Avian Anarchy
by Teddylonglong
All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling or Disney, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.
Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, magically powerful Harry. Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.
Amelia returned to her office, feeling sad after taking Susan to the station to board the Hogwarts Express. 'It's going to be a quiet year without her,' she thought. While she would have liked to wait until the Hogwarts Express left, she hurriedly returned to her office after seeing Susan off, knowing that Sirius had already called for three of her Aurors to take someone into custody. ''Sirius,' she thought in amusement, 'not even really back into office and he already catches criminals. Even if Molly is not really a criminal.' Oh well, it's good to have Sirius back in any case,' she thought with a small smile playing on her lips at the thought of her former fiancé.
She inwardly groaned in annoyance, when three of her Aurors brought Molly Weasley into her office and told her what had happened. Two of the woman's children trailed behind her.
"Thank you. You're dismissed. Moody, will you please take the children to Arthur and tell him that I'll contact him shortly." Her oldest Auror nodded in understanding.
"What happened?"
The redhead looked at her in clear exasperation. "I was taking Ron and Ginny to platform nine and three quarters and must have accidentally said something about muggles. Then Sirius came and said I was arrested."
"I am sure that Lord Black would not arrest you without sufficient reason. Would you mind being questioned under Veritaserum?"
"What if not?" Molly simply stared at her without any respect for the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement whatsoever.
"If not, you'll simply be taken into a ministry holding cell until your trial is going to take place." If Molly wasn't going to show any remorse, she would not show any lenience either.
"Do I really need a trial? I merely said that the place was swamped with muggles, which it was. I must take Ron and Ginny to Hogwarts now that they've already missed the train."
"I am certain that Arthur will be very well able to take the children to the school."
Amelia's annoyance at the redhead grew steadily. She let out a deep sigh. "Very well, Molly, as it was the first time and your children are going to Hogwarts now anyway, I will let you go. However, you are under probation, and if anything else happens, I will not be as lenient again. Do you understand me?"
"Yes. Thank you, Amelia."
"You may say good-bye to the children." Amelia motioned Molly to follow her and led her into Arthur's office, where her colleague was entertaining two seemingly distraught children.
"Take care of yourselves at Hogwarts." Molly burst into tears.
"Hogwarts?" Arthur's brows narrowed. "Only Ron is going to go to Hogwarts this time. Ginny will have to wait for another year."
"No Dad, Professor Dumbledore said I could attend Hogwarts together with Ron."
"I was told that both children were going to Hogwarts, which is why I released your wife for now." Amelia inwardly groaned. 'Why do people make things more complicated than they are?' "I will floo-call Minerva," she decided.
She returned to her office and leaned into the fireplace to speak with the deputy headmistress of Hogwarts.
"Sorry Minerva, may I disturb you for a minute?"
"Of course, dear. Did something happen with Susan?" The older witch cast her a genuinely concerned look.
"No." Amelia gave her former professor a small smile. "She is fine and supposed to be sitting on the Hogwarts Express in absolute excitement. It is something else. Apparently, Albus promised Molly Weasley to accept her daughter as a first-year."
"No." Minerva's response was prompt and firm. "Why should we make an exception for the girl? Everyone else has to wait until they're elven, too."
Sighing, Amelia told Minerva what had happened at the station. "I believe that Molly has a bad influence on her children. Arthur, on the other hand, is working full-time at the ministry and I am working on the minister to promote him to a better paid job due to the family's financial problems. Therefore, he can't regularly take hours off to look after his daughter. I would appreciate it if Hogwarts could make this exception for once."
"All right then, under these circumstances and because it's you who is asking, I agree."
"Thank you, Minerva. I shall see to it that the Hogwarts fees will be paid as soon as possible."
She ended the connection and returned to Arthur's office to tell her colleague the good news.
"Thank you so much, Amelia." 'Arthur is a good man, and in contrary to his wife he possesses some decorum,' she thought, smiling at the redhead. "Arthur, please take the rest of the day off and spend it with your children. I'll inform everyone. Just see to it that they get to Hogwarts on time."
She told the children to have fun at Hogwarts and instructed Molly to go home and behave, before she headed to the Aurors' office to speak with Sirius for a moment.
HP
Harry and the twins occupied a compartment together. They were soon joined by a friend of the twins, whom they introduced as Lee Jordan. A few minutes later, a seemingly shy boy hesitantly pushed the door open.
"May I sit here?"
#That must be Neville, my godson. He's just six hours older than you.# Hedwig sounded excited.
"Of course. I am a first-year, too." Harry smiled at the boy.
"I am Neville Longbottom."
"Harry Potter, and these are Fred and George Weasley and their friend, Lee Jordan."
"Harry Potter? You're my godbrother." The other boy cast him a broad smile. "I am very happy to see you."
"Likewise."
The five boys spent the train ride chattering about everything under the sun.
"Where do you think you're going to be sorted?" Lee looked at the two first-years, questioningly.
"I'm probably going to be a Hufflepuff, because my magic is too weak to be in Gryffindor. At least that's what my Granny says."
Hedwig let out an angry growl, and Paws joined her in growling.
"Hey, what are you growling at?" Harry enquired, gently caressing the puppy's ears.
=Hedwig seems to be upset at what the boy said, so I'm growling at him for upsetting our familiar.=
Harry rolled his eyes at the canine.
#His parents' magic was as strong as mine, so I don't believe that his magic is weak. Plus, the choice of the house depends on your character and not on the strength of your magic. What nonsense.#
Harry swiftly translated for the other boy, who cast him a grateful look. "Your phoenix seems to be very clever."
#Tell him.#
"My phoenix was my mother in her former life, and she just told me she was your godmother." Harry's voice was soft, and he smiled at Neville, who stared at the phoenix in disbelief.
"Is that really true?" he enquired.
Hedwig nodded her head, before she carefully climbed down Harry's arm and stepped over onto Neville's lap, turning her head in invitation to have her crown feather's caressed.
Neville did her the favour, seeming clearly amazed at the bird on his lap.
#Harry please ask Neville if he has a proper wand.#
Harry obediently translated, and Neville explained that his grandmother had given him his father's wand and told him that it was a great honour for him to be allowed to use his father's wand.
"She said that my father was a great wizard, and that I should live up to his expectations. Apparently, she is very disappointed in me."
#Do I understand that correctly? She taught you magic and made you do it with Frank's wand?#
"Yes."
#What rubbish. A wand choses the wizard and not the other way round. You're not your father. You need to get your own wand and make your own way. Do not even try to get into Gryffindor. Go to Slytherin or wherever you like. Show your grandmother that you're not your father but that you're a completely different yet wonderful wizard. Don't misunderstand me. I was best friends with your parents, but you're not him. You'll be yourself, and I am sure that you will do greatly.#
"Really?" Neville cast Harry an incredulous look.
"Well, that was only a translation of what Hedwig said, but I believe that she's right."
"That's definitely true…"
"… and you should just forget everything…"
"… that your grandmother told you."
"The twins are right," Harry said, giving the other boy an encouraging smile.
"Thank you all, thanks Hedwig." A huge smile spread over Neville's face.
Before Harry realised how fast the time passed, they reached Hogsmeade and had to get off the train.
HP
"You'll need to take the boats…"
"… so, we'll see you at the Sorting."
Harry and Neville stared behind the twins, when Hedwig thought to Harry, 'Do you see the half-giant over there? That's Hagrid.'
"Come Neville," Harry said, urgently, as he dragged his new friend with him to a very large man, who was shouting around.
"Firs' years, over 'ere!"
He ushered them into a boat, where they sat together with two girls. The girls remained quiet, and Harry and Neville did not talk either, but simply enjoyed the scenery.
'From here, Hogwarts is the most beautiful,' Hedwig thought to Harry. 'Enjoy it, because only the first-years get to ride the boats.'
'It is gorgeous,' Harry thought back, feeling more excited by the minute, as they approached the large castle.
HP
Harry followed the crowd though a flight of stairs with Hedwig sitting firmly on his shoulder and Paws on his heels as usual. When the group stopped on a landing, an older witch, whom Harry knew from what he watched on the screen in Santa's Workshop to be Professor McGonagall, greeted them.
"You will soon be sorted into one of the four houses of Hogwarts," she said and gave them a short introduction to each of the houses, before she motioned them to wait for a moment.
"Excuse me," a girl with bushy, brown hair addressed him, "why do you have two pets? On the paper, it said we could bring one pet."
Harry stared at the girl in surprise. "They are not my pets; they are my familiars. I asked for Professor McGonagall's permission beforehand, because otherwise, I would not have attended Hogwarts at all. You can't leave a familiar behind," he added as an afterthought.
"A familiar is nothing else than a pet." The girl looked at him in apparent confusion.
A blond boy stepped forward, whom Harry recognised as the boy, who had been looking for him on the train offering his friendship, which Harry had gladly accepted.
"You must be muggleborn. A familiar is very different from a pet, and Potter explained it absolutely correctly."
A roan went through the crowd at the mentioning of Harry's name.
"Harry Potter?" a redhead spoke up, as he stepped nearer. "It's your fault that my Mum is in prison now."
Harry stared at the boy, incredulously, when Draco once again came to his help.
"Let's see what we have here, a redhead, hand-me-down robes. You can only be a Weasley."
"What's wrong with being a Weasley?" an equally redheaded girl spoke up.
"You mean apart from that they multiply like rabbits? Only they can manage to produce two children on time for them to be in the same Hogwarts year in spite of not being twins." Draco quirked an eyebrow, while most of the first-years began to laugh.
Before anyone could comment any further, Professor McGonagall returned and motioned them to follow her into the Great Hall.
HP
Harry looked around in amazement. Even if he had seen the Great Hall on Santa's screen before, it was a different matter to actually be in it and have the enchanted ceiling right over his head.
He tuned out a girl's explanation about Rowena Ravenclaw, who had charmed the ceiling, only realising that it was the same girl, who had previously questioned him about his two familiars.
Professor McGonagall began to read names from a long scroll.
'Where do I want to be sorted?' Harry wondered. While Sirius insisted that Gryffindor was the one and only house to get into, Santa, Claire and his mother had told him that he would do well in any house.
"Harry, do you really not mind, where you're going to be sorted?" Neville suddenly whispered to him in continuation from a conversation, which they had already had on the train.
"Not at all. Any house will be fine," he whispered back, "and my Mum said we can be friends no matter which houses we are in."
HP
Neville walked to the front of the Great Hall in determination, smiling in excitement, when Professor McGonagall placed the Hat onto his head.
Suddenly, a faint voice penetrated his mind. 'This is difficult. What am I going to do with you?'
'Not Gryffindor please. I want to show my Gran that I am myself and not a replicate of my father.'
'A brilliant idea. Then we better make it…'
'What?' Neville wondered, when the Hat shouted into the Great Hall.
"Slytherin."
HP
Harry gave his friend a thumbs up, as he passed the first-years on his way to the Slytherin table.
'Mum, I think you did him a great favour,' he thought to Hedwig. 'He seems much happier than when we met him first this morning.'
'I hope so.'
He noticed that Draco was called to the Hat and was sent to Slytherin, before the Hat had even touched his head. He observed how Draco sat next to Neville at the Slytherin table.
A few minutes later, Professor McGonagall finally called out, "Potter, Harry."
'You would do well in any house. Do you have any preference?' the Hat thought to him.
'Slytherin would be an option,' Harry thought back, considering that he had already two friends in said house.
He smiled broadly, when the Hat shouted, "Slytherin."
When he returned the Hat to Professor McGonagall, still smiling happily, he realised that the other students, who had so far applauded after each Sorting, had turned absolutely quiet. Only the Slytherin table was cheering and clapping.
'Well, never mind,' Harry thought, as he strode to his new house table, feeling very much reassured, when Draco and Neville made space for him between them. He sat between his friends, smiling, when Paws lay down on his feet as usual.
"I hope Gran won't send me a Howler. She will be extremely displeased."
"And if she does?" Draco cast Neville a challenging look.
"Everyone in the Great Hall will hear it." Neville looked outright terrified.
#Then you'll send one back and time it so that she'll receive it in the middle of a Wizengamot meeting.#
Harry quickly translated Hedwig's trills, causing everyone nearby to blurt out laughing.
"Your phoenix is brilliant," Draco said.
"Do you know how to make a Howler?"
#Of course.#
"Hedwig will teach us if we need it."
Harry had been so engrossed in the conversation that he only barely noticed that a redhead took the empty seat on Draco's other side. He only looked up upon Draco's sneer.
"What is a Weasley doing at the Slytherin table?"
tbc...
Thank you so much for the many kind reviews for the previous chapter! Please let me know what you thought about this one and what you expect from this story.
Next chapter: "First-years".