The Singing Dog
by Teddylonglong
All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, 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.
It was two weeks before Harry's, Neville's and the twins' birthdays, when Neville's parents had already moved to Hogwarts to become used to live on their own and prepare for their teaching positions at the school, that Lily suddenly received a letter from her sister.
'Dear Lily,
would it perhaps be possible for Dudley to spend the last month of the holidays with you? Vernon seems unable to become used to his freaky tendencies as he calls it, and I am afraid what might happen if he did accidental magic again, which still happens from time to time. According to Dudley, he gets along well with Harry and Neville, and he asked me to write to you on his behalf.
Thanks always
Pet'
Harry was the first to react, when his mother read the letter aloud during breakfast. "Of course, he can spend the holidays with us, can't he, Nev?"
Neville grinned broadly. "Yes. He's nice, and we're going to have even more fun, when he's around."
Harry nodded, grinning. "Mum, may I floo call him?" Receiving a confirming nod, he leaned into the fireplace and called his cousin, who arrived through the fireplace less than an hour later.
HP
"Thank you so much. I'm really glad to be here. Dad gave me a hard time about being a freak, as did Aunt Marge. She's still accusing me of taking her dog with me to Hogwarts and then losing him. I don't even know how he managed to go to Hogwarts with me, and I haven't seen him ever since that first evening at the school. Each time I meet her, she talks about it."
"Perhaps, he hid in your suitcase?" Harry noticed that his mother gave his father a questioning look.
"That might be possible. The elves would have taken him out and put him into the pets' part of the train. I tried to take the mutt back to your aunt, but he bit me and escaped."
"We haven't even seen him again afterwards." Harry shrugged.
"He was petrified together with Filch's cat."
"But you healed him together with everyone else, didn't you, Dad?" Jacqueline cast her father a look, which Harry understood as a combination of pride and concern.
"I brewed the potion to heal him, but I didn't administer it, and Madam Pomfrey did not know that he should not be at Hogwarts." He let out a deep sigh. "Whenever we see him, we should stun him and take him back to your aunt in any case."
'I could check the Marauders' Map if he's on it,' Harry thought to his father, who returned an unobtrusive nod. 'Even as a dog, he should still be displayed as Albus Dumbledore, shouldn't he?'
'Yes, son. Please make sure that no one else gets to know about it.'
'Of course.'
HP
The whole family was shocked, when Minerva visited them one morning.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, but I must tell you something." She cast the family, who was gathered around the breakfast table, an apologetic look.
"No, Granny Minerva, you're not disturbing us. Come and have breakfast with us." Alex was the first to react.
"Thank you, Alex, but I'm afraid that I don't have much time right now," Minerva replied before turning to Severus. "You're not taking the Daily Prophet, are you?"
"No, only the Celtic Herald." Severus quirked an eyebrow in silent question.
"Pettigrew escaped from Azkaban." The older witch let out a deep sigh. "They don't know how he got away. Apparently, it has never happened before."
"Probably in his rat form." Severus' expression was grim. "I thought Sirius had told everyone that he was a rat Animagus."
"The Dementors probably wouldn't bother a simple rat." Remus nodded his agreement.
"Dad, do you think he'll come after us?" Harry gave his father a questioning look.
"I don't think so, considering that he'd have had the chance to harm you while being Weasley's rat for years."
Minerva remained pensive for a moment, before she turned back to the fireplace. "I'll head to the ministry to see what they can do to ensure Hogwarts' safety."
"No, Granny Minerva, don't go. You only just arrived." Alex sounded accusatory, giving his surrogate granny a small pout.
"I'm sorry, Alex, but I'll come back on Sunday for your siblings' birthday party." With that, the headmistress swiftly stepped into the fireplace to return to Hogwarts.
"I can't wait…"
"… to finally turn eleven…"
"… and receive our Hogwarts letters…"
"… so we can become proper students at Hogwarts."
Lily glared at the twins. "Do you really have to speak like that?"
"Yes…"
"… because we like it."
Harry rolled his eyes. "The Weasley twins must have taught them. They speak like that all the time."
"Maybe, we should practise a bit." Neville chuckled, causing Harry to give him an enthusiastic nod.
"Let's do that." Harry remained pensive for a moment before adding, "I wonder where the twins are going to be sorted."
"As long as we're going to be sorted together…"
"… We don't mind where."
"Hufflepuff is great." Dudley chuckled. "We're always having much fun, and everyone is really nice."
"At the first opportunity, you must take me to the basilisk," Harry recalled. "I really want to meet her. I can't believe how I could become distracted enough to forget about it during the last six months."
The twins chuckled.
"We'll take you to Amaterasu…"
"… after dinner on the first day of classes."
"Can I come with you?" Alex stared at his brothers, wide-eyed.
"No." His father cast him a strict look. "You will have to wait until you're a student at Hogwarts, before you can follow into your brothers' footsteps and gallivant the castle at all possible times."
"Just remember one thing. If you do, don't tell Dad about it." Neville smirked.
"He's very strict and always takes lots of house points," Harry quipped, grinning.
Their father quirked an eyebrow in silent question. "I shall remember to do so, especially from the Hufflepuffs. Too bad that I can't take house points during the holidays."
HP
Harry felt extremely happy, when Jacqueline and Jaime were sorted into Hufflepuff together with Mireille Malfoy, their inseparable friend.
"It's good to have the trio here," he whispered to Neville and Draco, who full-heartedly agreed.
Draco smirked. "So, it's our job to teach them how to play pranks and not get caught by Uncle Sev."
HP
As promised, the twins led Harry to the Chamber of Secrets after dinner on the first day of classes. While Neville decided to return to the common room together with Dudley and Draco, Luna accompanied the siblings.
"Remember that you do not look into Amaterasu's eyes…"
"… Only we can do that…"
"… when we're in our crocosauri forms," the twins reminded them, when they opened the passage leading into Amaterasu's chamber.
"What if we're in our Animagi forms?" Harry gave his younger siblings a questioning look.
"In the worst case, I'll have to go through an icing day." Luna cast him a dreamy look, and Harry nodded, knowing that his friend had recently managed the transformation into an ice phoenix, while he was still struggling to change his head.
"A phoenix might be all right…"
"… but a doggy?" The twins exchanged a seemingly helpless look, before they decided to ask the basilisk.
'The basilisk surely won't know that,' Harry thought, however, did not voice it and simply decided to not look at the basilisk's head.
HP
Jacqueline and Jaime introduced Harry and Luna to Amaterasu, who immediately instructed her visitors to keep their eyes closed. She remained quiet for a moment, before she allowed them to look at her.
"I have changed my eyes white, but it isss uncomfortable. Pleassse asssk my Salazzzar for the spell he used to cassst over the school and the groundssss, so that everyone could look into my eyesss."
"Salazzzar?" Harry stared at the large serpent with interest. "Where can we ssspeak with him?"
"Go in thissss direction and exxxplore thisss room." Amaterasu pointed her head to the left side, and the four students immediately decided to follow her advice.
They soon stood in front of a stone wall, exchanging looks of pure confusion.
"Here." Luna pointed at the faint outline of a doorframe.
"Open!" On Harry's hissed instruction, a door manifested within the wall, before it opened for them to step through. They looked around with interest, taking in a comfortable looking, even if old fashioned, living room in surprise. It was equipped with a dark green sofa in front of an enormous fireplace and a lone bookshelf.
"Can you please turn on the fire? My Salazzzar alwayssss turned it on for me. It isss cold."
"Of courssse." Harry pointed his wand at the fireplace, smiling, when the basilisk immediately made herself comfortable in a spot next to the fire, which seemed to have been especially built for her.
"Thankssss."
Suddenly, a strict voice cut through the air. "Who are you, and what are you doing in my chamber?"
Their heads shot around, before they noticed the portrait of an old wizard partly hidden behind the bookshelf.
"Professor Slytherin." Luna stepped in front of the portrait. "It is an honour to meet you, sir. These are Harry, Jacqueline and Jaime Potter, and I am Luna Lovegood."
The old wizard let out a scoff. "Of course. No one else but these three and their younger brother would have been able to enter my rooms." He sounded extremely grumpy, and Harry wondered why.
"Salazzzar, they are my friendssss," Amaterasu came to their help.
"Amaterasssu, don't show them to my roomsss, before they haven't done their research."
Harry cast the grumpy wizard a questioning look. "And what might that be, sir?"
Slytherin scoffed again. "Do you have parentsss?"
"Yes sir."
"Ask them to inform you about your heritage and come to see me as well."
The four students asked a couple more questions; however, the old wizard remained quiet and finally left his portrait, leaving them to exchange a look of pure confusion.
"All right then. It seems we need to talk to Mum and James," Harry spoke up, and his siblings nodded, seeming as disappointed as he felt.
"I don't think you need to talk to James." Luna cast the siblings a questioning look. "If it concerns Alex as well, you only need your Mum. James is not his birth father."
"You're right as usual," Harry replied, smiling at the clever girl. "Please return to Hufflepuff and tell Inu that I'll quickly head home to talk to Mum."
They promised Amaterasu to come back and visit her during the weekend at the latest, before they swiftly left her chamber.
HP
When Harry stepped through the connecting door into the apothecary, his father was brewing, while his mother seemed to have already returned home for the evening. While he pondered if he should return home or speak with his father first, the potions master already put his concoction under a stasis charm.
"Harry, what happened?" His voice was laced with concern, and Harry automatically began to explain about their visit to the Chamber of Secrets and their encounter with Salazar Slytherin.
His father remained pensive for a moment, before he slowly began to speak. "I have long suspected that your mother was not muggleborn but a descendant from a long line of Squibs. In fact, I told her a couple of times to speak with Buckbean about the matter, however, she deemed it unnecessary."
"Perhaps, she will do that now." Harry smiled at his father. "Do you think Mum is a descendant of Slytherin?"
The older wizard smirked. "Considering what Slytherin told you, it might be highly likely. It would mean more though." When Harry quirked an eyebrow in silent question, he continued, "Are you aware that through James, you're the heir of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw?"
"I didn't know that." Harry's thoughts went haywire. "Why did the Hat sort me into Hufflepuff then and not into one of these houses?"
"The Hat is charmed to sort students according to their traits and not by their heritage I suppose. On the other hand, if you were indeed the heir of all four founders of Hogwarts, the Hat might know about it. Why don't you go and speak with your mother?" He glanced at his wrist watch. "You have exactly ten minutes before the beginning of curfew though."
Harry inwardly groaned. 'I really need to practise my second Animagus form,' he resolved. 'As a phoenix, I can simply flash myself, and no one will notice anything.' "Dad? Could you perhaps speak with her then? I'll better go back, before my strict head of house will take house points."
His father gave him a sharp nod. "I will speak with her tonight. I'll see you in a few minutes."
HP
When their head of house left the common room later that evening, Harry, Neville, Draco and Dudley invited the twins and Luna into their dormitory, where Harry, Luna and the twins told the others about their conversation with Salazar Slytherin.
"He was extremely grumpy." Harry shook his head in annoyance.
"Almost like Professor Snape if someone forgot to do their homework." Luna was wearing a dreamy expression, as she spoke, seemingly absentminded.
"Yeah." Harry nodded his agreement.
"Are you related to him or what?" Draco cast him a look of apparent confusion.
Harry shrugged. "I don't have a clue. As far as I know, our mother is muggleborn, and our birth father is a descendant of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. What does that have to do with Slytherin though?"
"Pity. I'd really like to see if there's more to his chamber, such as a library or a potions lab." Draco cast them a questioning look.
Harry glanced at his younger siblings. "I've no idea. Did you see anything?"
"No." Jacqueline, Jaime and Luna replied, simultaneously, making him smirk.
"Oh well, I told Dad about it, and he promised to ask Mum to speak with the goblins. They should be able to shed some light into the matter."
HP
To Harry's disappointment, he did not receive a response from his parents before the weekend. Only on Saturday morning after breakfast, his father strode behind the Hufflepuff table.
"Harry, Jaqueline and Jaime Potter, please follow me into my office."
"What did you do now?" one of the older students asked in apparent disbelief upon the professor's strict voice.
"Nothing." Harry shrugged, before he rose from his chair and followed the twins out of the Great Hall with Inu on his heels.
To his relief, their father simply led them home through the connecting door, where their mother and Alex were obviously waiting for them.
"Thanks for coming home." Lily smiled at her children. "Yesterday morning, I went to see Buckbean, our account manager at Gringotts. He told me that I am not muggleborn like I had assumed to be all my life. The Evans are descendants of a long line of Squibs, and the family goes back straight to Salazar Slytherin and Helga Hufflepuff. While Petunia is older than me, she does not count due to being a Squib. Therefore, I am the heiress of the Slytherin-Hufflepuff family, and, while all of you are descendants of them, Harry as my oldest son is the next heir."
"Does this mean anything?" Harry looked from his mother to his father.
"Not necessarily. I just wanted you to know, considering that Slytherin specifically asked if you knew about it and even demanded that you to bring me." Lily smiled. "Harry, will you please take your father and me to meet Salazar Slytherin?"
"Of course. Now?"
"Yes please."
HP
Thirty minutes later, Harry entered the Chamber of Secrets together with the twins, Alex and their parents, while Inu had outright refused to accompany them. After taking all precautions, he introduced everyone to Amaterasu, who kindly changed her eyes to white, so that everyone could admire her large and beautiful form.
Amaterasu slithered ahead into the room with the fireplace, where she made herself comfortable and left the humans to their talk with her original owner.
"It's about time that you come and visit me," Salazar addressed Lily, sounding less grumpy than when they had met him before.
"I am sorry, Professor Slytherin, but we neither knew that I am a descendant of you nor that we could find your portrait here."
"I would have been thrilled to meet you, as I've been the head of Slytherin for several years." The deputy headmaster slightly inclined his head.
"Very well, I have an errand for all of you." He gave them a thoughtful look, only to add, sounding slightly grumpier, "One is missing though."
"Who is missing, and what might that errand be?" Harry cast his father a grateful look, feeling slightly uncertain towards his grumpy ancestor.
tbc... ?
Thank you so much for your kind words on the previous chapter. Please tell me what you think about this chapter and what you expect from this story.
