DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter and all other characters and locations belong to J. K. Rowling.
My thanks to those who took the time to review:
Ninjaofthedarkness – lol, we'll see what happens
Lady Silverhawk – lol, those types of minds are often the best for plotting
LandUnderWave –I'd hate to spoil the plot for you…
keeper of most knowledge – She is, unfortunately, preventing the boys from going on any midnight escapades
Iredesent – lol, hopefully I'll be able to reward your excitement.
Chapter 3-Flight of Fear
Harry groaned and rolled over slowly, his hands running absently through his dark hair. He slid his eyes open a crack before pushing a hand past the bed curtains and retrieving his glasses. Blinking a few times, he moaned softly before thrusting aside the dark velvet curtains, wincing at the morning sunlight pouring into the tower room.
"Get up Ron." He called softly as he abandoned his warm bed in favour of digging out fresh robes from his trunk. Ron's mumbled excuse had him sighing before waving his wand, watching the curtains swing open. Sun flooded the room, creating lines across the covers and falling directly into the red heads eyes.
"It's too early Harry." Ron whined, one of his hands's drawing the blankets over the head of red hair. Harry stood and contemplated the slow rise and fall of the blankets, if anything he agreed with Ron.
"Fine, but remember it's the first day of class and you'll miss breakfast." Harry stated, turning and heading towards the door with his stuff. He smiled at the unhappy groan emitted from the heap of red material but continued on his way, calling a greeting to Dean on his way out. Today was the first day of a new year, it set the bar for every day following it. He could only cross his fingers and pray that today would be just like every other day and nothing tragic or unusual occurred.
Emerald eyes were locked on the piece of parchment hovering before them, a slight narrowing to them indicating the suspicion that Harry felt. Professor McGonagall waved the paper at him again, sighing and shoving it into his hands while shaking her head and muttering about not getting enough sleep before continuing down the table with the pile of schedules. Hermione let out a squeal of delight, which caused him to jump slightly, turning his head and glancing down at the schedule she clutched.
"I got everything I wanted! I even have several study periods between classes." She exclaimed, hands already folding the paper neatly in preparation for storage. Harry sighed and shook his head, the movement sending dark hair flopping uncontrollably. He didn't even want to look at his; it would only depress him.
"What's your schedule like Harry?" She asked, hand extended as she waited for him to pass her the piece of paper. Grumbling unhappily, he pushed the paper into her welcoming hands and turned back to his breakfast, fork hovering over the cold eggs. Rolling his eyes, he pushed the plate away and began to serve himself a new dish, pausing as he watched the red head across from him plow through a pile of bacon while buttering a slice of toast at the same time.
"Oh dear, you have History of Magic with the Slytherins while I'm in Ancient Runes." Hermione mumbled, comparing the schedules carefully, fingers gliding across the three pieces of parchment with the skill of an artist, "And Ron has Muggle Studies at the same time. That's horrid luck. It means you'll both have to pay attention for a change." She added brightly, handing the schedules back and tucking her own away. Ron and Harry exchanged a look of desperation across the table, slightly horrified at the thought of having a class without the other.
"Hey Harry." Dean called happily down the table, waving his schedule in greeting. "Heard you have History of Magic first thing this morning, just think of it as an extended nap. You may as well start going to class in your pajamas." Hermione glared at Dean and shook her head while Harry and Ron laughed.
History of Magic was the class that everyone slept through, it was slow and tedious, which made it a perfect time for a quick nap. Rising slowly he stretched, and glanced around the Great Hall as he stepped over the bench, his eyes falling on the Slytherin table. He heaved a sigh of relief when he realized the table was practically empty, merely one less thing he had to worry about. Giving a wave goodbye to the Gryffindors still eating, he made his way back to the Tower to retrieve his books.
Draco straightened his tie and stared at his reflection. He sighed as he gave a final tug on a sleeve of the black robe he wore, moving away from the pristine image reflected. Gathering his books, he glided towards the door and paused, eyes closing as he fought the overwhelming urge to throw something. His head ached and his eyes burned from lack of sleep. He had spent half the night pacing and the other half staring into the dark canopy above his bed, the Tiger rumbling through his mind.
"Draco?" The light voice carried through the thick wood of the door, the sound of someone knocking softly following. He ran a hand across his face before tugging the door open and stepping into the dorm hall, plastering a smile onto his face. The smiles on his friend's faces fell away as they looked at him, the lack of sleep obvious.
"You look like hell." Blaise said quietly, glancing down the hall before stepping closer to Draco and lowering his voice to a whisper. "Did you sleep at all or were you up all night?" Draco shook his head and grinned at the concern on Blaise's face, pushing between the two and continuing his path down the hall. He ignored the angry growl that rippled from Blaise and prowled lazily down the stairs, handing his book bag off to one of his lackeys. Glancing around the common room, his pale eyes halted at the clock perched above the mantle. Twenty minutes until class started.
"Have the schedules arrived yet?" He asked Pansy as he sat gracefully on the arm of a chair, narrowing his eyes at the coos of delight emitted from several younger witches. Pansy gave an affirmative nod before handing Draco the parchment she had been holding. "History of Magic?"
"Unfortunately neither of us have that class with you. They seemed to have changed the scheduling process slightly, it's probably for the best; everyone usually sleeps in that class anyway." Blaise said, comparing his schedule to Draco's over the other wizards shoulder.
Draco snorted softly, crumpling the parchment into a ball and pitching it at Goyle. The lumbering wizard caught it neatly and tucked it into the Draco's bag. "Let's go get a quick breakfast." He muttered, pulling himself to his feet and leading the sixth year's towards the door, not bothering to glance back as his merry little party burst into excited conversation and several younger students fell in.
Harry groaned as the staircase he was climbing shifted suddenly, changing its direction without warning. He stared back at the empty doorway that would have taken him down the hall towards the History of Magic classroom, rolling his eyes at his bad luck before continuing his climb. Pausing in the hall, his eyes searched for a something he recognized. Clutching his books to his chest, he walked slowly down the hall, jerking around when the staircase began to move again.
"Just my luck." He grumbled with narrowed eyes, in the distance a bell began to clang, warning all students they were now late for class. Swearing softly, he picked up speed and went skittering around a corner only to freeze at the sight before him.
"Get lost on the way to class Potter?" Draco purred, stopping in the center of the hall. His blue eyes twinkling dangerously as they took in the sight of Harry standing alone. Harry held his position, the Stag screaming at him to run. The incident from the previous day ran through his mind. As if Draco had read his thoughts, he smiled and took a gliding predatory step forward, his boots soundless on the stone floor. Harry responded by taking retreating a step, eyes ever watchful as he tried to guess the blondes intentions. Draco grinned, flashing canines that seemed to have lengthened. Harry's Stag roared to the surface, mentally dropping its head and swinging the rack of antlers in a visual threat.
For one moment both wizards remained frozen, the low murmur of distant voices echoing up and down empty halls. Sliding his foot back, Harry took a quick peek over his shoulder before taking another shuffling step. A low rumble echoed down the hall forcing Harry to raise his eyes and stare into the empty pools of ice focused intently on him. Fear crept up his spine and his mind emptied of all sane thought, the only thing screaming around inside his head was the incessant bellowing of the Stag.
Whirling around, he sprinted down the hall, the pounding of boots loud in his sensitive ears. His heart beat frantically as he dropped his books and dove around a corner, slowing when the sound of footfalls vanished. Assuming Draco had given up the chase, he slowed and looked over his shoulder, glimpsing a flash of white before pain shot up his thigh.
Stumbling forward, he overbalanced and attempted to roll over, hands striking out before him in a defensive movement. His fingers buried themselves into soft fur and his eyes closed as warm puffs of air were exhaled into his face. Time slowed as he opened his eyes and gazed deeply into the gleaming eyes of a white tiger. The massive cats jaws lowered and brushed against his throat, the sand paper tongue laving along the soft skin of his throat.
Harry croaked out a yelp, hands pinned between the tiger's chest and his school uniform. The brush of fangs had him struggling, wriggling under the cat's containing weight. Blue eyes shone with pleasure as the tongue repeated it's slow swipe before applying a quick nip to the pale flesh, obviously enjoying the feel of prey trapped beneath it. Harry felt the Stag in him go still, the fear paralyzing. A deep throbbing filled the air, and the quiet jingle of metal on metal was audible. Snarling, the tiger leapt off him and trotted down the hall, pausing at an intersecting corridor. Harry reached up and ran a hand along his throat, feeling the warmth of blood and drool from the cat's mouth.
Rolling over, he laid on his stomach as he recovered his breath, emerald eyes meeting the haunted blue orbs of the tiger. With an unhappy huff and a lash of its tail, the tiger slunk into the shadows and disappeared. Harry gave a deep sobbing sigh, eyes drifting closed as he came back to his senses. The Stag grunted and shook his antlers, eyes rolling as he pranced in agitation. Harry climbed to his feet and stumbled down the hall, bending down to collect his books before setting a course straight to Gryffindor Tower.
Draco slammed the door to his chambers closed and sank down with his back to the cold wood. Squeezing his eyes closed, he wiped his face with the back of his hand. The silence of the Slytherin dorms was soothing as he sat there, drawing in slow breaths in an effort to calm himself. He had just attacked and almost killed the Boy-Who-Lived. The thought had him gagging and stumbling to his feet, rushing for the connecting bathroom. Falling to his knees, he dry heaved into the toilet.
Resting his head against the cold porcelain, he reached over and turned on the tap to the bathtub, the loud thunder of running water calming him. A knock on the door had him wiping his face on the sleeve of his black robe before standing and moving shakily to the door. Instead of pulling the door open he flipped the lock, hearing the snort of annoyance from the individual on the other side of the door.
"Draco? Aren't you supposed to be in class?" Blaise asked, cranking on the handle of the door while pounding on the heavy wood. Draco sat on the edge of the white tub, hands cradling his head. He knew Blaise wouldn't enter unless he was invited but he needed to know what had happened. Today's occurrence would affect all of them especially if Potter went running to Professor Dumbledore.
"I'm skipping!" He hissed at the door, turning around and dipping a hand into the warm water, sighing as the feeling began to relax him.
"It's the first day Draco, are you attempting some sort of record?" Blaise called loudly, causing Draco to roll his eyes. The sound of running water did nothing to deafen him nor did it help that Blaise had pressed himself against the wood and was attempting to yell through the keyhole.
"Go away Blaise! We'll talk about this later." Draco grumbled, beginning to shed his clothes as he listened to the unhappy growl that pierced the wood. Dipping a toe into the water, he groaned and moved to stand fully in the simmering water. Sinking slowly beneath the surface, he set to washing the blood from his skin and thoughts of death from his mind.
Harry slammed the Gryffindor portal closed and fell back against it, ignoring the questioning looks pasted on several faces. Tugging the collar of his shirt up, he hugged his books to his chest and strode towards the stairs. He was still breathing deeply from his run and the blood had begun to dry on his skin. His fingers twitched as the temptation to scratch the dried blood raced through his mind. Biting his lip, he took the stairs two at a time and powered into the sixth year dorm, tossing his books onto his bed and flinging the window open.
Leaning out the window, he sucked in deep breaths, eyes drifting closed as the warm wind caressed his face. The sound of the door opening several minutes later had him tilting his head, the knowledge that he was safe the only thing that kept him sitting quietly before the window.
"Hey Harry? Skipping already, man that's gotta be a record or something." Dean said cheerfully, as he stopped at the end of his bed and flipped his trunk open. Rifling around inside it, he gave a happy little yell and waved his textbook in the air.
"Or something." Harry agreed mournfully, head buried in his arms. He heard the door close but was aware of Dean's presence in the room. Opening his eyes, he sat up and spun so he was sitting sideways in his chair, trying to meet the gaze of the other wizard.
"Are you okay Harry? You want me to get Hermione or McGonagall?" Dean asked, shifting his book back and forth between hands.
"I'm fine Dean, but if you see Ron could you tell him I need to talk to him immediately." Harry whispered, pressing a hand against his throat. Dean nodded and gave a wave before opening the door and slipping out of the room, shutting the door softly. Rising he moved to his own trunk and dug around inside, finally finding the small mirror he kept there. Gazing at his throat, he winced and ran his fingers against the tender skin. Bruises were already beginning to show around the small puncture marks.
"Just my luck." He murmured to the empty room, grabbing his towel and pajamas from where he had dropped them that morning. Plodding to the bathroom, he silently agreed to himself that he would now sleep in on Mondays and get up early on Tuesday as penance. Smiling at his train of thought, he continued on his path, thoughts consumed by the fact that Draco Malfoy was an animagi. A dangerous animagi to be exact.
A/N: Well, I hope that get's this story rolling a little faster. Anyway, as usual I'll ask for some name suggestions; heaven knows what I'd end up calling them if it wasn't for the awesome names you guys come up with. I've already got names for three of them but haven't decided whether or not I'll actually use those names. So here they are, suggest what you will:
Harry - Black Stag
Draco - White Tiger
Ron - Red Wolf (tentatively named Rousse/Red Ale)
Blaise - White Wolf (tentatively named Frost)
Pansy - Mink
Hermione - Brown Fox (tentatively named Ginger)