Quest of the Seekers: Animals Within
Year Two at Hogwarts
Chapter 2: New Year, New Plan
The day to go back to Hogwarts had arrived. Tyler and his family had already gotten his new schoolbooks and equipment two weeks ago. Yenze had gathered his essentials in the trunk leaving Tyler to finish the rest like last year. He packed in his new broomstick, pictures and his new book. He decided to show it to Jacke, Reggie, and Brad like he did with the elemental book. If they could become elementals together then they could certainly do this transformation as well.
Tyler was transported to the platform by portkey with his mom and dad. They gave him hugs and he got the usual caution from his father.
"Remember to be watchful especially with talking to Chaos."
"Sure dad" Tyler said in a tone that made it seem like another boring thing being heard.
"I'm serious Tyler. Lastly, its Solemn remember?"
"Okay dad, don't worry. If I was careful last year then I should do okay in this one. I'll be fine and Pandy will be around if I get in trouble so I could owl you."
He boarded the Hogwarts Express and looked back in time to see his parents apparate (the art to disappear and reappear) back home. Tyler went to the back at the train to meet his fellow elemental friends like every time they boarded the train before. On the way, he saw familiar faces. Zack Moore and Alex Nott, two of his fellow 2nd year Slytherins were in a compartment with some other Slytherins and Tyler did wave them hello but other then nodding their heads to him they gave no other sign he had passed. It was common for members of his house to not pay him a second mind due to his "interhouse friendship" as it was called.
He made it to the last compartment with his trunk right behind him. He put it away after he took the book from it. He hid it under his robes and waited for his friends' arrival. After five minutes of patient waiting, the doors opened revealing a 12-year-old red haired boy- Jacke Walker, Tyler's best friend. He seemed to grow a few inches since he last saw him to be slightly taller than him but other then that he hardly changed at all.
"Hi there Tyler. Its so good to see you mate."
"You spoke my thoughts out exactly. Glad we're together again Jacke."
They went and gave each other welcome hugs. They then sat down and discussed their progress of practicing their elements (careful to do it alone without their parents around) and how much they've improved. Jacke spoke of his summer with his family and how he had gone to Belgium to see the quidditch league match of Belgium vs. Finland. Tyler wished he had gone to see it as well but he had to practice his parselform. He had gotten better with every lesson that he started to get when he got back in June.
Parselform was the writing of Tyler's people. It would look like squiggly lines and symbols to untrained eyes but it was their alphabet. Tyler had thought that this writing was soothing in a way because if his stuff was found then they couldn't read it. He told this to both his mom and Chaos and they suggested that he start a journal for his experiences and thoughts to better let them out. He didn't think it was a good idea because even if he did write them in a writing that no one could understand it still seemed risky to place them in plain sight outside his head.
"Well that's pretty much all I did. What about you Tyler? I know you practiced your lightning powers like I did with my fire powers but what else did you do?"
"Oh I practiced writing in my second language the last two months. I've gotten quite good at it especially since it's in my blood."
"What language is that Tyler?" asked Jacke curiously.
Tyler kept repeating "er" under his breath but then Reggie came in with Brad. Reggie's blond hair looked like it was a little straighter than last time he saw him and he grew to be exactly his own height. Brad looked a like he hardly changed at all. His hair looked a little longer but you wouldn't notice it if you weren't trying to take notice.
"Tyler, Jacke, how are you guys?"
"It's great to see you again. Reggie and I just ran into each other on the platform."
They all hugged each other and soon the whistle blew meaning that the train was pulling out. Tyler thought that now was a good time to show them the book.
"Listen guys. I have a little something here to show you."
"Why do I have the feeling of dejavu?" said Brad.
"Dejavu?" said Tyler and Jacke.
"Muggle term" continued Brad.
"Well here it is."
He pulled 'To Be An Animagus' from under his robes and put it in front of his friends.
"Are you saying what I hope you're going to say?" Jacke said nearly shouting.
"Yeah. If we learned how to be elementals together then why not become animagi."
"What are these animagi?" asked Brad.
"I think I heard my dad talking about them once but I didn't understand what they were" said Reggie.
"Well, I didn't know either until I read the beginning of this book. According to it, Animagi have the magical ability to become an animal at will."
"Wow, that sounds pretty cool." Brad was fascinated at this. "I didn't think wizards could even become animals."
"Yeah they are pretty cool. I should know seeing as how my great grandmother was one."
"She was?" asked all of them.
"Yeah, she was able to turn into a leopard. I only saw here try it once before she died."
"Oh, sorry" said Reggie.
"It's okay. She died of old age and to be honest we were wondering when she would kick the bucket. She always seemed so full of energy you could confuse her with a young women's age."
"Well if you great grandma did this then why not just wait until we learn at the school?" asked Brad.
"They don't teach you how to do this at Hogwarts" said Jacke.
"Exactly, which is why I got this book so we could have a repeat of last year. We had a great time learning how to be elementals together so why not this too?"
"Well I'm in" chanted Jacke. "I really did have a great time last year. I'm up for another one."
"Well this does sound exciting to do. Why not? I would love to see how it feels to be an animal in the wild."
"Tyler...where did you get this?" asked Reggie in an interrogator type voice.
'Uh oh' thought Tyler.
"Yeah. I also find it hard to believe you could keep running into these books Tyler" said Brad suspiciously.
Reggie and Brad had suspicious thoughts on Tyler. Last year, they were also suspicious on how he got the elemental book. He had told them he found it on the floor in Florish & Blotts. He doubted whether that excuse would work on them a second time. He needed to come up with one quick.
"Its...its...a slytherin house secret." That was the best he could do? Why didn't he just say the truth while at it! Well it was at least a half- truth. It did come from the Slytherin House, his house, and it was a secret. Brad broke his thoughts.
"If it's a slytherin secret then why are you sharing this with us instead of Carroway or Regalus?"
"Because...I don't know. I guess it's a feeling. Just don't ask me where I got it, please?"
"No problem here" said Jacke although he was getting very curious himself.
"I guess," said Brad.
"Alright, I won't ask anymore," added Reggie.
"Good thanks. Well anyway, how should we do this? The usual?"
"Yeah. Reggie takes the book and we practice in our cave near the lake," said Jacke.
"Okay let me see it" Reggie said in a tired voice. "I guess I could look at this as more background reading."
He took the book and started to read and it looked like he really got into it. The other three let Reggie read because to interrupt a Ravenclaw who's completely engrossed in reading a big book and you'll wish you hadn't. The cart lady came by and they all bought a few snacks off the trolley. While Tyler ate some Bertie Botts beans, he became curious on how muggles spent their holidays.
"Brad, what did you do during the summer? I'm in the dark on how muggles spend their holidays."
"Oh I just hung out with my neighborhood friends and played in a soccer tournament."
"Soccer?" said Jacke. "Ah right, that muggle foot kicking game, right?"
"Yeah...well we placed in fifth place. That's the best that our district's ever done. We had a little party celebrating our progress. Also I spent the last month with my grandpa for karate lessons."
"What's karate?" asked Tyler, Jacke and Reggie. Apparently this brought him out of his reading daze.
"Oh it's a form of muggle defense."
"Oh" then Reggie went back to reading the animagi book.
"Cool."
After a while of talking and finishing the food, Reggie slammed the book shut.
"Well, that really was interesting. Animagi really are fascinating,"he said sounding fascinated.
"Well" Tyler pushed on.
"Well, we first have to choose an animal that we like and try to make ourselves become. However, it can't be a magical creature like a werewolf or a gryphon.
"Gryphon?" said Brad.
"You'll find out later" Tyler reassured him.
Also to become the animal that we choose we have to make ourselves feel less human by visualizing ourselves as the animal detail to detail. This is what will make us a copy of our image."
"That sounds simple," said Jacke.
"We do have to cast a spell on ourselves you know" said Reggie in a warning sort of voice that he saved when someone was going the wrong way with what they were doing. "It's a transfiguration spell." With that he looked over at Brad. Brad was a "wizard" when it came to Transfiguration. He had the best grades of the year on that subject and helped tutor any of them if they had trouble with the work. He claimed it was his favorite class.
"So I should be in charge with that."
"Yes," said Tyler and Jacke quickly. Brad nodded and with that their new adventure was set.
They sat down a little more and waited for the trip to the station to end. Tyler hated to wait when he was on the way to something and that it would take time. Also it was starting to get a little hot.
"Could you open a window Brad? It's getting a little warm in here."
"Okay."
But before he could even open it a little breeze came in and surrounded their compartment. Tyler wondered how a breeze like this could be there with the windows closed and noticed that Reggie had his eyes closed and looked like he was trying to remember something.
"Thanks Reggie."
"No problem."
"I see you gotten the hang of your new power," said Brad looking impressed.
"Yeah, did you think that you three were going to be the only ones practicing with your new power."
"Funny," said Jacke. "I seem to remember that you weren't completely in on our little transformation."
"Well I might have thought it was a bad idea from the start but I've grown to love my new power. Let's see your water power Brad."
Brad conjured water spheres around him, which he launched at his friends. Tyler thought it was weird that water hit him but he didn't get wet, he got a chill but not wet. Tyler then remembered that their conjured elements didn't have full effect on living things unless the spirit of the earth thought they were worthy, which still didn't make sense to him. Only the elements that they manipulated would be like that. That trail of thought made something dawn on Tyler.
"Hey guys, I just thought of something."
"A slytherin that just thought of something. That can't be good," said Jacke in a mock scary voice.
"Ha Ha, very funny Jacke. I was just going to say if you guys think Professor Dumbledore found someone to fill in the Defense Against the Dark Arts job?"
"Who knows?" answered Brad shrugging his shoulders. "I don't think there would be too many lining up for that job seeing as how no one but us knew what had happened to the real one."
Reggie gave Jacke and Tyler serious looks and Jacke gave out a breath.
"How many times do we have to say we're sorry."
"I didn't say a thing."
"Like you had to."
A voice then rang out announcing that they reached Hogsmeade Station. It was time for the young wizards to return to Hogwarts to start their second year.
...
End of Chapter 2
Author Notes:
Well that ends their ride on the train. On the subject of parselform writing. I got to thinking, Parseltongue is just another language and like any language it's got to have writing. So I decided to create that for Tyler. I have to say that out of all my characters that I have invented I have to say Tyler is my favorite with Jacke bringing up the rear. About Tyler's alibis, I'll guarantee you they won't last forever. On the subject of their animal forms, I have already planned a form for each of them that I think suits them fine. If you want to guess then I'll have to disappoint you by saying that they are obvious forms.
The next chapter is coming up which is called "Professor Arnold". It's about, yes you guessed it, a new teacher called Professor Arnold. Also Tyler will be reunited with his other slytherin buddies minus Snape. A lesson on defense will also be given so stay on alert for the update.
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