My name is Harry Potter.
And I am the Boy Who Lived.
For five years now I have gone to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Five years now I have known I was a wizard. Five years now I have known the real reason my parents died.
Five years now I have fled Lord Voldemort's wrath.
For months now I have known why Voldemort wants to kill me. Months now I have I felt more pain in my scar than ever before. Months now I have been praised for defeating the Dark Lord yet again.
Months now have passed since my godfather died and my life has been almost nothing but a black void.
I am the person of a prophecy. I am the one—the only one—who can defeat my parents' murderer. I have been different all my life, secluded from everyone around me.
I sighed and looked out over the dismal lawn. I was at Ron's house, but it had rained non-stop since I had gotten there. We were inside before the warm hearth. No one but the both of us, Hermione, and Ginny was home.
Ron was slumped in his wheelchair, lightly dozing. His legs were healing, but it would be a few months until they were completely. He had to take a potion made of phoenix tears (from Fawkes himself) and unicorn hair mixed into pumpkin juice every two hours.
Ginny sat cross-legged on the floor, playing Exploding Snap with herself. She was oblivious to the rain and wind that rattled the window and the thunder that roared outside. She had big bags under her eyes, as if she had many a sleepless night since the Department of Mysteries. In fact, she had. We all had.
Hermione and I sat on the sofa. Her head rested on my shoulder. She watched the fire through half-closed eyes. I held her hands in my cold ones. Her breath was becoming slow and steady. I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and smiled absently. I laid my head on hers, inhaling the smell of her hair. Mmmm. Lilac.
I used my other hand to guide her chin so that she looked up. She smiled sleepily at me. I lowered my head over hers and brushed my lips against her cheek. She sat up straighter and put her lips on mine. I leaned into the kiss, fiery passion burning through my veins. Her eyelids fluttered, gently brushing my cheek.
"I love you," she whispered in my ear, sending a thrill down my spine.
"Me, too," I whispered back.
We went on for about another five minutes. I'm sure no one wants to hear details.
Suddenly, there was a loud bang and pop that sounded as if it came from somewhere near my chest. Hermione and I sprang apart with identical yells of shock and surprise. Ron, jerked out of his sleep, whipped out of his wand and Ginny surged to her feet, looking panicked.
The sound rang through the air again. I stared around in confusion, and then fished in my shirt for the necklace that connected me to the Animorphs. I yelped when I pulled it out, for it was shining so brightly it hurt my eyes.
Hermione took over then. She unlatched the necklace and threw it. It flew a few feet and then stopped in midair, as if it were around some invisible person's neck. The air around it shimmered. I squinted at it. A head—Jake's head—formed and the rest of him appeared rapidly. He looked like a solid ghost, or like a colored echo.
He blinked.
I blinked.
Ron blinked.
Ginny blinked.
"Hello, Jake," Hermione said, not looking the least bit flustered.
"Uh, hi," he stuttered.
I ran a hand through my hair. "That was unexpected."
"Did I interrupt something?"
"Did you ever," said Ginny with a snort. "I think they wouldn't have stopped if you hadn't come calling." She jerked her head at Hermione and me. We both blushed furiously. We hadn't known she had been paying us any attention.
Jake looked a little embarrassed. He scratched his neck and eyed Ginny up. "I don't think I know you," he said slowly.
"Ginny Weasley, Ron's little sister," she replied.
"Um, okay," Jake said. He turned to us then, suddenly very serious. "The Yeerks are up to something. I just caught my brother—his Yeerk—talking to someone. I think they're planning something against you. They don't take defeat all that easily, you know."
I narrowed my eyes. "Is Voldemort working with them?"
Ginny and Ron shuddered.
"We think so."
I looked at Hermione. A raging fire burned in her eyes. There was no need to ask her whether she was coming.
"We're on it."
Jake sagged, looking visibly relieved. "Thanks. You have a way to get to us, right? Like, you could fly or something?"
"We'll—we'll—" I stuttered, racking my brain for something to do.
"We'll morph thestral," Hermione said. "It's the fastest way to travel."
Ginny gasped. I glanced at her. She hadn't known we could morph.
"We'll see you then," Jake said. I watched his ghostly arms rise to take off the necklace. He fumbled with the latch and removed it. His form shivered and disappeared. My necklace fell to the ground with a light thump. We all stared at it.
"I'm going with you," Ron said. He looked straight into my eyes, daring me to stop him. "I was left out last time because of the stupid Yeerks. Look what they did to me! They're going to pay for it."
"Ron…" Hermione said weakly.
"No, you can't stop me," he replied, "I'll… I'll ride one of you, if I must. I can ride. Remember the thestral I rode to the Department of Mysteries? My legs may be useless, but I can still fight!"
Well, there was no changing his mind.
"I'm going, too," Ginny said.
"No." Ron retorted.
"Yes, I am."
"No, you're not.
"Am too!"
"Am not!"
"Am too!"
"Am not!"
"Am TOO!"
"Am NOT!"
"SHUT UP!"
I jumped about a foot in the air and whirled around to look at Hermione. Her face was flushed. Her eyes were alight with an almost maniacal glint. "You can both come if it's all that important to you!"
Ron and Ginny looked at each other. I bit my lip to hide a grin.
Hermione left with a quick, "I'll be right back" and returned a few seconds later with a bag slung over her shoulder. It was an odd-looking tote bag made of shiny purple material. "This," she said, setting it down on the table, "is an Infinite Bag."
"Infinite Bag?" repeated Ron.
She nodded. "It can hold anything, of any size." She demonstrated for us by sticking her arm inside. It went straight down, seemingly through the table. She pulled her arm out and said, "We can take our stuff in here. One of us can carry it, Harry. I think Ron's wheelchair will fit in it."
"We're leaving now?" demanded Ginny.
Hermione nodded.
"What—what about my parents?" Ginny asked, looking flustered.
"Leave a note," Hermione said with a shrug.
Ron ogled at her. "A note?" he repeated incredulously.
She whirled on him. "Then what do you propose we do?"
He quailed under her glare. She nodded in satisfaction and returned to packing, which took about a half-an-hour. She was right when she said that it was an infinite bag. It held everything we stuffed in it and could probably have fit more.
Then we all trooped outside into the drizzle. It was horrible out. On top of the rain, it was freezing for June. I shivered and kneaded my scar, which was starting to prickle.
"All right, then," Hermione said when we were some ways away from the Burrow, "We'll morph here. Harry, you do it first and I'll help Ron on."
And that's just what we did.
I closed my eyes and concentrated on the thestral DNA in me. All the fat and muscles I had on my body seemed to disappear. I shuddered as I saw my skin sag on bones. It tightened as I watched, just as my skin rippled and became course black hair. My eyes moved—seriously, they just moved—to the sides of my head just has my whole face bulged outwards. My eyeteeth grew into long fangs that extended past my chin.
My spine cracked and writhed, forcing me down onto hands that were solidifying into hooves. Leathery black wings sprouted from my back. I grew several sizes larger. My clothes had long since melted into the morph.
When the morph was completed, the instincts whispered at the back of my mind. I quickly pushed them away and eyed my surroundings. It was my first time in this morph.
Ron and Ginny looked straight through me. Ron had been in the Yeerk Pool during the battle, true, but he hadn't actually seen someone die. Ginny hadn't even been there at all.
Okay, I said, shifting on my hooves, I'm ready.
"It'd be good if we could see him," Ron complained. Hermione rolled her eyes, pointed her wand at him, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa." He yelped when he rose into the air. Hermione—who had seen people killed—guided him over to me and settled him across my back. I blinked my white eyes and turned my head to look at him. He stared right through me.
Then Hermione morphed and helped Ginny onto her back.
"Ready when you are," Ron said, clutching my neck tightly.
Right then, I said, and flapped my great, bat-like wings. I rose into the air and again the thrill of flight sang in my bones. I used the thestral's instincts to point me in the right direction and took off, followed immediately by Hermione.
We were off to our next great adventure.
A/N: Bwuahahaha! Chapter 2!! I was afraid I wasn't going to finish this 'un this week. Aaah, well. Thanks to all those who have reviewed. I hope to make this as good—and maybe better—than the first one. I've greatly improved my writing skills since then (as I hope is obvious). Sorry if Hermione's character was a little off this chapter. Me fixit!! Stay tuned for "Chapter 3: Arriving in Style (Rachel)"!