Hi everyone! Welcome to my baby!

I have been planning this story for a very long time and I am so excited to show to you all! I hope you all enjoy and want to go on an adventure with Avery and the gang! Please support and tell me what you all like or what you're looking forward to next! This is my first official fan fiction and I'm going to do my very best to update as much as possible. See you guys soon!

brightandglimmer

Prologue

October 30th 1979, 11:39 p.m.

A cold, quiet silence held the halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. All the students in bed, all the professors in their quarters, even the ghosts quietly dwelling in their favourite alcoves or corner in the library. However, paintings were the only exception. Some paintings snored, others gossiped quietly to those around them, some of them brushed their lovely mahogany brown hair. One in particular was wide awake, knitting a red and gold scarf for the Fat Lady's 400th painted day. She was quite a sight, portraying a young looking woman of her late 20s perhaps early thirties. She wore victorian style dress robes of a pastel blue colour that accentuated her platinum hair braided into a fancy updo. Her watercolour blue eyes moved around the hallway whenever a noise occurred. Most of the time it so happened to be the Gargoyle next to her yawning.

The painting's name was Eileen and she was the best painted knitter in all of Hogwarts, "Hogsmeade too!" she would declare proudly to any passerby's. She was placed almost ten feet away from the Headmaster's tower. Much to her pleasure, and displeasure to all the others on her floor. Halfway through the corridor and to the Western wing of the third floor lay her against the stone wall. The hallways were dark and very quiet. Eileen had spent many decades watching this hallway, many evenings dark and quiet, but she never felt so uneasy before. Dropping her needles and watercolour yarn, she looked around the hall for anyone but Gargoyle and turned around and walked deep into the painting. Her surroundings revolved around a cushioned velvet purple loveseat in a quaint room. Small bits and bobbles of furniture including a bookshelf and a small chocolate brown end table to hold her basket of watercolour yarn. It was her home, a beautiful canvas sanctuary.

However it held a secret. It was a two way painting.

Walking down the dark watercolour hallway and making a turn she made her way to the other painting. Her counterpart was in a small circular room, hidden directly behind her painted canvas. It was a teenage girl's bedroom. A wooden dresser for clothes, a desk for studying, a chest on the end of the purple four poster bed. Half of the room held a miniature library, the walls holding over a hundred books on the shelves placed there instead of the dark blue walls. A small reading nook placed directly in the middle on the books was across the room from the bed. The window overlooked the Great Lake and occasionally you could see the Giant Squid playing quietly to himself. It had light and dark blue cushions and the small area was covered with mementos. Photographs, delicately woven dreamcatchers, dried flowers pinned to the fabric of the pale purple curtains.

Eileen's painted gaze looked over the room, stopping on the four poster bed. Laying there was a beautiful young woman. She laid there in a white nightgown, the stark white shade contrasting her long dark auburn hair that reached her waist. She was sleeping on her back with her hands protectively over her round stomach. She laid on top of the blankets but she was not cold.

A bright orb surrounded the woman, the colour changing every few seconds. The effect of a very old spell, one to keep someone frozen through time. Very old light magic, used to protect their loved ones if in very close proximity to danger.

Eileen's eyes softened as she watched the young woman sleep soundly. Her hand that reached towards her, stopped when she reached the clear barrier on her canvas. Memories of laughter and tears rushed over the painting as she stared at the her. Sighing and shaking her head, she turned around to return to her knitting.

The solitude is probably getting to me...she's fine. Thoughts ran through her head as she approached her tunnel. Perhaps I should visit Sir Cadogan in the morning? He was always good company.

The blonde painting stopped however as she felt a change in the air. Turning to look over her shoulder, she saw air blowing the curtains of the closed window. Her eyes widened as she ran back to her canvas barrier both her hands against the invisible line. Suddenly, the air had a mind of it's own. Blowing the pages left on the desk across the room and making the bed shake violently. The terrified painting stopped breathing as the orb of light surrounding the girl flickered violently, small bolts of lightning surrounding the magical barrier.

No.

"No it can't be!" she screamed running down her tunnel, through her home and into one of the many paintings that surrounded the Headmaster's office. "Albus! ALBUS!"

The older man in question, who had been asleep on his desk, started with a jolt. His auburn hair had almost completely converted to grey and his spectacles were falling off his nose. "Eileen!" The surprise he felt was suddenly replaced with dread. "No.." Jumping from his desk without another word he ran down the Gargoyle's entrance and into the hall. Eileen yelled for him to hurry and opened the passage behind her portrait to reveal a door. Throwing it open, Albus rushed into the room, wand in hand.

The magical energy in the room was like static, as soon as Albus' energy entered the room the atmosphere changed. Everything froze, only to be rushed into the barrier surrounding the sleeping redhead. Suddenly energy hit the older man, throwing him against the wall directly behind him, the barrier destroyed.

Blue eyes shot open. The girl sat up and looked at her surroundings. Her panic was altered as she recognised the room in which she slept. Her gaze landed on her father who groaned in pain.

"Dad? What-"

"Sweetheart, the spell deteriorated for an unknown reason I need to recast it before it's too late-" he rushed to her side but stopped himself when she let out a cry of pain.

His daughter held her stomach in both her hands as a contraction hit her violently. "Dad!" her breathing became irregular as the panic set in. The wizard rushed to her side as she felt a pop. Her water broke. Both their eyes shifted to the wet mark on the bedding and Albus swore loudly. Quickly calling a few patronus' and sending them off each with a message. Levitating the young woman off the bed, he began to rush her towards the Hospital Wing. Casting a silencing charm so that his daughter's screaming didn't wake anyone.

"Dad, you have to stop it! It's not safe, she's not safe!" she screamed panicking.

"Everything will be fine, love. Trust me." He hoped she believed him. From the sound of his voice, it would be hard to. He was breathing hard as he ran trying not panic. He used as many secret passageways as possible, cursing the fact he couldn't apparate.

Once he reached the wing, he saw Poppy and Minerva wide eyed in their sleeping gowns. Poppy who had only been told to prepare for a last minute birth, blinked as she saw the panic look on the Headmaster's face.

"What on earth Albus-"

"How long has she been having contractions?" Poppy rushed out as Albus put her on the cot, interrupting Minerva. Poppy began to remove the woman's ruined underwear to inspect dilation when the labouring girl screamed.

"DAD!"

Both women turned to Albus, who in response held onto her hand for support. "Dad?" both of them echoed. It was impossible, they both thought, as they stared at the man of over 90 years and the woman who couldn't possibly be over 25.

"This is my daughter, May." he explained causing both women to exchange a look of surprise "I will explain to you both momentarily but we have something a lot more important at hand." he snapped at both of them quickly.

Both women nodded and went to work. Minerva running to retrieve a potion for the pain while Poppy checked how much longer for the baby.

When Minerva returned she heard Poppy swear under her breath. "What is it?" both May and Minerva responded, both somewhat panicked. One of them being followed by a loud scream.

"It's too late for the potion. May, dear, you're going to have to push."

May's eyes widened as she shook her head, broken sobs leaving her lips. "No! No please, she can't be born! Not now!" she cried as her father held her hand.

"I know, you're scared for her. But you need to push. Or else both of you won't make it." he whispered pushing the hair that stuck to her forehead to the side. "Please darling...Push!"

Poppy nodded her head sitting in between the redhead's legs. "Push dear!" the mediwitch could she the head of the child as the mother screamed but it wasn't enough.

Minerva rushed to the other side of May, holding her other hand. "Harder! You can do it!" she reassured her quietly.

The red head kept pushing. Screaming and sobbing, the entire way through. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she felt the tattooed band around her left finger begin to burn. Lifting herself up, she let out one final bloodcurdling scream releasing all her energy before collapsing back onto the bed in which she laid.

A newborn's cry filled the room. The pain was gone. She had given birth. Her breathing was coarse and suddenly she felt numb. She could feel her left hand free as the greying woman left to inspect her baby girl. Her tears transformed into joyful ones as her swaddled newborn was laid on her chest. Quickly letting go of her father's hand, she wrapped her arms around the little one. Her eyes were closed but she could see her ivory skin, inherited from her mother, and a small tuft of raven hair on top of her head, inherited from her father. She was beautiful.

"Hi.." she whispered quietly. Her hand stroking her baby's hair, a smile on her face. "Hi beautiful, it's me. Mommy.." her voiced cracked and she turned to look up at her audience.

Poppy looked tired but had a lazy smile as she watched the two. Minerva couldn't take her eyes off the child, completely mesmerized, as she stood behind the mediwitch. May turned to her father afraid of his reaction. She saw unshed tears as he sat at her bedside. "You did it." he informed her quietly.

May's smile grew and she let out a small laugh, only for it to sound like a sob. "Yeah, I did." her smile fell and her panic returned only for it to be cut short by her father kissing her temple.

"I swear, I will protect her with my life. I will do everything to keep her safe, okay?"

May nodded and looked down at her little girl. Her eyes were open now. A bright blue. She had her family's eyes. Both Dumbledore's smiled fondly down at the little one.

"What will you name her?" Poppy asked quietly as if not to disturb them.

My little elf princess..

"Avery.." she answered, her heart soaring. "Avery Ivy."

Poppy nodded as she began to fill the birth certificate.

"Why 'Ivy'?" Minerva asked approaching the child.

May looked up at the woman, her eyes telling a story she couldn't read. "He wanted to name her Hedera."

Those were her last words. Suddenly, as if all the air had been taken from her, she couldn't breath. Acting quickly, the Transfiguration professor, grabbed Avery from her arms as Poppy tried to figure out what was wrong.

The newborn Avery began to cry as the panicked mediwitch and Headmaster began to yell spells trying to save her. May's hair began to turn white from her roots as she convulsed. Her eyes wide she stared at her child in the professor's arms. Lifting her shaking arms she reached towards her crying baby. Light shot from her chest as her hair turned white and she became ghost pale, falling onto the bed her eyes closed. The light flew towards Avery at a speed so fast that Minerva couldn't even try to shield the child. Once all of the light was gone, completely absorbed into the child, Avery stopped crying and fell asleep. The ends of her raven hair turning white like her mother's.

Everything was quiet as Dumbledore stared at his daughter's body. Then he started to cry. The sobs sounding brand new to the ears of the two women. Poppy stood there over the dead woman silently performing spells to verify the cause of death as Minnie approached the crying man. Turning towards her when she put a hand on his shoulder, his eyes widened on his sleeping granddaughter. She handed him the child gently. Time past and Albus' tears subsided within the hour of holding the sleeping child.

Both Poppy and Minerva sat across from the Headmaster as he stared at what was left of May.

"It was her magical core, sir. Her magic had been spread too thin. She didn't have enough for herself. She had withstanded a serious amount of damage somehow. We couldn't have saved her. I'm sorry."

He nodded slowly. His eyes lifted to look at Poppy. "And Avery?"

"She looks to be fine. That energy that pulsed through her, changed her magical frequency. I'll have to perform some tests but she seems to be perfectly healthy."

"Good...good…"

"Sir I'm going to get some calming draught for you, alright?"

"Yes that would help.."

Poppy left them to retrieve her potion for the Headmaster. It stayed quiet until she returned. He drank it without saying anything. His eyes going back to Avery in his arms.

"She looks just like her mother, when she was born." he said quietly, his voice hoarse. "I need both of you to watch over her. She will be staying with us from now on."

Neither of the witch's said anything.

"Both of you may return to your chambers. I will make sure May is buried." When both of them started to disagree with him, he looked up, his eyes red from crying. "It's fine, I need to do this myself. Now go, we have breakfast in a few hours. Poppy please have some pepper-up potion set aside for me with my morning coffee."

The mediwitch nodded and left the room with Minerva. Once both of them were out of the room he looked down at his grandchild.

She continued to sleep soundly in his arms as he rocked her back and forth. "I promised her to keep you safe and I will. I'll be a better parent this time around. I won't suffocate you. I'll trust you. I'll give you freedom to make your own choices. This time around I'll keep you away from him." he sighed and pushed back her small set of hair. "I'll love you with everything I have, Avery."

Closing his eyes, he placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head. "Avery Ivy Dumbledore, you're safe with me, my angel. I promise." The white haired man spent a few more moments with his family as the sun started to rise.

This was her home now.

*The meaning of the name Avery is "ruling with elf wisdom".

**Hedera, commonly called ivy, is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen woody plants.