Return of the Phoenix

Chapter 1

In a dark upstairs bedroom in Little Whinging, a teenager slept tossing and turning in his bed. Every night for the past few weeks, the boy would see images flashing through his mind that would always remind him of the tragedies that have been brought into his life. This teen is not like most others that have grown up in the world. This young man has experienced more hurt and pain than anyone should ever have to experience in a lifetime. Every night, this young man is bombarded by images of both friends and family who have all died so that he alone may live. The scene that has always awoken the young man was that of his friend and mentor being murdered by one of the few people he trusted the most. As the green light passes through the old man, the teen would always wake up with sweat beading on his forehead. This night was no different.

Like all the previous nights, the young man sat up in bed with his jet-black hair matted to his head with sweat. This is the only time when his hair would even appear to be combed down. When anyone else would see him, his hair would appear to be in a mess while he ruffled it to make it stand up even more. As for now, his hair was laying slick to his head with sweat beads forming on his forehead. All that anyone would be able to make out about the young man were his bright emerald green and a lightning bolt shaped scar just above his right eye. Nightmares is nothing new to Harry Potter, but none have been this vivid since the end of his fifth year when he watched his own Godfather fall though the mysterious veil in the Department of Mysteries. Even after that incident, the nightmares only lasted for a month or two before they fell away. But now with the death of his headmaster, all his dreams have returned to him once more.

Waking up in the early morning hours has become a routine for Harry. Once he has been startled from his sleep, Harry knew that he would not rest again. As Harry shook himself awake, he reached for his glasses and put them on. Now that Harry could see the room with clarity, he noticed that Hedwig was not on her usual perch by the window. Figuring that she has gone out to hunt, Harry walked over to his small desk and turned the desk light on. As Harry sat down, he grabbed one of his photo albums and started turning through the pages. This album was always one of Harry's favorites that he would look through. This one kept all of the pictures of him and his two best friends. Pictures going back to their first year, Harry simply smiled as he looked at how Ron and Hermione had grown up with him. Harry silently relived all of the different memories that were captured on film. Harry's first quidditch victory, Hermione sitting at a table working on her studies, and Harry and Ron sitting at a table playing wizard's chess. Harry also had pictures of them from the fourth year just before the Yule Ball when everyone was in their dress robes. At the end of the album, there was always one picture that Harry would always look at longer than he would the others. Harry would silently watch as the picture of Ginny would always look at him with her soft eyes and wave while she smiled. Harry would always wonder if he made the right choice in telling Ginny that the two of them could not be together. Harry knew that he would always love her, but that is why he knew that he should stay away from her as far as possible. By the two of them being together, Harry felt that he would only be putting Ginny in grave danger and he could not handle the guilt if anything should happen to her. Every night, Harry would constantly tell himself that what he did was for the best if it kept her safe.

A soft nibble on Harry's finger brought him back from his thoughts. Harry looked down to see a white owl sitting on his desk beside his hand. Harry reached up to softly rub the feathers behind Hedwig's head.

"Hey girl. I hope that you can sleep better than I can." Hedwig reached her leg up to reveal a small letter attached to it. "What's this girl? I didn't know that you had a letter." Harry reached over to grab the letter. Once the letter was off of Hedwig's leg, she fluttered up to Harry's shoulder where she softly nibbled on his ear. "It's ok, I'll be fine." Harry opened the letter to reveal Ginny's handwriting.

Harry,

It's kind of strange. I was looking for one of our owls to send this letter to you when Hedwig appeared in my window. I was too surprised at first until I noticed that there wasn't a letter with her. Perhaps she just knew that I would be writing to you.

I just wanted to write to see how you were doing. I know that it has only been a week since I have seen you, but this has been a very long week. I know that you said that you didn't want to take our relationship any further than what it was, and I understand that, but it has just been hard without you with me. I don't know if it is the right thing to say, but you are always on my mind and in my heart...Please don't forget that. You need to understand that I would follow you to hell and back if it meant that we would be happy together, but I will not press that matter any further. I am actually writing to let you know that Bill and Fleur's wedding is set to take place on Saturday here at The Burrow. I have talked to dad and he is connecting The Dursley's to the floo network tomorrow so that you can come here early if you want to. It will remain open through Saturday morning just in case. I truly hope that you will be here Friday, but if not I also understand. Until we see each other again, goodbye.

Always Yours, Ginny

Harry slowly reread the letter that Ginny had written to him as tears fell from his eyes. No matter what Harry told himself about Ginny, he knew that deep down she would always be by his side. Harry just couldn't shake the thought that he would only be leading Ginny to her death, and he loved her too much for him to do that. How could he tell Ginny that it was only for her protection that she should stay away. Harry chuckled to himself at that thought which caused Hedwig to give him a questioning look.

"You know what's funny? Everyone has done nothing but try to protect me in one way or another and all of their attempts have failed. No matter how hard anyone has tried, Voldemort has always found a way to me. So with that thought, why should I think that I could possibly protect Ginny from him? If Voldemort has found his way to me despite the heavy protection, what is to say that he cannot do the same to Ginny whether I am there or not?" Hedwig gave a soft hoot and nestled back in to Harry's shoulder.

As Harry sat by his desk in thought, his eyes slowly started to slide shut. Harry slowly got to his feet and put Hedwig back on her perch for to sleep, and he crawled back in bed. With thoughts of seeing Ginny again tomorrow, Harry closed his eyes for the last bit of peaceful sleep that he could get before the Dursley's woke up. For once, nightmares did not enter into Harry's dreams. This time, all Harry saw was Ginny smiling at him while she silently waved her hand.

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Harry slowly opened his eyes as the sunlight shone through his bedroom window. Although it wasn't very bright out just yet, it was enough to wake the sleeping teenager up. As Harry sat up in bed and put his glasses on, he heard a constant pounding on the floor that could only mean that someone was making their way towards the room that he slept in. As Harry set his feet on the ground to get out of bed, a loud banging noise erupted from his door.

"Potter! POTTER! Are you up yet?" Harry started to massage the sides of his head as a small throbbing sensation entered into his head. If only the pounding on the door would stop. Harry crossed the room as another series of bangs could be heard through his door. "Potter, do you hea-"

"YES! I always hear you and am always awake before you ever start to bang on the door!" Harry had thrown the door open just as his uncle was banging on it and caught him in mid sentence.

"You had better watch your tone with me boy. If it weren't for me and my family, you would have already been dead by now. The way I see it, you should be thanking us for our generous hospitality we have shown to you."

Harry couldn't help but grind his teeth as he listened to his uncle claiming to have supposedly kept him alive. How could this man get any dumber. As Vernon spoke, Harry unconsciously balled his hands into tight fists and kept them at his sides. There was no use letting his uncle see that he was making him mad.

"Do you honestly think that you have done anything in the years past that have kept me alive? Do you honestly think that you would even stand a chance against those who are really out to kill me? People who are much stronger than you have died to keep me alive, and you think that you have done anything more so than they have. How stupid do you think I am?" Just as Harry had got the words out of his mouth, his head was thrown violently to the side as Vernon backhanded him with all of his hate. Harry took a staggering step back from the force of the blow and kept his face looking down. Slowly, Harry reached a hand to his lip and noticed that there was blood on his fingers when his hand was lowered. This was the last straw.

When Harry looked back up at the man who had struck him, it was Vernon's turn to step back. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but Vernon would swear that he saw tiny bolts of electricity within Harry's eyes. Before Harry said a word, a light breeze filled the room and the lights started to flicker on and off. Vernon's face had paled considerably since he had seen the look on Harry's face and knew that he had just made a terrible mistake. Vernon froze in his tracks when Harry spoke.

"That, Vernon, will be the last time you ever lay a hand on me again." The tone of Harry's voice could freeze water with its iciness. Although Harry spoke just above a whisper, it rang volumes in Vernon's ears. Harry took a small step toward the man standing in front of him before he said another word. "If you ever lay another hand on me again, it will be the last thing you ever do." Vernon mouth opened and closed as if he were trying to say something and words just wouldn't come out. Before Vernon could utter another word, the wind in the room picked up a little and slammed the door in Vernon's face. Once the door was closed, Harry collapsed on the floor as small tears fell from his eyes.

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It was just past noon and Harry has been slowly packing the last of his belongings into his trunk when a soft knock was heard on the door. Thinking it strange that someone would actually knock on his bedroom door, Harry slowly got to his feet and walked over to see who it was. When Harry opened the door, he saw that it was Petunia who had knocked.

"Harry, can I speak with you for a moment?" Harry didn't really know how to respond to this. Was this the same woman who had always glared at him for everything that he had done? When Harry looked into her eyes this time, he wasn't sure what emotion he saw. Perhaps it was fear...pity? Not really knowing how to respond to this, Harry stepped aside to let his aunt enter the room. Harry walked back over to his trunk and listened as Petunia closed the door behind her as she entered the room.

"Is there something that I need to do? I am trying to get everything packed so that I can leave tomorrow." Harry wasn't sure, but a look of surprise passed over Petunia's face.

"Tomorrow? But I thought that you had to stay for at least half of the summer to ensure your protection. Has Dumbledore said that you could leave early or something?"

"No, he didn't say that. But I do not think that he would say anything at all. Albus was killed a couple of weeks ago in an attack against the school. I do not know I returned here at all. Call it habit if you will. But I will be leaving tomorrow morning never to return again." As Harry finished, he saw a look of sadness and perhaps regret on his aunt's face.

"I figured something like that must have happened for your nightmares to return like they have." When Petunia said this, it was Harry's turn to look surprised. "Vernon doesn't know, but I have looked in here several times over the past week when you were asleep to see you tossing and turning in your sleep. You would mutter something every now and then, but it was never anything that I could understand."

"So you have known all this time and you never once did anything to keep that beast of a husband away from me?" Harry was starting to get angry again, but for some reason he managed to keep himself calm.

"I'm sorry. I do not know what more I can say. I know that we have been nothing like what you would call a fam-"

"A family?" Harry interrupted. "You're right. The only thing that makes you family to me is that blood that is flowing through your veins. You want to see my family?" Harry grabbed the album of him and his friends and put it into Petunia's hands. As Petunia flipped through the pages of the leather bound album, tears started to flow from her eyes. The Harry in theses pictures showed him to be truly happy and surrounded by people that love him. As Petunia continued to look through the pages, Harry grabbed another album and set it on top of the one she was looking through. "This is my other family. Perhaps you will recognize a few of them." As Petunia opened the front cover, she gasped silently at the first picture that she saw. As she looked down, she could see James and Lily dancing happily in each other's arms laughing. As she flipped through other faces, She saw pictures of both James and Lily holding a little baby in their arms. Petunia now had a steady flow of tears flowing from her eyes.

"Oh Harry, I am so sorry." That was all she was able to get out before soft sobs could be heard from her. Slowly, Harry got up and reached for a tissue box that he kept close to his bed. Harry offered his aunt a tissue from the box and she took one while never taking her eyes from the pictures.

Slowly, Petunia closed each of the albums and placed them back on his desk. Petunia rose and dabbed her eyes once more with the tissue before slowly stepping out of the room and closing the door. Harry had just started to put everything away that was on his desk when his aunt entered once more holding a book of her own.

"I don't know why I haven't given this to you yet, but since this is probably the last time that I will see you, I think that you should have it." Not waiting for Harry to say anything, she set the book on Harry's desk and left the room once more with a soft click from the door.

Harry looked at the book for a second before realizing that it was a photo album just like the ones that he had. When Harry opened the book, his breath caught in his mouth as he realized what he was looking at. As Harry looked down, it was as if he were looking at a picture of Ginny. It startled Harry at how close she and his mom resemble each other. As Harry flipped through the pages, he soon realized that this was dedicated to Lily and Petunia as they grew up together. As Harry neared the end of the album, he was surprised at how the pictures slowly started to change. At first, both Lily and Petunia were happy girls growing up together. But as they got older, Petunia's smile had faded from that of happiness to that of toleration. Harry slowly closed the book and set it on top of the others.

Once Harry had finished packing all of his belongings, he was surprised to see that the sun was nearing the tops of the trees as the day was coming to a close. Harry quickly grabbed a piece of spare parchment and wrote a hasty letter to Ginny.

Hey Gin,

If you can, could you please floo here tomorrow morning to meet me. I would love to come early, but I do not have any powder to do so. I am asking you like this because I do not want a big scene here like there has been in the past. I'll stay up and wait for your response.

Love, Harry

Harry quickly attached the note to Hedwig and sent her off. Hopefully it wouldn't take too long for a response to come. Harry slowly made his way over to his bed so that he could lay down. It wasn't too long before his eyes became heavy and he fell off to sleep.

A soft tapping noise could be heard from the window as Harry slept in his bed. Harry rolled over and reached for his glasses just as the thought occurred to him at what the noise could mean. Quickly, Harry reached the window to allow his bird back into the room. As Hedwig fluttered to her perch, Harry noticed that there was a small note attached to her leg. Obediently, Hedwig reached her leg out so that Harry could retrieve the letter that she carried. As soon as the letter was removed, Hedwig flew out again for her evening hunt. Harry sat down at his desk as he read the all too familiar handwriting.

Harry,

Of course I will come and meet you. I will leave a note for mom and leave without saying anything so that I can get there as early as possible. Expect me there at 7 am. I slipped a hint to dad and he said that the floo will be connected by then. Until that time, goodbye.

Love, Ginny

Harry released a breath that he did not know that he was holding. Harry looked over to the clock beside his bed and saw that it was just past two in the morning. Harry couldn't help but let a grin slide across his face. In a few short hours he would be back with the person that he truly loved and belonged to. Harry quietly went back to his bed for the last little bit of sleep that he would ever get on Privet Drive again.

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Harry awoke with a start at 6 am Friday morning. Harry cleaned himself up and got all of his belongs together so that he could leave as soon as Ginny arrived. At ten minutes till seven, Harry quickly carried his trunk and owl cage downstairs to the den to patiently wait for Ginny's arrival.

Just as Harry got his stuff situated by the fire, Petunia walked in from the kitchen. "Harry, I didn't expect to see you down here this early."

"Someone is coming by to pick me up in a few minutes and I wanted to be ready so that I could leave here as soon as possible." A look of understanding passed over Petunia's face. Before she could say anything else, the fireplace erupted into bright green flames and a young red head stepped out of the fireplace. As soon as Petunia laid eyes on the girl, her face paled considerably and she raised her hands to her mouth in shock.

"No, it can't be." Ginny looked up to the woman and all but glared at her. "You were......dead.....years ago.....Lily.....how?" Ginny simply stared at the woman and noticed that tears were forming at the corners of her eyes.

"My name is Ginny, and I am here to take Harry home." Ginny turned her head to look at Harry and gave him a small smile. "You ready to go?"

Harry looked from Ginny to the shocked Petunia and slowly nodded his head. Without any more words passing between the group, Harry and Ginny both left Privet Drive in a blur of green flames.

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A/N: None of the characters nor places are mine. I am merely using them for my own amusement. They belong solely to Mrs. J. K. Rowling. R/R!!