A Different Train Ride

The small phoenix had finally come to full conciousness. Harry Potter realized that he had died and that his phoenix animagus form had caused him to have a burning day in response to dying. He really wanted to curse himself for his stupidity. He watched and listened as the explanations had been given.

When Hedwig had come in, he felt comforted by the apparent desire to watch over him and protect him when he was vulnerable. He had also observed Fawkes flying in. He heard the bird sing and the Headmaster's explanation. He was shocked to realize that Fawkes was not trying to provide comfort – but was laughing his head off at him.

Hedwig tried to admonish the older bird but Fawkes kept laughing until he settled down. He'd get back at that damned phoenix as soon as he had grown back a bit. The older bird deserved a good pranking.

As it was, Harry was put in the Gryffindor common room, on a perch with Hedwig who looked out for him all day. The Headmaster had listed the foods that phoenixes seemed to enjoy and Hedwig imperiously allowed the girls of Gryffindor to feed her charge. She allowed no touching, however, except Hermione, Ginny, and Luna.

The small phoenix also seemed to enjoy meeting and playing with (as much as Hedwig would allow) the pets of Harry's friends, especially Cocoa the Snorcack. Crookshanks didn't play but took to watching out for the owl and the growing phoenix.

When the Headmaster and his deputy looked in on their guest that evening, they were a bit surprised by the way the animals were reacting, even knowing that the phoenix wasn't really a phoenix.

By late the next morning, the phoenix was fully regrown. Before he changed back into a human, however, he had a score to settle.

"**Come back, you overgrown Turkey! Take your punishment like a phoenix!**"

"**NAH, NAH, NAH, NAH! You can't catch me!**

The students of Hogwarts were treated to a sight that had never been seen. Two phoenixes were flying around the room as though chasing each other, each singing and trilling as they moved.

The sound was joyous and the flight beautiful.

Dumbledore watched with his twinkling eyes. "Look! They're playing."

The female professors all made "awwww" sounds.

"**Can't do this!**" The older bird suddenly flamed out and flamed back in right behind the other and clutched its feathers for a moment before peeling away.

"**I'M GOING TO SKIN YOU WHEN I CATCH YOU!** The second bird flamed away and now instead of flying after each other, they flamed in and out of space and time, chasing each other.

Finally, the chase ended when the older bird was found by the younger and a familiar figure was caressing the bird on the branch next to him.

Without changing back, Harry pulled up and landed on another branch. "**Boss?"**

God, in the form of the boy with the cordorouy jacket, smiled at the second bird. "Hello, Harry. I'm glad Fawkes could bring you."

Taken aback, Harry asked, "**You set this all up?"**"

God sighed. "No. Your mistake was your own, and it caused your fist burning day. Free will and all of that. But it did give me an opportunity for you to be taught the ways of a phoenix by Fawkes here."

The younger bird glared at the older bird, who was calm and happy. "**The first thing he did was laugh at me.**"

God chuckled. "Of course he did. Phoenixes are around a long time. If they don't learn to find amusement in almost everything, existence gets really old really fast. Always assume a phoenix is laughing – it's a good assumption."

Harry trilled in resignation. "**I will admit the skills and the instincts come much easier now.**"

"Good. Now I have one more lesson for you." God, at this looked solemn. Fawkes cried out in comfort and this time was in comfort. "Do you remember that universe where you found the girl bleeding and a huge vortex?"

Harry trilled affirmatively.

"Well, in this universe, it's happening again. Agents who are trying to ensure the world stays alive are battling a Hell Goddess from another dimension, very near a Hellmouth. I can't go near the Hellmouth – my very presence would destabilize it and cause it to crash and close violently, thereby taking out the city and a few miles around it. You've met Buffy before – this is her sister dying. If Dawn continues bleeding, Buffy will do as she does in many universes: She will take Dawn's place and jump through the vortex and die, thus closing the hole in existence. And her friends, as happens in many, many universes, would later resurrect her, pulling her back from Heaven.

"This opens the door to the First Evil because it is a violation of the order that the First Evil is constrained and contained by. Later, Buffy and her friends would then have to pull an absolutely massive stunt to kill the first evil. But in this universe, the First Evil is much stronger and if the sequence plays out – the world dies. I need you to go and comfort them with your song and use your tears to heal the girl. This and only this will prevent my agent, Buffy, from sacrificing herself. Will you do it?"

Harry trilled in the positive. "**Of course, Boss!**"

God smiled gently as he petted Harry's head. "Good. Get to it."

Harry concentrated on what God described and then flamed out.

Buffy, with deliberation, climbed the tower. If Blood was required to heal this breach, it would not be Dawn's blood. She would close it.

She knew as a slayer she had already survived past her "Use By" date and was calm in accepting the inevitable.

However, suddenly, in a ball of flame a bird appeared hovering right in front of the vortex. Very loudly, the bird cried out in song. Buffy could feel the waves of evil emanating from the tear cringe back from the sound and hope was born in her heart in that moment.

Giles, on the floor trying to get the wound closed, looked up and whispered, "By God."

Buffy, Giles, Xander, and the others watched as the bird flew down in a circle and landed next to Dawn. The girl's eyes opened up and looked at the bird in wonder. The bird cocked its head and then leaned over her wounds.

The defenders watched as the bird cried tears right onto Dawn's wound. And they all said a quick prayer of thanks as they saw the wound closing and healing as if my magic.

And magic it was. Because even as the wound finally closed fully, the vortex to the Hell Dimension winked and disappeared out of existence.

Dawn weakly reached over and scratched the head of the bird as it trilled joyously back at her. Quickly flying up, the bird flew to Buffy and, hovering in front of her, sang out.

The song brought her a sense of peace and contentment, such as she hadn't felt since she was a child. She basked in the sound. Finally, the bird stopped singing and started winging away. It disappeared into a ball of flame.

Finally, someone asked, "What was that?"

Giles, who still looked up, answered. "That was a phoenix, a creature of legend, come to us in our need. It is a true blessing to see one and to experience its aid."

Buffy could only nod in agreement to that.

Harry returned to the dimension that he had been in, and grudgingly thanked Fawkes for teaching him the phoenix ways by example.

Harry quickly ensured the horcruxes were destroyed, even the one in Harry's scar. Voldemort was gone, and he had learned a few lessons.

He remembered one conversation, even as he orbed out of that world, Harry and his friends standing in witness.

Dumbledore looked at his visitor and asked, "What happened?"

"I don't know. In most worlds, the crow of the rooster kills the basilisk. IN this world – nothing! It's a damned good thing I had my local counterpart along. I would never have guessed about calling forth sunlight."

Dumbledore nodded. "I believe that it was appropriate though."

"How?" asked Harry curiously.

"Well, according to legend, the Basilisk is born of a chicken egg, hatched beneath a toad, and born under the height of a full moon."

Harry considered that. "I don't know if the full moon is needed, but I'll take your word for it."

The Headmaster nodded. "Well, what is the opposite of the dead of night?"

"The middle of the day. Daylight."

"Exactly. Only sunlight could counter the magics that created the basilisk."

Harry sat back and considered that. "Headmaster? Have you ever heard of a werewolf changing before sundown? I know that in some places, the full moon can actually be in the sky at the same time as the sun. But I've never heard of a werewolf changing before sunset."

Dumbledore thought about it. "You know? I do believe you are correct. The werewolf changed at sunset or moonrise – whichever occurs last. It changes back at sunrise or moonset – whichever happens first."

Harry nodded. "Has anyone ever tried to use a massive sunlight spell to counteract the change of a werewolf? Or perhaps a runic array which gathers sunlight during the month, only to push it back out on the night of the full moon?"

Dumbledore was taken aback by such an idea. "Something that perhaps should be tested. Your observations seem to hang together – I wonder if anyone has ever thought about it."

Harry shrugged as he continued to think.