Always Together

28. Dumbledore

Chapter 28 | dumbledore

They stepped off the stone staircase at the top, and McGonagall rapped on the door. It opened silently and they entered. Professor McGonagall told Harry and Caitlyn to wait and left them there, alone. Caitlyn looked around. One thing was certain: of all the teachers' offices she had visited so far, Dumbledore's was by far the most interesting. If she hadn't been scared out of her wits that she and Harry were about to be thrown out of school, she would have been very pleased to have a chance to look around it.

It was a large and beautiful circular room, full of funny little noises. A number of curious silver instruments stood on spindlelegged tables, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke. The walls were covered with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom were snoozing gently in their frames. There was also an enormous, claw-footed desk, and, sitting on a shelf behind it, a shabby, tattered wizard's hat — the Sorting Hat.

Harry, who also looked around, hesitated. He cast a wary eye around the sleeping witches and wizards on the walls. Surely it couldn't hurt if he took the hat down and tried it on again? Just to see ... just to make sure it had put him in the right House. He walked quietly around the desk, lifted the hat from its shelf, and lowered it slowly onto his head. It was much too large and slipped down over his eyes, just as it had done the last time he'd put it on. Harry stared at the black inside of the hat, waiting.

And it was all very silent until Harry spoke up:

"You're wrong," he said aloud to the still and silent hat. It didn't move. Harry backed away, watching it.

"Who's wrong?" Caitlyn asked curiously.

"No one," said Harry.

Then a strange, gagging noise behind him made them wheel around. They weren't alone after all. Standing on a golden perch behind the door was a decrepit-looking bird that resembled a half-plucked turkey. They stared at it and the bird looked balefully back, making its gagging noise again. It looked very ill. Its eyes were dull and, even as they watched, a couple more feathers fell out of its tail. They were just thinking that all they needed was for Dumbledore's pet bird to die while he was alone in the office with it, when the bird

burst into flames.

Harry yelled in shock and backed away into the desk while Caitlyn gasped. They looked feverishly around in case there was a glass of water somewhere but couldn't see one; the bird, meanwhile, had become a fireball; it gave one loud shriek and next second there was nothing but a smouldering pile of ash on the floor.

The office door opened. Dumbledore came in, looking very somber.

"Professor," Harry gasped. "Your bird — we couldn't do anything — he just caught fire —"

To the children's astonishment, Dumbledore smiled.

"About time, too," he said. "He's been looking dreadful for days; I've been telling him to get a move on."

He chuckled at the stunned look on their faces.

"Fawkes is a phoenix. Phoenixes burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes. Watch him ..."

They looked down in time to see a tiny, wrinkled, newborn bird poke its head out of the ashes. It was quite as ugly as the old one.

"It's a shame you had to see him on a Burning Day," said Dumbledore, seating himself behind his desk. "He's really very handsome most of the time, wonderful red and gold plumage. Fascinating creatures, phoenixes. They can carry immensely heavy loads, their tears have healing powers, and they make highly faithful pets."