Phoenix

«Fascinating creatures, phoenixes.«—Albus Dumbledore opinion regarding the phoenix

The phoenix is a large swan-sized scarlet bird with red and gold plumage, along with a golden beak and talons, black eyes, and a tail as long as a peacock‘s. Its scarlet feathers glow faintly in darkness, while its golden tail feathers are hot to the touch.

Phoenixes will usually nest on mountain peaks and are gentle herbivores that are not known for fighting. As phoenixes approach their Burning Day they resemble a half-plucked turkey. Their eyes become dull, their feathers start to fall out, and it begins to make gagging noises. Then the bird suddenly bursts into flames only to rise from the ashes shortly after. In a number of days, they grow back to full size.^[ Thanks to this ability, phoenixes live to an immense age.

It is a possible, rare corporeal form of the Patronus Charm, such as Albus Dumbledore‘s Patronus.

Description

Phoenixes have crimson feathers on their body and a golden tail as long as a peacock’s. Their claws and beak are gleaming gold and their eyes are black. Their scarlet body feathers glow faintly in darkness, while their golden tail feathers are hot to the touch. It is unknown if they are actually capable of burning someone as neither Harry Potter— when Fawkes carried him from the Chamber of Secrets — nor Albus Dumbledore — when he escaped the Ministry officials with Fawkes’s help — were burned by his tail feather, however it is possible that Fawkes can control the temperature of his tail feathers and chose not to burn them.

Abilities and traits

«They can carry immensely heavy loads. Their tears have healing powers.«—Albus Dumbledore regarding the abilities of the phoenix

The most startling of the phoenix’s abilities is its ability to regenerate itself. It periodically bursts into flames when its body becomes old, and rises from the ashes as a newborn chick. This event is called Burning Day, and gives these birds a great life span, as well as the ability to take the full force of a Killing Curse and still be reborn.^[ Phoenixes are immune to the gaze of a basilisk, which would normally kill anyone who has direct eye to eye contact, or petrify through indirect eye contact, such as seeing a glimpse of the massive serpent or its reflection.

The phoenix can also disappear and reappear at will in bursts of flames and take whoever is holding them along, similar to Apparition (though like house-elf magic, they cannot be restricted like wizards are), and boasts magical tears and song.

As stated by Dumbledore, they are extremely loyal creatures, and are capable of arriving to the aid of beings who share a similar devotion. This was how Fawkes arrived to assist Harry in slaying the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets during his second year at Hogwarts.

Their tears have potent healing capabilities. For instance, phoenix tearsare the only known antidote to basilisk venom. Their tears are also able to bring a person back even from the brink of death, while the phoenix song will increase the courage of the good and strike fear into the hearts of the evil.

Phoenixes are capable of lifting a great weight with their tails, such as being able to effortlessly fly up a distance with four people holding on to its tail.^[ They can also leave messages by bursting into flame to reappear elsewhere, leaving behind a single golden tail feather.

Domesticated phoenixes

Phoenixes are very difficult to domesticate, as Newton Scamander says in his book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: «The phoenix gains an XXXX rating not because it is aggressive, but because very few wizards have ever succeeded in domesticating it.» There are two known domesticated phoenixes, one Albus Dumbledore‘s pet phoenix Fawkes^[, and the other Sparky the team mascot for the New Zealand Quidditchteamthe Moutohora Macaws.

Phoenixes that have been domesticated are extremely loyal to their owners, and would depart to find their own paths if their owners die, rather than finding a new master.

Fawkes

Fawkes was a phoenix who was owned by Albus Dumbledore. Fawkes lived with Dumbledore at Hogwarts Castle for a large part of his life. He was instrumental in helping Harry Potter defeat the Serpent of Slytherin, bringing Harry the Sword of Gryffindor, blinding the basilisk, and saving Harry from the venom with his tears.

Fawkes was also used as a communication between his master and the Order of the Phoenix. Fawkes assisted Dumbledore fighting Lord Voldemort and protected the headmaster from a Killing Curse. After Albus Dumbledore’s death, Fawkes performed a mournful song that seemed to feel like it is inside the listener, dubbed by wizards the «Phoenix Lament». After the song was completed, Fawkes departed Hogwarts as a free phoenix, and was never heard from again.

Sparky

Sparky is the phoenix mascot of the New ZealandQuidditchteam the Moutohora Macaws. Apart from Fawkes, Sparky is now the only known domesticated phoenix.

Phoenix feather materials

Phoenix feathers are a powerful magical substance, and as such are an accepted wand core. Fawkes gave two feathers, which ended up in the wands of Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort,^[ which is said to be the reason why they locked in Priori Incantatem when the two wizards attempted to engage in a magical battle in the Little Hangletongraveyard. Due to phoenixes being very difficult to tame and are one of the most detached creatures in the world, the wands with such feathers are the pickiest of owners. The wands containing this core sometimes act on their own accord, due to having the most initiative of all core types. Phoenix feathers are sometimes used as writing quills.

Albus Dumbledore and the phoenix

Albus Dumbledore has many connections to the phoenix, starting with his companion Fawkes and illustrated by his phoenix Patronus. He named his anti-Voldemort organisation the Order of the Phoenix, after Fawkes. The old wizard also appeared to have an unusual affinity for fire magic; he could conjure flames which did not burn, summon a lasso of fire with which to subdue foes, and even produce Gubraithian or ever-burning fire, a highly advanced and rare ability. Indeed, one of the last and greatest spells Albus ever performed was the Firestorm, which he used to fend off the light-hating Inferi. Finally, Albus had sought immortality in his youth. But once he matured, and in much the way a Phoenix keeps living on after its death, Dumbledore would come to adopt the great personal belief that death was nothing more than «the next great adventure«.