Unicorn Child
~*~
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter! I do own Serenity, Stardust and the other unicorns, as well as Rex and Crawx and the whole forest council!!! And I own the plot! ^_^
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Chapter 3
The Language of the Forest
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"bla bla" = human speech
*bla bla* = unicorn speech
~bla bla~ = language of all forest animals
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Harry sat on the unicorn's back, looking around with wide eyes. He couldn't believe that this was happening! All his life, the Dursleys had told him that there was no such thing as magic. That there were no witches and wizards, no phoenixes or unicorns. That fantasy was something bad, senseless wisps of smoke bred in the minds of old women or imbeciles.
They had tried to forbid him to dream by treating him like a slave, but had not succeeded. Harry of course, being four years old, had never stopped dreaming up worlds of fantasy and bliss, carefully hiding them from his relatives. Harry smiled defiantly. If the Dursleys could see him now! Riding on the back of one of those supposedly non-existing creatures- a unicorn! But then, Harry remembered sadly that the Dursleys were dead.
True, he hadn't liked them, but still, he never wanted them to die! Before Harry could prevent it, a small tear had escaped his left eye and was running down his cheek. Harry wiped it away angrily. This was all over now, he decided. He would never go back to the horrible humans.
Serenity sensed the sudden mood change in the little cub and snorted, sadly. The poor child had been through so much even though he was still so young!
Suddenly, Serenity heard something in the bushes in front of them. She stopped dead and stood perfectly still, scenting the wind. Harry, on her back, seemed to understand that he needed to be silent and didn't move.
They stood like that for a while. Serenity caught a familiar smell..... there was a small 'crack'..... and then, Stardust, Serenity's oldest son, stepped out of the woods. Serenity breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed. Stardust walked over to the two of them and nuzzled his mother's cheek in greeting.
*Hello, mother!* he greeted, smiling at her as good as a unicorn could smile. *Who is the little human on your back?*
Serenity jumped slightly. She had almost forgotten about Harry, so light and silent the child was. *That, Stardust, will be explained as soon as we reach the unicorn's den,* she said. Stardust held her gaze for a few moments, and then nodded. The two of them continued on their way.
Harry, meanwhile, had watched the proceedings with awe. There were more unicorns than one! Maybe there was a whole group living in the forest? Harry studied the new unicorn with interest. While the unicorn he was riding on was a pure, untainted white and had a long, straight horn and rather long fur, as well as clear, violet eyes, the new arrival was a different colour. It was still white, but a strange, silvery shade of white, especially its slightly shorter horn. Also, the second unicorn was a little smaller than 'his' unicorn, and its fur was shorter. And, Harry noticed, its eyes were a brilliant, crystal blue. A strange snort in front of him brought Harry out of his reverie. He gasped.
They had stepped out onto a clearing. A small stream was running through it, willows shadowing the beach. Because yes, there was a bit of sand on the river's edges.
In the back of the clearing, there was a strange looking rock. It was gigantic, and looking more closely, Harry noticed that there was a hole in the rock, big enough for a unicorn to step through. A curtain of ivy masked the cave (because that's what Harry thought it was). They neared the cave and stepped through the softly rustling curtain of ivy—and Harry gasped again.
They had not, as he had assumed, entered a cave, the rock seemed to be some kind of doorway instead. He was now in a huge valley. Mountains that had definitely not been there before were its borders. The valley was full of green grass, trees and plants. The sky in the valley was completely void of any clouds, billions of stars twinkled down upon the three new arrivals in the valley.
But, what shocked Harry most, were the valley's occupants. All over the place, there were unicorns. They were laying on the floor, their sides rising and falling gently. They were obviously asleep. Harry stared at the beautiful animals in awe. Each of them seemed to emit a faint glow, and the very air in this valley seemed pure. Harry was almost afraid to breathe, afraid to taint this wonderful, magical place with his presence.
Suddenly, the unicorn that had carried him kneeled down and turned its head to look at him. Harry understood and slipped off its back onto the wonderfully soft grass. The two unicorns stepped away from him- and then, suddenly, they both reared and screamed loudly. Harry gasped and jumped and curled into a little ball in fright.
He stayed like this for a while, shaking..... but when nothing happened, Harry opened his eyes cautiously. And jumped. While he hadn't been looking, the valley's occupants had assembled all around him. Harry stared around in awe.
There were unicorns all over the place, they were standing in a circle that had formed around Harry. All of them were looking at him. The unicorns' furs were a pure, shining white, silver, or, the smallest ones, gold. Harry noticed that the smallest unicorns didn't even have a horn yet. If it weren't for their fur colour, Harry would have thought them to be horses.
The unicorns' eye colours varied. Harry could see everything from black, brown, grey and blue, to golden, violet and silver. Harry noticed with surprise that none of the unicorns had green eyes, like him. All of the unicorns were glowing faintly, and they radiated such pureness, that Harry suddenly felt very exposed and even dirty- like he wasn't worthy to be in such wonderful creatures' presences.
He unconsciously lowered his eyes in respect. A ripple went through the circle of unicorns. Harry could tell that they were conversing with each other, and it was definitely the oddest thing he had ever heard. The unicorns were producing snorting, clucking, whistling and whickering sounds, their language sounded like the wind rustling the leaves of a tree, like raindrops falling from the sky, like birds singing in the evening. Harry listened with fascination, entranced by this strange language he could not understand.
Suddenly, five important-looking unicorns stepped forward. Harry recognised two of them, they were the ones that had brought him here. The other three unicorns looked very old, their fur was almost greying, their eyes were deep and full of wisdom.
Harry looked at them in awe. They radiated power, purity and- love. Harry vaguely recognised the feeling, though he hadn't felt it in three years. The five of them stopped in front of Harry. Then, one of the old unicorns stepped forward. Instinctively, Harry remained very still, and did not even flinch when the unicorn touched the cut on his forehead with its horn.
Harry felt an odd, tingling sensation and closed his eyes. He could feel the unicorn's presence inside of him. It was in his mind and in his heart, studying Harry's emotions and feelings, examining his every thought. Harry began to feel very exposed, because he knew that he couldn't hide anything from this wise creature.
The search, as Harry called it, lasted for almost five minutes. After that, the unicorn seemed satisfied, because it snorted and stepped back. Harry breathed a sigh of relief. But it had not ended yet. The next unicorn stepped forward and touched its horn to Harry's forehead and began examining Harry's thoughts. Harry sighed and closed his eyes, allowing the unicorn to see his very essence.
After the second unicorn was satisfied, the third stepped forward and repeated the process. By the time the three of them were finished, Harry was feeling extremely exhausted and yawned almost constantly. He was not used to exposing his feelings to anyone and together the three unicorns had taken down every wall Harry had built around his mind and heart in the three years with the Dursleys. All Harry wanted to do now was sleep, sleep, and never have to wake up again.
But then, the big unicorn with the violet eyes that had carried Harry to this magical place stepped forward, and Harry knew immediately that something extraordinary was about to happen. He sat up a little straighter and looked up expectantly at the unicorn. She, for Harry was suddenly sure it was a she, seemed to smile at him, and then her horn touched Harry's forehead.
It was unlike anything Harry had ever felt before. Images and memories that were definitely not his own began racing through his head, and it took Harry a while to realize that those were the unicorn's memories. Serenity. That was the unicorn's name. Harry was dimly aware that while he was viewing the amazing memories of Serenity, the unicorn was watching Harry's life- from the moment when he had been born, up to the moment when she had found him in the clearing.
Harry watched in awe. Serenity had been born eighteen years ago as the first and only daughter of the unicorn group leader. She had been raised as a future leader, learning to take on responsibility early in her life. Harry watched her grow up, watched her fur change from golden to silver to the pure white it was now.
Harry watched in anger and sadness as Serenity's mother was killed by a human who had thought her to be a rabid horse. Harry didn't know what rabid was, and why hadn't the man seen Serenity's mother's horn?
Serenity's mind supplied the answers, explaining shortly what rabies was and that humans, at least the non-magical humans, could not see a unicorn's horn.
Harry watched as Serenity's father was killed in a wood fire two years later, and watched as an only nine-year-old Serenity had to lead the unicorn group.
He watched as Serenity saw her first-born son, Stardust, for the first time, and watched Stardust grow up into the unicorn he had met today. Because Harry recognised Stardust as the unicorn that had met up with them halfway to the unicorn's den. Yes, that was the name of this place.
He watched as Serenity had Starlight, feeling her love and happiness for her daughter. But, only a month after Starlight had been born, Serenity's mate had mysteriously vanished. Nobody knew what had become of him, and Serenity was forced to raise their daughter alone.
Harry watched as, only a week before, Starlight died in a thunderstorm. He felt sad for the little unicorn he never got to know. Then, the stream of images stopped, and Harry was left staring into Serenity's beautiful, violet eyes. He felt shaken. Never in his young life had he experienced anything like this, and quite frankly, Harry was scared.
He searched Serenity's eyes for reassurance, and found what he was looking for.
Serenity noticed the small human cub's insecurity and nuzzled his cheek affectionately. This seemed to calm the small human down. Serenity caught a strong sense of wonder and happiness coming from Harry and noticed with a jolt of both anger and sadness that she was the first living being to show this small child kindness in almost exactly three years.
Her insides were burning with anger when she thought of Harry's memories which she had just seen. No wonder that the child didn't want to go back to the humans, if all of them were like those Dursleys, she couldn't blame him. Serenity shoved those thoughts aside. She had a bond to form right now.
Slowly, carefully, Serenity let her soul and love enter the human child's body through her horn and began to prod at Harry's heart gently.
Harry felt a strange sensation. It was as if someone was trying to enter his heart, trying to break through the natural defences every living being had around his or her heart. Instinctively, Harry knew that Serenity would never hurt him, and he was curious. Slowly, he lowered his defences and let Serenity's spirit, or whatever it was, enter his heart.
Serenity felt the cub's acceptance and smiled. She pushed forward gently, until she had reached the very core of the child's heart. It was pure white, innocent, childlike. Serenity smiled happily when she realized that Cassandra, the wise old rabbit, had been right. Harry was still young and innocent enough to learn the language and the ways of the forest.
Serenity allowed some of her soul to flow into Harry, and took some of Harry's soul with her. Then, she took a deep breath, and spoke. *Hello, Harry.*
Harry gasped in shock when he could suddenly understand what the unicorn was saying. He hadn't been able to understand a single word before! And now, Serenity was talking to him.
"How- how did you do that?" Harry asked, shocked and awed. But it didn't come out in the unicorns' language. Instead, he spoke in human tongue. Harry felt disappointment wash through him. Maybe he had only imagined Serenity speaking to him-
*Do not be afraid , Harry,* The voice came again. *You cannot talk to me yet, but you can understand what I am saying. I am going to teach you the language of the unicorns, you are going to be able to talk in no time.*
Harry gaped, awed, at the unicorn leader. "Wow....." he muttered softly. Suddenly, Harry realized just how tired he was. He couldn't suppress a huge yawn. Serenity seemed to smile at him. *Sleep now, little one,* she whispered, nuzzling Harry again, *It's late. I will talk to you in the morning.*
With that, Serenity stepped back and lay down in the grass beside Harry. The other unicorns followed suit, returning to their sleeping places. Harry watched in awe as the beautiful animals scattered in the valley, their faint glow bright enough to rival the twinkling stars above. Harry suddenly felt quite alone. It was dark, and silent, and even though the unicorns were here, Harry felt strangely left out-
*Come here.* Harry turned around to find Serenity looking at him. Desperate for some kind of comfort, Harry crawled over to the unicorn and looked at her questioningly. Serenity made an unmistakable gesture with her head and Harry smiled, happily. He snuggled down beside Serenity, laying his head on one of her front legs. Serenity nuzzled his cheek once more, and Harry felt a wonderful warmth inside of him.
All of his fears and worries and bad memories were suddenly forgotten, and with a happy sigh, and a last look at the stars, Harry closed his eyes and fell asleep.
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Harry woke up to something soft prodding him gently. He moaned and turned over. The soft thing prodded him again, and Harry opened his eyes, slowly. His heart skipped a beat. It had been real! There was a unicorn standing beside him, prodding him with its nose. Harry recognised Serenity.
*Good morning, Harry!* Serenity said cheerfully, smiling down at Harry. Harry smiled at the way she spoke his name. It sounded like a combination of a snort and a whistle. Harry tried to imitate it, but failed hopelessly. He collapsed to the floor in a fit of giggles.
Serenity smiled when she listened to Harry try to pronounce his own name in unicorn language. Oh yes, the child would learn eventually. She prodded Harry again and the giggling child got up. *Follow, me.* she said and turned to lead the way to some bushes in the back of the valley.
They were full of strange, red, star-shaped berries. Serenity had once asked her grandfather about those berries, and the old unicorn had smiled, wisely. ~Ah, Serenity,~ he had said, ~Those berries are a gift to us from the great unicorn himself. They grow nowhere else in this forest, probably nowhere else in the world. They have been here as long as us unicorns, and when the last unicorn in this forest dies or leaves, the starberries will go with it.~
Serenity smiled sadly. She hoped that the time when the unicorns would die out or would have to leave this forest, her home, was very far away. They had reached the bushes. Harry was staring in awe at the berries growing on them. They were almost as big as his palm, red, and star-shaped. Harry had never seen anything like that in his (admittedly short) life.
Serenity nudged Harry when she realized that the cub wasn't going to eat. *Go on, Harry,* she smiled, *Starberries aren't poisonous. Trust me, you'll like them!* Harry approached the starberries hesitantly. He reached up and plucked one from its branch. Immediately, there was a faint 'pop', and another berry grew in the place of the berry Harry had just taken.
"Wow," Harry muttered, impressed. He hesitantly brought the starberry to his mouth and took a small bite. It tasted incredible! The berry was sweet, juicy, and tasted faintly like strawberry. Harry grinned and ate the rest of the berry quickly, ignoring the juice that was running down his chin and onto his clothes. He quickly got another berry and devoured it, and then another.
But after the third berry, Harry realized that he couldn't eat anymore. The berries were very filling. Serenity snorted disapprovingly when she saw what a mess Harry was. The child's face was smeared with red, his fingers were sticky with juice, and his already torn and bloodstained clothing was soaked. She shook her head.
*Come on, Harry,* she sighed, *Let's get you cleaned up.* Harry followed Serenity obediently out of the valley and to the river he had noticed the evening before. Once there, Serenity nudged him in the direction of the river. Harry looked at her puzzled. What did she want? *A bath, Harry,* Serenity said patiently, *You need to take a bath.*
Harry looked at the river uneasily. The current was gentle and it was not very deep, Harry could easily stand in there. But it looked so cold! But Serenity nudged him again and Harry slowly shed his clothing. Then, he climbed into the water. It was freezing. Harry gasped for air for a moment. Then, he took a deep breath and dived under water. He washed himself as quickly as possible, until all the blood and starberry juice was off.
Then, he practically shot out of the water. But it wasn't much better there, a small breeze was rustling the trees, and Harry noticed that his skin was beginning to turn blue. His teeth were chattering and he was shaking uncontrollably. Serenity eyed him with worry. What was wrong with the cub? And then it dawned on her. She could have hit herself!
*I'm sorry, Harry!* she exclaimed. *I forgot that you humans don't have your own fur. Wait, I'll get you one!* Serenity quickly ran to the edge of the clearing and plucked off a leaf from a bush. Then, she carried it back over to Harry and put it on the shivering child's head. Serenity closed her eyes and willed the leaf to take the form of Harry's body. She touched her horn to the leaf and could feel the magic begin to work.
Harry abruptly stopped shivering. He felt very warm. Harry looked down on his body and gasped. He was wearing the strangest clothes he had ever see. They seemed to be made of leaves, but felt extremely comfortable. He was wearing some kind of light green sweater, with a hood, and a pair of dark green trousers. Around his waist, there was a single branch of ivy acting as a belt. Harry giggled, those were definitely he best clothes he had ever owned!
"Thank you!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around Serenity's neck. Serenity nuzzled Harry's cheek and smiled. She could guess what the child had just said. *It's pronounced Thank You, Harry.* she said. Harry stopped and tried to imitate the strange language of the unicorns. Serenity had to admit that he was getting better. What Harry managed to say sounded like 'Thankou', or 'Thanyu', but he was definitely close. *Thank You.* Serenity said again, very slowly.
*Thank You.* Harry said. Then, realizing that he had done it, Harry giggled happily and hugged Serenity again. *That's it, Harry!* Serenity cried excitedly, *You've got it!* Harry laughed happily. *Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!* he giggled and let himself plop down to the floor, clutching his sides from all the laughter. He had never felt this happy and proud in his life before!
Suddenly, there was a strange whistling sound in the air. Serenity looked up sharply and saw- Crawx, the king of the crows and ravens. Crawx swooped down beside Serenity, but he was not looking at her. He was eyeing Harry with no little amount of malice. ~Crawx,~ Serenity greeted coolly. She had not forgotten Crawx' suggestion to leave Harry to die from the day before.
~Serenity,~ Crawx nodded back, not taking his eyes off Harry for a second. Harry had realized that something was wrong. He was sitting on the floor quietly, holding Crawx' gaze calmly. Crawx was clearly angered by Harry's lack of reaction, but judging by the innocent and curious expression Harry was wearing, he had not seen that.
~So,~ Crawx croaked, ~This is the famous Harry Potter, defeater of Lord Voldemort. Doesn't look very tough to me.~ Serenity snorted angrily. ~He's a small child, Crawx,~ she said sharply, ~Leave him alone!~
~Alone?~ Crawx laughed maniacally. It was a truly disconcerting sound. ~I will leave him alone, for now. But remember what I said, Serenity,~ he sneered at the unicorn leader, ~This human child will be the death of us yet! One day, you are going to regret raising him!~ And with that, Crawx let out an ear-splitting scream and took off.
Serenity was fuming with anger. She reared, as if she could hit Crawx with her hooves, and snorted angrily. She couldn't stand that crow! After she had calmed down a bit, Serenity noticed Harry watching her nervously. She sighed and nuzzled the small human's hand gently. *Don't worry, Harry,* she said reassuringly. *Crawx won't hurt you.*
Harry looked a lot calmer. He tried to pronounce the word *Harry*. Serenity smiled at his first attempts and said it again, slowly. It took Harry a while, his name was rather complicated in unicorn language, but eventually he managed. They continued like that. Serenity was teaching Harry how to pronounce the words correctly, and Harry learned at an amazing speed.
By the time the unicorns and Harry had lunch, Harry could already converse a little with the other unicorns. Harry loved learning this new language. He discovered that it was rather simple, while the unicorns did have words for the different persons (I, you, he and so on), they only had one verb form for all persons. And since Harry was only four yeas old, he learned the unicorn language at an incredible rate.
After lunch, however, even Harry had enough of learning. He decided to try out his new skills. *Serenity?* Harry asked. Serenity beamed down at Harry. *Yes, Harry?* *I-* Harry paused, trying to think of a way to say what he wanted with his limited vocabulary. *I not want learn-* Harry tried. Serenity frowned. *Do you mean that you want to take a break, Harry?*
Harry smiled in relief. *Yes!* he said quickly. Serenity smiled and nuzzled Harry's cheek. *Of course, Harry,* Serenity said, *But don't go too far. Remember, you cannot speak the language of all forest animals yet, and not even the language of the unicorns. You can only understand me because of the bond we have. Alright?*
Harry nodded earnestly. *I not go far.* Serenity had to fight back a chuckle. Harry had the cutest way of saying what he wanted! Granted, he had only started learning unicorn language this morning. Serenity was proud of him.
Harry grinned happily and started to walk away from the clearing and the unicorns. He wasn't afraid of the forest now that it wasn't dark anymore, in fact he had always rather liked trees. Being a careless four-year-old child, Harry quickly forgot his promise to Serenity and went deeper and deeper into the forest.
The forest fascinated him. Most of the trees around him seemed to be very old, and when Harry stopped and stood very still form a moment, holding his breath, he imagined that he could hear them whispering. A strange energy seemed to emit from everything in this forest, Harry noticed. It was- magical. Harry couldn't think of a better word to describe this feeling.
Whistling softly to himself, Harry stepped out into another clearing- and stopped. He recognised this place. He had been there the evening before after Serenity had found him. There had been many animals around at that time. Now, Harry was alone. Well- not quite alone. There, at the end of the clearing, stood a very old tree. Harry didn't know what kind of tree it was, but he felt almost sure that it was an oak.
Harry felt drawn to the oak somehow, and cautiously approached the old tree. It was surrounded by a strange aura- pure, pulsing life, Harry realized. His breath hitched in his throat as he slowly raised a hand and laid it onto the rough bark. His hand suddenly began to feel very warm, and Harry had the feeling that the old oak was welcoming him.
~You have been accepted by the old oak. This is very rare.~ Harry gasped and whirled around. Standing behind him was a wolf. Harry recognised it from the evening before. He backed away a bit, but his back hit the tree. Harry was trapped. He gulped.
Rex approached the tree. The human cub seemed to be afraid of him. ~Don't be afraid, child,~ Rex said reassuringly, ~I won't hurt you.~
Harry pressed his back to the old oak. He didn't understand what the wolf was saying. And even though it seemed to be friendly, all of Harry's instincts were screaming at him to run!!! and never come back here.
Rex sighed when he realized that the human cub could not understand him. Of course not, he admonished himself. He had only come into the forest the day before. Even though Serenity was a good teacher, she couldn't have possibly taught him to talk yet! Rex frowned. He needed to communicate with the cub! And suddenly, he had an idea.
There was a legend that sometimes, just sometimes, when the old oak accepted a living being, it would also grant them a wish. Rex had never heard of a story that proved this legend to be more than, well, a legend, but he thought that it couldn't hurt to try. He approached the oak cautiously and bowed deeply.
~Wise oak, please grant me permission to speak.~ Rex said calmly. There was a moment of silence, then the oak responded. ~Speak, Rex, king of the wolfs!~ It commanded in its low, rumbling voice. Rex noticed that Harry had jumped away from the old oak in shock.
~Wise oak,~ Rex began. ~I once heard of a legend saying that sometimes, when you accepted a living being, you would grant the being a wish.~ Rex paused, but the old oak did not say anything. Rex took a deep breath and continued. ~Am I correct in assuming that you accepted this little human cub, Harry Potter?~
The oak did not say anything, but it tilted its branches in what was unmistakably a nod. ~Wise oak,~ Rex said, ~Would you grant Harry Potter a wish?~ This time, the old oak did not react at first. Then, a thin branch slowly crept down and touched Harry's cheek.
Harry flinched slightly when the tree touched his face, but instinctively stayed quiet and still. He had a feeling that something very important was going to happen soon. He could feel a gentle prodding in his mind, and let the oak's spirit in. It was like the evening before with the unicorns, Harry realized. The oak seemed to look at his very core.
After a few minutes, the tree seemed satisfied and pulled back its branch. ~The human child will be granted a wish.~ The old oak said calmly. Rex released a breath that he hadn't even noticed he had been holding before. He felt a smile spread across his face. ~Wise oak,~ Rex said, ~since the Potter cub does not speak our language yet, could I speak for him?~ The old oak seemed to consider this for a moment, and then nodded. ~Speak, Rex.~
Rex took another deep breath. ~Please, wise oak, give Harry Potter the language of the forest.~
The old oak remained silent for a long time. Rex already thought that it wasn't going to answer him at all and made to apologise for somehow insulting it, when the oak broke the silence. ~You are wise, King of the Wolfs. Harry Potter will be given the ability to speak the language of the forest.~
With that, a strange, golden coloured branch began to wrap itself around Harry's chest. Normally, Harry would have panicked, but something told him at stay calm. Something told him that there was no danger. He felt a prodding in his mind again and let the oak in, wondering what it could want now. And then he gasped. Knowledge rushed into his head, knowledge of a language that was totally new to Harry. With it came the information he needed to know.
This, the language he was being taught right now, was the language of all forest animals. The oak was teaching it to him because he, Harry Potter, had been granted a wish. And Rex, the king of the wolfs, had made his wish for him. This kept up for a few minutes, Harry felt like his brain was being flooded with new information. When the oak finally released him, Harry was gasping for air.
He sank to the floor shakily. Suddenly, a shadow fell over him. Harry raised his head cautiously and looked up- into the yellow eyes of a wolf. Rex, Harry realized. This was Rex. ~Are you alright?~ The wolf asked worriedly.
Harry blinked in confusion when he realized that he could suddenly understand him. ~I- yes,~ Harry answered. ~Thank you, I'm fine.~ He added quickly, not wanting to appear impolite. It was the one thing the Dursleys had always taught him. He suddenly noticed how fluffy the wolf's fur looked. ~Can I pet you?~ Harry asked, before he clapped his hand in front of his mouth.
But Rex seemed to be amused, because he chuckled. ~Yes, you may.~ Harry blinked for a moment and then reached up and cautiously ran his hand through the wolf's thick, soft, grey fur. Rex seemed to enjoy himself because he shut his eyes and allowed Harry to pet him for a while. He liked this human cub, Rex decided, as he tilted his head to give Harry better access to the space behind his ear.
"OH!" Harry suddenly realized something. Rex turned to look at him questioningly. ~I almost forgot to thank you!~ Harry exclaimed. Rex blinked, confused. ~What for?~ he wanted to know. ~Well, for this,~ Harry said earnestly, looking up at Rex with huge, green eyes. ~For the language of the forest.~ Rex chuckled and licked Harry's cheek. ~It was nothing, little one,~ he growled.
Harry turned to look at the old oak. ~Thank you, too!~ He whispered. The tree didn't answer, but somehow Harry knew that it had understood him.
~I need to go now, little one,~ Rex said, ~My pack is waiting for me. And I think that you should return to Serenity as well. She might be worried about you.~
Harry nodded and smiled innocently at the wolf king. ~Ok, Rex, bye-bye!~ Rex laughed a bit and licked Harry's cheek again, and then he left the clearing.
Harry smiled happily after his new-found friend and got up. He realized that Rex was probably right. Serenity had to be worried about him! With a last glance and smile at the old oak, Harry turned and went back in the direction he had come from. He smiled at the trees and birds in the forest and giggled when he saw two young rabbits play.
Harry had never felt this free in his life before and he was happy about his decision to leave the humans. After another five minutes of walking, Harry noticed a butterfly sitting on a flower in a small clearing and crouched down in front of it, watching it. He held out his finger and giggled happily when the butterfly sat down on it.
The peace of the moment was only disturbed when a shrill cry suddenly rang throughout the clearing. ~NOOOO!!!!!!! HELP!!!!~
Harry gasped and jumped up. Who had screamed? ~HELP ME!~ Harry was alarmed. Someone needed help! Without thinking any further, Harry began to run in the direction of the screams.
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A/N: Hehe, Cliffhanger! You'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out what happened.....
As always.....
Thanks to everyone who reviewed!
See ya,
Felinity
~*~
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter! I do own Serenity, Stardust and the other unicorns, as well as Rex and Crawx and the whole forest council!!! And I own the plot! ^_^
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Chapter 3
The Language of the Forest
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"bla bla" = human speech
*bla bla* = unicorn speech
~bla bla~ = language of all forest animals
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Harry sat on the unicorn's back, looking around with wide eyes. He couldn't believe that this was happening! All his life, the Dursleys had told him that there was no such thing as magic. That there were no witches and wizards, no phoenixes or unicorns. That fantasy was something bad, senseless wisps of smoke bred in the minds of old women or imbeciles.
They had tried to forbid him to dream by treating him like a slave, but had not succeeded. Harry of course, being four years old, had never stopped dreaming up worlds of fantasy and bliss, carefully hiding them from his relatives. Harry smiled defiantly. If the Dursleys could see him now! Riding on the back of one of those supposedly non-existing creatures- a unicorn! But then, Harry remembered sadly that the Dursleys were dead.
True, he hadn't liked them, but still, he never wanted them to die! Before Harry could prevent it, a small tear had escaped his left eye and was running down his cheek. Harry wiped it away angrily. This was all over now, he decided. He would never go back to the horrible humans.
Serenity sensed the sudden mood change in the little cub and snorted, sadly. The poor child had been through so much even though he was still so young!
Suddenly, Serenity heard something in the bushes in front of them. She stopped dead and stood perfectly still, scenting the wind. Harry, on her back, seemed to understand that he needed to be silent and didn't move.
They stood like that for a while. Serenity caught a familiar smell..... there was a small 'crack'..... and then, Stardust, Serenity's oldest son, stepped out of the woods. Serenity breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed. Stardust walked over to the two of them and nuzzled his mother's cheek in greeting.
*Hello, mother!* he greeted, smiling at her as good as a unicorn could smile. *Who is the little human on your back?*
Serenity jumped slightly. She had almost forgotten about Harry, so light and silent the child was. *That, Stardust, will be explained as soon as we reach the unicorn's den,* she said. Stardust held her gaze for a few moments, and then nodded. The two of them continued on their way.
Harry, meanwhile, had watched the proceedings with awe. There were more unicorns than one! Maybe there was a whole group living in the forest? Harry studied the new unicorn with interest. While the unicorn he was riding on was a pure, untainted white and had a long, straight horn and rather long fur, as well as clear, violet eyes, the new arrival was a different colour. It was still white, but a strange, silvery shade of white, especially its slightly shorter horn. Also, the second unicorn was a little smaller than 'his' unicorn, and its fur was shorter. And, Harry noticed, its eyes were a brilliant, crystal blue. A strange snort in front of him brought Harry out of his reverie. He gasped.
They had stepped out onto a clearing. A small stream was running through it, willows shadowing the beach. Because yes, there was a bit of sand on the river's edges.
In the back of the clearing, there was a strange looking rock. It was gigantic, and looking more closely, Harry noticed that there was a hole in the rock, big enough for a unicorn to step through. A curtain of ivy masked the cave (because that's what Harry thought it was). They neared the cave and stepped through the softly rustling curtain of ivy—and Harry gasped again.
They had not, as he had assumed, entered a cave, the rock seemed to be some kind of doorway instead. He was now in a huge valley. Mountains that had definitely not been there before were its borders. The valley was full of green grass, trees and plants. The sky in the valley was completely void of any clouds, billions of stars twinkled down upon the three new arrivals in the valley.
But, what shocked Harry most, were the valley's occupants. All over the place, there were unicorns. They were laying on the floor, their sides rising and falling gently. They were obviously asleep. Harry stared at the beautiful animals in awe. Each of them seemed to emit a faint glow, and the very air in this valley seemed pure. Harry was almost afraid to breathe, afraid to taint this wonderful, magical place with his presence.
Suddenly, the unicorn that had carried him kneeled down and turned its head to look at him. Harry understood and slipped off its back onto the wonderfully soft grass. The two unicorns stepped away from him- and then, suddenly, they both reared and screamed loudly. Harry gasped and jumped and curled into a little ball in fright.
He stayed like this for a while, shaking..... but when nothing happened, Harry opened his eyes cautiously. And jumped. While he hadn't been looking, the valley's occupants had assembled all around him. Harry stared around in awe.
There were unicorns all over the place, they were standing in a circle that had formed around Harry. All of them were looking at him. The unicorns' furs were a pure, shining white, silver, or, the smallest ones, gold. Harry noticed that the smallest unicorns didn't even have a horn yet. If it weren't for their fur colour, Harry would have thought them to be horses.
The unicorns' eye colours varied. Harry could see everything from black, brown, grey and blue, to golden, violet and silver. Harry noticed with surprise that none of the unicorns had green eyes, like him. All of the unicorns were glowing faintly, and they radiated such pureness, that Harry suddenly felt very exposed and even dirty- like he wasn't worthy to be in such wonderful creatures' presences.
He unconsciously lowered his eyes in respect. A ripple went through the circle of unicorns. Harry could tell that they were conversing with each other, and it was definitely the oddest thing he had ever heard. The unicorns were producing snorting, clucking, whistling and whickering sounds, their language sounded like the wind rustling the leaves of a tree, like raindrops falling from the sky, like birds singing in the evening. Harry listened with fascination, entranced by this strange language he could not understand.
Suddenly, five important-looking unicorns stepped forward. Harry recognised two of them, they were the ones that had brought him here. The other three unicorns looked very old, their fur was almost greying, their eyes were deep and full of wisdom.
Harry looked at them in awe. They radiated power, purity and- love. Harry vaguely recognised the feeling, though he hadn't felt it in three years. The five of them stopped in front of Harry. Then, one of the old unicorns stepped forward. Instinctively, Harry remained very still, and did not even flinch when the unicorn touched the cut on his forehead with its horn.
Harry felt an odd, tingling sensation and closed his eyes. He could feel the unicorn's presence inside of him. It was in his mind and in his heart, studying Harry's emotions and feelings, examining his every thought. Harry began to feel very exposed, because he knew that he couldn't hide anything from this wise creature.
The search, as Harry called it, lasted for almost five minutes. After that, the unicorn seemed satisfied, because it snorted and stepped back. Harry breathed a sigh of relief. But it had not ended yet. The next unicorn stepped forward and touched its horn to Harry's forehead and began examining Harry's thoughts. Harry sighed and closed his eyes, allowing the unicorn to see his very essence.
After the second unicorn was satisfied, the third stepped forward and repeated the process. By the time the three of them were finished, Harry was feeling extremely exhausted and yawned almost constantly. He was not used to exposing his feelings to anyone and together the three unicorns had taken down every wall Harry had built around his mind and heart in the three years with the Dursleys. All Harry wanted to do now was sleep, sleep, and never have to wake up again.
But then, the big unicorn with the violet eyes that had carried Harry to this magical place stepped forward, and Harry knew immediately that something extraordinary was about to happen. He sat up a little straighter and looked up expectantly at the unicorn. She, for Harry was suddenly sure it was a she, seemed to smile at him, and then her horn touched Harry's forehead.
It was unlike anything Harry had ever felt before. Images and memories that were definitely not his own began racing through his head, and it took Harry a while to realize that those were the unicorn's memories. Serenity. That was the unicorn's name. Harry was dimly aware that while he was viewing the amazing memories of Serenity, the unicorn was watching Harry's life- from the moment when he had been born, up to the moment when she had found him in the clearing.
Harry watched in awe. Serenity had been born eighteen years ago as the first and only daughter of the unicorn group leader. She had been raised as a future leader, learning to take on responsibility early in her life. Harry watched her grow up, watched her fur change from golden to silver to the pure white it was now.
Harry watched in anger and sadness as Serenity's mother was killed by a human who had thought her to be a rabid horse. Harry didn't know what rabid was, and why hadn't the man seen Serenity's mother's horn?
Serenity's mind supplied the answers, explaining shortly what rabies was and that humans, at least the non-magical humans, could not see a unicorn's horn.
Harry watched as Serenity's father was killed in a wood fire two years later, and watched as an only nine-year-old Serenity had to lead the unicorn group.
He watched as Serenity saw her first-born son, Stardust, for the first time, and watched Stardust grow up into the unicorn he had met today. Because Harry recognised Stardust as the unicorn that had met up with them halfway to the unicorn's den. Yes, that was the name of this place.
He watched as Serenity had Starlight, feeling her love and happiness for her daughter. But, only a month after Starlight had been born, Serenity's mate had mysteriously vanished. Nobody knew what had become of him, and Serenity was forced to raise their daughter alone.
Harry watched as, only a week before, Starlight died in a thunderstorm. He felt sad for the little unicorn he never got to know. Then, the stream of images stopped, and Harry was left staring into Serenity's beautiful, violet eyes. He felt shaken. Never in his young life had he experienced anything like this, and quite frankly, Harry was scared.
He searched Serenity's eyes for reassurance, and found what he was looking for.
Serenity noticed the small human cub's insecurity and nuzzled his cheek affectionately. This seemed to calm the small human down. Serenity caught a strong sense of wonder and happiness coming from Harry and noticed with a jolt of both anger and sadness that she was the first living being to show this small child kindness in almost exactly three years.
Her insides were burning with anger when she thought of Harry's memories which she had just seen. No wonder that the child didn't want to go back to the humans, if all of them were like those Dursleys, she couldn't blame him. Serenity shoved those thoughts aside. She had a bond to form right now.
Slowly, carefully, Serenity let her soul and love enter the human child's body through her horn and began to prod at Harry's heart gently.
Harry felt a strange sensation. It was as if someone was trying to enter his heart, trying to break through the natural defences every living being had around his or her heart. Instinctively, Harry knew that Serenity would never hurt him, and he was curious. Slowly, he lowered his defences and let Serenity's spirit, or whatever it was, enter his heart.
Serenity felt the cub's acceptance and smiled. She pushed forward gently, until she had reached the very core of the child's heart. It was pure white, innocent, childlike. Serenity smiled happily when she realized that Cassandra, the wise old rabbit, had been right. Harry was still young and innocent enough to learn the language and the ways of the forest.
Serenity allowed some of her soul to flow into Harry, and took some of Harry's soul with her. Then, she took a deep breath, and spoke. *Hello, Harry.*
Harry gasped in shock when he could suddenly understand what the unicorn was saying. He hadn't been able to understand a single word before! And now, Serenity was talking to him.
"How- how did you do that?" Harry asked, shocked and awed. But it didn't come out in the unicorns' language. Instead, he spoke in human tongue. Harry felt disappointment wash through him. Maybe he had only imagined Serenity speaking to him-
*Do not be afraid , Harry,* The voice came again. *You cannot talk to me yet, but you can understand what I am saying. I am going to teach you the language of the unicorns, you are going to be able to talk in no time.*
Harry gaped, awed, at the unicorn leader. "Wow....." he muttered softly. Suddenly, Harry realized just how tired he was. He couldn't suppress a huge yawn. Serenity seemed to smile at him. *Sleep now, little one,* she whispered, nuzzling Harry again, *It's late. I will talk to you in the morning.*
With that, Serenity stepped back and lay down in the grass beside Harry. The other unicorns followed suit, returning to their sleeping places. Harry watched in awe as the beautiful animals scattered in the valley, their faint glow bright enough to rival the twinkling stars above. Harry suddenly felt quite alone. It was dark, and silent, and even though the unicorns were here, Harry felt strangely left out-
*Come here.* Harry turned around to find Serenity looking at him. Desperate for some kind of comfort, Harry crawled over to the unicorn and looked at her questioningly. Serenity made an unmistakable gesture with her head and Harry smiled, happily. He snuggled down beside Serenity, laying his head on one of her front legs. Serenity nuzzled his cheek once more, and Harry felt a wonderful warmth inside of him.
All of his fears and worries and bad memories were suddenly forgotten, and with a happy sigh, and a last look at the stars, Harry closed his eyes and fell asleep.
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Harry woke up to something soft prodding him gently. He moaned and turned over. The soft thing prodded him again, and Harry opened his eyes, slowly. His heart skipped a beat. It had been real! There was a unicorn standing beside him, prodding him with its nose. Harry recognised Serenity.
*Good morning, Harry!* Serenity said cheerfully, smiling down at Harry. Harry smiled at the way she spoke his name. It sounded like a combination of a snort and a whistle. Harry tried to imitate it, but failed hopelessly. He collapsed to the floor in a fit of giggles.
Serenity smiled when she listened to Harry try to pronounce his own name in unicorn language. Oh yes, the child would learn eventually. She prodded Harry again and the giggling child got up. *Follow, me.* she said and turned to lead the way to some bushes in the back of the valley.
They were full of strange, red, star-shaped berries. Serenity had once asked her grandfather about those berries, and the old unicorn had smiled, wisely. ~Ah, Serenity,~ he had said, ~Those berries are a gift to us from the great unicorn himself. They grow nowhere else in this forest, probably nowhere else in the world. They have been here as long as us unicorns, and when the last unicorn in this forest dies or leaves, the starberries will go with it.~
Serenity smiled sadly. She hoped that the time when the unicorns would die out or would have to leave this forest, her home, was very far away. They had reached the bushes. Harry was staring in awe at the berries growing on them. They were almost as big as his palm, red, and star-shaped. Harry had never seen anything like that in his (admittedly short) life.
Serenity nudged Harry when she realized that the cub wasn't going to eat. *Go on, Harry,* she smiled, *Starberries aren't poisonous. Trust me, you'll like them!* Harry approached the starberries hesitantly. He reached up and plucked one from its branch. Immediately, there was a faint 'pop', and another berry grew in the place of the berry Harry had just taken.
"Wow," Harry muttered, impressed. He hesitantly brought the starberry to his mouth and took a small bite. It tasted incredible! The berry was sweet, juicy, and tasted faintly like strawberry. Harry grinned and ate the rest of the berry quickly, ignoring the juice that was running down his chin and onto his clothes. He quickly got another berry and devoured it, and then another.
But after the third berry, Harry realized that he couldn't eat anymore. The berries were very filling. Serenity snorted disapprovingly when she saw what a mess Harry was. The child's face was smeared with red, his fingers were sticky with juice, and his already torn and bloodstained clothing was soaked. She shook her head.
*Come on, Harry,* she sighed, *Let's get you cleaned up.* Harry followed Serenity obediently out of the valley and to the river he had noticed the evening before. Once there, Serenity nudged him in the direction of the river. Harry looked at her puzzled. What did she want? *A bath, Harry,* Serenity said patiently, *You need to take a bath.*
Harry looked at the river uneasily. The current was gentle and it was not very deep, Harry could easily stand in there. But it looked so cold! But Serenity nudged him again and Harry slowly shed his clothing. Then, he climbed into the water. It was freezing. Harry gasped for air for a moment. Then, he took a deep breath and dived under water. He washed himself as quickly as possible, until all the blood and starberry juice was off.
Then, he practically shot out of the water. But it wasn't much better there, a small breeze was rustling the trees, and Harry noticed that his skin was beginning to turn blue. His teeth were chattering and he was shaking uncontrollably. Serenity eyed him with worry. What was wrong with the cub? And then it dawned on her. She could have hit herself!
*I'm sorry, Harry!* she exclaimed. *I forgot that you humans don't have your own fur. Wait, I'll get you one!* Serenity quickly ran to the edge of the clearing and plucked off a leaf from a bush. Then, she carried it back over to Harry and put it on the shivering child's head. Serenity closed her eyes and willed the leaf to take the form of Harry's body. She touched her horn to the leaf and could feel the magic begin to work.
Harry abruptly stopped shivering. He felt very warm. Harry looked down on his body and gasped. He was wearing the strangest clothes he had ever see. They seemed to be made of leaves, but felt extremely comfortable. He was wearing some kind of light green sweater, with a hood, and a pair of dark green trousers. Around his waist, there was a single branch of ivy acting as a belt. Harry giggled, those were definitely he best clothes he had ever owned!
"Thank you!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around Serenity's neck. Serenity nuzzled Harry's cheek and smiled. She could guess what the child had just said. *It's pronounced Thank You, Harry.* she said. Harry stopped and tried to imitate the strange language of the unicorns. Serenity had to admit that he was getting better. What Harry managed to say sounded like 'Thankou', or 'Thanyu', but he was definitely close. *Thank You.* Serenity said again, very slowly.
*Thank You.* Harry said. Then, realizing that he had done it, Harry giggled happily and hugged Serenity again. *That's it, Harry!* Serenity cried excitedly, *You've got it!* Harry laughed happily. *Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!* he giggled and let himself plop down to the floor, clutching his sides from all the laughter. He had never felt this happy and proud in his life before!
Suddenly, there was a strange whistling sound in the air. Serenity looked up sharply and saw- Crawx, the king of the crows and ravens. Crawx swooped down beside Serenity, but he was not looking at her. He was eyeing Harry with no little amount of malice. ~Crawx,~ Serenity greeted coolly. She had not forgotten Crawx' suggestion to leave Harry to die from the day before.
~Serenity,~ Crawx nodded back, not taking his eyes off Harry for a second. Harry had realized that something was wrong. He was sitting on the floor quietly, holding Crawx' gaze calmly. Crawx was clearly angered by Harry's lack of reaction, but judging by the innocent and curious expression Harry was wearing, he had not seen that.
~So,~ Crawx croaked, ~This is the famous Harry Potter, defeater of Lord Voldemort. Doesn't look very tough to me.~ Serenity snorted angrily. ~He's a small child, Crawx,~ she said sharply, ~Leave him alone!~
~Alone?~ Crawx laughed maniacally. It was a truly disconcerting sound. ~I will leave him alone, for now. But remember what I said, Serenity,~ he sneered at the unicorn leader, ~This human child will be the death of us yet! One day, you are going to regret raising him!~ And with that, Crawx let out an ear-splitting scream and took off.
Serenity was fuming with anger. She reared, as if she could hit Crawx with her hooves, and snorted angrily. She couldn't stand that crow! After she had calmed down a bit, Serenity noticed Harry watching her nervously. She sighed and nuzzled the small human's hand gently. *Don't worry, Harry,* she said reassuringly. *Crawx won't hurt you.*
Harry looked a lot calmer. He tried to pronounce the word *Harry*. Serenity smiled at his first attempts and said it again, slowly. It took Harry a while, his name was rather complicated in unicorn language, but eventually he managed. They continued like that. Serenity was teaching Harry how to pronounce the words correctly, and Harry learned at an amazing speed.
By the time the unicorns and Harry had lunch, Harry could already converse a little with the other unicorns. Harry loved learning this new language. He discovered that it was rather simple, while the unicorns did have words for the different persons (I, you, he and so on), they only had one verb form for all persons. And since Harry was only four yeas old, he learned the unicorn language at an incredible rate.
After lunch, however, even Harry had enough of learning. He decided to try out his new skills. *Serenity?* Harry asked. Serenity beamed down at Harry. *Yes, Harry?* *I-* Harry paused, trying to think of a way to say what he wanted with his limited vocabulary. *I not want learn-* Harry tried. Serenity frowned. *Do you mean that you want to take a break, Harry?*
Harry smiled in relief. *Yes!* he said quickly. Serenity smiled and nuzzled Harry's cheek. *Of course, Harry,* Serenity said, *But don't go too far. Remember, you cannot speak the language of all forest animals yet, and not even the language of the unicorns. You can only understand me because of the bond we have. Alright?*
Harry nodded earnestly. *I not go far.* Serenity had to fight back a chuckle. Harry had the cutest way of saying what he wanted! Granted, he had only started learning unicorn language this morning. Serenity was proud of him.
Harry grinned happily and started to walk away from the clearing and the unicorns. He wasn't afraid of the forest now that it wasn't dark anymore, in fact he had always rather liked trees. Being a careless four-year-old child, Harry quickly forgot his promise to Serenity and went deeper and deeper into the forest.
The forest fascinated him. Most of the trees around him seemed to be very old, and when Harry stopped and stood very still form a moment, holding his breath, he imagined that he could hear them whispering. A strange energy seemed to emit from everything in this forest, Harry noticed. It was- magical. Harry couldn't think of a better word to describe this feeling.
Whistling softly to himself, Harry stepped out into another clearing- and stopped. He recognised this place. He had been there the evening before after Serenity had found him. There had been many animals around at that time. Now, Harry was alone. Well- not quite alone. There, at the end of the clearing, stood a very old tree. Harry didn't know what kind of tree it was, but he felt almost sure that it was an oak.
Harry felt drawn to the oak somehow, and cautiously approached the old tree. It was surrounded by a strange aura- pure, pulsing life, Harry realized. His breath hitched in his throat as he slowly raised a hand and laid it onto the rough bark. His hand suddenly began to feel very warm, and Harry had the feeling that the old oak was welcoming him.
~You have been accepted by the old oak. This is very rare.~ Harry gasped and whirled around. Standing behind him was a wolf. Harry recognised it from the evening before. He backed away a bit, but his back hit the tree. Harry was trapped. He gulped.
Rex approached the tree. The human cub seemed to be afraid of him. ~Don't be afraid, child,~ Rex said reassuringly, ~I won't hurt you.~
Harry pressed his back to the old oak. He didn't understand what the wolf was saying. And even though it seemed to be friendly, all of Harry's instincts were screaming at him to run!!! and never come back here.
Rex sighed when he realized that the human cub could not understand him. Of course not, he admonished himself. He had only come into the forest the day before. Even though Serenity was a good teacher, she couldn't have possibly taught him to talk yet! Rex frowned. He needed to communicate with the cub! And suddenly, he had an idea.
There was a legend that sometimes, just sometimes, when the old oak accepted a living being, it would also grant them a wish. Rex had never heard of a story that proved this legend to be more than, well, a legend, but he thought that it couldn't hurt to try. He approached the oak cautiously and bowed deeply.
~Wise oak, please grant me permission to speak.~ Rex said calmly. There was a moment of silence, then the oak responded. ~Speak, Rex, king of the wolfs!~ It commanded in its low, rumbling voice. Rex noticed that Harry had jumped away from the old oak in shock.
~Wise oak,~ Rex began. ~I once heard of a legend saying that sometimes, when you accepted a living being, you would grant the being a wish.~ Rex paused, but the old oak did not say anything. Rex took a deep breath and continued. ~Am I correct in assuming that you accepted this little human cub, Harry Potter?~
The oak did not say anything, but it tilted its branches in what was unmistakably a nod. ~Wise oak,~ Rex said, ~Would you grant Harry Potter a wish?~ This time, the old oak did not react at first. Then, a thin branch slowly crept down and touched Harry's cheek.
Harry flinched slightly when the tree touched his face, but instinctively stayed quiet and still. He had a feeling that something very important was going to happen soon. He could feel a gentle prodding in his mind, and let the oak's spirit in. It was like the evening before with the unicorns, Harry realized. The oak seemed to look at his very core.
After a few minutes, the tree seemed satisfied and pulled back its branch. ~The human child will be granted a wish.~ The old oak said calmly. Rex released a breath that he hadn't even noticed he had been holding before. He felt a smile spread across his face. ~Wise oak,~ Rex said, ~since the Potter cub does not speak our language yet, could I speak for him?~ The old oak seemed to consider this for a moment, and then nodded. ~Speak, Rex.~
Rex took another deep breath. ~Please, wise oak, give Harry Potter the language of the forest.~
The old oak remained silent for a long time. Rex already thought that it wasn't going to answer him at all and made to apologise for somehow insulting it, when the oak broke the silence. ~You are wise, King of the Wolfs. Harry Potter will be given the ability to speak the language of the forest.~
With that, a strange, golden coloured branch began to wrap itself around Harry's chest. Normally, Harry would have panicked, but something told him at stay calm. Something told him that there was no danger. He felt a prodding in his mind again and let the oak in, wondering what it could want now. And then he gasped. Knowledge rushed into his head, knowledge of a language that was totally new to Harry. With it came the information he needed to know.
This, the language he was being taught right now, was the language of all forest animals. The oak was teaching it to him because he, Harry Potter, had been granted a wish. And Rex, the king of the wolfs, had made his wish for him. This kept up for a few minutes, Harry felt like his brain was being flooded with new information. When the oak finally released him, Harry was gasping for air.
He sank to the floor shakily. Suddenly, a shadow fell over him. Harry raised his head cautiously and looked up- into the yellow eyes of a wolf. Rex, Harry realized. This was Rex. ~Are you alright?~ The wolf asked worriedly.
Harry blinked in confusion when he realized that he could suddenly understand him. ~I- yes,~ Harry answered. ~Thank you, I'm fine.~ He added quickly, not wanting to appear impolite. It was the one thing the Dursleys had always taught him. He suddenly noticed how fluffy the wolf's fur looked. ~Can I pet you?~ Harry asked, before he clapped his hand in front of his mouth.
But Rex seemed to be amused, because he chuckled. ~Yes, you may.~ Harry blinked for a moment and then reached up and cautiously ran his hand through the wolf's thick, soft, grey fur. Rex seemed to enjoy himself because he shut his eyes and allowed Harry to pet him for a while. He liked this human cub, Rex decided, as he tilted his head to give Harry better access to the space behind his ear.
"OH!" Harry suddenly realized something. Rex turned to look at him questioningly. ~I almost forgot to thank you!~ Harry exclaimed. Rex blinked, confused. ~What for?~ he wanted to know. ~Well, for this,~ Harry said earnestly, looking up at Rex with huge, green eyes. ~For the language of the forest.~ Rex chuckled and licked Harry's cheek. ~It was nothing, little one,~ he growled.
Harry turned to look at the old oak. ~Thank you, too!~ He whispered. The tree didn't answer, but somehow Harry knew that it had understood him.
~I need to go now, little one,~ Rex said, ~My pack is waiting for me. And I think that you should return to Serenity as well. She might be worried about you.~
Harry nodded and smiled innocently at the wolf king. ~Ok, Rex, bye-bye!~ Rex laughed a bit and licked Harry's cheek again, and then he left the clearing.
Harry smiled happily after his new-found friend and got up. He realized that Rex was probably right. Serenity had to be worried about him! With a last glance and smile at the old oak, Harry turned and went back in the direction he had come from. He smiled at the trees and birds in the forest and giggled when he saw two young rabbits play.
Harry had never felt this free in his life before and he was happy about his decision to leave the humans. After another five minutes of walking, Harry noticed a butterfly sitting on a flower in a small clearing and crouched down in front of it, watching it. He held out his finger and giggled happily when the butterfly sat down on it.
The peace of the moment was only disturbed when a shrill cry suddenly rang throughout the clearing. ~NOOOO!!!!!!! HELP!!!!~
Harry gasped and jumped up. Who had screamed? ~HELP ME!~ Harry was alarmed. Someone needed help! Without thinking any further, Harry began to run in the direction of the screams.
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A/N: Hehe, Cliffhanger! You'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out what happened.....
As always.....
Thanks to everyone who reviewed!
See ya,
Felinity