To The Victor Go The Cuddles
Summary: Storming Skies Verse. With the introduction of Harry Potter's new familiar the inhabitants of Gryffindor Tower find themselves losing. To a baby cheetah. Baby!Familiar Vs Gryffindors. FIGHT!
Author's Note: If you're confused as to what's going on, go read Storming Skies by Araceil. This is set in that verse and follows all the rules and headcanons we've come up with. Enjoy~!
Chapter 1st and last.
"This is getting out of hand," Harry commented to his purring armful as he took in the crowd of Gryffindors in the common room and the eager anticipation on practically everyone's faces. His newly hatched familiar, just over a month old, stopped gnawing at his thumb and turned large and adoring amber eyes up at him and cheeped.
"This is all your fault." He told the armful, even as he cuddled the baby closer. He was by no means immune to the shape-shifter's charm and would arguably be the first in the long line of people who had already 'lost' in the battle to resist his charm.
He was just too cute.
That wasn't any reason to make such a big production of the baby's abilities though. Really, he should have stopped this when the Twins started making a challenge out of it. Or perhaps before Hayato started taking bets. Even Uri had gotten caught up in the fever, she was sat on a large red and gold cushion, guarding the cauldron that was the betting pool like the majestic little terror she was.
"Where did you get the gold for the start-up bets?" he asked the silver haired teen playing bookie, eying the half-full cauldron with a look of disbelief. He hadn't given him any spending money… also exactly how many people had placed bets already?
"I sold some of my dynamite to a few Ravenclaws." Hayato grinned brightly at him over the top of his glasses, looking away from the little black notebook he was scribbling in to flash him a proud thumbs up.
"Then that explosion at around lunch time…?"
"Yup, dynamite. They worked perfectly, not bad for a test batch."
Harry freed a hand from his familiar to palm his face. He was going to hear about that from someone eventually. Yeah, that was going to be fun.
Okay, no. He could ignore that for now, everyone was in such high spirits. Might as well enjoy it while he could. The twins had gone into full party mode for this, handing out bottles of butter-beer, and there were snacks and sweets being traded everywhere. There was even a make-shift wrestling ring taking up space in the middle of the common room, made out of transfigured armchairs and sofas.
"AND NOW~ FOR THE MATCH EVERYONE'S BEEN WAITING FOR!" Fred roared over the gathered Gryffindors, using Sonorous to amplify his voice.
"REPRESENTING GRYFFINDOR HOUSE, HERMIONE JANE GRANGER!" George continued, grin stretching ear to ear.
"… really, this is ridiculous! Shape-shifters get their energy from their surroundings and they turn into something guaranteed to elicit a reaction. I know exactly what's going to happen so I'm obviously going to be on guard against it! This isn't going to work on me!"
Whistles, catcalls and encouragements sounded from all corners of the room.
"Go Hermione! Show him who's boss!"
"You can do it!"
"Stay strong! For Gryffindor!"
"Oi, isn't the baby a Gryffindor too? Being Potter's familiar and all?"
"No way, that cat is a Slytherin! Being so manipulative with the adorbs…"
"CONTENDERS! TAKE YOUR PLACES!" Lee Jordan announced, taking over the commentary.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. IN THE RED CORNER REPRESENTING GRYFFINDOR HOUSE WE HAVE HERMIONE JANE GRANGER, THE BRIGHTEST WITCH OF OUR GENERATION, WHO IS ABLE TO DIGEST BOOKS BIGGER THAN THAT MASSIVE BRAIN~!"
"Oh fine, it's not like I'm losing valuable study time with all this noise," Hermione muttered, dropping the book she'd been trying to read on a table and getting up with a huff. She made her way over to the 'ring' and climbed through the ropes to sit herself in the large red armchair that made up part of that corner.
Gryffindors cheered.
"AND IN THE GOLD CORNER, REPRESENTING HOUSE POTTER WE HAVE OUR CURRENTLY STILL NAMELESS BABY FAMILIAR POTTER! ONLY A MONTH OLD AND ALREADY SHOWING HIS METTLE IN HAVING DEFEATED EVEN THE MIGHTIEST GRYFFINDOR SCOWLER!"
"Oh shut up." Percy muttered from near the stairs with a scowl, undoubtedly drawn into the common room to see what all the commotion was all about. "It's not like anyone else did any better."
"AND EVEN DEFEATED THE MASTERS OF DECEIT~ THE WEASLEY TWINS!"
"Twas a mighty battle~!" Fred swooned, dramatically collapsing against his twin.
"A battle well fought!" George remarked with a faux grave face, mock bowing in Harry's direction and then standing tall and proud with a salute. "We were no match for him."
"ON STANDBY WE HAVE COLIN CREEVY, WHO HAS CAPTURED EVERY DEFEAT SO FAR!" Colin waved at the crowd from his precarious perch on the top of a tall stack of books. "WILL TODAY BE THE DAY GRYFFINDOR GAINS A WIN FROM THE REIGNING CHAMPION, THE ALMIGHTY POTTER FAMILIAR~?"
"I guess that's our call." Harry murmured to the baby cheetah purring up a storm in his arms. He placed him on the small golden chair opposite Hermione's red one and swung himself up onto one of the ring's posts and sat himself down for the best view in the house. "… knock her dead."
His familiar's answering whistle-chirp had half the spectators melting.
Hermione stood unwavered by the display.
"Making such a big fuss over this. Honestly, as if we don't have better things to do." She muttered, tucking a curl of hair behind an ear.
"You scared of losing, Granger?" Hayato cackled, tucking his notebook and glasses away, having closed the bets now that the 'match' was about to start.
"There will be no winning or losing because I know what to expect!" Hermione huffed. "He'll do a passive read on me and transform into the animal I like the most to make me lose enough control over my magic that I let a little out. Which would be enough for him to snack on. It's NOT going to work. I'm already on guard against it!"
"Want to bet on it?" Hayato called out.
"You'll be making a losing bet." Hermione sniffed.
"We'll see, won't we?" Hayato goaded.
"Fine! Your loss! What are your terms?"
"A favour to be called on at a later date! No takebacks!"
"Fine! I agree!"
"THERE YOU HAVE IT GENTLE WITCHES AND WIZARDS! WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT! WEASLEYS! SECURE THE CHALLENGER! BOMB MASTER~ PREPARE THE SMOKEBOMB!"
"Whenever you're ready!" Hayato cackled, slipping a what was supposedly a smoke bomb out of a sleeve and climbing up onto the edge of the ring so he could lean against the post Harry was using as a seat.
Harry bit his lip on a laugh. Things really had gotten a bit too far. Sometime into the thirteenth 'match' someone had suggested hiding his familiar until the baby had finished shifting because it wasn't 'fair' if the 'opponent' got 'prior warning'. Personally, Harry thought everyone was having too much fun seeing everyone in Gryffindor Tower being beaten in a contest of wills against a month old baby shape-shifter.
"CHALLENGER SECURED~!" Fred announced, tugging at the red headband emblazoned with the Gryffindor crest now encircling Hermione's head.
"Reigning Champion ready!" Harry laughed, unable to help himself get caught up in the mood when his little familiar chirped his own confirmation.
"AND THE BATTLE IS READY TO BEGIN!" George bellowed from the sidelines, holding up one of the ropes for his brother to crawl through.
"READY? SMOKE SCREEN DOWN ON MY COUNT OF THREE!" Lee broadcasted.
"ONE!"
Gryffindors took up the count, chanting with him.
"TWO!"
Hermione stood up off her chair and brushed off her skirt as she straightened, keeping her eyes locked on her 'opponent'.
"THREE!"
Hayato released the smoke bomb with a grand flourish and a clean grey smoke filled the air. Everyone watching went quiet, Colin Creevy started snapping pictures the second the smoke started to clear and everyone got to see what the shape-shifter had transformed into.
Ginger, tiger-striped fur. Large golden eyes. Squashed in face and boxy build. Fluffy tail. Harry's familiar had transformed into Crookshanks with one very large difference. Crookshanks was a fully grown cat. Harry's familiar… had transformed into a…
Kitten.
The moment Hermione got a good look at him the headband she was wearing, made to rip at even the slightest release of magic, fell to the floor. Her hands clamped over her mouth but it wasn't enough to muffle the sound.
Hermione's squeal went down in Gryffindor History and it was a while before she could be convinced into handing the happily purring baby shape-shifter back to his laughing owner.
OoO
One shot complete~! Written as a gift for my darling Araceil!
For those of you who don't know, which is everyone because we came up with this idea ourselves, shape-shifters come in two breeds. Light and Dark. The Dark ones are boggarts, which are the creation of JKRowling, and Light. The difference between them is in how they gather magic from their surroundings. Dark ones terrify the ever-living shite out of you. Light ones make you want to smother them in love and cuddles.
Now you're going to ask about the fact the baby would die if he got magic from someone other than Harry? Only between the ages of 'just born' and a month. After that shape-shifters are free to gather magic from wherever they so choose.