Hey everyone,
This chapter is probably going to be pretty short. It is merely going to cover Harry's transformation and how most of those around him respond to it. Galleth and Bentley are both going to have theories in regards to why Harry suddenly transformed, but so will someone else. And while I am sure that some are going to shout "You're just using him to replace Ron!" I can assure you that I am not. I respect him way more than that.
Come on, guys,

Venquine1990

Chapter 23
Harry The Cooper

25th of November 1994
Hogwarts Ground, Scotland
Tennesee's POV

I don't have the foggiest of what is going on right now. Just a minute ago Carmelita was defending Harry's rights and proving how much she has grown to love the Little Coon. And now, for reasons I just don't understand, Harry is screaming his lungs out of his body. He has collapsed onto the ground and is twitching in a sense of utter pain that just came out of nowhere. I look at Galleth for a moment, but even he seems bewildered.
I then turn to both Sly and Carmelita, but both seem completely paralyzed. With a start I realize that this must be their bond at work. That, because the two can feel each other's fear and horror, their combined emotions are paralyzing them. I curse this side of the bond and bless the fact that they will be receiving classes to help them with this later tonight. But as I think these things, I quickly jump into action and shout:

"Bentley, knock him out! Just because someone put him through this pain don't mean he has to feel it!" And instantly the Turtle aims his Dart gun at Harry and shoots a dart. And thanks to the few weeks that I worked alongside him only a year ago, I recognize the light green color of the dart and spot it to be a stun dart. I grin in relief and Harry stops screaming a second after the dart hits him. Yet his body continues to shake and twist.
And only then I suddenly spot that his body's not just twisting and turning, it's also changing. Harry's ears are pulling themselves into his head, yet skin higher op top of his head also seems to stretch itself out. His hair near the base of his neck slinks into his skin as well and yet fur starts to grow all over, covering his face, neck, hands and probably all other parts that his cloths are currently covering. And the area around his hips starts to bulge in the back.

My eyes widen a second time over and we all watch in shock as, slowly but surely, Harry turns from a human being into another Raccoon. What breaks me out of my shock is the sound of whimpers coming from the new, slightly smaller and very furry form. "Crap, his transformation must have been so painful that the experience pushed through the strength of my stun dart. Either that or his subconscious is in too much pain to properly handle."
Bentley exclaims and instantly my oldest of ancestors rushes over and Bob gently cradles Harry in his arms, crooning in an effort to comfort the whimpering little coon. My ears pick up on the hurried sounds of four legs dashing closer. I look up and a few of the girls that are standing behind us scream: "THE GRIM!" But Hermione quickly argues that it's not this Grim, but just another dog. Yet the dog himself proves her wrong.

And while Harry underwent a painful and slow transformation from human to animal, Sirius transforms from his dog form into his human form within barely a second. Hagrid gasps the man's name and instantly Murray responds. The huge and muscular Hippo goes to stand between the two and slams his fist into his hand as a silent warning to Hagrid not to try anything. Then Lupin comes running after Sirius and gasps:
"We heard Harry screaming all the way from the Hospital Wing. What happened?" Most of us shrug, yet Galleth grimaces. "It would appear that the blame lies with me on this one." Everyone turns to the Knight with eyes that are full of shock or disbelief. The Knight however seems oblivious to this as he has a look of guilt on his face. He slowly approaches Harry and starts to gently run a gloved hand through the boy's new fur.

"As we left Transfigurations, I came to the realization that I didn't want to return to my own timeline and world once this world was helped. I mentally voiced my hopes that Bentley's beliefs about their being another me back in 1302 were true and that this clone of mine would remain there. That I would be allowed to join Carmelita, Sly and the others once the Wall's magic returned them to 2007 Paris and their world.
I believe the Wall picked up on this desire of mine and – decided to accommodate Harry accordingly. Assure that he too would be able to come along once the timelines were once again aligned." Galleth turns his face to Sirius and tells him that, naturally, the same counts for him. Sirius smiles at this, yet Carmelita suddenly starts to grimace. Sly is the first to turn to her and the two seem to have another mental conversation.

Yet Sly seems unable to convince Carmelita away from the guilt she appears to be feeling. "Sly, I must have scared him. I mentioned the fact that, at some point in the future, the wall would take us back home. It must have made Harry feel terrified of being left behind. The Wall must have wanted to reassure him, but its magic was too much for his senses to handle. That's why he was in so much pain. This is my fault."
Hagrid opens his mouth, but Murray instantly uppercuts him and snarls: "No one asked for your opinion, pall. So keep that trap of yours shut." Dumbledore looks at the hippo conflicted, yet he then turns his head the other way. Hagrid's eyes widen as he sees the man's actions, but I really don't care for his shock. Instead I turn to Carmelita and say: "The whole topic would have come up sooner or later, Carmelita. It was inevitable."

Everyone around me nods, even a few of the Snakes. Yet then young Neville steps up and says: "Personally, I think you're both wrong. Though I do think Carmelita is right on the whole The power of the wall thing. I mean, that magic was strong enough to take almost a dozen Raccoons from several different timelines and potentially even clone them at the same time. But I don't think that either of you are right about the reason this happened."
Everyone turns to the boy, who just reassuringly smiles at both Galleth and Carmelita. He turns to Harry and says: "You're both forgetting a few vital facts here. Remember, Harry lost his whole family on Halloween, which was the topic we were previously discussing. Yet the wall has been trying to rectify this for years. It just did so much more indirectly before now." Dumbledore's eyes widen and he mutters four words.

"Of course, the dreams." Neville nods at his Headmaster and I turn to share a grin with my fellow ancestors as well as my boy. I turn back to Harry as I fondly remember the few months we spent together. At first it really was just me getting used to meeting someone who had no animalistic traits, but Harry quickly grew on me. He never told me that he had been trained by the others, but I enjoyed training him myself too much to care.
"This was meant to happen. I really hate saying it, but I kind of figured this the minute it became known that Harry and Sly were the same person, so to say. The wall wouldn't bring Harry his family, just to rip them away from him again after a decade or so. So as much as it pains me to say it, Harry will probably be taken alongside Sly and the others once it's their time. Whether they'll get a warning ahead of time or not, who knows.
But, as much as it pains me, I wouldn't object. Sure if they got a warning, I would personally use that to prepare myself, but otherwise, I would just accept it. And I'd simply cherish the time we spent together as dorm mates and friends and would be happy for him for still being allowed to be with his family. Sure I'd consider it a loss for this world, but – who knows? Maybe we'll get lucky and a clone will take Harry's place.
It wouldn't be the same, but – I'd rather have that than the alternative, really." I notice that the Snakes are staring at Neville, as if they've never seen him this confident and strong in his beliefs before. I feel curious about this, yet the Lions just smile in pride at their House Mate. Hermione had, at first wanted to interrupt and object, but Neville had stared her down. And by now the girl has her head down and a troubled but thoughtful frown on her face.

Carmelita gently walks over to her and whispers that it's still years away from now and that she doesn't need to worry about it at the moment. Hermione smiles and nods in gratitude at the female fox and I turn away from them and back to where Harry is still lying in Bob's embrace. And with that I take a closer look at the changed little raccoon. And the first thing that I notice instantly has my eyes widen in shocked astonishment.
Where most raccoons have black mask-like fur covering their eyes and a different shade of fur covering the rest of their heads, with Harry the opposite is the case. His whole head is covered in midnight black fur, bar the area around his eyes. The area there, which is shaped more like circular glasses than a mask, is a dark auburn red coloring. His eyes are also tipped auburn red with a black fur underneath this.
I also suddenly notice that a bit of the fur above his right eye is lighter black than the rest and that this is shaped like a lightning bolt. The fact that his scar is visible even through his fur really doesn't sit well with me. What also bothers me is that Harry's face seems to have thinned out and I had already been worrying over his health when we first reunited the other day. Yet what does reassure me is the shape of his muzzle.
Harry's muzzle is quite similar to my own, yet his nose is much smaller. Some would say that Harry now has a button-like nose, yet while the appendage is a different shade of black, it's more shaped like a heart and very, very small. The tip of his nose even sticks out a little at the end of his muzzle. His robes have obviously become too big for him now that his body has shrunk a bit to adjust to his new form and they are draped over him.

I remember that I had seen some kind of bulge in the back of his hips and look up at Bob as I mention Harry's new appendage. Bob's eyes widen and Sirius quickly whips out his wand. Bob lifts his arms up higher and Sirius turns himself so that he is lying on his back on Bob's lap as he casts some kind of spell on Harry's backside. And the next minute the man gets a face full of fur as a black and auburn red striped tail lands in his face.
And thanks to all of the shocks we have been through in the past few minutes, everyone bursts out laughing as Sirius splutters and pushes the tail out of his face. The man shakes his head and says: "I think it's better if we take Harry and the rest of the Cooper Gang back to the Hospital Wing. Poppy will want to check up on him now that he's been through such a painful transformation." Most of us nod, but then I get annoyed again.

"Now wait a second. He changed into a Raccoon and that's my territory. I –." The man gets silenced and I quickly notice that I am not the only one working to do so. With my steadfast speed and reflexes, I pull my Shockgun cane out of its canister, take aim and shoot straight at several points of the man's bushy hair and beard. I really want to aim at the man's head or even better, his crotch, but I remember Harry's warning of the other day.
Yet I am not the only one reacting to the man's incredibly insulting choice of words. Several of the Gryffindor students pull out their wands and cast all kinds of spells at the man. Sirius and Lupin join them in the fray, both of them looking almost feral with rage. Carmelita also joins me in shooting several bolts of electricity at the man's mangy hair and beard. And after the man gets hit with my bullets and their spells, the Cooper Gang strikes.
Bentley is the first to strike and he actually jumps up with his wheelchair, extends his wheels out and hits Hagrid in the face with the right wheel. Murray follows this and loudly calls out: "FEEL THE WRATH OF THE MURRAY!" As he hits Hagrid square in the face with a flaming fist. And while Dimitri doesn't do much, he swiftly moves behind Hagrid and extends his tail. This, alongside Murray's fist, makes Hagrid trip and fall.

And finally Sly shouts for the world to hear: "NEVER INSULT MY LITTLE BROTHER LIKE THAT AGAIN!" And with strength that I really hadn't expected of him anymore after his stint in the dessert, he swings at Hagrid. The golden tip of his cane hits Hagrid's jaw and I see several teeth flying out the of the man's mouth as Sly's hit knocks him out cold. And while the other ancestors had also dashed for Hagrid, they halt at seeing this.
"I cannot even begin to describe how badly I want to use my Catapult Crash technique on him right now, Sly. But I do concede to the fact that you did well in embodying the anger we all felt over his words with your words and your actions." Galleth tells our joined descendant and my great-grandson. Sly seems too enraged to hear him and I realize that, just like before, his bond with Carmelita must be working overtime.

I turn to the vixen in question and I notice that, like Sly, her whole body is shaking with pent up rage. But then Sirius walks over and puts a hand on her shoulder. "Don't. Don't make my mistake. He's not worth it. You did what you had to do. You avenged Harry and protected his rights. Just leave him be. Focus on what matters. Don't give him the chance to let you make the same mistake I made all those years ago. Don't let him win."
And while it disgusts and angers me, I find myself agreeing with the man. Carmelita seems to feel the same as I notice her calming down. Yet Sly is still glaring at Hagrid and growls: "You're right, Sirius. He really isn't worth it. A being like that's not worth anything." Yet he still turns to Dumbledore as he says this, a cautious look on his face. The man seems to be pondering his own thoughts at the moment and after a few minutes he speaks.

"I believe it's best if we first let Poppy tend to young Harry and then have a House Elf take her to Hagrid's hut. Hagrid might be injured, but I see no reason to give him another chance to cause more distress. And putting him in the same space as those he seems intent on insulting is not a situation I feel comfortable with. For now class is dismissed. Once Hagrid wakes, I will decide on his punishment for his actions.
Rest assured that, if the students hear this and want to take the class off their schedule, I'll make sure that Minerva and the others don't argue or contest these decisions. And that is just part of the punishment that I believe Hagrid deserves. I would fire him, but I believe that, due to his high opinion of me, a personal punishment might be better suited to this situation. However, please understand that I will respect your desires, Inspector Cooper.

From this day forth, Hagrid and young Harry will no longer need to interact with each other if either party has no such desire. I have no doubt that Hagrid will have that desire, but I will respect Harry's wishes in this regard, not Hagrid's. I will ensure that he understands that, this time around, a quick word of apology is not going to help him fix all this." Carmelita nods and I spot a few of the Snakes joining her in this.
I had noticed them looking shocked and interested when Dumbledore mentioned the unemployment and why the man had decided against this course of action. I had also noticed that one of the Snakes, who is tanned all over his skin, nodded in agreement to Dumbledore's assessment about Hagrid's loyalty to the man. Yet while a few of the Lions joined the Snake in this, neither side seemed to have cared much for this fact.

Then Bob stands up, Harry still lying limply in his arms. Instantly my ancestors and I are all around him. We form a protective circle around the caveman, yet most of us keep our canes hidden, out of sight or back in our canisters. Sly, Galleth and I are the only ones who still have our canes in hand and out in clear sight. And all three of us have looks of protective rage on our faces as we guide Bob back up the mountain and into the castle.
The students follow after us and I hear a lot of them muttering. The Snakes seem very eager to tell their missing member about what happened. Yet while it was already obvious to me that they don't have a lot of respect for Harry, none of them seem to speak derisively about him as they talk. The Lions are also muttering amongst themselves. What fills me with a sense of wonder and relief is that the redhead even seems troubled.

Yet as we reach the Clocktower, Lupin turns to the class and says: "Ron, Hermione, I have a task for you. I know you probably want to come with us and get to Poppy, but I'd rather that you go inform your brothers as well as any other friends Harry might have. It's best if they hear about Harry's transformation from you rather than the grapevine." Two of the Lion girls seem offended about this, yet the two students just nod.
And while Neville guides the Lions through a secret passageway that is actually hidden behind a portrait in the right back of the Clocktower ground floor, Sirius guides Bob over to the staircases that are heading up. I notice the Snakes going to the other side of the hallway, yet they also take the staircase up. Yet while we head up three floors, the Snakes stop at the first and a few of them cordially greet Carmelita and Galleth as they leave.

Galleth gives them a respectful nod, yet Carmelita's focus is almost entirely on Harry and so she only returns the greeting with a bit of an off-handed tone. It relieves me to see that none of the Snakes that gave off the greeting are offended by this. They just shrug and head into the corridor while we head upwards. And a few minutes later we've reached the Hospital Wing and Bob lays Harry on the bed next to Sly's.
Both Sly and Carmelita instantly climb onto the bed and surround Harry. Sirius also pulls up a chair and moves it so close he might as well be sitting on the bed himself. My son, in the meantime, takes Madam Pomfrey apart and gently explains her what happened. I share a look with Galleth and the two of us nod, even though no words were shared or spoken. And as one we move back to the doors of the Hospital Wing, ready to stand guard.

That happened,
AND DANG, NEVILLE! You're turning into something else. Also Ron. This is going to be a turning point for him. However, this will also probably be one of the last chapters where I will mention him. I might cover him once or twice more in the upcoming chapters, but the most I have planned is a conversation between Harry and Ron where, in the end, the two of them agree that going their separate ways is for the best.
And like I said, I am NOT planning to have Neville be this great just because I want him to fill up Ron's spot on the so-called "Golden Trio". I have much more planned for our brave and loyal little Lion. He is going to play a huge role in Harry's life when it comes to his interaction with the other students. He is basically going to be the bridge between Harry and the students that he was never close to, but might now want to get close with.
Much better, right?

Venquine1990