HP: Fairborn Adventures

May 12th, 1977

Leaves crunched underneath their steps and the snap of a twig echoed through the silent forest. The very few strays of sunlight that made it past the thick crown of the trees illuminated the uneven ground, allowing them to dodge thick roots and sharp rocks.

"Is it really necessary to go so deep into the forest?" Wormtail whimpered from a few meters behind Harry, stumbling over a root and hurrying to catch up with the group: "I don't particularly like it here..."

"Are you a Gryffindor or not, Wormy?" Sirius' careless laughter echoed from the thick tree trunks: "The deeper we go the less likely we are to be seen by some teacher or perhaps Hagrid if he decided to take one of his crazy strolls into here."

'I doubt even Hagrid is welcome here anymore.'

"Perhaps Peter is right about not going too deep though." Harry mused, his senses on high alert while his eyes constantly took in their surroundings.

A few months had passed since Harry and Marlene killed Mosag and a not-insignificant fraction of Aragog's colony. He had made sure that the Marauders and he entered a part of the forest far away from the Acromantula nest and even masked his own scent to make it more difficult for the creatures to smell him.

Still, Harry grimaced upon thinking about what kind of revenge the spiders would take on him if they were to encounter another again. He cast another quick look around, his eyes roaming over dark trees and grounds covered by leaves from last fall. "This spot right here should do just fine, guys. No need to go any further."

"I don't know..." Wormtail's small brown eyes nervously glanced into the thick bushes and hedges: "Why don't we just keep practicing with Harry in the dorm? He made great progress there, didn't he?"

"Because to help him overcome the final threshold and complete a full transformation, Harry needs to be in an environment his inner animal feels comfortable and familiar with." Remus, who had tagged along for today stated matter of factly: "A boarding school dormitory is hardly an ideal place for a raven to spread its wings for the first time. The forest will work much better."

"Besides, how would you know about Harry's progress anyway, Wormy?" James laughed as he sat down on the ground, his legs crossed: "It's not like you've been to many of his recent practice sessions. Where do you always sneak off to recently anyway?"

"Nowhere exactly..." Wormtail avoided his friends' curious gazes, looking down to his feet: "I'm just exploring the Castle a bit further, you know..."

'As soon as you step out of line, I will be there to prevent things from taking the same turn as last time.' Harry vowed as he tore his eyes from the small, chubby frame of the fourth Marauder.

"Just don't tell us you've got a girlfriend too now..." Sirius barked as he joined James on the ground: "Otherwise I will contemplate initiating the Marauders 2.0 where only blokes without girlfriends are allowed."

"You know, Sirius, from the way you constantly talk about your dislike for witches one might think you're batting for the other team..." Harry grinned as he shrugged off his robes: "Perhaps you have something important to share with us? No worries, I promise we won't judge you..."

Laughter from the remaining Marauders echoed through the forest while Sirius rolled his eyes with a faint grin: "Ha-ha, very funny, Harry... You should know that only last week Miranda Bobbins took me up on my invitation to shag in a broom closet. Not as if it would matter in the grand scheme of things when comparing our totals, mate..."

Harry chuckled, taking a seat on the uneven ground as well: "The only difference is that you waste considerable resources and energy to convince all these girls to have a go with you, whereas I have a bombshell, blonde witch for a girlfriend, who even I can barely keep up with."

"Is that so?" Sirius smirked triumphantly: "Even after your little lovers quarrel during our last Quidditch match five days ago?"

'Yikes...' Harry grimaced as his mind wandered backward in time for a few days.

The Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw Quidditch match had been just as anticipated as last year, perhaps even more. While the Puffs had done an admirable job trying to improve their team play, it had only helped them against the Slytherins, for they still got heavily outplayed by both remaining teams.

Of course, it had been a rather lackluster Quidditch season in general. However, the irregular or even canceled training session, due to Avery's attacks on the muggle-borns, had done the most harm to the Slytherins, leading to them merely scoring the last spot this season.

"Well... That was just some healthy competition." Harry tried to lazily dismiss the issue.

'Although perhaps it got a little out of hand this time.'

Harry knew that his girlfriend was of a very competitive nature and disliked losing, especially if it was to him. Still, he would have never expected the blonde to come up with a plan for her entire team to pretty much focus on Harry from the get-go.

'A repeat of my match back in second year...'

During the majority of the match, Harry had been chased by both Bludgers, which made looking out for the Golden Snitch almost impossible. Encouraged by his girlfriend, the two Ravenclaw Beaters had relentlessly batted the heavy metal balls at Harry, aiming for whatever part of his body was the easiest to reach.

Of course, the Gryffindor Beaters had tried to help him out, with Sirius even offering to escort him similar to Fred and George had when Dobby's rogue Bludger targeted him back in second year. However, Harry knew that the most effective way to overcome the issue was to ensure they had a good lead point-wise and let him deal with the Bludgers by himself.

"Then why didn't Marlene attend the after-party in Gryffindor tower?" Wormtail piqued up curiously.

"That had nothing to do with the match," Harry replied with a scowl.

After what felt like a dozen missed opportunities due to incoming Bludgers, Harry had finally caught the Snitch. Marlene had been slightly led down, but since she played a picture-perfect match herself, scoring almost as many goals as James, she had to reluctantly agree that overall, the Gryffindors had just been the better team this season.

What neither of them knew was that Marlene's parents had attended the game together and asked to speak to their daughter as she and Harry were about to leave the pitch. Despite his pleas, the blonde had insisted on Harry to keep going and wait for her in the Gryffindor common room while she talked to her parents by herself.

An hour later, Harry still didn't spot the familiar patch of long blonde curls anywhere among the crowd of partygoers and decided to consult the Map. When he was unable to spot her name and Marlene didn't respond to his Patronus either, Harry had already feared that she might have left the school. That was when he remembered two locations that even the Map wasn't able to plot.

Harry first checked the Room of Requirements and Hidden Things, but both had been empty. Assuming that she might have replicated the passing phrase to enter the Chamber, Harry had hurried down into its depth.

Her enraged shouts and the many scorched walls of the Chamber had given him a rough idea of how the interaction with her parents might have gone.

'Certainly not favorable.'

Right at the center, he finally found her, threatening Aurelius' ancient tome at wand point, for apparently Harry's ancestor had refused to teach her how to conjure Fiendfyre in such an emotional state.

Over the course of the next hour, Harry had managed to somewhat calm the enraged young witch and gathered the reasons for her very emotional state of mind.

Apparently, her parents did not outright banish her from her home, but to Marlene, it had sounded like the only reason for that had been her older brother's death and that they didn't want to lose two of their children.

Just as anticipated, utterly discontented was barely an appropriate term for how Lady McKinnon treated her own daughter that day. According to Marlene, the only 'greater shame to her name and standing' might have been if she had allowed some filthy muggle to take her virtue and gotten pregnant during the act.

At some point during her mother's tirade, Marlene had refused to listen any longer and instead headed back to the Castle, fully intent on releasing lots of pent-up aggression. When ordinary flames didn't feel satisfying enough, she had tried to talk Aurelius into teaching her the cursed derivative of the spell. Luckily that was when Harry arrived...

It had taken the entire evening to calm the girl and talk her out of some of the more extreme ideas, like 'deliberately getting her pregnant to teach her parents a lesson'. In the end, the couple simply remained in the Chamber, spending the night away from any celebration neither of them felt like.

"Just let it rest, Wormtail. Harry and Marlene are mature enough to work out their issues by themselves." James' interference shook Harry out of his thoughts.

"Since when did you become the mature one here?" Sirius snorted: "Only two weeks ago you were the one who suggested we sneak into the girl's dorm to- "

"Perhaps- " Remus cleared his throat purposefully: " -We should get started on why we came all the way here in the first place..."

"Exactly, well said, Moony!" James nodded his agreement and turned to Harry: "You've made excellent progress already, but this is where we can finally take things a step further, mate. It took Padfoot, Wormtail, and me over three years to complete our first transformation, but with how talented you are- "

" -and thanks to your incredibly patient and knowledgeable teachers- " Sirius chimed in with a chuckle.

" -you should be able to have a first go at it now already." James finished with an eye-roll at the other Marauder.

"Should I do anything differently this time around?" Harry questioned.

"Two things." James held up two fingers: "First of all, this time you need to stop regarding your body as separate limbs and instead treat it as one single entity. Don't try to change limb after limb, and instead simultaneously imagine the entire transformation on each part of your body. Being in this environment should help you as well. Hopefully, it will come more naturally to you than our dormitory."

"And second of all- " Sirius barked in laughter: "You should obviously attempt the first transformation with the least amount of clothes possible, for you will undoubtedly come back completely stripped anyways, mate."

"Will I?" Harry raised an eyebrow and took off his shoes and socks: "And why is that?"

"Animals don't have a concept for clothing, therefore it takes some practice to imagine yourself back in your clothes after reverting the changes." Remus explained to him: "Ensuring that your wand will still remain with you is an even bigger challenge, so I would suggest you don't try to transform with it anywhere on your body, at least for now."

"Yeah, we're already in for a bloody rant from McKinnon when she finds out anyone other than her saw you naked." Sirius grinned: "That's one possessive bird you've got there..."

"Let's stick with birds and finally do this." Harry rolled his eyes and took off his shirt and trousers, leaving him with nothing but his boxer briefs.

"Good luck, Harry." James patted his shoulder: "We're here to reverse the changes in case you get stuck. But try not to think about that too much."

"Thanks, I suppose." Harry gulped heavily. He handed James the Elder Wand and sat back down on the floor of the forest. "Take good care of that for me in the meantime, please."

'You've got this.'

'It's Raven time.'

He crossed his legs and took a few deep breaths, his head held high to allow him to glance into the thick crown of trees high above him.

'How nice it would be to spread my wings up there and dart from branch to branch...'

The faint chirps and tweets of other birds called down to him through the dense mass of green leaves, edging him on to join them high in the sky. He wanted nothing more than to spread his wings and feel the cool air rush past him as he explored the endless new realm that was the atmosphere.

'Be the Raven.'

A sea of black feathers, a sharp beak, and claws flashed before his inner eye as Harry allowed his magic to spread from his core and pushed his intent into every fiber of his body.

Suddenly he himself shrunk, closing in on the ground at rapid speed. It was either that, or the world around him spontaneously decided to grow exponentially.

Whereas he previously felt himself sitting crossed-legged on uneven ground, he now had the distinct feeling of gripping onto something, or perhaps digging his toes into the soil for better stability.

Harry peeked down, over a nose that had suddenly turned ebony black and grew away from his face, ending in a sharp beak. His human legs were gone. In their stead, two thin scaled stems parted fourways and ended in sharp, sparkling claws.

A high sound ahead of him made him snap his head back up. A monstrous two-legged giant with spectacles stood in front of him and kneeled down, holding up both his hands. His animalistic mind went into panic mode and Harry jumped backward, while trying to flap his wings and escape from the gigantic predator.

Unfortunately, his new legs failed horribly at their first task and suddenly Harry found himself lying flat on his back, his vision blocked by a mass of long black feathers.

He spotted the giant aiming a thin wooden stick straight at him, his lips parted and suddenly something sickly yellow surged towards Harry on the ground before he could avoid it.

His body changed once more, growing in size until it felt tons heavier than before. Then he found himself panting heavily on the ground again, laying on his bareback, his limbs sprawled out in all directions; gone were any ebony feathers, all that was left was a very strong goosebump.

"Yep, completely nude, just as expected." He made out the sound of Sirius' laughter a few meters ahead of him: "But I guess us blokes should be glad you're sticking firmly to McKinnon... She was correct anytime she said she's a lucky girl. Not bad, mate..."

"Don't listen to him, Harry." The unruly hair of James came into view right above him, holding out his wand: "However, he was correct in stating that you're very much naked right now. You might want to conjure yourself something."

"Thanks." The Elder Wand slid into his palm and with a small flick, Harry conjured himself a pair of boxers.

"Everything hurts." Groaning, he pushed himself upwards and rubbed his temples: "It felt completely insane, almost like my mind was actually that of a bird. I literally thought you were some two-legged giant and I couldn't even recognize a wand."

"We all had similar experiences." James chuckled and steadied Harry on one shoulder as he pulled up his trousers: "It took us an entire week until Wormtail didn't wet himself anymore in his rat form at the sight of Sirius."

"He was a massive black dog and I was a tiny rat!" Pettigrew protested from the back, cheeks reddened in embarrassment: "It would be any rat's natural instinct to run!"

Sirius sniggered: "Pretty sure you still wet yourself when Moony transforms though."

"Should I go again in a few minutes and try to move around a bit?" Harry inquired, now fully dressed again.

"No, let it rest for a day." James suggested: "The first few transformations are extremely tiresome for the body and particularly the mind. I'm actually surprised that you haven't thrown up yet. That's pretty much all the three of us did afterward."

"I do feel a bit sick." Harry admitted: "So tomorrow we try again? How long do you reckon until I can try to fly a bit?"

"A week, maybe two?" Sirius kicked a small rock into a bush: "You need to be patient with this, even if you're progressing much quicker than any of us did."

"Well, at least it will give you guys some more time to finally come up with an appropriate Marauders name for me." Harry grinned, as the group headed back their way towards the castle: "Don't think I've forgotten!"

"Mate, we pretty much found one the moment we saw that first black feather." Sirius barked, only for the other three boys to join in.

"Oh, pray tell me then?" Harry chuckled in amusement

Harry's father and Sirius exchanged a grin and a short nod: "We hereby dub thee 'Blackbeak', our feathered friend in mischief!"

"Blackbeak?" Harry laughed: "That's rather ordinary, isn't it? I would've expected something fancy."

"Well, we were thinking about naming you Huginn or Muninn after the two ravens that accompanied Odin, the chief of the Norse gods..." Remus mused: "The name Bran was also up for debate. Wormtail actually liked it a lot."

"Why is that?" Harry asked curiously: "Doesn't it just mean raven in Welsh and old Irish?"

"Actually, there is much more to it." Pettigrew piqued up: "Ravens appear again and again in Celtic lore. In Welsh mythology, the god Bran the Blessed is a guardian of Britain whose totem is a raven."

"I think I've heard the name before." Harry mused.

"It's rather famous among the muggles." Peter bubbled excitedly: "According to the legend, Bran ordered for his own head to be cut off, after which it could still speak words of prophecy!"

"What?"

"A prophecy you say?" Harry came to an abrupt halt, almost leading to Sirius running into him.

"Yes, a prophecy." Peter continued, with all eyes trained on him: "Legend has it that Bran's head was buried beneath Tower Hill, at the Tower of London. The presence of ravens at the Tower is an echo of this legend. The prophecy says that if the ravens ever leave the tower, Britain will fall. I thought it was quite fitting."

'How ironic, so Britain falls when the Raven falls.'

'Only I don't want to be Britain's hero anymore.'

"Well, I for one prefer myself with my head attached to my body." Harry forced himself to keep a neutral expression and attempted a chuckle:

"Let us, therefore, stick to Blackbeak!"

May 29th, 1977

"Well then, with the OWL exams set up for our fifth years next week, we can finally address the last topic for tonight." Albus folded his wrinkled hands and looked around the table, briefly taking in each of his professors: "That will be the naming of next year's Head Boy and Head Girl, a decision of significant importance that should never be underestimated."

"Oho," Horace nodded his agreement, the faint pink traces of excitement were visible on his fat cheeks: "I think it shall be rather easy to reach an agreement this year around, shouldn't it?" He chuckled: "You all know that usually, I'm quick to suggest someone from my House, however at least when it comes to the boys it should be almost out of question that anyone else is chosen!"

"Is that so?" Dumbledore asked with a light frown, not having expected such a degree of mutual consent among his staff: "And just who exactly were you suggesting shall take up the role next year?"

"I suggest offering the position to Michael Parkinson." Professor Bletchley rudely interfered before Horace had the chance to respond: "He is a very well-behaved young man from a good, well-connected family. The position would open many doors for him, including his desired career in the Bureau for Internal Affairs at the DMLE."

"Parkinson?" Horace frowned: "Well, he's not without talent, I suppose, but I was talking about Harry of course!" The large man nodded, seemingly stating the obvious: "Harry Peverell, who else?!"

'Oh no...'

Albus looked in the round again, witnessing far more nods of consensus than he would have liked. For reasons unfathomable to him, his staff saw the boy as the ideal candidate to take up a role, which grants him even more privilege, power, and influence than he already held.

'There had to be a way to persuade his colleagues.'

"I would very much advise against it!" Bletchley objected heatedly: "He is disrespectful, doesn't adhere to any rules, and should not be in any position of authority!"

"Would you mind elaborating your reasons for suggesting Mr. Peverell, Horace?" Albus inquired, trying to be diplomatic about the matter: "In the entire history of Hogwarts, the occasions where the Head Boy did not stem from the ranks of Prefects can be counted on a single hand."

"Oh, come now, Albus! How was Harry supposed to be a Prefect if he only joined us halfway through his fifth year" The Potions Master stared at him bewildered.

"I'm merely saying that perhaps, the role of Head Boy should go to someone who is more familiar with the castle and what it's like to be a young student here." Albus argued: "The Head Boy has to identify and represent all of his peers, not just those in his year. Besides, I'm not entirely convinced Mr. Peverell has quite the right mindset for additional authority…"

"This is ridiculous Albus!" Horace protested: "Surely I'm merely mentioning what all of us were thinking! The boy has behaved like a perfect role model apart from the occasional compromising position one might find him in with the young Ms. McKinnon. But you can hardly fault him for that. They're teenagers after all!"

Minerva nodded alongside: "Though I had to remind him to keep the display of public affection at a minimum, Mr. Peverell, is a very gifted and dedicated student, whom I have witnessed multiple times already explaining the content of my lessons to younger students and peers. I think it's also safe to say that he knows the castle better than anyone, save my other sixth-year Gryffindors." Minerva's lips thinned, as they always did when she talked about the famous Marauders.

"Why are you so against electing him as the Head Boy, Albus?" Filius inquired: "We're all aware that you have kept far more than a close eye on him ever since his arrival here. If you have concerns about the young man, why not simply share them with us so we may understand you better?"

"I am merely worried because I believe I have spotted some rather alarming tendencies in the boy." Albus sighed deeply as he rubbed his temples: "There are also a few similarities that simply don't sit well with me…"

"Oh, just stop it already, Albus, will you!" Horace rolled his eyes: "Harry is nothing like him! In fact, they couldn't be any more different. Just think about the people Harry surrounds himself with. Have you ever seen him chase after a girl for months, go on dates, and be caught lost in their own little world, forgetting everything else around him? You see a few faint similarities and forget about everything that distinguishes them!"

"I'm afraid I'm not quite catching up here…" Filius squeaked: "Who exactly are we comparing Mr. Peverell to?"

"I'd like to know that as well," Minerva added, eyebrows raised.

"Nothing of importance!" Horace quickly chimed in: "But my point still stands. I believe no one would make a better Head Boy than Harry Peverell."

Albus glanced around and noticed that there was no point in arguing any further. The minds of his colleagues were firmly set and he was simply outvoted.

"Well, then you will be disappointed to hear that Mr. Peverell is not interested in becoming Head Boy," Minerva spoke up with a trace of disappointment in her usually firm voice.

"Pardon me?" Albus stared at her in surprise.

"I talked to the boy after one of my classes last week and asked him what he thought of the idea and whether he would accept it if one offered it to him." Minerva explained: "He was very quick to refuse it, despite admitting that it was an honor to be considered in the first place."

"But did he state his reasons?" Albus asked, barely able to keep his excitement.

"He explained that he intended to involve himself more in extracurricular activities next year and progress in his personal studies for the time after Hogwarts."

'Even more secrecy then...' Albus frowned: 'Perhaps it might have been good to keep him busy with Head Boy obligations...'

"A phenomenal idea!" Filius squeaked: "Especially after he will gain such valuable insights into the Department of Mysteries over the course of his summer internship!"

That was another matter that Albus had pondered over during the last weeks. The fact that the Unspeakables also showed tremendous interest in Harry Peverell and went to such great lengths to invite him into their department only strengthened Albus' belief there was something dangerous about the boy. Something that had those who studied magics' deepest mysteries greatly concerned.

"However, I'm glad I did not outright share Peverell's decision on the matter with you, Albus." Minerva flared her nostril, making Albus feel like he was caught in the thick of mischief: "It was quite intriguing to see how much concern you show for the boy when none of us could report anything negative about him. Your interest in him seems to be very unhealthy, Albus."

'I only wish for Peverell not to obtain any more power and authority…'

His eyes darted to Horace for a second:

'I was right about Riddle back then and I shall never repeat such a mistake.'

Deciding not to remark on her comment Albus quickly tried to shift the conversation back on track: "Well then, who shall we pick instead for the position as Head Boy?"

"I suggest James Potter." Minerva spoke up first: "Surely I'm not the only one who witnessed the boy's incredible transformation over the last year. By that, I don't imply that I didn't find Potter playing the occasional prank with his friends, merely that he has matured and shows tremendous potential to continue doing so."

'Now that might actually be favorable.' Albus mused. Having Peverell's closest friend in constant contact with teachers might allow him to gain even greater insight into some of the boy's activities. Perhaps Mr. Potter will even discourage Peverell from persuading anything that might risk his position as Head Boy…

"I agree with Minerva's assessment." Slughorn said: "Taking on additional responsibility will no doubt be healthy for the boy. Even his resentment of students from my House vanished almost completely. Not once have I experienced confrontations between him and Mr. Snape in my lessons this year. That's a development I would've thought unthinkable two years ago."

"Perhaps it's merely young Lily's temper that keeps him firmly in check," Filius suggested with a wink, earning himself the occasional chuckle from many of his colleagues.

"Are there any other suggestions or is everyone satisfied with naming James Potter Head Boy for the coming year?" Albus looked in the round expectantly.

Only Bletchley looked conflicted, but with everyone else nodding the man didn't dare raise the issue and object.

"Perfect!" Albus smiled, satisfied with the decision that has been reached: "It's settled then and Mr. Potter shall receive an owl during the beginning of summer. Now then, let's move on to the position of Head Girl. What do you suggest?"

"Ms. Elena Rosier will make an exceptional candidate- "

Albus rolled his eyes when Bletchley puffed out his chest and started the discussion with yet another ridiculous suggestion.

" -She shows great potential for a leadership role, as she firmly believes in the-"

"Perhaps we can speed up this discussion by suggesting valid candidates." Minerva snapped at Bletchley.

"Indeed." Horace chuckled nervously: "Ms. Rosier has a high chance of not even returning next year because her family set up a betrothal agreement with the Notts for her. Instead, I would suggest two young witches who both deserve this opportunity more than anyone else, namely Marlene McKinnon and Lily Evans."

"A muggle-born for Head Girl?" Bletchley sneered in disgust: "How could you even sug- "

He quickly shut up when he met the stares of everyone else, including one from Albus: "I remember having said that there will be no more exceptions when it comes to the discrimination of someone's background, and not neither the students nor the members of staff are exempt from this rule, Edward."

The man merely swallowed heavily and avoided the headmaster's penetrating gaze.

"Ms. McKinnon and Ms. Evans then," Albus repeated, deciding to keep his thoughts on the first candidate to himself and avoid making the same mistake twice. He looked from Minerva to Filius: "Have you by chance approached either of them and asked for their opinions?"

"As a matter of fact, I have," Filius replied: "Regretfully I have to report that similar to Mr. Peverell, Ms. McKinnon will decline the role if one were to offer it to her, as she too intends to resume her personal education during her free time next year. She did however state her desire to remain a Prefect and ensured me to make time for any duties that come along with the role."

"Truly a shame!" Horace moaned in frustration: "Both her brothers were named Head Boy and Ms. McKinnon's services to the school alone already make her an ideal candidate. Remember that it was her incredible Patronus that quickly alerted us of the attack on young Ms. Miller."

"Perhaps you could ask her to share some tips with the rest of your class on how to conjure such a brilliant piece of magic during your last few lessons, Edward?" Minerva suggested with the ghost of a smile on her lips: "You must be incredibly proud of your student to have managed such a feat all by herself."

"Yes..." Bletchley spat through clenched teeth: "Very proud indeed."

"Well, with Marlene McKinnon voluntarily leaving the race for Head Girl, I think we're all in agreement that Lily Evans will be given the position next year?" Albus led the conversation back to the topic at hand, in an effort to avoid any further confrontation with the Defense Professor, whose pride was wounded.

The rest of his staff nodded their agreement all around him: "Well, in that case, let us conclude the current term and look forward to the next one, with Lily Evans and James Potter as our Head Girl and Boy."

Satisfied, Albus wrote down the two names on the ancient, yellowed pages that captured the history of Hogwarts' Head couple ever since the school's creation.

'And perhaps, the two closest friends of Harry Peverell might help me figure out exactly why the boy and his girlfriend had refused the role themselves.'