Flight of the Phoenix

This story is based on characters and situations owned by JK Rowling, and various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No copywrite or trademark infringement is intended.


Chapter Seven

Even though Harry knows that Draco is coming to stay at Grimmauld Place it is still a shock when he spots the pale blond hair on the threshold of the most Ancient and Nobel House of Black. He is even more shocked to see Sirius giving Draco a hug. Harry is sure he’s gaping like a fish when Sirius and Draco spot him.

“Hello, Potter,” Draco drawls out. As he strolls closer Harry notices that Draco has not only gotten taller over the summer, but broader as well. Harry scowls in annoyance because Harry isn’t sure if he’s grown since his second bloody year of Hogwarts.

Draco seems to know what Harry is thinking because a smirk blooms on his face as he eyes Harry’s slight form. “As short as always, Potter?”

“Not everyone can be part giant, Malfoy. Funny that, since you hate Hagrid so much.”

Draco gives Harry a blank look before he throws his head back, a deep laugh emanating from his chest. “Oh no, Potter. I’m not part giant, though I must say I have gotten extremely tall this summer. I can see why you would be confused but I am something much more. Better.” Draco laughs at Harry’s confused look before turning back to Sirius. “He is your Godson, yet still you haven’t told him, cousin.”

“What is going on?” Harry asks angrily. He had thought that Sirius hated the Malfoys. Yet here he was…

“Harry you are partly correct. Draco is going through an inheritance. However, it is not from the Malfoy side. It comes from the Blacks.” Harry frowns at Sirius and Sirius sighs, running a hand through his wild hair. “Harry, I’m not an animagus.”

“What?”

“Harry, I—”

“What do you mean you’re not an animagus? I saw you, I saw you change.”

“Harry, the Blacks descend from a long line of phanfasms.”

“What?”

“Phanfasms are usually mistaken with were creatures but a phanfasm is born, not made—it’s a gene, not a virus.”

“What the bloody hell is a phanfasm?”

Sirius sighs before pulling out his wand, conjuring a tea tray. “We might as well have some tea while we talk; it’s going to be a long one.”

Harry nods in consensus before sitting down on one of the plush sofas. Though Grimmauld Place hadn’t been lived in for over a decade a few spells had made most of the rooms not contaminated with dark artifacts easily livable. “Alright,” Harry says after he makes himself a cuppa. Absently he notes that Draco has declined to sit, instead staying in his position by the front door. “First explain to me the difference between phanfasms and were creatures.”

Sirius lets out a strained laugh before he takes a sip of his tea. “Harry, it’s not that simple.”

“Are you saying…”

“It would be easier if I started from the beginning. It is mostly legend and speculation, of course, but it will make things easier for you.”

“Fine.”

“It is said that the first phanfasm came from the union of a wizard and a dragon—”

“What?”

“Harry please let me continue. Once I am finished you may asks questions.”

“Fine.”

“Anyway, it is said that the first phanfasm came from the union of a wizard and a dragon. This is the fundamental difference between phanfasms and were creatures. A were creature will only be magical if they were magical before they are inflicted by the virus. Also, like I said earlier, a phanfasm is born, not made.”

“Ok,” Harry says, letting Sirius know that he has his undivided attention, though truthfully the thing running through Harry’s mind is how can a wizard have offspring with a dragon.

Sirius gives Harry a small smile, perhaps knowing what Harry is thinking because after the short silence he addresses the exact issue that is running through Harry’s brain. “The name Phanfasm derives from this first union. It is said that the way in which the dragon mated with the wizard is by becoming a phantom. That the dragon took over a wizard’s body in order to mate with his intended.”

“How would they know if it was the dragon or that the dragon,” Harry makes quotes with his fingers, “took over a wizard’s body?”

Harry is expected to get reprimanded for asking a question as Sirius has asked him to wait until the end but Sirius doesn’t say anything. Draco is the one that answers. “When the dragon took over the wizard’s body it’s head remained.”

“What?”

“The wizard had a dragon’s head, Potter.” Harry cringes slightly and Draco laughs. “Quite the imagery, I know.”

“So you are saying that a dragon became a phantom, took over a wizard’s body, kept his dragon’s head, had sex with this wizard, and…”

“And made babies, Potter.”

“So, what did the babies look like?”

“Like you and me.” Harry frowns and Draco laughs again. “Not exactly like us, Potter. How dense are you? What I mean is they were exactly like wizards, that is, until their fifteenth birthdays.”

“So they had a creature’s inheritance?”

“Yes.”

“So what did they look like when they turned fifteenth?”

“Like the phantom dragon.”

“Er…”

“They had human bodies with animal heads.”

“Merlin.”

Draco laughs before he plops down on the sofa next to Harry. “Imagine it, Harry,” Draco breaths seductively in Harry’s ear. He runs his hand lightly up Harry’s chest, lowering his mouth closer to Harry. “Waking up on your fifteenth birthday, your body stronger, faster, more resilient—deceptively human, yet something…more.” Harry’s breath hitches as Draco’s hand raises higher up his chest, coming to rest at the base of Harry’s neck were Draco proceeds to rub his thumb back and forth over the soft flesh. “Then imagine it, Harry. If you got up and went to the restroom, looked in a mirror, only to realize that not only are you something more, but you are something other, because sitting on your shoulders is not the head that you had fallen asleep with, not the weak, vulnerable head of humans, but the powerful, ancient head of a creature.”

Harry shudders with fear and arousal, and when Draco feels the tremors he lowers his head all the way to Harry’s ear, letting his tongue out of his mouth to lick the shell. Harry’s next shudder is of complete sexual bliss and he can’t keep in the low moan of pleasure.

“Unhand my Godson, Draco. I have much more interesting things to do besides watching you try to frighten and molest my Godson.”

Draco laughs at Sirius before releasing Harry. “Perhaps you would like to continue, then. Because once you are gone I would like to finish what I have started.”

“What?” Harry gasps as he sucks in a lungful of air. “What do you mean you want to finish were you started? We hate each other!”

“True,” Draco says nonchalantly as he crosses an ankle over his knee. “But I would rather fuck you.”

“Draco,” Sirius gasps in shock at the explicit words coming from Draco. Harry’s face is tomato red.

Draco laughs with wicked pleasure before turning away from Harry’s red face in order to look at his cousin. “Fine, fine Sirius. I am done. Please continue.”

“Well, as Draco has said on their fifteenth birthdays the Phanfasms awoke with animal heads.”

“Dragon heads?”

Sirius shakes his head in the negative. “No. Not one of the dragon’s offspring had a dragon’s head. They had other magical creature heads on their shoulders, but no Dragon’s head.”

“I don’t understand. If their Father was a dragon why wouldn’t they have a dragon’s head?”

“This is why I wanted to start from the beginning. This is the most crucial difference between Phanfasms and were creatures. A were creature will be what it’s sire is—if they are bitten by a werewolf they will be a werewolf, if they are bitten by a werecat they will be a werecat.”

“I understand.”

“The phanfasms form is based on their magic. There is rarely two phanfasms with the same head because rarely does two witches or wizards have the same magic. Though if the Weasley’s were phanfasms I’m sure that Fred and George would have the same head.”

“Are they soul mates?”

“A phanfasm with the same head as another is usually the sign of a soul bond, though not always those of a soul mate. And as I’ve said already, this is very rare in and of itself.”

“So, Fred and George aren’t soul mates?”

“No, they are. But their bond is strong. Unique. They share all three soul bonds—the soul mate bond, the sibling bond, and the mind bond. Very very rare.”

“So, all siblings have a soul bond?”

“No, some of them aren’t compatible, though the sibling bond is the most common one.”

“Ah…” Harry says as he lets the information sink in. Draco snorts in annoyance.

“Let’s get back to phanfasms, please. I want to be alone with Potter.”

“What?” Harry asks in confusion as he faces Draco. Draco just smirks at him, raising an eyebrow in question. Immediately Harry flushes red.

“Yes, well,” Sirius says, clearing his throat slightly. “A phanfasm’s head is based on their magic, not their parents.”

“Ok, so if you’re a phanfasm why do you have a human head?”

“Phanfasms have the ability to morph, similar to the animagus form. I can go into my hive stage if I wish to, it is…very comfortable.”

“Hive stage?”

“That is what we call the in-between stage, the one that phanfasms are forced into on their fifteenth birthday. It is called the hive stage because when the dragon was alive during the hive stage he could summon any of the phanfasms, no matter where they were or what the situation. And it is said that there is an awareness in all of the phanfasms during the hive stage were they can feel the dragon, and it is said that when he called upon them that it was…euphoria.”

“So, your animagus is your…?”

“My phantom stage. It is the complete form of my phanfasm’s head. All phanfasms have three stages: the human stage, the phantom stage, and the hive stage.”

“Why is it called the phantom stage?”

“Since it is said that the dragon was a phantom…” Sirius shrugs. “It has always been called the phantom stage though a phanfasm’s phantom stage is definitely that of a corporal creature.”

“I see.”

“Draco being a phanfasm is not the surprise however, and not the reason why Lucius and Narcissa have asked for his protection. Never has there been a Black who has not been born a phanfasm. It is a dominant trait after all.”

“So, why exactly are you here, Malfoy?”

“Take a wild guess, Potter. I’m sure there has to be some form of intelligence floating around in that brain of yours, even if you are a Gryffindor.”

Harry scowls at Draco’s smug look before biting his bottom lip in thought. “Voldemort wants to use the phanfasms in the war.”

“Yes. But why would this scare my parents into defying the Dark Lord, a man that they have followed and worshipped for years?”

“I don’t know.”

Sirius snorts. “Of course he wouldn’t know, Draco. As you have observed earlier, I haven’t told Harry anything.”

Harry looks back and forth between Sirius and Draco before letting out a grunt of annoyance. “Just spit it out already, Malfoy. I’m tired of your mind games.”

“There is a prophecy.”

Harry sits up straighter, “excuse me?”

“There is a prophecy about a phanfasm. About the phantom stage and the hive.”

“The hive stage?”

“No, the hive,” Sirius says in explanation. “It is the hold that the phantom dragon has on all phanfasms. The prophecy is very old, very ancient, one not known to wizarding kind though somehow Voldemort knew a phanfasms stupid enough to have told him the prophecy. I believe that a phanfasm carelessly told Voldemort of the prophecy as there is no other way he could have know. The phanfasm probably believed that the prophecy would never come true, and thus saw no harm in telling Voldemort.”

“No one believed in the prophecy,” Draco quickly interjects. “There is no use in blame, especially when it is only speculation.”

“Yes. It wouldn’t matter anyway as we do not know who the phanfasm is that told Voldemort.”

“True. Also he already has the knowledge now, hunting the phanfasm won’t hurt the Dark Lord though it might hurt us.”

“So, what exactly is this prophecy that’s so dangerous?”

Draco stares at Sirius after Harry asks his question, waiting.

“It is—”

“He should not know.”

Harry lets out a snort of annoyance at Draco’s secrecy after everything that Draco and Sirius have already revealed. Harry tells Draco this and Draco counters that everything they have told him can be found in a book. Harry snorts again before folding his hands across his chest. “Look, Malfoy. I am Harry Potter. Voldemort will not stop hunting me until I’m dead. He wants to kill me and he wont stop until I’m destroyed, or unless I destroy him first. If this prophecy gives Voldemort an advantage then I need to know about it.”

“Your argument is based on the fact that I care about your life, Potter.”

“True. But you’re a Slytherin. Self preservation above all else, right? If you’re here hiding out with the Order then your life is wrapped up in mine. If I die how long do you think it will be before Voldemort turns his attention to you?”

“Potter, you think too highly of yourself. With the information that has been revealed to the Dark Lord he will definitely hold off on trying to kill you. He will wait…until he has me.”

“Is that what you want? To give yourself to Voldemort?”

“If I did would I be here?”

“You said your family worships Voldemort. I’m sure you wanted to give yourself to him once, but this prophecy stopped you.”

“Yes.”

“Then tell me. What is the prophecy?”

Draco sucks in a deep breath before opening his mouth. He speaks softly as if he is afraid someone will eavesdrop but Harry knows that Sirius has already set up a ward around the small entrance hall.

“No phanfasm born with a dragon’s head
For years the hive, restless and dead
Yet to the one born from silver and ice
The dragon’s head shall soon arise

Coupled with the green eyed doe
The dragon shall defeat all foes
For with the dragon’s rise
The phantom shall have it’s hive”

Harry stares at Draco blankly. Draco lets out a sigh of annoyance. “The prophecy foretells of the rise of the hive. The…joining of all phanfasms.” Harry continues to stare at Draco blankly and Draco continues his explanation after a short muttering of the breath about Harry’s intelligence, or lack thereof. “It is easy for a phanfasm to blend in with the average wizard. After the fifteenth birthday, us phanfasms are not required to be in the hive stage and usually remain in the human stage. If the phanfasms do go into the phantom stage it is easily explained as one’s animagus form. Due to this no one knows exactly how many phanfasms exist today and most of the wizarding world believes phanfasms to be myth. However, if the dragon brings about the hive again then every phanfasm in the world will be aware of each other, but more importantly, every phanfasm in the world will be under the dragon’s rule.”

Harry nods his head in understanding and turns to face his Godfather when Sirius begins to speak. “It is said that the dragon can manipulate the bond, that the dragon has the power to control all the phanfasms—absolute power. The first dragon was a benevolent ruler and used the hive to watch over his children, but if Voldemort were to somehow gain control of the dragon, he would then have control of the hive. In essence, he would have an army of phanfasms at his beck and call.”

“An army?”

“No one knows exactly how many phanfasms there are. It is speculated that there are hundreds, yet there could be thousands…even millions. No one will know until the hive is reborn.”

“So Voldemort wants to enact this prophecy so that he can use the phanfasms for the war?”

“Exactly. However, the prophecy says that the hive will not be reborn until the Dragon couples with the doe.”

“Father has contacted the few phanfasms he knows and is inquiring about any phanfasms with a doe head,” Draco says softly once Sirius is done talking. “He has had…no luck thus far.”

Harry stares at Draco with wide eyes as everything finally clicks in his brain. “You are the dragon.”

“Yes. On my fifteenth birthday I awakened with a dragon’s head. The Dark Lord knows about my family’s creature blood and inquired about my hive stage. It is a great honor to have a dragon’s head, as it is the head that most phanfasms dream of, or they dream of having a doe’s head, of course. My parents in their pride were telling everyone who knew of phanfasms about my inheritance. They didn’t know that the Dark Lord knew about the prophecy, or that he would order them to hand me over to him so that he could use me to control the phanfasms.”

“So your staying here in order to protect yourself?”

“Of course, Potter. Self preservation as you have stated. Plus the fate of all phanfasms cannot be trusted with anyone. The Dark Lord was a Slytherin. He will look out for his own interest first and foremost. It doesn’t matter to him if he kills off a few hundred phanfasms in order to get to you.”

“I knew you weren’t completely heartless, Malfoy.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re doing this to save all those innocent phanfasms. That’s very sweet.”

Draco glares at Harry. “I am not sweet and there is no innocent phanfasms. Phanfasms will kill in a heartbeat to protect themselves. Phanfasms aren’t like you Gryffindors who would roll over and let the world squish you under it’s heel just so you can stay sweet and innocent. We fight. We kill…and yes, sometimes we relish it. Though I am the only phanfasm born with a dragon’s head, excluding our sire of course, I am not the only phanfasm with dragon’s blood running through my veins. Our forefather was a dragon—a natural born killer. We phanfasms are killers and will always exhibit the urge.”

“Then why don’t you go to Voldemort and give yourselves over so you can relish in the killing of innocent people?”

“That, Potter, is because we do not relish in the killing ourselves. Self preservation, remember? The phanfasms will not live long if I give myself over to the Dark Lord.”

Abruptly Harry turns to his Godfather. “Sirius, is this true? Do you…crave violence and death?”

Sirius sighs before running a hand through his shaggy hair. “Harry, Draco is making it seem more explicit than it is. I indulge the urge through hunting in my phantom stage as most phanfasms do. Most of us wish to stay hidden and it is rare that a phanfasm would kill humans just for sport. Like most sane people us phanfasms have to be provoked.”

“I see.”

“What the Dark Lord asked of my parents was practically a declaration of war.”

“Of course, Draco. Dumbledore is deciding which method would be best to get the word out to other phanfasms so that they will join us in our fight with Voldemort.”

“It doesn’t matter, nothing Dumbledore says matters.”

Harry frowns at Draco slightly and his frown grows when Sirius nods his head in agreement. “Yes. Most phanfasms will not react unless they feel the hive. Undeniable truth that the prophecy is true and that our very existence is in danger if we are left to Voldemort’s manipulations.”

“Exactly. So the best thing for Dumbledore to do is inquire about the doe headed phanfasm. The hive will not be restored unless I bond with the doe.”

Sirius nods to Draco in agreement. There is a short silence as the two phanfasms decide to sip their now almost cold tea. Harry fidgets uncomfortable, not daring to ask the question that is most pressing in his mind. After a few more minuets of Harry’s fidgeting Draco lets out a snort as he clanks his cuppa back on the tea tray. “Oh, just spill it out already, Potter.”

“Can I—” Harry has to stop to clear his throat. “Can I see you in the hive stage. Can I see you with…” Harry sucks in large gulps of air. “Can I see you with your dragon’s head.”

The change is so complete, so abrupt that all Harry can do is let out a sharp gasp of alarm. In less time than it takes to blink, Draco’s head is replaced by a pale silvery scaled dragon. Harry notices with obscene horror that from Draco’s human shoulders the dragon’s head raises, deadly and aloof with the only sign of Draco, apart from his unchanged body, is the intelligence behind the silver eyes. Yet, even with Draco’s human intelligence shining from behind those silver cat-like eyes, there is the unmistakable fire of animalistic instincts. Shining behind Draco’s eyes is the intent to kill, to maim, to cause pain, and to relish every moment of it.

Harry’s body quivers as his instincts tell him flight or fight. Harry’s brain can’t seem to make up its mind as to which course of action to take and inevitably Harry’s body decides for him as his limbs goes pliant, vision blurring on the edges as he passes out next to the phanfasm in a dead faint.

Tbc…

a/n well, what do you think, folks? Draco has finally entered the scene! I got the idea about phanfasms from this game I played called Emerald City Confidential. In the game phanfasms were a race of people with the heads of animals. That is basically all the information about them in the game and I made up the rest of the stuff myself as I had to merge it with magic. I called the two stages of a phanfasm (though in the game they only have the one stage with the animal head) the phantom stage and the hive stage for two reasons. One, because phanfasms kinda sound like phantom and it went well with the story of the dragon turning into a phantom, the other reason because I just kinda wanted my name in the story hehe : P …if anyone hasn’t noticed yet the phanfasms stages is phantom and hive hehe like my name! phantomhive (lol though I know anyone isn’t this dense I just had to spell it out in plain English just in case) …anyway, the hive stage also came from inspiration by one of my favorite authors Octavia Butler who, in her book The Pattern Master, has something very similar to the hive (similar to the mental connection between people). This a/n is to give credit to the game Emerald City Confidential and the book The Pattern Master and to disclaim them as neither of these works are mine…I added the short disclaimer just in case though I’m sure not many people will know about these two things hehe I’m just a bookworm and a game freak XD…also, if anyone is bothered by the dialogue which explains the creatures and stuff (this chapter and the last few), then I’m sorry but I’ve read a few creature fics and I just hate it when the author has the explanations and stuff in books, like they have the protagonist reading a book. Instead of having it like the protagonist reads the book and briefly thinks about the words so that us readers have a brief explanation, they make us read the book. Ugh, that always drives me crazy, I guess it’s just one of my pet peeves, but whatever