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.
Harry inwardly grinned, as he saw the nine snakes, which had replaced the one toad in his hour glass in the Slytherin common room, only to notice that Neville observed him in apparent amusement, when his friend spoke up.
"See, he just had to award you the ten snakes for winning the match."
"I really don't understand why the professor holds such a grudge against you," Draco said, as he handed out biscuits from a parcel, which he had received from his mother earlier.
"Apparently because I look like my father, and they were arch enemies." Harry shrugged, as he absentmindedly fed his biscuit to Paws. Everyone in Slytherin knew that, but no one could really comprehend it. "At least, he usually leaves me in peace now, even if he tries to give me toads at every opportunity."
"That's because you're not only good at Potions, but also try to help Neville," Daphne stated.
"I'm sorry for being such a dunderhead in Potions to speak with the professor."
Everyone laughed at Neville's statement. The first-year was fairly good at every other subject but Potions, especially since Professor McGonagall had taken him to Ollivander's to get his own wand – much to the displeasure of his grandmother, who wanted him to use his father's wand. However, the Gryffindor head had dealt with her old school friend. Ever since then, Neville had gained confidence and after three months of being friends with Harry, Draco, Daphne, Tracey and Ginny, he had become a very happy young wizard, far from the shy boy, whom Harry had first met on the Hogwarts Express.
HP
When the students entered the Slytherin common room in the morning of the first of December, the room was completely bathed in Christmas decorations.
Harry inwardly groaned, immediately knowing that it had been Paws' doing. The puppy had been waiting for an opportunity to decorate the room ever since they had come to Hogwarts three months ago.
To his relief, none of the older students made any nasty comment; on the contrary, everyone eyed the decorations in apparent amazement.
"May I ask who did this?" Roger, the seventh-year head boy, asked.
#It's all right to tell them.#
Harry glanced at Paws. The canine was stretched out in front of the fireplace. The thick, green carpet had quickly become his favourite. Next to him, Theodore's cat Salazar, a completely black feline, was curled up, so that their backs touched each other. Receiving a comforting nod from the canine, Harry hesitantly spoke up.
"That was Paws, but would you please not give him away to Professor Snape? Considering that he hates me with a passion, he probably won't like it."
"Rubbish, Potter. Take 10 snakes for your familiar's brilliant work."
Harry cast Roger a surprised look. "Thank you." 'Well done, Paws,' he telepathically commended the canine. 'I have nineteen snakes now,' he thought in delight. 'How cool is that?' Apparently, if they manged to have fifty snakes, they would receive a special reward. However, none of the current members of Slytherin house had ever achieved it. It was common belief that it would be a voucher for the Apothecary in Hogsmeade. 'Oh well, Snape will never allow me to accumulate fifty snakes,' he thought. 'He'll give me enough toads to make up for the snakes.'
He was brought back to reality, when their head of house entered the common room. Naturally, the professor had a different opinion concerning the decorations.
"Whoever made these nonsense decorations, please remove them. This is a school and not a Christmas market."
"But professor…"
"We like them…"
"And we think they're really well done," Ginny, Tracey and Daphne said, causing many others to voice their agreement.
"I shall leave it to the prefects to deal with this," Snape said, before he left the room in apparent disdain, pointing out that it was time to head to the Great Hall for breakfast.
'I wished Snape knew who I was,' Hedwig thought to Harry, 'but as long as he's not willing to give you his oath, you can't tell him.'
Harry remained pensive, while they walked to the Great Hall together with his housemates. 'Is there anything that only the two of you knew?' he thought back. 'Perhaps, you could think of a plan to reveal yourself to him?'
'I'll think about it.'
HP
"Paws," Tracey spoke up thoughtfully, when they were sitting around the Slytherin table for breakfast, "would you mind applying some of these decorations to the Great Hall as well?"
"Oh yes please," Ginny said.
"Even if the Christmas tree is well done with the snow on the top that never reaches the bottom, the rest of the Great Hall won't let any Christmas feeling come up. Please Paws." Daphne reached out to gently caress the canine's ear.
Paws licked her hand in silent promise. 'Wait for me,' he thought to Harry, when everyone left the Great Hall twenty minutes later.
The six friends patiently waited for the canine, trusting that Hedwig would take them to the greenhouses on time for their Herbology lesson. The phoenix had done them the favour before, when they had been running late for their Potions class.
They observed in amazement how the Great Hall was slowly turned into an almost perfect Christmas scenery.
"We only need some snow now," Tracey whispered to the others.
#That's easy.# Hedwig took off from Harry's shoulder and sat on one of the torches along the wall. An instant later, snow was falling in the Great Hall in spite of the blue winter sky that they could see through the charmed ceiling. It stopped at a height that would even allow Hagrid to walk underneath without getting wet.
"Well done, Hedwig." Neville gave the phoenix a huge smile, and everyone agreed.
They stared at their surroundings in amazement and were only brought out of their stupor, when Hedwig hovered in front of the girls invitingly turning her back to them.
"Oh, we need to go," Daphne said. "Thank you so much for taking us to the greenhouses."
Hedwig let out a happy trill, before she flashed away with a few pieces of ice splashing over the boys, causing Paws to shake himself in apparent disgust.
"Paws come here to me, so you can go with us." Harry smiled, as the canine immediately obeyed. He lifted him up into his arms, just when Hedwig returned to fetch the boys.
HP
The six friends and Harry's familiars returned to the Great Hall for lunch in expectation. 'I hope the other professors will like the decorations unlike Snape,' Harry thought, as he lowered himself into his seat between Draco and Neville.
However, the headmaster's reaction was not only surprising but exceeded his expectations by far.
"To whom do we owe these fantastic decorations?" Dumbledore asked, looking around the Great Hall in apparent delight.
Harry inwardly thanked his housemates for not giving him and Paws away. Not even Snape said anything, although it had to be obvious for the professor that it had been someone from his house.
"Apparently, someone is shy. Anyway, take one hundred points for your house." With that, the headmaster took back his seat, where he was immediately involved in a conversation between McGonagall, Hooch and Pomfrey.
"Too bad that our pets aren't able to get house points for us," Theodore Nott whispered.
=We're not pets but familiars.=
"Is that different in the matter of house points?" Harry whispered to the canine, who put his front paws against Harry's legs and gently licked his hand.
They should realise soon that familiars were indeed able to gain house points. As soon as lunch was over, the whole school headed out into the entrance hall to get a glimpse at the hour glasses.
"It's Slytherin. They're in the lead now," Harry heard someone say.
'Was that Granger?' he wondered, while the members of the other three houses walked away in clear disappointment. 'She's a good student, but she really is a know-it-all.' He mostly tried to ignore the girl, knowing that she used every opportunity to criticize Paws – in spite of the fact that the canine had probably saved her life, when he defeated the troll six weeks ago.
HP
From this first of December onwards, the Slytherin students practically worshipped Paws, who clearly bathed in the attention. During their Hogsmeade visit the following Saturday, several of the older students went to the pet shop and bought bones for him, knowing that Paws absolutely loved chewing bones.
"My, aren't you a pampered dog?" Daphne said to the canine one day, causing Paws to look up from the overly large bone he was just chewing and waggle his tail in apparent delight.
=I can't wait to return to the North Pole though. Even if the elves at Hogwarts are nice and make my favourite meals for me, the elves on the North Pole are even more proficient.=
"I'm looking forward to go home next week, too," Harry replied, grinning broadly at the prospect of returning to the North Pole soon.
#Me too.#
HP
"Harry," Ginny addressed him later the same evening. "I asked the twins if I could return home with them, because I really don't want to spend Christmas with my mother and Ron…"
Harry nodded, wondering where the conversation was going to lead.
"But the twins told me that they'd only be at home over Christmas and would be spending the rest of the holidays with you?"
"Yes, that's true. They are working for my godfather, Sirius Black, because he pays their Hogwarts fees for them."
"What?!" The girl stared at him in clear shock.
Harry let out a small chuckle. "Don't worry, they're not really working hard. They're being taught in Potions and invent pranks for Sirius. In fact, we had much fun during the summer."
Ginny's eyes widened in apparent surprise. "Wow."
"Your brothers must be really lucky," Daphne said. "Moreover, Sirius Black is the Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black and the head of the Wizengamot. They must have really done well to get his attention, considering that they're only third-years."
"They're really great brothers, even if my Mum doesn't approve of them at all." Ginny smiled, proudly.
'They're great friends, too, and I look forward to spending time with them on the North Pole,' Harry thought.
'You better go to bed, before she asks if she may accompany the twins,' Hedwig instructed him, and Harry quickly accepted her advice.
When he excused himself and returned to his room with Hedwig and Paws in tow, Draco and Neville immediately followed him, making Harry smile. 'They really have become good friends, too,' he thought, feeling happier than he had ever felt, before Hedwig bonded with him. He lay down in his bed, smiling when Paws wriggled his way under his covers.
'Only a week of school left before Christmas,' he thought, as Paws pressed himself against his stomach. Feeling comfortably warm so close together, they quickly drifted off to sleep.
HP
When the first-years were on their way to the Transfiguration classroom the following morning, Hedwig suddenly spoke up.
#Harry, will you please excuse me for a while? I have an errand to run and will return to the North Pole for a few minutes.#
"Is everything all right?" Harry gave the phoenix a questioning look.
#Everything is all right, son. There's just something I want to take care of, and I'll tell you later on. If you need me for some reason, just think to me, and I'll be here in a blink.#
=Be careful.= With that, the puppy dashed ahead into the Transfiguration classroom and jumped onto the teacher's desk.
"Paws, come down here," Harry hissed. "Professor McGonagall knows better than to transform into her feline form, when you're nearby."
Everyone laughed at the puppy's apparent pout, when he jumped down and made himself comfortable on Harry's feet.
HP
At the same time, Amelia Bones called Arthur Weasley over and led him into the minister's office.
"Minister Fudge, Amelia," Arthur greeted them, seeming surprised at the ad hoc meeting this shortly before Christmas.
"Amelia, will you please explain, considering that this whole case is your meddling." Fudge eyed the redhead in apparent amusement.
'Thank Merlin he took Sirius' and my meddling well,' Amelia thought, before she began to inform Arthur about their newest plan.
"As you might or might not know, the Black family is in the possession of more than a few companies, in the magical as well as in the muggle world. For one of these muggle companies, Sirius needs a new director, and he suggested that you as the director of the Muggle Liaison Office, might be interested to fulfil the position. You will, of course, still be employed by the Ministry of Magic in your current position, however, you will also work for the muggle company and receive a fairly good salary in addition. You may of course use magic, however, need to be careful that the muggles do not notice it."
Arthur frowned. "This is a great honour, and I thank you very much. However, how can I fulfil two positions at once? Am I going to use a time turner?"
Amelia chuckled. "No, that will not be necessary, as the position at the muggle company is the top position. You will report directly to Sirius as the owner, and you will have approximately twenty people of staff who will do the work. The sole tasks which you will have to do by yourself will be done quickly using magic. Sirius believes that it suffices if you show up at the company once a day for about an hour."
"Do you accept the position?" Fudge asked.
"Thank you for suggesting me, and yes, if you believe that I can handle this position, I gladly accept."
HP
Hedwig flashed home to the North Pole. She quickly greeted Santa and Claire, knowing that they were very busy just a few days before Christmas. She then flashed to where she could sense Sirius.
Sirius was just trying to teach one of the elves the Animagus Transformation.
#Why would Pixie need to transform into a dog?# Hedwig looked from the elf to Sirius in disbelief.
"Pixie is responsible for the puppies, and she'd love to become a canine herself to be better able to care for them."
Pixie nodded eagerly at Sirius' explanation.
Suddenly, an idea crossed Hedwig's mind. #Sirius, do you think I'd be able to become an Animagus? I'd love to have a canine Animagus form, too.#
"A phoenix turned dog?" Sirius laughed aloud, before he sobered and promised, "I'll watch Harry and you trying to manage the Animagus transformation once you're back for the Christmas holidays."
#Saturday next week, we'll return home, and all three of us are looking forward to it. Today, I need you ask you for a favour though.#
She quickly explained the matter to Sirius, who immediately agreed to assist, before the flashed to the OHL at Diagon Alley together.
HP
Later the same day, Petunia and Vernon Dursley were having dinner together in the kitchen of their new home, which had been completely re-built over the last five months. They had not even questioned how the re-building had proceeded so fast and were just glad to be back in their own home after spending five months in a hotel room.
They both looked up in shock, when something knocked against the kitchen window. It was a yellow owl.
"Let's just ignore it and go to bed."
Petunia nodded. "Let's do that."
Unfortunately, their attempt to ignore the owl was not overly fruitful, as it followed them to the window of their bedroom and did not take well to being ignored.
"Vernon, I think we must let it in, before it wakes up the whole neighbourhood with that noise."
Seeing her husband nod, she hurried towards the window and allowed the owl inside, only to stare after its retreating body in shock, after it merely dropped a red letter onto her feet.
The parchment opened itself as if by magic and began to shout at her in what she immediately recognised as her late sister's voice.
"Petunia Dursley! How dare you treat my son like a piece of shit? He did nothing to you or your family to deserve such a treatment from his only living relatives. I am glad that in spite of his upbringing with you and your horrible family he turned out such a nice and loving boy, of whom I can be really proud.
Only recently, I have finally remembered who I was in my former life. I am back, and I will not forget what you did to my son. You will receive my Christmas present on the day before Christmas. Look forward to it. It will only be the beginning of my thanks to you and your family.
Greetings
Lily AKA Hedwig"
HP
Arabella Figg was just looking after her cats in the front garden, when an ear-splitting scream broke the silence of the sleeping neighbourhood.
'Did that sound like Petunia Dursley, or was it just my imagination after what happened in the summer?' Arabella thought, wondering if she should just move from this more than annoying neighbourhood now that Harry Potter was not living here anymore. 'I hope Dumbledore won't mind,' she thought and resolved to find a new residence for herself and her thirty-three feline companions as soon as possible.
tbc...
Sorry for the delay. I am currently very busy at work, so that I am often too tired to write in the evenings. I will not be able to finish this story by Christmas...
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. Would you like to see more of Lily&Severus, of the Dursleys, the Weasleys...?
Next chapter: 'The Day before Christmas'.