Unleashed Shadows : Chapter 11
Disclaimer: I do not own, or claim to own Harry Potter or any related characters, including Severus Snape.
Author's Notes: Sorry it took so long for this chapter to be posted. Sorry the summary changed again, if you want to look up this story, it'll be better to search for the title, or my penname. Sorry.
The secret was let out in that previous chapter. But a new secret is brewing in this one. Something to do with changing into animals…
***
Who would've guessed. Perhaps it had been triggered by Harry's surprise and anger. Perhaps it had something to do with finding out he, in actual fact, was Snape's son. Either way, the slightly greasy-haired, hooked nose kid he was staring at was definitely not him. Definitely not.
"Oh NO…"
Harry let his head fall in desperation and it hit against the mirror. The sound rumbled through the room, echoing loudly, then softer as it found its way to Ron Weasley's ears.
"Harry! Shut UP…" A muffled voice yelled from under a yellow pillow. "Some people are trying to sleep you know."
"Oh No…" Harry repeated, unable to take his eyes off his own face. Especially that nose…
Okay. Calm, he told himself. It's probably the light. I mean, the sun's hardly up, its probably light exaggeration or something. Wait. Calm.
He shut his eyes and counted to five, flicking on the light switch.
"HARRY! WHAT'S THE GODDAMN LIGHT FOR?" Ron murmured as loudly as he could, as his buried his entire face into his covers.
Harry sighed. It was better. Almost. Sure, the nose wasn't as exaggerated, but there was no denying it was hooked. Hooked and Snape-like. And the hair was a sight to be seen. It looked as though Harry had just washed it in a vat of oil. Except of course, this time it was the fault of the excessive amount the light, not the lack of it.
How the hell was he going to explain this to anyone?
Harry dove inside the bathroom, remembering to lock the door. Undressing, he stepped into the shower and scrubbed at his hair like a madman. He wondered whether it could've been a medical condition that ran through to Snape family, and decided he would've rather have not known. Even so, the grease seemed to disappear down the drain and when he stepped out, his hair looked just the same as it used to.
"My god, this Snape thing is really getting to me…" Harry mumbled as he stepped out of the bathroom, scrubbing at his hair with a towel.
"What's that Harry?" Ron replied sleepily.
"Eh? Oh nothing."
"Um, Harry? Did you do something with your nose?"
Harry didn't answer. He was still trying to figure it himself. Perhaps this was a practical joke of sorts, he had decided. But then, since when was Snape one to play such jokes?
*
The days swept day with extreme ease, especially since Snape seemed to have a miraculous way of disappearing every time Harry was near. Potions class also seemed to be a breeze compared to what Harry was used to putting up with. Only Ron was suspicious though.
"Don't you two think it's weird that Snape's suddenly all quiet towards us Gryffindors? I mean, sure he picks on Neville and Hermione and me sometimes, but he hasn't taken points off you Harry for the last two weeks."
"Yeah. Strange." Was all Harry could come up with. Hermione didn't say anything.
Then more days went by, and Quidditch season began again. For Harry, nightmares became less frequent, though the dreaded feeling in his stomach was always there. Harry and Ron would spend hours on the grounds, swooping with Quaffles and even some practice Snitches. Nonetheless, the less Harry thought about the Snape issue, the happier he was, and the less it seemed to bother him.
A psychologist might have called it a defense mechanism, but for Harry, life couldn't have been better. Relationships were stronger than ever, school was even bordering on fun and nightmares had seemed to have disappeared back into fantasy. That is, as long as he didn't think of Snape, and that haunting image of Snape's son in the mirror. Even so and despite all this, Harry and Ron were desperately craving for an adventure.
It was Hermione who found the answer. Having been mysteriously quiet for the last month or so, many might have related this to the upcoming exams, but Hermione turned up one Saturday evening with a surprise.
"Ron. Move." Hermione slid into the seat between her two best friends, and drew out a large dust book. Moving aside Ron's Divination homework [most likely full of absolute rubbish], she flipped a third of the way through it to…
"ANIMAGI?!"
A few heads turned, but being met with the innocent stare of Hermione Granger, they finally dropped their gazes to continue with whatever they might have been doing.
"Shut up Ron. I don't suppose Dumbledore heard you too," Hermione replied slightly annoyed.
"Probably knows anyway," Harry added.
"I know. But we don't really need to give him confirmation."
"Right. So what have you got?"
"Nothing anymore." Hermione said, now definitely put-off, mainly because of the considerable amount of people behind them hanging onto every word they said. "Just meet me at the place at eight."
*
The place was a hidden room Hermione, Ron and Harry had stumbled across after a certain incident involving a Potion's Professor. Located almost exactly underneath the secret room on the third floor corridor, it was concealed behind a portrait or none other than Merlin himself. The password was accidental, or rather, not so accidental…
"Animagus."
"Hey Harry," Ron said as he climbed through the small portrait hole.
"Yeah?"
"Don't you think that password's a tad obvious? And considering the circumstances… I mean, can you say, coincidental?"
"Exactly. Except I think this is more than a coincidence. I don't know who though."
"Probably Dumbledore himself."
Harry was about to laugh but the noise died on his throat when he saw the room. When they had first found it, it was painted a gold yellow, with red curtains on the window. Shelves had been full of books that amazed them to no extent, especially Hermione. But now, it was a dark midnight blue, with gold curtains hanging. And bare walls, except for an old timer and a single book lying in the corner. But what amazed them most was the floor. It was either reflective, or covered in a reflective material. Either way, you could've sworn you were standing on a mirror.
The portrait creaked behind them, and Hermione stepped through gracefully.
"Glad you could make it," she said rather softly, "I came before to drop the book off. Couldn't believe how much this place had changed. I wonder who did it."
The silence between the three stretched a moment longer before Harry stepped forward.
"So, what do we do?"
"Well first… you two know this is against the rules right?"
"Yeah. But since when has that stopped us."
"Right. As long as we're clear."
Hermione picked up the book. "I've been trying a little myself, but I haven't managed to do much. Here, we'll try doing the first thing, which is to repeat this sentence in your head. Loni relsu animaga. Don't ask me what it means. Just close your eyes, sort of enter a state of sub-conscience and imagine the words are being written over and over in your mind."
And so the three sat there, silent as a grave, envisioning silent script rewriting itself over and over and over again. On the first day, nothing much happened, except Ron could've sworn he'd seen a spider crawl across the ground. Naturally, he freaked.
Not until the eighth session, when Ron had just about been ready to give up, did changes begin to take place. Hermione found soft brown fur sprouting behind her ears, as well as on her hands. Ron found his nails hardening and becoming longer, and Harry found green scales itching down his back and up his arms.
"Merlin Harry! You're a snake!"
"Probably. Well, I would've always though I'd be either a lion or a snake of some sort. At least I was right."
"It's not that bad Harry," Hermione noted, "I think it's going to be a magical being for you."
Harry snapped up to look at her, "Why?"
"Markings, Harry," she replied, indicating the brilliant gold squirls that trailed up his sleeve and out of sight. "I've heard they're only found on magical sorts."
"We've got to wait and see then, don't we?"
Days passed and the advancement into becoming Animagi became more and more exciting. Hermione had discovered her creature was a fox, brown haired and bushy-tailed - "what a surprise" – and Harry had found he was indeed a mythical creature, a Treskiyn – "A rare, emerald green snake-type creature, with distinctive markings of yellow, gold indicating it's species. Not much is known about these creatures, let alone their magical abilities."
"Lucky you Harry, you get to be a mythical creature while I'm an ordinary brown fox!" Hermione had pouted, though not really the least bit unhappy.
"And I don't even know WHAT I am…" Ron had moaned.
The black claw-like things at the end of Ron's wrists had perplexed all three of them, and the hard coating on his back had done no help. But it wasn't until Harry's transformation was almost complete and Hermione had discovered a mysteriously golden/blue tail was Ron's creature uncovered. The black, pincer-like claws, the extra appendages, the black shell-like coating…
"Ron. I think you're a spider."
The boy's face paled.
***
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