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.
"Thank you for allowing me to join you and your friends," Luna said, when they separated at the entrance to the Great Hall."
Before Harry could even utter a response, she swiftly headed to the Ravenclaw table, leaving him to stare after her in surprise. 'She's really strange,' he thought. 'But nice. Somehow, it's as if I had known her for a long time, although I've only met her about three months ago.'
As soon as they got a first glimpse at the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Harry and his friends immediately found her unsympathetic – just by the fact that she was wearing a pink cardigan, while an obviously false smile was plastered onto her face. The impression intensified, when the witch interrupted the headmaster to take her introduction into her own hands. When she announced that she expected to become good friends with the students only to let out a girly chuckle, everyone simply stared at her in clear disgust.
Hermione Granger seemed to be the only student, who was happy about the new professor.
"I hope she's really able to teach us as well as the headmaster," she said, when the third-year Slytherin and Gryffindors were waiting for Professor McGonagall for their first morning class.
"Don't get your hopes up, Granger." Draco cast the girl a challenging look. "As far as I know, she absolutely detests muggleborns."
"That's not true," Hermione protested, sounding upset. "She works at the Ministry of Magic after all."
"Malfoy, leave her in peace."
"Oh Weasley, got yourself a girlfriend?" Draco stared at the redhead in apparent amusement. "Just wait and see. Mark my words."
HP
The third-years should realise soon that Draco's comment had been nothing but the truth.
After talking about the lack of a decent Defence Against the Dark Arts professor in recent years, the teacher instructed them to open their books and read the first chapter. "You will not need your wands, so please remove them from your desks and put them into your bags. In this book, you will find everything you need to know about Defence Against the Dark Arts. I am certain about that, because it was written by myself."
After fifteen minutes of quiet reading, Hermione raised her hand. "Excuse me, Professor, when are we going to do some practice?"
"Practice?"
"Well, we also need to practise the spells which are mentioned in the book."
"Do you want to hurt your classmates?"
"Of course not."
"Then I suggest that you'll be quiet and continue reading. As a muggleborn, there are many things which you'll have to learn."
"What does that have to do with being muggleborn?" Ronald Weasley glared at the witch in the pink cardigan.
Umbridge let out a small chuckle. "Oh well, I know that the Weasleys are blood traitors, but even to you, the difference should be obvious."
Paws jumped up from where he was sitting on Harry's feet and growled at the professor.
"Where do you come from?" Umbridge wore an expression of absolute disgust. "Beasts are not allowed in my classroom. Leave NOW."
"He's not a pet let alone a beast, but my familiar, and my familiars are allowed to stay with me at all times," Harry spoke up in a small yet firm voice.
"Not in my class."
Growling at the witch, Paws retreated to Harry's feet, where he curled up, completely ignoring the teacher's request that he should leave.
'Apparently, Umbitch knows better than to insist,' Harry realised in relief, knowing that neither of his parents would willingly leave him and his friends alone with the bitch. 'Better if they stay here than if they hurt her outside of class.'
HP
The topic of Umbridge and her teaching or rather not teaching method became soon replaced by the planning of the third-years' first Hogsmeade visit. One evening, Neville surprised the friends.
"I'm going to go to Hogsmeade together with Susan. Can we perhaps meet at the Three Broomsticks for lunch?"
"With Susan Bones, the Hufflepuff third-year?" Tracey voiced what everyone wanted to know.
"Yes." Harry had the impression as if Neville felt uncomfortable at the sudden attention. "My Gran met with Amelia Bones a few times during the last two weeks of the holidays, and Susan and I spent a few hours together." He shrugged. "I just thought it would be nice to go to Hogsmeade together, and she agreed."
"Cool." Ginny's voice was laced with amazement.
"Ginny, would you like to accompany me?" Everyone stared at Draco in shock.
"I'd like that," Ginny replied, smiling broadly. "Thank you, Draco."
Daphne looked around. "Annika, Tracey, Harry, Dudley, will we go together then, or does anyone else wish to go on a date?"
They agreed to remain together and meet with the others at the Hog's Head for lunch. Probably, they would not be able to find out anything about Aberforth and the pink ghost, but they could at least try.
HP
On Saturday morning before breakfast, Luna waited for Harry outside the Great Hall.
"Harry, have fun at Hogsmeade." She cast him a broad smile.
"Thanks Luna. Next year, you can come with us." Harry suddenly felt sorry for the girl, who still did not have friends in her own house, even if the other girls seemed to have stopped harassing her. "Is there anything you'd like from Hogsmeade?"
"Yes, I would love one of the sponge plum skewts if you get a chance to go to the sweets shop."
"All right," Harry replied, trying to make a note of the name in bewilderment.
'You'll get them at Honeydukes,' Hedwig informed him, quietly.
'Thanks Mum.'
"You and Daphne will make a great couple, by the way," Luna said, casting him a dreamy look, before she turned around and seemed to sweep away.
Harry remained where he was, stunned, for a moment, before Paws' jumping up at him brought him back to reality, and he quickly made his way to the Slytherin table.
HP
Hogsmeade was amazing to say the least. Harry, Annika and Dudley had never been in the village, so that all the shops were interesting for them. At one stage, they separated, when Tracey and Dudley headed to the joke shop, while Daphne, Annika and Harry spent an hour at the Hogsmeade branch of Flourish and Blotts.
Aberforth Dumbledore was an enormous disappointment for the friends. The man was not overly friendly but simply threw them out, stating that his pub was not a place for children to play.
"You better head to the Three Broomsticks for your lunch, before I inform my brother that you're here. He won't be happy having his students hang around pubs."
"Well, if you don't want our money, be my guest. I'll make sure to inform my father about this."
"Young Mr. Malfoy, are you threatening me?"
"No sir, I'm sorry," Ginny replied, quickly, and pulled Draco outside. Everyone else followed swiftly.
Harry inwardly grinned, when Paws and Hedwig in her canine form fiercely growled at the unfriendly wizard, before they dashed outside after him.
=That was strange,= Hedwig informed Harry. =When we met him before, he was always friendly.=
=Perhaps, he just doesn't like kids,= Paws added.
"Hey, we're not kids. We're teenagers," Dudley replied, hearing Harry's translation.
"Strange. Fred and George said that he was quite nice," Ginny said, and Harry nodded his agreement.
"That's why I thought to come here in the first place," he added, shrugging. "Oh well, let's head to the Three Broomsticks then."
The Three Broomsticks was crowded to say the least, and the friends squeezed themselves into the empty spots at a table that the Weasley twins occupied together with their brother Ronald and Hermione.
Hermione looked at Harry. "Where are your familiars? Did you realise that pets are not allowed in restaurants?"
Harry merely quirked an eyebrow, thinking, 'If they weren't able to turn themselves invisible, I wouldn't be in this place.' He barely released that Paws stood from where the two canines were lying on his feet; however, grinned broadly, when he saw that Hermione jumped up in apparent shock. Apparently, Paws had just licked her hand.
"Paws, leave it and come back here," he whispered, causing the Gryffindor to glare at him in apparent annoyance.
HP
At the end of November, Slytherin defeated the Gryffindor Quidditch team 380 to 120, and just like before, Sirius and Remus had arranged for a few elves to bring a sleigh to the Hogwarts grounds for the Slytherin Quidditch party.
"Go ahead, I'll be there in a moment," Harry told his friends and headed to where he had seen Luna sit in the Ravenclaw stands just by herself.
"Why are you all alone?" he asked in concern.
Luna gave him a smile that did not reach her eyes. "The Ravenclaws don't have time to watch Quidditch matches. They have to study for the tests that are going to take place in three weeks' times," she said, lightly. "I wanted to see you fly together with Paws though, and I wasn't alone, as Hedwig was keeping me company during the match."
'Oh right, I saw Mum sit with her,' Harry recalled. "We're going to have a party in the sleigh over there. Will you come and join us?"
Luna's smile intensified. "I'd like that," she said, pleasantly. "Won't your housemates mind me being there though?"
"Of course not," Harry replied, smiling, just when Hedwig and Paws ran over to them and jumped up at Luna in apparent excitement.
"Someone seems happy to see you," Harry stated, smiling, as the puppies gently licked the girl's hands.
=What happened to your hand?= Hedwig suddenly asked, causing Harry to look at her hand in surprise; however, Luna hurriedly pulled back.
"What's wrong?" he asked in bewilderment, noticing that Luna covered her left hand by the right.
Luna's expression sobered, as she hesitantly showed him her left hand that was badly injured.
"What happened?" Harry asked in concern. "Are you all right?"
"I'll be all right," Luna said in a small voice. "Please don't tell anyone. I was stupid."
=You should ask Severus for some murtlap essence.=
Luna shook her head. "Thanks Hedwig, but it's all right. It'll heal by itself."
By now, they had reached the sleigh, and Hedwig and Paws ran ahead to greet Sirius and Remus in apparent happiness.
HP
It was at the beginning of December that Hermione Granger once again questioned the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor's teaching methods.
"Professor, are we not going to do any practical exercises?"
Umbridge glared at the girl. "We've had this discussion before. Mudbloods shouldn't be allowed to attend Hogwarts at all, especially if they question their betters' competence."
"Hey, don't call her that," Ronald spoke up, while Paws and Hedwig in her canine form, who were both lying on Harry's feet, let out a couple of angry growls.
"Five points from Gryffindor, Mr. Weasley."
The witch in her pink cardigan smiled her false smile that Harry absolutely detested. When the two puppies let out another growl, Umbridge saw red.
"Mr. Potter, detention tonight at seven and without your familiars."
"No, Professor. My familiars are always with me."
"Then your detention tonight will be the first time, when you're going to be without them."
'Leave it, Harry. I'll be there, invisibly.'
HP
At exactly seven o'clock that evening, Harry entered Professor Umbridge's office for his detention. He inwardly sighed in relief upon realising that he only had to write lines. However, to his surprise, there was no ink, and he noticed quickly that the quill he had to use drew blood from his left hand as ink.
'That's what happened to Luna's hand as well,' he realised, feeling horrified that the teacher had done something so horrible to the sweet girl.
'Hold out just a moment longer,' Hedwig thought to him. 'I'm going to disturb her soon.'
Harry inwardly sighed in relief upon hearing his mother's thoughts, only to look up in shock, when all of a sudden, the plates with the cat heads that decorated the walls crashed to the floor with a loud clatter and noise.
"Mr. Potter. What did you do now?" The professor sounded extremely angry.
"Nothing," Harry replied, pointing out that he did not even have his wand out.
"Well, you're dismissed, as I have to clean up here. I hope you learned your lesson from this detention."
"Sure, Professor." 'And I'm sure that my parents will not only revenge me, but Luna as well,' Harry thought, grimly, as he returned to the common room to inform his friends what a detention with the bitch of the school was like.
HP
Hedwig was extremely upset. After destroying the professor's plates, she returned to the common room to tell Paws all about Harry's detention.
'Thank Merlin,' she thought, when Harry entered the common room shortly later.
#Harry, come with me. We're going to see Severus,# she instructed him, before she transformed into her canine form and motioned Paws to accompany them.
=I'll speak to him,= she told Harry, right before he hesitantly knocked at the door to Severus' office.
"Thanks Mum." Harry cast her a smile of gratefulness, causing her heart to melt.
'He really is a sweet boy,' she thought, as she ran ahead into the office and licked Severus' hand, implying an instruction to cast the spell that would make him understand her.
To her relief, Severus immediately obeyed, and she told him everything about Professor Umbridge using a blood quill on Harry and also at least on Luna Lovegood.
Severus seemed shocked. "The use of a blood quill warrants for a one-way ticket to Azkaban."
=Yes, but let me first try to deal with the bitch myself.=
Severus relented, while he summoned a small bowl and a phial with murtlap essence and instructed Harry to take it with him and bathe his hand in the lime green liquid for about twenty minutes.
Harry profusely thanked his head of house, before they all left and returned to the common room.
=Please excuse me for a few minutes,= Hedwig informed Harry and Paws, before she transformed into her phoenix form. #I'm going to have some fun with that bitch.#
=Do nothing that I wouldn't do,= Paws advised her, causing Harry to snort.
#I won't.# With that, she flashed away and headed right into the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor's office, turning herself invisible as she went, eager to take revenge for her son and goddaughter.
tbc...
Thank you for your kind comments on the previous chapter. Please tell me what you thought about this chapter and what you expect from this story. My muse really appreciates the feedback.
Whom do you believe fitting as girlfriend for Harry? Daphne? Luna? Anyone else? Please let me know.
Next chapter: "The Enchanted Frog Kingdom".