burn
In order to rise from the ashes
a phoenix
must
first
burn
--Octavia Butler
When he was sixteen, Harry Potter, already known for many legendary feats, discovered that he could transform into a phoenix. It was unheard of, but Harry had performed many unheard of tasks already, and, so, if anyone was to turn into a magical creature, particularly one as rare as a phoenix, it would be him.
He registered with the Animagus Board, donated several vials of tears to Madame Pomfrey, and attempted to assume a semi-normal life. He did not show off his phoenix form -- and, in fact, had only shown it to four people -- Sirius, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and the head of the Animagus Licencing Board, a short stout man with a prominent nose and grey-flecked hair, and it did not surprise Harry when he leaned in conspiratorially and revealed that he could transform into a pigeon.
He wanted to show Ron and Hermione, but both Sirius and Dumbledore told him that the less he revealed about what he could do, the less likely it was that the enemy would discover it. So he hid his Animagus license at the bottom of his trunk and tuned out whenever the subject came up.
When they had reached the end of their time at Hogwarts', and it became clear that there was an real and painful chance of the three of them never seeing each other again, Harry rented a small room above the Three Broomsticks, invited Ron and Hermione to join him for a few drinks, and, in the late hours of the night, the time when all secrets are revealed, showed them what he had become.
He transformed, and Hermione burst into tears. He returned to his teenage boy form, and Ron crushed him in a kiss.