Disclaimer: See previous chapters
(A/N: Sorry this is late! I just had a late night last night, and my mind just went blank as I was writing it! BTW, I was very happy to see all the reviews! See my response at the bottom.)
Chapter 9: Shifters and Marauders
"That was fun!" Harry exclaimed as Fawkes took them back to the Chamber of Secrets. His exaltation was partly due to the fact that he got off, partly because of the special license being sent his way, and partly because he had made Fudge look like an idiot. Not that Harry needed any real help with that, as Fudge was an idiot, but quoting all those obscure and little-known passages of Wizarding Law in front of the Minister of Magic made him feel good.
Fawkes trilled. "Yes, that was very good Harry. Even I didn't know all those Law things. Was any of it real?"
Harry grinned. "Only the first two wizarding laws. I figured that after the first two laws, Fudge wasn't likely to object again over the use of my magic in the court."
Hedwig chuckled. "And Mr. Toaden?"
Harry's grin grew wider. "Oh, he was real enough. It's just that his case was… a little different than I described it. Todd Toaden did in fact receive Ministry permission to use underage magic. But… his circumstances were a little different. His parents did die, but appointed a witch that went into St. Mungo's soon after the parents' death. She never recovered, but was still alive. So, by all means, he should not have gotten the Ministry's permission. What happened there was a fluke."
Fawkes and Hedwig burst out laughing.
"So, Remus old buddy, what should we do with all this money?" Tonks had a Cheshire cat grin on her face.
Remus's grin matched hers. "Whatever we want?" He questioned innocently. Tonks started laughing.
The two of them had to split up, shrink, and stuff the moneybags that they had gotten into their pockets. A lot of disgruntled Aurors lost the bet, and reluctantly handed the money over to the pair. Consequently, Remus and Tonks were rich.
"Actually, we should get Harry a very good present, for him helping us get all this money. And I need to send Harry something." Remus told Tonks.
The Metamorphagus grinned. "Fine by me. But first, let's go celebrate!" She dragged the laughing werewolf off into the direction of the Floo fireplaces, to go to Hogsmeade and the Three Broomsticks.
Ron Weasley's head perked up when he saw the fireplace flare up. Right beside him, Hermione looked over her book to see Arthur Weasley come out of the fireplace. "Dad, how did…"
"Harry got off." The patriarch of the Weasley family couldn't help feel a little shock. Harry had done it all by himself, and was going to get permission to wield underage magic.
Hermione's brow rose. "He was actually there? And got off? Did he say where he went? How did he look?" She was bursting with curiosity, ever since she got the owl saying that Harry had disappeared, and needed to come to Headquarters immediately. She'd been worried, and a bit curious, about Harry.
Mr. Weasley shook his head. "Hermione, he was there. He got off. He actually refused to tell the Minister and the Wizengamot his new address, citing some law. He looked fine." He wasn't really in the mood to answer a whole bundle of questions.
"Harry actually refused the Wizengamot?" Hermione actually shrieked. She'd been reading up on Wizarding Law since last summer, since she'd heard of the trial Harry was going to go through.
Ron sighed. "Calm down, Hermione. So dad, I guess Dumbledore worked a miracle to get Harry off?"
"Actually, Ron, Harry did it all by himself! Even told them he was defending himself, and reserved the right to call witnesses to the stand." All three heads turned to see Ginny, standing in the doorway. She was holding a radio, which was reporting on the Potter trial.
"…And in an excellent bit of defense today, Harry Potter goes free. This morning, Potter, age 15, attended and defended himself in his disciplinary hearing. Potter was accused of performing a variety of spells at his residence on the morning of June seventh, although he was underage. When questioned, Potter did admit that he used underage magic, but only to protect his muggle relatives. Death Eaters had entered the house, and Potter dueled with them. It is unknown how many Death Eaters were in the house, but Potter, with minor assistance from Aurors, captured them. For the use of underage magic, Potter was told to attend a trial, where he would be tried and sentenced. Potter won his case, successfully citing two wizarding laws and a case that had striking similarities to his own. The Boy-Who-Lived will also be receiving special permission to use magic. We'll have more details for you at the top of the hour. Right now…" Ginny switched the radio off.
Hermione and Ron looked at each other. "How in the world did he do it?" Ron spoke first. Ginny, Hermione, and Mr. Weasley shook their heads.
"I don't know, but he'd better write to us soon!" Hermione said fiercely. She also wanted to know how Harry had gotten off, with a special license, without Dumbledore to help him.
Ginny and Ron agreed, while Mr. Weasley went off to find his wife and tell her about Harry.
Harry glanced at Fawkes, who was preening himself. The boy was wondering something, and he wanted answers. "Fawkes, what's a shifter? You said you'd tell me."
The Phoenix looked up from his preening. "Harry… are you sure you want to know?"
Harry rolled his eyes. "Do I hate Voldemort? Of course! Tell me."
Fawkes chuckled. "Very well, Harry. First, are you sure your totem said that you were a shifter?" Harry looked murderous at the Phoenix's attempt to stall, so Fawkes continued. "I'll take that as a yes."
Hedwig flew over, and perched near Harry. "Fawkes, just get on with it. I'm curious too."
"As you wish. Shifters… well, they're kind of a cross between Animagi and Metamorphagi. Animagi can transform themselves into animals, but at a price. When they first transform, the animal mind takes over. If the Animagus isn't strong enough, the animal mind forces the person to kill itself, for the human mind interferes with the process of the transformation. If the Animagus is strong enough at that first encounter, the animal mind accepts the person as master, and will no longer bother them. An Animagus form also has markings similar to your human form."
Harry nodded. "I understood that. The book explained it very clearly. Animagus transformations are not for the faint of heart. What about Metamorphagi?"
"Metamorphagi can change their appearance at will, but still retain their DNA. They cannot, however, transform into animals, only animal parts. You can only be born a Metamorphagi. Shifters… shifters are made."
Fawkes paused, and Harry waited expectantly. "Shifters combine the best of both the Animagi and Metamorphagi. Simply put, they can alter their DNA, become anyone and anything they want, and can be the ultimate spies. Whatever abilities are in the form they are in, they have them. Forms of shifters can have no identifying marks as to who the shifter is. A Shifter can also partially transform, and do whatever he darn well pleases. That is what a shifter is, Harry."
His statement brought silence, and Harry blinked. If he was a shifter then… "And I'm one of them… Was this a Council gift?"
Fawkes shook his head. "No. We wanted to make you a multi-animagus, but something inside you wouldn't let us. Now I know that it was your totem. We did give you enough power so that you could make the Animagus transformation easy, painless, and quick. We didn't know about the shifter abilities you have."
Harry exhaled. "Wow…" He sent. "I take it I have to train with this first?"
"I don't know. I actually think that you might be able to start right away." Harry grinned at that, and closed his eyes to concentrate.
In seconds, he was a Phoenix. Harry trilled in surprise. "This is cool. Say, I wonder if I could…" Fawkes blinked as Harry disappeared in a ball of fire. Another ball of fire a few feet away revealed Harry.
"This is awesome!" Fawkes and Hedwig watched as Harry shifted from shape to shape. He flew, ran, pounced, and leaped around the Chamber of Secrets.
Finally, he shifted into his Animagus form, a black wolf. He wagged his tail and sniffed around the chamber. The two birds watched. "Harry, I know you're having fun, but remember, keep your shifter abilities a secret from everyone. It'll give you an advantage." Hedwig advised. She was proud of her master, but knew that his enemies would just love to know about this.
Wolf-Harry wagged his tail. "I know. I'm just looking forward to sneaking around Hogwarts unnoticed! I can do the Marauder's Quest thing, and then I'll be a Marauder!" He walked over to a shaded corner, and batted at seemingly nothing. Then he lunged at the corner. Fawkes and Hedwig barely had time to blink when Harry disappeared.
"Where'd he go?" Fawkes asked Hedwig, who shrugged. They heard a noise behind them, and turned, but they were too late. Wolf-Harry tackled them from behind, out of nowhere. "Got you!" Harry's tail wagged.
Dazed, Fawkes shook his head, and Hedwig checked herself to make sure Harry hadn't broken anything. "Where in the world did you go, and how did you get behind us?"
Harry shifted back into his human form, thankfully with clothes, and shrugged. "I walked through the shadows. My totem told me that I'm a Shadow Wolf, and I can travel the Shadow Realm to anywhere. It's awesome, although it'll take time until I master Shadow-walking."
"A Shadow Wolf? Never heard of them. And what do you mean your totem told you? After the first transformation, they don't contact you again!" Fawkes demanded.
Harry grinned. "My totem told me that he was going to stick around until I got the hang of my shifter abilities. And he said that a Shadow Wolf isn't exactly widely known in the wizarding world, seeing as they live in the Shadow Realms."
Fawkes sighed. "Always doing the unusual, eh, Harry?"
Harry chuckled. "Of course."
Hedwig rolled her eyes. A telepathic message came in then, and she tilted her head for better reception. "Harry, I just got a message from..."
"Pigwidgeon, I know. I guess I do need to write my friends. Would you mind waiting until I write the letters?" He walked to his desk, pulled out parchment and quill, and started to write, oblivious to Hedwig's stare.
"Hedwig, why are you looking shocked?" Fawkes asked.
Hedwig shook her head. "Harry should not have been able to listen to a long-distance owl-to-owl link."
Fawkes snorted. "This is Harry, we're talking about, Hedwig. I don't think he does anything by half."
Hedwig acknowledged the point. "Good point. Any bets on what he's going to do next?"
"What are we going to bet with, feathers?" Fawkes asked facetiously. Hedwig declined to answer.
Although still a bit pumped up from his and Tonks' celebration, Remus was entrusted with the money, and Tonks would come by later to ensure that he had divided the money equally. Remus was doing his job, when a tapping was heard from his window. He was pleasantly surprised to see Hedwig, and opened his window up immediately. "Hedwig, how nice to see you! How are you? How is Harry?"
In answer, the owl held out her leg, and Remus removed the letter. After making sure that the Owl received some water and food, the werewolf sat down at the table, reading Harry's letter.
Dear Moony,
How are you? Everything's great over here. I believe you know by now that I cannot tell you where I am, due to the fact that there are people out there who could and would kill me. If I'm not mistaken, Hermione is one of them, for my daring to run away from Dumbledore. I'm not worried: A) I can handle her, and B) She doesn't know where I am. I'm actually in the safest place in the world for me to be. So don't worry about me.
I'm pretty sure you saw him too, but Sirius visited. I feel much better now that I know who was the real culprit behind his death. Believe me, they will pay.
Which brings me to my next point. Moony, you're the last of the original Marauders (I don't count that little… as one). Sirius has instructed me to take up his and my father's legacy. To do that, I need the help of the original. Help me make a comeback of the Marauders. I already accomplished what Prongs and Padfoot did. You know what I mean. So I'm begging you. Teach me. Train me.
I have to go write some other letters. Hedwig will make her way back to you on her rounds, so you can write me back. Trust me on this, no other owl will send a letter to me except for her.
Marauder-in-training,
Harry
Remus looked up, and indeed, Hedwig was gone. But the letter she had brought interested him. Although he was the quietest Marauder, Moony was also the brains behind them. He was the observer, the one who could get them out of trouble. After all these years, breaking in a new Marauder held some appeal for him. Moony would not get in trouble, as he was not at school.
He reread the letter, and his eyebrows rose. Harry had already found his form? Moony grinned; that boy didn't seem to do anything lazily. Well, if you didn't count some of his schoolwork… The former professor wrote a reply, and waited for Hedwig to circle back around.
Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were all discussing Harry's trial, and putting out theories as to how Harry had gotten off without any help. Ron jokingly put out the theory that Harry was abducted by pixies in revenge for their second year, and that explained his behavior. Another pixie worked some magic, and replaced Harry at his trial. While they were all laughing at the absurdity of the theory, they heard a tapping.
"Hedwig!" Ron exclaimed. Hermione and Ginny looked up, as Ron let the Snowy Owl into the room. Ginny got out some water and food for the owl, while Hermione untied the letter on the owl's leg.
All three crowded around the letter, and Hermione read it aloud.
Dear Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, if you're there,
First off, let me stress that I am safe. If not even the Order could find me, then Voldemort and his Death Eaters sure couldn't, right? For security reasons, I won't tell you where I am. Hermione, I'm not going to give you any clues, so stop looking for them in this letter.
Second, I want to thank all of you for your help in the DOM a few weeks ago. It really meant a lot to me to have friends that came and fought with me. Also, thanks for your support in the DA. I believe we'll continue that, but that's not official until I find out who the DADA teacher is.
Third, I know you might be concerned about me over Sirius. I'm not… so angry with myself any more. I understand who the real culprits behind his death were, and believe me, they will pay. Besides, it would be an insult to his memory if I brood about this all summer. So, this brings me to a question:
Will all of you (yes Ginny, this includes you) become Marauders with me? I also mean full Marauders. With Voldemort becoming more active, I think Hogwarts will need cheering up from time to time. Besides, Moony's condition has not changed, and I have a feeling he'll need us on full moons. I'm already halfway there; all I need is to be inducted. But a Marauders' team consists of four people, and I want you guys to be the other three.
If you say yes, write me. Pig knows where to find me. Don't try to track him; you won't find me, and he won't fly with any charms on him. That goes for Hedwig as well. She needs to make some rounds, so by the time you read this, she'll already be gone.
Until next we meet,
Harry
Sure enough, when they looked up, Hedwig was gone. Pig was sitting his cage, unusually quiet and still, watching them.
"Wicked! I say we go for it," was Ron's comment about Harry's suggestion.
Hermione frowned. "But Harry wants us as full Marauders. We'll be breaking about a dozen laws if we do that…"
Ginny shrugged. "Hermione, so what? You can be the studious Marauder, like Moony was. And he became a Professor." She pointed out.
Ron looked thoughtful, and a bit worried. "Although I think that this time, Harry wants to break the cycle. We won't have a betrayer, will we?"
Hermione shook her head forcefully, and Ginny looked disgusted. "Of course not. Harry needs our support, and we'll give it to him. I'm in."
Ginny nodded, smiling. "Good. I'm in too." Ron also agreed, and they wrote a letter to Harry, and sent it with Pig.
Harry looked up as Hedwig returned, bringing Remus' reply. Pig followed Hedwig with the letter from the other soon-to-be Marauders.
Dear Harry,
I was pleasantly surprised to get your letter, and I must say that I enjoyed it. You still might want to keep away from Hermione, though.
Yes, Sirius visited here to. He extracted a few solemn promises from me to train you, and send his regards to the Betrayer. I'll admit that I'm looking forward to both.
As to you accomplishing what Prongs and Padfoot did, I'm proud of you. I'll be in the Shrieking Shack in three days' time, for the full moon. Try to make it there before moonrise. I'll have taken my Wolfsbane Potion, so I'll be safe, but I still want to see your form. After that, I'll give you your name, and we'll go to Hogwarts (you do have the Map, right?) to do the Marauder's Quest. After that, you're done. I'm sure Dumbledore would allow you to visit the castle for the time it takes to do the Quest.
Until then, my dear Marauder-in-training,
Moony
Harry grinned. Soon he could fulfill one of Sirius' last requests. And wreck havoc on Hogwarts when it started back up, but that was a side benefit. To do that, however, he needed his fellow Marauders. Harry opened the letter that Pig gave him, and read.
Dear Harry,
We're all in, even Hermione, although she was concerned about breaking the rules. Of course, with the victory at your recent trial, we felt that we could just hire you as our lawyer, and we'd get off scot-free.
Also, we all want to know how you managed the transformation as quick as you did, and what your form is. And we want to know where you are, but we understand if you can't tell us.
Give us a meeting time and place, and we'll see what we can do.
Your friends,
Ron, Hermione, and Ginny
Harry wrote a very short letter in reply, consisting of "Hogsmeade, Three Broomsticks, and four days from now," and sent it back with Pig.
The tiny owl said goodbye, and went on his journey, leaving Harry behind to plot.
At the time of me posting this, there are 134 reviews! Needless to say, I'm happy. I loved all the reviews, and couldn't help but smile at some of the answers to the question.
Again, I'm sorry that this chappie is up late.My mind went blank during thewriting of it, and I had a party I had to go to, so that kind of delayed its posting. I hope that you like this chapter, but I'm not thathappy about it myself... In apology, I'll A) post the next chapter as soon as I write it, and B) Give you a bit of a spoiler for the next chapter.
I also loved hearing that everyone liked "Fowl Play" I thought that was funny too...
Okay, review response time! You know the drill by now!
Cocoa Girl: Well, you know now about Harry's Animagus form. You'll see about the rest of your questions...
Makotochi: (CH8 revvie )I'm sorry to say that I don't understand what you're talking about "in depth" If you're talking about longer chapters, then I'm trying. It's a stretch to write that much and expect an (almost) daily update. I personally think that it's better to have semi-long chapters and frequent updates than to have super-long chapters and updates spaced between two or three days (Ch 9 revvie) Thanks
Krystal-Grasshopper-Nyght: o--, o--
athenakitty: I wondered where you went. Don't worry, your questions will be answered in time. But I will tell you this, Harry's performance at his trial pretty much hammered the last nail into Fudge's coffin
PsychicLunar: Lol... you like getting up early? FYI, his "name" isn't going to be Raven. He's not a raven, so that wouldn't really work.. Your shifter explanation isn't exactly what I was looking for, so no lollies today. Thanks for reviewing!
cocopops: Thanks
marietsy: thanks
bandgsecurtiyaw: Thanks
Digi Bonds: Oo, I was tempted with that name, but Harry's abilites are supposed to be kept secret. If his friends started calling him that, it would be curtains forhis secret. No lollies, though, sorry.
shdurrani: Thanks
HecateDeMort: thanks
hamshu: good guesses, but no lollies. Thanks for reviewing, and I'm glad you like the story
Kimi-1973: Thanks, I'm glad you like
Baranwyn: Good guesses, but no lollies. The thing during the Death Eater attack... there's a word in that sentence that I think most of you have overlooked. What happened was a result of a gift, but not Aragog's.
Silver Mayflower: Thanks, glad you like!
Behind Crimson Eyes: Lol! I'm not JKR. If I was, I'd be too busy working with the release of HBP to write any fanfic Also, believe it or not, my mom (who's reading the fic) suggested "fangs" for Harry's Marauder name. That's not it. Good guess, though.
Marikili68: Thanks!
Windy River: Thanks, glad you like!
Black's Phoenix: Thanks. My belief is that Harry's very intelligent, he's just overlooked because of Hermione.
potteranddobby: good guess, but incorrect.
Danuschka: No lollies today, although your guesses are good. Thanks for reviewing!
Sophisticated Lady: Thanks, glad you like!
ryo-oki-cabbit: Thanks! Glad you liked the bit of Fudge-bashing!
dragons rage: Nice guess, but incorrect. No lollies for you today. Please, don't threaten. I just might not update just to spite you, and you'll have a bunch of people who like my fic descend on you with their own rage. Believe me, dragons can be taken down with a dozen people cursing you (just look in GoF)
wolfawaken: Almost, but not quite. Thanks for reviewing
LilyRianneEvans: I'm pretty sure that you're not reading this, but if you ever do, I'll see what I can work out.
icymist07: o--, o--. Thanks, glad you like
jessdarkwater: Harry already has telepathy, and as shown, it works with pretty much all animals. Good guess, though. Your other guesses were good, but incorrect. Oh, and the "farfetched" thing? This is a fanfic. It's supposed to be farfetched. Also, if you couldn't even remember that Harry hadn't thought about Sirius, then the Council did a good job! ;-) Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you like!
blubb-blubb: yes, it will. I'm glad you liked the owl chapter... I think everyone did. You were close on your guesses, but incorrect. Thanks for the review!
LYlyLY: Thanks! little comments like that always make my day!
laer: No, close but no, and lol, no. Thanks for guessing and reviewing, though!
nonion: (ch 8 revvie )Thanks, I think everyone liked that chapter. I'm trying to find the right length at which to write the chapters and still give (nearly) daily updates. I'm glad you like the fic, and if it's a bit cliche, sorry. I try to be original (ch 9 revvie) thanks
Shadowed Rains: lol, glad you like the story
rougueleader: thanks, Harry is rather cool, isn't he?
Inimene: You'll find out. Thanks for reviewing, and I'm glad you like
LiLy MaLfOy13: thanks
boilingseas: I think Harry's humour is rather hidden because he was forced to mature so fast, and he's around others who consider him the Savior of the Wizarding World, and the Boy-Who-Lived, not as a person. With Fawkes and Hedwig (who can't really tell the wizarding world that their savior is acting childish), he's able to let out some. Also, you pretty much guessed what a shifter was, so you get not one, but two lollies! o--, o--. And about his first transformation... he just kind of forgot how to appear back fully clothed. Yes, there is canon evidence that Harry has some metamorphagi abilities... I was thinking about that when I wrote what you just saw. Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you like.
MoonKittyru: Very good guesses, but incorrect. Ronin is a nice name, but I don't think it really fits Harry. Thanks for reviewing, and I'm glad you like!
HarrySlytherinson:All I can say is that a Fawkes-Albus confrontation is coming. Glad you like, and thanks for reviewing!
CastusAlbusCor: Thanks!
Wizzel: Well, Harry does have a magical animagus, but not because of the wings. In fact, the wings are a part of his shifter abilities. As for Fawkes... He just can. And Snape... it's coming, be patient. No, although close. I hinted at it very vaguely in one of the chapters... Nice guess with the shifter abilities, but not exactly.The name isnice, but not whatHarry's name is going to be.Thanks for reviewing, and I'm glad you're liking the fic.
eliteshadow: I'd love to, but I need to write the fic, so I don't have time. You could put me on Author Alert or this story on Story Alert. The way to do that is to go where you post a review, but look closer at the dropdown box.. Thanks for reviewing, and I'm glad you like the story!
Purple-Starz83: Thanks! I'm glad you like!
Foz: I'm glad you like! I do try to put a bit of humor in the fic, because it gets awfully dull writing serious stuff all the time. Your guesses though, are incorrect. And the name, it could be something else... Wolverine doesn't really match Harry's form.
Regulus Black II: Glad you like! You were pretty much right on with your answer to question #2, so you get a lollie o--, but not specific enough. Your other guesses were good, but incorrect. Thanks for reviewing!
lav: Thanks! comments like that make my day!
Rachel A. Prongs: Thanks! I'm glad you like!
That's what I have! Now, for the questions, and the promised bit of a spoiler.
Questions:
1)What is Aragog's second gift? (I'm getting a lof of "spidey-sense" Like I said, I'm not making Harry into some sort of Spider-Man. Here's a hint: It's not a physical thing in the sense that it's not webbing or poison. I hinted at it very vaguely in one of the chapters.)
2) What is Harry's Marauder name? (I'm enjoying all the guesses.. keep at it!)
3) What species was responsible for what happened at the start of the Death Eater attack? What isthegift? (I've gotten this as a response for Aragog's second gift, so I decided to start a question about it. As I said in a review response, you have to look very carefully at what I wrote. Now, happy guessing!)
4)What will Ron's, Hermione's and Ginny's Animagusforms and Marauder names be? (I have a very vague idea of what I want to happen, but I'm flexible. The best ones, I just might put into the story. If that happens, you get two lollies.)
Wow, you get four questions instead of three! Now, for the bit of a spoiler: Harry's going to become a Marauder, no doubt about that. Also, our favorite Potions Professor will get an owl from Harry.
Is that good? Well, that's it! Readers, please review! I want to give more lollies out, and I love to hear from you!