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.
"What does it mean that the ghost isn't blue anymore, sir?" Dudley cast the Potions Master a questioning look.
"Dudley, don't bother Severus with questions," Annika lightly reprimanded her twin brother, and the professor cast her a grateful look.
"The easiest thing to find out something would be to find her and ask her." Severus was wearing an indifferent expression, as he continued, "Perhaps, you'd be able to help not only her by investigating."
"Mum," Harry spoke up, thoughtfully. "Could you perhaps develop a charm, which extends the search function on the screen to ghosts? I'd really like to know what Dumbledore did to his sister."
"Sure." Lily shrugged, giving Merlin a questioning look.
"That would be appreciated," the ancient wizard stated. "Most charms on the screen have been developed by my portrait, but as you know, the me in the portrait can't see ghosts, which is why they have been thoroughly neglected in all charms applied."
"I'll see to it," Lily promised, smiling.
HP
It took Lily almost a month to develop the necessary charm, and on the last day of the summer holidays, she efficiently searched the screen for Ariana Dumbledore.
Harry's eyes widened, as he looked at the ghost. She was not blue-pinkish anymore. Her previous blue colour had faded into a light pink.
"It looks like a natural colour, not bloody like the Bloody Baron," Annika said in apparent surprise.
'Thank Merlin,' Harry thought. 'Otherwise, I might even feel bad, because it was me who hurt her.'
"She looks so young," Luna stated in a soft voice, looking sad.
"Where is she?" Harry asked, seeing the ghost hover around a pile of rubble.
Lily suddenly let out a huge gasp. "I know where that is." Her voice sounded tear-stricken, and when Harry looked at her, he realized that she seemed outright shocked. "It must be our old house at Godric's Hollow. I never even bothered to check out that place, but that must be Harry's nursery on the second floor."
=It is.=
Luna gently hugged his mother, while Harry carefully cuddled Paws close.
"Mum, can you take us there to speak with her?"
Lily nodded, before she swiftly transformed into her phoenix form. #Let's go right away.#
HP
Harry and Luna eagerly grabbed her tail feathers, and Hedwig flashed them right in front of a house. The three of them stood there for a moment, looking in bewilderment at the ruin in front of them.
#It's much too dangerous to enter through the entrance door and walk upstairs. Let me flash us right into the nursery.#
A moment later, they found themselves in the middle of the nursery, where the pink ghost was hovering in a corner.
„Hello. May I ask what you're doing here?" Pulling his wand, Harry stepped in front of Luna and stared at the ghost with a combination of apprehension and disbelief.
"You're Ariana, aren't you?" Luna smiled at the pinkish ghost in a too friendly way for Harry's liking, as she carefully stepped around him. 'Oh well, she wasn't with me in the Chamber of Secrets,' he thought, recalling how aggressive the ghost had been.
"Yes, I am Ariana." The ghost's voice was soft and in no way similar to that, which she had used in Salazar's chamber. "I'm sorry. I was looking for a place to hide, where my brothers couldn't find me. Please put your wand away, by the way. I won't do anything to you."
"What has your brother been doing to you?" Harry blurted out. "We've been trying to find out what he was doing to you, and it was my mother who prevented him from meeting you at Aberforth's place during the summer."
Ariana cast him a look of pure delight. "Thank you so much. He held me under the Imperius curse for decades and renewed it every week. Now, as he hasn't been able to cast it for about six weeks or more, it finally wore off. Ever since then, I've been hiding here. Please tell your mother that I'll be eternally grateful for what she did to me."
'That's why she was blue,' Harry realised, 'because she was under the Imperius curse. Too bad that Severus was bound by that oath and couldn't tell us what it meant. We'd have been able to help her much sooner.'
"Please allow me a question. Why would someone put a ghost under the Imperius curse?"
To his absolute horror, instead of replying to his question, Ariana began to cry and hurriedly swept through the nearest wall. Harry stared at the empty spot in shock, when Luna suddenly spoke up in a soft voice.
"This must have been well-loved." Harry turned around to view his friend in bewilderment. The girl was cradling a worn-out teddy bear close to her chest.
Lily smiled, as she transformed back into her human form, although Harry noticed that the smile did not reach her eyes. "This is Tapp. He was Harry's best friend, when he was a baby," she explained, somehow wearing a nostalgic expression.
Luna held out the teddy to him. "Perhaps, you should take him with you," she said, airily. "He'll have missed you all these years."
The idea 'I'm not five' crossed Harry's mind; however, he did not voice it but merely accepted the teddy from her. "Thanks."
"I suggest that we come back to speak with Ariana some other time," Lily said, sighing. "Let's give her some time to get used to being free from her brother. Maybe, she'll open up to us the next time."
"All right. The only problem is that school is going to commence tomorrow, and we won't have any free time until Christmas," Harry replied, almost regretting that he would not be at Hogwarts, from where he could escape at least during the Hogsmeade visits.
To his surprise and at the same time annoyance, Luna merely smiled, wearing the dreamy expression she often used to display, when she knew better what was going to happen in the future.
HP
In the morning of the first of September, they waited on the grounds for the other eight students of the SAMS to arrive. Harry felt extremely excited and at the same time glad to have Luna with him, considering that he did not know anyone else. 'Oh well, the others don't know each other either,' he thought, just when two yetis, two goblins, two elves and two dwarfs arrived.
Merlin ushered everyone inside, before he greeted the students and introduced the teachers to them.
"Now, I wish the students to introduce yourselves to each other. Harry and Luna, will you please begin?"
Harry was grateful, when Luna began to introduce herself, and he quickly followed her example. To his surprise, Luna and he were the youngest of the students. Everyone else was at least twenty years old, one of the yetis even almost sixty. They all seemed to be very friendly, and due to a spell that Merlin cast at the group, everyone was able to communicate in fluent English.
To Harry's relief, Hedwig and Paws were allowed to remain with him at all times, provided that they did not transform into their human forms, and he knew that at least his mother was as interested in his classes as himself.
HP
At Hogwarts, he had found Transfiguration and Charms quite interesting. Ever after his first year, Potions had been easy for him due to being taught by Polly at Santa's workshop. Herbology did not overly interest him, and Defence Against the Dark Arts had never been overly intriguing except during his fourth year, when Alastor Moody had taught them.
Classes at the Selective Academy of Magical Sciences were interesting to say the least – especially as they were completely different from everything that they had studied at Hogwarts.
During the three and a half months leading up to the winter holidays, they had to attend all classes, Alchemy, Animal Transformation, Concealment Magic, Financial Management, Household and Elven Magic, Enchanting, World History and Laser Magic.
From the beginning of the new year onwards, they were going to specialise on one main subject and two minor subjects.
Harry had a hard time deciding between Concealment Magic and Laser Magic.
"What if you take Laser Magic and I do Concealment Magic and we teach each other?" Luna suggested, wearing a pleasant expression.
"That's a good idea," Harry agreed, "but on the other hand, it would be nice to take Concealment Magic together."
#Together, the two of you will be able to achieve anything.# Hedwig seemed outright contented at the idea, and Harry quickly translated.
Finally, Harry decided to take Concealment Magic as main subject and Alchemy and Laser Magic as the minor subjects. Luna on the other hand, took Household and Elven Magic as well as Animal Transformation as her minors.
'Animal Transformation?' Harry wondered, thinking that he could as well practise the transformation into his second Animagus form by himself. When he carefully asked Luna, she admitted that she wanted to try to transform into a fairy, which was difficult enough to practise under Remus' tutelage.
Before everyone left for the winter holidays ten days before Christmas, Tobi instructed Harry and Luna to use the holidays to consider what they wished to do as a special project. Flamel told Harry the same, and Harry immediately informed the old wizard that he wished to construct his own broom. In Laser Magic, he was simply going to study what the professor would be willing to teach him.
On December 15, the eight students other than Harry and Luna travelled home, and the two friends returned to Santa's Workshop. While they had been so close by on the North Pole during the last three and a half months, they had not been able to return home even once.
"When are you going to return to your father's?" Harry asked, somehow feeling that he did not want Luna to leave.
"I'm going to remain here," Luna replied, smiling happily. "Merlin told me the other day that Santa has invited my father over for Christmas and that he agreed to come."
"Oh, that's great. Then we can intensely think about our project for Concealment Magic."
Luna nodded, smiling.
'Ah, I shouldn't have said that,' Harry thought, sighing. 'I should have told her that I enjoy her company.'
=Are you really my son?= Paws quipped, as he gently licked Luna's hand.
"Luna," Harry said, as he stopped walking right before they would enter the workshop. "Would you perhaps…" He slowly trailed off. 'What if she doesn't want it?'
When Paws let out an impatient growl, Luna spoke up.
"Yes Harry, I'd love to be your girlfriend."
Harry looked at her in pure shock, before they simultaneously leaned over and kissed.
"Thanks," he said, once they separated. "You're absolutely amazing."
"Dito," she replied, smiling. "Are you sure though? What about Daphne?"
"Daphne is a good friend. She has never been my girlfriend, and I never had feelings for her like the ones I have for you," Harry admitted in a small but firm voice.
HP
During the week leading up to Christmas, Harry and Luna eagerly helped Santa, Claire and the elves prepare everything for Christmas.
Only when Santa and Claire led the first two sleighs into the direction of Australia, they spent some time to relax in front of the screen.
Hedwig suddenly transformed into her human form for the first time in months. "Shall we look for Ariana?"
Harry's eyes widened in shock. "Oh yes please. I can't believe that I completely forgot about her."
"You had other things to concentrate on," Luna replied in a soft voice, before she echoed, "Yes please."
Lily cast the charm at the screen and smiled. "She's still in our house," she said, pointing to the pinkish dot on the screen.
"Can we go and meet her, please?" Luna's voice was soft, but she was wearing an expression of pure determination.
HP
A moment later, Hedwig flashed Harry and Luna into Harry's old nursery room.
"You're back." Ariana cast them a soft smile. "I was wondering if you'd come."
"Sorry Ariana, we had school until a few days ago," Harry apologized, returning the smile.
"We wish to help you. Will you allow us to do so?" Luna smiled at the ghost.
Ariana shook her head, as she looked straight at the girl. "Thank you dear, but I'm not worth your help. I'm evil." Tears began to leak from her eyes.
"No, you're not evil. Whatever you did, you did not do out of your own free will." Luna's voice was firm, and Ariana seemed to be intensely listening, as she continued. "What you did was bad, but it was your brother who instigated it, not you. He made you do something bad and harm people. This is not your fault at all."
"You don't understand," Ariana sobbed. "I should have gone and told him ever since the Imperius curse wore off, but I didn't. I was scared at what I did, at what I was forced to do. I completely ruined his life. And her life. And many others." Her voice was barely audible, as she continued sobbing.
"What…" Harry trailed off, as Luna placed her hand onto his arm to stop him.
"Ariana, if you help us, we will help you," she promised in a soft voice, causing the girl to scoff.
"How can you help me? I am already dead. I wanted to finish school and properly study magic, but I'm only a stupid ghost."
"Is that your wish? To finish Hogwarts?" Luna asked in a soft voice, causing Ariana to nod.
"But it's not possible. Even if I could do so as a ghost, it wouldn't be possible, at least not as long as Albus is the headmaster there."
Luna chuckled. "He won't be the headmaster much longer."
"He was already on probation anyway," Harry added.
"After all he did to you, we can take him to court again, provided that you help us and speak against him in front of the court."
Ariana shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't meet him. I'm scared," she added in a barely audible voice.
"All right. Harry and I are studying Concealment Magic, and I promise you now that we will help you and try to fulfil your wish if you help us in return. Harry, do you agree?"
"Yes," Harry replied, even if he did not have a clue what Luna meant. 'Oh well, I trust her,' he decided, giving Ariana a reassuring nod.
"So, what did you do to him?" Luna smiled, encouragingly.
"Everything."
'Who is him?' Harry wondered, however, knew better than to ask.
"I need to go and speak with him. Will you accompany me?"
To his surprise, Hedwig nodded. "We will," Luna agreed. "Will you be able to grab Hedwig's tail feathers?"
Ariana shook her head. "No," she scoffed. "I am a ghost in case you haven't noticed. I can't grab things. I can take things with me by wish magic, but not exactly a phoenix and two people."
Hedwig suddenly transformed into her human form. "Ariana, I am Lily, Harry's mother and Luna's godmother." She quickly explained about the white animals on the North Pole and that it had become her and her husband's home, after they had been killed more than a decade ago. "Will you please accompany us to the North Pole? We can then discuss everything in peace, and neither your brother nor anyone else will be able to find you there. You can show us on the screen who and where he is, and then we'll be able to travel there together."
Ariana looked from Lily to Luna and finally nodded upon seeing Luna smile. "How will we get there?"
"One of the elves will pick us up by sleigh."
Harry cast his mother a surprised look, knowing how busy everyone on the North Pole was on Christmas Eve. Nevertheless, a sleigh arrived round fifteen minutes later, and Harry was relieved to see that Ariana willingly boarded the sleigh together with them.
'I wonder what Dumbledore forced her to do and how we'll be able to help her,' he thought and resolved to ask Luna later on, as he enjoyed the ten-minute ride home.
HP
"See, the North Fir Tree wasn't wrong, when he decided for you to be a phoenix and not a tiger," Santa greeted Hedwig, who was perched on Luna's shoulder, when they excited the sleigh.
"Hello Santa and Claire, this here is my new friend, Ariana," Luna introduced the ghost, smiling.
"Hello Ariana, I am Santa Clause, and this is my wife Claire. Please excuse us for the time being though, as Christmas is always very busy here."
"Of course, sir. Thank you so much for allowing me to be here together with Luna, Harry and Hedwig." Ariana's expression changed to what seemed to be a small smile.
"You're welcome. Everyone here will try to help you as much as possible, considering that you've been wronged badly." With that, Santa and Claire boarded the sleigh, whom the elves had loaded with presents as they spoke.
tbc...
Thanks to the kind readers for your feedback for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think about this chapter and the story as a whole.