Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.
Written for; Hogwarts Assignment 4; History of Magic, Task 4 - Someone becoming an Animagus and their form.
Other Challenges listed at the bottom.
Word Count - 2274
Love In All Forms
Kingsley was signing his name on yet another piece of parchment when the door opened with a bang. He put his quill down, not even startled. This was a common occurrence after all.
"I'm here to rescue you!"
Kingsley snorted. "I've got mixed feelings about that."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Of course you do. Let's go anyway."
Kingsley shook his head but got up from his desk dutifully, following Harry from the office.
"How are you so relaxed right now?" Harry asked, automatically lifting his hand to grasp at one of the handles for the lift. He'd fallen over enough in his first few years at the Ministry to know better now.
"I'm always relaxed," Kingsley replied with a grin.
"You've been doing paperwork for three days. Continuously. I'd be a raving loon."
"That's because you're allergic to paperwork," Kingsley replied dryly, making Harry nod and smile happily.
How someone could be such an old soul and yet childlike, Kingsley had no idea, but he hoped Harry never lost the trait.
He went along when Harry dragged him from the Ministry, unsurprised to find them at Kingsley's favourite restaurant. Harry was surprisingly aware of a lot of what made Kingsley happy, despite his obliviousness to most social things.
"So," Harry began, once the two of them had ordered their food. "I've been thinking."
"Do you need some pain medication?"
"You're an asshole. Anyway, I think you should come out with me later so you can see my Animagus form."
Kingsley blinked. Harry was unusually secretive about his form. Kingsley had signed a special waiver for him to keep it a secret, as he did for many of the hit wizards who could possibly use their forms to escape danger or infiltrate somewhere they wouldn't be able to go in human form.
Regardless, as far as Kingsley knew, nobody had ever seen Harry in his animal form, and he couldn't deny that he was beyond curious about it.
"Okay. Not that I'm complaining, because I'm not, why?"
"Well. I mean, if something were to happen to me while I was in my form, and I couldn't turn back… nobody would know what to search for, never mind what I look like."
Kingsley paused and then his eyes narrowed. "Hermione got to you, didn't she?"
Harry pouted. "Can we at least pretend I have some brains."
Kingsley's laughter drew the attention of the other patrons it was so loud.
…
Kingsley was entranced by the lion running around the empty field, jumping in and out of the long grass. Harry looked like he was having a ball. He'd stayed still when Harry first changed, well aware that for a few moment's at least, Harry would be all animal.
He could only imagine how catastrophic it would be to startle a lion while standing so close by.
Eventually, Harry came over cautiously, sniffing at him gingerly before he knocked his large head against Kingsley's hand.
Kingsley ran a hand through the wild mane, laughing quietly to himself. No matter his form, it seemed Harry would forever fall victim to perpetually messy hair.
He strolled leisurely around the field, watching Harry play. He was envious of the freedom Harry was allowed by his animal. As Harry had said, Kingsley was relaxed about life in general for the most part, he didn't see much point getting worked up about things, it wouldn't help anything, but there were times that he knew that kind of freedom would be… helpful.
He didn't time how long they stayed out in the field, but when Harry eventually changed back, it was with a sheepish look.
"I didn't expect you to stick around," he admitted. "Otherwise I wouldn't have stayed out so late."
Kingsley checked his watch. "Is that really the time? Oops?"
Harry snorted.
Cuffing the back of the younger man's head, Kingsley replied, "I should probably head home. But… thank you. For trusting me."
Harry nodded slowly. "Who else was I going to trust with this?"
He Apparated away, leaving Kingsley in the field with a sense of wonder to keep him company. He didn't know what he'd done to earn such trust from Harry, but he hoped he kept on doing it, whatever it was.
He Apparated home himself, ready for his bed. Tomorrow was a new day, and he thought that he might take a wander down to the Ministry book storage and see what he could find on the Animagi change.
…
"I never see you anymore," Harry complained, stealing the biscuit tin from Kingsley's desk drawer.
"Help yourself," Kingsley offered with a wry smile, waving his hand at the biscuit tin. "And I'm the Minister, Harry. Being busy is a thing that happens."
Harry looked unimpressed.
"Okay, how's this, I'll cook for you tonight and we can stay in and watch terrible movies?"
Harry huffed. "I can't do tonight. Tomorrow?"
Kingsley shrugged and nodded. "Sure. Tomorrow it is. What are you doing tonight?"
"I. Erm. Well."
"Harry?"
"Hermione is making me go on a date," Harry mumbled. "I tried to tell her no, but, well. You know Hermione."
Kingsley snorted. He did indeed know Hermione, and saying no to that woman was almost impossible. And definitely impossible for Harry.
"Do you know who it's with?"
"Marcus Flint."
Kingsley blinked. "Really? Why? He's an arrogant arse."
Harry's face lit up in triumph. "That's what I said! But, well, Hermione said that it's not arrogance, he's just confident, and that he doesn't want me for my fame because he has plenty of his own."
Shaking his head, Kingsley said, "Well, I'll be home early and staying in. And I have ice cream in the freezer. So."
Harry stood up and gave him a fond smile. "You're the best."
…
"We were right. Arrogance, not confidence."
Kingsley stepped back to allow Harry entrance, laughing quietly at the hat Harry had pulled down to hide his emerald green eyes.
"So, how did it go?" Kingsley asked, as Harry pulled off the hat and his grey cloak and slumped on the sofa.
"Was completely disastrous, as I knew it would be. Hermione means well, but… yeah, this was not one of her better ideas."
"Do I need to beat him?"
"No maiming while you're the Minister," Harry replied, rolling his eyes. "Besides, I already threatened to make sure he could never have kids, and he went a whole new shade of pale that I've never seen, so I think that's probably sufficient."
Kingsley laughed, but sobered quickly, his head tilting slightly. He remembered some of the more serious cases of harassment Harry had suffered over the years since he'd joined the Ministry.
"If you need me to… have a word with him, just let me know."
Harry's eyes softened and he nodded. "Thanks…. I believe I was promised ice-cream? The food at the restaurant was crap, a complete rip off."
…
Kingsley woke up slowly, warm and comfortable. He shifted, startled when a soft moan sounded at his movement. Memories of the night before barrelled into his mind, and he was swiftly reminded that the lump curled up against him was Harry.
By the time the younger man had finished telling Kingsley about his horrendous date, and talked Kingsley down from murder, it had gone midnight and Kingsley had been worried about Harry having the focus to Apparate home.
How that had gone to the two of them sharing Kingsley's bed, he wasn't too sure, but he knew there had been an argument about who was taking the couch and a pouting Harry involved.
Kingsley couldn't find it in himself to argue with a pouting Harry very often.
"Too early," Harry complained, pulling the duvet over his head.
Checking the clock, Kingsley swore softly, because it wasn't too early at all. They were both due in work within the hour.
"Time to get up, Harry," Kingsley coaxed, tugging at the covers.
"Nuh-uh. Hiding. Go away."
Kingsley could only laugh at the childish reply. "You know, you're not invisible just because I can't see you, right?"
"Psh. I can't see you, you can't see me, of course I'm invisible. Anyway, sleeping. Come back to bed or go away."
Feeling his cheeks heating at the unexpected intimacy in Harry's reply, Kingsley left the warmth of the bed and headed for the shower. He'd long since trained himself out of wanting anything even remotely romantic from Harry, and there was no way was he opening himself up to that again.
Their friendship was one of the most precious things in his life, there was no way was he going to ruin it.
…
The transformation was a very strange sensation, and it took Kingsley a moment to find his balance when he suddenly had four legs instead of two. When he'd first watched Harry playing around as his lion, he'd wondered how it would feel.
Now that he had first hand knowledge, he was beyond pleased that he'd gone through the strain of training his body into a second form. Becoming an Animagus wasn't quite as simple as he'd thought it would be, and it had taken him almost nine months since he'd seen Harry's form.
He'd almost given up quite a few times, but he was overjoyed now that he'd persevered with it.
He gamboled around the clearing for a while, getting used to moving on four legs, and admired the black fur that he could see. He was clearly a cat of some sort, but he felt like he was far bigger than an average housecat.
Cursing himself for not thinking to conjure a mirror before he attempted the change, he forced himself back into human form and did exactly that, before he changed back into his animal.
The transition was still strange, and Kingsley could only hope that the more he did it, the easier it would become.
Cautiously, he moved himself in front of the large mirror, before he sat down, his legs splaying awkwardly until he found a comfortable way to sit.
He tilted his head, watching with amusement as the panther in the mirror did the same, his eyes bright in the darkness of the evening.
A panther.
He wasn't mad at that, and suddenly, he felt a great need to share his form with Harry. As such a big cat, he was the perfect animal to play with the lion.
Transforming back into himself, Kingsley grinned up at the moon. He'd finally done it.
…
"So, where's the surprise I was promised?" Harry asked, peering around the clearing with interest.
"Well. I…" Kingsley cut himself off, irritated with himself. He shouldn't be this nervous to show his friend his new form. "You get excited when you get time to be in your lion form, right?"
Harry nodded slowly. "Of course."
"Okay, but, well. I thought… maybe sometimes you get lonely?"
Closing his eyes for a moment, Harry replied, "Tell me you didn't liberate a lion from the zoo. That's illegal, Kings."
Kingsley laughed. "Not quite But. Well."
He transformed, taking a moment to center himself before he looked up at the gaping Harry.
"You… you're… Kingsley…"
Harry was speechless, and Kingsley let out a huff of amusement before he padded forward to nudge at Harry. It didn't take long for Harry to get the message, and soon enough there was a lion standing where Harry had been not moments ago.
They moved cautiously around each other for a few minutes, until Harry sniffed at Kingsley and pawed at his muzzle gently.
Kingsley took that as the acceptance it was, and with a wave of his tail, he leapt away. Harry gave chase immediately.
Though Harry was the bigger of the two, Kingsley was better able to twist and turn, and so the chase lasted a while, until Harry decided to just pounce on the smaller cat.
The rolled around in the grass for a while until they stilled, both panting.
Kingsley butted his head against Harry's and then lay down, pleased when Harry collapsed down at his side, resting his messy head on Kingsley's stomach.
They lay in companionable silence until they were both asleep.
When the sun started to come up, they each got to their feet, changing back to their human forms.
Harry was smiling shyly when he looked at Kingsley. "You did that for me?"
"I did it because you looked… free," Kingsley admitted. "But also… I thought… I don't want you to be lonely ever, so… if you ever want to repeat that."
Harry nodded, taking a small step closer. Kingsley's hand moved to rest against Harry's waist without permission, and both of their eyes widened slightly. Kingsley swallowed hard.
"I… Harry…"
"I never thought it was a thing that was allowed, you know?" Harry asked suddenly. "Because you're my boss and all that jazz. But… if you wanted… let's be real, I've been in love with you for years anyway, everyone knows that and -"
"You're rambling," Kingsley interrupted gently. "And I didn't know that."
"Really? Because that's why Hermione keeps setting me up on dates with people who are the exact opposite of you, to help me get over you. I told her that her logic was wonky, but she didn't listen."
"How about you tell her she doesn't need to set you up on anymore dates, okay," Kingsley replied, tugging Harry closer. "You're going to be too busy for dates."
Harry ducked his head, looking up at Kingsley from under his eyelashes. "Really?"
"Really."
The kiss was chaste, sweet, and held the promise of so much more. "Come on, Harry. Let's go home."
Also Written for;
Character Appreciation - 5. Messy Hair
Disney - C2. Baloo - Someone who always seems relaxed no matter the situation.
Trope of the Month - Sharing a bed ; 2. Rip off
Dark Lady's Diabolical Lair - 4. Parchment
Book Club - Wade - Harassment / Serious / Threatening someone
Showtime - 3. Triumph
Buttons - O5. Biscuit Tin / D3. "Is that really the time?" / W1. Disastrous
Lyric Alley - 23. You get excited
Ami's Audio - 12. Someone thinking hiding under their duvet makes them invisible
Emy's Emporium - 6. Jazz
Angel's Arcade - Vector - Green / Boss / Confident / Hat
Lo's Lowdown - C1. Balance
Bex's Basement - 9. Fantastic Mr Fox - "I'm here to rescue you." / "I've got mixed feelings about that."
Slash September - Kingsley / KingsleyHarry
Sewing 101 - Fabric - Quill / Pattern - Smile / Colour - Grey
Feline Fair - Korat - Emerald Green
Auction - Catastrophic