A/N: Okay. Let's get this part over with. I don't own Harry Potter. There. I said it.
Summary: After the Tri-Wizard Tournament, Hedwig starts acting weird. Harry lets her out to go hunting only to find that she's a witch trapped in a owl's body. If that isn't crazy enough, Crookshanks is her husband. To make things even more exciting, Priori Incantatum has some side-effects.
Chapter 1: Animeseparatus
"Hey girl." A 14 year old (almost 15) Harry Potter said to Hedwig when he came into his bedroom at Privet Drive that afternoon.
It had been a week since Harry left school.
Hedwig hooted in reply. Her master looked tired and it wasn't even noon.
"Aunt Petunia had me work all morning cleaning out the attic." He explained as he fell on his bed. "I did manage to find some stuff of my mother's. I put them somewhere safe."
He patted his pants' pockets
Hedwig started to pick at the lock.
"You want out?" Harry asked as he got up from his bed and quietly let her out.
She flew out the window.
0000
An hour later,
TAP TAP
Harry looked out his window and saw his owl with a thick book in her talons.
"Oh Hermione." Harry sighed as he let his owl into the room.
She dropped the book in his hands.
ANCIENT SPELLS
He opened the book to a page that had been nipped by Hedwig.
"Animeseparatus." He read. "A spell used to separate a human soul from the body. The body dies, but the soul is trapped in the body of…an animal."
He looked at his owl
"Is this what you've been trying to tell me all week?" Harry asked
She hooted affirmatively.
"Is there a counter?"
She nodded.
He looked back down onto the spell book and started flipping pages.
"This is amazing." Harry sighed. "These are spells that were lost according to Professor Flitwick."
"Here we go." Harry suddenly said. He frowned. "How do I know you're not a death eater?"
She hooted and nipped his ear affectionately as if to tell him, if I was, I would have betrayed you years ago and not give your godfather a single one of your letters.
"I can't use magic outside of school. You know that."
Hedwig hooted in understanding.
"But..." Harry realized. "If I sneak to the school…but how?"
Hedwig hooted and flew out the window.
0000
(This next scene is in animal language, but will be written in English for purposes of understanding.)
"Dear!" Hedwig said.
"What are you doing back?" Crookshanks asked as he opened the window with his paw. "Does Harry have a letter for Hermione?"
"Not yet. I told him."
"He knows?"
"Not fully. He just knows I'm really a witch trapped in an owl's body. He found the cure, but he can't use magic out of school."
"So, you're telling me you're going to become human again in September?"
"No. I'm asking you if you know any shortcuts to Hogwarts. Or even to the house, for humans. I can just fly there, but Harry is being watched constantly."
"And your not? There is a way." Crookshanks told the owl. "Go to the house. In our bedroom, there is a Gringotts key. It's gold and has a ruby on it. Give it to Harry and get him to Gringotts. In the vault, there is a portkey. It should lead him to the house. I think the ward is still there, so he can use magic."
"Thank you, Love." Hedwig said and flew out to get the key.
0000
(We're out of animal language now)
Hedwig flew back into Harry's room with the gold key with a ruby.
"Is this a Gringott's key?" He asked.
She nodded.
"Let's go." Harry said motioning the door.
"Where do you think you're going?" Petunia asked as he opened the door.
"Out for a walk." He told her.
"No you're not. Marge is coming over, and we can't have you coming in. As far as she knows, you were kept back at St. Brutus."
She closed the door to his room on him and locked to padlock.
"When the door closes, a window opens." Harry said looking at the window and grabbing the Invisibility Cloak.
He climbed out the window and edged across the gutter to the tree in the backyard.
Hedwig rolled her eyes at how much this boy reminded her of someone she knew as a human.
"Help me out, Dad." He whispered before jumping to the tree.
He made it.
Hedwig was grateful that Mundungus was on duty and not someone more observant like Moody or Lupin.
0000
He put the cloak on and walked down the street. Hedwig was on his shoulder.
"You know I'm risking everything." He whispered to her. "You better not be a Death Eater."
When he was a good distance from Privet Drive, he summoned the Knight Bus.
The triple-decker bus appeared instantly.
"Welcome to the Knight Bus." Stan greeted reading from a note card. "My name is…"
"Skip it." Harry said taking off the cloak. "Diagon Alley."
He handed him the Sickles.
"Diagon Alley, Ern." Stan told him.
0000
Two seconds later,
"DIAGON ALLEY!" Stan announced.
"Thanks." Harry said.
The boy and his owl walked over to the bank.
0000
"I need to make a withdrawal." Harry told the goblin.
"Key?" The goblin asked.
Harry handed him the key.
"A withdrawal?" the goblin asked.
"Or whatever you call going into a vault and getting something out." Harry said.
The goblin nodded.
"This way."
0000
"Vault 824!" the goblin announced.
Harry starred at the vault with the engravings of a lion, an eagle, and a badger on it.
The goblin opened the door and Harry walked in.
There was no gold. Just items.
"Still want to make a withdrawal, Mr. Potter?" the goblin asked.
"I think I'll just look." Harry said walking into the vault.
"Will you be using the portkey?"
Harry looked at his owl. She nodded.
"Yes."
"Very well." The goblin said handing the key to Harry and closing the door.
Torches automatically lit up. Harry looked around. Jewelry with diamonds, rubies, sapphires, topaz, emeralds, gold, silver, and every other type of precious stone was on display. Not only jewelry, but weapons. Swords, daggers, shields, and other things.
Harry found an empty display and read what had been there.
THE SWORD OF GODRIC GRYFFINDOR
"I hope you have an answer." Harry told his owl who was perched next to another sword that was present.
Harry walked over to it and lifted the sword from the display. He read the inscription and nearly dropped it.
EXCALIBUR
"This…this is…this is the sword of King Arthur!" Harry hyperventilated.
He carefully placed the sword back on the display and slowly backed away from it.
"This is too weird." He said. Then he stopped and thought about what he just said.
"Then again, my life has been too weird."
Hedwig hooted and motioned towards a small Head Boy Badge from back in the days of the Founders. She flew and landed on Harry's shoulder as he picked it up.
He felt the familiar tug at his navel.
0000
"Where am I?" Harry asked looking around.
He was on the front porch of a mansion. He saw a button for a doorbell and pushed it.
A few minutes later, the door creaked open.
"Master Harry Potter?" a small voice squeaked.
"I'm not so sure about "Master", but I am Harry Potter." Harry said.
The door swung wide open. It was a house-elf.
"Oh! Yous is looking so much like Master James Potter." She squeaked sadly.
"You knew my dad?" Harry asked.
"Oh yes Master Harry Potter." She told him.
"There's no need to call me Master. Just Harry will do nicely."
"Trixy dares not." She said frightened. "Did Master Harry Potter use magic to get here?"
"I can't use it during the school year. I'll be fifteen in a few weeks."
"Did not Master Harry Potter know that he can use magic in Potter Manor?"
"I can?" Harry asked looking at Hedwig.
The owl nodded and flew into the house.
"Hold on…POTTER MANOR?!"
0000
"Okay." Harry said brandishing his wand in the parlor. "I hope I know what I'm doing."
The look in Hedwig's eyes told him that she had faith in him.
Harry took a deep breath.
"Homoinumrursus!"
A gold light shot from his wand and hit the owl. She dropped to the floor unconscious.
Before Harry could run to her side, sparkles started forming around her. She grew in size. He wings turned into arms. Her snowy white feathers on her head turned into a deep red with streaks of gray as the other feathers turned tan and black. The black feathers turned into a robe.
The next thing Harry knew was that he was looking at a redheaded witch in her late fifties. She groaned as she came back into consciousness.
TBC