Chapter 2
The Animagi Ritual
Harry and Rose deboarded the train together, along with Ron and Hermione. Harry still hadn't told either of them about who Rose was to him, and he didn't know when he would; the story would be quite shocking. It had shocked him a bit anyways. He and Rose strode ahead of all the others. Harry waved to the giant known as Hagrid, the Care for Magical Creatures teacher and the gatekeeper for Hogwarts, but most of all Harry's friend.
"Hey d'er Harry, 'ow are ya?" Hagrid asked.
"Great Hagrid, how are you?" Harry replied.
"Ok, s'pose," Hagrid said. "Oh 'ere come 'dem li'l runts."
Harry turned and saw all the first years running forth, looking around in amazement.
"FIRST YEARS COME WITH ME!" Hagrid yelled.
His voice boomed loudly and the first years had no trouble finding the giant.
"See ya later, Hagrid," Harry said.
"Bye, 'arry," Hagrid replied, waving.
Harry turned back to Rose. She looked at him oddly. He explained who Hagrid was, and Rose's fear on her face diminished.
"Oh," she blushed. "He seemed so big to me, I thought he was dangerous."
"Giants are dangerous," Harry told her. "Just not Hagrid."
Rose nodded. They trudged up through the castle doors. Harry caught a glimpse of the first years getting sorted, but he was shooed into the dining hall by Professor McGonogall. Harry said hi to the leader of his house, and she only nodded. The dining room was decorated brilliantly for the feast. Harry sat down next to Rose's left and Ron sat down on his left. Hermione sat down across from Harry.
"So, Rose," Hermione began, "how do you know Harry?"
Harry looked at Rose. She looked back at him. Rose was about to say something when the first years burst in, joining their new tables. Dumbledore went up to the head table, between Professor McGonogall and Professor Snape (who was sneering uglier than ever, no suprise) and clapped his hands, which shot out a blue light, and the room was quiet.
"Now," Dumbledore began, "this year is sure to be a pleasant one. Aside from the new first years, there are a couple of other newcomers. In the second year, Mr. Cajul Fang."
The boy stood up, and Harry could see that he looked something alike to Draco Malfoy, and noticed his being at the Slytherin table and immediately insisted on it being true to his fellow Gryffindors.
"And, after last year's...devestating incident with a fellow classmate, we had an opening in the crowded fifth year crowd. I am pleased to present to you the new student in our fifth year, Ms. Rose Potter."
There was a hush that sucked all the air out of everyone's lungs as Rose stood up, smiled shyly, and sat back down. Hermione and Ron's jaws were on their chins. Harry didn't notice. Dumbledore went on:
"Rose is, as some of you might have guessed, Harry's twin. She was home-taught the skills of magic. Let us greet our newcomers."
Harry smiled at Rose.
"Hey," he said.
Rose giggled a bit.
"On another note," Dumbledore said, "I would like you to meet your new...well no, that's not right. Your returning Defense Against the Arts teacher, Professor Lupin."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione gasped in suprise and happiness. They stood up and saw him get to his feet, smile, and wave. Harry didn't stop clapping until Dumbledore started talking again.
"As most of you might know, Professor Lupin was a werewolf, and that forced him to retire a couple years back. But, thanks to some hard research by myself, and some brilliant potion work by Professor Snape, Professor Lupin has been cured completely of his disease."
Ron leaned close to Harry.
"This is awesome!" he whispered excitedly.
"Yeah," Harry agreed. "This is sure going to be a great year."
"Well," Dumbledore began again, "with those announcements made, let the feast begin!"
Food appeared on the plates and platters, pumpkin juice filled the goblets, freshly-picked fruit landed on the table, and the students began to chatter again. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Rose ate hungrily; they hadn't eaten anything on the train when the witch with the tray had come around. Harry opened his book on animagi and turned to the page on transformation. It was a simple spell. Harry had memorized it by the end of dinner. He wanted to transform so badly; he couldn't wait any longer. He would do it tonight.
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Harry stepped outside. The grass was damp and it squeaked a bit as he stepped on it. He removed his invisibility cloak and peered into the darkness. It was a bit past midnight, and he's managed to get outside with no problem. Harry peered up at the sky. The moon was full, which was what he had hoped for. Harry was thinking about something Sirius had told him a while back, about how it had taken him, his father, and Peter Pettigrew a long time to transform into animagi. It was obviously because they didn't have enough power to do it. Harry had the power, he knew he did, he could feel it running with his blood in his veins.
He looked up at the moon one last time.
"Here goes nothing," Harry muttered.
Facing north, Harry began the beginning of the incantation. He could feel the blood in his body becoming warm. Within minutes, an eery yellow glow had surrounded him.
Rose looked out her window into the darkness. She couldn't sleep, she was too excited to sleep. She was about to lay back down and try to sleep again when she saw something directly below her window. It was a yellow ball, and inside of it...no, could it be? It was; it was Harry! Rose through one of her black robes on over her pajamas and dashed out into the hallway.
Harry had almost completed it. He raised his wand in his hand high above him. He shouted the final word of the ritual, and collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain. There was a lightness to him all of the sudden. Harry wondered what he was being transformed into. He closed his eyes. He shut them hard. Then, he opened them, and he felt dizzy. He looked around and saw that somehow, he was seeing everything from a lower view. Harry tried to bring his hands to his face, but felt something light and fuzzy touch his face instead. He looked at what was his hand, and saw feathers. Harry spread his arms. He tried to scream but instead a cry like that of a bird came out. He jumped off the ground and started to wave his arms. He flapped them harder and he was soon flying on his own without the need of his broomstick. He flew to a window and looked at his reflection. Immediately he knew what he'd become; a falcon. Smiling to himself, he screeched again, and soared back to the ground. Suddenly, he saw a girl running toward him. It was Rose!
"Reversionus animagi!" she cried, outstretching her wand.
Harry felt a shock of sharp pain and yelped as he grew taller. Soon, he was back on his own two feet.
"That was...interesting," he murmured, smiling a bit. He looked at Rose.
"Obviously we're very close in blood," she told him. "I did the same thing in one day. Except, I wasn't a falcon, of course."
"What are you?" Harry asked.
Rose didn't reply. Instead, closed her eyes. She started to change. Soon, an animal stood before Harry, one that he himself feared; a lion. Rose changed back, and looked at him.
"Lion and falcon are the two of the most powerful animagi," she explained. "There's only another animagi that equals our power, and that is the cobra. I think you can guess who owns that form."
"Voldemort," Harry whispered.
"I knew my brother would be no fool," Rose smiled.
"How long have you been an animagi?" Harry asked.
"Since I was four," Rose told him. "An unusually easy thing to do if you have just enough power in your blood."
She raised the blond bangs of hair on her forehead. A lightning bolt was there in the same spot as Harry's. Her brown eyes glimmered as she went on.
"You see, Voldemort tried to kill us both when mum saved you," Rose explained. "She saved you when the curse hit you, and then it rebounded and hit Voldemort. What nobody knew was that a particle of that curse shot off the Dark Lord and hit me in my forehead while I was cringing in a corner. I was knocked cold for days. I woke up underneath our front door. I started to cry, and that's when I was saved. Not by Sirius, not by Hagrid, not by Dumbledore, but by Shari Belltall, a fifth grader riding her bike. She dug me out and took me home. I stayed there until I was two. By then, I had developed so quickly and understood so much that the family had begun to fear me. I left one night, and never looked back. Having learned to apperate, I did it and ended up in Hogsmeade. I talked to the owner of the Three Broomsticks, and I stayed with her during the nights for about a year, until I was strong and fluent with magic. I then went into the forest, disappearing from muggles and magic folk until now. I'm not famous because nobody knew who I was. Nobody knew that I existed, everyone thought that you were an only child. But I wouldn't be famous, because I didn't rebound the curse, but I still survived being hit by it. I'm not upset by it, I've just spent almost all my life as a lost child in the woods or a lion. It doesn't bother me, either. I'm just happy now that I have some sort of family."
Rose hugged Harry and sobbed into his shoulder. Harry patted the back of her head uneasily. She pulled away after a minute, her eyes read. She sniffed and wiped away a tear.
"Alright, I'm tired now, so since you're done with your animagi ceremony, can we please go to bed?" Rose asked.
Harry laughed.
"Yeah," he agreed. "Let's get some rest."
With that, the twins walked back into the castle and toward the Gryffindor tower, where they departed to their seperate places.
The Animagi Ritual
Harry and Rose deboarded the train together, along with Ron and Hermione. Harry still hadn't told either of them about who Rose was to him, and he didn't know when he would; the story would be quite shocking. It had shocked him a bit anyways. He and Rose strode ahead of all the others. Harry waved to the giant known as Hagrid, the Care for Magical Creatures teacher and the gatekeeper for Hogwarts, but most of all Harry's friend.
"Hey d'er Harry, 'ow are ya?" Hagrid asked.
"Great Hagrid, how are you?" Harry replied.
"Ok, s'pose," Hagrid said. "Oh 'ere come 'dem li'l runts."
Harry turned and saw all the first years running forth, looking around in amazement.
"FIRST YEARS COME WITH ME!" Hagrid yelled.
His voice boomed loudly and the first years had no trouble finding the giant.
"See ya later, Hagrid," Harry said.
"Bye, 'arry," Hagrid replied, waving.
Harry turned back to Rose. She looked at him oddly. He explained who Hagrid was, and Rose's fear on her face diminished.
"Oh," she blushed. "He seemed so big to me, I thought he was dangerous."
"Giants are dangerous," Harry told her. "Just not Hagrid."
Rose nodded. They trudged up through the castle doors. Harry caught a glimpse of the first years getting sorted, but he was shooed into the dining hall by Professor McGonogall. Harry said hi to the leader of his house, and she only nodded. The dining room was decorated brilliantly for the feast. Harry sat down next to Rose's left and Ron sat down on his left. Hermione sat down across from Harry.
"So, Rose," Hermione began, "how do you know Harry?"
Harry looked at Rose. She looked back at him. Rose was about to say something when the first years burst in, joining their new tables. Dumbledore went up to the head table, between Professor McGonogall and Professor Snape (who was sneering uglier than ever, no suprise) and clapped his hands, which shot out a blue light, and the room was quiet.
"Now," Dumbledore began, "this year is sure to be a pleasant one. Aside from the new first years, there are a couple of other newcomers. In the second year, Mr. Cajul Fang."
The boy stood up, and Harry could see that he looked something alike to Draco Malfoy, and noticed his being at the Slytherin table and immediately insisted on it being true to his fellow Gryffindors.
"And, after last year's...devestating incident with a fellow classmate, we had an opening in the crowded fifth year crowd. I am pleased to present to you the new student in our fifth year, Ms. Rose Potter."
There was a hush that sucked all the air out of everyone's lungs as Rose stood up, smiled shyly, and sat back down. Hermione and Ron's jaws were on their chins. Harry didn't notice. Dumbledore went on:
"Rose is, as some of you might have guessed, Harry's twin. She was home-taught the skills of magic. Let us greet our newcomers."
Harry smiled at Rose.
"Hey," he said.
Rose giggled a bit.
"On another note," Dumbledore said, "I would like you to meet your new...well no, that's not right. Your returning Defense Against the Arts teacher, Professor Lupin."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione gasped in suprise and happiness. They stood up and saw him get to his feet, smile, and wave. Harry didn't stop clapping until Dumbledore started talking again.
"As most of you might know, Professor Lupin was a werewolf, and that forced him to retire a couple years back. But, thanks to some hard research by myself, and some brilliant potion work by Professor Snape, Professor Lupin has been cured completely of his disease."
Ron leaned close to Harry.
"This is awesome!" he whispered excitedly.
"Yeah," Harry agreed. "This is sure going to be a great year."
"Well," Dumbledore began again, "with those announcements made, let the feast begin!"
Food appeared on the plates and platters, pumpkin juice filled the goblets, freshly-picked fruit landed on the table, and the students began to chatter again. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Rose ate hungrily; they hadn't eaten anything on the train when the witch with the tray had come around. Harry opened his book on animagi and turned to the page on transformation. It was a simple spell. Harry had memorized it by the end of dinner. He wanted to transform so badly; he couldn't wait any longer. He would do it tonight.
***********************************************************************************************
Harry stepped outside. The grass was damp and it squeaked a bit as he stepped on it. He removed his invisibility cloak and peered into the darkness. It was a bit past midnight, and he's managed to get outside with no problem. Harry peered up at the sky. The moon was full, which was what he had hoped for. Harry was thinking about something Sirius had told him a while back, about how it had taken him, his father, and Peter Pettigrew a long time to transform into animagi. It was obviously because they didn't have enough power to do it. Harry had the power, he knew he did, he could feel it running with his blood in his veins.
He looked up at the moon one last time.
"Here goes nothing," Harry muttered.
Facing north, Harry began the beginning of the incantation. He could feel the blood in his body becoming warm. Within minutes, an eery yellow glow had surrounded him.
Rose looked out her window into the darkness. She couldn't sleep, she was too excited to sleep. She was about to lay back down and try to sleep again when she saw something directly below her window. It was a yellow ball, and inside of it...no, could it be? It was; it was Harry! Rose through one of her black robes on over her pajamas and dashed out into the hallway.
Harry had almost completed it. He raised his wand in his hand high above him. He shouted the final word of the ritual, and collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain. There was a lightness to him all of the sudden. Harry wondered what he was being transformed into. He closed his eyes. He shut them hard. Then, he opened them, and he felt dizzy. He looked around and saw that somehow, he was seeing everything from a lower view. Harry tried to bring his hands to his face, but felt something light and fuzzy touch his face instead. He looked at what was his hand, and saw feathers. Harry spread his arms. He tried to scream but instead a cry like that of a bird came out. He jumped off the ground and started to wave his arms. He flapped them harder and he was soon flying on his own without the need of his broomstick. He flew to a window and looked at his reflection. Immediately he knew what he'd become; a falcon. Smiling to himself, he screeched again, and soared back to the ground. Suddenly, he saw a girl running toward him. It was Rose!
"Reversionus animagi!" she cried, outstretching her wand.
Harry felt a shock of sharp pain and yelped as he grew taller. Soon, he was back on his own two feet.
"That was...interesting," he murmured, smiling a bit. He looked at Rose.
"Obviously we're very close in blood," she told him. "I did the same thing in one day. Except, I wasn't a falcon, of course."
"What are you?" Harry asked.
Rose didn't reply. Instead, closed her eyes. She started to change. Soon, an animal stood before Harry, one that he himself feared; a lion. Rose changed back, and looked at him.
"Lion and falcon are the two of the most powerful animagi," she explained. "There's only another animagi that equals our power, and that is the cobra. I think you can guess who owns that form."
"Voldemort," Harry whispered.
"I knew my brother would be no fool," Rose smiled.
"How long have you been an animagi?" Harry asked.
"Since I was four," Rose told him. "An unusually easy thing to do if you have just enough power in your blood."
She raised the blond bangs of hair on her forehead. A lightning bolt was there in the same spot as Harry's. Her brown eyes glimmered as she went on.
"You see, Voldemort tried to kill us both when mum saved you," Rose explained. "She saved you when the curse hit you, and then it rebounded and hit Voldemort. What nobody knew was that a particle of that curse shot off the Dark Lord and hit me in my forehead while I was cringing in a corner. I was knocked cold for days. I woke up underneath our front door. I started to cry, and that's when I was saved. Not by Sirius, not by Hagrid, not by Dumbledore, but by Shari Belltall, a fifth grader riding her bike. She dug me out and took me home. I stayed there until I was two. By then, I had developed so quickly and understood so much that the family had begun to fear me. I left one night, and never looked back. Having learned to apperate, I did it and ended up in Hogsmeade. I talked to the owner of the Three Broomsticks, and I stayed with her during the nights for about a year, until I was strong and fluent with magic. I then went into the forest, disappearing from muggles and magic folk until now. I'm not famous because nobody knew who I was. Nobody knew that I existed, everyone thought that you were an only child. But I wouldn't be famous, because I didn't rebound the curse, but I still survived being hit by it. I'm not upset by it, I've just spent almost all my life as a lost child in the woods or a lion. It doesn't bother me, either. I'm just happy now that I have some sort of family."
Rose hugged Harry and sobbed into his shoulder. Harry patted the back of her head uneasily. She pulled away after a minute, her eyes read. She sniffed and wiped away a tear.
"Alright, I'm tired now, so since you're done with your animagi ceremony, can we please go to bed?" Rose asked.
Harry laughed.
"Yeah," he agreed. "Let's get some rest."
With that, the twins walked back into the castle and toward the Gryffindor tower, where they departed to their seperate places.