Disclaimer: Let's keep it simple and quick, shall we? I don't own Harry Potter and this is for the entertainment of me and whoever is reading this. The end.

"In all of our minds, there is a chasm of raging chaos. We hide it with workings and obsessions, building up walls in our minds. Break down those walls, and you will see who you really are… and then you will go insane" -unknown

"Birds, they're balls of feathers that do nothing but fly and squawk and poop. But do you know what they are good for? Yeah… me neither" -anonymous

She was in what could be called Number 12 Grimmauld Place, but it was different. The walls were strewn with trees- or maybe the walls were trees- the tops of which arched above her like a leafy ceiling. The drab, stone floor was replaced with damp, squishy forest floor. She reached the stairs, though it was stream, and skipped down the stepping stones.

She looked up, hoping to see the sky, but there was none- the trees were in the way.

"Of course," her thoughts projected, "I'm cooped up inside, how would I be able to see the sky?"

Hermione- her shirt with a blinking heart on it- snuck up behind Avanne.

"Come on, it's time to go to Hogwarts," Hermione said in a strange high-pitched voice.

"But I'm still in my pajamas," she protested.

"That's just your uniform, silly," said a red-haired boy that looked vaguely like Ron. He was wearing an identical 'uniform.'

She followed the two through the indoor forest. They reached a wide river.

"Hogwarts is across that river," said Ron, pointing, "We have to go across that bridge," he now pointed toward a wide plank laid out to cross the river.

They'd barely taken five steps on the plank when they heard a loud, "YOU'RE IT!" from behind them. Avanne looked behind her to see a young boy- the same one from that park- running towards the plank.

"Tag," he said to Avanne and pushed her into the river. She resurfaced quickly to glare at her childhood friend for that, but he was gone and the boy from the bus had taken his place.

"Wimp," he smirked at her and strutted across the plank.

She swam back to the shore and crossed the plank again.

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were waiting for her.

"Is Hogwarts far from here?" Avanne asked, still seething about the river incident.

"Right over there."

They all pointed toward a large tree-house across a clearing. A sign hung above it saying "Hog-Warts."

"Nice," she commented sincerely as they walked toward it.

They all hoisted themselves onto a branch and climbed up to "Hogwarts."

"Wait, is that the only way?" she asked them.

"Come on," they said urgently.

"Okay," she said and began climbing. It was remarkably easy, even effortless.

But as she put her foot on one of the branches it gave a loud CRACK.

"Not again!" she said in frustration as she fell.

She expected to feel ground, but instead, something caught her. She saw the pale arms that had her.

She looked up at the blonde-haired teenager, who smiled momentarily before his face contorted in pain. He threw him away from her as he squirmed. She watched, stunned, as he morphed into a cloaked figure.

"Dementors?" she heard Hermione yell, apparently shocked. Though her voice was no longer oddly high-pitched, it sounded like she was hearing it from across some kind of barrier. The cloaked figure flew back toward her. She tried to scramble away, but the world was dissolving into black.

"That's what they said! Dementors attacked Harry in Little Whinging!"

She slowly realized that the black she saw was her eyelids. She felt herself curled up under blankets, but her pillow was mysteriously gone.

"Avanne, come on, get up!"

Oh no, she thought, there is no way it was morning already. She didn't move, pretending to still be asleep, hoping Hermione would give up and let her sleep.

"She should've woken up by now," Hermione said. She sounded panicky about something.

She then heard Ginny, "She probably did," she also sounded agitated, "But if not, hand me her pillow and I'll try."

"I don't-"

Avanne felt a pillow smack her in the face. So that's what happened to her pillow.

She grabbed the pillow and threw it down, "What the he-"

She stopped abruptly when she saw them. Both of them looked like they'd just jumped out of bed. They were still in pajamas and their hair was a mess. But they looked completely awake, and just as panicked and worried as they'd sounded.

"What happened?" she asked, starting to get worried herself.

"Harry, he was attacked by dementors," Hermione explained shakily.

"Dementors? I thought he lived in a muggle neighborhood."

"That's the problem!" Ginny exclaimed, "I wish they would let us know what was going on."

"Wait, when did this happen?"

"Just now, almost," Ginny answered, "I'd gone down to get a glass of water, but while I was down, an owl from Dad- he was working late- flew in and all hell broke loose. I barely managed to hear them say that dementors had attacked Harry before they called an emergency meeting. Mum went ballistic and told us all to stay put up here until this was over."

"I'm going to go see if Fred and George found out anyth-" Hermione was interrupted by the apparation of the two in the room.

Speak of the devil, she thought momentarily.

"New update," they reported in unison. Their faces were completely serious, "He apparently had to use a patronus charm-"

"-in front of a muggle."

"Oh, no."

George nodded, "They said the ministry is in the process of expelling him-"

"-but Dumbledore's trying to sort it all out," Fred added quickly.

"How did you find out?"

"Extendable Ears," they held them up and disapparated.

Not a week had passed since his little sneak-out, and life had already mellowed back into its dull self. Draco was sprawled out on a couch in the library. He had an open book on his lap, but he didn't read it. He found that he could only do so much reading before it ceased to be enjoyable.

His eyes wandered vaguely around the aged library. Several shelves were occupied by books concerning the dark arts, another by a record of family lines, and the rest were classics and general books.

He looked back to his Quidditch Through the Ages*. He thumbed through the pages absentmindedly. He stopped at an illustration of a Snidget, a fat bird that resembled a Snitch.

It was sort of amusing, he supposed, that seekers used to catch that little bird instead of the modern-day snitch, but the Snidgets probably ended up horribly mutilated more often than not. As the seeker on the Slytherin Quidditch Team, he was fairly sure he would rather catch a solid, non-living Snitch than a stout, little bird.

He shut the book. A small puff of dust flew out of it once he did, irritating his nose. He was really sick of the indoors.

He left the book on the couch as he stood up and left. Reading about Quidditch had reminded him of how much he needed to get some practice before term started. Gryffindor had won the last Quidditch cup, which had been during his third year. Draco knew that Graham Montague, the new captain, would do all that he could to win the cup back to Slytherin. So, he was fairly sure that he would hold team tryouts to make sure he had the best players (and since some players left Hogwarts after Draco's third and fourth year). If there was one thing he had observed from Montague, it was how ambitious he was when it came to Quidditch. If Draco wanted to stay on the team, he would have to do so on skill alone, without the means of bribery, as he did initially.

He knew he was considerably better than he had been during first year, and he knew he could easily fly circles around his Slytherin companions, but he didn't know if that would be enough.

He thought of an open field not far from the manor. He would practice there.

He grabbed his Nimbus 2001 and headed to the front door. He reached the entrance hall, and as he motioned to open the door, heard his father behind him.

"Might I ask where you are so eagerly headed?" he asked Draco.

He held up his broom, "I need to practice Quidditch if I want to stay on the team," he answered simply.

"And you cannot wait until the start of term?" Lucius asked, raising his eyebrow.

"With the O.W.L.s this year, I don't know how much time will be available before tryouts."

And he really wanted to get outside.

Without saying a word, Lucius walked away, probably to return to whatever he had been doing prior.

Draco, once he was out of earshot, gave a snort of derision. His father never even had any interest in Quidditch, he just wanted him to have positions of prominence and authority in school- to gain reputation early. Come to think of it, his father probably already convinced Snape to select him as prefect.

He stepped outside and immediately squinted his eyes against the bright sun. Coming out of a dark, cold environment and coming out into a warmer, brighter one was a bit of a shock.

Still not able to see properly, he went forward down the stone walkway. He suddenly tripped over something small and soft. As he collided with the ground, he heard a screech along with the clatter of his broom. Several white feathers were still floating along through the air.

He glared at the cause of his tripping. The said peacock was still skittering around, startled. It screeched angrily at him. He growled back.

His father owned and kept an abundance of those flashy birds in the yard of the manor. Peacocks of all things!

Moodily, he grabbed his Nimbus 2001 and continued down the path, peacocks scuttling around him. His scraped hands and wrists stung irritatingly.

He kicked another two of them out of the way and headed for the woods. The lighting became dimmer and dried, fallen leaves began crunching under his feet. He climbed onto a fallen log and walked along it, deep in thought.

CRUNCH CRUNCH

He froze, his heart skipped a beat. It sounded like footsteps crunching through the woods. They were swift, but steady, as though in a hurry. They definitely were not his own footsteps- he was standing quite still on a log.

The crunching eventually faded off behind him, heading toward his house. He regained his composure and kept walking, keeping quiet and staying cautious. Walking, he could have sworn he heard many more footsteps- all moving in the direction of his house.

He hopped over a slow creak. The lighting soon became bright again, so he knew he was coming close to the field.

"Malfoy!" greeted a familiar voice.

He looked toward the source.

"Hey, Zabini," he answered less enthusiastically.

Zabini broke into a smile, "Sour mood, I see. What happened?"

"An unfortunate run-in with my father's pet peacocks."

Zabini pulled a face. He hated birds of nearly every shape and size. Even owls.

"So," Zabini commented, putting that aside, "Come to practice Quidditch, did you?" he glanced pointedly at Draco's Nimbus 2001. He, himself, was carrying a Nimbus 1000.

Draco nodded, "And to get fresh air. You?"

"Hoping to make it on the team- you know, if Montague holds tryouts," he said proudly.

"You might get it" Draco commented. Zabini was a fairly good flyer, "What position are you trying out for?"

Zabini answered hesitantly, "Seeker."

Draco felt his eyes boggle. Out of all of the Slytherins, he was closest to Zabini- mainly because he was the least annoying. He was the closest thing he had to a best friend.

But seeker was his position. His position- and Zabini was trying to get it!

Much to his confusion, Zabini burst out laughing, "That bewildered look on your face is priceless! You take me way too seriously, Malfoy!"

Draco relaxed. Zabini was a bit of a jokester. Not a terribly good one, though, and few Slytherins appreciated his sense of humor… and overall cheerfulness.

"I'm actually trying out for chaser," he explained, "But, if that doesn't work, then I'll tryout for seeker."

"Well, I hope you get chaser," he jeered, "Because you don't stand a chance a seeker."

"Sure, Mr. Bribery," Zabini jeered back.

There was silence.

"Anyway," Zabini broke it, "My mother is getting married. Again."

"Again?" Zabini's mother had been married many times, all to some very wealthy wizards. And then, maybe a few months later, they would mysteriously die.

"Yeah, he's a real jerk, this one," he scowled, "Can't take a joke to save his life."

"Oh, I bet not…"

The door shut behind Mrs. Weasely.

"I don't know whether to be relieved or upset," Ginny commented, stretched out across her bed.

"At least they didn't expel him," Hermione said with optimism, "And it's a trial. They can't find Harry guilty of anything, because he didn't do anything wrong."

"Hermione," Avanne said, going with being upset, herself, "If the world was logical like that, Harry wouldn't even be on trial. Instead, the ministry would be sending him an apology, because they were the ones in charge of the dementors."

"Still," Hermione persisted, "It can only be fair."

"Fudge is stupid," Avanne argued, "He'll find a way to make it anything but fair."

Hermione realized this and became worried.

"Avanne, you're not making this any better," Ginny said, annoyed.

She opened her mouth to retort, but stopped at the sound of tapping. A familiar snowy owl tapped urgently on the window.

"It's Head-wig."

Rolling her eyes, Ginny stood up to let the owl in. She slid open the window and Hedwig flew straight to Hermione, her amber eyes flashing with intent.

Hermione unrolled the parchment, obviously from Harry and read it aloud:

I've just been attacked by dementors and I might be expelled from Hogwarts-

As she read the letter, a faint copper smell stung against Avanne's nose. She curled her nose at it.

-I want to know what's going on-

Trying to ignore the smell, she focused on the note, but noticed it had a small smear of red on it.

Eyebrows raised she looked to Hedwig. Only then did she notice that the owl's beak was covered in blood.

Maybe she had been hunting?

-and when I'm going to get out of here.

The door swung open again. It was Ron, looking disheveled.

"Hey, watch out for-" he managed to say urgently before he was interrupted.

And then, chaos ensued.

Not moments after she had finished reading the note, Hedwig shot towards her and began pecking viciously at her fingers. Hermione gave a shout and tried to move away from the owl.

Ron lunged at the bird and, grabbing her, tried to restrain her from Hermione.

Hedwig flapped madly, struggling against her captor. Using her beak, she took a hard stab against Ron's already bleeding finger.

Reflexively, he released the owl, who, once again, went for Hermione. Ron staggered backwards and collided with Ginny. They both took a fall onto the ground.

Avanne tried to restrain Hedwig as Ron had. She struggled as the owl's wings slapped against her arms and shoulders. Feathers flew everywhere

"Sorry Gin," she heard Ron say as he helped his sister off of the floor.

One of Hedwig's wings suddenly slapped against Avanne's face. She opened her mouth, and ended up inhaling some of the feathers.

She staggered, choking on the feathers.

"Avy, watch out for the-" Hermione tried to warn.

Too late. Avanne ran into a lamp. It shattered on the ground.

On the ground, she released Hedwig, who weakly fluttered before flopping onto the ground. One of her wings was horribly mangled and bloody. She gave a small hoot, as though pleading for help.

Avanne had not landed onto the glass. She did get scraped- though not enough to break the skin. Her ankle ached and throbbed. She coughed out the troublesome feathers.

"Merlin, look at Hedwig!" Hermione gasped. She carefully picked up the injured owl.

Avanne pushed herself onto her feet, trying not to put weight onto her hurting ankle.

"I am so sorry," she apologized, feeling shame and embarrassment.

"Come on," Hermione said hastily, ignoring Avanne. She rushed out of the room, the group followed her.

They walked briskly to the dining room, where they hoped an adult was there and could help. Avanne had trouble keeping up with the group, walking in a weird limp.

"Mum!" Ginny shouted as they approached the dining room, "Mum!"

"What, Ginny, wh-" Mrs. Weasley gasped, "What on Earth happened?"

The dining room was filled with the remains of the hastily gathered meeting, they watched the scene before them.

The teens glanced at Avanne, who dropped her head and made her face extra pale to hide her flush.

"She ran into a lamp," Ginny said. It wasn't a lie, but she knew her mother- and everyone else- would assume that 'she' was Hedwig.

Avanne looked at Ginny, trying to make her face say 'thank you.' Ginny nodded.

"Arthur," Mrs. Weasley called, "Take care of Hedwig, I need to go get a potion for Ron and Hermione."

"Yes, dear," Mr. Weasley murmured, taking the owl.

"You, too?" said Sirius, walking into the room, "I just felt the wrath of that bird a few minutes ago," he held up his scarred hand, "It wouldn't stop until I finished a letter to Harry."

"You don't think he had her do that, do you?" Ginny asked.

"Probably," Sirius said simply. Those in the room starting discussing something amongst themselves. He addressed Mrs. Weasley, "Molly, there's probably some potion for them in the bathroom cabinet.

She bustled out to retrieve it.

"I'll just go," Avanne mumbled, limping off.

"Avanne," she heard her dad say.

She felt her insides twist with dread. She glanced at her mum, who looked at her knowingly. She turned to her dad, "Yes?"

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine," she answered adding fake enthusiasm. Too much fake enthusiasm.

He eyed her, "Then, why are you limping?"

"I tripped. My ankle's probably just twisted."

"Well, let me know if it doesn't get better," he walked back to his seat.

She took a deep breath, "Hey, dad?"

He looked back to her, "Hmm?"

"Um…" she tried to figure out how to say it, "About my outburst… some days ago," she dropped her eyes to the floor, "I was… I'm sorry."

The shadow of a smile crept onto his face, "It's alright."

She smiled slightly, "Great. I'm going to go back to bed."

"Not so fast," Ginny said, walking over to Avanne, "I'm going there, too, and you'd get lost without someone."

"Probably," Avanne agreed and hopped away, following Ginny.

I'm really, really sorry for the lack of update for the past month(s).

You should know, I'm going to be editing a few chapters slightly (specifically 2, 4, and 7- maybe others). The changes probably won't be too dramatic that you'd have to read. It's mostly going to be fixing mistakes, rewriting a paragraph or two, and changing a few select details. I'll have it up by September 12, 2010 (because I need a deadline). Watch for that.

I must say, it was much more fun to write about Draco than it was Avanne.

Let me know what you thought. For those who were possibly confused, the very first part was a dream.

Oh, IMPORTANT. Thinking about it, I realize that I really don't need to have Avanne as a metamorphmagus. I don't want people, when they start to read, to stop reading because they automatically find her to be a Mary-Sue because she is one. I'm still fairly early in the writing, so it's still possible for me to go back and rewrite this without her as one. PLEASE let me know if you think I should keep her as is, or rewrite her so she's not a metamorphmagus. I might put up a poll, so please check my profile for that. Thanks.