AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the next-to-last chapter. Only one more remains. I do apologize to all the anxious readers, but writing is a very creative process from me, but it has to yield to the other demands on my time and energies. A big "thank you" to Mike (aka Full Pensieve) and Molly Morrison who both helped me with a fantastic beta read.
More Than Human
Chapter Seven - Flight & Fight
The sun was setting brilliantly in the west as Harry watched from his perch in an ancient oak tree at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Soon, dusk would cover the woods and the grounds of Hogwarts. A flutter of wings above him in the tree called Harry's attention from the vista. Hedwig cocked her head curiously at her master, her amber eyes bright.
Harry let out a heavy sigh and shook his head from side to side. The snowy owl's head bobbed and she soared off toward the owlery. He watched her flight until she passed from his sharp sight.
Hunger gnawed at him, but Harry paid no mind. Starvation was a familiar companion from his earliest recollection. The sounds of the awakening forest rose around him as he lay stretched out across the broad tree limb.
The scents of nightfall came to him; instincts stirred, but subsided quickly. Harry's will was becoming reflexive and ruthless in dealing with his other side. On his first morning in the woods, Harry had awoken to find the change had advanced a great deal farther and the skeletal changes made it impossibly to speak or walk upright and longer. Unfortunately, that first morning was the only day marked with any noticeable advancement. The balance of the rest of the days had shown no measurable advancement.
Three days had passed since his destruction of the courtyard in Hogwarts and the food he had cadged from Dobby had finally run out. Soon, Harry would need to hunt if he could not complete the change. His animagus textbook had yielded little assistance and Harry's desperation was growing. Longer-than-normal limbs and digits were the last vestige of his human form; the rest of him was a correct jaguar, as far as Harry could discern.
It took him great care to avoid the search parties from the school. Hagrid had proven to be a formidable tracker; only his ability to keep under cover had protected him during a couple of close calls.
Students were being carefully shepherded now, and must have been warned that Harry might be present and dangerous. He watched, amused, as several teachers bustled a group of them back into the safety of the castle before full twilight set in.
Stretching luxuriously, he flexed his now-powerful front paws and dragged his claws across the rough bark, tearing through to the wood underneath and pleasurably sharpening his claws. Time to move, he thought wryly; Hagrid will soon be about on his nightly prowl.
Descending fluidly from the broad limb of the oak, Harry felt a thrill shiver along his spine. His jaguar form enjoyed movement as much as resting and it resonated deeply with Harry's human psyche. With a final jump, he reached the ground and looked out over the expansive lawns that stretched from the Forest's eaves to the walls of the castle.
A silhouetted figure stood on the wall above the main gate but from this distance Harry could not make out much more than the general shape. Two more figures joined the first, but the activity at Hagrid's hut pulled his attention from the school and back to his own situation.
He turned away from the castle and padded off into the depths of the woods.
# ######## #
Harry made a quick check on the hidden cache that held his Invisibility cloak, textbook and clothing, before heading off into the wood to leave a false trail for Hagrid. He backtracked across a couple of streams; after those twists Harry began to cover his trail and moved back toward Hogwarts.
The false trail would keep Hagrid occupied long enough for Harry to find another secret perch near the edge of the wood, one safely outside the territory of the giant spiders or other predators. The jaguar's keen sense of smell had been vital on his initial foray into the Forest. It let him learn the extent of the various ranges of the other predatory creatures and to be able avoid conflict with them.
A large copper beech tree towered just inside the edge of the Forest about midway between Hagrid's hut and the Whomping Willow Tree; it gave Harry a perfect vantage over the Lake and the Castle. He scaled the trunk in three leaps and settled down on a heavy limb midway between the ground and the crown of the tree. The distinctive foliage that still clung stubbornly to the branches was thick enough to provide cover for him but not obstruct his view of the Castle and in particular, Gryffindor Tower.
It was ironic that after spending most of his life parentless and alone that Harry would now so long for the company of his friends and schoolmates, but he did. That human need defined the divide clearly between Harry-the-wizard and Harry-the-jaguar.
The drive to be around people was fast becoming a compulsion. He had not been out of control since the episode in the courtyard, and drifted back to stay in close vicinity to the Castle each night. Harry missed his friends terribly and wondered if he had been too rash in his decision to leave. He grew more and more confident in his ability to control the big cat within as each day passed.
The waxing moon rose from above the horizon and reflected brilliantly from the near-mirror surface of the Dark Lake. Harry had almost dozed off again when rustling footsteps sounded nearby. Startled, he focused on the quarry quickly and watched a hooded, cloaked figure move quickly from the direction of the Castle. The stranger was attempting to move stealthily, but Harry's new perceptions from his change made him snort softly in disdain.
He watched as the figure reached the edge of the wood and disappeared within. The sound of the person's progress was easily heard and so he kept an ear cocked in that direction as his eyes began to drift shut once more. Likely another member of Hagrid's search party, he thought, but rather late…
After a few moments, the sounds of the person slowed and then stopped. What is going on? He wondered as his eyes opened wide and interest built in his mind.
Hagrid's party was still deep in the Forest, following Harry's false trails. This new person had stopped only a short distance inside the Forest and was making no effort to find and join the search party. Curiosity spiked high and he descended to investigate.
Once he reached the other's tracks, a very familiar trail of scent mixed with the evening dew and teased his nose. What the devil is…?
Harry bounded along the trail double-time in pursuit, unconcerned that he might be leaving clear tracks in the rush to find his quarry. He moved fluidly and with strength, and closed the distance between them rapidly.
Faint light shone from between the dark boles of the trees and wispy underbrush of the small glade ahead. The scent was stronger now, less muddied by time and distance.
Instinctively, he skirted the edge of the glade to approach from an oblique angle. Creeping forward on silent paws, Harry's dilated eyes took in the object of his chase, seated and still wrapped in a voluminous cloak and hood.
His quarry was bent over an open book that was illuminated by wand light. A stoppered potion vial sat beside the book, glimmering greenish from within. There was a brief reflection from something else in the short grass; he focused and made out what was surely a ritual dagger. What is this about? he wondered, bemused.
Hermione pushed back her hood, her expression intent. Her identity was no surprise to Harry; he had recognized her scent from the first. She let her wand go dark and removed the stopper from the vial. In one swift motion, she raised the dagger from the grass and cut across her palm; Harry heard her softly whisper, "Biformatum aspectus."
Tipping her cut palm gingerly, she let three drops of blood fall into the glowing potion, which churned violently and shifted in colour. The potion calmed into a scintillating dark purple after a few moments.
Harry did not understand what she was doing, but could not shake the impression that it was dangerous. Silently, he crept even further into the shadowy glade as Hermione turned back to her book. His acute hearing caught her tiniest whisper as her finger tracked down the page.
"…can be induced with a personalized Hypnotic potion, but only under the strictest supervision…" Hermione trailed off and worried her lower lip. Harry could smell fear in the moment before her chin firmed. "There's no other way…" she finished.
Harry had heard enough. She was doing something, and it was very likely dangerous. He took one bound forward and slammed down a large paw atop the book. Hermione fell backwards with a terrified shriek.
She lay still and stared at him for a long time, and he stayed perfectly still as well. Then she lunged forward and hugged Harry hard around his neck. "Harry!" she exclaimed happily.
Her bushy hair brushed across his face and he basked in her scent before pulling free. She seemed surprised by his withdrawal. He sauntered forward and deliberately swatted at the book, then turned his eyes full force upon her.
She laughed nervously. "Ah, I guess you want to know what I was doing… Well, there are several very interesting potions that need to be made during different conditions, Harry, and I was, eh, working on a project for Professor Snape, you see..." Harry couldn't speak, but he could still manage a disbelieving look.
Hermione looked abashed, but only for a moment. She settled on offence rather than defence. "Harry James Potter, don't you give me that look! I - we've been worried sick about you! How could you just run off like that?"
Harry recoiled for a moment, but then his eyes narrowed into slits. He wasn't about to let her avoid him. If she wouldn't explain herself, then she was doing something she knew was dangerous. He swiped and swatted at the book to turn it and lowered his head to read the passage.
He barely focused on the page before Hermione snatched the book up, snapped it shut and promptly shoved it beneath her. A low menacing growl rumbled up from his chest.
A flash of fear raced across Hermione's face, and Harry stopped his threat, ashamed, and ducked his head away from his friend.
"I was - going to try - I want to help you, Harry, but we're running out of time…" Hermione's voice broke painfully as she confessed and Harry raised his head to see her swiping at her cheeks roughly as she stared at the ground.
He moved forward and nuzzled the moist side of her face with a low rumble. The salty tang provoked him to lap at her tears, which provoked a giggle. The taste was amazing and Harry continued to lick her face.
"Yuck! Harry!" She giggled and batted at him in mock-disgust. "Leave off! Your tongue's like sandpaper!"
Harry stopped his lapping and rubbed his head against her shoulder, lost in the blissful moment of companionship. But that moment was cut short as he felt Hermione try to reach out and grab the potion vial.
In a flash, Harry leapt over his friend and seized the vial in his mouth and sprang up the nearest tree, leaving Hermione to rail at him impotently until she remembered her wand.
"Accio potion!"
The bottle jerked and almost slipped from his mouth. Harry now wished he had his hands back. Hermione would likely succeed with the second summoning unless he did something drastic to prevent it.
He glanced down and saw Hermione preparing for a second Accio and inspiration struck. Harry whipped his head around toward the trunk and released the bottle to shatter upon the rough bark.
"No!" Hermione cried.
Harry leapt down and padded over to his friend. Her face was pale and blank as she watched the remains of the potion drip down.
"Oh, Harry…what are we going to now?" Hermione slumped down to the grassy floor of the glade.
We won't do anything, Hermione, he thought, I have to do this…alone.
Hermione collected herself quickly. She scrambled for the textbook and began feverishly paging through it, all the while muttering under her breath.
With a sigh, Harry laid down beside her and kept watch while she searched her textbook frantically. The night sounds caused him no alarm and the breeze was pure and sweet.
Glancing over at his friend, Harry found she was still pouring over the text with singular concentration. He wondered if she still even knew he was still there.
Hmph, what a waste of a nice night, he thought, disgusted.
A sudden impish thought flashed into his thoughts, and he shifted his position surreptitiously and proceeded to wage a campaign for Hermione's attention.
The first small swishes of his tail did not attract her attention. After a moment, Harry struck.
Thwump!
The end of Harry's tail came down upon the open book and Hermione jerked back in surprise.
Before Hermione could scold him and remove his tail from the page, he pulled it back and swished it lazily next to his leg. Harry caught her annoyed glance out of the corner of his eye, but kept his nonchalant air.
She went back to her reading and Harry waited patiently for his next chance. Hermione turned several pages in succession and then placed the book back down to use her wand light.
Perfect, he thought gleefully.
THWUMP!
Hermione jerked backward and then glared balefully at him. Harry tried to present as complete an air of innocence as a large predator could manage.
"Harry…stop it," Hermione said stiffly.
She turned back to the text and started to read once more. Harry laid his head down on his front paws, eyes half-closed and kept her in his peripheral vision. It took longer, but she finally relaxed once more.
THWUMP!
He looked over his shoulder as his female friend growled and clenched her fists.
"That's it!" Hermione sputtered angrily. She caught up the textbook and walked away several paces before sitting down with her back to Harry and returned to her task.
Well, time for Plan B, then, Harry thought. He stood and crept silently across to her, and waited until she had relaxed once more before he placed his nose on her neck just below her ear.
"Harry!" Hermione squealed, blindly swiping to remove his cold wet nose from her skin. She slammed the book shut and turned to face her bothersome friend with a militant gleam in her eyes.
Harry crouched down, tail in the air, before bounding away to the other side of the glade and turning to look back at his friend. Come and play, he thought. There's nothing else either of us can do now except…
Live.
Understanding dawned in her eyes. Hermione put her wand in the textbook for safekeeping, calmly rose to her feet and charged after him.
They played a strange version of tag, trading nudges and taps as they moved about the glade, running and tumbling. Harry could not remember a time he had ever been so simply happy. He tackled a shrieking Hermione to the ground and was about to administer the "wet nose" torture before bounding off again when another voice yelled, "Stupefy!"
Harry felt the spell hit his side and was thrown several feet through the air before hitting the ground. Adrenalin surged through him and everything came into sharp focus as he rolled to his feet with a snarl.
Hermione struggled to her feet as Harry charged forward to protect her. The attacker's hood fell back to reveal Ron's flushed face, just as he was tackled to ground by two other people from behind. Harry stopped in his tracks and cocked his head while watched the scene.
Hermione retrieved her wand and watched the strange melee at Harry's side. Neville and Ginny seemed to be trying to hold Ron down by sheer strength, but were not having much luck. Luna traipsed in from the far side of the glade and tilted her head curiously at the scene.
"Get off, you two!" Ron shouted, trying to hold on to his wand while Ginny fought to take it from him. Neville was straining to hold onto Ron's legs.
Luna shook her head sorrowfully and sighed, before she spoke softly, "Incarcerous"
Ropes sprung from her wand tip and wrapped around the three Gryffindors. Overborne by the imprisoning coils, Ron sputtered epithets while Ginny and Neville stayed silent.
"Ronald, I won't release you until you restore your calm," Luna sing-songed softly.
"He was killing her!" Ron spat.
"Killing me?" Hermione questioned, hands on her hips. "Really? Do you think I would be laughing if Harry was hurting me?"
Ron sputtered. "He - he was - he might have…"
"Might have what? Done me to death by rubbing his nose on me?" Hermione mocked.
Harry shifted against her leg, distracting her. He could not tell her to go easy on their red-haired friend anymore, but hoped she would see the appeal in his eyes. She seemed to recognize his silent plea and her angry expression softened before she looked back to the bound group.
"Luna, let him and the others loose, please," Hermione requested. "Neville's starting to turn blue."
Luna cast a vanishing charm on the ropes and the three carefully extricated themselves from their tangle.
Ron pushed upright with alacrity, while Ginny and Neville both seemed a bit slower and worse for wear. Harry could see Ron's mutinous expression was unchanged.
"Why are you four out here?" Hermione asked.
"To stop you from your hare-brained plan to join in Harry's change!" Ron shot back.
Harry glanced up at Hermione with an eyebrow raised. She had the grace to flush slightly at his pointed look. "You'd have been too late if Harry hadn't already seen to that," she sighed.
Luna was brushing off the accumulated twigs and detritus off the back of Ginny's robes, while Neville leaned wearily against a nearby tree. Ron kept glancing about at them, the glade, even the sky to avoid looking at him, Harry realized.
Chilly anger lanced through Harry. Why could Ron not see that he, Harry, was still here, inside the jaguar? Unconsciously, Harry began to growl and at the sound; Ron stared wide-eyed at his changed friend.
The cat instincts rose sharply, but Harry caught himself slipping and shook off the aggression. It helped that Hermione's hand had dropped to the dome of his head and was softly stroking.
With a heavy sigh, Harry deliberately paced forward to a point midway between his two friends, sat down on his haunches, and gazed at his oldest friend intently. See me, Ron, he pleaded silently. I'm still here…I'm still Harry!
Ron's face showed his emotions clearly, anger, fear and pain. His eyes were shadowed and dim and Harry could not discern any recognition.
Harry bowed his head and huffed. In that moment, a whiff of musty scent crossed his nose. He crouched and scented the breeze intently.
The wind had shifted while he and Hermione had goofed around; now Harry squalled loudly, startling Neville away from his backrest. He looked wildly from Hermione to Ron, trying to communicate his warning, but from their blank looks, Harry knew they did not understand.
He bounded back to Hermione and began to swat at her ankles while using his shoulder and superior weight to push her forward. Hermione protested loudly and reluctantly began to move toward the others. Ron objected at first, but finally seemed to grasp that Harry's frantic activity had some purpose and turned to scan the woods about them.
Harry herded Hermione to the others and then stalked back into the centre of the glade to search for more signs of the presence he had scented. The others milled about behind him, but he ignored them. Damn, he should have been more alert.
The scent was growing stronger all around them. The cat instincts rose with his fear, but instead of competing for dominance, they slipped within and beneath Harry's very human fear for the first time, supporting and reinforcing.
I must get them out of this place. It's my fault that they're here, Harry thought.
He glanced back over his shoulder and saw his friends grouped together, facing outward in defensive postures. A surge of pride at their readiness ran through Harry, but his knowledge of what was coming counterbalanced it. They had sharpened their skills in the DA, certainly, but not enough for what was coming for them now.
Harry spun round and charged his friends, snarling and posturing aggressively. Startled, the group fell back a few strides save for Hermione, who simply stood still with a blank expression.
Please, Hermione, don't be stubborn now! Harry thought darkly.
Harry reared up in front of his female friend and snarled louder, raising one large paw threateningly. She lifted her chin and folded her arms across her chest. By her posture, Harry knew she was not going to give way.
Harry closed his eyes and summoned up his courage. Please forgive me, Hermione…
One powerful swipe knocked her backwards, unconscious, into Ron and Neville's hold. Ron shouted an angry epithet and then swept Hermione up and started to carry her away. Ginny hurried forward to assist while Luna cocked her head at Harry for a moment.
The other Gryffindors had left the glade as Luna edged toward where Harry still stood, bereft and heart-sick.
"They'll understand, Harry," she said kindly before following them from the glade.
Harry wished he could scream, but the spiders were advancing. He knew they depended on stealth and ambush, but so did he.
Time for the hunters to become the hunted, he thought and bounded off into the darkness.
# ######## #
Harry cleared three Acromantula ambushes from the path of his friends before his luck gave out.
Hermione woke up.
The group had covered all but the last eighth of a mile when they stopped. That should have been far enough, but Harry was tracking the trails of several larger spiders that were pursuing still; dangerously large Acromantulas.
The chance for easy prey was motivating their pursuit, Harry guessed. Crashing through the underbrush, he caught sight of the group as he rushed to divert the closest spider from them.
Obviously they must have caught sight of him as well, for a red beam struck a tree trunk above Harry's head. A few moments later he heard an exclamation of pain followed by an outraged shout, "What did you do that for?!"
Harry wished for an instant that he could turn back and see what was happening, but his arachnid enemy burst through the low growth and attacked.
Harry felt like time was slowing as he threw himself into the combat. As with the earlier spiders, Harry's focus narrowed to the creature and his mind and body were in complete harmony; thought translated into flawless motion.
The spider was easily a third larger than Harry, with commensurate mass. But the fight itself was over in eight seconds. The spider's rush and snap of fangs hit only air, while Harry's body twisted in mid-air during his jump and landed dead-centre on the spider's thorax, just above the abdomen, with claws extended and paws close together.
The arachnid's carapace caved in with a satisfying crack. The spider gave a cut-off shriek and collapsed under Harry. Leaping off to the side and avoiding the thrashing legs, Harry flipped his crippled foe over onto its back and opened up the creature's abdomen with one powerful swipe of his claws.
The bluish ichor from his kill still dripped from Harry's claws as shouts of alarm pulled his attention from his downed opponent. Spinning about, he ran full out toward the noise of hexes and yells.
When Harry found his friends, they were fighting off five Acromantulas of similar size to the one he had just killed. They were forced to double-team the spiders as single spells against them were having little effect and their odd number wasn't helping the matters. It was obvious to Harry that they were just barely managing to hold their own.
Ron's fear was obvious as he fought bravely nonetheless; his wand hand shook and his voice cracked occasionally as he cast his spells. Hermione stood next to him, controlled and determined; her spells flowed smoothly and powerfully. Luna stood at his back and matched Hermione's demeanour like a strange mirror.
Time was not on their side. Harry could hear movement in the distance. Jumping on the back of the Acromantula threatening Neville, he used his claws to blind the creature. It shrilled loudly and threw Harry off to retreat back into the woods.
One down, four to go.
Neville flashed Harry a quick grin before shifting to help Ginny with her opponent. Harry took a moment to assess the situation with the remaining arachnids before shooting off into the brush to circle back to catch Luna's attacker from behind.
Harry got to the position to jump the spider when the creature spun about and released a sticky rope of webbing to entangle Luna's feet. The Ravenclaw girl fell with a cry and her wand flew from her grasp. The spider began to pull the trapped witch to it when Ron noticed her difficulties.
He cast a strong stunner that knocked Luna's spider back against a tree with a loud cracking sound. It twitched once and then lay still.
"Diffindo!" The web was severed neatly and Ron turned to pull Luna away from the spider. But Ron turned his back on the remaining two spiders who took advantage of his distraction.
Hermione used a familiar spell on one spider. "Aranea Exhume!"
Her spider was knocked back several feet and lay still, but the other spider was given a clear shot at Ron's back. Harry shot forward, pushing his body to its maximum effort to intercept the spider before it could hurt his friend.
Ron glanced back over his shoulder and realized his peril. His eyes widened and his already pale skin blanched further. Hermione screamed at Ron to move, but the boy's phobia had paralyzed him. Luna struggled to reach her wand behind him though her legs were still bound together, crying desperately.
The Acromantula saw the blur that was Harry at the last moment and shifted sideways. Already committed to his final attack, Harry saw the shift and tried to correct his vector but missed his mark. The claws of one paw ripped along the spider's side, and Harry's inertia flipped him over the spider's head and into Ron.
He could hear the pained grunt from Ron when Harry's not-inconsiderable mass slammed into him. The spider shook violently from the wounds and sprang forward, aiming for the now prostrate boy. Hermione and Luna both screamed spells, but Harry knew that the spider's attack could not be stopped now.
Pulling his legs back under him, Harry crouched and waited for the precise moment to strike. As the fangs began to descend, Harry exploded into action and attacked the now-exposed underbelly as the spider reared back.
The sudden attack from the jaguar-form wizard stopped the Acromantula's forward charge and shifted its attention to Harry. As the two combatants strove to inflict damage on each other, a sudden red flash struck, distracting Harry at the wrong moment.
Sharp pain flared in his left shoulder. Harry screamed in agony and only dimly heard Hermione's spell kill the Acromantula. Moving through instinct only, he staggered away from the hulk of the spider to collapse.
Burning pain was creeping from his wound, followed by a creeping sense of numbness in its wake. He snarled reflexively at the first gentle touch, but Hermione did not flinch away, and lifted his head to cradle it on her lap. The others huddled around closely, concern evident on their faces.
Blinking hard to clear his blurring vision, he saw that all his friends were there. Ron leaned close, his face contorted in painful shame.
"I - I was trying to…It was meant for the spider, honest, Harry," he whispered desperately.
Harry raised his head painfully slow and licked Ron's cheek softly. I know, Ron.
The creeping numbness was increasing. As he laid his head back down, he could barely see Hermione's tear-streaked, bruised face bent over him. Ginny was identifiable only as a blurred figure with a shock of red hair. Luna stood behind Ron and seemed to be trying to comfort him. Neville's dark form shuffled from foot to foot nervously beside Ginny.
A loud crashing noise caused his friends to look up, startled. Harry suddenly began to thrash as he remembered the other spiders he had heard. Hermione sighed in relief which Harry felt more than heard, and lowered her head to whisper in his ear.
"It's Hagrid and McGonagall, Harry. Everything's going to be fine."
Darkness now edged his perception. Each breath was becoming progressively more and more difficult to draw. His legs were heavy now and the muscles twitched uncontrollably. The flurry of activity that now surrounded him was fading as his consciousness wavered.
Hermione's soft tones changed to rough pleading as Harry felt himself slipping into the dark. "Harry, stay with us. Stay awake, please. Harry -"
-->