Sensing Magic
by Teddylonglong
Please refer to chapter 1 for my disclaimer and warnings. Thank you.
'Minerva,' Harry realised in shock. 'Ronald will certainly give us out.' He quickly held out his left arm to his friends. "Here, grab my arm, quickly."
An instant later, they were not only invisible, but Harry already popped them right in front of the entrance to the Slytherin common room, where he released them.
"Thank you, Harrykins…"
"… for saving us from an angry lioness."
"Good night, Harry, and thank you very much." Ginny smiled.
"Good night," Harry replied, grinning, as he transformed into his majaroo form and dashed home, much to the siblings' apparent amusement, as he heard them laugh aloud, before the distinctive sound of the portrait to the common room opening penetrated his ears that were especially sensitive in his Animagus form.
HP
Minerva let out a deep sigh, when she bade Oliver Wood good-bye in front of the fifth-year study room and headed towards the headmaster's office. 'I'd rather have tea with Regina, Poppy and Severus,' she thought in annoyance that only intensified, when Ronald Weasley stumbled out of the first-year study room just in front of her. With a glance at her wrist-watch, she confirmed that curfew for the first-years had already commenced.
Around the next corner, she caught up with the boy. "Twenty points from Hufflepuff, Mr. Weasley, for being out in the halls after curfew."
"What about Ginny, Harry and the twins? They're still in the study room, too."
Lacking any better idea, Minerva turned on her heels and stepped into the first-year study room, which to her relief was completely empty.
Glaring at Ronald, she took another ten points from Hufflepuff, 'Sorry Pomona,' before she advised the boy to return to his common room without further delay.
Transforming into her feline form to soothe her mind, she dashed towards the headmaster's office only changing back in front of the annoying busybody of a gargoyle.
HP
"Albus," she greeted the headmaster, doing her best to keep her voice void from the annoyance she felt, as she entered his office.
"Minerva, thank you so much for joining me on this fine evening. Would you care for some firewhisky?"
She glared at the old wizard. "I'd rather appreciate some tea. I still have work to do. Which means that I don't have much time tonight."
Albus nodded in apparent understanding. "Sorry for keeping you, then. I will make it short. Considering that we can't use the Black residence for our Order meetings anymore, I was thinking about using a room in my old home. Do you think that would be appropriate?"
Minerva sighed, knowing that Albus had not entered Dumbledore manor ever since his younger sister Ariana had perished during a quarrel between him and his former lover, Grindelwald. Perhaps, even his brother Aberforth had been involved, too, but as the death of his sister was a taboo topic with Albus, she was not exactly certain.
"Has Aberforth ever checked on the house?"
Albus shrugged. "I think he goes there from time to time to renew the bond with the house-elves, but that's it."
"If there are house-elves, it should be all right. If you wish, I can accompany you there once during the weekend."
"Would you really do that? Thank you so very much. I'd like to go on Saturday morning then, so that we can have an Order meeting on Sunday."
Minerva agreed and quickly finishing her tea excused herself for the night.
HP
On Saturday evening, most of the school gathered in the Great Hall just like on the previous Saturdays, to practise the Patronus charm.
Thinking of Felix, who was getting really fast on tiny feet, and how he had run towards him and Lucy through the herb garden, only to try slinging two small arms around his legs, Harry cast the charm. He did not expect anything but the white mist he always got upon trying to cast the Patronus charm. However, this time, something was different. The mist seemed to slightly take on a corporeal form.
'Is that a dog?' Harry wondered in surprise, just when the mist vanished.
"Harry, that was kind of a figure." Hermione stared at him in apparent amazement.
"Yes, but I'm not sure what it was." Harry felt enthusiastic. Tuning out his seemingly over-excited classmates, he concentrated on the happy feeling he had experienced in the memory of Felix and recast the charm.
A moment later, a dog of a form similar to Lucy's set off and ran all over the Great Hall, closely followed by two monkey Patroni and a barking Lucy. Half-way through the Great Hall, the dog became mistier and finally vanished into thin air, closely followed by the monkeys, leaving a seemingly disappointed Lucy, who let out a small yowl.
"Who managed to cast these Patroni?" Remus came over to the group of first-years in apparent delight.
"The monkeys were ours." For once, the twins spoke together. "And the dog was Harry's."
"Poor Lucy, wanted to play. Sorry Lulu, when we get home later on, I'll transform into my doggy form and play with you."
"Very well done, Messrs. Weasley and Harry. Now, don't cast the charm again too soon. Give your magic time to replenish. Next week, you can try again, and after a few tries, they'll probably become stronger and will manage to run through the Great Hall and then return to you."
"Monkeys?" Harry quirked an eyebrow at the twins, once the professor proceeded to the next group. "How fitting."
"Oh well, can you imagine…"
"… how boring it would be…"
"… if everyone had a canine Patronus?"
"Absolutely," Harry agreed, rolling his eyes. "Are you going to become monkey Animagi as well?"
The twins exchanged a look of apparent excitement. "Oh right, can you teach us how to become an Animagus?"
Harry shrugged. "Why not? Regina, Hermione, Teddy and I are always practising in the evenings, after I'm finished in the lab. Feel free to join us at any time."
"Won't the professor mind?"
"Dad? No, I don't think so. You're in Slytherin anyway. I think he tolerates quite a lot from his Slytherins." Harry grinned, knowingly.
From that time onwards, the twins began to join the first-years and Regina in the Prince quarters after finishing up in Severus' lab. As Harry was already done with his second Animagus form, he often spent some time in his majaroo form for the others to observe and to better get to know their chosen animal. However, at the same time, he began to work on his third Animagus form.
"What is your third form…?
"… Are you going to become a monkey, too…"
"… so we can roam the school as the three monkeys?"
Rolling his eyes at the twins, Harry began to consider the matter. "Well, eventually, I want to become a phoenix, but I wouldn't mind becoming a monkey on the way."
Teddy stared at him in apparent shock. "I hope you're joking. If you need another form, why not become an elf?"
Harry's grin vanished from his face, as he stared at his best friend in shock. 'I hadn't even considered that,' he thought in surprise. 'Would that even be possible?'
"I don't think that'll be possible," he said, lightly, resolving to secretly practise and surprise Teddy if he managed the transformation.
tbc...
Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter.