thoughts on a phoenix

[macfotuk at yahoo.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 111641

As usual, apologies if these are not new ideas:

Fawkes has figured large in one way or another ever since his first 
appearance in CoS - maybe even before that if you consider that 
Harry's wand feather is from this particular pheonix and was 
introduced in SS/PS.

Pheonixes have amazing powers but one that I hadn't considered until 
very recently is the ability NOT to be petrified by a basilisk 
(Fawkes presumably had to see the basilisk's eyes to peck them out). 
Not even ghosts are immune, or cats or wizards/witches. Of course 
basilisks are killed by the rooster's crowing so perhaps pheonixes 
may have fowl-like/related anti-basilisk magic. This could relate to 
bird-like magic generally (owls seeming to have super powers of 
finding people!). Riddle had no problem btw identifying Fawkes as a 
pheonix and Fawkes knew Harry needed him (only loyalty would have 
called him to you Harry said DD or words to that effect).

More than this though is Fawkes' rescue (or part therein) of Harry 
twice so far - once obviously in CoS and then again in GoF. Fawkes 
is DD's FAITHFUL (DD's emphasis) companion and according to a recent 
interview with JKR a pheonix is the form of DD's patronus as well. 
DD named his anti-Voldemort gang (in both its inceptions) after the 
pheonix and Fawkes gave two feathers - one in Voldemort's yew (a 
dark wandwood as others have noted) wand and the other in its 
brother wand of holly - Harry's. I looked in CoS to see if Tom 
Riddle's diary self ever did anything with Harry's wand which of 
course he had hold of for a while - the brother of his own - but 
couldn't see anything significant. DD also uses Fawkes to help him 
disappear in OotP. I don't recall where, if anywhere, in cannon the 
link between pheonixes and Godric Gryffindor is made but I'm sure 
I've read proposals that Fawkes was perhaps GG's companion before he 
became DD's (pheonixes being immortal) and this btw suggests GG is 
no more. Lastly, given the death/immortality theme and what may be 
coming in the finale, re-birth of pheonixes may be significant?

I'd be pleased to know what, if anything, these or any other pheonix-
stimulated thoughts or theories of your own might set you off 
thinking about in relation to interpreting HP books past and/or 
future theoretical developments.