Phoenix Sayings Quotes

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But Dumbledore says he doesn't care what they do as long as they don't take him off the Chocolate Frog cards.
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
They say a good love is one that sits you down, gives you a drink of water, and pats you on top of the head. But I say a good love is one that casts you into the wind, sets you ablaze, makes you burn through the skies and ignite the night like a phoenix; the kind that cuts you loose like a wildfire and you can't stop running simply because you keep on burning everything that you touch! I say that's a good love; one that burns and flies, and you run with it!
C. JoyBell C.
And it’s Johnson, Johnson with the Quaffle, what a player that girl is, I’ve been saying it for years but she still won’t go out with me —' 'JORDAN!' yelled Professor McGonagall. 'Just a fun fact, Professor, adds a bit of interest —
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
And do I look like the kind of man that can be intimidated?" barked Uncle Vernon. "Well..." said Moody, pushing back his bowler hat to reveal his sinisterly revolving eye. Uncle Vernon lept backward in horror and collided painfully with a luggage trolley. "Yes, I'd have to say you do, Dursley.
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
What's that supposed to be anyway?" said Fred squinting at Dobby's painting. "Looks like a Gibbon with two black eyes!" "It's Harry," said George pointing at the back of the picture. "Says so on the back." "Good likeness," said Fred grinning. Harry threw his new homework diary at him.
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
Well, obviously, she's feeling very sad, because of Cedric dying. Then I expect she's feeling confused because she liked Cedric and now she likes Harry, and she can't work out who she likes best. Then she'll be feeling guilty, thinking it's an insult to Cedric's memory to be kissing Harry at all, and she'll be worrying about what everyone else might say about her if she starts going out with Harry. And she probably can't work out what her feelings towards Harry are anyway, because he was the one who was with Cedric when Cedric died, so that's all very mixed up and painful. Oh, and she's afraid she's going to be thrown off the Ravenclaw Quidditch team because she's flying so badly." A slightly stunned silence greeted the end of this speech, then Ron said, "One person can't feel all that at once, they'd explode.
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
Do you—do you think I want to—do you think I give a—I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY!" Harry roared. "You will," said Dumbledore sadly. "Because you are not nearly as mad at me as you ought to be. If you are to attack me, as I know you are close to doing, I would like to have thoroughly earned it.
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
Hang on. This Lord Voldything's back you say?... and now he's sending dismembers after you?... I see. Well that settles it, YOU CAN GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE BOY!
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
You’re all there is for me, Taryn. I’m broken baby. You know that. Before you… it was like those bits of me were just scattered all over the place. I’ve never felt whole. Not until you. You hold those pieces together. It’s not an exaggeration when I say you hold my sanity in your hands. Without you, I’d fall apart.
Suzanne Wright (Feral Sins (The Phoenix Pack, #1))
It's best to know what the enemy are saying.
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
What do you want Phoenix?" "I'm going away for a while. I wanted to say goodbye." He smiled, but it was empty. There was nothing there. "Fine, goodbye.
Jessica Shirvington (Embrace (The Violet Eden Chapters, #1))
Getting smacked in the face with a Harry Potter book does not qualify as a fight," Charlie says. "First of all, it wasn't just any Harry Potter book. It was Order of the Phoenix." Matt gasps. He knows that Order of the Phoenix is the longest and most potentially dangerous of all the Harry Potter books when used as a weapon.
Robin Roe (A List of Cages)
Zoya used to say that fear is a phoenix. You can watch it burn a thousand times and still it will return.
Leigh Bardugo (Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2))
Trey cocked one brow at her. “Do I not get a say in this?” “She patted his arm. “Of course you do. Just note that if your opinion is different from mine, it will be disregarded.
Suzanne Wright (Savage Urges (The Phoenix Pack, #5))
Oh, most think he's barking, the potty wee lad, but some are more kindly and think he's just sad, but Peevesy knows better and says that he's mad.
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
Who am I? I am who I say I am and tomorrow someone else entirely. You are too nostalgic, you want memory to secure you, console you. The past is a bore. What matters is only oneself and what one creates from what one has learned. Imagination uses what it needs and discards the rest— where you want to erect a museum. Don't hoard the past, Astrid. Don't cherish anything. Burn it. The artist is the phoenix who burns to emerge.
Janet Fitch (White Oleander)
Makes a diff'rence, havin' a decent family,' he said. 'Me dad was decent. An' your mum an' dad were decent. If they'd lived, life woulda bin diff'rent, eh?' 'Yeah, I s'pose,' said Harry cautiously. Hagrid seemed to be in a very strange mood. 'Family,' said Hagrid gloomily. 'Whatever yeh say, blood's important...
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
You’re not a bad person,” she told him, knowing where his thoughts had taken him. “I’m not saying you’re perfect. You’re cocky and a know-it-all and you’re addicted to working. But you’ve got a nice big dick and great bedroom skills, so I’m willing to overlook all that.
Suzanne Wright (Wicked Cravings (The Phoenix Pack, #2))
He dropped his forehead to hers. “I know I’m a little fucked up. Don’t give up on me baby. I’m not saying that things will suddenly be perfect. I’m a guy, and guys can be stupid. I admit I need the room to mess up a little. I can’t promise I won’t piss you off again, but I can promise you that I’ll never deliberately hurt you. Nothing is more important to me than you. Nothing.
Suzanne Wright (Wicked Cravings (The Phoenix Pack, #2))
Everything ok here ?" Ryan grunted urging her with a hand on her lower back. "He thinks you should mind your own business,"Makenna told the Beta,translating the grunt. Dominic cocked his head."You understand his grunts?" She lifted her chin."I thought it was crystal clear." Dominic turned to Ryan."Marry her." Ryan grunted again before heading for the door. "What did he say?"Dominic asked her. "Fuck off,"she translated.
Suzanne Wright (Savage Urges (The Phoenix Pack, #5))
Who hears the wishes and goodbyes? The speaker does.... And you hope that what you say from the heart has power. Power to protect, power to reach the ears of the dead. A spoken thing or a whished-hard thing takes a shape within the heart, man. Takes shape. Becomes real.
Adrian Phoenix (In the Blood (The Maker's Song, #2))
Oh, don’t lie, Harry,” she said impatiently. “Ron and Ginny say you’ve been hiding from everyone since you got back from St. Mungo’s.” “They do, do they?” said Harry, glaring at Ron and Ginny. Ron looked down at his feet but Ginny seemed quite unabashed. “Well, you have!” she said. “And you won’t look at any of us!” “It’s you lot who won’t look at me!” said Harry angrily. “Maybe you’re taking it in turns to look and keep missing each other,” suggested Hermione, the corners of her mouth twitching.
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
Are you threatening me, sir?” he said, so loudly that passersby actually turned to stare. “Yes, I am,” said Mad-Eye, who seemed rather pleased that Uncle Vernon had grasped this fact so quickly. “And do I look like the kind of man who can be intimidated?” barked Uncle Vernon. “Well...” said Moody, pushing back his bowler hat to reveal his sinisterly revolving magical eye. Uncle Vernon leapt backward in horror and collided painfully with a luggage trolley. “Yes, I’d have to say you do, Dursley.
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
Don't you understand how Cho's feeling at the moment?" [Hermione] asked. "No," said Ron and Harry together. Hermione sighed and laid down her quill. "Well, obviously, she's feeling very sad, because of Cedric dying. Then I expect she's feeling confused because she liked Cedric and now she likes Harry, and she can't work out who she likes best. Then she'll be feeling guilty, thinking it's an insult to Cedric's memory to be kissing Harry at all, and she'll be worrying about what everyone else might say about her if she starts going out with Harry. And she probably can't work out what her feelings toward Harry are anyway, because he was the one who was with Cedric when Cedric died, so that's all very mixed up and painful. Oh, and she's afraid she's going to be thrown off the Ravenclaw Quidditch team because she's been flying so badly." A slightly stunned silence greeted the end of this speech, then Ron said, "One person can't feel all that at once, they'd explode." "Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all have," said Hermione nastily, picking up her her quill again.
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
You should have called me immediately.” “No, she should have called me straight away. “I’m her Alpha, and her brother.” Marcus glanced at Nick curiously. “You say that like you’re more important than me. I’m confused.
Suzanne Wright (Dark Instincts (The Phoenix Pack, #4))
Please don’t stop,” said Dominic. “Watching you two interact is seriously fascinating. “When Ryan grunted, Dominic asked Makenna, “What did he say?” “He called you an asshole.” Dominic feigned hurt. “Dude, that was mean.
Suzanne Wright (Savage Urges (The Phoenix Pack, #5))
She says that the problem with passive people is that they force you to take action. After that, they hate you for it. They never forgive you.
Chuck Palahniuk (Phoenix)
If you plan to pass the pop quiz later, I’d advise it.” “It ain’t a pop quiz if you warn people beforehand. Doofus.” “That’s llygad-doofus to you, and did I say pop quiz? ’Cuz I meant ninja-quiz since you’ll never see it coming.
Adrian Phoenix (Etched in Bone (The Maker's Song, #4))
I wasn’t sure, but I thought it kind of suited me. With the right shoes and everything.” I displayed the new blue pumps. “I wanted to look, you know, pretty.” Yves gaped. I felt a little bit sorry for him. “Um…Phee, I don’t know what to say.” I let my bright expression dim. “You… you think I look horrible in it?” My voice rose in a convincing squeak of distress. He put his hands on my soulders. “No, you look great. You always look great, no matter what you’re wearing.” Zed laughed. “Ouch. Wrong thing to say.
Joss Stirling (Stealing Phoenix (Benedicts, #2))
Pa says change always has a price.” Fie stared at dawn’s edge in the eastern sky. “That even Phoenixes need ashes to rise.
Margaret Owen (The Merciful Crow (The Merciful Crow, #1))
I cross my fingers that if a demon dunks me in a vat of boiling lava I'll get thrown together naked with River Phoenix, and that he'll say I'm cute and try to kiss me.
Chuck Palahniuk (Damned (Damned, #1))
Harrier says the Wild Magic is as annoying as a goat. And the only other Wildmage either of us has ever met kept hitting him with a wooden spoon. Wildmages aren't like, oh - like Kellen and Idalia and Vestakia the Redeemed in The Book of the Light. They're people.' [Tiercel Rolfort]
Mercedes Lackey (The Phoenix Transformed (Enduring Flame, #3))
Nina rested her chin atop Inej's silky hair. "Zoya used to say that fear is a phoenix. You can watch it burn a thousand times and still it will return." (p188)
Leigh Bardugo (Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2))
Your soul is oftentimes a battlefield, upon which your reason and your judgment wage war against your passion and your appetite. Would that I could be the peacemaker in your soul, that I might turn the discord and the rivalry of your elements into oneness and melody. But how shall I, unless you yourselves be also the peacemakers, nay, the lovers of all your elements? Your reason and your passion are the rudder and the sails of your seafaring soul. If either your sails or your rudder be broken, you can but toss and drift, or else be held at a standstill in mid-seas. For reason, ruling alone, is a force confining; and passion, unattended, is a flame that burns to its own destruction. Therefore let your soul exalt your reason to the height of passion, that it may sing; And let it direct your passion with reason, that your passion may live through its own daily resurrection, and like the phoenix rise above its own ashes. I would have you consider your judgment and your appetite even as you would two loved guests in your house. Surely you would not honour one guest above the other; for he who is more mindful of one loses the love and the faith of both. Among the hills, when you sit in the cool shade of the white poplars, sharing the peace and serenity of distant fields and meadows -- then let your heart say in silence, "God rests in reason." And when the storm comes, and the mighty wind shakes the forest, and thunder and lightning proclaim the majesty of the sky -- then let your heart say in awe, "God moves in passion." And since you are a breath in God's sphere, and a leaf in God's forest, you too should rest in reason and move in passion.
Kahlil Gibran
Jebi was torn between saying 'You are embarrassing me' and 'I am going to take up my brush and make a painting of you that they will talk about for the next 10,000 years'. They said neither.
Yoon Ha Lee (Phoenix Extravagant)
You should have known I love you. You’ve heard what they say: ‘Love sucks; true love swallows.’ As I recall, I’ve always taken every last drop.
Suzanne Wright (Carnal Secrets (The Phoenix Pack, #3))
She’s an awful woman,” said Hermione in a small voice. “Awful. You know, I was just saying to Ron when you came in . . . we’ve got to do something about her.” “I suggested poison,” said Ron grimly.
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
don’t think anybody’s necessarily ready for death,” Depp reflected. “You can only hope that when it approaches, you feel like you’ve said what you wanted to say. Nobody wants to go out in mid-sentence.
Gavin Edwards (Last Night at the Viper Room: River Phoenix and the Hollywood He Left Behind)
You want me to say that when you grow, finally, all the changes will stop, but they don't. There will be another one, another opportunity to grow, to shed your skin, to rise like a phoenix from the ashes, to break out of your cocoon like a perfect new butterfly.
Shauna Niequist (Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace, and Learning the Hard Way)
Cam scratched his nape. “You know what I don’t get? How women can spend the majority of their lives in shopping malls but still say they have nothing to wear.” Lydia snorted. “You know what I don’t get? How men can spend the majority of their lives playing sports where they’re being trampled on and listening to noisy mobs, yet they’re put off by shopping, when it’s no different.” Both males tilted their heads, conceding that.
Suzanne Wright (Feral Sins (The Phoenix Pack, #1))
Paarfi undertakes a detailed examination on the virtues of brevity: It would seem, therefore, that if we allow our readers, by virtue of being in the company of the historian, to eavesdrop on this interchange, we will have, in one scene, discharged two obligations; a sacrifice, if we may say so, to the god Brevity, whom all historians, indeed, all who work with the written word, ought to worship. We cannot say too little on this subject.
Steven Brust (The Phoenix Guards (Khaavren Romances, #1))
you can do all sorts of stuff that full-grown wizards can't, Viktor always said --" Ron looked around at her so fast he appeared to crick his neck; rubbing it, he said, "Yeah? What did Vicky say?" "Ho ho," said Hermione in a bored voice. "He said Harry knew how to do stuff even he didn't, and he was in the final year at Durmstrang." Ron was looking at Hermione suspiciously. "You're not still in contact with him are you?" "So what if I am?" said Hermione coolly, though her face was a little pink. "I can have a pen pal if I --" "He didn't only want to be your pen pal," said Ron accusingly. Hermione shook her head exasperatedly and ignored Ron, who was continuing to watch her.
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
Hearing you say his name makes me want to bite you.” To mark her, remind her that she didn’t belong to Dominic, she belonged to him. “I think you’d like that.” Blushing and stifling her smile, she snapped, “Fuck you.” “What, you mean right now? In front of all these people? I guess I could.
Suzanne Wright (Carnal Secrets (The Phoenix Pack, #3))
As I'm the one who cleans it, waxes it, keeps it tidy and has it medically checked, I'd say it's mine. But you can borrow it if you like.
Suzanne Wright (Feral Sins (The Phoenix Pack, #1))
After a thousand years pass, it builds its own funeral pyre, lining it with cinnamon, myrrh and cassia. Climbing to a rest on the very top, it examines the world all throughout the night with the ability to see true good and evil. When the sun rises the next morning, with great sorrow for all that it sees, it sings a haunting song. As it sings, the heat of the sun ignites the expensive spices and the Phoenix dies in the flames. But the Phoenix is not remarkable for its feathers or flames. It is most revered for its ability to climb from its own funeral pyre, from the very ashes of its old charred body, as a brand new life ready to live again once more. Life after life, it goes through this cycle. It absorbs human sorrow, only to rise from death to do it all again. It never wearies, it never tires. It never questions its fate. Some say that the Phoenix is real, that it exists somewhere out there in the mountains of Arabia, elusive and mysterious. Others say that the Phoenix is only a wish made by desperate humans to believe in the continuance of life. But I know a secret. We are the Phoenix.
Courtney Cole (Every Last Kiss (The Bloodstone Saga, #1))
Well, I reckon you should --" Ron began, but he was interrupted by the Fat Lady, who had been watching them sleepily and now burst out, "Are you going to give me the password or will I have to say awake all night waiting for you to finish your conversation?
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
I’d never purposely hurt you. Never. I’m a man, which means I’ll fuck up. Regularly. I’m not good with words, I spout crap when I’m angry, and I’m about as romantic as a pebble. But…See, I’m not good with words. All I can say is you’re important to me in a way I can’t explain or understand. More important to me than anything else.
Suzanne Wright (Feral Sins (The Phoenix Pack, #1))
Harry was a hero in the Gryffindor common room that night. Daringly, Fred and George had put an Enlargement Charm on the front cover of The Quibbler and hung it on the wall, so that Harry’s giant head gazed down upon the proceedings, occasionally saying things like ‘THE MINISTRY ARE MORONS’ and ‘EAT DUNG, UMBRIDGE’ in a booming voice.
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
Suddenly, something fluttered down from the nest to rest at Chasmira's feet. She picked it up- A phoenix father. It glistened in the sunlight, and tracing her fingers along its edges, she marveled at its soft and delicate touch. Extending it to Aaron, she said quietly, "They say a phoenix feather is a symbol of everlasting friendship.
Christine E. Schulze (The Hero of 1000 Years (The Hero Chronicles, #1))
No, it’s because you’re being unreasonable and won’t listen, no matter what I say. You are formulating conspiracies in your head because you cannot accept that somebody just wants what’s best for you, even if it hurts them.
D.M. Cain (The Phoenix Project)
Leave him alone! Alone, I say!” said Professor McGonagall’s voice through the darkness. “On what grounds are you attacking him? He has done nothing, nothing to warrant such —” Hermione, Parvati, and Lavender all screamed. No fewer than four Stunners had shot from the figures around the cabin toward Professor McGonagall. Halfway between cabin and castle the red beams collided with her. For a moment she looked luminous, illuminated by an eerie red glow, then was lifted right off her feet, landed hard on her back, and moved no more.
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
I don’t know why anybody does anything in the winter. I always say, if you want to do something, move to Phoenix.
Gary Reilly (Ticket To Hollywood (Asphalt Warrior, #2))
Yeah? Did he say you look like a pig that’s been taught to walk on its hind legs? ’Cause that’s not cheek, Dud, that’s true.
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
People say they’re lucky or whine that they’re not, but I don’t believe in luck. I decide my own fate.
Roni O'Connell (Inside Phoenix)
Using the eye of God technique, taped broadcasts were pitched at specific VCI members. A typical broadcast would say, “We know you, Nguyen Van Nguyen; we know where you live! We know you are a communist traitor, a lackey of Hanoi, who illegally collects taxes in Vinh Thanh Hamlet. Soon the soldiers and police are coming for you. Rally now, Nguyen Van Nguyen; rally now while there is still time!
Douglas Valentine (The Phoenix Program)
We all know what we should have done as we look backward. Yet looking backward further still, we may say that all goes as the Wild Magic wills. And we must look forward if we are to live long enough to look backward.
Mercedes Lackey (The Phoenix Transformed (Enduring Flame, #3))
When it happens and it hits hard, we decide certain things, and realize there's truth in all those dark, lonely days" He had an instantaneous look about him, a glimmer and a glint over those eyes, he knew how the world worked, and took pleasure in its wickedness. He would give a dime or two to those sitting on the street, he would tell them things like: "It won't get any better," and "Might as well use this to buy your next fix," and finally "It's better to die high than to live sober," His suit was pressed nicely, with care and respect, like the kind a corpse wears, he'd say that was his way of honoring the dead, of always being ready for the oncoming train, I liked him, he never wore a fake smile and he was always ready to tell a story about how and when "We all wake up alone," he said once, "Oftentimes even when sleeping next to someone, we wake up before them and they are still asleep and suddenly we are awake, and alone." I didn't see him for a few days, a few days later it felt like it'd been weeks, those weeks drifted apart from one another, like leaves on a pond's surface, and became like months. And then I saw him and I asked him where he'd been, he said, "I woke up alone one day, just like any other, and I decided I didn't like it anymore.
Dave Matthes (Ejaculation: New Poems and Stories)
I will say it again," said Dumbledore as the phoenix rose into the air and resettled itself upon the perch beside the door. "You have shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected of you tonight. Harry. You have shown bravery equal to those who died fighting Voldemort at the height of his powers. You have shouldered a grown wizard's burden and found yourself equal to it - and you have now given us all we have a right to expect. You will come with me to the hospital wing. I do not want you returning to the dormitory tonight. A Sleeping Potion, and some peace . . . Sirius, would you like to stay with him?" Sirius nodded and stood up. He transformed back into the great black dog and walked with Harry and Dumbledore out of the office, accompanying them down a flight of stairs to the hospital wing. When Dumbledore pushed open the door. Harry saw Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Ron, and Hermione grouped around a harassed-looking Madam Pomfrey. They appeared to be demanding to know where Harry was and what had happened to him. All of them whipped around as Harry, Dumbledore, and the black dog entered, and Mrs. Weasley let out a kind of muffled scream. "Harry! Oh Harry!" She started to hurry toward him, but Dumbledore moved between them. "Molly," he said, holding up a hand, "please listen to me for a moment. Harry has been through a terrible ordeal tonight. He has just had to relive it for me.What he needs now is sleep, and peace, and quiet. If he would like you all to stay with him," he added, looking around at Ron, Hermione, and Bill too, "you may do so. But I do not want you questioning him until he is ready to answer, and certainly not this evening." Mrs. Weasley nodded. She was very white. She rounded on Ron, Hermione, and Bill as though they were being noisy, and hissed, "Did you hear? He needs quiet!
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4))
It seems like he’s keeping my foot within his grasp for longer than necessary when I see his eyes wander up my legs again. I tingle in every spot his gaze touches. His voice sends shivers up my spine when he asks, “Have you ever been fucked, Eve?” My eyelids flutter and I let out a small surprised gasp at his question, breath gushing from my lips. I’m not exactly a virgin, not too far off though, and I can safely say that I have never been fucked in the way that Phoenix is insinuating. Most of the sex I’ve had has been the fantasy kind. Our eyes lock and he moves his hand from the heel of my foot up along the back of my leg, massaging my shin. I actually moan when his fingers press in, releasing the tension from a knotted muscle. His mouth opens as he watches me. “I don’t think that’s a very appropriate question to ask of a friend,” I finally manage to croak out. He smiles darkly. “I told you I was bad news.
Raine Anthony (Phoenix)
You're not listening to me, are you?" Blinking, Riley looked up from her seat at the breakfast bar. "I am," she lied. "Oh yeah?" said Tao, doubt heavy in his voice. "What did I just say?" She pursed her lips. "I'm still processing it." "What exactly are you processing?" "Let's not revisit the past, Tao.
Suzanne Wright (Fierce Obsessions (The Phoenix Pack, #6))
If an inmate swears at a guard, fights, or hides contraband like cigarettes or candy [Sheriff Arpaio has banned coffee, cigarettes, hot lunches, girlie mags & TV], she's kicked out of the tents and sent to lockdown--a tiny cell 10x12 feet that houses 4 women, instead of the 2 it was built for. There's no tv, no phone, & no a/c. Even though most of these women have drug problems, programs like NA or AA are considered 'privileges' forbidden to those locked down. The only way to get out of lockdown is to volunteer for the chain gang--the first & only female chain gang in the United States (as of Aug 1997). Volunteers sign a paper that says they know & accept the conditions on the chain--cleaning Phoenix streets, painting the center strip of miles of highway, & burying AZ's indigent. The accusation of 'cruel & unusual punishment' is quashed by the argument that the chain gang is purely voluntary. After all, if you prefer, you can spend the whole year in lockdown.
Jane Evelyn Atwood (Too Much Time: Women in Prison)
Much later, as he sat with his back against an inside wall of a Motel 6 just north of Phoenix, watching the pool of blood lap toward him, Driver would wonder whether he had made a terrible mistake. Later still, of course, there'd be no doubt. But for now Driver is, as they say, in the moment. And the moment includes this blood lapping toward him, the pressure of dawn's late light at windows and door, traffic sounds from the interstate nearby, the sound of someone weeping in the next room.
James Sallis (Drive (Drive, #1))
Now you’re just being selfish,” Dominic said to Jaime, shaking his head. “You have that body for the rest of your life. I only want it for one night.” Not in the mood to hear his packmate making moves—no matter how playful—on the female he intended to claim, Dante growled. “Dominic, no. Not to Jaime.” “But—” “No.” Dominic sighed in resignation. “Okay, fine.” Noticing that Trey seemed to find the whole thing extremely amusing, Dante raised a brow at him. “It’s funny now that he’s not saying this shit to Taryn?” Trey smiled. “Of course.” “I’ve always got some stored up for my gorgeous Alpha female,” said Dominic with an impish grin. Instantly Trey’s smile fell from his face. “Dom, don’t do it.” Dominic held his hands up, pleading innocence. “I was just going to ask her if she went to Boy Scouts…because she has my heart all tied in knots.” Taryn groaned and chuckled at the same time.
Suzanne Wright (Wicked Cravings (The Phoenix Pack, #2))
It almost sounds sensible when you say it," Prince First-Born Splendor said. "Even though I know better.
Michael Swanwick (Chasing the Phoenix (Darger and Surplus #2))
Remus says you're a good flier," said Kingsley Shacklebolt in his deep voice. "He's excellent," said Lupin.
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
It's not respectable,' she said. And when people say that, it's no use anyone's saying anything.
E. Nesbit (THE PSAMMEAD TRILOGY – The Magical Adventures of Five Friends (Illustrated): Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Carpet & The Story of the Amulet (Fantasy Classics))
Yeahhh, I give up. “Maybe you just need to spend some time around me and your magic will ejaculate from your body,” I say as I pat his leg in a reassuring manner.
Alice Winters (Nixing the End of the World (Phoenix's Quest, #1))
Both the fear of failure and the fear of rejection can be canceled by saying the words I like myself.
Brian Tracy (The Phoenix Transformation: 12 Qualities of High Achievers to Reboot Your Career and Life)
Has anyone ever told you you’re unbelievably stubborn?” “Frequently. But, really, it’s not stubbornness. It’s just that I can say no without feeling guilty.” His
Suzanne Wright (Carnal Secrets (The Phoenix Pack, #3))
Me,” said Ron, who was still rather disheveled. “I didn’t realize that would happen. It’s not fair!” he added to Harry, as the girls headed off for the portrait hole, still giggling madly. “Hermione’s allowed in our dormitory, how come we’re not allowed — ?” “Well, it’s an old-fashioned rule,” said Hermione, who had just slid neatly onto a rug in front of them and was now getting to her feet, “but it says in Hogwarts: A History that the founders thought boys were less trustworthy than girls. Anyway, why were you trying to get in there?
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
PHOENIX: As I was about to say… “Telekinesis” means “mind over matter.” U-Men: I’m not scared… I’ll match your natural powers with my electric blood transfusion. PHOENIX: No… No. I’m sorry, you won’t. All your minds… looking out through those little portholes… Naked insecurities crawling all over you like graffiti… So sad… You’ll be quiet and you’ll listen to someone else for just 5 minutes. Mind over matter? Think back to all that processed food you ate today to help calm your nerves. I’m thinking about it right now. I’m thinking of moving it up. U-Men: Aaautch! Bblaaauuurrr! PHOENIX: And moving it down. U-Men: Oh! Awwwww! PHOENIX: I don’t want you to get hurt but you have to understand… the more you annoy me the more I can’t help thinking about deconstructing you, molecule by molecule, memory by memory… until there’s nothing left but screaming, traumatized atoms. So don’t patronize me. Don’t threaten me. And don’t ever endanger any of my students again. Don’t even think about it. Or I’ll know.
Grant Morrison
Harry frequently heard students saying things like, “Honestly, some days I just feel like jumping on my broom and leaving this place,” or else, “One more lesson like that and I might just do a Weasley . . .
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
You know, looking at them right now,” began Marcus, “it’s safe to say they’re all a little crazy and vicious.” Nick, Trey, and Dante all nodded in agreement, looking proud. “Yeah,” said Trey. “We lucked out.
Suzanne Wright (Dark Instincts (The Phoenix Pack, #4))
How was it? NEWT: They’re still convinced that you sent me to New York. DUMBLEDORE: You told them I didn’t? NEWT: Yes. Even though you did. A beat. DUMBLEDORE inscrutable, NEWT wanting answers. NEWT: You told me where to find that trafficked Thunderbird, Dumbledore. You knew that I would take him home and you knew I’d have to take him through a Muggle port. DUMBLEDORE: Well, I’ve always felt an affinity with the great magical birds. There’s a story in my family that a phoenix will come to any Dumbledore who is in desperate need. They say my great-great-grandfather had one, but that it took flight when he died, never to return. NEWT: With all due respect, I don’t believe for a minute that’s why you told me about the Thunderbird.
J.K. Rowling (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald: The Original Screenplay (Fantastic Beasts: The Original Screenplay, #2))
Fred and George had put an Enlargement Charm on the front cover of The Quibbler and hung it on the wall, so that Harry’s giant head gazed down upon the proceedings, occasionally saying things like “The Ministry are morons” and “Eat dung, Umbridge” in a booming voice.
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
Even by Harry’s low standards in Divination, the exam went very badly. He might as well have tried to see moving pictures on the desktop as in the stubbornly blank crystal ball; he lost his head completely during tea-leaf reading, saying it looked to him as though Professor Marchbanks would shortly be meeting a round, dark, soggy stranger, and rounded off the whole fiasco by mixing up the life and head lines on her palm and informing her that she ought to have died the previous Tuesday. ‘Well, we were always going to fail that one,’ said Ron gloomily as they ascended the marble staircase. He had just made Harry feel rather better by telling him how he had told the examiner in detail about the ugly man with a wart on his nose in his crystal ball, only to look up and realise he had been describing his examiner’s reflection.
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
The agility with which this particular katsina moves, and the long lines of his body, are familiar. I marvel at his footwork and wonder if, underneath the mask, this might not be Derek, the hoop dancer we met in Phoenix, Ruthann's nephew. "Isn't that--" "No, it's not." Ruthann says. "Not today.
Jodi Picoult (Vanishing Acts)
They say that near the end of its life, a Phoenix builds a nest of twigs, and then ignites it; both, the nest and the bird burn until merely ashes are left, from which a new, young phoenix arises, reborn to live again. No, some Phoenixes don't rise again, they are fated to burn in their own hell till infinity
Shahid Hussain Raja
Some nights, the wolf inside of me shrinks to nothing, she bares her teeth and runs away. The dragon in my chest rejects me, she's too tired of being slain. There are nights when the lioness cowers, says she can't fight it another day..." "What about the phoenix?" "She sits with me in the darkness. She whispers: we'll rise. Just you wait.
Srwpoetry
How you feed your family is not how we feed our family. For real. We’re not out here just for the fun and just for the show-and-tell. This is real life.” I am finding myself ostentatiously nodding at everything the crack dealers are saying, I suppose in the hope that if the shooting starts they’ll remember my nods and make the effort to shoot around me.
Jon Ronson (The Amazing Adventures of Phoenix Jones & the Less Amazing Adventures of Some Other Real-life Superheroes)
I didn’t need you to step in.” “I didn’t say a word.” “Just because you didn’t speak doesn’t mean you didn’t interfere. You came to my side wearing that serial-killer stare”—Taryn snorted a laugh—“making a statement that you’d stand with me against him.” “Making a statement that you’re under my protection. I’ll kill him if he touches you. It’s best if he knows that.
Suzanne Wright (Savage Urges (The Phoenix Pack, #5))
It was unbearable, he would not think about it, he could not stand it...There was a terrible hollow inside him he did not want to feel or examine, a dark hole where Sirius had been, where Sirius had vanished. He did not want to have to be alone with that great, silent space, he could not stand it --- ... To say it aloud would be to make it final, absolute, irretrievable.
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
For those who have sex, these ideas—breaking the binary of yes and no, norms that encourage discussion—must be combined with always checking in. Checking in doesn’t mean stopping for a five-minute discussion in legalese. It requires paying attention to—and wanting to pay attention to—all forms of information. Nonverbal communication in particular is important because social pressures can make it hard for some to speak up and verbally say no. “I’m autistic and people are always telling me that 95 percent of communication is nonverbal and tell me it’s important to make efforts to understand that,” says Lola Phoenix, a writer in London. “And then when it comes to consent it’s suddenly like, ‘Why didn’t they say something? No one is a mind reader!’ That’s really hypocritical.
Angela Chen (Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex)
You keep staying on our block we gonna have to show you what the burner do.” “Thank you, it’s great meeting you,” says Phoenix. “What’s a burner?” I whisper. “A gun,” Phoenix whispers back. The man loops and rejoins the others. The streets are deserted. It’s just the dealers and us. But then, miraculously, a taxi passes. I flag it. The superheroes all have bulletproof vests. I have nothing. I have a cardigan.
Jon Ronson (The Amazing Adventures of Phoenix Jones & the Less Amazing Adventures of Some Other Real-life Superheroes)
A moth flying into the flame says with its wingfire, 'Try this.' The wick with its knotted neck broken, tells you the same. A candle as it diminishes explains, 'Gathering more and more is not the way. Burn, become light and heat and help. Melt.' The ocean sits in the sand letting its lap fill with pearls and shells, then empty. A bittersalt taste hums, 'This.' The phoenix gives up on good-and-bad, flies to rest on Mt. Qaf, no more burning and rising from ash. It sends out one message. The rose purifies its face, drops the soft petals, shows its thorn, and points. Wine abandons thousands of famous names, the vintage years and delightful bouquets, to run wild and anonymous through your brain. The flute closes its eyes and gives its lips to Hamza’s emptiness. Everything begs with the silent rocks for you to be flung out like light over this plain, the presence of Shams.
Rumi (Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi) (The Soul of Rumi: A New Collection of Ecstatic Poems)
There were times when, in her fury, she was convinced that she needed to drive down to Phoenix and let him know just how much of a bastard she thought he was, that he needed to know just what he had done. But she eventually realized that with his resounding, silent indifference, nothing she could possibly say would matter to him, and by the same account, he didn't deserve to understand how angry he had made her. He wasn't good enough to know how much she hated him.
Laurie Notaro (Spooky Little Girl)
How can you be sure, Potter, that my brother wasn’t more interested in the greater good than in you? How can you be sure you aren’t dispensable, just like my little sister?” A shard of ice seemed to pierce Harry’s heart. “I don’t believe it. Dumbledore loved Harry,” said Hermione “Why didn’t he tell him to hide, then?” shot back Aberforth. “Why didn’t he say to him, ‘Take care of yourself, here’s how to survive’?” “Because,” said Harry before Hermione could answer, “sometimes you’ve got to think about more than your own safety! Sometimes you’ve got to think about the greater good! This is war!” “You’re seventeen, boy!” “I’m of age, and I’m going to keep fighting even if you’ve given up!” “Who says I’ve given up?” “‘The Order of the Phoenix is finished,’” Harry repeated. “‘You-Know-Who’s won, it’s over, and anyone who’s pretending different’s kidding themselves.’” “I don’t say I like it, but it’s the truth!” “No, it isn’t,” said Harry. “Your brother knew how to finish You-Know-Who and he passed the knowledge on to me. I’m going to keep going until I succeed—or I die. Don’t think I don’t know how this might end. I’ve known it for years.
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7))
Black women have always been at the bottom of the human race. In that bottom of a pit, they were abused, misjudged, neglected, and unseen. In the end, there were two options left for them; to diminish and die, or to be strong and rise like a phoenix from the ashes. Today, black women are using their strength to make an imprint of their existence. They are here to conquer the brutal neglect, injustice, hatred, mistreatment, and inequality. Black women are saying: here we are in all our beauty, glory, strength, and assertiveness. See us. Know us. Recognise us. Give us what we're worth. Above all else, respect us.
Mitta Xinindlu
you to take part in an illegal secret Defense Against the Dark Arts group. She says you’ll be expelled for sure and your future will be ruined. She says there will be plenty of time to learn how to defend yourself later and that you are too young to be worrying about that right now. She also” — Sirius’s eyes turned to the other two — “advises Harry and Hermione not to proceed with the group, though she accepts that she has no authority over either of them and simply begs them to remember that she has their best interests at heart. She would have written all this to you, but if the owl had been intercepted you’d all have been in real trouble, and she can’t say it for herself because she’s on duty tonight.
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
Add some more?” Professor McGonagall had just stumped up the stone steps into the castle. She was carrying a tartan carpetbag in one hand and leaning heavily on a walking stick with her other, but otherwise looked quite well. “Professor McGonagall!” said Snape, striding forward. “Out of St. Mungo’s, I see!” “Yes, Professor Snape,” said Professor McGonagall, shrugging off her traveling cloak, “I’m quite as good as new. You two — Crabbe — Goyle —” She beckoned them forward imperiously and they came, shuffling their large feet and looking awkward. “Here,” said Professor McGonagall, thrusting her carpetbag into Crabbe’s chest and her cloak into Goyle’s, “take these up to my office for me.” They turned and stumped away up the marble staircase. “Right then,” said Professor McGonagall, looking up at the hourglasses on the wall, “well, I think Potter and his friends ought to have fifty points apiece for alerting the world to the return of You-Know-Who! What say you, Professor Snape?” “What?” snapped Snape, though Harry knew he had heard perfectly well. “Oh — well — I suppose . . .” “So that’s fifty each for Potter, the two Weasleys, Longbottom, and Miss Granger,” said Professor McGonagall, and a shower of rubies fell down into the bottom bulb of Gryffindor’s hourglass as she spoke. “Oh — and fifty for Miss Lovegood, I suppose,” she added, and a number of sapphires fell into Ravenclaw’s glass. “Now, you wanted to take ten from Mr. Potter, I think, Professor Snape — so there we are . . .
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
You’ve shifted the emphasis just enough from fear to love that your old reality has destabilized and the new reality of your soul is starting to break through. At this point, your life may malfunction and you may have to let go of goals, possessions, people, or parts of your lifestyle. You may lose whole aspects of your identity, your motivation and direction, and your comfortable habits. It’s important not to backtrack into more fight-or-flight reactions. What’s really happening is that your soul is saying, “You are not this old, limited self anymore. It’s time to discover who you really are and what you can do.” This is the point where the phoenix lights itself on fire and mysteriously turns to gold. It’s where you come face to face with the choice of who you really want to be. Excerpt From: Penney Peirce. “Frequency.” iBooks.
Penney Peirce (Frequency: The Power of Personal Vibration)
I don’t believe it. Dumbledore loved Harry,” said Hermione “Why didn’t he tell him to hide, then?” shot back Aberforth. “Why didn’t he say to him, ‘Take care of yourself, here’s how to survive’?” “Because,” said Harry before Hermione could answer, “sometimes you’ve got to think about more than your own safety! Sometimes you’ve got to think about the greater good! This is war!” “You’re seventeen, boy!” “I’m of age, and I’m going to keep fighting even if you’ve given up!” “Who says I’ve given up?” “‘The Order of the Phoenix is finished,’” Harry repreated. “‘You-Know-Who’s won, it’s over, and anyone who’s pretending different’s kidding themselves.” “I don’t say I like it, but it’s the truth!” “No, it isn’t,” said Harry. “Your brother knew how to finish You-Know-Who and he passed the knowledge on to me. I’m going to keep going until I succeed—or I die. Don’t think I don’t know how this might end. I’ve known it for years.
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7))
Don’t kid yourself, Hermione, he knows exactly what he’s saying,” said Fred, eyeing Kreacher with great dislike. Kreacher was still muttering, his eyes on Harry. “Is it true? Is it Harry Potter? Kreacher can see the scar, it must be true, that’s that boy who stopped the Dark Lord, Kreacher wonders how he did it —” “Don’t we all, Kreacher?” said Fred. “What do you want anyway?” George asked. Kreacher’s huge eyes darted onto George. “Kreacher is cleaning,” he said evasively. “A likely story,” said a voice behind Harry. Sirius had come back; he was glowering at the elf from the doorway. The noise in the hall had abated; perhaps Mrs. Weasley and Mundungus had moved their argument down into the kitchen. At the sight of Sirius, Kreacher flung himself into a ridiculously low bow that flattened his snoutlike nose on the floor. “Stand up straight,” said Sirius impatiently. “Now, what are you up to?” “Kreacher is cleaning,” the elf repeated. “Kreacher lives to serve the noble house of Black —
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
Despite the fact that Uncle Rulon and his followers regard the governments of Arizona, Utah, and the United States as Satanic forces out to destroy the UEP, their polygamous community receives more than $6 million a year in public funds. More than $4 million of government largesse flows each year into the Colorado City public school district—which, according to the Phoenix New Times, “is operated primarily for the financial benefit of the FLDS Church and for the personal enrichment of FLDS school district leaders.” Reporter John Dougherty determined that school administrators have “plundered the district’s treasury by running up thousands of dollars in personal expenses on district credit cards, purchasing expensive vehicles for their personal use and engaging in extensive travel. The spending spree culminated in December [2000], when the district purchased a $220,000 Cessna 210 airplane to facilitate trips by district personnel to cities across Arizona.” Colorado City has received $1.9 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to pave its streets, improve the fire department, and upgrade the water system. Immediately south of the city limits, the federal government built a $2.8 million airport that serves almost no one beyond the fundamentalist community. Thirty-three percent of the town’s residents receive food stamps—compared to the state average of 4.7 percent. Currently the residents of Colorado City receive eight dollars in government services for every dollar they pay in taxes; by comparison, residents in the rest of Mohave County, Arizona, receive just over a dollar in services per tax dollar paid. “Uncle Rulon justifies all that assistance from the wicked government by explaining that really the money is coming from the Lord,” says DeLoy Bateman. “We’re taught that it’s the Lord’s way of manipulating the system to take care of his chosen people.” Fundamentalists call defrauding the government “bleeding the beast” and regard it as a virtuous act.
Jon Krakauer (Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith)
If only I could coexist as peacefully with you as I do with my wolf,” Jaime said as they walked back to pack territory hand in hand. Dante frowned at her. “We coexist peacefully…when you’re not making a mess of our room and ignoring what I say.” “Maybe you could stop being a neat freak and ease off with barking orders at me.” “I resent the neat-freak statement. And I do not bark.” She snickered. “Sure you don’t, Popeye.” “And it wouldn’t kill you to use the shoe rack. I mean, it’s right by the door.” “Stop putting my CDs in chronological order, and I’ll work on the shoe rack thing.” A short pause. “How about alphabetical order?” “How about you go to therapy?” A frustrated growl escaped him. “How about I just shove my cock in your mouth? That should shut you up. Hey!” he whined when she drummed her fingers against his temple. “What’re you doing?” She shrugged. “I just felt like tapping some ass.” His mouth dropped open. Her smirk had him growling again. “Bitch.” “Jerk.” “Love you, baby.” “Love you, Popeye.
Suzanne Wright (Wicked Cravings (The Phoenix Pack, #2))
Like who?” said Sirius impatiently. “Listen, your dad’s been hurt while on duty for the Order and the circumstances are fishy enough without his children knowing about it seconds after it happened, you could seriously damage the Order’s —” “We don’t care about the dumb Order!” shouted Fred. “It’s our dad dying we’re talking about!” yelled George. “Your father knew what he was getting into, and he won’t thank you for messing things up for the Order!” said Sirius angrily in his turn. “This is how it is — this is why you’re not in the Order — you don’t understand — there are things worth dying for!” “Easy for you to say, stuck here!” bellowed Fred. “I don’t see you risking your neck!” The little color remaining in Sirius’s face drained from it. He looked for a moment as though he would quite like to hit Fred, but when he spoke, it was in a voice of determined calm. “I know it’s hard, but we’ve all got to act as though we don’t know anything yet. We’ve got to stay put, at least until we hear from your mother, all right?
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
Even if you come up with Y-matches that are distant, but they all have the same name, you can say that is probably Mr. X’s last name and he belongs to the same extended family as those matches (along the direct line), maybe going back many generations. But in this case, there are a variety of names, so you can’t pin one down. The ‘flavor’ of the names can sometimes give you some ethnicity for your Mr. X. Say, if his list is made of all Irish names, you can say he’s probably Irish. That is what I did on the canal murders. Not only did I come up with the name Miller for their Canal Murderer, I also told the Phoenix PD that he was a Miller of Irish extraction. A few weeks later, they arrested Bryan Patrick Miller. That’s where I got the idea that the EAR had a German name but was from the UK. In the tests I ran for Michelle, that’s the ‘flavor’ of names I was coming up with.” So we were looking for a guy with a German name whose family at some point lived in the UK. Of course, he could have been adopted; then all bets are off.
Michelle McNamara (I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer)
The story was told in five minutes, by the end of which Ron’s indignation had been replaced by a look of total incredulity. “He brought one back and hid it in the forest?” “Yep,” said Harry grimly. “No,” said Ron, as though by saying this he could make it untrue. “No, he can’t have . . .” “Well, he has,” said Hermione firmly. “Grawp’s about sixteen feet tall, enjoys ripping up twenty-foot pine trees, and knows me,” she snorted, “as Hermy.” Ron gave a nervous laugh. “And Hagrid wants us to . . . ?” “Teach him English, yeah,” said Harry. “He’s lost his mind,” said Ron in an almost awed voice. “Yes,” said Hermione irritably, turning a page of Intermediate Transfiguration and glaring at a series of diagrams showing an owl turning into a pair of opera glasses. “Yes, I’m starting to think he has. But unfortunately, he made Harry and me promise.” “Well, you’re just going to have to break your promise, that’s all,” said Ron firmly. “I mean, come on . . . We’ve got exams and we’re about that far,” he held up his hand to show thumb and forefinger a millimeter apart, “from being chucked out as it is. And anyway . . . remember Norbert? Remember Aragog? Have we ever come off better for mixing
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5))
Agnes leaned over the edge of the crate and cooed at the chicks. “Oh, they’re all so adorable at this age…” “Focus,” said the dust-wife. “Oh, yes, of course. I suppose we’ll have to keep it, won’t we? He won’t just let us borrow a chicken…” The chicken seller did not look like a man who would routinely let customers borrow chickens. Marra shoved her hands in her pockets and tried to look like someone who was possibly a nun and definitely not the queen’s runaway sister. After a minute or two, though, it became obvious that she didn’t need to bother. The chicken seller gazed at Agnes, who was picking up each chick and whispering to it, then slowly turned to Fenris. He didn’t say anything, but his eyebrows were eloquent. “She’s very particular about her chickens,” said Fenris. “Very particular.” “It’s not taking,” Agnes whispered to the dust-wife, just loud enough for Marra to make out the words. “It won’t take. Oh, it was a silly idea. I don’t know why I thought it would ever work…” “Keep trying,” ordered the dust-wife. The chicken seller looked back at Agnes, then to Fenris again. His eyebrows inched higher up his skull. Fenris remained absolutely deadpan, as if it were perfectly normal for women to whisper to chicks before buying them. Marra didn’t dare look at Agnes, because if she did, she was going to burst into hysterical laughter. “Fine,” said Agnes in the tone of someone reaching her limits. Marra’s ears popped. “There!” “That took,” observed the dust-wife dispassionately. “Not well at all and I have to keep…I’m pushing it…it doesn’t want to stick; it’s like jelly sliding down a bowl!” “Keep pushing,” said the dust-wife. “Keep blessing it over and over if you have to.” “Oh dear…” Marra darted a glance at the chick in question. It was a dark, fuzzy, little lump with a bright yellow bill and, for a chicken, a remarkably phlegmatic expression. The chicken seller’s eyebrows did a complex dance across his forehead. He named a price that was frankly ridiculous for a day-old chick. “Don’t be absurd,” said Marra, stung out of her silence. “It’s a chicken, not a phoenix.” The chicken seller’s eyes drifted back over to Agnes, followed by his eyebrows. “The sooner we pay,” rumbled Fenris, “the sooner we will go away.” The price mysteriously plummeted.
T. Kingfisher (Nettle & Bone)
That’s right, isn’t it?” Harry urged him. “You died, but I’m talking to you. . . . You can walk around Hogwarts and everything, can’t you?” “Yes,” said Nearly Headless Nick quietly, “I walk and talk, yes.” “So you came back, didn’t you?” said Harry urgently. “People can come back, right? As ghosts. They don’t have to disappear completely. Well?” he added impatiently, when Nick continued to say nothing. Nearly Headless Nick hesitated, then said, “Not everyone can come back as a ghost.” “What d’you mean?” said Harry quickly. “Only . . . only wizards.” “Oh,” said Harry, and he almost laughed with relief. “Well, that’s okay then, the person I’m asking about is a wizard. So he can come back, right?” Nick turned away from the window and looked mournfully at Harry. “He won’t come back.” “Who?” “Sirius Black.” said Nick. “But you did!” said Harry angrily. “You came back — you’re dead and you didn’t disappear —” “Wizards can leave an imprint of themselves upon the earth, to walk palely where their living selves once trod,” said Nick miserably. “But very few wizards choose that path.” “Why not?” said Harry. “Anyway — it doesn’t matter — Sirius won’t care if it’s unusual, he’ll come back, I know he will!” And so strong was his belief that Harry actually turned his head to check the door, sure, for a split second, that he was going to see Sirius, pearly white and transparent but beaming, walking through it toward him. “He will not come back,” repeated Nick quietly. “He will have . . . gone on.” “What d’you mean, ‘gone on’?” said Harry quickly. “Gone on where? Listen — what happens when you die, anyway? Where do you go? Why doesn’t everyone come back? Why isn’t this place full of ghosts? Why — ?” “I cannot answer,” said Nick. “You’re dead, aren’t you?” said Harry exasperatedly. “Who can answer better than you?” “I was afraid of death,” said Nick. “I chose to remain behind. I sometimes wonder whether I oughtn’t to have . . . Well, that is neither here nor there. . . . In fact, I am neither here nor there. . . .” He gave a small sad chuckle. “I know nothing of the secrets of death, Harry, for I choose my feeble imitation of life instead. I believe learned wizards study the matter in the Department of Mysteries —” “Don’t talk to me about that place!” said Harry fiercely. “I am sorry not to have been more help,” said Nick gently. “Well . . . well, do excuse me . . . the feast, you know . . .” And he left the room, leaving Harry there alone, gazing blankly at the wall through which Nick had disappeared. Harry felt almost as though he had lost his godfather all over again in losing the hope that he might be able to see or speak to him once more. He walked slowly and miserably back up through the empty castle, wondering whether he would ever feel cheerful again.
J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix