Chapter One: Childhood and Letters
Once upon a time a young boy and girl lived in an orphanage. It was not a horrible run down one like many stories would have, nor was it some wonderful and enchanted place of sweetness and light. It was ordinary with many children and overworked staff and volunteers. Some children were adopted, others weren't, and still others would end up moving through the foster system. It was neither bad nor good in terms of childhood memories for many who grew up in those walls and was just another aspect of life to live through.
For a particular pair it was the place of a friendship that should not have happened, but did.
The boy had been there since a young age. Left on the doorstep in nothing but a thin blanket and an odd lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. He was called Corbin for the matron that found him had a flair for literature dramatics and had liken his wild hair as messy feathers of a raven. The bright green eyes and pale skin only making her even more ready to spin a story, to the tired amusement of her coworkers, that this child was a fae child lost to the winds or left here for a purpose before giggling and wondering how long the child would be in their care for. For babes, especially those with striking features were always the first ones snatched up by hopeful parents that managed the financial and paper work induced hurdles it takes to adopt. Surprisingly to all, the baby despite his looks and sweet nature was oddly ignored by hopeful new parents and thus little Corbin grew into a toddler and then a child within the walls of the orphanage. A normal child by all accounts who played and fussed like any child, yet seemed to always be overlooked somehow by many.
The girl, while older by four months, at times seemed much younger then him in her view of the world, had arrived when she was seven, all bright hair that was such a soft shade of red that in some lights it almost seemed to be a shade of pink, freckles across a tiny nose and large blue eyes in an adorable pale face. She was energy and cheerful chatter with the grace of a hatchling learning how to use its wings, and an almost radiant passion for ballet, which was where the only bit of grace she had seemed to be in for she did not trip and fall as much when focused on just dancing. She was called Arianna, though she freely admits that the foster home she had been in before had affectionately called her Entlein which was apparently German for duckling, and thus didn't mind being called Duck as well by those who fondly saw how much like a little duckling she was.
The two had become friends almost instantly and were thick as thieves, chasing supposed fairy lights in the small courtyard or telling one another tales of a possible dragon in the basement. (It was just the furnace being particularly grumbly that season as it worked a little harder when the cold months settled in.) All between dodging or grudgingly finishing homework in subjects they did not like or had trouble in. Both growing up with modest dreams of finishing school and hopefully gaining jobs they would like if not love. Arianna with sights set not on being on stage but just being allowed to dance and teach others to love dance. A dream more likely than she believed as despite her clumsiness in most things her personality and dedication to ballet had given her enough to be noted as potential for at least a spot in a dance corps. Corbin like many had no set dream and instead cycled through various ones as his interests in things grew and waned like many children.
Though both in childish wisdom and innocence agreed that no matter what they'd still be friends long after they were both too old to remain in the care of the orphanage.
Then one day two letters arrived.
Arianna had seen them first, because she always was eager to help and sorting the mail after being dropped off was a simple task, and they were such odd letters written on something that wasn't paper and with loopy handwriting in an ink that somehow felt familiar in a way her eleven year old heart ached for a few moments. A chirp like sound of confusion was the mark of a flow of chattering questions the bemused caretaker next to her tried to answer. Questions about what it was (Parchment), who uses such (Very few because paper was easy and cheap to gain), what was in the letters (Wouldn't know until whoever they were for opened them and told if they wanted to tell them.) So busy in her chattering it wasn't until they those two odd letters were the last to be sorted that her blue eyes looked down at them and realized one of them had her name on it.
That had set her off even as Corbin owlishly blinked at her in a half asleep state because Corbin was not a morning person in the slightest, only to stop and chatter even more when the second letter's name was noted.
Harry (Corbin) James Potter
"Your names Harry? I didn't know that, oh you didn't know that either I'm sorry I forgot but look that means you do have a birth certificate out there, though I still like Corbin better because that makes us bird friends and who do you think wrote such odd letters to us? How did they know your real name or that you were here though because everyone said you didn't have anything with you to tell them your name when you showed up."
"Perhaps little Duck the answers lie inside the letters if little birds would open them."
The fondness in the tone of the elderly worker took any sting from the slight rebuke, and even Corbin woke up enough to carefully take his letter and for both to silently agree to open them at once.
"Quaaa?"
Minerva Mcgonagall Deputy Head of Hogwarts, Transfiguration Professor, and Head of Gryffindor House found herself stalling outside the slightly grungy building that housed two new prospective students. A great part of her was not amused by her hesitation, she was a lioness after all they were meant to charge forward into the unknown with bravery as light and shield. Yet, here she was dithering under the excuse of collecting her thoughts, because of the fact that she should only have been coming to this specific place for one student and not two, and that second student was the center of all of her fine control being tested.
Harry Potter was meant to be living with his maternal Aunt and her family, she had been assured that he would be there living a normal, if magicless life, away from those that would only see his scar or want to use him because of said scar. Yet, yet, here she was holding the reply for two children residing within a children's home that was hardly noteworthy in anyway. A little worn in age, and grungy from pollution but nothing remarkable at all. Even its reputation; for despite what many believe she was a lot more connected to the muggle world than most other magicals as it would be far harder to convince parents this is the right choice for their child if she couldn't explain magic to them in ways they understand after all, was average and ordinary. No scandals or murmurs of it being a horrible place to live or tales of sugary nonsense of it being like a fairy tale home. While this was reassuring in many ways for her regarding the son of two of her favorite lions, the fact he was here at all was alarming in and of itself. Just how long had he lived here? Did something happen that not even Albus knew about regarding the Dursley family as a whole? Or were they just as despicable as she feared and left him here willingly? The fact there was a name not of his birth added to his addressed letter and was the one he preferred being called just made that uneasy fear more real to her, because a child to be used to another name meant growing up not hearing their actual name.
Answers to these questions were inside waiting for her and she wasn't likely going to get them just standing out here. She had even made certain to not give away anything about this visit being what it was to the rest of the staff because she wanted to make sure herself that James and Lily's child was safe and whole first before baring down on Albus and Severus regarding this revelation. Albus for clearly lying all these years in his reassurance the boy was safe and loved by his family, and on Severus when he would start making his grudge filled remarks about this boy being just like his father. Fortifying herself with one more mental slap and spine become the steel it was known by all her students she briskly marched into the courtyard and up through the double door entrance into the lobby area.
For a moment it felt like she didn't prepare enough as both children were sitting and waiting her along with an elderly lady with dove grey hair in a serviceable bun. The little girl, Miss Arianna Edelweiss was tiny and bright and she just knew that one was meant for Pomona to coo over, the feathery like cowlick on top of her head barely making her as tall as the boy next to her when they stood just made it harder to not like the child with such long bright red hair and blue eyes that just seemed to already be happy to meet anyone they saw. The boy though was like looking at a ghost of two people and she had to catch her breath for a moment. Yes there was much of James in the boy, but there was also a lot of Lily as well in that face. Not at all like those silly drawings and descriptions in those books of nonsense that just lazily took a likeness of James as a boy and only changed the color of the eyes and added the scar. Yes, the scar was there peeking past long and unruly bangs, and those large green eyes were the same exact shade and shape as Lily at that age, even the hair had the curse of messiness to it in a way. Yet, there was so much that was a mixture of both parents and some hints of his grandparents as well in that face. Those high cheekbones were clearly from the Black side of his family tree, and the hair while messy was dark and feathery making it seem like a messy nest of bird feathers then what James had, the slightly longer length likely helped as James never wore his long enough for the tips to brush past his chin like Harry was. Even the slight upturn of the nose was much like his grandfather at that age while the coltish limbs was much like how his grandmother had been as a young lass.
It was seeing so many little things of various people that hit her more then if he truly had been a replica of James with Lily's eyes as the public wished to believe. Because this felt more real in this being the wee babe she had hesitated to leave on that doorstep so many years ago.
'Steady on, you have a job to do. Wool gather later.'
"Good day, I'm Professor Mcgonagall. Today children I'm here to answer any questions you have about Hogwarts and perhaps get you kitted out for the new year if we all agree this is the best choice for you."
It is during the back and forth that she soon realizes how utterly right both of the names the two prefer fit as the bright little girl flutters and chatters like a happy little duckling and the boy she feels like she has failed, while quieter than the girl has no hesitation in asking his own curious questions and giving sly little amused looks much like she would expect a raven to give as it plans mischief from its perch above you.
Then she learns about how they realized they were magical and has to sit back when to demonstrate Corbin, he isn't Harry and she sees how happy he is as Corbin she can not dare take that from him, bangs his chair down suddenly to startle little Arianna and she finds herself looking down at the crumpled blue dress the little girl was wearing as a sunshine yellow duck with bright and too human blue eyes waddles out from beneath the folds.
Both are relieved when she admits clothing is always the hardest part to keep but can be learned with practice, and she can't help but wonder if black and yellow feathers will be found through the halls of Hogwarts in a few years when she watches those bright green eyes brighten at the admittance anyone can become an animal if they have the dedication and work ethic for it. Even as she attempts to recall what she had learned as an apprentice so long ago about those that unlock the transformation early and spontaneous like this little girl has done. She almost can't wait to see what these two will do in her class when allowed to try.
Her aiding in bringing little Arianna back into human form seems to cement something in both children as they appear even happier to flit and follow behind her as she escorts them to Diagon Alley for the first time for school supplies.
Yes I gave Ahiru/Duck a different name. Mostly to make her fit in the world, because I didn't want to go the route of her having Japanese heritage to explain why she has a Japanese name in England. Arianna was mostly chosen on a lark considering Dumbledore's sister but looking at the meaning of the name made me like it more as it means chaste or very holy and considering Ahiru's role in Princess Tutu you could say that is what she was meant to be. The holy figure to bring hope to everyone and was meant to remain chaste and pure or turn into a speck of light. Edelweiss was chosen to give her that note of foreign without being obvious since technically she should not be in this story or even a girl to begin with. Edelweiss means Noble White in German (Edel=Nobel and Weiss=White) which fits into the theme of Princess Tutu, especially as the meaning of the flower is noble courage and there is a tradition that to give a loved one these flowers was a promise of dedication to them, once more falling into Ahiru's role as Princess Tutu.
Corbin means little raven or crow depending on who you ask and was chosen because where there is a duck there is a raven within the magic of both Fakir and Drosselmeyer. It also let's me show that this Harry is not the same Harry as canon and is also being influenced by story magic instead of just by the prophecy between him and Voldemort. Harry not being a carbon copy of his father with his mother's eyes was something I planned from the start because for one genetics don't work that way, and while I could see him looking a lot like James Potter and there being traits that will always come through a family line due to some magical reason I felt that this would make him more real then just a caricature playing a role. It also is another aspect for me to play with in regards to people assuming he fits a role only for him not to. This also means I'm going to take traits that he's shown flashes of in canon and bring them fully out so he's not just the look before you leap saving people complex fairytale hero that Rowling started him out as before attempting to make the story grow up alongside the first readers of the books.