It was two days before Harry and Daniel would Floo to Headquarters and temporary Potter Home. In the excitement of the last couple of days Harry had forgotten about the second Animagus potion. Of course it couldn't all be blamed on Horcruxes, infirmary stays, battles with Voldemort, time traveling, and talks with Dumbledore. There was mind-blowing sex too. Luckily for him, the potion needed two days to sit for full potency.
Most exams were done by now, with the exception of the extra curricular classes. The remaining seventh year ones were Muggle Studies, Care of Magical Creatures, and Ancient Runes. That meant that Hermione was cramming for all three of them and had sequestered herself in the library for some peace and quiet. Harry, having fewer courses than his girlfriend, had taken time earlier to study for his exams, easily freeing time for the Animagus training now.
He had taken care to procure a rather large slab of meat from the kitchens as an apology to Oorjit for forgetting him. Harry wondered if the occamy would like to accompany him to Headquarters with him and Hedwig. Entering Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, Harry wished with sadness that Serion was alive to come along too. He was going to miss the dry humor and ceaseless taunts.
"Myrtle?" Harry called out, hissing at the sink to open before turning to look at the row of toilets.
There was a loud splashing noise and some strange gurgling before with a wail Moaning Myrtle flew out of the bowl and into the air above the cubicle. "You've been avoiding me," the girl ghost accused.
"No, I haven't," said Harry. "I've been unexpectedly busy."
"Did you miss me?" she demanded, swooping down on him. "I missed you!"
Harry laughed, backing away and walking over to the edge of the large open pipe. "It's good to see you Myrtle. The potion didn't sour did it?"
Myrtle brightened and fixed her glasses, attempting to blink down at him coyly. "Not as far as I could see. Your snake friend is a little antsy though."
Harry held up the meat with one hand. "I've brought Oorjit a rather large apology gift."
"You'll be finding out your Animagus form in a few minutes. Are you excited?" she asked, as he jumped down the pipe.
"What to you think?" he shouted, sliding down the several stories deep pipe.
He flew out of the pipe and landed on a strong cushioning charm with an oomph. Harry rolled onto his feet in time to avoid a cuffing from the irritated occamy. Myrtle floated down watching the scene unfold with an eager expression on her face.
§ Thought you would leave me here all by myself did you?§ Oorjit hissed, flapping up into the air to gain height on Harry.
§ I didn't forget you! Things just got busy!§ Harry called up to him, waving his bag in the air, the scent of freshly cooked meat wafting from it.
§ Busy, he says, while I've been down here without anybody to converse with for days!§
§ Calm down and--§ Oorjit plunged, striking Harry in the head with his tail. § Damn it Oorjit! I brought you a slab of griffin meat from the kitchens.§
§ Griffin meat! Ha! I saved your scaleless arse from drowning!§ Oorjit snarled, diving on Harry again.
§ Stop. Oorjit, stop right now!§ Harry demanded, batting at the winged snake and only managing to land in a few good hits.
§ You gangly-limbed ape!§ Oorjit insulted whacking Harry again. § I'll show you!§
Harry dodged the next attack from his occamy friend and when the flying snake wheeled around again to strike again, he caught him by the tail. It took two hands to hold the struggling snake still; Harry had to drop his bag to the ground or risk getting clipped in the face by a wing. After a few minutes struggling Oorjit sagged between Harry's fingers. Cautiously, he let the occamy go and Oorjit dropped to the floor, tilting his face to the side so that his large glittering eyes could watch Harry with contempt.
§ Are you done being insulting?§ Harry prompted, breaking the temporary peace between them.
§ Depends on whether or not you stop being a baboon.§
Harry rolled his eyes and placed the griffin meat on the floor next to the occamy. § We would be here all day then. Now you should know that the fight with the Horcrux went better and worse than planned.§
Oorjit cocked his head. § How so?§
§ The Horcrux is defeated, but Serion lost his life in the process.§ Harry said, sinking down onto the stone floor. He petted Oorjit on his head before sighing, § I've buried him and said the words to see him into the great beyond.§
§ Serion was a good friend,§ Oorjit hissed sorrowfully, placing his head forlornly on top of the meat. § He will be among the tall grasses now.§
§ With any luck,§ Harry agreed, raking his fingers through his hair in frustration. § He shouldn't have died though!§
Oorjit looked up sharply. § Should or shouldn't, he rests there and to wish otherwise is a sin against him. Now, you must move on and wind your way through life without him.§
Harry looked at the occamy thoughtfully and nodded. § You're right. Serion would have my head if I didn't.§
§ Good,§ Oorjit replied firmly, ruffling his feathers.
Scrubbing his face, Harry let out a cheerless sigh and spun around. § I have a bitter potion to swallow.§
§ Animagus?§ Oorjit asked, lifting his head up and flicking his tongue out. § I will watch.§
Harry opened the second chamber and stepped through the portal. Oorjit and Myrtle followed him through to the other side. Immediately noticeable was the potion. It was glowing, illuminating the carved snake statues in an eerie blue light. Waves of light flickered against the surroundings creating ever changing patterns and shapes within the shadows.
"Is it supposed to glow?" Myrtle asked, floating towards it curiously.
"Well the Ashwinder eggs should have made the glow a scarlet red, similar to a roaring fire, but it's a cool blue instead."
"The doxy venom maybe?" she pondered, peering over the shimmering cauldron. "It looks like diamonds."
"Diamonds?" Harry questioned, perplexed.
"Well liquid diamonds."
Harry stepped up to the potion as Oorjit hovered aloft before setting down on the nearest snake head. Harry reached out to touch the potion. It coated the tips of his fingers like melted paraffin or beeswax. Slick and cool to the touch, Harry brought it up to his nose to smell it. Finding it odorless, he touched the tip of his finger to his tongue and discovered it was as tasteless as water.
"It will do," he declared, standing up and briskly pulling his robes over his head.
"Been working out, Harry?" Myrtle flirted, batting her eyes behind her thick frames. She fanned her face. "You sure look gorgeous."
Harry spared her a look of disbelief as he folded up the set and put it aside so it wouldn't get ruined with the first transformation. He ignored Myrtle as she waxed poetic about his upper body; everything from his broadening chest to his hairless back. Plucking his wand from his pants' pocket he silently conjured a water goblet and then set the wand on top of his robes. It wouldn't do to ruin that, either.
"And your collar bone is simply delicious…"
Harry shook his head at the girl ghost's lewd ramblings and filled his goblet with the viscous potion.
"And your--"
§ Do tell her to be quiet. Her gabbing is making me want to vomit,§ Oorjit hissed, shooting Myrtle an annoyed glower.
§ Just ignore her, that's what I do.§ Harry replied, swirling the cup a few times before lifting it up in salute. § Well, here goes nothing. Bottoms up!§
He threw back the brew and refilled his cup. The tastelessness of the potion made the texture harder to get over, but Harry persevered and swallowed another goblet of the stuff. He repeated the process until the elixir was gone. At the end, he let out a powerful burp which broke Myrtle's concentration on the various sexual fantasies that were his physical features.
It took a few moments before he felt bubbling start in his stomach. Harry touched his abs only to find an incredible coldness seeping through him from the inside. Convinced that this was a sign of the magical creature he was about to transform into, Harry started running a list of creatures that radiated coldness through his head. There were Dementors, Swedish Short-Snouts, Yetis, Artic Burrcats, and Russian Ice-Spikes. He was convinced that he would be a Swedish Short-Snout dragon or a Russian Ice-Spike sea serpent; both logical choices based on his Parseltongue ability.
The bubbling spread like liquid ice through him, tingling excitedly in the tips of his fingers and toes. Harry felt his face change shape; his skin thickening and stretching. The floor moved rapidly away from him while the colors around him changed as his eyes morphed into those of his Animagus' form, altering his perception of things. He found he didn't have the range of mobility with them that his own eyes offered, but because he had worn his glasses, things were clear if odd-looking.
But before Harry could take a breath and get use to his new form the continuous bubbling contracted. He shrunk and changed rapidly until he was back to his old self. The change left him weak and dizzy. He felt dehydrated and licked his lips in an attempt to moisten them. Vestiges of the change remained though, Harry noticed, looking away from himself. A large skin was piled up near the knocked-over cauldron.
Myrtle drifted over to his skin and passed through it several times in her examination of it. Harry wanted to ask her what his Animagus form was but found his throat too parched to make much noise without rasping. He grabbed the conjured goblet and filled it with water from his wand. He drank until his mouth was no longer dry, he could feel the water making its way through his body.
"Myrtle," he started, standing up and walking towards the shimmering skin. "Did you get a clear look at what I was?"
Her head popped out of the crumpled skin and shook her head. "The transformation didn't last but a second. It was a blur of motion really."
"Damn," Harry muttered, touching the skin and finding it surprisingly moist.
"You are reptilian though it would seem."
Harry looked at her and said dryly, "No fooling."
§ You smelled like a snake,§ Oorjit said, flapping over and settling down on Harry's shoulder.
§ Did you see the skin color?§ Harry returned, breaking off a piece of the skin and examining it closer.
§ Dull,§ Oorjit replied, cocking his head to better see the sloughed skin. § You were shedding the whole time because of rapid growth.§
§ Green, I think,§ Harry said, flipping the skin over and examining it's underside.
"You've got red hair, Harry!" Myrtle exclaimed, coming up from behind.
"I have what?" Harry asked, running his hands through his hair. "Where?"
"Here--" she said, poking her finger through his scalp. Harry edged away from the chilling touch and replaced it with his own hand. "It's like a stripe really."
"Conjurus Vulbrica," Harry said quickly, conjuring a handheld mirror. He held it up to his face and saw that Myrtle was indeed correct. There was a medium-size strip of red hair above his scar. "Unbelievable."
"It's rather dashing," Moaning Myrtle said with a hungry smile. "Nobody would mistake you for your brother now."
"I've never read anything about this," Harry said, fingering the bright red hair. "Nowhere has it ever said that your Animagus form changes you. That's why I have to wear glasses to see when I transform."
Myrtle shrugged her shoulders. "I can't help you, Harry."
§ It could be because your form is magical,§ Oorjit said, his tongue flicking against Harry's ear tickling it.
Harry looked at the young occamy. § Let me see if I understand you. You're saying if I had changed into an snake-bird like you and changed back to my snake-human form that what--I would have a feathery back now?§
§ Precisely.§
Harry laughed. § Then I am glad my Animagus form is not that of a snake-bird.§
Oorjit bristled. § And what is so wrong about being a snake-bird? Where do you think dragons come from?§
§ They're reptilian and distant snake cousins,§ Harry replied. § So while they speak the snake-language too they're very different from you.§
Oorjit snapped his jaws, aggravated. § I am a noble snake-bird! You should want to be exactly like me!§
Harry removed the occamy from his shoulder and held him aloft. § Of course, being a snake-bird would be great,§ he said placating the riled snake. § But seeing as I am not one, I'm grateful that the change only left me with a stripe of red hair.§
§ Yes,§ Oorjit said in a calmer tone. § I see what you mean. If you were one of the dragons you might find yourself opening your mouth and spitting flame.§
Harry nodded. § Wouldn't that just be terrible,§ he added diplomatically.
§ Indeed.§
Seeing that the argument had dissipated, Harry gathered all of the supplies from the potion kit. A few items needed to be preserved if they were going to last much longer. Household charms were applied to the cauldron to get it clean. It was off in the underground lake water getting its pewter scrubbed raw by a conjured brush while Harry wrapped up the piece of snake skin for further analysis.
Now that his first transformation was complete Harry had the arduous task of trying to force the change without the potion. The upcoming months would be as equally frustrating as they were exciting. Knowing his form would help considerably in the process, so he made plans to use his time at Headquarters wisely. The Black library would be a great asset since the lot of them had been in Slytherin for centuries minus Sirius and his ostracized cousin's family. There would surely be loads of books on snakes and magical serpents.
"I overheard from Peeves that you were going home this holiday," Myrtle said morosely, her flirtatious mood gone as she stared at the self-cleaning cauldron. "It's going to be lonely without you."
"There, there," Harry said putting the final shrunken items into his pocket and donning his shirt. "It's only a few weeks. I'll be back before you can say Nearly Headless Nick five times fast."
"But why are you going?" she asked, picking at a pimple. "Wouldn't you be better off here in the castle? Where will you practice the transformation? You're not exactly a small snake."
Harry summoned the pewter cauldron and canceled the conjuration of the scrub brush. "Dumbledore wants my brother and I to be there; for protection he says, but I know it's to keep a closer eye on us. Since the fight with Voldemort he's been acting odder than usual."
"That doesn't explain why you are--"
"Letting him take over my life?" Harry filled in wryly. "I have my reasons. I wanted to search the library for anything on Voldemort. Sirius' brother had been a Death Eater in his day. Now I want to use the library to study up on snakes and serpents. Maybe even spy on Daniel's training sessions. Hermione won't be here as she is traveling in India with her parents. I figure at Headquarters I'll have access to knowledge I've never seen before. Besides I'm sure there will be plenty of people there to keep me company."
"You wouldn't be lonely at Hogwarts either, Harry," Myrtle said, suddenly coy. She wrapped a braid around her finger and giggled. "You could always share my toilet."
Harry shouldered his pack and headed toward the entrance of the Chamber. "Thanks," he said, tripping the stairs and climbing up them. "But that isn't necessary."
"Well if you change your mind," Myrtle said, just as Oorjit flew through her. "Ooooh! You wretched creature!" she wailed distraughtly, flying off.
§ Thanks,§ Harry said gratefully at the top of the stairs. He exited into the girls' bathroom and the sinks closed up around the pipes. § Will you be joining me at Headquarters?§
The occamy flapped around his head. § Too stuffy, I shall stay here. See the forest.§
§ Well, if you're sure, Oorjit. Will I see you again?§
§ I will meet you at the start of next term,§ Oorjit called, flying up the inset window and out into the open air.
Harry waved goodbye. § Watch out for Hobday and Hagrid! It wouldn't do for you to get caught again!§
Oorjit disappeared from sight and Harry left the bathroom. Out in the corridor Harry slipped amongst the students making his way back to the common room feeling elated and proud of himself. All around him was a bustle of movement as everyone hurried to get packed and finish up exams.
He'd find Hermione and distract her from studying and then when she berated him, offer to study with her for Ancient Runes. As Harry traversed the halls imagining just such a scene; an owl trailed him carrying a letter. It caught up with him when he turned the corner, hooting loudly.
"Hedwig?" Harry called, about facing. The owl collided with him, releasing a ton of feathers. "No, you're not Hedwig. Lost are you?"
The owl hooted indignantly, raising its black head and glaring at him with hard yellow eyes. It thrust a leg at him, shaking it irritably when Harry didn't immediately take the letter. Harry untied it and the owl took off, cuffing him in the head as it flew by.
Perplexed, Harry unfolded the letter and read it contents.
Mister Potter,
You have shown remarkable potential as a wizard; potential wasted in your brother's shadow. I offer you a chance to have your parents, indeed the world, recognize you. At my side you would be revered for who you are! Consider my proposal. I will contact you.
Lord Voldemort
Harry folded the letter, tapping it against his hand. This was certainly unexpected.
º«««º»»»ºEnd Chapter 24º«««º»»»º