Chapter 9
Blaise
Before this week, I never thought I'd ever go near the Games Keeper unless I needed someone mauled. The half giant was well known for loving and keeping creatures that were well and truly dangerous, even for fully trained wizards. All of the Slytherins in my year who took Care of Magical Creatures all declared it a joke while Hagrid was teaching the class or went on about how the monsters he brought would hopefully eat a Gryffindor. I wasn't sure how biased they were, but it was clear that there was something behind it if all the Slytherins agreed and spoke of it so frequently.
However, if we wanted to sneak in and out of the hidden chambers without being noticed, then we needed more morphs. The pixie morph was good and capable on parchment, it was small and could fly. I could simply fly over the heads of everyone. However, it was too hard to control. Even when I was in control, I was almost overwhelmed by its urge to cause mischief and chaos a number of times. I only managed to keep it under control for so long due to planning to cause trouble and even then, I'd cackled loudly without even realising my mouth was opening. And as for Goldstein, two of his morphs would be noticed instantly and the possessors would know exactly what was going on. As for the bowtruckle morph, it was small enough to hide, but slow and with insufficient eyes. On top of that, though one might wander through the castle doors, it would never make it up three floors and into the chambers. You might be able to push it in areas commonly used by students, but not a place most people don't realise still exists.
At first I'd thought about acquiring people possessed and walking in as if we belonged there, but I quickly scrapped the idea. While I was confident that Goldstein could point out plenty of useable people, the plan had too many flaws. The people chosen may not be supposed to enter at that time or could arrive while we were still inside. Even if they didn't, others would see us there and possibly talk to us, causing suspicion later when the people we shapeshift into don't know what has been said. The last one wouldn't normally be too bad, but Goldstein made it clear that our best option of stopping these invaders is for them not to know we know about them yet. There was also a final, potentially very worrying scenario. If I was right about the chambers, then they were sure to be well guarded in case the wrong person came through. Wards and enchantments could get us revealed, killed or possessed very easily.
That left animals. Magical creatures were often very capable of getting around undetected by wizards' magic. Our spells were designed to detect our powers, a fact that was difficult to rectify and created an opening for many animals. To stop such creatures, you had to expect them to come and be a problem, cast spells designed for them specifically. Normally, even an Animagus couldn't slip through, but the fact that I had magical creatures in mind and the notable difference in the way we transform, I was confident that it wouldn't be a problem. All we had to do was pick an animal that was able to go around unseen quickly and have sufficient senses to determine what was around them. Hence going to see the Care of Magical Creatures Professor. Small and stealthy may not be his preference, but with the range of students he had, he would definitely have them.
Goldstein gained a slight bounce to his step as the hut came into sight. He was trying to put up a calm, slightly uncomfortable mask as he fingered his Ancient Runes book, a facade for us to be seen together without causing suspicion, but he was rather poor at hiding how he felt. The idea of new shapes to take and experience, the chance to get inside the heads of Magical Creatures and learn more about them than anyone had ever done before, it was an observer like Goldstein's dream. Not to mention the possible benefits. I'll admit, they draw my curiosity and excitement to. Goldstein had told me about the Animorph Rachel discovering a magical sense of direction from acquiring a Thestral and his knew ability to see magical auras from the bowtruckle. I'd noticed one myself. It was rather surprising this morning when I found myself levitating above my bed. That was one aspect of acquiring the pixie that I liked. Though it was a little bit of a struggle to return to the ground from seven feet up.
More than a few people gave us odd looks as we crossed the grounds, but most ignored it when they saw a jittery Goldstein holding his book. It was normal for me to go to him for advice on runes, he was a prodigy and I had the ambition to improve. The looks got more suspicious as we got close to the hut, but by then, the people around were far and few, none of them bothering us.
"What creature did you have in mind?" Goldstein asked as we reached the first paddock just behind the hut, frowning a little at the crate beside the hut wall. "I don't think flobber worms would be useful for anything."
"I have no intention of using such lousy creatures." I said simply, not sparing so much as a glance at them. They would fit in underground, but they were slow, blind, deaf and prey to just about everything small. Wizards only bothered with them at all for their mucus.
"I never thought you would." Goldstein grinned before eyeing a small burrow curiously. "Hmm, I wonder what's in there?"
"Tha' be a mooncalf." Goldstein jumped as the loud, rough voice of the half giant struck our ears. Turning around, Goldstein spinning a lot faster than me, we found the overly large man walking around the side of his home, making his way to us. "Funny little bugger tha' one. Normally he lives within th' trees, but every few months he makes a new burrow an' I 'ave ta find 'im again. Seems ta like 'ere at the moment."
"Mooncalf...They look a lot like tiny cows, right? But with long feet, spindly legs and comically large eyes?" Goldstein asked, getting a pleased nod from the half giant. "We keep an eye on them for the benefit of their droppings, right? They make magical plants grow much faster."
"Aye, stronger too, but only if ya harvest it before da sun rises afta da full moon when they come out ta dance." The half giant nodded happily, looking more pleased by the second. "Not many know tha' much when I introduce da topic. Most don't know the shy little guy exists. Magical creatures fascinate ya?"
"I got curious about them Professor sprout commented on planting aconite seeds in mooncalf manure." He admitted, grinning shyly. "Mooncalfs were one of the more intriguing creatures my studies have drawn me to."
"Haha! A true Ravenclaw." He laughed heartily. "Always findin' details to obscure facts. Ya always are a amusin' bunch. What passin' comment brought ya and ya friend to my humble home today?"
"Actually, we were hoping to check out some of the creatures you have here." Goldstein answered with a bright, hopeful smile. "I've heard that there a lot of really fascinating ones in the paddocks and we have a free period. Do you mind if we see them?"
"Course not. I'd be 'appy ta show ya around." The Games Keeper grinned. Waving a massive hand, he directed us further towards the forest. "This way. This one's only used fer flobberworms and fer classes normally. The animals are mostly kept a little in da forest."
It took a lot to keep up with his keen, enthusiastic strides, but Goldstein seemed quite happy to run and I had no interest in being left behind. Moving into a more tree covered area, it only took us a few moments to find a few charm made habitats. The first one to show up was what I had heard was the Professor's favourite creature under his care. Within the paddock rested five proud and powerful adult Hippogriffs and two calves dozing at their mothers' sides.
"Most impressive creatures I got, outside da deep forest." The Professor exclaimed, waving his arms proudly. "Beautiful, ain't they? Strong as a warhorse, fast as an eagle. Got a bit of a temper, very proud creatures. But, if ya show 'em respect, they should give it back."
"They were originally created by crossbreeding a griffin with a horse." Goldstein continued. "They're not as powerful, but more willing to mix with and allow wizards to ride them than griffons. In addition, they require a lot less food and their horse half made other animals more inclined to be near them, making them good for guard work. So the species was encouraged to breed."
"Right again." Professor Hagrid beamed. It was wise of me to come accompanied with Goldstein. The Games Keeper would never have been this welcoming or accepting of me, being a Slytherin who never took his class, but bringing Goldstein in particular was having a wondrous effect. His knowledge excited the Professor so much that it would be easy to take this as far as we needed to go. If Goldstein kept this up, the half giant would take us to the centre of the Forbidden Forrest and right up to the most dangerous creature hidden within the trees if Goldstein asked. "Did ya wanna go in an' say hello?" He offered merrily, already preparing to jump the fence.
"Um, maybe another time." Goldstein spluttered, immediately growing nervous and taking a step back. "They're a bit big and um...I'd rather start with smaller creatures if you don't mind. Work my way up, you know?"
"Oh, a'course." The Professor nodded, setting himself back. He looked a little disappointed, but was no less understanding. Even those who don't know so much as his name knew that Goldstein had a shy and nervous nature. It was perfectly understandable to not want to move in with such dramatic, powerful beasts on his first try with magical creatures.
I was a little tempted to touch one, but I chose to hold back for now. It was a very powerful animal, the strongest one that would be easy enough to touch, and would no doubt come in handy in the future, but it was useless for what we were planning right now. Of all the creatures under the Games Keeper's care, a hippogriff was the last one that you would find making its way into the castle on its own and would stick out worse than Peeves.
We moved on not long after, the next few paddocks and habitats often holding more than one breed of animal. Salamanders sitting in a contained, constant fire, crups playing with each other, fire crabs, were lounging in a small pond or sunbathing next to them. Professor Hagrid and Goldstein kept up a near constant conversation as we passed each habitat, the Professor pointing out features, diet and interesting tricks they possessed while Goldstein often brought up their histories and the benefits their blood or hair samples provided wizards. I made sure to pay attention to every word. Many of these animals were useless to us right now, but each had talents that could be extremely beneficial later.
The diricawl for example...
"The Muggles called them dodo birds." Goldstein informed us as we approached their high fenced aviary. "They thought that they'd driven the species to extinction. The Wizarding Community decided to let them keep believing that because this creature's disappearance was a major one in making them realise the consequences to over poaching."
"Right again." Professor Hagrid nodded excitedly as we stared at the ugly, flightless bird. "It's because o their ability to disappear and reappear. They do it whenever they feel threatened. But only where day've bin before an' never long distances. Grateful fer dat, let me tell ya." He muttered with a frown, rubbing his beard, reliving a memory. "Gotta be careful when they're bein studied. Tha' Malfoy twit had 'em teleportin all through da habitats one time. Used ter have five, but three ended up breakfast fer them werewolves in da forest."
"There are actually werewolves forever in that forest?" I asked sceptically, raising an eyebrow. "That's not possible. They only transform during the full moon."
"Aye, but those ain't human werewolves." Professor Hagrid answered with a shrug, succeeding in completely stunning both me and Goldstein.
"Say what?" Goldstein cried, staring wide eyed back and forth from the Professor to the forest. "What do you mean by that? It's not possible for other creatures to become werewolves. Only human blood is affected by the werewolf's saliva."
"Very true. But these ones are a special case." Hagrid smiled fondly, turning to the trees himself. "These were wolves born. A pair o' werewolves...well, mated, durin da full moon. Da mother gave birth to pups. But ya see, unlike human werewolves, these ones look almost exactly like real wolves an' never change form. Intelligent as humans, they are though. Seen 'em around a number of times, very smart, very gentle too, 'less ya prey. Good with humans, so long as ya good ta them. Poor things were rejected by their mum, most people didn' want 'em around either. Thought they'd be vicious all da time. So Dumbledore brought 'em here ter grow an' live in da forest. Great man, Dumbledore." He added, growing sad at the end. He worshiped the ground Dumbledore walked on, it wasn't surprising his mood would deteriorate.
Goldstein was completely out of his element now too. Comforting was clearly not something that he was used to doing. He was probably used to be the comforted. I wasn't exactly good at it either, so I did what I often did when this situation became unavoidable. I looked for a new topic.
"Those are augureys, right?" I asked, pointing into the aviary. Following my finger, Goldstein looked up and gaped, surprised he'd missed them. Perched and blending in with the brambles throughout the back of the aviary were three birds. They looked like underfed vultures with sharp beaks, a thin body slightly smaller than the Muggle equivalent, and was covered in greenish black feathers. It was kind of mournful looking, but I rather liked it.
"Yes, tha's correct." The Games Keeper grunted, pulling himself together with a deep breath. "Fascinatin birds, them augureys. Can sense when it's gonna rain, which is when they sing. Most people declare it a moan thou, used ta think augureys could sense death and moaned in sadness. Really, they're happy. Able to fly easily in da strongest a storms, partly 'cause o' their repellent wings an' their surprising wing strength. Can' carry a great deal, but can ride hurricane winds with ease if they wanna."
"Would I be allowed to touch one?" I asked as politely as I could. Goldstein turned a slightly confused look to me, but I ignored it, choosing instead to stare up at the Professor. I knew why he was looking at me, this bird was of no use where we were going. But it appealed to me. Flying was fun, but the pixie was prey and really annoying. It's speed and power paled in comparison to predator birds like the augurey. The morph would be very useful later and was more unique than the obvious choice of owl. I had to get it with the aid of Professor Hagrid, otherwise I would potentially set the diricawl into a panic and have my presence discovered. Suspicion at the aviary would mean greater suspicion if someone ever saw an augurey flying around. Besides, touching more animals would lessen potential problems with the Games Keeper talking. If we touched animals, as opposed to say, a knarl, there would be far less suspicion if the knarl was discovered somewhere near destruction.
"If they're willin." Hagrid nodded, slowly moving the aviary door. "But they're mighty timid creatures. They'll come ter me, but tend ter be shy 'round students. Still, if ya wanna, we'll give it a shot."
Creeping the door open, he gently nudged a diricawl out of the way and walked in with me following.
"You comin Goldstein?" Professor Hagrid asked, closing the door until it was ajar behind me, offering him entry. However, Goldstein just grinned and shook his head.
"No Professor. If one breed of birds can teleport and the one you're after is very timid, I believe that less people entering the aviary would be the better option."
"Oh, quite right, quite right." Professor Hagrid nodded, chuckling at his own lack of forethought as he shut the door properly. "We won' be too long. We'll find something for ya to get to know soon. Don' want ya missin out."
"Oh, don't worry Professor Hagrid. I'm having a great time." Goldstein smiled back and I swear that if the Games Keeper beamed any brighter he'd burst into flames.
Making his way to the back, he moved noticeably slower than before, encouraging me with his arm to do the same. Diricawl squawked as we passed them, but for the most part, they didn't move very far away. I guess they were used to the half giant walking through.
"Why does the school have diricawl?" I asked as one brushed its tail feathers against my leg. "I can think of no potion that uses anything coming from them or any item. They are not even European birds."
"True, at most we use their feathers for quills." Professor Hagrid conceded, guiding me around particularly curious diricawl standing on a rock. It tapped my leg with its beak on my way by, squawking as I ignored it. "They make better portkeys too. But mostly it's so we can care for 'em and hide 'em away from the Muggles. You know, the extinction thing."
"I see." My question answered, I remained quiet after that until we reached the brambles. Digging his hand into his pockets, Professor Hagrid pulled out a jar of flies and opened it slowly, offering them. Most of the augureys took one look at my presence and shrunk further against the plants, but the one nearest to the jar turned out to be a little more adventurous. Cautiously taking one slow step at a time, frequently turning to look from the jar to me and back again, it walked all the way to the edge of the brambles and hesitantly walked up Professor Hagrid's arm. Chuckling, Professor Hagrid took the lid of the jar away completely and offered them to the bird, which instantly shoved its beak through the opening before the flies could take off.
"There we go." The Professor hummed, looking the bird over. The augurey must have showed signs of relaxing, for he nodded approvingly a moment later before slowly lowering himself toward me. "He should be alright now. Go ahead, touch his feathers. Slowly now."
Taking heed, I slowly raised my hand, keeping it relaxed and as unthreatening as possible. The augurey noticed it almost immediately and halted in its feeding, watching a bit nervously, but it made no attempt to move away. Feeling rather proud of myself for not intimidating the meek for once, I gently placed my fingertips the feathers just below its neck.
I rather liked the soft, glossy feeling they had to them. It was a lot like silk. Enjoying the feeling, and noticing that the augurey was calming down and returning to its food under my gentle touch, I moved my whole hand onto its shoulder and petted it for a few moments before focusing on every detail I could see.
"Hmm, tha's interestin." Professor Hagrid commented as the tingling sensation ran through my hand again. He seemed to be a mix of rather impress with how calm I could make it, watching as it relaxed more than ever before, and confused with the fact that it had suddenly stopped eating. In the trance, the bird was practically sleeping on his arm. "It appears this guy's a bit tired."
"Then perhaps we should let it rest." I replied calmly, rubbing its feathers a little more as I finished acquiring it. Nodding, Professor Hagrid allowed me to pet the bird a few more times before setting it back on a branch just as it snapped out of it. Professor Hagrid and I only stuck around long enough for him to shake the rest of the flies out of the jar for the other greenish birds before walking back to the door and out on our way again.
"Worth the trip?" Goldstein asked, getting a nod from me. I was quite happy with the new morph.
We continued through from there, meeting a bend and heading back towards the hut. The paddocks and habitats were closer to the lake and held less trees on this side. The one exception was the tree filled paddock right at the turn. Green creatures were swinging fast through the trees, up and down and all around the large, fence surrounded area. It could only be magic stopping them from swinging into the trees beyond the fence.
"Hey, are those...clabberts?" Goldstein asked curiously, his head flying from one direction to the next as he tried to follow the green blurs.
"Yep. They were brought in during da summer." Professor Hagrid answered, craning his head back and following them with just his eyes. "Lost a couple of 'em when those giant centipedes showed up, but the remainin twenty have thrived. Poor things ended up lost in Finchley. Had the Muggles confused, they thought there was a parade comin in town. So, when they were rounded up, Professor McGonagall suggested bringing 'em here, where they'd be safe and happy away from Muggle eyes and da kids can study 'em. With the way them aristocrats brought 'em over back when they were legal pets, there are plenty all over the United Kingdom. Best to know how to approach 'em."
"Well, they are rather impressive creatures. And good at their job." I commented calmly. It was true, in the old days, many Wizarding families, particularly wealthy purebloods, had them imported from North America and bred them. Eating small lizards and birds, they fed themselves for the most part, they were exotic, meaning it was statement to have some, and most importantly, they acted like foe glasses. They had the unique ability to sense when danger was nearby and when they did, the red pustule on their foreheads would glow. Purebloods particularly liked that it warned them of approaching Muggles. Until the Muggles got confused as to why the Wizarding families had Christmas trees out in June.
Again, I felt that this would be a good morph to have. I was going to have many enemies soon, whether or not they knew it. It was always good to be prepared, forewarned. And this time I didn't have to take one step into the enclosure.
We had been watching their graceful tree swinging for a few minutes when I noticed one on the ground right next to the fence, watching us curiously. The beast was a cross between a monkey and frog with smooth mottle green skin, webbed feet, long arms and short horns on its head. Its teeth were razor sharp, but I could only see them because it was grinning, not bearing them. It reached no higher than my knee while standing bipedal and looked a little pudgy in the torso, but that didn't stop it from being fast and flexible, as great an acrobat as any breed of monkey.
And just like any monkey, it was an intelligent, curious creature. As I put my hand through the fence to touch it, it met me halfway and shook it. Smirking slightly, I played along for a few seconds before concentrating and sending it into the trance as I absorbed some of it into me.
"They really are unique creatures, aren't they?" Goldstein mused, crouching down beside me, looking it over. He looked like he was considering touching it, but before he made up his mind, the clabbert had come out of the trance, gotten bored and taken off into the trees with the rest of his kind. "Possessing both amphibian and mammalian similarities isn't a common sight."
"The wonders of magic." I replied, calmly pulling myself back up and heading off. Time was getting short and we still didn't have what we actually needed today. Unperturbed, Goldstein and the Games Keeper quickly followed me.
The rest of the paddocks held animals much closer to what we needed. Knarls and kneazles were eating the vegetation and lounging in the sun respectively. I knew for a fact that there were more kneazles than I could see, so I wasn't sure if they actually had a paddock area for themselves. More likely than not, they simply went where they pleased during the day, simply sleeping close by and staying when Professor Hagrid wished it of them.
The nifflers were in full swing in their own area full of dirt piles. Goldstein found them particularly cute and amusing, acquiring one when it jumped out if the ground with a sickle in its mouth right by his feet. It was a good choice for a morph, it could dig quickly through dirt and belonged underground. Though in a place made of stone, I wasn't sure just how effective it would truly be.
Which is why I went on to the last part of the paddock sectioned off. There, with rather brutal looking gnome deaths, were what looked like oversized ferrets playing with each other. And cussing at each other.
"You idiot!"
"Bloody moron!"
"Why don't you stick it up your..."
"Ah, we found the jarveys." Professor Hagrid said, talking over the cussing, which was growing fouler by the minute. "Horrible mouths on those things. You'd never know they are actually bein playful."
"They're exactly like ferrets for the most part, aren't they?" Goldstein asked unsurely, scrunching up his face as the little creatures screamed a few of the worst swear words I knew at each other. "Intelligent, playful, friendly, assuming you ignore the foul mouth?"
"Unless you're wha they prey upon." Professor Hagrid nodded, frowning at the bloody gnome bodies. "They are predators an' they rip their prey apart. Faster than the dirt they burrow through an' they can dig tunnels almost as fast as a niffler."
"So if I walk up to them, they'll let me close?" I asked, staring at them keenly. This was exactly what we needed. An underground creature that, though as big as your average housecat, was small and fast enough to get safely and stealthily through the chambers, was creature that would look right at home underground if it was noticed and to top it off, it could speak English. That would be useful to cause some confusion if needed. Its senses were all more than efficient too. I couldn't think of a better morph.
"They'll be happy ter say hi. While throwin every insult they know at ya." The Games Keeper nodded, gesturing me to go ahead. Not wasting another second, I hopped the fence and sauntered my way over, immediately drawing the attention of all seven jarveys.
"Hey loser, what's with the dress?"
"Dimwit!" I just smirked as the insults went on and continued to approach them, three of them running my way. It only took seconds to meet them, two of them running around my feet and commenting on bad odours while the third ran up my body and wrapped itself around itself around my shoulders. Already touching my neck, I didn't have to do a thing except concentrate in order to acquire it.
Grinning as the tingling occurred on my neck and the jarvey fell into a trance, I turned back to Goldstein to find him not watching or joining me, surprisingly, but staring up at a tree between fences. Curious, I followed his gaze, but all I could see was a blue speck.
"...and near silent." I caught as I approached them, the Games Keeper going into a lecture. "They don't make so as a chirp before they're abou' ter die and then they repeat everythin they ever heard in reverse order."
"They must have quite the memory then." Goldstein mused, his eyes sharp as they took in features I couldn't see. Whatever it was that drew their attention was too small for me to see properly even from the fence beside them, but Goldstein seemed to be seeing every detail. Maybe he was looking at its aura, but I doubted it. Goldstein had a knack for seeing what others could not.
"What is it?" I asked as the jarvey came back to life, shouted dipshit in my ear, and took off back to its brethren. I guess I was deemed boring. No matter, I'd gotten what I wanted.
"It's a jobberknoll." Goldstein replied, never taking his eyes off the bird. Well, that linked up with the details I heard at the end right. Jobberknolls were tiny birds covered in blue feathers with bright blue speckles and a body comparable to a loggerhead. Their feathers were a major component in truth serums and memory potions due to the bird's amazing memory magic within its entire body. They were especially soft feathers too, as soft as an owl's, making its flight as silent as its vocal chords. "I don't suppose that's one of yours, Professor? I notice it has an anklet." Goldstein asked, a determined look setting itself upon his face. He wanted that bird. He wanted to morph it.
"No, they live in the forest. Pretty common a little in, up in the treetops." The Professor shook his head. Though after seeing the look on Goldstein's face himself, he chuckled and pulled another container out of his pocket, this one holding a few beetles. "Though they're use ta people bein around. We get their loose feathers often enough. An' if tha' one has an anklet, then it's bin cared back ta health by me." He added as he grabbed a toothpick. Bringing it down in three quick jabs, he almost startled me as he pierced right through each beetle's shell and held the wood splinter out to Goldstein. "Slowly walk to da tree an' hold this up. It'll come to ya."
Taking it carefully, Goldstein placed one foot in front of the other and slowly closed in on the tree, the jobberknoll watching him the whole time, its head tilted curiously. Reaching the trunk, he slid down with his back against it, making himself look as non-threatening as possible and placing the toothpick on a low branch right beside him. The jobberknoll watched him for a few more moments, gauging the safety of moving it and its keenness for the beetles, before giving in and fluttering silently down onto the branch, immediately ripping off pieces of insect and swallowing it. Grinning, Goldstein slowly, but steadily raised a single finger, drawing it full attention onto him, and touched its wing so softly the bird would have barely felt it. His face sharpened a second after contact was made, a sign that he was concentrating on acquiring it. The jobberknoll got over the trance as soon as his finger left it and it flew away with the rest of the bugs on the toothpick in its tiny talons, but Goldstein was grinning from ear to ear the as he moved back to us. He got the morph and a good, close and detailed look over the bird. He was happy.
"So, have you got anything else around here?" He asked, tilting his head up at Professor Hagrid. The man in question started to shake his head before hesitating, a sly grin pulling at his lips.
"Well, there are the Thestrals that live in the forest, though unless you've seen someone die, ya won't see them. Unicorns too, though they're hard to catch, impossible on a whim, and adults don't like men. I do have one other surprise a little in though. But ya have ta promise a keep it a secret, it's a surprise fer me sixth and seventh year classes."
"I see no harm in staying quiet." Goldstein replied, nodding quickly. Both of them turned to me next, eliciting a sigh and a nod. We already had the morphs that we needed and knowledge of a lot of variety when the need for morphs occurs again in the future. The purpose of this trip was done. But of course, Goldstein had been drawn too into it and was keen to learn and see all the Professor had to offer. And the more I thought about it, the more intrigued I too grew as we walked further into the trees. A surprise creature brought in for only his highest classes and kept fairly into the Forbidden Forest? Considering who the Professor was, that guaranteed something very unique and probably fairly dangerous. At least as much so as the hippogriffs.
"Yer in fer quite the treat." Professor Hagrid beamed as we followed a thin, winding path, Goldstein and I barely dodging the branches he sent swinging as he walked. "It's bin centuries since one was brought to Hogwarts. Took a lot of work for me ta get one."
"What exactly is it?" Goldstein asked, sounding both a little nervous and excited as he ducked under another flying branch and turned around a large boulder.
"Why ask when ya can see." Was Professor Hagrid's jolly reply as he pulled back a large branch with one hand and wave dramatically to the end of the path with the other. Moving through an archway made of branches, we stopped right in front of a clearing surrounded by large rocky hills on all the other three sides and a steel fence running across it that was so magically reinforced that I didn't need Goldstein's aura eyes to see the glow. Right across from us, on the opposite side of the clearing, was a large cave, big enough for a grizzly bear and her cubs to sleep comfortably in. and protruding out from it was the largest snout I had ever seen, surrounded by a large pair of tusks.
"Is that...is that a TEBO!" Goldstein cried incredulously, taking a few scared steps back. His face quickly paled and he looked ready to run screaming right back to the castle. Not that I blamed him. That beast had me scared too.
"Tha's right." The half giant exclaimed proudly, not noticing our unease in the slightest. "Pretty impressive beast, don' ya think? Able to turn invisible an' everythin."
Yes, I had to admit that it was an impressive creature. That's why Goldstein and I were so unnerved by being so close to one. Just like the Muggle animals, many of the world's most powerful magical creatures came from the plains of Africa. A tebo is a class four creature, the second highest ranking you could get. Even the powerful, dangerous hippogriff was only a class three. It is the size of a full grown male lion with curved tusks as long as the average man's forearm. Its ashen coloured fur covered body is extremely tough, enough so that if you managed to actually kill one of these things, its skin could be used to make armour. And all of this is backed up by an enormous amount of power, invisibility at will and plenty of aggression.
"Um, Professor Hagrid...is that thing actually safe to keep near a school?" Goldstein asked, almost hyperventilating. His wand and advanced runes book were already back in his hands, not that they would do him much good. Tebos were resistant to spells, few would have any real affect, and runes took far too long to determine and set up on a whim. If that pig made it past the rock ledges and warded fence, all we'd be able to do was run until it caught us.
"Oh, it's fine." The half giant smiled, waving off all concerns. "It'd be tricky ta hold two or three, but handlin one's fine. Professors Flitwick and McGonagall themselves insisted on wardin the place an' Professor Sprout set up some plants round da border that repel a tebo. Ya'd need twice this big guy's power to break in or outta there. Unless ya me."
"And why would one need to know how to care for such a beast?" I asked coolly, raising an eyebrow. "You cannot keep them as pets and they need no mothering, even when injured. What we use of them is only collectable when they are dead."
"Upper years are also taught how ta handle and survive encounters." The half giant answered just as coolly. "Da tebo is always studied, many people travellin to Africa have run-ins with 'em. I thought actually seein such a beast would be a good experience. Better to see what yer up against, specially if it can be invisible."
"I...guess that makes sense." Goldstein said unsurely, calming down his breathing a little as the beast did nothing but lay there. Gulping loudly, he took a few hesitant steps toward the fence, all the while looking ready to jump back should the pig so much as twitch. Placing his hands on the bars, he leaned in for a better look. After a few moments, I did the same.
It honestly was an impressive beast. What parts of its body didn't bear meaty bulk was packed with muscle. It was an omnivore, so it had sharp, impressive teeth. The fur running down its entire torso was rough and thick, especially around its neck, offering a little more protection. Only a handful of creatures on the entire planet would be keen to go against these beasts. Even a few class fives would struggle in a fight against them and may even lose a battle.
A curious, nervous frown crossed Goldstein's face as we observed it and stuck around for a good few minutes before he rapidly shook his head, deeming the thought unacceptable. He looked a little relieved at the idea of scrapping it. He didn't need to tell me what he was thinking, I had the same thought, if only for a moment. This thing would make a very dangerous morph. And its invisibility made it a tough stealth morph. It could be of use in the chambers, especially if the need to fight or destroy appeared. But it was too big for this. We were going in blind, unknowing of what defences had been put in place or how much space we'd have. It was too likely to be bumped into or set off a trap or alarm. Besides, a pair of tebo appearing where there should only be one in the nearest thousand miles, outside its carefully guarded clearing and so few people knowing it was there to begin with could get attention drawn to us. If we used it, it would be better if the half giant's classes had seen and talked out it first.
And besides, the half giant would never let us touch it, we'd have to be creative getting in and I would rather have a few more wands and ready minds handy for when that thing went nuts.
"You'll have to let me see it again sometime. When it's awake. And I've researched every spell that can hinder it if gets out." Goldstein said, turning back to the Professor as he checked his watch, though the last sentence was under his breath. "Our free period's almost over."
"Oh, yes, wow, look at that time!" The Games Keeper blubbered bemusedly, gaping at his own pocket watch. "I need ta get ready for me class. Come on boys, let's go."
Heading back the way we came, I spared one last look at the tebo before making sure to memories every turn and memorable boulder or tree that we passed. I had a feeling that I'd be coming back soon. The ability to morph and that pig offered me power like nothing any wizard's ever had before. Even if I wasn't going to eventually need powerful morphs to fight the Yeerks, we'd be fools to give that opportunity up. Especially with the inevitable battle with the Dark Lord's forces on the way.
...
After treating the paddocks like a Muggle zoo, my day returned to what passed as completely normal for me. A few of my housemates tried to interrogate me for being seen with Goldstein and the giant oaf, but it was simple enough to convince them I was only interested in advice on rune work, that it was Goldstein who wanted to observe the oaf's beasts at the same time. They were confused and annoyed that I followed him instead of coming back to him later or demanding he stay in the library, but most of them let it go in the end. I was free to handle things how I chose and if I chose to allow Goldstein to multitask then that was my business.
After classes, I sat down in the Great Hall for a quick dinner, but I left not long after with the intention of taking a nap. Goldstein and I had felt that going into the chambers late into the night, eleven o'clock to be exact, would be the best option. With the curfews all in place by that point, the chambers were likely to be deserted or hold very few people. The less people there, the less likely we were to be caught. It was better for intel if there were people there to discuss their plans, but less people meant les worry of being caught and left us more free to determine the setup of the chambers. Once we had that, we could spy on conversations safely at a later date. So, the only real downside to this was that we had no idea how long we'd be down there or how long it would take to return to beds. It was best to get some sleep now.
However, my plans were put on hold the moment I stepped into the Slytherin Common room and felt a hand on my shoulder. Tensing slightly as a few possibilities crossed my mind, I turned around slowly, subtly reaching for my wand, before relaxing at the sight of Theodore's troubled face.
"You felt ready to hex me." He muttered, nodding his head toward the boys dorms before heading up, expecting me to follow.
"I could have." I admitted, falling into step behind him. We were both silent as we headed up the stairs. Reaching our dorm, Theodore scanned the room for any other inhabitants before shutting the door and immediately casting locking and silencing charms. I simply sat on my bed and watched as he worked. It only took a few moments before he put his wand down, satisfied with his work, and surprised me as he turned around. It had been a long time since he let go of all his signs of hiding his feelings and revealed his true emotions. Yet here he was, purposely tucking his hair behind his ears, keeping his face up and looking right at mine with an openly worried frown and his lower lip between his teeth.
"I...I gave Goldstein your message." He started, fiddling with his wand and visibly struggling not to look away. "I know you weren't actually talking to him about rune circle construction. There's no way you would have followed him down to Hagrid's hut if that's all you wanted, you would have got what you wanted and left. I know you would have only gone down there and stayed with him if you wanted to. I'm not asking you to tell me exactly what you were doing. I only need to know why."
"Why what exactly?" I asked, raising a curious eyebrow.
"Why you're throwing your lot in with them." He blurted out quickly, before he could stop himself, and tensed, watching my every reaction. "I...I knew that you might help later, if it looked like the Death Eaters could be defeated. I know you don't want the Dark Lord to rule. I know where you stand with Muggles and Muggleborns. I even know what you did for those DA members, those other kids and the weird, blue centaur in the forest last week. I knew why you helped then, bu-but I don't know why now."
He flinched there as I actually jerked up off the bed. He knew? He'd have to have followed them all out to the forest too and even I never noticed. How was that possible? Hmm, I would have to bring this up with Goldstein and Longbottom. He could give these Yeerks almost as much as I could have in the dark and he was a prime target, a 'neutral' seventh year Slytherin with a strong connection to the Death Eaters. His father was one of the first Death Eaters and a very high up inner circle member. He could influence some of their actions with no risk of dying if he was used right.
But I'd worry about that conversation after I had spoken with the others. I would just have to ensure Theodore's safety for now. Unlike with me, this time around there was someone in the know close by to watch his back. It should be alright.
"How did you manage to avoid my notice?" I asked calmly, forcing myself to relax. It would do no good to have him think I was angry and unnerve him even more. Besides, I was genuinely curious. As an observer, I wasn't quite as good as Goldstein, but it was strange that Theodore of all people slipped my notice. Normally, he would have approached me.
"I...um, I..." He stuttered, looking more unsure and conflicted than before. Taking a few slow, deep breaths, he set his face and closed his eyes. Then, in an instant, his entire form shifted and morphed, clothes and all, into the form of a strong, proud wolf.
"Theodore." I gasped, not believing my eyes. It took years to learn how to do what he'd just done and he'd never told me that he was even considering it. There was no way he was registered either. Professor McGonagall would have said something, he would have gone to her for lessons. He'd done it in secret, for who knew how long. "You're an Animagus!"
He stayed in wolf form just long enough to bob his head up and down before shifting back to human, staring fearfully at the floor. "Yeah. Like my form? The lone wolf. Seems about right, huh?" He said quietly, forcing a small grin onto his scared face as he finally forced himself to look at me.
"Lone he may be, but he belongs to a pack. He just has to find it." I responded calmly before tilting my head curiously. "You never mentioned that you were trying to become an Animagus."
"I wasn't sure how thrilled you'd be about me not being registered." He admitted, calming down, but still looking a bit guilty. "I started studying the theory in the holidays after fourth year. I figured that I might need a way to escape eventually and an unknown talent like Animagi sounded like a good idea. I thought I'd get some small animal like a mouse out of it though."
"You sell yourself far too short." I replied, rolling my eyes. "Personally, I think the loyal, caring, but cunning wolf suits you quite well."
A small, surprised, but pleased smile crossed his face at that, relaxing a bit more. "When I found out what my animal association was...I kind of stopped thinking about running." He admitted slowly, giving me a look that asked for an opinion. "It's a good form for running. It can run fast, at full speed all day. But it's also strong. Stronger than I ever imagined it would be. I...I could help in this form. I could help without people ever knowing it's me. The advantage of being unregistered. No one would ever think it was me."
"Hiding who you are while fighting in plain sight. Clever, cunning." I nodded, amused by the irony of it. This was exactly what I was planning to do with these Yeerks. He simply made it possible the natural way. "I would bet this idea has come from the breakout of Azkaban."
"Yes." Theodore nodded, looking pleased that I hadn't shot it down.
"Then just be careful. Wolf fur was recognised at that siege. Don't give them reason to think it was you." I cautioned, a little worried. Goldstein wasn't using the wolverine morph right now for the same reason. The animals at the prison were being looked for. Not all were known, but just how many were was yet to be revealed.
"Right, of course." Theodore nodded, getting a little down at that, though not really upset. More like he was working on planning around that problem. Something I was more than sure that he could handle. Though the look disappeared a few moments later. Looking right at me again, he gave me a much more determined look than before, his confidence strengthening along with his resolve. "I've answered your question. Now you answer mine. Why are you getting involved?"
"Because I couldn't stand it any longer." I answered, steeling my face and my voice. "The level of freedom within the castle alone is diminishing by the day. The punishments are far to dramatic and barbaric for even the simplest of faults. At the rate this is going, anyone who isn't kissing the Dark Lord's backside is going to be no more than a slave, treated like dirt and either stomped over or slaughtered. Even many pureblood children are getting are being treated inhumanely. Goldstein has told me that a number of the castle's population is even having their minds taken over, controlled by others. That's far too much, to being using such curses on us is despicable! I can't just stand by and watch this happen anymore. So I have chosen to help. Though, that being said, next to no one will even know that I was involved. No Slytherin, teacher or Death Eater will ever know. Not even many members of the DA will know about my allegiance if I have anything to say about it! Only Goldstein and the others that were in the forest that night. I will not put myself in that kind of risk in my own House and I am better suited to spy on those who aid the Death Eaters if they do not suspect I am doing it."
Theodore was completely silent through my whole speech, taking ever single word in. He seemed a little surprised by my intensity and the duration of my speech, but that was natural, I was not a long winded or passionate speaker most of the time. His face grew harder as I spoke, no doubt mulling over every word, even after I had finished talking, deciding what to make of it and how to respond. It didn't take him long. Taking in a deep breath, a slight hesitance crossed his face once more, but he tossed it aside and steeled his resolve. He'd made a big decision, bigger than I'd ever seen him make, I could tell just from the force of his look, and he intended go through with it.
"I'll help you." He stated, almost challenging me to deny him. "Whatever I can do without the others finding out, I will do it. I'll help in any way I can. We'll be spies and saboteurs together. Two can do more than one alone."
"Are you sure?" I asked, showing a genuinely concerned frown. "If things go bad for me, the protection of my home and family is still in place. If they discover you..."
"I don't care." He shook his head, suddenly growing fierce. "The truth is, I've been desperate to help since fifth year. I've just been too much of a coward to do it. Well, I'm not being self-serving anymore. If I get caught and disowned, I'm smart and skilled, I can make a living for myself as a potioneer. If my dad tries to kill me or torture me, I can fight and run. No one knows that I can turn into a wolf at will, I can use that to my advantage, along with plenty of spells to fight back. I'm backing up my friend and I'm doing what I should and have wanted to do for years. No more hiding away."
"...Thank you." There was nothing I could do to prevent a big, grateful smile from growing on my face and it only grew as Theodore smiled back and nodded. It was very rare that I said those words, Theodore knew just how big it was for me to say them. He had finally made the decision to outright betray his family and all that risked. And as much of it was coming from his kind, just nature, it was coming just as much from his loyalty and care for me. Even with the new wolf shape, he would never of gotten involved anytime soon. He was too afraid before. Now, he was forcing it all aside to ensure my safety. I could never be more grateful to him.
AN: They're probably not the ones people were expecting, but there we go, two Animorphs now have three magical animal morphs each. And the promise of a class four battle morph in the future. And then there's Theo. What do yous think of all that?
