Hey guys :) Just publishing this as a feeler to see if anyone would be interested in reading, so please remember to review if you would like to see more, but be warned, I will have exams all for the next three weeks so I wont be undating for a while :3
Prologue:
As mist began to form, enveloping the forest floor, a large lithe form slunk between the roots of large oaks and pines.
Silently the creature crept, hardly disturbing a leaf. As she moved, seemingly floating, she could sense the other inhabitants of the forest fleeing.
'Cowards' she thought to herself, her features drawn up into what can only be described as a condescending smirk. She knew why these creatures fled. They sensed her presence and subsequently... they fled. Her kind was known to bring death and loss to theirs.
Her condescending attitude of moments before forgotten, the agile creature sighed. She understood the small critters logic, but she resented it.
This form, one that was both feared and worshipped in some human cultures, was a favourite of the young woman. She loved the heightened senses, the feel of the ground beneath her claws, the smell of yesterday's rain in the air and the sound of leaves rustling against one another as the chilly winter wind blew through them.
To have this form that she loved so dearly, feared by others, irritated her beyond belief. Yet, this young woman was kind and her guilt for the animals fear far outweighed her annoyance. So for their peace of mind, she slowly transformed to another, less alarming form.
Her retracted claws grew blunt and smooth, hardening to become hooves. Her long bushy tail became short and stout. Slowly, the young woman's body shifted, her fur becoming shorter, rougher, her bones stretching to reveal a long elegant neck and high, stilt-like legs.
Yet even if the woman was able to diminish the other animals fear, this fear was replaced by the curiosity as in the place of the nimble yet lethal feline stood a calm, gentle doe. Although the vulnerability of this form made the woman uneasy, the obvious relief and peace of the woodland creatures gave her spirit.
Travelling just a nimbly as in her previous form, the doe continued on her path, happier now that her mind was not clouded by the arrogance of a predator.
Just ahead a gap in the trees revealed her destination.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry lay before the young woman. She had been here before of course, but she had been away for some months. Summer break, whilst a welcome escape for most students, brought a sense of being ripped from happiness for the young witch. For that is what the young woman was, she had to be to attend this fine school with her brother and his friends.
A pang rang through the doe's heart at the thought of her twin brother. The summer break had brought separation from him as well.
'The most noble house of Black must remain strong and bound, for we are one of the last' the irony of her mother's words brought a dark smile to the doe's eyes.
'Strong and bound' the witch scoffed. Perhaps it had once been, but since she could remember, the house had been divided. With her families fascist views conflicting with her brother's and her own views, the young woman had grown up in a house full of arguments, disagreements and stalemates.
Yet now was the not the time to think of such things. The doe's brother had left the house, he had escaped to his friends home. She had been meant to follow him...but she had been unsuccessful. Until now.
Through the large stained windows the doe could see that the welcoming feast had only just begun. As she often did, the young woman thanked her gift that it allowed her to transform into beasts with such superior senses.
Now that she was clear of the forest, the witch found no qualms in shifting into a creature that would frighten the small beasts of the forest. For the second time that night, the witch left one form behind for the favour of another.
Moments later, a relatively small grey wolf loped across the Hogwarts grounds, heading for the large entrance doors. Due to the festivities of the welcoming feast, no one noticed the wolf enter the castle, nor did anyone notice her trot determinedly towards the Great hall.
With its doors standing wide open, it was not difficult for the witch to hear the happy babble of excited students and professors. As she drew closer to the doors she could begin to separate the nonsense into separate conversations.
"Have you seen the drabble that The Quibbler has been printing lately? My father will have words with that old coot, Dorian Lovegood. The nerve of him to print such things about my family!"
"Clearly she didn't understand a thing I was saying -"
"-and then dad took us flying! I think I might try out for the Quidditch team this year. I'm old eno-"
Yet, the wolf could only find herself searching for one voice. One boy above the rest. Anxious now to see him, the wolf picked up her pace, her long pink tongue lolling out of her mouth.
A startled hiss from Filch's cat, Beulah, made the wolf cough in unmistakable signs of laughter as she skidded to a stop in front of the great hall.
Her tongue lolling, chest heaving, the wolf stood panting at the door, her sharp eyes sweeping the Gryffindor table for any sign of that long, mop-like, black hair.
Students ate their dinner, oblivious to the ragged wolf that surveyed them from the large oak doors. She watched as hundreds of students hungrily stuffed food into their mouths, obvious delight and contentment brightening their features.
Yet she could not spot the one happy face that she so longed to see. For it was this face, the face of her brother, and his alone that could make her forget the turmoil and suffering that had brought her here. It was he and only he that understood what she had had to battle for freedom. Without him, the witch did not- but wait!
'There!' the wolf shouted in her mind, her thick tail rising to sweep the air in quick wags.
She had found him. She had escaped her childhood home to find him. She had trekked across half of London to see that smiling face. Yet as the wolf looked harder, she could see deep sorrow and pain in the eyes of her brother. She could see regret and longing in the lines around his mouth that prevented him from giving his laughing friends a true smile. This would not do. Not at all.
'He must smile!'
Suddenly an unrestrained, excited bark burst from the lips of the wolf, startling the residents of the Great hall. All eyes snapped to the door, including the eyes of the sad boy.
Another, louder bark followed the first as the wolf began to bounce in excitement. She had made it. She was here.
The dull, devastated eyes of the boy slowly brightened to reveal a startling shade of grey. The firm mouth slowly pulled up into a blinding smile, the likes of which could brighten even the foulest of moods.
"Altaira..." he whispered disbelievingly, loud enough that only those nearest to him and the wolf with her heightened senses could hear him.
As if in answer, the young witch transformed once more, although she achieved no definite shape for long, the message was clear. There were only one person of this generation that had this unique gift and she was now standing in the Great hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Sirius knew this. Altaira knew this.
So it was with great glee that Sirius, in one movement, bounded up from his seat and took his Animagus form. The young woman did not need an invitation. She ran to her brother at a speed that only four legs could take her.
Excited barks and whines rang through the hall as the two bounded for one another, all eyes on them.
.::.
Sirius and Altaira Black were an anomaly in the wizarding world. Rare was it when twins were born into pureblood families. Another similar rarity in the wizarding word were Metamorphmagi and Animorphamagi. Considering the rarity of both these occurrences in the wizarding world, it was completely unheard of to see twins which have either of these unique gifts.
So when Orion and Walburga Black welcomed the two into the most prestigious house of Black in 1959 and when one of the twins began to exhibit signs of a rare and coveted gift, there was more than enough material for the Blacks to boast about, more than enough material to inflate their egos just that much more.
Strong supporters of the Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort, the Black family was more than overjoyed to present two new powerful supporters to his cause.
Yet the Black family was in for another surprise, and this one was not necessarily one that they would appreciate. Despite influences from their mother, father, uncles, aunts and various cousins, the twins grew stronger and more determined and with this strength and determination came something almost unheard of in the Black legacy. For Altaira and Sirius developed a conscience. As the two grew up in a home where blood purity was the most important aspect of interaction and communication, where the Blacks treated everyone else like dirt and where Lord Voldemort's reign of terror was honoured and respected, they found that they did not agree with their families way of life.
So it was no surprise to the twins that by the time their younger brother, Regulus, was walking and talking, that the family had come to treat the powerful and rare twins like the dirt they believed everyone else to be.
The words 'blood-traitor' and 'muggle-loving-filth' were common at the dinner table. In fact, there were common in the corridors, on the stairs, in the morning and in the evening.
Perhaps most affected by this treatment was the vivacious, hot-headed Sirius. The less domineering and more peaceful of the twins, Altaira, who was blessed with the gifst of an Animorphamagi, would often hunker-down and ignore the harsh words. Her brother, who could not fathom this method of coping, chose to retaliate much more enthusiastically.
When the time came for the twins to begin their Hogwarts career, they could not have been more overjoyed. Greeted by fear, awe and (occasionally) reverence, the twins quickly surprised many with their rejection of their family's views and their kind, fun-loving attitude. They further broke from tradition when they became the first Gryffindors in a long line of Slytherins.
Welcomed by their friends, feared by many in the wizarding community, rejected by their family, Sirius and Altaira lived a double life. Yet, despite the depressing life that awaited them at home, the twins allowed themselves to make friends at school, to, in Altaira's case, immerse themselves in school work and to, in Sirius' case, immerse themselves in pranks, tricks and games.
But this system could not last. The verbal and physical assault in the Black home had slowly worsened as the twins grew older. To fulfil the biggest cliché, one day, this all became too much for Sirius and he fled to his best friend's home, James Potter, a fellow pureblood and, more importantly, a fellow Gryffindor.
The circumstances by which Sirius left his childhood home were less than pleasant. Unable to take his beloved twin, Sirius planned an escape for Altaira in the days following his own desertion. For reasons unknown to Sirius, Altaira did not manage to escape and it was with a heavy heart that he headed off to his 6th year at Hogwarts...without his sister.
.::.
Reunited once more with her brother, Altaira could almost forget what she had had to do to reach him. Almost.
'Stop it!' She thought to herself, 'You've just found Sirius, think about that later!'
Shaking her head, Altaira threw all of her concentration into the large black dog running towards her. It was common knowledge to the students of Hogwarts that Sirius Black had become a registered Animagus to be closer to his twin. However, being a new year, there were many first years who had yet to encounter either twin, so it came as no surprise to Altaira when many eleven year olds took to standing on their seats to have a better view. Altaira ignored them. She ignored them all.
Slowly, too slowly for Altaira, she and Sirius drew near. Propelled by all her pent up emotions, Altaira launched herself at her brother, sending them rolling in heap to the floor.
Woofing in happiness and excitement, Sirius tried to untangle herself from the newly constructed dog pile. The task proved to be quite difficult though as Altaira continuously strained her neck, trying to lick every part of Sirius' fluffy face.
Laughing loudly, Sirius shifted back to his human form and used his arms to shove his sister off him. Sitting up, Sirius looked closely at the wolf that was his twin. Since he had last laid eyes on her some months ago, Altaira had lost weight. She was thin and lanky, covered in various cuts, scratches, burns and scrapes with burrs and leaf litter tangled in her fur.
Sirius knew from experience that the injuries present in Altaira's animal forms would mirror those of her human form, he also knew that many of these injuries were not simply from travelling across half of London. Those burns, that gash...they were battle wounds.
"You're back! I can't believe it! I thought I'd have to bust in and help you escape!" He shouted.
Altaira sat down on her haunches, tongue lolling and shrugged her shoulders. She couldn't explain to Sirius the circumstances of her escape in this form...and this was not the place to take her human one.
Leaning forward, she licked him again, covering his face from chin to brow in slobber.
"Hey! Okay ewww!" Sirius shouted immediately, pushing her away, "Come on!"
Altaira's shoulders shook as she laughed in her wolfish way. Standing up, she trotted over to the place where Sirius had been sitting moments before, at the Gryffindor table. Hoping up onto the seat next to Sirius' best friend, James Potter, Altaira took a moment to glance around at the hall.
As expected, there was not a person in the entire Great Hall that was not watching her. Frowning, Altaira looked to the table at the front of the hall. Locking eyes with school's headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, she woofed quietly, conveying more in her body language than words would ever allow.
Smiling brightly, Dumbledore nodded. He cleared his throat loudly, capturing the attention of the student body.
"I believe miss Black has had a tiring journey, if we would all please give her the respect she disserves and give her a much needed rest, it would be most appreciated." Dumbledore said. As he spoke, his eyes swept over the students, his gaze was kind but firm, offering no room for contradiction, "Would it not, miss Black?"
In response to his words, the small wolf sitting at the Gryffindor table chuffed quietly, a happy contented sound.
"There we have it. Now back to dinner, it would be a shame to see such a magnificent feast go to waste..." Dumbledore said, taking his seat.
As if on queue, the noise of the feast started up again, although Altaira was sure that the topic of conversation had changed since five minutes ago.
As students began to shovel food into their mouths, Sirius took a seat next to Altaira, his eyes no longer sad and brooding but bright and happy.
"Altaira, you made it," Said Remus Lupin, another of the twins friends. When he was only greeted by a wolfy chuckle, he continued, "Not in the mood to play human today?"
A frown crossed Altaira's features briefly. No she wasn't in the mood.
Please note that this chapter is still not complete, but as I said in the earlier A/N, please let me know if you like what you've read so I know whether or not to continue :)
3