Mara's Magic

i - firey times

We were sitting in Care of Magical Creatures as Professor Kettleburn explained the exciting attributes of Phoenixes. Holding up his copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, he requested that we take out our own and use it to answer the questions written on the blackboard. I grinned. I loved this class and found it extremely interesting. It was one that I excelled in, thus proving my position in the Fifth Year class. 

I dug around in my satchel before snatching the red text book. It was relatively thin compared to our other required books and had a fun decoration of fake scratches on the front. My name was signed on the inside of the cover, countless notes of all sorts decorating the pages. I didn't take my notes in a notebook, I took it in my text book. This way, I could access all of the information quicker and didn't write down what was already written and understood. I did the same with my potions text book. On the front cover of my book was a large, messy black signature.

Newt Scamander, was scrawled on the front. As Professor Kettleburn walked by us, he spotted the autograph and his eyes lit up. He snatched the book from my desk, eying the untidy handwriting with a wide smile. He looked at me, holding it out. 

"You got this autographed?" He asked excitedly. "By Newt Scamander himself?"

"Yes! He was doing a signing in Diagon Alley before my Second Year and I insisted that I get my own. My dad and I stood in that line for two hours," I laughed. I could see Elijah roll his eyes out of the corner of my eye and I discreetly elbowed him in the ribs, shooting him an annoyed look. 

"How exciting!" Kettleburn exclaimed, flipping through the pages with interest. He studied my notes, his eyebrows furrowing. He turned to the page on Phoenixes and found only a few scrawls of black ink on the page. "What do you know about Phoenixes, Miss Weasley?"

"Well," I said, clearing my throat. I really did not know all that much about phoenixes as we'd only gone over them a tiny bit in class and Mr. Scamander did not go into too much depth about them in his textbook. I'd read that he explained them better in his second volume, as he had had several experiences with them in person after he'd written the first book, but it was never added to the first edition and I hadn't had the pleasure of reading it. "I know that when they die, they can regenerate as a newborn chick. Their golden tailfeathers are hot to the touch while the scarlet ones can light in the dark. Also, their tears have healing properties and they can carry a lot of weight."

I offered my simple facts with a bit of an awkward blush, wishing that I'd known more. 

Kettleburn clicked his tongue. "Do you know much about the Phoenix Song?"

I shook my head.

"Rumor has it that when a person with a good and pure heart hears the Phoenix singing, they will be filled with comfort and courage. They will be strengthened in soul. But, when one with bad intentions hears it, they become immensely anxious and filled with paralyzing fear," he explained. "You see, the Phoenix is a very spiritual creature. Many believe it to be the corporeal version of a Patronus. They offer comfort and support to those they care for as well, becoming attached to specific people. If you make well with a Phoenix, you are proved to be good."

"Kind of like a Qilin?" I asked, remembering how the deer-like creature was told to be the purest animal on the Earth and that if it bows to you, you are then declared to be pure in heart as well. Kettleburn pondered on this for a moment before nodding.

"Yes, in some senses. Except, the Qilin is a better representation of innocence and purity, as Phoenixes are also known to be very brazen. They're more like good judges of character than pure."

"Oh, alright."

"They also have a funny relationship with fire. As you know, they burst into flames when they die, but they also burst into flames when they wish to be somewhere they are not. It is like an organic form of appariting. They also use this to leave messages. They do this by appariting away to some unknown place and leaving a golden feather behind," Kettleburn told me. "And, if you are being held by the Phoenix when it does so, it takes you with it."