Harry glared at the cackling image of his godfather, his eyes narrowed to near slits and his jaw clenched so hard it was a wonder he didn't snap something. It was one thing to be laughed at when he was trying to be utterly serious; it was another to not be able to physically reach over and smack the mutt upside the head. Harry once more cursed the fact that Sirius was in the southern section of Avalon while he was trapped in Hogwarts, a foot of snow making it even more impossible for him to hitchhike and find his hysterical godfather.
If Sirius cared a lick about his godson's impotent anger he didn't show it. He was too busy doubling over, his face beet read as he guffawed at Harry's news.
"Are you done yet?" Harry said, his voice sounding suspiciously like Prof. Snape's after Ron had once managed to melt three mixing bowls during a single class.
"Yeah... yeah, I think so." Sirius took a deep breath and sighed. "Nope... I was wrong!" He threw his head back and let loose a peel of laughter so loud Harry had to dial the volume on his dex back a few clicks lest he alert his roommates.
"Sirius!" Harry hissed.
"Ok, ok, I'm good. I can be serious." He waited, a huge Garbodor-eating grin on his face. "Get it... 'serious'?"
"I get it."
"I don't think you do!" Sirius said, wagging his finger at Harry. "You see-"
"I... get... it..." Harry ground out.
"Party pooper, no cake for you," the Lord of Sevii said. He looked skyward, still smiling. "I still can't believe you think Remus is out to kill me."
"I can't believe you aren't considering it might be true! You're the one that is hiding yourself from him!"
"Not because I don't trust him, pup!" Sirius exclaimed. "Far from it... Remus is a true friend... if it had been him instead of Peter that night he'd have given his life for mine." Sirius tapped his chin. "Or not... Remus was always smarter than all of us, so I suppose he would have come up with a plan that actually worked... maybe something involving robots…"
"Sirius," Harry said, realizing his godfather was getting off track. He'd found that spending years surrounded mostly by Dusknoirs, prisoners, and revolutionaries had caused Sirius to get a bit flighty. Or perhaps he had always been that way.; Remus had mentioned Sirius once coming to class without any pants and then trying to claim it was a joke. "I heard him-"
"When you were bonded with Hedwig for the first time, congrats again by the way, knew you could do it, ignore what I said about the cake, we'll get an ice cream one when we next see each other... you were bonded for the first time and several tens of feet up and away from him and Snape."
"Yes, Snape!" Harry complained. "The professor that hates all things Gryffindor and has never said a kind word to me? Maybe Remus isn't the traitor but... but Snape could be the traitor. He could be feeding Remus bad information, trying to throw him off the scent and focus on you!"
Sirius shook his head. "Again, trust me on this... you misheard them or aren't getting the whole story here."
"Why are you so sure Snape isn't a part of this?"
"...listen, after this is all settled you and I will sit down and talk and I swear I will explain exactly what is going on. For now though i need you to trust me; Snape isn't our enemy and Remus certainly isn't. You need to stop worrying, ok kiddo?"
Harry scowled, clearly not enjoying how his godfather was blowing off his concerns. "Fine," he ground out.
"Come on, none of that!" Sirius said cheerfully. "It's Winter Solstice and you shouldn't be up in your room sulking. Sulking is for ugly people and I'll have you know that your mum and dad were not ugly nor did they make an ugly baby. You should be downstairs-"
"Sulking?"
"-opening presents." Sirius flashed Harry a grin. "I mean it."
"What have you done?" Harry asked, getting the feeling that Sirius had done something he shouldn't.
"Never you mind, just get going! I can't spend all time bugging you, especially when I have my own holidays to enjoy." Harry heard a loud explosion over his dex's speaker and Sirius whipped around and shouted "Damn it, Jack, you promised to wait for me before you blew up the ham!" With that Sirius signed out of the messenger, leaving Harry staring at a blank screen. The boy looked at his dex for a while longer before finally deciding it was time to get up and start his day.
~MC~MC~MC~
"So why are you decorating a pole?" Remus asked with a bemused smile. He was relaxing in one of the easy chairs that were set up next to the roaring fire Hagrid had started for them, a cup of coffee in his hands. The giant groundskeeper was taking up one of the couches, looking rather silly in his red flannel foot pajamas; Harry didn't even want to guess how he'd managed to make it from his cabin to the castle without freezing in the sub zero temperatures. Remus had decided that it wasn't fair to have Hagrid spend the Solstice alone and, since he and Harry were celebrating at the castle, had invited the giant man to join them in the Gryffindor common room. Hagrid had excitedly accepted, bringing with him a massive bag of presents and all his Pokémon. Snubbull was curled up on his lap, Steelbeck was half asleep in the corner, Norbert (who'd tripled in size since his birth) was trying to eat one of the coasters, and Snorlax was lying down at the far end of the room, serving as cushion for Luna and her Pokémon. The little blonde was happily shouting instructions to Hermione, who was putting a tree skirt around an aluminum pole Luna had dragged in.
"Because its tradition!" Luna declared, reaching over to adjust the little red-with-white-fur-trim hat Luna Jr. was wearing. The Cubone merely looked at the rest of the group and went back to polishing her weapon.
"And what tradition is that, Miss Lovegood?" Prof. McGonagall asked as she entered the room, pushing a cart loaded down with fruits and pastries courtesy of the castle's Pokémon.
"The tradition of Festivus!" Luna stated. She looked at Harry and grinned. "I can't wait for the Feats of Strength."
"And a happy Solstice to you, Luna," Harry said, ambling over to Remus and giving him a hug. All his earlier misgivings about his guardian washed away as he felt Remus hug him tight. Harry was ashamed that he had so quickly allowed himself to doubt the man; for nearly a month he had kept his distance, betrayed by Remus' words. But Sirius had utter faith in Remus and Harry realized he should as well. There was still more to the tale but, for now, he wouldn't let his own worries ruin his Solstice.
It was an odd mix of people that gathered around the fire to open up presents. Harry and Remus had decided to stay at the castle, not seeing any reason to make a trip back to their house just to leave again in a few days. Luna's father was in Hoenn searching for Groudon while Hermione's folks had been forced to leave the region several days beforehand to see to Hermione's maternal grandfather, who'd slipped on some ice and wound up in the hospital. They thought about sending for Hermione but had decided that they didn't want to ruin her holiday by having her spend it in a hospital waiting room. Prof. McGonagall and Hagrid always stayed at the castle and thus it was easy for Remus to convince them to join them for a private Solstice in the Gryffindor Tower. Professors Flitwick, Snape and Sprout were supervising their own students who'd stayed behind while the headmaster had promised to come by in the afternoon to see how everyone was doing.
Ron and the rest of the Weasleys had gone home for Solstice, though they left plenty of gifts for their friends to unwrap. Neville had debated staying with them but in the end Luna had convinced him to spend the holiday with his gran, reasoning that in his later years he'd regret not spending more time with her. The rest of their classmates had all gone to visit family, leaving Harry's small group with a bit more free reign in the tower.
The unwrapped and the revealing of presents was an utter delight for Harry, allowing him to focus on something other than the fears and concerns that had plagued him the last month. Unlike his first year at Hogwarts, when he'd not realized that he would be receiving presents, Harry had already known who to expect gifts from and thus planned ahead. More importantly, having three years under his belt meant he was able to give them items he knew would be special for them.
"Oh, how utterly delightful," Prof. McGonagall said, running his hand along the black leather cover of the journal Harry had gotten her. Remus and him and gone in together on that one, purchasing it and a set of antique pens for the professor; McGonagall tended to try and keep one foot in the past, hence her filing system. "Thanks you both."
Harry nodded and turned to watch Hagrid, who was happily slurping down hot chocolate from the massive mug Harry had gotten him. The boy still remembered how Hagrid had thought a mop bucket was a coffee cup made for his size and had decided early on that he would get his giant friend a Hagrid-size mug. The groundskeeper sniffed back great big tears and proclaimed that his own gift to Harry paled in comparison but the boy had waved him off, letting Hagrid know repeatedly that he loved the Pokeflute.
For Hermione Harry had gone simple, deciding that he wanted to get her something but didn't want to go over the top, as their friendship was still healing. Hagrid wasn't the only one tearing up with gratitude once Hermione unwrapped the book on Avalon's history that Harry had ordered. She had also gotten him a book, that one on Pokemagnus training. Remus chuckled at that and Harry gave him guardian a sour look; Remus had lied and claimed that the book was out of print that way Hermione could surprise him with it.
Luna's present had been a shock. The little blonde had contacted her father and gotten him to pull up all the photos of James and Lily Potter the Quibbler had on file, which Luna had then gathered up and made into a scrapbook. She'd also gotten contributions from the other professors (with Hagrid providing a near third of the photos and helping her get the album cover) so that Harry had, at long last, a family album of his parents growing up and falling in love. He'd leapt off the floor and scrabbled up Snorelax's tummy to give the blonde a hug, thanking her over and over.
As for Luna, she had returned the hug and thanked him for her gifts. Harry, realizing that there was simply no single gift that he could think of for his friend that would suit her, had decided it would be wiser to give her several little presents. Four different sets of earrings that she could mix and match, a necklace that was suppose to change colors based on your mood, and the main attraction: Silph Co's newest Silph Scope glasses. They were pink, with swirly lenses, and much more compact than the standard Silph Scope. Luna and instantly plopped them on and refused to take them off, looking about the room with a wide grin that was utterly infectious.
Remus and Harry's gifts to each other left the two babbling 'thank you's. Remus looked over the collapsible bag Harry had gotten him, marveling less at how much it could carry and more at the stylized letter M upon it. Harry had revealed that he had gotten Lenore Evermore, a Ravenclaw student, to do the design, the now official logo for the Marauders. Inside the bag was a flashdrive containing the M design's file, allowing Remus to now place the logo on anything he wanted. Harry had earned a large hug from his guardian and once more felt ashamed for doubting Remus; no one that meant him harm would have hugged him with so much love.
Harry himself was moved when he opened the largest box in his pile and found the collapsible bike Remus had gotten him. Able to fold up to fit in his backpack, it appears at first to be just a twisted pile of metal roughly the size of a cookie sheet. it was only when Harry pressed a button that it unfurled, the tires reinflating and the seat locking into place. Harry had laughed, complaining that with all the snow he wouldn't get to ride it till spring unless McGonagall let him take it through the Great Hall. His Head of House had merely shaken her head.
"Well, I must say that this was quite enjoyable," McGonagall said, stroking her Purrlion Southpaw.
"'ave ta agree with that, Min!" Hagrid exclaimed, wiping his mouth with one of the extra large hankie Hermione had given him.
"But it's not over yet!" Luna said, sliding down Snorelax and wadding through the wrapping paper. She made quite a sight: cane was clutched in one hand, her Silph Scope glasses perched on her nose, and stylish retro red fedora (Hermione's gift) on her head. After a moment she plunged down, grabbing a small box with a large envelope attached to it, hefting the gift up for them to see. "I spotted this while I was looking for Waldo, the crafty bugger! It's for you, Harry."
Harry took the box from Luna and carefully opened up the envelope.
"Who is it from?" Remus asked, leaning forward.
The boy thought about killing Sirius; he'd promised to wait to give him his gift but apparently couldn't resist the urge. "It says it's from the Lord of Sevii."
"My word," Prof. McGonagall said in shock.
"Blimey!" Hagrid exclaimed.
"Shazam!" Luna shouted, looking at the sky. When nothing happened she pouted.
"What does it say?" Hermione asked.
Harry cleared his throat. "'Dear Mr. Potter. I realized that our first meeting was not fair to you and I must have caused you quite a fright. For that, I apologize. I have thought long and hard'-" Harry stopped, fighting the urge to roll his eyes, as he could only guess that Sirius had snickered while writing that, "-'about how I might make amends and it is only within the last few days that I came to an answer. A great injustice was done to you, Mr. Potter, and while I can never undo all that was done that night, there is a small thing I can offer to help ease your pain. As you may know I was installed by the Father of Johto; I told him of your plight and he agreed that it was wrong...'"
"Harry?" Remus said, getting out of his chair and moving to stand next to the boy. "You're shaking!"
Harry took a shuddering breath and forced himself to continue. "'...it was wrong that you do not have a Potter family Pokémon to call your own.'" That was all he could get through; he tossed the card to Prof. McGonagall and tore open the small package, staring at the red and gold Pokéball that lay inside. He found the strength and will to steady his hand and held up the custom Pokéball, his face determined as he tossed it in the air. It popped open, the beam of red energy shooting to his lap before consolidating and reforming...
"Bloody 'ell," Hagrid whispered, eyebrows disappearing into his mop of shaggy hair.
Luna smiled; a tear appeared under the edge of her Silph glasses. "Oh Harry..." Hermione moved to stand next to her friend, just as visibly moved.
Remus couldn't speak, unable to blink as he stared at the ghost from his past.
"Cyn, cyn!" the Cyndaquil exclaimed happily, nuzzling his little head against Harry's chest before looking about at all the new people. "Cyn!"
"'This is Firebolt,'" McGonagall said, mustering the will to finish the message. "'Use him well, Mr. Potter... use him in the name of justice. Yours truly... the Lord of Sevii'."
Harry hugged Cyndaquil tightly to his chest, laughing through his tears. He silently thanked Sirius, mentally asking whoever might be listening to bless his godfather for the amazing gift. He dimly heard several zapping sounds and all his Pokémon, save Zygarde, emerged from their Pokéball to great the new arrival. Togetic inspected the fire mouse while Ludwig floated around him, making sure Harry was holding him properly.
"This... this is amazing..." Prof. McGonagall said, her hand pressed to her mouth. "Oh Harry..."
The boy looked up at Remus, smiling in delight, only for his grin to fade slightly. Rather than sharing in his joy Remus seemed pensive and thoughtful. His earlier doubts began to push towards the forefront as he wondered if Remus knew who Firebolt was really from.
"Remus?" he asked, finding his voice.
"Sorry Harry... just thinking," Remus said. "This is a bit much."
"It is!" Hermione said, surprising the rest of the group as she butted in. "I mean... this is an amazing gift and you must make sure you let the Lord of Sevii know that you are thankful for it." When Remus and Harry stared at the bushy haired girl in confusion Hermione merely shrugged, trying her best to look nonchalant. "I mean, the Lord of Sevii is a powerful man who does Avalon a great service by holding the Team Nocturne agents and grunts in his prison. If Harry didn't express his gratitude properly the Lord might take offense and... well, I don't want any of those prisoners anywhere near Avalon."
"That... is true," Remus said. "But-"
"And then there is the whole issue with the Father of Johto!" Hermione exclaimed. "I mean, Jack Kenway isn't known for being the most calm or level-headed person! If you were to do something stupid, like... return Firebolt and say you couldn't accept him... Mr. Kenway might see it as a slap in the face and the next thing we know Luna and I are leading an army against invading Johto forces."
"Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers!" Luna declared dramatically, standing tall and proud, waving her cane like a sword. "For all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand... men of the West!" Luna Jr. held her bone club aloft as well, joining Luna in posing heroically.
"Exactly!" Hermione said with a grin. "Thank you Luna!" She locked eyes with Remus and smiled sweetly. "I think the only thing you can do is accept Firebolt and make it known that you are thankful... lest we start some international incidents."
Remus looked at her for a moment before shaking his head. "Yes... yes, you are right." He looked down at Harry and any doubt or concern that had been in the older man's eyes faded away as he saw how tightly Harry was hugging Firebolt. "I'll have to pull up my notes on racing Cyndaquils so you can be prepared."
"Thank you Remus," Harry said... and not just for the notes.
"Well... I suddenly feel drained," McGonagall said. "I think I need a cup of tea."
"I'll have a cuppa myself," Remus said, giving Harry a pat on the shoulder before moving to join his old Head of House. Luna sat next to Hagrid, the two of them discussing things only the two of them would understand, while Harry merely continued to look at Hermione. The girl looked at him, smiling shyly.
"Hermione..." Harry said softly for her ears only. "I... I don't know how you knew..."
"I don't know what your-"
Harry held up his hand. "When you are ready to tell me what your secret is... I'll be ready." Harry smiled and hugged his friend. "Thank you."
~MC~MC~MC~
Author's Note: And thus Harry finally gets his house pokemon, a Cyndaquil! I knew since I began this series that, somehow, Sirius would give Harry a Cyndaquil. I debated on it either being at Winter Solstice or at the end of the book, around the time that Sirius, in Rowling's world, got Ron Pig. I decided, however, that it would be fitting that Harry get Cyndaquil as a gift during the holiday, just as he got his mother's signature Pokemon in first year.
The other gifts were fun to come up with. I knew I didn't want anyone else to get a Pokémon, as I wanted the getting of a Pokémon to be a special thing, a gift that is rarely given. Harry has gotten two so far and both of them were very special gifts. He maybe get one or two more as gifts but after this it will all be about catching new Pokemon.
So, for those that are wondering, Harry's seven Pokemon are:
Eevee- His starter Pokémon, got at Ollivanders'. It is the child of Voldemort's Eevee.
Ludwig- A gift during first year, the givern unknown... for now. It is the child of Lily's Chandlure.
Togepi- Captured in the Ice Cavern after Quirrel killed Togepi's parents
Dobby- Gotten in a three way trade: Harry traded Emolga to Ron for his Magikarp, then traded Magikarp to an unsuspecting Lucius Malfoy for Dobby
Zygarde- The Beast of Slytherin, captured in battle with the aid of Cobalion, the Sword of Gryffindor
Hedwig- Caught in Northern Avalon with Remus' help. Harry Pokemagnus partner.
Firebolt- A gift from Sirius. The son of James' Typlosion.
Don't ask me what made me think of this, but I suddenly had a flash of inspiration as I was writing about Luna's gifts and I've decided that, when she grows up, Luna's main trainer outfit will resemble Carmen Sandiego's outfit. I don't know... I just think it would fit Luna well to be running around with a big fedora, a long coat, her cane, and a whole menagerie of strange and wonderful Pokémon.
Yes, Sirius is spending the Solstice with Jack and his family. And their holiday tradition involves blowing up a ham… most likely one they stole from Lance.
I have gotten many questions via PM and some reviews about more info on what the Avalon Region would be like if it were an official Pokémon Game World. Obviously I know who the Elite Four are and all the Gym Leaders and that will appear in this series but there are other things that won't. For example, I know, if I were designing the game, what the three starters would be. For the next three chapters, I will detail them for you guys. NOTE! None of these fakemon will appear in this story. This is just for fun.
Avalon is a region of myth and legend. For the longest time separated from the other regions, recent years have allowed trainers to visit this mysterious new world and encounter Pokemon that were believed to have only been fairy tales. With its cold north, massive southern shoreline, deep network of caves, ancient ruins and mysterious forests, Avalon is a place where it is easy to get lost… and you might not mind never being found.
First up, the Water Starter… mostly because I tend to pick the Water Starter when I play the games (My first starters were, in order: Bulbasaur, Cyndaquil, Mudkip, Piplup, Oswawott, and Froakie). I mostly do the Water Starter because I tend not to like the other Water Pokemon the games give out so I'd rather get a cool Water one then find a Fire and Grass one that works for me.
I don't have names for these guys, so if you have suggestions make them in review… if I like one I will make it 'official'.
The water starter is based on the myth of the Capricorn, the half-goat, half-fish creature. The basic stage form would be a gray furred kid (aka baby goat) with nub-like horns, two front legs (with little fins on them), and a greenish-blue fan-tail. Where the back legs would be are two sets of medium size fins. It tends to stay by the shore due to its lack of mobility on the land. It can come onto the beach but it is slow. In water it is much faster.
The first evolution sees the Water Starter gaining a set of back legs (in the same blue-green scales as the tail) a larger fan which is more blade-like, and both sets of legs have fins on them now. The horns have grown into standard short horns, very straight. It also has gained a shark fin on its back. This second stage can easily move on land or in the water. The stats change between its first form and this, as its speed goes UP now that it has both sets of legs.
The second evolution (which I right now call Zodiacorn) is clearly a full adult and master of the land and sea. Long powerful legs like a racehorse, a fully realized tail with shark fin, horns now curl back over its head, and for the males a short 'beard' that is the same color as its tail. The legs also have larger fins that, like the tail, look like blades. The final evolution gains a secondary type: Ground.
Each Avalon Starter has a Hidden Ability. The Water Starter's is 'All Terrian'. This ability means all type matchup increases/decreases are nullified if one of the field modifying moves is used. Thus, if 'Sunny Skies' or 'Hail' is in affect, the Water Starter now takes normal damage from Grass types.
The next chapter will move us back into some action. This was just the calm before the roller coaster car gets to the first hill massive hill.