[To celebrate reaching 200 collections I'm posting this chapter early,also I'll be updating all the links for P@treon as I've just seen they were all broken]
The days turned into weeks and before Harry could realize it, they were already in the middle of February. The reason for his confusion was justified, he had so much work with his studies and his experiments that he barely realized what day he was living on... although of course that had its rewards, he had not only caught up with the rest of his classmates second year, but had even advanced them. Furthermore, the best of all was that he got along great with the vast majority of them, no matter what house they were in. Apparently, everyone had really gotten around to the idea that the boy was a kind of privileged person concerning magic and that was why he advanced faster than the average, gaining the respect of the vast majority of the students, even from from upper-years.
The truth is that it provided some personal satisfaction when some of his classmates asked him if he could explain something that they did not understand, not because he knew it and they didn't, but because they gave him what his family was incapable of, acceptance and respect... and he was always happy to help. Then, there were the older ones... it was incredible that the sixth or seventh graders included it in their conversations about different subjects, whether magical or current events.
What he did not know was that while he remained in his room, the vast majority of the students in his room, the vast majority of his house or even other houses, talked about him, and among themselves, they used to comment that his ability and his ease of learning in a very short time would be able to finish the degree in a very short time... although of course, what no one knew was that the vast majority of the Professors also thought the same, and even wondered what they would do next.
Truth be told, the little boy represented an enigma to everyone, including himself. For the child, each meditation session represented a new discovery and a new question, especially because of the growing feeling of foreboding and restlessness that had taken over him during the last few months, although that did not mean he stopped doing his sessions.
That was exactly what he was in at that moment, doing a meditation session. He was convinced that what he was waiting for inside himself was about to develop... in fact, he did not want to leave that session without getting something clear. At least, if it didn't happen, he wanted to know what it was.
Sitting in his room, in the center of his carpet, Harry was immersed in a deep state of trance, investigating the most hidden part of himself, his hidden powers, he wanted to find out what his own body was still hiding from him. In that trance, he was surrounded by the usual darkness, where his different powers were manifesting as various colored lights. It seemed that in those moments there was nothing new, there were all the powers that he had learned he had... so what was stalking him? He wanted to know what it was, he wanted to find out, to learn to control it.
He did not know very well what was the trigger, but suddenly, in that warm darkness, an intense white light appeared that in a way blinded the boy, overriding the rest of the existing lights. He didn't know what had happened, but that blinding white light gave way to something that took his breath away, there in the center of that blinding brightness, a bird was flying towards him. He had never seen a bird like that, but he instinctively knew what it was, a phoenix.
He snapped out of the trance due to shock, and when he opened his eyes he felt uneasy. Everything was much bigger than he remembered! As if by inspiration he looked at his body, but where before there was a black robe he now found soft white feathers... his feet were now the legs of a bird and his hands were beautiful white wings... He had transformed into a phoenix! What he had just seen during the trance. Did that mean he was now an Animagus? He supposed so, but a magical animagus hadn't happened in many centuries if there really had been one.
So that was what it was about… It was the animagus transformation that his meditation was trying to show him. He had to admit that it was an incredible feeling, but the best thing for the moment was to return to his human form, He remembered having read in a book that there had been cases of magicians who had succumbed to the sensations and instincts of transformation, remaining there for more than three hours during their first time and it being impossible to return to being human later. He didn't want that to happen to him, so the first thing was to practice.
But there was a problem... he didn't know what he had done to transform, it had just happened... How did he return to his human body? He knew that the normal animagus only imagined returning to his human form and his body reacted, but would it be the same for him? he doubted it was something so simple, but it was the only thing he had at the moment. Incredibly, it worked. As if in slow motion his body grew and where there were feathers before, there was now black fabric again.
He felt something explode inside him. He was the happiest that he could remember. He was an animagus! And not just any type of animagus, it was a white phoenix... Speaking of such, he didn't even know that type of phoenix still existed. He knew that his wand had the feather of one, but he understood that they were extinct and he believed he had read that one could not transform if the animal no longer existed... Maybe they had hidden themselves, after all, normal phoenixes were not seen much either... maybe, is that they did not consider magicians strong and pure enough to let themselves be seen. He would have to study them to understand himself better, but right now, the sky was calling him with all its intensity, so it was best that he learn to transform at will and return to normal with total perfection.
The first thing he did was open the window so he could go out through it once transformed, and then he concentrated with all his strength on becoming a phoenix again. The change was as slow as the previous one and he sincerely hoped that once his body got used to it, the transformation would be much faster. Resisting the urge to fly away, he returned to human form, repeating the process a few times faster and faster before he was satisfied. Then he opened his wings and after flapping them experimentally a couple of times, he went out the window.
Euphoria. That was the first feeling he recognized as the Hogwarts sky opened before him. It was fortunate that it was already late and the sky would soon begin to darken, because then there would be no people on the land to see him. He was flying over the Quidditch pitch when he felt a movement in the air that made him turn his head back... right behind him a regular phoenix had appeared and was looking at him curiously from its position in the stands.
Curiosity (one of the few psychological traits he had inherited from his parents) got the better of him and he approached the other phoenix to get a better look. He also wanted to know how it had appeared behind him and why.
"It is rare to see one of your kind so freely... and even rarer, being a wizard like you are" Harry heard when he landed in front of the phoenix, amazed because that voice was that of the phoenix in front of him.
"How do you know" Mentally he knew that what would come out was a bird chirp, but to his surprise he, and apparently the phoenix as well, heard the question.
"It hasn't been easy, believe me." The phoenix laughed. "You are the magician who has the greatest essence of the animal into which he transforms, but something human remains in you. You are one of the youngest students, right?"
"Yes. By age a first year, although I study second year."
"Ahhh... Yes, Albus talks a lot about you, at least with me... you have disconcerted him, all the skills you show he expected from your brother, not from you."
"Then, he's like everyone else." He answered dejectedly.
"There are many people who believe in you and your possibilities. What happens is that Albus was confused many years ago and blinded by the one who never makes a mistake, he has never realized his mistake, and as the people around you are so close to him, it hasn't occurred to them that he could be wrong. For what it's worth, I haven't doubted you for a moment since I heard about you."
Harry internalized the phoenix's words and he didn't know very well but he felt better. There was something about the bird that made him respect him and seek his approval, which disconcerted him, and the bird's laughter when he explained it disconcerted and bothered him even more.
"Don't be angry, young man, I'm not laughing at you, but at your innocence, not that it's bad." He pacified. "What you feel is normal, I don't know if you know it, but you are a very young phoenix, and as such you need a mentor to teach you everything that one of our species should know... The situation is not ideal because the normal thing is that it would be a snowy phoenix (the species to which you belong) who would serve as your mentor, but since there is none nearby, I will be the one who has to play that role. Since I will be your mentor, you feel respect and a desire to please me and I, a desire to protect you, and a lot of pride in your achievements."
"I haven't asked your name."
"They call me Fawkes, less for the moment. The wizard I consolidated with before Albus called me Ares and the previous one Cewlon... but better to call me Fawkes." He responded and at the same time added. "And before you ask, I am 3762 years old…so I'm quite a bit older than you."
Harry blinked in surprise. Fawkes was 3762 years old? No wonder he considered him so young! In comparison, he was a tadpole. His thoughts must have been reflected on his face because Fawkes began to laugh loudly, but on this occasion, he did not feel offended, on the contrary, he ended up participating in his laughter, happy to have someone who could teach him the powers of his animal form.
"Well, I can see that you have no problem flying... it's intuitive, and I think you also have it in your human form, right?"
"Yeah."
"Perfect, so we can start with other things... I think the first thing is to learn how to groom your feathers." Fawkes said, looking at him carefully. "Yes, it will be the best. You have them in a mess."
"Hey!"
"It's the truth. Come, let's go to my hanger, there we can be calm."
"Isn't the Headmaster there?"
"Albus? Yes, of course. But don't worry about him... he'll make a lot of fuss, a lot of wrong conclusions and maybe some enthusiastic notes... but if what you're worried about is that he'll discover you, don't worry, it will be impossible for him. Only animals would be able to realize it, and in your case, not all, only phoenixes and those that are already close to you."
"So Night will recognize me.'
"Evening?"
"My kitten."
"Ahhh... yes, he will. Come follow me."
Fawkes took flight and began to fly towards his perch just as he had told Harry, although he was much faster than the boy, who despite going as fast as he could, was always far behind the golden bird. He gradually surrounded the castle as he ascended, which made him assume that the Headmaster's office was higher than it had seemed when he went at the beginning of the year. When he was already at the height of the upper floors, Fawkes entered through a window, forcing Harry to follow him to where the headmaster's office was supposed to be located.
He approached where Fawkes's perch was and perched next to him, attentive to everything he could tell him and thus learn as much as possible. Although such a good point landed on the hanger, he was aware that he was subject to staring, correctly assuming that it was the Headmaster's job, he turned to return his gaze, he was not alone.
Albus Dumbledore was in the middle of a meeting between him and the Potters, the central topic was once again Harry but once informed of the decision to take the second-year exams when the Easter holidays arrived, the topic had changed to someone else more important. Brian Potter and his future admission to Hogwarts.
They were talking about how excited the boy was when Fawkes had entered the office from the window and landed on his perch. That would not have been so strange, if it had not been for the fact that another phoenix had followed him shortly after, causing immediate silence. It was a much smaller bird than Fawkes and also pure white, a snowy phoenix.
This was something unprecedented, snow phoenixes had been considered extinct for hundreds of years, and now one of them was seen, alive and within reach. James Potter was taking out his wand to catch it when the old headmaster stopped him with a gesture, while the bird was staring at them with bright green eyes.
"No, James." Said the Headmaster. "Never even think about capturing a phoenix. Much less a snowy phoenix."
"But Headmaster, this phoenix is considered extinct."
"I know well... but that is no reason to capture him."
The old man got up and approached both birds, looking carefully at the unknown bird. He raised his hand and it was clear that he planned to put it around her neck due to what seemed to be his displeasure, although, after a slight trill from Fawkes, he allowed it, letting the old man caress him.
"The snowy ones are the purest beings that exist, James, and they are very rarely seen by humans... among other things because of what you just discussed. It is for that reason that they have been believed extinct for so many years..." Dumbledore said as he caressed the bird's neck.
"I don't understand, Headmaster, if it is so rare to see one of these phoenixes, why does this one let itself be seen without reservation?"
"Because he's just a baby, Lily. I don't think he's more than two or three months old... he needs someone to mentor him and Fawkes is the closest phoenix. If I'm not mistaken, this one was born on the island... Perhaps after centuries had passed since its mother laid the egg."
"Why now, if it hasn't been incubated for so long?"
" Because it is now when it is necessary. Remember the prophecy... Brian is called the white phoenix, it is normal for one of these magnificent creatures to be consolidated with him, don't you think?" At this, the bird made a gesture of discontent and moved the old man's neck away. "We must also say that they are quite temperamental at times."
He abandoned the two phoenixes and returned to the couple, who after a few more sentences, said goodbye until another time. As soon as the couple disappeared, the young phoenix began to look at the older one avidly, who after a few seconds began to preen his feathers, to which the other tried to imitate him with more or less success.
"You have to smooth them more with your beak." Fawkes told him when "his feathers continued to look so bad. "When you pass your beak over your feathers, they generate a special oil that helps to fix them."
"Is not easy!"
"I already know, that's why I'm teaching you."
The red phoenix approached the animagus and began to arrange his plumage, among other things to teach him how to do it, causing him a feeling of comfort and relaxation, you could practically say that he was falling asleep.
"Well, that's it." Fawkes said, taking him out of his reverie. "You already have them well set... I hope that from now on you will know on your own."
"I'll try, but I don't promise anything."
"Well, that's better than nothing." Fawkes said indifferently. "I hope to see you soon... I still have a lot to teach you."
"When I have free time I will transform again. Do you think it's OK?"
"Me, of course. I have too much free time"
"Good…"
"Ah! Harry."
"Yeah?"
"It would be better if you explained some things to your friends. They are good children and they will help you."
"Some things? What?"
"Your transformation to begin and your room to continue."
"But…"
"Trust me, it will be useful in the future... plus, this way you have a few easy outs..."
"Okay... I'll explain it to them later."
"I like it that way... See you soon, Harry."
[T/N, OOOOoooooo Harry's a BUrb! Anyway, if you like the chapter leave a comment if you don't start a rebellion. If you have any spare stones chuck some my way and if you want advanced chapters check out the p@treon]...I just realized the link was wrong.
--------------------
[p@treon.com/PuddingLord]- Replace "@" with "a"