Birth of a Phoenix
Ch.4- The Man in the Tower
A/N: Yeah, lucky you, 30 hours or so of travel have given me ample time to write, so, in this chapter, I introduce my big secret (kind of) character to train Harry. So this has been used before, in different ways, but I hope, as usual, to put a fresh and clever spin on things. Also in this chapter, the Continuing Rebirth of Severus Snape, which I'm trying not to make too sudden, and an important Harry/Ginny moment. How am I doing? As always, read, enjoy, and please leave a review. I love the inspiration, even the constructive criticism, as long as its intelligent. Also, I own nothing. So, without further ado, enjoy the show!
Harry's training continued for the next two days in the same semi-brutal fashion. Moody seemed dead set on breaking him and remaking him, McGonagall was living up to her reputation as a taskmaster about his Animagus skills, and Snape was, well, Snape. Even without the anti-Harry attitude, Snape was still a relentless teacher. Despite all that, Harry was having the time of his life. Today, however it was time for his first visit to his mysterious off-site tutor, and Harry was a little nervous, to say the least. Dumbledore had talked this man up to be nothing short of legendary. Harry rolled out of bed and slid into the shower, allowing the warm water to ease his aching muscles. He eventually got out and dressed before heading downstairs to make breakfast. At the bottom of the stairs, Harry almost plowed head first into a very sleepy Tonks. She was wearing one of Remus' shirts and there was some level of disheveled that even a Metamorphmagus couldn't get rid of. This made Harry grin like a maniac as he mentally instructed Fawkes to go and wake Sirius, because there was no way in hell they were going to let this go by without taking the mickey out of Remus about it. Harry wordlessly began to make coffee whilst waiting for his partner in crime. Sure enough, Sirius soon arrived.
"Harry, what is with that bloody bird! It's way too early to be up and... Oh! Oh, this is excellent! Hello dear cousin Nymphadora, did you sleep well?" Sirius' grin nearly split his face and his grey eyes sparkled with mischief. As he walked by Harry to get his cup of steaming coffee Harry whispered in his ear.
"Concerned parents routine?" Harry asked with no small amount of glee.
"Absolutely," Sirius slid into a chair across from Tonks, who fixed him with a withering glare, which he artfully ignored, "Now Ms. Tonks, if you can make our dear Remus happy, we of course have no complaints," Sirius began with the Marauders' trademark mock seriousness.
"But we must warn you, Remus is a very special boy, and he has some very special issues," Harry continued, suppressing his grin.
"You mean he's a werewolf, I'm completely okay with that," Tonks said, trying to stave off the duo, but they were not to be denied.
"Oh no no, we were referring more to his commitment issues, his dreadful lack of self-esteem, and the fact that he's an insatiable bookworm," Sirius commented. Remus chose that exact moment to enter the room and growled at the two men who were harassing his lover.
"He also absolutely cannot take a joke," Harry added, smirking at the wolf. Remus harrumphed indignantly.
"You can't be serious?" Remus protested, instantly wincing as he realized what he had set himself up for, but it was too late.
"Well of course not, He's Sirius, I'm Harry," Harry deadpanned and Sirius' reserve finally broke and he cackled hysterically, and Harry and Tonks joined him. Remus glared at them and swiped Sirius' coffee, draining it while he was rolling about on the floor. Five minute later, Sirius was still on the floor, and Harry was losing patience. Calling up a jinx from the Compendium, one that his mother had recommended, Harry flicked his wrist and turned Sirius' tongue to turn into a mass of writhing tentacles. This began a hex war that resulted in Harry being quite late to the Headmaster's office.
Harry flew through the Headmaster's office door after flaming through the gargoyle instead of trying to guess the password.
"So sorry I'm late, Professor," Harry panted as he leaned on the elderly wizard's desk, "I got, er, distracted," He said lamely.
"Of course you did Harry, but it's no matter, my friend has nothing if not time," Dumbledore smiled past his steepled fingers and rose, extending his arm to Harry.
"Ok, so where are we going? Will we be apparating?"
"Actually, I was hoping we could borrow Fawkes,"
"Ok, sure, so where exactly are we going?" Harry asked again, as he had been asking all week, with increasing frustration.
As usual, Dumbledore responded, "sometimes the best thing in life is a good surprise," he blinked in surprise for a moment when Fawkes came to rest on Harry's shoulder instead of his, as he had for many years. Brushing it off with a small smile, Dumbledore nodded to Fawkes, "Fawkes has been there before, if you would be so kind," Fawkes trilled in agreement and Harry felt the now familiar spread of warmth as Hogwarts faded from view and a new, darker castle reappeared. The dark stone fortress sat on a cold windswept hill. It was long and squat except for a tall tower that jutted out, piercing the clouded sky.
"Ok, so where exactly are we?" Harry asked Fawkes, hoping to finally get an answer, while feeling slightly stupid for not asking him earlier.
"Welcome to Nurmengard Prison, brother," Fawkes gave a trilled chuckle as the two men set up along the rocky path towards a huge stone arch that signified the entrance to the stronghold. They walked past block after block of empty cells and ascended the dark tower. At the very top, Dumbledore gave a drop of his blood to open a huge stone door. Inside it was not a cell like the others, but instead a large, comfortable room, with a couple comfortable chairs, a bookshelf, and the other furnishings of a comfortable house. In one of the chairs sat an aging man with salt and pepper hair that hung around his shoulders and adorned his face. He was idly twirling his wand as Harry entered the room.
"Harry, I would like for you to meet an old friend of mine, and one of the few men who could be called my equal," Dumbledore drew the other man into a close hug. Something Hermione had once said struck Harry at that moment.
"But the only person still alive who was ever able to match you was... Wait, is he Grindlewald?" Harry asked in shock as he made the connection.
"Ah very good, ten points to Gryffindor Mr. Potter, I am Gellert Grindlewald," the strange man extended his hand, and Harry took it, slightly reluctantly.
"I thought you were the greatest Dark Wizard in recent memory, before Voldemort anyways?" Harry was highly confused now as he stood in the middle of the positively luxurious prison cell of Gellert Grindlewald, who was in possession of a wand and had just been hugged by his supposed mortal enemy.
"Well, yes, but I like to consider it my rebellious teenage years, except due to my considerable power, they were both considerably longer and more destructive than the normal person's," he chuckled affably.
"You single-handedly started the Second World War! How can you laugh about it?" Harry asked, shocked. Grindlewald sobered as a sad look crossed his face.
"Harry, may I call you Harry? Let me tell you a story about a young man who was destined to be a powerful wizard. His father was a Durmstrang graduate, enamored with the Dark Arts. The boy was sent to his father's alma mater where he was constantly taught that Dark Wizards were only the men willing to do anything necessary to achieve power, and he took that motto to heart. He was eventually expelled from Durmstrang, but he justified it, saying that they could not handle what was necessary for the 'Greater Good', where he had to take power from those who couldn't handle it, for their own sakes. That became my cause," He sighed, resting his head in his hands.
"So what changed?" Harry asked, thoroughly engrossed in the story.
"I met a man who was truly evil, an ambitious young Muggle by the name of Adolf Hitler. In the beginning, he seemed perfect to be my face in the Muggle world, but once I had assured the rise of the Third Reich, everything changed," he took a deep breath, "Hitler used his newfound power to try to find a better weapon, a 'wunderwaffe' to end all resistance. He knew of the power I held, and he turned his scientists loose to take it and give it to his soldiers. They took the gypsies, who Hitler determined were the most likely to be magical, and his scientists began to conduct their sadistic tests. Eventually, I began to have second thoughts, tried to stop what I had set in motion, so he used one of his creations on me, a bizarre blend of potions and muggle narcotics which had the effect of destroying my mental barriers and giving him control of my body," He stopped for a moment to stabilize himself, "He had, by this point, built his SS units to be capable killing machines. They were made of a mix of vampire covens, elite Muggle infantrymen, and wizards all loyal to his cause. The combination of their skills made them nigh unstoppable. He forced me to serve in one of the best of these units, committing horrible acts that are scarred into my mind forever. Finally, on one fateful night, we were conducting a routine raid when we came upon a group of Allies, with Dumbledore and his Order of the Phoenix in their company. Even as my body began to attack him, my heart rejoiced at the sight of my old friend. Many consider that duel the greatest of all time, but they don't even know the half of it. Albus fought my body with his wand while also battling Hitler's drug in my mind. Finally, he managed to end its influence enough to allow me to fight it, which was all he needed to break through my defenses. In the end, the supposed Dark Lord Grindlewald was defeated with a stunning spell," Grindlewald finished his tale, and Dumbledore wiped his eyes surreptitiously. Harry sat dumbstruck for a moment.
"So you're going to teach me to fight Voldemort?" He asked after a moment.
"Yes, who better to teach you to fight a Dark Lord than someone who was one," Grindlewald smirked, "Additionally, I will be one of a few people who can keep up with your power once you come in to it, and I'm not restrained by any of Dumbledore's pesky Vows," The weight on Grindlewald's shoulders that had been so obvious during his tale was now completely disappeared.
"Also, Gellert's time working with both Muggle and Magical fighters lends him a unique perspective on fighting," Dumbledore interjected, "I will leave you here for two days at a time or so, and you will study with Gellert, I will take my leave and allow him to describe his curriculum to you, and I will see you tomorrow afternoon, best of luck to you both," Dumbledore smiled at the two of them and Fawkes flamed him away and then instantly returned to settle back on Harry's shoulder.
"Very well, during our time together, I will not spend so much time teaching you specific spells or curses or whatnot, but rather I will be tying together all the things that you learn from your other instructors. Today we will start with an overview of my method. As some background, my method is derived from what we were taught in the SS, it is a doctrine that emphasizes the strengths of each of the three distinct components; the vampires, the muggles, and the wizards. The three disciplines that reflected these strengths were Shadow, Fire, and Lightning respectively. Shadow emphasizes moving silently and quickly, unnoticed by the enemy, even when you strike. Lightning highlights shock and awe in a focused attack, say a wizard melting a small group of soldiers with acid or something of the sort. Finally, Fire values creating lots of destruction really fast, often through Muggle machine guns or bombs. To describe their effectiveness, one cannot do justice with words, hence, a pensieve memory," Grindlewald gestured to the stone bowl and Harry submerged his head.
Once he entered the memory, he found himself alongside a group of men dressed in German uniforms, one of whom was a younger Grindlewald. On either side of him were men who, by the pallor of their skin, had to be vampires who were carrying crossbows and swords. Another set of men who stood behind him carried machine weapons while a couple others grasped wands. The fifteen or so men stood on the outskirts of a small village, which seemed to be occupied by at least 100 enemy soldiers. Harry followed the group as they ascended the rooftops, dividing into several smaller groups. Grindlewald's group moved quietly into the heart of the village, still hidden by the shadows of the roofs. Eventually, the came across a small group of enemy soldiers in an alley below them. With a single hand-gesture, Grindlewald ordered the vampires into action, and, in a flash, the men were dead, impaled by either arrows or fangs. They continued to move until they reached the absolute center of the enemy encampment, which was when the battle truly began. On some unseen signal, Grindlewald rose up and he and several other wizards sent ridiculously powerful Exploder Curses at the tanks scattered around the village square, sending them up in flames. As klaxons sounded and the enemy scrambled below them, the muggle soldiers began to pour machine gun fire into the crowd while the wizards shifted to fire spells. The vampires had taken up positions at the exits to the square, and were feasting on deserters. In a few heated minutes of unimaginable horror, it was over. Harry withdrew from the memory and, as images of horribly mutilated corpses and charred bodies flickered in his vision, he vomited violently.
"That is a reaction you will need to learn to quell, we are at war, now what did you see?" And so their lesson continued, with Grindlewald showing Harry some memory of war collected over the years, then they would discuss before Grindlewald would quiz Harry relentlessly about the application of the strategies. Often they would break up the theoretical work with duels and other practical exercises, like spotting disillusioned objects or improving his night vision. True to his word, Grindlewald brought all of the fragmented bits of knowledge Harry was learning at Hogwarts together and helped him mold them into a cohesive style. Harry was introduced to several new tools, including the sword, knives, and even the bow and arrows. As it turned out, Harry's legendary Seeker skills carried over well into physical combat, but that didn't make him an expert by any stretch, or even good. As it was, Grindlewald had pummeled him. After his first two days in the Grindlewald School of Warfare, Harry returned to the school full of new information and confusion. He was greatly looking forward to having two days off to process it all. Another unfortunate complication appeared that night, when Harry found his nightmares filled with memories that were not his own blended horrifically with his own terrible life experiences. Grindlewald, the merciless instructor that he was, insisted that this was for the best if Harry were to become a fighter, as he would need to overcome his qualms about taking lives. To Harry's surprise, both Dumbledore and Fawkes had heartily agreed.
"It is time for the Darkness to meet its maker, and there is no one whom I trust more than you to do it," Fawkes had reassured him.
"I don't want to be a murderer, Fawkes, I don't want to kill anyone," Harry had protested.
"It's not murder Harry, you're purging the world of evil so that the good may live in peace, it is a worthy cause, brother, though I recognize your purity of heart for the sentiment," Fawkes trilled a comforting and inspiring song and Harry affectionately ruffled his head feathers.
"Thank you, it's just going to take some getting used to, but I guess if you're okay with it, then its probably fine, right?" Harry said with a weak chuckle. He rested his head on his desk and stared at the parchment in front of him. He was taking a page out of Hermione's book and was writing down his thoughts in an attempt to figure out what was bouncing around in his head. To that point, the parchment was blank. Unfortunately for Harry's state of mind, Sirius and Remus were out somewhere, probably getting very, very drunk. Harry shook his head at the antics of his godparents, who Harry often felt we're his responsibility, instead of the other way around. Thankfully at that moment Hedwig arrived to save Harry from himself bearing letters. Harry grinned and tore hungrily into the letters from Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. Ron and Hermione's letters contained the expected condolences about another summer at the Dursley's, which made Harry's gut twinge for his dishonesty, but beyond that Hermione regaled him with tales of the beginning of her European voyage, namely France, which was her family's first stop. Harry quickly scrawled out a response, asking her to send him some souvenirs and maybe some books, and to keep him updated so that he could live vicariously through her. He studiously ignored her questions about his feelings. Next was Ron's letter, which bemoaned the luck of the Cannons and the fact that Hermione was going to Bulgaria and might see Vicky, which made Harry roll his eyes. Ron's letter also contained a package of chocolate frogs, which Harry split between himself and his two birds. Finally came Ginny's letter, which Harry handled almost reverently. It was as long as Ron and Hermione's letters combined, and Harry could tell by the changes in ink that it had been written over the course of several days. He read it slowly, taking in every detail of Ginny's beautiful script.
Dear Harry,
How's life at Hogwarts during the summer? Honestly, I'm kinda jealous of you, learning all of that cool magic and stuff. I'm sure it's hard of course, but it has to better than those horrible relatives of yours, right? I'm having a great time this summer myself, I think I want to try out for the Quidditch team next year as a Chaser, so I've been practicing a lot. I think I'm pretty good, since I've been stealing my brothers' brooms since I was six. None of them ever caught me! I feel kind of bad letting Ron and Hermione worry about you, thinking you're with your relatives (not that Ron seems all that concerned or anything) but it's also kinda fun being the only one who knows your secret. My mum is distraught that you can't spend any time here over the summer, and I was wondering if you could maybe at least get away for your birthday. Talk to Dumbledore about it, would you? Ron has been a real prat this summer, especially about me and Michael. It's like he can't understand that my personal life is just that, personal. I think the only person he would even be remotely okay with me dating would be you, or maybe Neville. For now I'm going to have to live with his disapproval. Honestly, Michael has kind of lost his allure. Once you get down to it, he's a bit of an arrogant berk. I'm only keeping him around to annoy Ron. I suppose girls aren't really your top priority right now, but is there anyone you've got your eye on. Do you still have that thing for Cho Chang? It's okay if you don't want to talk about it, I'm just making conversation. Anyways, I'm having Michael over lunch, but I'll probably end up breaking up with him, so wish me luck!
With Love,
Ginny
Harry smiled heartily at the letter, but he couldn't explain the odd way his heart thudded when she alluded to the, dating. He suppressed his own glee at the thought if her breaking up with Michael, who, Harry agreed, was indeed an arrogant prick. Even the 'with love' at the end invoked strange feelings in Harry's stomach. Harry loved Ginny's style, how she asked him how he was without prying, but while still being sensitive. He smiled the whole time he wrote out his letters and gave them all, save one, to Hedwig. Hedwig glared at him and hooted indignantly when he have Ginny's letter to Fawkes, and Harry tried to assuage her.
"I'm sorry girl, I just want that letter delivered discreetly, and you're much to pretty to go unnoticed, so I have to give it to Fawkes, ok?" Hedwig puffed herself up indignantly, but acquiesced. Harry's bird companions set out with their cargo and Harry sat down and flipped open the Compendium and read a few passages.
Several minutes later, Fawkes reappeared clutching a letter. Harry greedily snatched it up, but blanched when he saw tear spots on the parchment. He read it, and found that before Ginny could break up with Michael, he had broken up with her for 'not putting out' which made Harry sick with fury. Then Ron had proceeded to shout at her about misplacing her trust, and had reminded her what had happened to her the last time she had trusted someone like that, going so far as to blame Ginny for Harry and Hermione's injuries. Ginny had fled to her room and found Fawkes waiting and had written her letter to Harry. It took all of thirty seconds for Harry to make his decision. Fawkes trilled in concurrence and landed on Harry's arm. In a warm swirl of flame, they reappeared in Ginny's bedroom.
Ginny had been sitting slumped over on the edge of her bed, crying for the better part of half an hour when Harry arrived, and when he saw her pitiful condition, he was across the room in two strides, dropping down next to her, pulling her into her arms. She burrowed into his chest, pressing her tear-stained face into Harry's shirt. He ran a comforting hand down her back and allowed her to cry herself out. Finally, she had cried herself out.
"Harry?" She sniffled, pulling back a little from his shirt.
"Yeah Gin?" Harry's voice was quiet and gentle in her ear.
"Thank you. But for future reference, never magically appear in a woman's room without announcing yourself, I could have been naked or something," she joked feebly, and Harry just managed to keep his breath from hitching at the mental image.
"Of course, sorry, my bad," he mumbled, releasing her a little bit. She tried in vain to snuggle closer, but Harry had suddenly become dedicated to making space between them.
"So Michael broke up with you, huh?" Harry asked with genuine concern and poorly masked anger.
"Yeah… I told him we needed to talk, and I guess he saw it coming and decided to end things on his own terms, but that's not what I'm upset about. It's Ron being an absolute prat about it, and then he went and brought the Ch-Chamber into it, and then Mum went and agreed with him, and it was just too much," She stumbled over the name of the place that had caused her so many horrors and Harry instinctively pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head without thinking about it. He comforted her until she fell asleep. When her breathing slowed, he lay her down in her bed and tucked her in. He brushed a loose strand of her hair back and kissed her forehead quickly before turning and leaving in another ball of flame.
In another part of England, Severus Snape bowed before the Dark Lord, ready to receive his first orders in many years. He stood amongst several other hooded figures, the Dark Lord's feared Inner Circle.
"Severus, is your position at Hogwarts secure?" Voldemort's unearthly high-pitched voice echoed throughout the dungeon.
"Completely, my lord, the old fool has no clue where my loyalty truly lies," He spoke in a monotone, consciously pulling his Occlumency shields tightly around his mind.
"Excellent, by the end of this year, the old codger and his media darling protégé will be dead and the Prophecy will be mine, and I will finally have what I deserve!" Voldemort cackled boldly, "But remember Severus, if the young Potter had never been born, your beloved Lily would never have died," He cackled again and dismissed his followers. Snape left in turmoil. Intellectually, he knew Voldemort was trying to get a rise out of him, but something deep in his chest howled in rage at the Potter boy all the same. The little brat was using Lily's memory against him, he could see it now, and he would grant him no quarter to make up for this momentary lapse in his guard. He spun away with a sneer and a swirl of cloak. The Dark Lord was at work once more, and his first strike would be glorious and catastrophic all at the same time, and no one would be able to stop it, no one at all.
A/N: Okay, so some important plot bits, some other less important plot bits, and some Marauder fluff. Okay, so in regards to Harry/Ginny, don't expect them to get together until after Harry's fifth year. They are going to go through the awkward "just friends" stage and both will date other people. Not Cho Chang though, I hate Cho Chang. Anyways, please leave a review, because anything helps and makes me feel loved and etcetera. As always, I own nothing. All of you are fantastic people, even more so if you review, follow, favorite, and beyond, thank you!
Raven Whitewolf- Thank you for the generous complement! And, no, the abilities imparted by Voldemort's soul remain with Harry. The soul is, I imagine, a resilient thing and can absorb the good (i.e. the new abilities) while rejecting the bad (i.e. complete possession by Voldemort).
Jedi Master Albus- Thank you!
Spotted Cotton Candy- I appreciate the sentiment!
Martin.b- Don't worry, being a git is too much of a habit for Snape to break in an hour, and not everyone wants them to be friends. Also, just because the new abilities are instinctual doesn't mean Harry is instantly a master, just that he has a basic, natural knowledge of how they work, as will be highlighted later. I really enjoy writing the Marauders bits, they're great comic relief. Remus and Sirius will have roles in the story, but more as Harry's father figures and as fighters than Marauders. Again, I plan to milk these plotlines for all they are worth, so have no fear. It doesn't even look like Harry will fight his first actual battle until after his birthday. I do enjoy your insightful review though, so keep 'em coming!