Harry woke the morning of Thursday, September 2nd 1993 to a deep and exhilarating sense that something incredible and life-changing was going to happen. For the life of him he couldn't say what it would be, or why he even felt this way in the first place, only that he felt it at all. So, he greeted the day with a smile and a child-like giddiness as he looked forward to whatever was going to happen that day.
The day started similar to the day before, with Harry coming downstairs to the Gryffindor common room to find Ron and Hermione at it again over Crookshanks. Honestly, Harry thought to himself, couldn't they at least try to get along? After the trio supplied each other with a "Good morning!" they made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast and the receiving of their time tables. Following breakfast was a tiring ascent of the North Tower to Divination, guided by the single most mental portrait Harry had yet to encounter, where the mysterious and, perhaps, equally mental professor foretold Harry's death. Fearing that this was the incredible and life-changing thing that was going to happen today, Harry's mood darkened to a somber miasma of ennui. This resulted in Professor McGonagall's display of her own animagus transformation to fall on depressed eyes. The Scott's declaration that if Harry should die he need not hand in his homework brought a grin to his face (and if Harry was not mistaken, even McGonagall looked quite amused and pleased with herself).
Lunch became a light affair with Harry's mood lifted and his mind set on something far greater still waiting to happen to him today, which lasted even as he and his friends made their way down to Hagrid's hut for their first Care of Magical Creatures class.
Let it never be said that Harry James Potter thought ill of Rubeus Hagrid, but truth be told the man had a nasty penchant for underestimating the danger of magical creatures; Fluffy and Aragog being exhibits A and B, respectively. And given the nature of their "text book", Harry's fears had yet to be abated.
When Hagrid returned from within the Dark Forest, Harry was awe-struck by the dozen creatures the half-giant had shepherded into the paddock. They had the bodies, hind legs, and tails of horses, but the front legs, wings, and heads of what seemed to be giant eagles, with cruel, steel-colored beaks and large, brilliantly orange eyes. The talons on their front legs were half a foot long and deadly looking. Each of the beasts had a thick leather collar around its neck, which was attached to a long chain, and the ends of all of these were held in the vast hands of Hagrid.
"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid roared happily, waving a hand at them. "Beau'iful, aren't they?"
And if Harry were being truly honest with himself, they were at that. They held themselves with such grace and pride, Harry felt as if they could be the royalty of the Dark Forest; kings and queens, each of them. And their eyes…so sharp and focused. One would be foolish to not think them clever.
Feeling oddly drawn to them, Harry slowly stepped forward from the mass of students that, simultaneously, were slowly backing away. Noticing this, Hagrid began to lecture, "Fir's thing yeh gotta know abou' hippogriffs is, they're proud. Easily offended, hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do."
Harry continued to step forward, for some reason he couldn't explain, zeroing in on one hippogriff in particular. As if sensing his presence, the hippogriff in question looked up and towards Harry, meeting his eyes with its own. Harry gasped as he felt a shock go through his mind and body, to the very depths of his soul. At that moment, he couldn't have looked away from this hippogriff if he'd wanted to.
By now, only 12' of space separated them, and Harry was now sure, without a doubt, that this was the moment he'd been waiting for since he'd woken up. Whatever happened next was sure to change his life forever.
"Yeh always wait fer the hippogriff ter make the firs' move," Hagrid continued on, watching in interest as Harry and Buckbeak (his favorite of the lot, of course) neared each other. "It's polite, see? Yeh walk toward him, and yeh b…" Hagrid froze as he witnessed something absolutely extraordinary.
Buckbeak bowed to Harry first!
Time stood still for Harry as everything outside of him and the hippogriff known as Buckbeak dissolved into nothingness. This single moment was so absolutely surreal that the young wizard couldn't bother doing anything but playing along. So, without really even thinking of the consequences, Harry Potter bowed back. This was apparently the right choice as Buckbeak quickly bolted over to Harry and began to nuzzle him. Harry gasped as he felt something finally click into place in his heart, latching his arms around the Hippogriffs neck. He never wanted to leave this peculiar embrace.
And then Harry noted something odd. While before he could clearly feel feathers upon his arms, now he could feel bare human skin. And where before there had been a neck the size of a modest tree trunk, there was now a slimmer, but still strong neck. Last of all, where there had been a large beak nibbling playfully at his ear, now there were a pair of human lips whispering a single word into his ear.
"Mate."
Harry's knees buckled at the sound of that husky voice; young, confident, proud, and commanding. Before he could even think of falling, though, a pair of strong human arms wrapped around his waist and held him steady as a playful chuckle rumbled through a broad bare chest. Gathering his Gryffindor courage, Harry pulled away ever so slightly and looked up: his breath catching in his throat at the sight that awaited him.
The man that was once a hippogriff looked to be no older than 20, by Harry's estimation. He had silvery hair the color of the feathers he'd once had reaching down just past his shoulders. His eyes looked no different now than they had before, though his irises were circles rather than sickles. His chin and cheeks had a similar pointed and aristocratic property to Malfoy and his father.
In a word, Buckbeak was gorgeous.
He was also quite naked.
Harry squeaked in embarrassment as he jumped back and turned away, quickly shedding his outer robes and handing them to the newly human hippogriff who chuckled as he took them and fashioned a loin-cloth out of them.
"C-Class dismissed!" Hagrid roared before he, followed closely by Ron and Hermione all but ran over to Harry and the hippogriff. All three stopped short when they witnessed Buckbeak move between them and Harry. It took Hagrid less than a second to understand and to bow before the former hippogriff. Hermione and Ron quickly followed suit.
A moment they waited, but finally Buckbeak bowed in return and moved back to his previous position behind Harry.
"Buckbeak? Is tha' you?" Hagrid asked, still surprised by what he had seen.
Buckbeak smiled and nodded his head. "Yes."
"We…we should probably go to Professor Dumbledore," Hermione supplied. "He might know how or why this happened."
"The how is magic. The why is he is my mate," Buckbeak answered, as if this should be quite obvious.
Finally regaining his voice, Harry said, "I'd actually feel better talking to Dumbledore. He may have knowledge, from a wizarding perspective, about how…this…happened."
Looking down upon the shy and blushing face of his mate, Buckbeak smile and bowed his head in acquiescence before following him out of the edge of the forest.
As they walked up to the castle, Hagrid quickly grabbed his massive coat from his hut and handed it to Buckbeak to further protect his modesty. With its massive size, the hem dragged a bit on the ground and the sleeves hung far past the former hippogriffs finger tips. However, it seemed to make it easier for Harry to look upon him, and that was enough of a reason to wear the heavy cloth.
By the time the group of five made it to the castle, the Hogwarts Rumor Mill had already done its job. All eyes immediately went to them as whispers began to fill the air. Buckbeak, picking up on the subject of the whispers, glared at each and every student, going so far as to growl at some as he realized the effect it was all having on his mate.
Harry, by now, should have been used to being stared at and whispered about, but this was somehow different. Somehow he felt even more exposed and shamed. Unconsciously, he tucked himself into Buckbeak's side, taking comfort from the earthy smell of Hagrid's coat mixed with the warmth of Buckbeak's now human body.
Upon arriving in front of the gargoyle centurion that guarded Dumbledore's office, Hagrid called out a random type of candy before leading the charge up the rising spiral staircase.
"Rubeus? Is something the matter?" Albus Dumbledore asked from behind his desk as he spotted Hagrid entering. It wasn't until the half-giant stepped aside to reveal a young man whom Dumbledore had never seen before and the unofficially dubbed 'Golden Trio' that the elder wizard began to understand why Hagrid was here. "Might I inquire as to who you are?" Albus asked with a kind, curious smile as his mind began to furiously puzzle out the identity of this individual.
"I am Buckbeak," Buckbeak answered. "Or, at least, that is the name Hagrid granted me."
"I see. Am I correct in assuming you are not a wizard?"
Buckbeak smirked. "Yes."
Albus's eyes twinkled in mirth as his mind puzzled even faster. "Am I correct in assuming you are not even human, despite all appearances to the contrary?"
Buckbeak's smirk grew. "Yes."
Albus was like a child at Christmas by this point. Standing before him was some kind of magical creature that could take on human form.
"He's a hippogriff, professor!" Ron exclaimed, having no patience for this. "Hagrid…Professor Hagrid…was teaching us about hippogriffs, and Harry went up to one: Buckbeak! But before Harry could bow, Buckbeak bowed first!"
"I see," Albus said, now incredibly curious; his eyes zeroing in on the lack of space between Harry and Buckbeak, as well as the former hippogriff's, dare he say, protective grip around Harry.
"Harry is my mate," Buckbeak said with no small amount of pride.
At this, Albus's eyes widened in surprise. A magical creature transforming into a human and claiming to have another human as a mate! Imagine that! But of course, it was Harry James Potter. The lad had survived a Killing Curse casted by the most powerful dark wizard of the age while only a babe, faced off against said dark wizard again at age 11, summoned the sword of Gryffindor at age 12 and used it to vanquish a basilisk as old as Hogwarts itself! The boy was a champion for beating the odds.
"Indeed. I confess, in all my years I've never heard of something like this. It really is quite fantastic," Albus said with his grandfatherly smile.
At this, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid seemed to droop in disappointment.
"Hmph, well of course you've never heard of it!" the portrait of former headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black said with a touch of disdain in his voice. "Only members of a Most Ancient and Noble house, who have never strayed from the pureblood traditions, would have heard of such things…and even then, only in legend."
Hearing this, everyone in the room, including the other portraits of former Hogwarts headmasters, perked up and looked to Phineas.
"Please, sir, tell us what you know," Hermione asked politely, eager to gain such apparently rare knowledge. Her two friends and their professor and headmaster looked equally eager as well.
Phineas's portrait narrowed its gaze at the muggleborn girl. Oh, yes, he took a vow as headmaster to treat all students equally, but that didn't mean he had to like the filthy mudbloods that insisted on attending this prestigious school when they'd be better off in the world of their parents. But he wasn't a headmaster any longer, was he? "And what makes you think a silly little muggleborn like you is worthy of such knowledge?" growled.
"Don't you dare take that tone with my friend, you tosser!" Ron barked. Bad enough they get this sort of talk from the Slytherins (Malfoy in particular) but from this bloody portrait of a long dead pureblood bastard?
Albus quickly stepped in before a fight could break out and said, "Gentlemen, please. Let us keep the peace, yes?" He then turned to Phineas with a reproachful look and said, "Phineas, please. Let us leave such philosophical arguments for another day."
The portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black harrumphed, but continued on nonetheless. "Legend says that since the very beginning exceptionally powerful witches and wizards were chosen by Magic itself to be mates of its creatures. Magic would grant unto those creatures the ability to become human, and unto those witches and wizards the ability to become whatever creature they were the mate of."
"…What?" Ron asked, not quite getting it.
"He means, Ronald, that Buckbeak has a human animagus form and Harry, apparently, will develop a hippogriff animagus form," Hermione clarified.
"Precisely, Ms. Granger," Albus praised with a smile. "Ten points to Gryffindor."
After absorbing all this, to say Harry felt a little light-headed was an understatement. Thankfully, Buckbeak was more than happy to provide him support. "So, what happens now?" Harry asked Buckbeak, as he looked the handsome man/creature.
Before Buckbeak could answer, Albus butted in with a stern, "Nothing, for now. You are only 13, Harry, and far too young to mate."
"You dare suggest I would mate with my Harry when I know he is not ready?!" Buckbeak growled, glaring daggers at the headmaster, who had the decency to back away and look contrite. "I will mate with my Harry when he says so, and not a second sooner, understood?"
Albus Dumbledore had never looked so caught off guard in his life. He held up his hands in the universal sign of surrender and placatingly replied, "Of course, of course. I did not mean to insinuate anything inappropriate, I was simply looking out for the well-fare of one of my students."
"Take better care with your words," Buckbeak threatened, before looking down at Harry with an adoring smile and said, "To answer your question, for now I will remain at your side to guard you, protect you, and love you. And when you are ready to consummate our bond, I will shower you with pleasure. You will never again know a day without love."
Harry's face turned beet red and looked away, but it was plain as day that Harry did not object to such a promise.
This was certainly going to be an extraordinary year for Harry James Potter.