harry's nature, and he had yet to find a downside to their interactions. Harry flopped down into a chair in the library and Fawkes perched on the back of the seat across from him.
"So, how do you want to go about this?" Harry asked Fawkes, who he assumed was the more knowledgeable about the subject.
"I have no bloody clue, I mean, how the hell do I describe something so instinctual? I've been doing this stuff since birth," Fawkes replied, quite unhelpfully, but it gave Harry an idea.
"Instinct! I mean, we share thoughts, so if you do something, say flame, and I pay attention to your mind when you do it, I can try to replicate it!" Harry thought rapidly. He knew it was a stretch, but he hoped it might at least give him a start.
It turned out to be more than just a start. Matter of fact, when one attempted something; it seemed to spark an almost instinctive knowledge of the ability. In almost no time, Harry was flaming about and controlling fire like a pro while Fawkes experimented with Transfiguration and a little bit of Charms work. Soon enough, they were ready to try to find out what could be done when they combined their powers. Only slightly after that, they were both exhausted from the tremendous amount of energy they had expended.
"Merlin I really don't want to walk all the way back to my room," Harry sighed, but then he chuckled, "Good thing I don't have to!" He closed his eyes and felt the flames rapidly like up his body. As they warmth receded, he opened his eyes and saw the gaping expressions of Remus and Sirius. "Hello gents, I trust everything is as not-on-fire as I left it?" Harry smirked at the two speechless Marauders before setting his entire body on fire, just for effect. Finally, Remus recovered enough to congratulate Harry and Sirius managed to get out a quip about how Harry was 'never going to be as hot as he was, but there was no need to be all jealous'. This threw all three of them into a fit of laughter for a solid twenty minutes. When it died down, Harry retired to bed with a smile. Yes, life was pretty damn good for Harry Potter, even if it looked like training was going to be a bitch.
A/N: Okay, so that's another chapter done after much too long. Unfortunately, finals have consumed my life, followed much too quickly by Christmas, effectively back-burnering writing for a while. I'm also trying to finish another chapter of Vanishing Act, but my muse is being a bit of an uncooperative bitch, so it may take a while. On the topic of this story though, please tell me what you think with that lovely review box, even if its criticism. Every response I get is a jumpstart for my brain. Not to mention my muse is a total attention whore. Anywho, all of you who take the time to read this are amazing, thank you!
Karl Skywalker- Thank You! I do think my explanation for Dumbledore's behavior rather clever, if I may say so myself. A big part of writing, and by extension my problems with fanfiction, for me is plausibility, so hearing that you agree with me is great. I will get into the Weasleys – Ginny and Molly especially – soon, probably the next 2 chapters or so so don't worry.
Mazzax- You, dear sir or madam, are brilliant. I love it when people put their intellect to work to breathe life into the world of a work of fiction. Its people like you that have created the rich tapestry of Harry Potter fan universes that drew me into writing in the first place. Unfortunately, having Harry be an instant Occlumens would throw a wrench is my Snape subplot…
Cartman1701- I try very hard to intersperse some humor into all parts of the story, and I do think that the removal of the Harry-crux is one of my better ideas, for the exposition of the story at least, so thank you. I very much enjoyed writing the scene between Harry and the Marauders, who will always serve as my comic relief. Don't worry about Fawkes; he and Harry won't be vocalizing a ton of conversations, even if he's always there. I do try to make him not annoying, but he is a bird, so he'll take a little practice with human interaction.
Martin.b- Thanks, and I hope to relieve your anxiety soon!