Ave and the Prisoner
Avery Whittaker is normal in all ways except for one: she's a witch. When she starts her first year at Hogwarts, she's in for a major surprise-Sirius Black, notorious prisoner from Azkaban, the wizard prison, has escaped and is on the loose. That's not the worst part though. He's looking for her new best friend, Harry Potter, and is on the way to Hogwarts. Looks like Ave is in for a wild ride through first year and beyond.
Disclaimer: In no way could Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ever be mine. Or anything Harry Potter related for that matter. FYI school list and letters from HP 1, except for the Defense for Man, and Beast by Jenna Horcruxen. That book is all MINE! :)
Chapter One- The Letter, the Professor and the Grim
Avery Whittaker shot up from her bed panting, her long, curly black hair plastered to her face with sweat and her gray eyes open wide with fear. She had just woken up from a nightmare and was frightened out of her mind.
Trying to remember it was like trying to hold water in your hands. It's there for a moment, but the next it's trickling away. She could definitely remember three large animals and a laughing man, with a snake's nose. Or did she? She couldn't tell anymore.
"AVERY MELODY WHITTAKER! GET YOUR LAZY BUTT DOWN HERE AND START WITH BREAKFAST!" Mrs. Jessica Whittaker screeched upwards towards Avery's room, startling her from her thoughts. Groaning, she rolled off of the bed and threw on a pair of sweats and a shirt that said London across the front in block letter. Dragging her feet, Ave walked down the stairs sadly. Had her mother and father really forgotten her eleventh birthday was today? Eleven was an important number, especially when born on July 4th, Independence Day in America.
"Sorry Ave, happy birthday," Her brother, Doug, whispered to her as she walked slowly towards the kitchen. He was the only one in her immediate family that liked her.
Avery had had a hard childhood. Her parents, Jessica and Jacob, had never really shown they cared for her. They preferred Doug, who was two years younger, and a billion times better in their eyes. No matter how good Ave did in school, or how good she was at home, they had never loved her as a daughter. They saw her more as a nuisance, or as their personal slave. Though they treated her horribly, she still loved her parents.
"Avery! START BREAKFAST WILL YOU, YOU USELESS LUMP!" Her mother screamed again. Setting off at a sprint, Ave skidded into her kitchen and pulled bacon from the fridge, turned on the stove, and started cooking it all in about five seconds. She had gotten used to doing stuff like this, so this was like second nature.
After cooking breakfast in record time, Ave sat down at the table, only to be immediately told to make herself useful and go get the mail. She slumped off towards the front door, where the mail slot was, and leaned forward to pick up the pile of letters. On top of the stack was a letter that said, in bright green ink, Miss Avery Whittaker, The Smallest Bedroom, 39 Hawthorne Street, - shire, England. The letter was printed on a curious type of paper- it was thick and was yellowing. Was that parchment like they learned about last week in History? She thought that only Ancient Egyptians used parchment though. Turning the letter over carefully in her hands, she saw with shock that the seal used was one of an eagle, a badger, a snake, and a lion, all intertwined around a letter H.
Shoving the letter in a pocket of her sweatshirt to read later, she walked slowly back into the kitchen, handed the other letters to Mr. Whittaker, and darted upstairs to her room to read her letter. Opening it nervously, her mouth dropped open in surprise when she read the letter that fell out. Could this be some joke?
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Miss Whittaker,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of necessary books and equipment. Term begins September 1st. We await your owl by no later than July 31st.
Yours Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress
Carefully holding the envelope, Avery picked up the second piece of parchment that fell out of the envelope. It was the school supplies list.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
UNIFORM:
First year students will require:
Three sets of plain work robes (black)
One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
One winter cloak (black with silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags
COURSE BOOKS:
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade One) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
Defense for the Average Man or Beast by Jenna Horcruxen
OTHER EQUIPMENT:
One Wand
One Cauldron (Pewter, Standard Size 1)
One set glass or crystal phials
One telescope
One set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED FIRST YEARS ARE NOT PERMITTED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
Ave swallowed nervously. How was she supposed to get all of this stuff! It had to cost a fortune too! All those books, wands, telescopes, clothes? How was she even supposed to know if this was real and not a joke, or her parents cruel way of getting rid of her? Just then, the doorbell rang.
"AVERY GET THE DOOR YOU STUPID CHILD!" Her father yelled this time. Sighing, Avery walked downstairs and opened the door to see the strangest woman she had ever seen or even imagined. The lady had black-greyish hair pulled into a tight bun on the back of her head and sharp green eyes. She had the air of someone you did NOT want to mess with. Her clothes were also very strange. They were long, swirling robes in a navy blue color. This woman looked like a no-nonsense type of person.
"Miss Whittaker? I'm Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts. I would like to talk with you and your guardians," The lady, well Professor McGonagall, said in an official tone of voice.
"Um, okay? MOM! DAD! SOMEONE HERE TO TALK TO YOU!" Avery yelled back to the parents.
"AVERY YOU INSOLENT GIRL BRING HER INSIDE!" They yelled back at me in unison. Taking in McGonagall's shocked face, Ave lead her inside to the kitchen, and let her take the only seat available-the one next to her parents.
"Mr. and Mrs. Whittaker, your foster daughter-" McGonagall started up.
"WHOA! Wait! Hold on! FOSTER DAUGHTER?" Avery shrieked surprised.
"Yes Miss Whittaker foster daughter. Did you not know this?" McGonagall said sarcastically, looking annoyed.
"No, Professor, I did most certainly NOT know that," Avery sneered, upset by this. How could she NOT know she was a foster child? Sure she looked different from all the Whittaker's, as they all had straight, dull brown hair and eyes, and were all tall, whereas she stood at a measly 4'7", and had blue-black curls and gray eyes, but she would KNOW.
"Well Miss Whittaker, you are a foster child and while you didn't know this there is nothing I can do to change this fact," McGonagall said, eyeing Mr. and Mrs. Whittaker with a disgusted look on her face, like she was wondering if they ever planned on telling her she was an orphan.
Mr. Whittaker stood up so fast he shook the table. He was a tall, extremely thin man, with a large mustache that was disproportionate to his face size. "YOU LISTEN! You had NO RIGHT TO TELL THAT WRETCHED PIECE OF TRASH THAT! IT IS NONE OF YOUR BUISNESS! SHE WILL NOT GO TO THAT SCHOOL!" He yelled.
McGonagall looked extremely offended. Avery was watching the whole thing with an interested look on her face. "It is my business, and she shall be going to school. Miss Whittaker, if you will pack a bag with clothes and money, we will be going back to my living quarters as these… people… are obviously unable to take care of you without verbally, emotionally, and physically abusing you," She stated with a deathly look on her face.
Avery jumped up and scrambled towards the door and her room, dragging Doug behind her. She pulled him with her up into her bedroom, and then hugged him with all her might. He was her only real family, even if he wasn't related to her. Doug hugged back, equally hard, and she kissed the top of his head before letting him go, and throwing clothes into her backpack.
"Dougie, I'll miss you," She said quietly, Mr. and Mrs. Whittaker's screams echoing through the house. "I hope to see you again."
"Ave, don't go!" Doug sobbed. She swallowed nervously. It was true. Even though Doug was her 'parents' favorite, how was he supposed to survive in this house, this terrible, evil house?
"Dougie, I promise, as soon as I can, I'll come back and save you from them, save you from what they can make you become," Avery promised him quickly before sprinting down the stairs, and out of the house. McGonagall soon followed.
Walking briskly down the street, McGonagall beckoned for her to follow. Ave made the mistake of looking back at the house. She could still here those… peoples… screams, but the worst part was what was on the uppermost right window. Doug's face was plastered against the window, tear-stained and depressed. It broke Avery's heart, but she knew that no matter what she could not go back.
Turning back to McGonagall, she continued walking. McGonagall held out her hand, told Avery to take it, and spun in a tight circle. A horrible pressure closed in on Ave's chest, and she felt like she was being squeezed into a dot, not able to breathe, not able to think and then it was over. Panting for breath, Ave dropped to her knew before realizing she was in a completely different place from where she was before.
"Sorry about that, that was apparating. It means disappearing from one place and appearing in another. It was necessary for times' sake," McGonagall explained as Ave caught her breath.
But Ave wasn't listening. Across the park, for that's where they appeared, stood a gigantic, black, incredibly furry dog. It looked almost bear-like; it was that large and menacing.
"Professor, w-what's THAT?' Avery asked desperately, scared of the gigantic thing.
"That's what a divination teacher would call the 'Grim', a death omen. Divination is the 'art' of telling the future," McGonagall explained, her tone of voice leaving no doubt that she thought that the fine art of Divination was a load of utter rubbish.
"Oh," Ave said quietly. She was still nervous.
"It's fine dear. Come along, we have to make it back to my flat quickly. I'll explain magic when we get there," McGonagall said kindly, noticing that Ave was still fearful.
Walking quickly, McGonagall walked up to a building that looked happy and cheerful, walked up the stairs to the third floor, with Avery trailing behind, and unlocked the door to flat number 39.
"Walk on in dear. Everything will be fine, okay? Don't worry," McGonagall said reassuringly, but it wasn't necessary. For a second time, Ave had blanked out, but this time with wonder and happiness. The flat she had just walked into seemed so… anti-Whittaker, which couldn't have agreed with her more. It was so cozy and… perfect. She smiled at McGonagall, and had a feeling that this was the best thing that ever happened to her.