Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Harry Potter. They are the property of J. K. Rowling.
Thanks to some very good luck, Harry got out of the medical wing without a scratch. Madam Pomfrey had poked and prodded him more times than he'd done when dissecting plants in Herbology. He really wanted to see Hermione again. His mind swarmed with images of her leaning over him - her soft lips against his.
'Jeez Potter, you've got it bad!' he said to himself. As much as he wanted to find his girlfriend…girlfriend…now, that sounded weird, Harry knew that Professor Dumbledore needed to see him.
Harry approached the gargoyle statue and made sure the corridor was clear.
"Lemon drop." The gargoyle slid out of the way, revealing a dimly lit passage way.
Harry walked up the small staircase and into the brightly lit office. He was always captivated by Dumbledore's office no matter how many times he was here. A soft squawk drew his attention, and he saw Fawkes, Dumbledore's pet phoenix, resting on her perch by the window. Dumbledore himself was sitting at his desk, apparently finishing some type of letter.
"You wanted to see me, sir?" Harry asked as he approached the large mahogany desk. Dumbledore put down his quill and pushed his glasses up on his nose.
"Yes Harry, there is something that I wish to discuss with you; it concerns what happened to you the night that your parents were killed."
"But Professor, I thought you already told me everything." Dumbledore stood up from his chair and took a deep breath.
"Harry, you know that Voldomort tried to use the killing curse on you, just like he did your parents, but it backfired. Do you know why?"
"No sir, no one does." Harry was rather confused. True, he thought about it many times - painful as it was. Why had Voldomort not been able to kill him?
"Harry…" Dumbledore let out another long sigh, and an anxious expression fell over his face. "…that's not true, there is someone who knows why - me."
Harry Potter sat in stunned silence. Not much surprised him these days, but what he'd just heard was practically insane. Dumbledore…Dumbledore knew why Voldomort hadn't killed him. Why hadn't he told Harry sooner?
"Why wasn't I told?" Harry spat out. He hadn't meant to sound disrespectful, but he was very upset.
"Harry, it was for your own good. I was hoping that I wouldn't ever have to tell you, but once I saw you inflicted with a Nightmare Curse, I knew…I knew that Voldomort was going to come back for you. He wants…no, he needs you dead before your eighteenth birthday."
"Why my eighteenth birthday?"
"Because once you turn eighteen, Harry, you'll have reached maturity, and Voldomort will never be able to destroy you." Now, he really had Harry confused.
"But Professor, that doesn't make any sense."
"I suppose not, Harry; I suggest that I start at the beginning."
"Harry, after you were born, your parents invited me to your christening. Of course, I came, but I also brought along a friend. At the time, I had another phoenix for a friend - not Fawkes. It was Fawkes' mother. Her name was Gemstar, but I always called her Gem for short."
"What are you trying to say?" Harry asked, getting even more confused.
"I'm getting to it, Harry. I was beside your parents, and she was on my shoulder. After your christening was finished, something very odd happened. Gem flew off my shoulder and hovered directly over your head. She bent down and pressed her beak against your forehead. After she did that, your eyes lit up with a bright fire; it looked like what happens to Fawkes on her burning day. Do remember…the burst of flames and then a drastic change?"
"Yes, I remember, Professor, but why did your phoenix do that? What was she trying to do?"
"For a few seconds, both hers and your eyes were lit up with the same fire. She gave you a gift, Harry - the spirit of a phoenix. You see, the phoenix is known as the bird that rose from the ashes more beautiful than it ever was before. Gemstar blessed you with that spirit; she gave you the strength and power that a phoenix has."
"But I'm a human, how could she…"
"Honestly Harry, I don't really know. Your parents asked me what Gem had done, but I truly did not know. After a few seconds the fire went out, and she returned to my shoulder. You weren't effected in any way so your parents just left well enough alone."
"So, I'm carrying a phoenix inside me?" Harry asked in astonishment.
"Not a real phoenix - merely its spirit. A phoenix is a very magical creature as you know, and what Gemstar gave you is one of the reasons why your wizard potential is so incredible."
"But I still don't understand how this deals with me surviving Voldomort."
"As I understand it, the blessing of a phoenix must be triggered by something; the power will only respond in a time of great need. You see, Harry, a phoenix only uses it power when others are suffering - not for selfish ambitions. That is why it is one of the purest creatures in existence. When your mother sacrificed herself for you, she triggered the power residing within your spirit. That is what protected you and what drained Voldomort of his power."
"But Voldomort took my blood to resurrect himself so doesn't that mean that he was given part of this 'special' power as well?" Harry asked.
He could remember it like it was yesterday. At the TriWizard Tournament during his fourth year, he and Cedric Diggory both won, but the trophy had been turned into a portkey, which had taken him right into Voldomort's clutches. Voldomort had one of his servants, Wormtail, take some of Harry's blood and use it to revive the dark wizard. Harry had barely escaped Voldomort and his hoard of Death Eaters, but Cedric had been killed in the process.
"No Harry, remember what I said, the power of a phoenix can only be given to someone with a pure heart. Voldomort is the exact opposite of what the phoenix embodies."
"But Professor Dumbledore, if that is true, then why did you say that he would need to kill me before my eighteenth birthday?"
"Because Harry, when a phoenix comes of age, its power is at its zenith. If you recall how Fawkes looked before burning day, she wasn't the best thing in the world to look at." Dumbledore chuckled under his breath, and Fawkes cocked her head trying to understand what her master was finding so funny.
"So what does that mean?"
"Let me ask you something instead, Harry. Have you had any difficulty learning new magic lately?" His question made Harry gasp in surprise.
"Well…actually no, I just sort of 'got it' right away."
"Your power is growing quickly, Harry, because your time is approaching. However, it also means that Voldomort will be coming for you soon."
"I figured as much, but does he know? I mean, about the phoenix and everything?"
"No, he does not; he merely believes that your mother's love protected you from his dark magic, and he is technically right. The power that Gemstar gave you merely amplified that protection."
"So how do you know that Voldomort is coming for me?" Harry was getting anxious. If Voldomort was coming back, he needed to be ready.
"Since the TriWizard Tournament, I knew it was only a matter of time before Voldomort made his move. He has been spending the last few years regaining his former strength and gathering followers. Cornelius Fudge and the Ministry of Magic refuse to believe that Voldomort has come back, or that he is planning an attack against us."
"Listen carefully Harry, Voldomort won't just attack us himself; he needs an army of followers to do it. Do you remember that talk we had so long ago?"
Harry strained his brain to remember what Dumbledore had said to him after the tournament. For the last three years, he and several others had been preparing for Voldomort's return. He had sent Hagrid out to try and convince other giants like himself to join with Dumbledore and fight Voldomort.
The Ministry of Magic hated the giants; they felt that they were too dangerous to trust so they exiled them from the wizard world. Another key for them would be freeing his followers from Azkaban, the wizard prison, but what really made Harry nervous was the fact that Voldomort could probably convince the dementors who guarded the prison to join him. Dementors thrived on fear and panic, and Voldomort could offer them a veritable buffet for their taking.
"Yes, Professor Dumbledore, I remember, but hasn't the Ministry made any attempts at contacting the giants or even the dragons for help?"
"No Harry, they're too stuck on the 'pureblood' way of doing things. Only wizards of noble blood will be given notice by them."
"But that's insane, if Voldomort comes back, everyone is in danger."
"I agree with you, Harry, but Fudge and the others will not listen to me. He's even threatened to remove me as headmaster if I go against his wishes."
"Sir, you can't be serious!"
"Dead serious, my boy, but I don't care. Voldomort must be stopped, or the world will be plunged into darkness and anarchy."
"The Ministry keeps saying that if Voldomort was alive, he would've attacked by now, but I know that he is merely biding his time, waiting for the perfect moment to catch us off-guard." Dumbledore took a deep breath and pushed his glasses back up his nose.
"Harry, I must ask for your help. We need to draw Voldomort out of hiding, and he won't do that unless we give him a ripe target."
"Name it, Professor!" Harry said firmly. Dumbledore smiled at him proudly.
"The one thing that Voldomort always wanted next to you was Hogwarts; he hated this place and everything it stood for. So, we're going to give it to him, but there is something that must be done first."
Dumbledore spent the next hour explaining his plan to Harry, and the young man's eyes went wide when Dumbledore had asked him a very costly favor. Harry had sat there looking at his hands for a good ten minutes but had agreed to play his part.
"Very well, you may go now. I've placed a spell over your mind that should block your Nightmare Curse for now, but if Voldomort's power keeps increasing, it will give way."
"I understand, sir. How soon do we need to implement the plan?"
"At least within the next few months, my guess is a little after Christmas. The spring and early summer is when everyone is most relaxed; it would be a perfect time for Voldomort to attack. I will send for you when the time is near, Harry, but until then, I suggest that you continue on as you normally would, but…" Dumbledore looked at him sternly.
"…You are not to tell anyone about what I've said to you today, Harry - not Ronald…not Hagrid…not even Hermione…no one, understood?"
"Yes sir!"
"Very well, you may go, Harry."
Harry exited Dumbledore's office feeling rather noxious. He felt like he'd just sat through six hours of Potions class. He headed back down towards the Great Hall. It was just about lunchtime, and Ron and Hermione should be there by now.