Phoenix's Life
is a classic So Bad, It's Good Harry Potter fanfic, posted on FanFiction.Net by Genkai Lady in 2004.
The story is a rewrite of the end of the fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, namely the scene in which an enraged Harry trashes Dumbledore's office. In the canon scene, Dumbledore eventually convinces him to calm down. In this version, Harry does not calm down. Instead, he jumps out the window, turns into a phoenix for some reason, and flies away. And that's the whole story. It's only 535 words, including the author's note and I Do Not Own disclaimer.
Despite its brevity, it apparently took three people to write this story, the author's note citing contributions from her friends Susannah and Sarah. The author's note also says they got the idea for the story from listening to the Bon Jovi song "It's My Life." The story's infamy occurred following its discovery by the LiveJournal Pottersues in 2006.
This story contains examples of:
- Deus ex Machina: Harry is apparently falling to his death, but then he suddenly turns into a phoenix for no explained reason.
- Driven to Suicide: Harry, possibly. It's not clear whether he knew before jumping that he would turn into a phoenix.
- New Powers as the Plot Demands: Needless to say, Harry's ability to turn into a phoenix is not established in the Potter canon.
- Not So Stoic: Like in the canon scene this is based on, Dumbledore remains calm even as Harry yells at him and smashes up his office. It's only when Harry decides to jump out the window that Dumbledore is "shocked" and starts "shouting after him."
- Percussive Therapy: As in the original scene, Harry takes out his anger on Dumbledore's possessions.
- Purple Prose: The final paragraph is written in a very lyrical and would-be profound style.
- Rage Against the Mentor: As in the original scene, Harry is very mad at Dumbledore.
- Riding into the Sunset: The story ends with Harry, in phoenix form, flying off into the sunset.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Harry runs, er, flies away from his own story.
- Sophisticated as Hell:And some say, as he soared into the sun set, that he yelled "IT'S MY LIFE" before he retreated into the clouds to never return.
- Tantrum Throwing: As in the original scene. The difference is that here Harry's adolescent hissy fit receives a magical vindication.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Since Harry flew away "to never return," how did the war against Voldemort end?
