A Promise Kept - Chapter 25 - The Change

The Change

“Shit, shit, shit,” Gabrielle cursed as she read Harry’s note.

Her parents would be quite furious to hear such language, but given the circumstances, they would understand.

Dragons.

Why did it have to be dragons, and better yet, how did Harry know?

Gabrielle shook her head.

It didn’t matter how he had discovered it, what mattered was that Fleur was made aware of what it was she would be facing. What would be expected of her remained to be seen, but it could not be good, not if dragons were involved.

Taking a moment to calm herself s best she could, she wrote down her initial outburst and sent it as a reply to Harry, not knowing what else to say.

It was only a minute later the box glowed blue, and Gabrielle breathed a sigh of relief as she read his response.

Meet me by the clocktower in five minutes.

He always had a way of calming her, and Gabrielle needed it now more than ever, and that was without Fleur knowing what the first task would entail.

She would likely try to put a brave face on things, but she would be as terrified as anyone else with a half a brain at the prospect of coming face to face with a dragon.

“Dragons,” she whispered worriedly to herself, gathering her coat before taking her leave of her room.

It would take a few minutes to reach the clocktower, and as she approached it, Gabrielle was relieved to see Harry waiting for her.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

He looked a little pale, taken aback even, and a little discomforted.

“Fine,” he said dismissively, not meeting her gaze, and Gabrielle frowned.

Something was bothering outside of why he had written to her, but before she could press the matter, Harry spoke, echoing the words plaguing her own thoughts.

“Shit,” he snorted. “We have to tell her.”

Gabrielle nodded her agreement.

“Follow me,” he murmured.

She did so, and he headed towards one of the stables in the corner of the grounds where the flying horses would usually be kept. Gabrielle wondered what he could be doing, and as he stepped inside, he removed a silvery garment from the pocket of his robes.

“This never happened,” he said with a grin, enveloping both of them within the confines of it, eliciting a gasp from the Veela.

“An invisibility cloak,” she whispered.

Harry nodded, and Gabrielle gasped as he wrapped his arm around her middle.

“Sorry, there’s not much room in here.”

Gabrielle said nothing, not confident she could keep her voice steady enough to speak calmly from the sudden, unexpected closeness.

She could feel his breath disturbing her hair, and the warmth of it on the back of her neck. Gabrielle shuddered involuntarily, knowing her magic was reacting to the situation she found herself in.

It wasn’t uncomfortable, and Harry made no comment, but he undoubtedly noticed it, even if he remained oddly silent himself.

Before either needed to say a word however, he had navigated them out of the front gates of the palace and activated a portkey; a less pleasant sensation than being pressed against Harry washing over her, though it returned quickly and with much more intensity as they landed.

Gabrielle found herself almost straddling him in the tangle of limbs they had arrived in, and although her mind was panicking, telling her to get off, her body would not cooperate.

“Sorry, I just need a minute,” she groaned embarrassedly.

The other side of her nature was making things difficult for her, and Gabrielle fought against it, almost pleading with it to not rear its head now.

After a moment, she managed to extract herself, and she was rather grateful that her hair had fallen over her face to hide her flushed complexion.

She’d experienced that feeling more and more recently, but not so strongly that she’d almost lost complete control of it. Then again, she had never been in such close proximity to anyone in such a way, and the avian within her had evidently taking it as a form of either affection, aggression, or worse yet, lust.

For his part, Harry said nothing.

His eyes were slightly glazed over and his own cheeks tinged quite pink.

“Harry, I’m sorry…”

“No, I am,” he sighed as he shook his head. “I didn’t think of what could’ve happened putting you in that situation. Or me,” he added. “That was my fault.”

“I should have better control over…well…”

Harry chuckled as he helped her to her feet.

“You should never apologise for what you are, Gabrielle. I get it. That other side of you is…”

“A feral monster?”

“I wasn’t going to say that,” Harry replied with a grin. “Interesting, definitely, and maybe a little feral.”

Gabrielle felt her cheeks becoming warmer again, and she swatted his shoulder.

“Shut up,” she huffed. “Where are we?”

“Just a short distance away from Hogwarts. We’ll have to go back under the cloak.

“Okay, but you need to give me a minute to get her back in line. I don’t think she can be trusted.”

Harry merely grinned, and Gabrielle turned away from him to plead with that other part of her to remain calm.

“Better?” the boy asked as she faced him.

“Much better,” Gabrielle replied, pointing her nose upwards in an attempt to appear dignified.

She was anything but, and although she was still quite mortified by what had happened, she chose to focus on what needed to be done. They needed to speak with Fleur to explain about the dragons.

Still, that didn’t mean she could enjoy this rare alone time with Harry.

“You know, my father will not be pleased if he learns that you snuck me away from school, alone, and in an invisibility cloak.”

“Probably not,” Harry agreed. “Are you going to tell him? That would raise questions as to what we were doing, and I can’t lie to your father.”

Gabrielle narrowed her eyes at the boy, knowing exactly what he was insinuating.

“I think it is best that no one ever learns of this,” she grumbled, “but you owe me, Harry Potter.”

“How do I owe you?”

Gabrielle shrugged.

“Because I said so. Now, hands to yourself, and I’ll do my best to make sure to do the same.”

“Promise?”

“I promise, but I can’t speak for her.”

Harry chuckled amusedly, and Gabrielle shot him another glare.

She quite liked the effect he had on her, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t embarrassing. If anything, it was mortifying knowing she could lose control the way she did, and where she capable, she did not doubt she would’ve been sprouting feathers and a beak in that moment.

Once more, she was thankful her own maturity had yet to come along.

The situation would only have been much more embarrassing, after all.

(Break)

The final vestiges of summer had faded some weeks ago now, but they still came out to meet at the stadium for breakfast or lunch most days when it wasn’t raining. Of course, they each shared classes with one another, but rarely as a group since they had each chosen different electives, so their time here was something they appreciated.

“Wendell, could you pass me some toast, please?” Isabelle asked.

The boy did so, his gaze shifting towards the castle in the distance.

He was looking for Harry, who had not arrived this morning. That wasn’t unusual in itself, but it was not lost on all of them that it was becoming more regular this year.

They knew he was working with Professor McGonagall at Hogwarts, and Madame Alarie at Beauxbatons. Nonetheless, that did not account for all of his absences.

No, he had been open about his ventures, just not all of them, it seemed.

“Where is he?” Wendell asked worriedly, looking towards Olivia.

She was the only one among them in his house.

The girl shook her head.

“I don’t know, but…”

“But what?” Maggie pressed.

Olivia released a deep breath.

“Doesn’t it feel like that he’s here but not really here?” she asked. “We were all there at the Quidditch match. He got us out of there, and instead of coming with us, he went back. None of us know exactly what happened, only what Sirius told us.”

Isabelle swallowed deeply.

“I know a little more,” she murmured.

“You do?” Marisa asked.

She nodded.

She remembered the conversation she had overheard between her father and during the summer shortly after she’d returned home, and though it had not made much sense to her then, it did the more she pondered it since the school year had started.

Flashback

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Sebastien sighed tiredly. “He got them out of there, and the damned fool came back.”

“He is either stupid or brave.”

“I’d say a lot of both,” Sebastien chuckled, “but if he hadn’t…”

He broke off and Isabelle suspected he was composing himself.

“We were pinned down with no way out. We could barely see through the smoke, and even now, I can’t see any way out of it, but it’s not just that.”

“What is it?”

“That boy should be dead, even after Apolline helped him, and what’s more, I saw the look in his eyes. He wasn’t scared, not even a little. All he cared about was his mother.”

“Brave then,” he father said, a hint of pride in his voice, “but I cannot help but feel…”

“I know,” Sebastien broke in. “As a father, I get it, but I felt something from that boy.”

“What?”

There was a moment of silence.

“Power,” Sebastien said in just above a whisper. “That boy is only just fourteen and I can tell you without hesitation that I have never felt anything like it. In just a few years, he is going to be perhaps the most prominent man in Britain, should he choose to be, but he will have the magical power to back up his name. I would rather remain on good terms with him. Besides, Gabrielle is enamoured with the boy, and so is Apolline. So few will come into their lives that can be counted as such.”

“So, this isn’t about politics?”

“No,” Sebastien denied. “This is about friendship. As a father, I should want my family as far away from him as possible, but I like the boy, and I think the world needs someone like him. He will have influence in Britain, and even America if his popularity there continues to rise.”

She could hear her father release a deep breath.

“Isabelle adores him, and if anything, he saved their lives, didn’t he?”

“He did,” Sebastien confirmed, “all of us.”

End Flashback

“The only other thing that I heard was that they found the remains of three people from the explosion,” Isabelle said sadly. “My father didn’t mention what he spoke about with my uncle, but, well…”

“Harry hasn’t mentioned it either,” Marisa pointed out. “Do you think he knows.”

“Of course he knows,” Wendell snorted, “and I bet he hasn’t lost a wink of sleep over it. I wouldn’t. Those bastards tried to kill us, and worse yet, the only family he has. If I was Harry’ I’d make a point to visit their graves once a week to piss on them.”

“That’s cold, Wendell, but I would too,” Olivia declared.

Wendell shrugged.

“Listen, if it makes you all feel any better, I’ll speak with him.”

“Why you, because you’re a boy?”

“Exactly that,” Wendell chuckled. “I know Harry. He’s not much of a talker, but I think I’ll have better luck than any of you. Besides, I could use a catch up with him. With how busy he is, I haven’t seen him much since the summer.”

None of them had.

He made time for all of them, and Isabelle knew they appreciated it, but Harry seemed to be taking on so much for himself, even more now than he had the previous year.

It was understandable.

With all that had happened at the World Cup, it was bound to have changed him, and made him even more focused, but Isabelle was worried about Harry.

All of them were, and maybe they just needed some reassurance that he was as well as he appeared.

(Break)

She was certain she had read the same passage of text three or four times now, but Fleur could recite nothing from it. Focusing on anything but the tournament was proving to be impossible, and with a frustrated huff, she slammed her book shut.

She wanted to be ready to sit her NEWTs, and she was for the most part.

Perhaps she was using the revision as only a means to distract herself from what was to come, whatever that may be.

Fleur shook her head and dragged her hands through her hair, pausing as she felt a familiar presence of magic spiking from somewhere nearby.

“Gabrielle?” she whispered confusedly.

No, it couldn’t be.

Her sister was all the way in France, but her presence was unmistakable, even if it was a little more heightened than usual.

What Gabrielle was doing here, Fleur did not know, but she wrapped a shawl around her shoulders before exiting the carriage, almost jumping out of her skin as a voice spoke.

“Make as though you are walking towards the lake. We will talk there.”

“Harry?”

“Go.”

Fleur did as she was bid, shuddering from the coldness of the British weather.

“Gabrielle is with you.”

“She is, but we have to stay hidden.”

“She is close to you, isn’t she?” Fleur asked amusedly.

“Shut up!”

She fought the urge to laugh and feel disturbed at the same time. The reason for Gabrielle’s magic being heightened was clear now, and though Harry had said nothing, he was undoubtedly aware of it too.

“Fleur, the first task is dragons.”

She sobered immediately.

“I don’t know what you have to do exactly, but they are nesting mothers. I am guessing you will have to retrieve something from them. A Chinese Fireball, a Swedish Short-Snout, and a Common Welsh Green. They’re not the most dangerous of breeds, but they’re still dragons.”

“Are you sure?” Fleur whispered, unable to hide the fear in her voice.

“Completely. I saw them for myself. Their eyes are their weakest points to attack, but I wouldn’t recommend it. You’d be better distracting whatever one you are facing to slip by it. How you do that is up to you, but I thought you should know.”

Fleur nodded appreciatively, but that didn’t stop her being more nervous of what was to come.

“Dragons,” she whispered to herself, unsure on how she would approach the task.

Surely the judges would not expect them to fight such a creature.

No, that was a ridiculous notion, and Harry was likely right. The dragon would serve as an obstacle. Not that it made Fleur feel any better about it.

Still, it was better to know and be prepared than face it all in a moment where she wasn’t certain she would know what to do.

“Thank you, Harry,” she said sincerely. “You’d better get Gabrielle back before she can’t control herself. Ow!”

The girl had evidently decided to kick her in response, but her magic began to fade as she was led away from the school, leaving Fleur to ponder just how it was she would overcome a dragon of all things.

(Break)

There had always been something rather unsettling about what had been his grandfather’s study. For the most part, Sirius did his utmost to avoid the room, and certainly not think of the childhood memories of being in here, though he could not deny that the man had bestowed quite the wisdom upon him.

He was using some of it now as he searched the drawers of the desk, looking for anything he might be able to use as leverage.

“Know your enemies and allies equally, because in the political field, they can change as swiftly as the wind.”

He remembered his father nodding along.

Orion Black had always been a rather quiet man compared to the other members of the family, but observant and undoubtedly intelligent in his own way.

What he had lacked, however, was the ruthlessness to be the Lord of the family; something he had never denied.

Sirius was not lacking.

There was nothing he wouldn’t do in the interest of those he held dear, even if that meant ridding them of those that had proven themselves to be enemies; no matter how prominent a figure they were.

Malfoy.

Sirius knew he man was responsible for what had happened during the World Cup, and he had made it his lifegoal to ensure he suffered for what he had done.

The difficulty was that Lucius was as slippery as they came, both politically and personally. Getting to him would be no easy feat, but Sirius was not one to quit.

He would find a way to see it done. He just needed to figure out how.

He’d hoped to find something of use among his grandfather’s things he’d left behind, preferably the little black book his Aunt Cassiopeia kept handy with a wealth of information on the other prominent houses.

He remembered her bragging that she knew secrets to bring any down to her knees, but try as he might, he could not locate it.

If only Arcturus had seen fit to have a portrait made…

The thought of such a thing was quite terrifying in itself. Arcturus Black had been intense enough when he was alive, though Sirius could not deny that his counsel would be most valuable.

Still, he had other ideas, but first, he needed someone he could trust implicitly, someone that could move around without garnering the attention of others, and someone that would gather the information he needed.

He nodded to himself as an idea formed, and he retrieved a quill and some parchment to set a plan into motion.

It was not perfect, not by any stretch, but it was a start.

More than anything else other than the death of the Dark Lord, there was nothing he wanted more than the names of those involved in the attempt on them at that campsite.

He would discover them, and when he did, each would pay for their part in what had happened.

Sirius would make damned sure of that, as both the man that had taken on the responsibility of watching over Harry and Lily, and the Lord of the family that no other should take liberties with.

(Break)

Having informed Fleur of what he had learned, Harry could allow his mind to rest knowing he had done his part in ensuring she was safe. As a Triwizard Champion, a foolish errand if there ever was one, the rest was up to her.

His return to Beauxbatons had been brief.

Gabrielle had made a hurried excuse to leave his presence as she was struggling more than ever to control her Veela magic.

Perhaps he should’ve approached it with a little more sensitivity.

No, it likely would’ve made the already awkward situation even more so, and though he had not known how to help her, he liked to think he’d not made it so terrible that she couldn’t face seeing him again.

To Harry, he had something of an understanding of what it was to be a Veela, though not the experience, which counted for everything.

Even so, he was certain Gabrielle would know he had not intentionally put her in such a position. His only thought had been to speak with Fleur, and he had not thought of the effect it might have on Gabrielle being so close to him.

He shook his head as he entered the Great Hall for lunch, famished from his efforts, but undoubtedly more relaxed than he had been only a couple of hours prior.

Not that he didn’t have other things to occupy his mind.

He was still waiting for a thunderstorm so that he had the opportunity to complete his Animagus transformation, and that alone hinged on if all of the components aligned to see it so.

There was no promise that after all of his hard work that it would come to pass, and then, Harry faced the prospect of keeping a Mandrake leaf in his mouth for another moon cycle.

He shuddered at the thought and quirked an eyebrow as Wendell sat next to him at the Wampus table.

It wasn’t against the rules to do so. The house rivalries here weren’t so deeply ingrained like they were at Hogwarts, after all, but for the most part, the students kept to their houses during mealtimes.

“What can I do for you, Wendell?”

“Can’t a guy just sit with his friend and eat his lunch?”

“A guy can, but you never have. What’s your angle?”

“No angle.”

“You’re lying.”

Wendell shook his head.

“Jackass,” he sighed. “Come on, we’re going for a walk.”

He did not wait for a response. Instead, he gathered up some food and left the hall, and Harry followed with a frown marring his features. It wasn’t like Wendell to be insistent, not like this, so it must be important to him to be so.

“Well?” Harry asked when he was certain no one else was in earshot.

Wendell released a deep breath.

“I promised the girls I would talk to you.”

“About what?”

“Honestly, I don’t know, but they’re worried about you. We all are after what happened, well, you know. You almost died, Harry, and you’ve not really said much about it, or anything else. We all know that you’re having lessons with Professor McGonagall at Hogwarts, and Madame Alarie at Beauxbatons, but that doesn’t explain all of your absences. Look, I’m not so nosy that I need to know what’s going on in your mind, but there others, they are worried.”

Harry nodded his understanding.

“I get it,” he assured his friend. “I just don’t know what to say about any of it. People tried to kill me, and not for the first time. I’m just sorry you all got caught up in it. You’re right, I almost did die, and probably should have, but again, I got lucky. As for the other things, I can’t talk about them, not yet, at least, but you all know what electives I requested at the end of second year.”

“I know. As long as you’re okay, it doesn’t matter to me, but I thought it would be better if I came to you than five girls that aren’t so good at taking no for an answer. I think you’ve spoiled them.”

Harry chuckled amusedly and shook his head.

“I’m angry,” he admitted. “Not because of them coming after me, I’ve been waiting for that my whole life, but because the rest of you were there, along with my mother. As much as I know I should, I can’t let go of that, any of it, and when I find out who was responsible, I’m going to return the favour with everything I have.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you. I’d do the same. I mean, I might not be much of a fighter, but when it comes to family…”

He broke off and offered Harry a smile.

“I’ve got your back, always. We just worry about you.”

Harry appreciated the sentiment, and he gave Wendell’s shoulder a squeeze.

“Thanks. I’m fine. Honestly, mostly.”

“I know, but like I said, the others. We got out of there before things got bad, and we spent hours waiting to hear anything. When I saw you in that hospital…”

“Well, I can’t promise I won’t do it again.”

“No, I know,” Wendell sighed. “Now, while the others aren’t here, what’s going on between you and the lovely Sabine Van Droombeeld.”

“Nothing,” Harry denied a little too quickly.

Wendell hummed.

“Come on, now who’s lying?”

Harry shook his head.

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly, “but last night…”

(Break)

Even after all this time, this office brought her a sense of calm that nowhere else had. It was when she had been a third year that the visits started. Lily had been looking into various types of protection charms and had sought the assistance of her professor.

Just as he was doing now, Filius had made them a cup of tea, and the two of them had set to work, consulting the various tomes he possessed until she found the answers she was looking for.

They were among her favourite memories at Hogwarts.

She’d only had two close friends, and though she wasn’t frequently targeted by the students that simply disliked her for being born to muggle parents, most distanced themselves from her, especially when Voldemort’s popularity soared.

Alice and Marlene had been different.

As purebloods, it did neither of them any favours with their own kind, but they didn’t seem to care.

Marlene had been killed along with the rest of her family shortly after they had graduated. Her father had been one of few prominent Lords on the Wizengamot with the courage to speak out against the Dark Lord, and it had cost the entire family their lives.

She had been a vibrant girl, as wicked with her tongue as she was her wand, and someone Lily missed dearly.

Alice had not been killed but remained in St Mungo’s with her husband Frank after they were tortured by the Lestranges. Both had been unresponsive since, incoherent during their better moments, but their minds had been irreparably broken.

It was the same story for many who had lived through the war. So few escaped the conflict unharmed in some way. Whether it was death, being wounded, or losing loved ones, almost everyone in Britain had felt the effects, though some more than others.

“You kept my mug,” she said with a smile as Filius placed the familiar cup in front of her.

“For many years it was just a memento, but I always hoped you’d be back for it.”

She snorted at the somewhat faded image of Debbie Harry on the front. Both she and Petunia had been fans of Blondie, and their parents had got them the matching mugs for Christmas.

There had been a pair of socks with them, but Lily had lost hers years prior.

“How are you holding up?”

She released a deep breath.

It was the first time since before the summer that she had visited the man. He had come to St Mungo’s to see Harry when he’d not been doing so well, but they’d not spoken much.

“As well as can be expected I suppose,” Lily sighed.

Filius shot her a knowing look, and Lily shook her head.

“I don’t know,” she murmured. “I visited James for the first time since we buried him.”

“Ah, I expect that was not so easy.”

“No, it only made me realise how much I miss him and make me think of how different everything would be if he was here. I spoke to him about Harry, told him how proud he would be of him, and how much the boy scares me.”

Filius smiled as he nodded.

“I’m glad I went. It made me feel closer to him again, and even made it seem as if he was here in his own way.”

“Oh, he is here,” Filius snorted. “He is very much in your son, just as you are. Lily, I never became a parent, and cannot imagine the daily difficulties for any, especially you, but I will say, you are raising a brilliant young man.”

“That is what frightens me. What he did…”

“Is what I would expect from someone like him. Lily, he is a protector, and he will be a hell of one. There is nothing you can do that will stop that from happening. You know him better than anyone else. What kind of man do you think he will be?”

“Just about the opposite to what any mother would wish for her son,” she snorted in response.

Filius nodded.

“But one you can be so very proud of. It is unfortunate that Harry was born into a world that has been unkind to him and those he cares for, but you should take comfort in how he is. Fortunately, and I know it seems like so little compared to the worst you both have faced, he is equipped to handle it. Lily, you know I would never lie to you, right?”

“No, you wouldn’t.”

“Then listen to me when I tell you this. There are men that come into this world like Dumbledore, like Grindelwald, and even Voldemort that are born several steps above everyone else when it comes to magic and how they are built. Now, the paths they tread determine their legacies. Albus became rather righteous, a little too righteous some would say, and Grindelwald crossed lines that should never have been. Voldemort, however, became the worst kind of monster, but all three of them have something in common. They are and were incredible wizards, regardless of what you think of their ways. Lily, Harry is cut from the very same cloth. I have been working with him for a year now, and I have never seen someone progress so quickly, nor someone who understands magic so naturally. He sees something, and he can just do it, for the most part. That talent, along with his physical capabilities are gifts he is using every day to become one of those people will speak of with the same reverence as they do Albus. What sets him apart is his unending thirst for knowledge, and tireless effort to be better than he was the day before. As a mother, it is hard for you to be able to accept that he will one day be out there facing those that would do him harm, but for me, I worry about those he considers his enemies.”

Despite the truth being difficult to accept, Lily smiled proudly, though she shook her head.

“It isn’t just what you said that sets him apart, Filius. He might well be like them in their own ways, but he is not so much like Albus. Harry has a side to him that most have not seen. There is this vengeful nature about him, and that is what terrifies me.”

Filius nodded.

“I know, and I do not doubt I have yet to see anything of what he is truly capable. What should assuage your concern is the other part of Harry, that caring, nurturing, and kindness that Voldemort lacked. If any, I would say he was more like Grindelwald, which is not such a bad thing as it might sound. Gellert Grindelwald was an incredibly gifted wizard, one a little too ambitious for his own good, of course, but his followers were not loyal to him out of fear or because the blood that ran through his veins. They were loyal because they believed in him, witnessed him do things that were as awe-inspiring as they were terrifying. I am not saying he was the best of men, but something in between the Dark Lord that plagued us, and Albus. Harry is similar like that, without the desire to subjugate the muggle world to the whims of us magicals.”

“I’m not sure that makes me feel any better.”

“No, but that is the truth. If nothing else, you should take comfort that Harry has the capability to truly care about others, that he still has a sense of innocent mischief about him, and that when he came to help you when you were attacked, it was with the very best of intentions.”

Lily nodded and took a sip of her now tepid tea.

“He really is quite brilliant, isn’t he?” she asked fondly.

“He is the son of James and Lily Potter. I would expect nothing less than brilliance from him. Which is why I wish to discuss something with you. Harry is an incredibly talented duellist, Lily, much more so than he believes. I have not mentioned it to him yet, but I would like to take him on the circuit for a part of the summer next year. With your permission, of course.”

She was taken aback by the request, and it took a moment for her to respond.

“To spectate?”

“And compete. There is an under-seventeen’s category in most of the tournaments. Of course, he will not need to compete under his own name. Arrangements can be made.”

“And you think Harry will agree to that?” Lily snorted. “He will either wish to compete with his own name or not at all. You know what he is like.”

“I do,” Filius said amusedly. “Would you at least think about it? I understand that you are particularly edgy right now, but it will do him the world of good.”

“Do you think he will do well?”

Filius shook his head.

“I think he will win and do so convincingly.”

Lily released a deep breath.

Her mothering instinct was to immediately deny the request, but she could not bring herself to do it, not out of hand. She knew this was something Harry would want to do, and she did not wish to see him deprived of such an opportunity.

“I will think about it, Filius,” she promised.

“That is all I am asking.”

(Break)

It was the first rumble of thunder that had woken him, and though Harry was exhausted, he had hurried to gather the potion he had painstakingly created, hoping that he had gotten everything right in the process.

Professor McGonagall seemed to believe so, but there was no telling until he drank the brew during a storm, one that had finally come after weeks of waiting.

Listening to the rain pelt the windows, he waited, clutching the phial tightly, holding his breath as he waited for a flash of lightning and another wave of thunder to follow.

All of the work he had done had led to this moment, and with each passing second, Harry became more convinced that his mind had been playing tricks on him, that he’d heard the thunder in his sleep.

That, however, proved to be false.

The lightning that tore through the sky was blinding, and the thunder that followed seemed to shake the entire school from its force. If there was ever a storm strong enough to complete the Animagus transformation, this was it.

Releasing a deep breath, he continued to listen just a little longer, pleased to hear and see that the thunder and lightning was becoming more frequent, so much so that he could barely keep his eyes open for a few seconds at a time before the latter flashed brightly once more.

“Here goes nothing,” he murmured as he removed the cork from the phial.

The last thing he wanted to do was drink the concoction. Harry knew it would taste awful, and that was without what was to follow.

Professor McGonagall had warned him that the final step of the transformation would be nothing short of agonising, and with that in mind, he braced himself for what he would face.

“Amato Animo Animato Animagus,” he recounted for what he hoped was the final time before downing the contents of the phial, grimacing at the taste.

When it was gone, he waited. One minute, two minutes, and eventually five minutes passed with nothing to show.

Cursing under his breath at the very thought of having to begin the process again, Harry stood, only to collapse to his knees from the sheer burning sensation that tore through him.

He was certain he was screaming as he felt his body being twisted and turned in ways that it shouldn’t, and he could not ignore the thought that something had gone awry.

Nonetheless, there was nothing that could done to help him now, and it wasn’t as though he had the wherewithal or capability of doing so.

The world began to fade around him amidst the suffering, and yet, his body continued to writhe under its own steam before another sound escaped him; this one inexplicably inhuman, as was his sudden sharpened eyesight.

Everything seemed to have slowed around him considerably, and was much more in focus, but soon enough, it began to fade once more as the toll of what he’d endured overwhelmed him, rendering him unconscious.

Harry Potter fell into the abyss gladly to escape the lingering pain, but his companion did not go quietly, screeching a protest as the blackness took them.