1-8: Sunrise on Diagon Alley Discount Discoveries
Chapter 1-8: Sunrise on Diagon Alley Discount Discoveries
(8 AM, July 29th)
Dudley slouches down on one of the seats in Aletia’s sitting room. “So you know what’s taking Aletia so long Mom?”
Petunia just points to Twilight as she tries to relax. “Ask her. I’m not her former student. I just hope she gets here soon so we can catch the train we need.”
Twilight just shrugs and goes, “It is unusual for her to be late for an appointment.”
Lightning shifts from foot to foot. “At least you did get your letter Dursley which means you get to see Diagon Alley, Aunt Petunia.”
Princess Celestia at this moment chooses to burst in carrying her saddlebags…, and a birdcage containing a red and gold bird. “Sorry I’m a little late, but Philomena here refused to leave my side. She hopped in her birdcage when I explained we were going by train, but we both know she can unlock it any time she wants.”
Dudley walks up to the birdcage and peers in, causing Philomena to preen and pose. “She’s pretty, but what is she? I’ve never seen anything like her before.”
Princess Celestia chuckles at seeing his undisguised and Petunia’s poorly hidden interest in her friend. “She’s a phoenix, Dudley. Not mine, but I’ve been taking care of her since her partner vanished.” Pausing for a moment to cast an illusion charm over Philomena, making her look like an eagle. “I just remembered phoenixes are very rare here. Now, you probably know where the tube station is a lot better than I do, Petunia, so please lead the way.”
Startled by the sudden shift, Petunia makes her way for and out the door. “Right, everyone follow me. The Station’s only a few blocks away.”
Twilight, Dudley, The CMC, Spike, and Princess Celestia with Philomena follow along behind her to the station.
The trip from Little Whinging to London proper doesn’t take too long and is uneventful except for some odd looks. Then again, Princess Celestia, the CMC, and even Dudley all wear robes over their street clothes. It could also be the unusual hair colors they all have, or the fact that Philomena makes a very odd sight in a birdcage. In any case, they survive the Tube and exit the station closest to the Leaky Cauldron.
Princess Celestia leads the way into the Leaky Cauldron. “Dudley, grab your mom’s hand so that she can follow us.”
Professor McGonagall waves them over as they enter to the group of three people she is leading, introducing everyone to each other. “Dan, Emma, and Hermoine Granger, may I introduce you to Aletia Selicorn, Twilight Sparkle, Lightning Sunrise, Scootaloo Songwing, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Spike. You all are new to the wizarding world except for Aletia. I do have to ask Aletia, what’s your eagle’s name?”
Princess Celestia moves over to a nearby table and starts pulling books out of her saddlebags. “Philomena here decided she wanted to come, and I can’t stop her. Professor McGonagall, have any of these books changed significantly in the past twenty years? Lily wanted Lightning to have them.”
Professor McGonagall goes over and opens the old, loved textbooks one by one before nodding. “These will all still work, and if there are any differences, I’m sure the rest of them will let him borrow them. We can see about next year’s books next year. Now that we have the books settled, we can get moving.”
Professor McGonagall then gives her the time needed to pack the books up before heading to the back courtyard and tapping the magic keystone in the wall. She gestures grandly to the revealing passage. “Welcome To Diagon Al-”
Whatever she was next going to say is rather rudely interrupted by Philomena choosing that moment to exit her cage and rush through the doorway. Stunned, it takes a moment for them to process she flew straight towards and inside Flourish and Blotts Fine Books.
Princess Celestia is the first to break free from her shock and make a beeline to follow Philomena. “What could have gotten into her?”
Professor McGonagall is the next to break free with the rest all very shortly following her. What they find is not what they expect: Philomena on top of a knocked over flame-haired girl, hugging said girl with her wings while nuzzling her hair. Next to her stands a very confused Molly Weasley with Ron, Ginny, and the twins nearby.
The flame-haired girl finally comes to and looks up into the loving eyes of the eagle above her. “Philomena? Is that you? But you can’t be here!”
Molly Weasley asks curiously as she offers the flame-haired girl, “How do you know this eagle, and why do you say she can’t be here?”
Professor McGonagall coughs meaningfully and loudly to make her presence known. “Indeed, ‘Sunny Shimmie-Weasley,’ how do you know her as she came with these fine folks.”
“Sunny” looks over at the group and spots one person standing there. Before she realizes what she is doing she has managed to sit up and launch herself at Princess Celestia in a crying hug. “I’m so sorry Pr-Teacher for making you worry. How are you here? The portal closed after depositing me into their bathroom.”
Princess Celestia barely manages to catch the flying third year in that hug, Philomena being thankfully dislodged before she could become an accidental pancake. “Sunset Shimmer? Is that you?”
Lightning points to her cautiously. “Is that my older adopted sister Aletia? The one you told me was lost almost a decade ago?”
Professor McGonagall catches the slip again but finds something else more important to focus on. “So, she’s one of yours, Aletia? Also a decade? She only appeared and was adopted by them almost 3 years ago.”
Sunset Shimmer pulls her face out of Princess Celestia’s chest to nod while still crying softly. “She taught me from the time I became her personal student at the age of four by following my elder brother into an exam room and managing to hatch Philomena. After that they started using a dragon egg for the futility test.”
Princess Celestia squeezes Sunset Shimmer tightly while crying softly. “That explains why you never responded Little Sun. You went forward in time while your adopted little brother Lightning went back a few hours. However, the portal you went through should not have lead to the Weasley’s bathroom.”
Miss Weasley approaches them cautiously, “So just who have we been harboring all this time? She told us she came via a portkey accident from far away that destroyed her clothes. She also explained her difficulty using her hands and walking on that accident. Also, Aletia, didn’t you die the day after the Potters did?”
McGonagall spots a confusing point in Sunset’s testimony as well. “Why would hatching an eagle be the test to become your personal student?”
Philomena lets out a trilling laugh at the notion of her being just an eagle causing Princess Celestia to sigh. “I can answer those questions, but not here, Miss Weasley or Professor McGonagall. Do you two want to finish shopping now and go to the Burrow later? Or would you prefer your answers first?”
Miss Weasley looks conflicted for a few seconds before making a come hither motion to her children. She then starts walking towards the Leaky Cauldron. “I want those answers now I think.”
Princess Celestia leans in and whispers a question to Professor McGonagall, “Will the Weasleys keep our secret if we tell them the true truth?”
Professor McGonagall nods for a second before pausing. “They will if you tell us the true truth, Pr…? Unfortunately, no wizarding family will take anything the Grangers say seriously because Dan and Emma don’t have any magic.”
Princess Celestia hurries ahead to catch up with the rest of the group. “I… would rather not expand on that because I like being a near-nobody. To Lily and you all, I can be myself.”
Professor McGonagall follows along and quietly whispers, “Princess. That’s why you couldn’t raise Lightning yourself, wasn’t it?”
Princess Celestia ignores the question as she enters the Leaky Cauldron in time to hear Molly Weasley finish up, “...say ‘The Burrow’ and then step in.”
Princess Celestia grabs a pinch of Floo powder and approaches the fireplace. “I’ll go first.” She then throws the powder in with a shout of “The Burrow” before stepping in.
One by one, the rest follow along behind until it’s just Philomena, Sunset, Molly Weasley, and Professor McGonagall. Surprising the latter two, Philomena grabs a pinch of Floo powder in one claw before tossing it in the fire while whistling three notes. As soon as the flames turn green, she flies in.
“Well, good to know her saying ‘The Burrow’ in her language can activate the Floo system.” Sunset then takes a pinch and follows Philomena.
Molly exclaims as the Floo flares behind her unnoticed, “She can understand Eagles!?”
Professor McGonagall just picks up a handful of Floo powder. “We’ll never know if we don’t follow them.”
The pair quickly go through and see chaos as the non-Equestrians all babble about, asking why there’s a phoenix flying about the ceiling. This chaos causes them not to notice one last flare-up of the Floo system.
Princess Celestia seeing the pair have arrived, shouts in the Royal Canterlot Voice, “QUIET EVERYBODY!”
Once everybody has calmed down, Philomena lands gently on Sunset’s shoulders. She reaches up to pet Philomena. “I guess the Floo system undisguised you, Philomena.”
Professor McGonagall finally points at Sunset and Philomena. “She hatched Philomena, didn’t she? How can she understand what she says? ”
Sunset continues petting Philomena gently. “I hatched her when I was four which is when we bonded. My Special Talent is Light Pyromancy, and speaking with phoenixes is just a very nice bonus.”
Professor McGonagall catches the emphasis placed on a couple of words and asks, “Special Talent?”
Sunset stops petting Philomena to point at Molly Weasley. “You know those ‘tattoos’ on my hips that are almost scandalous to show others? Those aren’t tattoos; they are a representation of my Special Talent that magically appeared on my skin and coat when I discovered it at a very young age.”
Princess Celestia nods at Sunset’s words. “Cutie Marks, as we call those emblems, are seen as a sign of coming of age. Practically no one ever sees an adult mare or stallion without a Cutie Mark. Lightning Sunrise and his friends here are actually fairly old to ever earn their Cutie Marks. Now that I think about it so is his cousin, Dudley Dursley.”
Molly points from the Equestrians one by one with her mouth closed before finally closing it. “You make it sound like you are equines...wait, Lightning Sunrise is Dudley’s cousin? And you’re alive, Aletia? That means you are or were Harry Potter!?”
Lightning nods causing the Weasleys to break out in babbling confusion as a fundamental truth they knew has just been broken. After a moment of this, Lightning snaps and inhales deeply. “ENOUGH! I am Lightning Sunrise, and it was the name my birth mother, Lily Potter, gave to me when she visited my godmother, Aletia, in Equestria with baby me and saw the pegasus I became. Harry Potter is dead! He died with his parents to give me life!”
The silence that follows is broken only by Lightning’s heavy breathing and the CMC scampering over to give him a hug. Finally, Princess Celestia breaks it with a sigh. “As you’ve heard, he grew up thinking himself Lightning Sunrise. We didn’t want to tell anyone else what the portal does to those who pass through it, but you now know since my former student let it slip. Please don’t pass along that Lightning was Harry or the fact people on the other side are ponies, griffons, and dragons, among other things, all of which can be bipedal and wear clothes comfortably. That’s why we are standing so easily here, we’re closer to humans than the equines you have here.”
Professor McGonagall coughs gently. “I haven’t been to the other side yet but they showed no hesitation with eating meat. Also, Professor Dumbledore is planning to push through an amendment with Lightning here as leverage to allow non-humans to attend Hogwarts and own wands.”
Petunia raises a hand. “Dudleykins and I have been to the other side. It changed our hair colors but we can confirm we were able to comfortably stand and move human-like and use our hooves as hands.”
Molly Weasley looks between them before sighing. “I’ll have to tell my husband Arthur you know, but otherwise we won’t tell anyone else. Isn’t that right children?”
Emma looks at Dan then Hermoine. “We don’t quite get all of this but we won’t tell anyone else either, not like it sounds like they’d believe us.”
Princess Celestia looks at them for a moment before smiling at them. “Fair enough Molly. If you want to visit Equestria just send us a note by owl at a later date so we can guide you through the portal.”
Professor McGonagall thinks of something and smirks gently. “Did you know princess that phoenixes can safely teleport themselves and others with their flames?”
Princess Celestia fails to spot that trap. “No, no I did not but tha…. Fine, you got me. I’m a princess. I like not being a princess. Here I’m just lowly Aletia C. Selicorn of very little importance.” She then slumps a little as she softly begs, “please don’t spread it around. I was friendless for a very long time before meeting Lily because of it.”
Fred and George look at each other before chuckling as one of them says in a teasing manner with a mock bow, “Your wish is my command Princess.”
Looking around and seeing the rest nodding and chuckling, Princess Celestia sighs in relief. “Thank you. Now if you have any other questions before we resume shopping, we’ll try and answer them.”
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So. Philomena and Sunset.
If there is one thing that must NEVER happen, it's Discord meeting the Weasley Twins.
11175822
this would be a bad thing,,, how?
i think this would be a amazing thing to happen.
Fred and George would be grate friends for Discord and a huge calming influence on how to not go to far.
11175822 11176039
*Weasley "triplets" and it did a great job at calming Sunset down.
11175739
I did hint at it both in 1-7 and 0-0. I also have been very open about it in my Discord! This was always in the plans.
I will always be a fan of the "Grangers take in Sunset" theme, but I will let it go, just so long as the Weaslys don't have any nefarious plots to get the Potter fortunes, then we're good.
11278881
That was actually one of the options for this story but I wanted Sunset to be of a higher year and the Weasley twins worked out. I did get the Prankster idea from A Phoenix Beyond the Veil.