Note: An AU naturally ;)
He was not just a majestic creature that soared through the skies; he was not just a bird that was admired by the wandering eye. He was a man, one that had seen much pain through the course of his young life.
Once coal black feathers were weathered with white patches. If he were to reveal his true self, those patches would become the scars from harmful spells sent his way that seared his skin, leaving a permanent mark.
He was lucky to be alive, to fly in the sky as free as the creature he morphed into on a daily basis. The Order could have locked him up, killed him. The vengeful Death Eaters could have killed him on sight for defecting against their lord. Yet none of those happened to him; he was a free man.
To this day, Theodore Nott didn't know how he had become a free man. The war was over with the fall of Voldemort, but he would have been held accountable for the crimes he committed with his father. One day he was heading into his room to fear and brood for his life when he seen a note on his night stand. The note held one word written in the most intricate handwriting he'd ever seen.
Soar.
Along with it was information about a forest that eagles migrated to in the states across the ocean. Whoever sent the note knew of his unregistered animagus ability, yet they were telling him to leave. Not even his father knew that Theodore had become an animagus (not that the bastard deserved to know), yet someone knew. They knew. Instead of giving him up or threatening him, they were giving him a way out. He'd have been a fool not to take it. So Theodore took to the sky, never looking back. Consequences be damned.
The sharpness in his claws and beak kept him protected and fed. The alertness in his eyes kept him ahead of danger. The coldness of the wind in his feathers kept him spirited. One day the eagle would return to the wizarding world and find the sender of the note to thank them properly.
Until then, this man would soar.
A/N: Written for The Houses Competition
House: Hufflepuff; Year/Position: Year 7; Category: Drabble; Prompt: [animal] eagle
Word Count: 369