Peter Humphreys for BBC Newsround. - Who did Fawkes previously belong to and will he play a vital role in the next book?
JK Rowling: I am not going to answer about the role in the next books, which probably gives you a big clue, and he has never been owned by anyone but Dumbledore. You will notice that when Harry goes back in the Pensieve in this book, Fawkes is never there, and -- no, I am sorry, not in this book, I take that back. When Harry has previously seen the study with a different headmaster he saw it with Dippet and Fawkes was not there then. Fawkes is Dumbledore's possession, not a Hogwarts possession.
Magical Power of a Phoenix
I have a great fondness for the pheonix in the Harry Potter series. We first meet Fawkes in Chamber of Secrets. We learn from Dumbledore the great virtues of this mythological creature: increadible strength and loyalty, capacity to heal mortal wounds with its tears and fortifying song to name just a few.
But let's learn about Fawkes from Dumbledore. "Fawkes is a phoenix Harry. Phoenixes burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes....Its a shame you had to see him on a Burnig 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." pg 207 - Chamber of Secrets.
And the song of the phoenix imbues Harry with courage. "The music was growing louder. It was eerie, spine-tingling, unearthly; it lifted the hair on Harry's scalp and made his heart feel as though it was swelling to twice its normal size. Then , as the music reached such a pitch that Harry felt it vibrating inside his own ribs, flames erupted at the top of the nearest pillar." pg 315 - Chamber of Secrets.
This site provides further information about Fawkes. http://www.hp-lexicon.org/bestiary/fawkes.html
How Fawkes Has Helped
Without the help of Fawkes to blind and befuttle the Basalisk, Harry would not have been able to overcome the nacent Tom Riddle emerging from his diary.
In Goblet of Fire, Harry's courage is fortified when his wand and Voldemort's magically connect. As the golden beam of light begins to splinter Harry is surrounded by phoenix song. "...Then an unearthly and beautiful sound filled the air . . . It was coming from every thread of the light-spun web vibriating around Harry and Voldemort. It was a sound hary recognized. though he had heard it only once before in his life: phoenix song. It was the sound of hope to Harry . . . the most beautiful and welcome thing he had ever heard in his life . . ." [pg 664 Goblet of Fire]
Phoenix song also helps Harry relive his duel with Voldemort. "The phoenix let out one soft, quavering note. It shivered in the air, and Harry felt as though a drop of hot liquid had slipped down his throat into his stomach, warming him, and strengthening him."
In the Order of the Phoenix we learn how effective Fawkes can be in transporting Dumbledore out of danger. "Fawkes circled the office and swooped low over him. Dumbledore released Harry, raised his hand, and grasped the phoenix's long golden tail. There was a flash of fire and the pair of them had gone." Pg 622.
Dumbledore is saved in his battle with Voldemort by Fawkes' timely intervention. "Fawkes swooped down in front of Dumbledore, opened his beak wide, and swallowed the jet of green light whole. He burst into flame and fell to the floor, small wrinkled, and flightless."
There is a special complex relationship between Dumbledore and the phoenix. As Rowling states: "Fawkes is Dumbledore's possession, not a Hogwarts possession." But more than being his pet the phoenix is Dumbledore's patronus, his spirit guardian, which provides an insight into Dumbledore's power and ability as a wizard. I think that the nobler a wizard is the more prestigous his patronus will be. It may be far-fetched but could it be that Dumbledore is a secret anamagus? If so I would not be suprised to find that the phoenix is the creature he can transform into. Unfortunately Rowling has never described any character's patronis and anamagus both.
There are certain points brought up at the end of Half-Blood Prince which suggest that the fate of phoenix and Dumbledore are intertwined. Should we take any of the following as clues: the soulful phoenix song, the flames engulfing Dumbledore's marble memorial or Harry imagining a phoenix leaving Dumbledore's new tomb.
"Gulping, Madame Pomfrey pressed her fingers to her mouth, her eyes wide. Somewhere out in the darkness, a phoenix was singing in a way Harry had never heard before; a stricken lament of terrible beauty." (HBP pg 614/573)
David Nagore: "Significantly, it is the healer, Madame Pomfrey, who is brought to tears by the phoenix song. She knows the healing power of the phoenix well. She gulps with eyes wide. She recognizes something special is going on."
In the very first book we discover that wands contain some part of a magical creature. Harry's wand has at its core a phoenix feather -- a feather in fact from Fawkes. We also learn that a second feather from Fawkes is part of Voldemort's wand.
During Harry's duel with Voldemort in Goblet of Fire their wands connect. A dazzeling light show occurs and Harry is able to force Voldemort's wand to reveal "a kind of reverse echo" or shadow of those poor souls it killed.