AN: Hey, everyone! Quick note, I accidentally got the colors switched around for baby-Hedwig's feathers. It was supposed to be orange with white edging, instead of white with orange edging. I updated that chapter, just in case anyone's confused about the sudden switch in color schemes. Enjoy!
About a week after Hedwig was attacked and accidentally transformed into a Phoenix - which still amazes everyone, as most can't imagine how someone could accidentally turn an Owl into a Phoenix, and again with what happened by accident when Fudge came and tried to arrest her during lunch the next day - a week where Bloom hasn't let the not-so-baby bird out of her sight, and will tell anyone, politely or otherwise depending on the person, that she won't send Hedwig up to the Owlery just because they want her to.
Its usually not a polite telling, as mainly only Dumbledore and Umbridge have said it - the only polite instance anyone actually knows of was Snape during Potions class, and Hedwig hopped onto Bloom's shoulder and Bloom put a Sticking Charm so Hedwig and any of her feathers wouldn't fall off. It satisfied the Potions professor, much to everyone's amazement since he usually never lets anyone have even a pocket-sized pet in his class.
By now, Hedwig's grown a full coat of feathers - her body feathers are the same color as Bloom's hair, and her magic, and edged with white while her tail feathers are the white color that fire burns when it's as hot as it will get.
Bloom, Luna, and Susan get into the Room of Requirement, with Bloom asking the Room to hide its entrance from any adult that doesn't approve. Susan asks "Bloom, you sure about this?"
Bloom nods, and says "Absolutely. Everybody expects me to simply dance to their tune. Especially Dumbledore and Fudge. No more. The Wizarding World is about to learn the girl they worship is more than willing to stand up for herself."
Luna gives Bloom a dreamy smile, and says "There'll be a riot to deal with if they learn everything all at once."
Bloom sighs, and says "I know. And I don't want that. What I want is to be allowed to live my life as I see fit. Not dancing along to Dumbledore's tune. Much less Cornelius Fudge's song and dance. He's quick to turn on anyone to save his own skin - and his job. Well, I'm going to make sure he won't be able to salvage it."
Susan whistles, and says "You don't want to kill him. You want to destroy him. Vicious."
Bloom simply shrugs, and says "I learned the hard way that the dead don't suffer, only the living. Of course, that was before I learned ghosts are a real thing. But…neither Fudge nor Dumbledore would actually come back as ghosts. Dumbledore sees death as 'the next great adventure' - at least, that's what he says - while Fudge is too much of a coward to not take the easy way out. So, I think I'll make them watch as everything they've built comes crashing down around their ears. Dumbledore and his bloodyn reputation, Fudge and his precious career. Are we ready, ladies?"
Susan nods, and says "I Owled my Aunt to listen for this. Luna?"
Luna pulls out a small metal ball, and says "Daddy booked this timeslot for the interview. Shall we start?" Bloom nods, and a table big enough for the three of them appears. Luna places the metal ball in the middle of the table, taps it with her wand, and says "Hello, Wizarding Wireless. This is Luna Lovegood, chief Editor and Reporter for the Quibbler. I have two very special guests today, Susan Bones and Bloom Potter. Would you two ladies like to say hello to our listeners?"
Both do so, and Susan says "I'm basically here to provide some context, as well as ensure that everyone knows what's said today is entirely truthful. Bloom, Luna, hold out your arms, please."
Luna says "For the record, everyone, we're going to be performing an Unbreakable Vow on the truth of what is stated in this interview, with Susan Bones as the officiator. A Wizard's Oath merely strips a person of their magic if they break it, which wouldn't be very noticeable over the air. Hence why we're doing the Vow. Bloom, are you ready?"
"I am."
"Do you, Bloom Potter, swear to tell the truth when you answer my questions?"
"I do."
"Do you swear to reveal as many of your secrets as you feel you can without putting your life or that of anyone else you wish to protect at risk?"
"I do."
"Do you swear to tell us the truth of the events of your life, to the best of your recollection?"
"I do." Bloom smirks, as she and Luna had agreed to interview Bloom about who she is and how she grew up this first time - they're going to show the Wizarding World who they've been relying on to save them in a crisis, and just how much of 'the Girl-Who-Lived' is merely rumor and fiction stories.
Umbridge is grading essays when Fudge's face appears in her fire, looking absolutely frantic. "Dolores! Find Potter! Make her shut up! Crash the interview, I'm swamped with Howlers!"
Umbridge gets a confused look, and asks "What Howlers?"
"The ones concerning the Interview Potter's doing with the Quibbler! Its on the Wizarding Wireless!"
Dumbledore is trying to block out the five different Howlers screaming in his face, even as more birds arrive with bright red envelopes. One's telling him how he failed as Bloom Potter's Magical Guardian, leaving her to be raised by a pack of filthy abusive Muggles - and that's the one that really makes him worried, as nobody should know that he was Bloom's Magical Guardian until it was transferred to Sirius upon being cleared of all charges and being released from St. Mungo's.
He Silences as many of the Howlers as he can at a time, until they're all mouthing silently at him, and then turns on his Wizarding radio to have a distraction from them. He nearly falls out of his chair at the voice that comes out of it.
-in a tree, all night. I was eight, I believe. I eventually fell asleep sitting on a tree branch - on Christmas night, to. When I woke up, Vernon was yelling at me loud enough to get the entire street's attention - I don't remember how, but apparently I made the tree grow all its leaves back overnight. I climbed a barren tree that Christmas night, I woke up to a tree full of leaves and acorns.
How remarkable, even in the Wizarding World. And you say you never used a spell?
I didn't know a spell, Luna. I still don't know a spell that can bring a tree into full bloom in the middle of winter. It was entirely accidental, seeing as I didn't even know I could bring the tree to life just by sleeping in it in the first place.
So, I'm sure everyone listening is wondering this….why would you go back there if they were so awful to you? You did return to Four Privet Drive, right?
Not by choice. Professor Dumbledore made me go back, saying it was for my own good and that the school couldn't allow any student to stay over the summer.
Dumbledore scrambles out of his office to find Bloom Potter and Luna Lovegood and put a stop to this interview before more Howlers come - he can already see an absolute tide of them coming. Literally, as more Owls are flying towards his window.
Bloom and Luna head to their separate Common Rooms through the Room of Requirement, and Bloom gets mobbed by nearly the entirety of Gryffindor House. Asking if everything she said really happened to her, asking if that's why she disappeared, asking where 4 Privet Drive is exactly so they can give the Dursleys a piece of their mind.
Bloom just answers all the questions, then heads up to her, Hermione, and Lavender's dorm to practice Transmutation some more - she's almost got it, she'd have it if she were working with physical objects. She can turn fire into objects, but the fire is produced by her magic igniting...and there's always some that doesn't get used, unfortunately.
What she's trying to do is more ambitious though - she's trying to turn pure magic into a solid object, a large one. In theory, it'll be more efficient than setting her magic on fire and using that to make an object. At least, she hopes it will be. Preferably, she wants to make something she can throw and seriously injure her enemies with. A knife, maybe? A sword?
Either way, Tommy-boy and Dumbledore are both going to have quite the shock when they realize she's not some scared little girl. Voldemort's going to have to go up against a fighter armed with the Dragon Flame and an active imagination coupled with a love of magic.
Those last two alone are a deadly combination - if you love magic, then your much more likely to practice it, and if you've got an active imagination then your more likely to come up with new ideas and new ways of doing things. Or, possibly, whole new spells that nobody else knows.
That combination, powered by the Dragon Flame...turns into an almost literal force of nature.
AN: Hey, everyone! Next chapter is up! Did everyone like the interview? First in a series of them - most of them going to happen between chapters, unfortunately. If anyone wants a list of topics, they include her yearly adventures, what happened to Sirius, the Triwizard Tournament and what happened in the Third Task, and what Umbridge is currently doing. She's going to HATE that one!
Anyway, enjoy! More chapters coming soon!