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.
A few days later at breakfast, Ginny received a Howler, which shouted in Molly Weasley's voice.
"Ginny Weasley! How dare you try to spend Christmas anywhere else but at home? You will join your brother and return to the Burrow on Saturday evening. I will pick you up on the platform as usual, and I do not wish to hear any complaints."
Harry tuned the rest of the shouting out, inwardly shaking his head at the girl's mother. Somehow, he could not help feeling sorry for his friend.
"Would you rather remain at Hogwarts than to return home?" He gave her a questioning look.
"Oh yes, I really don't want to go home. Ron has been unbearable ever since my Sorting into Slytherin." Ginny let out a deep sigh.
"He's really horrible." Daphne shook her head in apparent annoyance.
"He seems to be the most stupid of all your brothers," Draco said, giving Ginny a compassionate look.
Harry remained pensive for a moment, before an idea manifested in his mind.
A few hours later, when he was sitting in his Charms class waiting for Professor Flitwick to begin, he quickly scribbled a note on a small parchment and handed it to Hedwig for a fast delivery.
'I believe that it's a good idea,' Hedwig thought to him, before she flashed away, covering Neville and him with small splashes of ice.
"She really has to practise," Harry whispered, as he wiped small pieces of ice from his face, causing Draco to chuckle.
HP
After the last afternoon class on Friday, Harry, Draco and Neville returned to their room to get a head start at packing their belongings.
#It's not a big deal. I'll teach you a spell to pack your things with magic.#
Draco and Neville quickly cast the spell at themselves, which they had already used a few times before, so that they were able to comprehend the phoenix.
Hedwig taught them a spell, and ten minutes later, the boys' belongings were properly packed.
"Thank you, Hedwig. You're the best." Neville cast the phoenix a broad smile.
"Paws can you stop it, please?" Draco glared at the canine, who was so excited about going home that he was running around the room jumping onto the beds and down again, repeatedly.
"Sorry," Harry apologized on his familiar's behalf, only to add, "No doggy treats tonight for dogs, who can't behave."
An instant later, Paws was sitting on his behind in front of Harry, which was his favourite begging position.
"Now, are you going to behave?" Harry's voice was strict, and everyone observed him in silence.
Paws nodded, giving him a puppy-dog look, which Harry found difficult to resist.
"Here." He handed him one of the carrot cinnamon biscuits, which Holly had recently brought for the canine. Paws absolutely loved them.
Grabbing the treat out of Harry's hand, the canine dashed under Draco's bed, where he devoured the biscuit in apparent happiness.
'Mum,' Harry thought to Hedwig. 'Do we need to board the Hogwarts Express tomorrow, or are you going to simply flash us home?'
'You have found many wonderful friends, and I believe that it would be much fun to ride the train together with them. When we arrive at King's Cross, I can flash us home.'
'May I put up some decorations, when we're on the train? Please?' Paws stared from Hedwig to Harry with a puppy-dog expression.
"Yes, you may put up Christmas decorations, but only in our compartment." Harry replied aloud and returned a stern look to the canine, who proceeded to lick his hand in silent promise.
HP
When Harry and his friends were sitting at the Slytherin table for breakfast the following morning, Harry received a letter.
'Dear Harry,
Tonight, when the Hogwarts Express arrives at King's Cross in London, Holly will park the sleigh at the far end of platform nine and three quarters. Just walk back in the direction, where the train came from, and you'll see it.
We are looking forward to having you here, although everyone on the North Pole is having a busy time. We are very proud of you.
Merry Christmas
Claire and Santa'
Smiling happily, Harry pocketed his letter, only look up in shock, when Draco mumbled something about "sounds like a fairy tale."
"Draco, it's impolite to read other peoples' letters." Daphne glared at the boy on Harry's left side.
"Sorry."
'Draco read your letter,' Hedwig thought to him, causing Harry to shake his head in annoyance.
'Do you think I could tell my friends?' he thought back. 'Only the five of them?'
'Yes, but make them swear an oath beforehand. See that you get a compartment just for the six of you.'
'All right.' Harry looked up to see the Weasley twins approach their sister.
"We just received a letter from Dad…"
"… saying that he decided to invite Mum, Ron and you…"
"… to join us over Christmas."
"Apparently, he has already asked Mum…"
"… and she agreed…"
"… probably happy to not have to cook without magic."
"Really?" Ginny eyed her brothers, wearing a doubtful expression.
The twins looked at her pretending to feel hurt. Putting their hands onto their chests, they replied, sounding upset.
"Aren't we your favourite brothers?"
"Would we tell you anything but the truth?"
"Yes." Ginny grinned, broadly, causing everyone sitting around them to laugh.
"Oh well…"
"… we'll remember that."
Turning to Harry, they added, "We're looking forward…"
"… to developing some new prank potions…"
"… for our family members…"
"… who trust us so much."
Their conversation was interrupted, when someone shouted, "The carriages arrived. Everyone get ready."
HP
#Ah, I love that hassle. It was always great fun.# The phoenix was sitting on Harry's shoulder chattering in apparent pleasure, while Paws was running ahead in obvious excitement.
Harry and his five friends managed to get a compartment together, and Harry quickly cast a silencing spell at the door.
"I'm sorry. I'd like to tell you something about myself, but I need you to swear a wizard's oath to keep to yourself what I tell you. The twins know though, so you can still speak with them, but no one else."
"Of course." Draco was the first to cast his oath, quickly followed by everyone else.
"Thank you all," Harry said, feeling extremely grateful towards his friends. He told them everything about his life after Hedwig had bonded with him, and everyone, especially the girls, who had not known anything of it, listened with apparent interest.
"So, you're now living with Santa Clause on the North Pole?" Tracey stared at him, wide-eyed.
"That's why Paws loves Christmas decorations so much," Daphne said in understanding, as she pointed to the decorations which Paws had applied all over the compartment in apparent amusement.
"Don't forget that he got one hundred house points for us," Ginny pointed out, grinning.
"You're a good boy, aren't you, Paws?" Harry gently cuddled the puppy close.
=Of course.= Paws carefully licked the hand that gently caressed his fluffy ears.
"How is it? I mean living on the North Pole," Tracey asked.
Harry shrugged. "I love it. It's my first real home, and everyone is really nice, Santa and Claire and Merlin…"
"Merlin?" Daphne cast him a look of pure confusion.
"Merlin is Santa's brother," Harry explained. "He's not alive anymore, but his portrait is hanging right in the screen room, where we spend most of our time if we're not doing anything specific. There is a large screen, where we can see every place on the earth."
"Every place?" Ginny stared at him in apparent shock.
"Yes, we even watched the headmaster's office a few times during the summer." Harry chuckled at the memory.
#Perhaps your friends can visit you during the summer.#
"I'll ask Santa and Claire if you may come and visit during the summer holidays. During the winter, it's not possible, because it's the busiest time on the North Pole. Oh, that reminds me, my godfather Sirius Black is also living with us."
Harry was glad, when the food trolley sufficiently distracted his friends and interrupted the interrogation.
Time passed fast, however, and before he could become bored with his familiars both fast asleep on his shoulder and in his lap, they arrived at King's Cross.
The friends quickly said good-bye to each other and promised to write, before they hurriedly left the train, eager to meet their parents. To Harry's surprise, Sirius was waiting right on the platform and pulled him into a bear's hug. He quickly introduced his friends to his godfather. In the meantime, his friends' parents had spotted them, and the Malfoys, Greengrasses and Davis greeted them along with Augusta Longbottom, Neville's grandmother, and Arthur Weasley, while his wife and sons except for the twins remained a few steps afar.
Harry found everyone very friendly, although he eyed Molly Weasley in disgust. 'Is she above greeting us, because we're all Slytherins?' he wondered, while he thought that Mr. Weasley was very nice.
"I'll see you on the day after Christmas," Sirius told the twins. "We'll be waiting for you in front of the house at nine o'clock."
"Thank you so much…"
"… oh dear Lord…"
"We're looking forward…"
"… to spending the rest of the holidays with you."
Harry chuckled, before he cast the twins a broad grin. "I'm looking forward to having you there, too."
'We're going to have much fun,' he thought, as he followed Sirius and Paws along the platform to where Holly was waiting with the sleigh.
He gently hugged the elf and said, "I'm sorry that you had to pick us up. Everyone is probably very busy at home."
"Yes, but there is always time for family coming home for Christmas." The elf cast him a happy smile, before he ushered them onto the sleigh.
As soon as they took into the air, Sirius began to sing Christmas songs, and while Harry wondered at first if it wasn't too loud for the reindeer, when Holly began to join in his singing and Hedwig decided to trill the melody, he decided to sing together with them. It was much fun, and he was surprised, when they landed on the North Pole.
'That was fast,' he thought in disbelief.
HP
Harry quickly became used to being on the North Pole again. Santa and Claire came to welcome him, when the sleigh arrived, he then went to greet Merlin and the elves. Everyone seemed happy to see him. Paws immediately dashed away upon their arrival to meet with his puppy brothers.
"Harry, I must ask you one question," Santa addressed him at dinner. "Knowing that you never received a Christmas present, I am wondering if you have thought about what to give your friends for Christmas."
Harry stared at the man in shock. "I didn't know that. I didn't even think about it, and Christmas is in three days' time. What can I do?"
"Easy Harry. With Polly's and Hedwig's assistance, you'll be able to brew fruit drops or liquids for example to use in baths or such things for your friends. You could also ask the elves to help you make anything else."
"But everyone must be very busy now, just a few days before Christmas."
"If they help you make something, you can always assist them with their job in return."
"That's true," Harry replied, thoughtfully. "I'll ask Polly to help me make fruit drop and bath essence then."
HP
In the same evening of December 21, Petunia and Vernon Dursley were sitting in their kitchen having dinner.
"I can't wait for Dudley to come home for Christmas," Petunia said, sighing. "I wished we could send him to a nearby day school instead of that boarding school."
"Maybe we'll have to do that from now on." Vernon let out a deep sigh. "I'm afraid that we can't afford Smeltings anymore."
"But you insisted…" Petunia trailed off upon seeing her husband's expression of devastation.
"Pet, I must tell you something. So far, I could always bribe the owner of Grunnings using the money we received from the freak. A few months ago, all the money we ever received from him was taken back, leaving our account with a huge deficit."
Petunia's eyes widened in shock.
"Now that we don't have any spare money anymore, my position within the company has changed. Oh well, perhaps it has nothing to do with the money, but I'm not sure what else could be the reason."
Petunia stared at her husband in confusion. "The reason for what exactly?"
Vernon nodded, wearing a grim expression. "From the beginning of January onwards, I will not be the director anymore. Until this morning, I thought that I'd still be able to convince the owner that I'm the best man for the job. Actually, I've never met him before. I only communicated with him through Edward Tonks from his agency, Cheetam Chancellery. This morning, it was the first time that I actually met Mr. Black in person. Actually, he was nice, but for some reason, he wants someone else to take my position. The new director will be… oh, I forgot that name but well… that's the situation. I'm sorry dear. My salary will be about half of what it was before."
"Oh God! But well, we'll somehow manage. It's not your fault anyway."
Petunia remained thoughtful for a moment. Something was nibbling at her mind, but she could not pin it down, before she recalled her sister's letter. 'Tonks and Black?' she wondered. 'I think I've heard both names from Lily many years ago.'
"Could they be freaks?" she asked, feeling horrified at the idea.
Vernon shrugged. "I don't know. It's just a normal company, nothing's freakish about it."
'Oh well, probably a coincidence then,' she thought, even if a small spark of doubt remained.
HP
First thing the following morning, Harry followed Polly into the potions lab. It was almost strange to brew there just by himself without the twins working at the other work stations; however, during the next three days, he efficiently made a few presents for each of his friends as well as a liquid for Professor McGonagall to put into her tea. He even brewed a prank potion for Sirius and the Weasley twins.
The potion was supposed to make the victim speak backwards, and Harry hoped that he would be able to witness the effect on his friends and his godfather. It was almost lunchtime on Christmas Eve, when he was finished wrapping all of his presents, and he inwardly sighed in relief, when Hedwig offered to deliver each of the gifts.
#With the post owls, you never know how fast they are, while I can simply flash over and deliver the presents. Considering that it's already Christmas Eve, I believe that it's better if I deliver them.#
Harry profusely thanked his familiar, who swiftly grabbed the box, into which Harry had put the gifts for his friends, and flashed away, splashing small amounts of ice into all directions.
In the afternoon, Hedwig ushered Harry and Sirius to sit in front of the screen and watch the Dursleys' residence.
'Why would I want to watch the Dursleys on Christmas Eve?' Harry thought in bewilderment; however, followed Hedwig's instruction.
HP
Petunia smiled, when Vernon returned home from work in the afternoon of Christmas Eve. 'Bad enough that he had to work at all today. It's Christmas Eve after all.'
"How was work?"
"I met my new boss, Mr. Arthur Weasley. He seems nice all right, but something was off with him."
"Weasley?" Petunia's eyes narrowed. "I think I've heard that name as well from the time when Lily went to Hogwarts. Perhaps you better look for a new job."
"Petunia!" Vernon let out a deep sigh. "Don't you think that you've become paranoid, ever since your sister sent you that letter? If it was your sister at all? After all we know she's dead and has been for a decade. My company has nothing to do with freaks."
'Only that the owner might be a freak,' Petunia thought, absentmindedly noticing that Vernon retired to the living room with a bottle of beer.
"Vernon, you can't drink that now. You need to leave in ten minutes."
"Leave? Where?"
Petunia rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Oh well, leave it then. I'll go and pick up Dudley."
Little did she know that this was only part one of Lily's Christmas present for her and her family.
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. Would you like to see more of Lily&Severus, of the Dursleys, the Weasleys...?
I was asked about the pairings again, and, while I have not decided yet, I am considering making it a Harry-Daphne story. Any opinions?
Next chapter: 'A Christmas to Remember'.