Fawkes (Harry Potter)

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**Fawkes** was a highly intelligent male phoenix and Albus Dumbledore's animal companion and defender.
Fawkes was instrumental in helping Harry Potter defeat Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk in 1993. His tears (which possessed healing properties, as with his species) saved Harry's life after his arm was punctured by the basilisk's fang and its venom. Template:Pet-Individual

## Biography

### Early life

Much of Fawkes's origins are unknown, but at some point in or prior to ***1938***, two of his tail-feathers were procured by the wand maker Garrick Ollivander, and fashioned into the cores of two wands (a rare event, as should the two meet, it would initiate Priori Incantatem), made from yew and holly. The yew wand went to Tom Riddle and the holly wand went to Harry Potter.
Fawkes had not been owned by another wizard prior to Albus Dumbledore, and thus spent his early life as a wild phoenix.

### Service to Dumbledore

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Dumbledore and Fawkes met sometime before 1938, and Fawkes lived with and faithfully served the famed wizard for at least 59 years. As part of his efforts to help Harry in his quest to defeat and kill the Dark wizard Voldemort and his followers, Dumbledore called Fawkes into battle whenever needed. Throughout the years, there were several instances where Fawkes was extremely helpful.

#### 1992–1993 school year

> As Harry trembled, ready to close his eyes if it turned, he saw what had distracted the snake. Fawkes was soaring around its head, and the Basilisk was snapping furiously at him with fangs long and thin as sabres — Fawkes dived. His long golden beak sunk out of sight and a sudden shower of dark blood spattered the floor.
>
> Fawkes saving Harry from Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

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In 1992, whilst in Albus Dumbledore's office for the first time, Harry Potter encountered Fawkes on his Burning Day. Fawkes appeared very ill, decrepit and baleful, and much to Harry's initial shock and horror, burst into flames in front of his eyes. When Dumbledore entered, Harry explained to Dumbledore what had just happened to his bird, but Dumbledore calmly explained to Harry that Fawkes was a phoenix and thus was immortal, and that he had been looking "dreadful for days". Dumbledore explained to Harry the various potent magical powers of the phoenix and they both watched him rebirth from his ashes.

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In ***29 May*** 1993, Fawkes saved Harry Potter's life from the Serpent of Slytherin, blinding the Basilisk and dropping the Sorting Hat into Harry's lap, which in turn revealed Godric Gryffindor's Sword. Harry then used the sword to slay Slytherin's Basilisk. Fawkes shed healing tears upon Harry's wounds, inflicted by the Basilisk before its death, and cured him of its venom. Fawkes then dropped Tom Riddle's Diary into Harry's lap, giving Harry the chance to destroy it with one of the basilisk's fangs. As a phoenix can lift a great weight with its tail in flight; when Harry grasped Fawkes's tail in the Chamber of Secrets, he felt as if he were becoming weightless — which is saying something, as Ron, Ginny, and Gilderoy Lockhart were in turn hanging on to him.

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Later, in his office, Dumbledore revealed where Fawkes had come from — when the memory of Tom Riddle declared that he would go on to become the greatest sorcerer in the world, Harry responded that "*Albus Dumbledore is the greatest wizard in the world*!", and went on to ridicule Voldemort's supposed fear of Dumbledore during the First Wizarding War. This act of supreme loyalty was apparently enough to summon Fawkes to the Chamber.

## Physical description

Fawkes had crimson feathers on his body and a golden tail as long as a peacock's. He was roughly the size of a Template:Wplink. His claws and beak were gleaming gold — the latter was "long" — and his eyes were black. The scarlet body feathers glowed faintly in darkness, while the golden tail feathers were hot to the touch, though it is unknown if they were actually capable of burning someone as neither Harry — when Fawkes carried him from the Chamber of Secrets in 1993 — nor Dumbledore — when he escaped the Ministry officials with Fawkes's help in 1996 — were burned by his tail feathers, however it is possible that Fawkes could control the temperature of his tail feathers and had chosen not to burn them.

## Personality and traits

> Fawkes. You were brilliant, Fawkes...
>
> Harry congratulating Fawkes's bravery in the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Fawkes served as Albus Dumbledore's messenger and his constant companion, forming a close bond with the elderly wizard. Fawkes was also affiliated with Harry Potter and the members of the Order of the Phoenix and was the inspiration for its name.
Fawkes was extremely loyal and courageous, as displayed by his attack on Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk and his defence of Dumbledore during his ***duel with Voldemort***. Considering he came back to life every time he died, he had no reason to fear death and was therefore willing to sacrifice himself for people who won his loyalty.
He was also shown to be highly intelligent, being capable of understanding Dumbledore and bringing Harry the Sorting Hat and the diary when he needed them.

## Magical abilities and skills

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* **Immortality**: Like all phoenixes, Fawkes was immortal. He periodically died by bursting into flames (an event called a "Burning Day"), and was then reborn from the ashes. He was also immune to the gaze of a Basilisk, making phoenixes the only known creatures to be unaffected by the deadly serpent's gaze. Additionally Fawkes was able to swallow Lord Voldemort's Killing Curse and was quickly reborn.
* **Healing magic**: Fawkes was also able to heal most injuries simply by crying on them. Phoenix tears were the only known cure for Basilisk venom, which he used to heal Harry Potter's infected wound after the Skirmish in the Chamber of Secrets in 1993. In ***1995***, he used his healing tears to cure Harry again of the effects of ***Acromantula venom***.

> There was a flash of fire and the phoenix had gone.
>
> Fawkes Apparating via fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

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* **Apparition**: Being a phoenix, Fawkes had the natural ability to Apparate at will, disappearing and reappearing in a flash of fire. Much like the house-elves, he could do so regardless of the anti-Apparition enchantments surrounding Hogwarts. This may be because the Hogwarts enchantments applied only to humans. Fawkes could also take people along with him, as well as remotely teleport one of his feathers and send it to a distant location as a form of signal or warning.
* **Phoenix song**: Fawkes also possessed remarkable and soul-touching singing talents. A single note of his song was said to have effects similar to swallowing a drop of warming liquid, and instilling courage and calm. Phoenix song was reputed to increase the courage of the pure of heart and strike fear into the heart of the impure.
* **Super strength**: As a phoenix, Fawkes could carry immensely heavy loads. For example, he carried the combined weight of Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley and Gilderoy Lockhart out of the Chamber of Secrets.
* **Physical combat**: Although phoenixes were gentle and were not known for fighting, Fawkes was able to blind the Serpent of Slytherin in the Chamber of Secrets by gouging out its eyes, showing he had clear ability in physically wounding his opponents.

## Relationships

### Albus Dumbledore

> It’s a shame you had to see him on a Burning Day. 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.
>
> Dumbledore's affection for Fawkes, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Fawkes had a very close relationship with Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore cared for Fawkes after each of his rebirths, and in return he was very faithful to the elderly wizard. Fawkes protected Dumbledore in his ***duel*** with Lord Voldemort in the ministry atrium in 1996 by swallowing a Killing Curse aimed at him, and teleported Dumbledore away from the school when the Ministry attempted to arrest him in ***1996***, for supposedly building an army (Dumbledore's Army) in what the minister Cornelius Fudge believed to be an attempt to overthrow the Ministry of Magic.

### Harry Potter

> Harry suddenly became aware that Fawkes had left his knee. The phoenix had fluttered to the floor. It was resting its beautiful head against Harry's injured leg, and thick, pearly tears were falling from its eyes onto the wound left by the spider. The pain vanished. The skin mended. His leg was repaired.
>
> Fawkes heals an injured and pained Harry, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

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Fawkes aided those who were loyal to Dumbledore, such as Harry Potter. In 1993, he brought the Sorting Hat to Harry in the Chamber of Secrets, and defended him from Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk by pecking out its eyes. When a fang pierced Harry's arm and poisoned him with its venom, Fawkes used his tears to heal the wound, saving Harry's life. He then brought the Horcrux diary to Harry so he could destroy it.

## Behind the scenes

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* In the films, Fawkes was made by a mechanical machine. When ***Richard Harris,*** who played Dumbledore at that time, saw the robot, he said: "They sure do train those things well." He was thinking that it was a real bird.
* The fact that Fawkes, who sacrificed to save Dumbledore's life at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, didn't come to his aid at the Battle of the Astronomy Tower hints to the true nature of the headmaster's death, meaning Fawkes may understand he was killed by his own orders.

## Appearances

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## Notes and references

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1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Template:COS
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Template:GOF
3. ↑ Edinburgh "cub reporter" press conference, ITV, 16 July 2005
4. ↑ Dumbledore says that Ollivander wrote to him when Harry's wand was purchased; if Dumbledore did not have Fawkes before 1938, he would not know about the two feathers being in the wands, so Fawkes and Dumbledore must have met and bonded before 1938
5. ↑ There are 59 years between 1938, by which point Fawkes was already with Dumbledore, and 1997, in which Dumbledore died, so they were together for at least 58 years
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Template:COS
7. ↑ Template:COS
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Template:OOTP
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `OOTP36`
10. ↑ Template:HBP
11. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Ultimate Edition*