A/N- I do not own Harry Potter
Chapter 1- Dark Phoenix
Harry walked aimlessly around the castle. Dumbledore had just let him leave his office, and Harry didn't feel like going back to the Gryffindor tower yet.
He didn't know how to feel. He was angry at Dumbledore, for keeping information from him, at Bellatrix, for killing Sirius, himself, for leading Sirius to his death, he was even mad at Sirius for dying. He also felt guilty for leading Sirius to his death, guilty for using the cruciatus curse on Bellatrix.
Yet Harry had felt enthusiastic when he cast the cruciatus, he had enjoyed casting it.
"What's wrong with me?" Harry thought to himself. "How can I enjoy casting a dark curse?"
A strange thought crossed crossed his troubled mind, "Because it's in my blood."
Harry shook his head. How could it be in his blood. Everyone knew that the Potter's where famous for being one of the firmest follower's of the light.
Deciding he needed a place to think alone, Harry went to the Room of Requirement.
Inside the room, Harry found a large couch, big enough for him to relax comfortably on, in front of a roaring fireplace.
He smiled as he spread out on the couch. He really needed to relax.
Just as Harry began to get comfortable on the couch, he saw a ball flame appear in midair in front of him and jumped to alertness. A phoenix appeared in front of him, a phoenix that wasn't Fawkes.
This phoenix was pure red, even it's beak, where Fawkes had a yellow beak, along with some orange and yellow plumage. But what amazed Harry where the phoenix's eyes, they where a deep green, a perfect mirror of Harry's own.
Harry settled down a bit. He smiled at the bird. "What are you doing here?"
Harry Jumped off the couch when the bird spoke. "I'm here to see you," the bird said a feminine voice. "I must say Harry, I am very proud of you, even if you seem to have followed your father more than me."
"What the bloody hell!" Harry almost yelled. "You...you can talk!"
The bird chuckled. "Of course, I forget that most people are not used to seeing a phoenix speak, any for that matter. I'm just glad I can finally stand being near you, I completely forgot that you likely have little or no memory of me."
"I know you?"
"Harry, it's a long story, and it is probably best that you sit back down, especially before I tell you my name."
Harry sat down cautiously. A perch appeared for the phoenix to sit on in front of the couch.
Once both boy and bird where comfortable. The bird began to speak again.
"First," the phoenix began, "I better explain exactly what I am. I am a dark phoenix, and I wasn't even always that."
"A dark phoenix?" Harry asked.
"Yes, a one of a kind creature. No other's like me exist, but I'll get to that in a little bit." The phoenix stood straight on the perch. "I was once a witch, a very gifted muggleborn witch. My husband was an unregistered animagus, and I got the idea to become a magical animagus."
"You have to understand," the bird continued, "that all animagus transformations are into non magical creatures. I decided that I wished to try something new. It began my project in my fifth year at Hogwarts, just after I found out my future husband was an animagus. Finally, five years later, I perfected the modified potion formula. I chose to become a phoenix, a very hard task because I needed something from the creature I wished to become, and phoenix anything are hard to come by. Eventually I got my hands on a feather. And I became an animagus."
"There where some..unexpected side effects however. You see, a phoenix is a creature of the light, and I was a dark witch." The bird laughed. "Mixing my darkness with the bird added a few things. My song inflicts courage or terror, in whomever I wish, as opposed to courage for the pure of heart and terror for those with a dark heart. I can chose whether or not my tears are healing or poisonous. And as you can see, I can talk English in animal form if I wish. There was also another side effect, when I was killed as a human, my body burned to ash, and I was reborn a phoenix. Unfortunately, although I retained my powers, knowledge, and powers I had as a human, I found myself unable to change back to human. I suspect that since my human body was killed, the phoenix took over."
"How did you die?" Harry ask.
"Protecting you, my son. My name is Lily Potter."
Harry stared at the bird, shaking his head. "No, you can't be."
A tear slid down Lily's beak. "I am."
Harry looked down. This was impossible. His mother had given her life to protect him. She couldn't be alive.
"Why didn't you come back to me after you where reborn?" Harry asked, choking as he said each word.
Lily sighed. "I couldn't. I told you Harry, I was a dark witch. Your father never knew, I hid it from him very well. As a phoenix, I recognize you as my master, the same way Fawkes regards Dumbledore. Because you have followed you father down the path of the light, as a dark phoenix, I was unable to come anywhere near you."
"Why now?"
"You cast an unforgivable Harry," Lily explained. "Even if you where to follow the path of the light for the rest of your life, that curse has permanently stained you soul with darkness. It may not be strong, but it is enough that I am finally able to come to you, my son and master, figuratively speaking."
"Where have you been the last fourteen years?"
"Mostly watching you from a distance. Granted, when you came to Hogwarts it became incredibly difficult, almost impossible. I would like to know why you're living with my bitch of a sister and husband however? My and your father's will stated that you live with Remus if Sirius where to be unable to care for you." Lily looked at her son for an answer.
"Remus?" Harry yelled. "Dumbledore placed me with Petunia and Vernon almost immediatley after you where...Killed?"
"It's as good a word as any Harry. After all I am stuck as a bird. You have no idea how annoying it is to be unable to open a book without shredding the pages. I gave up after the first attempt."
"Book?"
"Yes. One of the first things I tried to do after I was reborn was to figure out how to become human again. Unfortunately I couldn't even open a regular book, let alone my notebook, without virtually destroying the pages."
"I thought our house was destroyed?"
"Oh, it was dear. But I had a second home, a hideaway from James. It was where I went to practice, study, and learn my dark magic."
"I still don't understand that. I thought you where good, in the Order of the Phoenix, fought against Voldermort."
"I was," Lily replied smugly. "Just because I was dark, didn't mean I was evil. Not someone you wanted angry at you, but not evil. Besides, Voldermort hated my kind. He and his Deatheater's wouldn't have accepted me even if I wanted to join them."
"But enough about me," Lily said. "I want to hear about you. I have a pretty good idea what you're like, but I don't know you like I should. You are my son after all. May I look into your mind, it'll be a lot quicker than explaining everything?"
Harry looked at Lily cautiously. "You said you kept your powers, I assume you know Legilimency?"
"Yes. Don't worry, it won't hurt a bit."
"This makes you the first person to actually ask permission to look into my mind. Okay."
A few minutes later, Lily started swearing violently. "Harry," Lily said after she had stopped swearing, "I apologize for everything you have had to endure. And I swear I will make up my and your father's absence in your life."
"It's okay mum," Harry smiled.
"I intend to have a very long talk with my sister. But first things first Harry, you know the prophecy and what fate says you must do. I won't say you have to believe the prophecy, I myself was never a big believer in divination, but if you wish, I will teach you everything I know, dark and light."
Harry thought about what his mother was saying. He would need all the help he could get if he where to defeat Voldermort. He would have to fight Voldermort on his own terms, fire with fire. Harry smiled as he looked at his mother. "When do we start?"
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Lily flew to the hospital wing after Harry had fallen asleep. She flew, since it was a lot quieter than appearing in a ball of flame, and she hoped to remain unseen.
She may be dark, but she did have a heart. When she looked into Harry's head, she had seen his whole life. She also saw him. She now knew his favorite color was emerald green because of his eyes. His favorite book was Quidditch Through the Ages.
She also knew he was in love. And Lily was determined, thanks to the short amount of time she had with James, that Harry spend as much time with the girl he loved as possible. But first she had to make sure the girl was right for him. The great thing about being a phoenix was that she could see peoples hearts.
Lily was lucky enough to find everyone in the hospital wing asleep, and Madame Pomfrey in her office. She flew to the bedside of the young woman, recognizing her from Harry's mind.
Lily was shocked when she realized that the young witch had hidden much. Her heart was dark, but she had never drawn the suspicion of her friends or teachers. But Lily was pleased with what she saw. This girl loved her son, even if she believed he would never like her. She was ready to settle for second best if she had too.
Lily cried healing tears, positioning herself so that her tears fell into the young womans open mouth. If she where able to, the phoenix that was Lily Potter would have smiled. The young girl would be well by morning.
All Lily had to do was convince Harry to tell her how she felt. She flew out the window and headed back to her son, planning what she would say to him.
