Chapter 4: Hunch and The White Whale

"Do you know anything about this Duchess?" Harry asked the Duke as they moved onward over the first mountain range. Strange. He didn't remember two mountains last time he was here. And that was only a couple of months ago. Something didn't seem natural about this snow covered mountain.

"Not much." The Duke admitted. "When I still had power I heard rumors that an heiress to the Snow Clan had been born. I guess those rumors are true. But how she found my organ is beyond me."

"Have you seen Hunch since that little incident ten years ago?" Harry asked curioiusly. The humorous owl was quite a funny villain.

The Duke gasped. Hunch had betrayed him. Of course! "Of course! His father was a Snow Owl!"

"Really?" Harry asked in curiosity.

"Yes. When different breeds of Owls breed the hatchling is always a pygmy mix."

Harry had wondered why Hunch had a patch of snow white feathers around his shoulders ending just before his neckline. "So his mother was your sister?"

"Yes. Lovely woman."

"Shame that trait wasn't passed to you then.'

"Oi!"

Meanwhile, above them behind a boulder. Hunch stood on a boulder cackling. "Anhialation." He moved his feathered fingers in movements. Some that repeated each other Ending with his left hand balled up and his open palm on top of his fisted hand (A/N: Like Handseals) "Ice Style: Dragon Versus Tiger!" He cackled again as a tiger made of ice shot down the mountain side toward the small figures that where that human his mother had ordered him to capture and his uncle.

Harry paused and listened. "Water Style! Water Dragon!" Using the snow itself and melting it into water with his magic he jumped fast to the side as a tiger made of ice shot through his water dragon and aimed right for him.

He heard familiar mad cackling. And both saw Hunch flying in the air.

"Hunch!" The Duke growled. "You almost killed us!"

"Mother has ordered your capture." Hunch sneered. "And don't even think about using the spells she gave you inspiration for."

Harry was confused. "What do you-?"

"Ice Style: Curse of the White Whale!" Hunch interuptted as he went through another set of hand seals also ending with his palm on top of a fist.

Harry watched stunned as a familiar giant Ice Whale jumped into the air. Harry regathered himself and jumped from boulder to boulder trying to escape being flattened by the giant whale of ice. Hunch cackled madly again as the whale crushed several boulders.

"Okay." Harry said to the pygmy owl as the Duke fluttered down on the ground next to him. "That was impressive." He turned to glare up at the smallish owl at the middle of the mountain. "Now its my turn." He flicked his wand in some more unique motions. "Ice Style: Curse of the White Whale!"

"Still using the moves mother gave you? Haven't I told you you won't escape using those?" Hunch demanded as he went through the White Whale seals again and another whale jumped up from behind him.

"Escape?" Harry asked. "That's not really what I was aiming for at the moment."

"What?" Hunch hissed in confusion. Then flew into the air as the human's whale collided with his own and pushed it toward the mountian. Destroying it and the magic that created it.

"This mountian is fake." Harry explained. "Created by the Duchess to slow us down." The Duke watched in awe as the mountain crumbled and Harry dropped to the real ground landing on one foot and bring his other down.

"This is not over!" Hunch shouted as he flew overhead.

Harry couldn't help but smirk as he heard the owl shouting obscenities as he flew home for "mommy!"

"He's certainly a lot stronger that I remember." The Duke muttered as he watched his nephew fly away.

"He's not strong. He's leeching off the Duchess's magic." Harry said. He felt Hunch's magic falter when he performed those spells. Though what he said bothered him. The Duchess implanted those spells in his mind? How? When did he come in contact with her? Could she be one of the school owls? Then something else bugged him. "Why did he call the Duchess "mother?" He asked as he crunched through the snow.

"No one knows much about the Snow Clan." The Duke told the human boy. "But it is commonly known that they raise their own who had been fathered and not mothered. So I assume the Duchess is his father's mate now."

That would explain the "Mommy!" part. Harry said.

...

Peepers suddenly shouted "Jeepers! Look at that!" Goldie, Patou and Snipes came over to the window to see a huge whale made of ice. Suddenly it fell and they felt a slight tremor. Another appeared as did a third. The second slammed into the third and the mountain seemed to crumble and vanish.

"My goodness. What did that?" Goldie asked.

No one had an answer. But watched as the ice whales dissolved into snow.

...

Hunch timidly walked up to his adopted mother who was still playing the organ. Sending snow clowds and ice storms into the atmosphere. "My apologies dearest mother." He bowed his head in fear and respect. For his adopted mother was the strongest, most magically gifted owl in the clan. "The boy escaped."

"He always has been resourceful." The Duchess cooed. "I do not blame you. We sent out a team earlier and he defeated five full grown males. And they certaintly weren't pygmy's. Though mastering the White Whale at your age is an impressive feat on its own. Let alone being able to do it twice in one day. Along with Dragon Versus Tiger."

Hunch beamed in pride.

"Send your father in." The Duchess cooed seductively. "I need some alone time with him."

"Yes Ma'am." Hunch bowed again and flew off for his father.

Hedwig waved her snow white feathered hand over her crystal ball. She hadn't planned on becoming attatched to the boy. But after seeing the way he was treated at those damned humans home. She felt more like a mother comforting her child with letters from afar every time she nibbled his ear. Or nipped his finger with affection. Every time her coo soothed him. She could tell he was so much happier with her around. And she would make sure that would be for a long, long time. Even if she had to keep him in this world by force.

"Soon my little one." Hedwig said watching the cloaked boy start running toward the mountain with his arms behind his back. "Soon you will be mine." She waved her hand over the ball again and it revealed Chanticleer in his cell down in her dungeon. "And you will be gone." She hissed evily. Then mrred as a male snow owl came up behind her and wrapped his warm wings around her and kissed at her neckline.

To Be Continued...

*Shudders* Just hinting at the thought of Hedwig having sex just...*Shudders* Ewww.

So the Grand Duchess of the Snow Clan is revealed.

As I said I made that stuff up about the pygmy owls being half breeds. And I added that little ring of white feathers around Hunch's shoulders.

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Dean the Cuddly Fox!