Trust

Dumbledore looked out over the student's gathered in the great hall, as he made his announcements they paid attention but not like it used to be, they used to hang on his every word looking with awe at him, now they tuned him out when he finished the announcements and tried to deliver a pearl of wisdom, he managed to keep his resentment... disappointment under control but his thoughts kept wandering back to that meeting.

Lucious Malfoy had started the Board of Governors meeting like any other welcoming, minutes reading ect. he then announced that the weasley twins had been taken out of the school and would not return he wasn't sure (didn't give a flying... hippogryph) where they were going but he admitted their mother probably though it was for the best, it was then he dropped his bombshell, his son Draco would NOT be attending Hogwarts he would be going to Beauxbatons instead, he gave his reason as wanting his son to get more in touch with his family over there, he then gave Dumbledore a smile and said,

"I'm sure you understand headmaster,"

it was obvious to everyone the real reason and yet Lucious didn't say it, he took the high ground and didn't rub it in even a little, Dumbledore was enraged... saddened to see the whole Board looking at him with that look.

Dumbledore wasn't having the best year and it seemed to get worse as he had to go into the forbidden forest and exterminate an Acromantula colony that had encroached on the school and attacked several students, fortunately none had been hurt so he wouldn't get into trouble from the board, the centaurs seemed to be avoiding him, and the giant squid seemed to delight in trying to squirt him with jets of ink, and now the worst was about to happen, he had to have tea with Sybill Trelawney of all people, she would occasionally come to him for a cup and waffle on about her inner eye, batty old bit... eccentric as she was it was more trouble to refuse than not, he wondered idly if she'd notice if he was stinking drunk, better not just in case.

It was going about as well as he expected, she kept waffling on and he tried desperately not to show he was falling asleep, why did she wear those glasses anyway? as far as he knew she didn't need them, and her hair was so unkempt, not to mention she loved to predict the death of everyone around her, it was only because she... wait... it was quiet? why was it quiet? he looked up and nearly stumbled off his seat in shock as she was now floating in mid air her hair waving and whipping like it was in a hurricane, her eyes glowing brightly and had him locked in a stare as the furniture around the room began to move and break as it was pulled into the maelstrom and her voice rang out the loudest whisper

AS THE CHAMPIONS GATHER, THE BOY WHO LIVED EMERGES FROM THE FLAMES, THE DARK LORD WILL MAKE A FATEFUL CHOICE, AND AS THE GUARDIAN OF ETERNITY DIES AN ASPECT WILL RISE, AND EXISTANCE WILL GAIN IT'S SECOND VOICE.

As soon as it was done she lowered down and returned to normal coming out of the trance, she stared at the slack jawed Dumbledore for a moment,

"Really Albus you should keep your tea room cleaner," and she left him shocked, his first thought was, I can use this.

Harry was happy to be back a Beauxbatons, despite being academically ahead of most of the other students learning alongside them felt good and he had made some good friends two of which he had neglected during christmas and he now had to make up for that, Brice seemed a little hurt and Fleur was giving him the silent treatment but he managed to get them to agree to meet him after classes, they had to take their seats as the staff made an announcement,

Madam Maxine rose from her seat and the hall grew quiet,

"Greetings students it is good to have you back after christmas, due to unforeseen family complications professor Mcgonagall has been forced to leave us, taking her place is Professor Amos Ronin, we also have a new student sent to us by our departing Professor, her grand niece Mina Connely, I hope you'll all extend to her the warmest of welcomes,"

Standing next to Madam Maxine looking quite nervous was Mina, who after being dismissed by Madam Maxine made a beeline for Harry,

"Connely? why that name?" he asked curious,

"Well, i've always had a soft spot for the big yin," she answered to his confusion,

"how are you finding it? any odd feelings? or strange... what?" he said as she suddenly looked at him,

"and when were you going to tell me I would be able to talk with any feline animal? it was quite a shock I tell you," she said waspishly,

"you too? I can speak to anything with wings, birds, thestrals, abraxion, it came as quite a shock and just so you know the thestrals sing pretty much everything," he enthused,

"so you did... really, they sing? anyway is this normal? i've never heard about an animagus being able to speak with animals before,"

"well from what I was able to figure out, since this is a true transformation and not a transfiguration we have gained the animal's instinctive ability to understand others of it's kind or those close enough to it and since our minds carry a higher form of intelligence we perceive it as a type of language we can understand, some things don't come across as easily such as names, they call me Skyroar even though I don't really roar, have the called you a name?"

"yes actually they call me Mindhunter, and I tried what you suggested and it was a good as you said, running around in cat form was amazing, nothing at all like before, it was so liberating and I am already much fitter than I thought I would be," she smiled,

"Oh I have a favor to ask, I want to make my friends into animals like us, I was hoping you would be there to help them with their transformations, specifically Fleur to be honest," he inclined his head and she glanced around and spotted Fleur just coming in,

"After classes today alright with you?" Mina asked and Harry nodded so she went off to speak to an uncertain looking Fleur as Harry waited for Brice.

Brice bombarded Harry with questions about if he had been to clingy or too pushey, the poor boy was actually worse at making friends than Harry and it took a few minutes to calm him down and inform him about meeting up after classes.

The days classes passed fairly quickly, there was nothing too difficult or confusing, and now most of the day was taken up by classes instead of the free time they had enjoyed before, Mina explained it was to let new students ease into the flow of academy life, but they all finally met up in an empty classroom, things were a little awkward especially after Harry pulled out two contracts and placed them before Fleur and Brice, Brice was confused but Fleur looked surprised, and Harry decided to explain,

"I wasn't able to give you your christmas gift because by the time I had decided we had broken for holidays, these contracts are a part of the gift they are to protect what I intend to give you, some of my family magic," Harry explained and Fleur looked very surprised as she knew the implications,

"a-are you sure you wish to give something so precious 'Arry?" he accent thickening as her blush increased,

"I thought long and hard about it and yes I do, the two of you have given me your friendship without asking for anything in return, I just wanted to give you something to show how much that means to me,"

Brice simply smiled and signed, Fleur was now visible from space but also signed, Mina completely understanding that Harry had no idea what Fleur's reaction ment tried not to burst into laughter. Harry then explained to a very shocked pair who exactly Mina was and what he was offering,

"You wish to make us animagi? I have though about it but it is so difficult and-" Harry cut Fleur off,

"It isn't dangerous at all, the method normally used is a flawed one, what you will have is the correct method, in someone like Mina who was a animagi before there is a possibility of growing much younger, but as you are both not animagi that will not be a factor,"

"will it hurt?" Brice asked,

"not at all, in fact it feels quite pleasant," Mina explained before changing and hopping across the desks before changing back, "it also will allow you to exercise in animal form which regular animagi cannot do, and also we recently discovered you will be able to talk with certain species of animals, I can talk to cats, while Harry can speak to anything that can fly with wings,"

After covering all the pros and cons although there were very few cons they both excitedly agreed, Harry explained how to recognise the feeling they were looking for and handed the each a vial of potion and told them what to do, it took a day or two for them to calm down but they settled into the normal school routine, Mina loved being a student again it was so pressure free, no real deadlines that couldn't be easily met, no real responsibility, no need to worry about some crackpot old fool!

Harry dived into his schoolwork and especially his own research, his idea for cloth changing items had oddly never been done before, but the possibilities were great, he was researching runes on his own time when not hanging out with friends or rushing about the academy grounds in animal for with Mina, it was about a month later after they had broken for the day that Brice thought he was alone but Harry and Mina were just coming round the corner when the heard him singing at the top of his lungs, he really seemed to enjoy himself and was bobbing his head, they were silently giggling when his singing stopped for a moment and as the watched he had pulled out his vial and downed it before he carried on singing.

Fleur was looking for the others when she spotter Harry and Mina walking around the edge of one tower and she was surprised as Mina had something blue and birdlike perched on her shoulder,

"Hello you two, where is Brice,"

WARC RIGHT HERE BEAUTIFUL WARC!