My name is Hermione Granger.
And I can't believe what I'm doing.
Which is exactly what I told them.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," I said.
"That was my reaction when Jake told us," Marco said. He picked a leaf off his morphing outfit. "By the way, Jake, we still need that spandex uniform I was talking about. I mean, we don't look like superheroes at all. Look at us! Our uniforms aren't at all coordinated."
"Shut up, Marco, or I'll use you as my uniform," Rachel said threateningly.
"I'm too small," Marco retorted.
She said nothing.
"Yes! Score! Four to one!"
Rachel opened her mouth to say something, but Jake interrupted with, "Both of you be quiet. We'll get caught."
There were only five of us on this "mission", as Marco called it. It was a stealth mission, Jake explained to us, and didn't need the whole team. Jake, Marco, and Rachel were there to see if it had anything to with extra terrestrials, their area of expertise. Harry and I were there to see if it was anything magical.
I pushed a branch out of my face. We were just outside a "nuclear power plant". According to the Animorphs, it actually was housing the Yeerk's latest diabolical plan. We didn't exactly know what was in there, but it had something to do with why we Aniwizards were here.
Harry and I had just acquired flies.
And that's the thing I can't believe I did.
We were going to morph flies and infiltrate the Yeerk base. I personally thought they were nuts, especially after they told me about Yeerk Gleet BioFilter. From the look on Harry's face, he was thinking along the same lines as me.
"Okay, let's morph," Jake said.
I closed my eyes and pictured the fly with a shudder. I couldn't even open my eyes to watch, for fear I would be violently sick if I did.
However, nothing could stop me from feeling what was happening to my body. I felt a stick-like pair of legs burst forth from my chest. I felt my mouth reshape into pincers. I felt two gossamer wings form on my back. I felt hard, black exoskeleton cover my skin. And then I felt myself… falling!
YAAAH!
My eyes popped open. The world rushed up above me. The ground was approaching at an alarming rate. Yet, I could still feel the ground beneath my feet. On the way down, my eyes bulged and became compact, making the world a variety of red-blue-purple television screens.
When the morph was completed, I shoved the instincts in the back of my mind.
I can't believe I just did that, I said. I could barely make sense of the muddle of images that came to me through the fly's eyes.
I can't believe I'm alive, retorted Marco, I mean, I go and fight parasitic alien slugs for a hobby. I don't have a life anymore.
You never had a life, Rachel shot back.
He heaved a mental sigh. Five to one. Does it ever end?
I experimentally buzzed my gossamer wings. I shot off into the air like Harry's Firebolt. I swear, it seemed like I was going 150 miles per hour! I gave a mental shriek and flipped upside down. The ground fell away. This was awesome!
Whoa! cried Harry as he, too, took off.
Follow me, everybody, Jake said, And act natural.
No one questioned him. I was so used to Harry being the leader of the group that I was surprised he hadn't said anything. Well, I thought, we are in Jake's territory.
I buzzed over to the building and hovered in the air. Jake flew up and around the doorframe, looking for some kind of crack or fault in the masonry for us. I flipped upside down and buzzed leisurely around the door.
Aha! Jake yelled.
Find it? asked Harry.
Yup. There's a crack between the wood and the BioFilter on the top. It's a tight fit but I think I can make it through… There was a pause as he worked himself into the crack. I heard him grunt. …And there! I'm through!
I'm next, Harry volunteered. I watched—well, as well as I could watch—in anticipation as he flew away from me to the spot where Jake had disappeared. He wedged himself into the crack and popped out of view.
Harry? I called anxiously.
Silence.
Harry? I called again.
I'm—fine, he grunted. Pause. And—I'm—through!
My turn, I said, buzzing up before someone else could. The crack was very small. I was surprised Harry and Jake had made it through. I hesitated a moment before going into it. Well, if Harry and Jake could do it…
…So could I.
My six tiny legs scrabbled to push my bloated body through. They shook dangerously. The fly senses I kept pushed at the back of my mind exploded with panic, telling me to get out and get out of there NOW. I scowled inwardly and continued to heave myself deeper into the crack.
The crack became smaller, and harder to wiggle through. Now I was starting to want out. The fly instincts clamored at me to go back, and get OUT of the small space. I pushed on farther, and suddenly found myself stuck.
Hermione? asked Harry, in what I was sure was private thought-speak.
Harry, I whispered back. I'm stuck. I—I can't make it.
Yes, you can. I know you better than anyone else does, and I know you don't give up this easily.
Then you know me better than I know myself, I mumbled.
Maybe I do, he retorted, But if you think you can't do this, maybe I don't.
But I can't! I wailed.
Then do it for me, he said softly.
I lapsed into silence. He said nothing more.
What am I kidding, I growled inwardly, if Harry says I can do it, then I can.
I heaved with all the strength in my tiny fly body. I gasped with relief as I flew out into open air. I'm out! I cried joyously.
See? I knew you could do it, Harry said warmly, something very much like pride ringing in his tone.
If I had been human, I would have blushed.
Marco and Rachel got in without trouble. At least, that's what it sounded like, for they continued to bicker the whole way through. Jake sighed.
Okay, what now, Prince Jake? asked Marco once he was out.
Uuuum… Jake said, fumbling for an idea.
How about we follow him? suggested Harry.
I turned to see whom he was talking about. A man in a crisp business suit strode by us. He had neat and trim hair. Two bodyguards flanked him, both carrying guns in the hostlers on their belts.
Yeah, follow him, but stay out of sight. Jake said. Privately, he told us, That's Visser Three.
We flew after him. Jake told us afterward that we were lucky that there were no other Gleet BioFilters in the building. When he finally stopped, we were in a gigantic room and up on a balcony-type platform. It stretched beyond the limits of my eyesight, but I could see the one thing that sat in the middle of the room. Everyone gasped.
What looked like a giant Dracon gun rested in the middle of the room. It was beyond large. How anything like this could be crafted without magic was a mystery to me. If I had had a mouth instead of a proboscis, my jaw would have been touching the floor.
The man—Visser Three—brought a walkie-talkie like thing to his mouth. "Is the subject ready for testing?" he asked in a booming voice.
"Yes, Visser," came the reply from over an intercom.
A door in the wall slid open. Two Controllers came out, holding a harassed-looking man between them. He wore smart black robes that were extremely rumpled from being handled roughly. His wild eyes darted around the room. One glance told me he was a wizard.
The Controllers forced the wizard against a platform. They shackled his hands and feet to the ground. He screamed at the top of his lungs, begging and pleading them to let him go.
Visser Three's face was devoid of emotion. How could someone be so unfeeling? I shuddered.
The Controllers cleared the floor. The door they had entered through sealed tightly behind them. They watched the room from a glass window in the wall.
"Prepare the weapon," the Visser ordered into his walkie-talkie thing.
The big Dracon gun hummed. With the squeal of metal against metal, it shifted downward so that it aimed at the poor wizard on the platform. The wizard screamed louder and struggled against his bonds. "No! No! Let me go!" he shrieked, eyes rolling.
"Fire," the Visser said. It was just a word, a word that rang throughout the room, a word that decided of the fate of the wizard below, a word that revealed what the Dracon cannon actually was.
But I have never been more sickened in my life.
The response was instantaneous. I heard grinding gears. The whole Dracon cannon jerked. A jet of light exploded from the barrel of the cannon. The wizard screamed again, but it was lost in the roaring of the machine. He disappeared from view beneath a tidal wave of light and heat.
The Dracon gun reversed direction. Instead of expelling the light, it began to take it in again. I stared, transfixed by the sight. The thing that struck me, though, was the fact that more light that had been shot out was being sucked back in again.
A lot more.
When the monstrous thing stopped, I focused on the wizard again. He hung limply in his shackles. Groaning, he lifted his head toward the Visser. He shook from head to toe.
"My—magic…" he croaked, looking terrified, "Where's—my—magic?"
"My dear man," the Visser said, eyes dancing wickedly, "It is no longer yours, for I have taken it. It is mine now."
My tiny fly heart nearly stopped beating. A device that took away a wizard's magic? Such a weapon in the hands of our enemy was sentencing us our deaths!
Uuuh, Jake? asked Marco.
Yeah, Marco? replied Jake in a hushed voice.
Don't look now, but I think we've been discovered.
As one, Animorphs and Aniwizards turned to see a hand the size of Hogwarts coming down at us.
AAAAHHHHH!
RUN AWAY!
I LIKE MY GUTS!
WE'RE GONNA DIE!
HOLY HIPPOGRIFFS!
We darted out of the giant hand's way. It crashed against the railing with a world-shattering sound. I zipped away just as Visser Three turned around and demanded, "What are you doing?"
"Visser! There were flies!"
"Then kill them! They might be Andalite bandits!"
The second bodyguard drew his gun and fired at us. One shot narrowly missed Visser Three's head. Another was inches away from hitting Marco.
INSAAAAAAANE! Marco howled, hightailing it out of the room.
"DON'T SHOOT AT THEM, YOU FOOL!" bellowed the Visser, "SWAT THEM!"
We were all ready down the hall. Visser Three started to demorph, shredding the suit he had on. The two Controllers stomped after us.
I spotted the Gleet BioFilter down the next hall we entered. Look! I yelped.
We all turned. No matter how fast it seemed we were going, the Controllers were steady gaining on us. They would be on us by the time we got to the BioFilter.
I pumped my gossamer wings. Just as I reached the crack in the wall, a hand came down on top of me. I darted to the right and wedged myself into the crack again.
That's where our flight ended. My whole body ached. I fell limply in the crack and rested.
Everyone here? Everyone okay? demanded Jake, his thought-voice panting.
I'm fine, Harry said feebly, Tired, but fine.
Everyone mumbled his or her agreement with Harry's statement. We rested for a few moments before we agreed to go home.
But that was when the whole world exploded.
I screamed. If the others did too, it was lost in the roaring all around me. Heat burned my wings and limbs, making them virtually useless. I was suddenly blind. My senses went dead, but I could still feel that horrible heat pressing down on me.
I was burning… burning… burning…
I was seeing gray… gray… gray…
Black.
~*~
My head pounded. I could feel how torn my throat was. Blood coated my mouth. Pain made my whole body throb. My eyelids fluttered weakly.
Someone held my head up and put a cup to my lips. I was too weak to gag on the disgusting liquid that cascaded down my throat. I made a small noise as the pain in my throat was enhanced, then slowly faded away as it healed.
I squinted up at Harry, who gingerly placed the cup of Soothing Solution down beside him on the grass. My head was on his lap. His emerald eyes were wide with anxiety.
"Harry?" I whispered.
He ran a hand down my face. "Yes?" he replied, voice equally soft.
"What happened?"
He thought about this, eyes closed. "They hit the Gleet BioFilter with a Dracon beam. We flew through the air and hit some forty meters away, in the woods. The Animorphs and I were just conscious enough to demorph. You, however… you had demorphed in the explosion. The fire got down your throat and burned your innards. You were unconscious when we found you.
"Marco morphed horse and we took you home slung over his back. I wanted to, but my wand and broom were here and I had no useful morphs. I knew you needed medical attention immediately, but that was the fastest way we could find.
"I managed to heal most of the damage with a potion I found in your infinite bag. It didn't work on your throat, so I used the Soothing Solution I found."
He gathered me up in his arms and kissed me on the mouth. "I was so worried," he whispered.
I stroked his cheek. "Don't worry, I'm fine now," I whispered back, kissing him back weakly.
He sighed in relief and held onto me tightly. "I thought I'd lost you."
"Don't ever think that, Harry," I said, squeezing his shoulders, "You'll never lose me. Ever."
He kissed me again and, as I kissed him back, I prayed with my heart, mind, and soul that I could keep that promise.
A/N: OH-MY-GOD. ::peers through fingers to see the last time updated:: Eep. ::closes fingers, peeks again, and squeaks:: I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to! I got caught up in my original story. I have typed 50 computer pages of it since the last time I've updated this, and I've had writer's block. Christmas is just around the corner, I've had homework, and I've been busy. I AM SO SORRY! I'm trying to get back into writing this! Please don't hurt me!!
I just want to take this time now to wish you season's greetings. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanzaa! Happy New Year! Have a good time sitting around the Xmas tree, menorah, or whatever you people who celebrate Kwanzaa have!! Remember, 'tis the season to be jolly (and forgiving)!!
Present-dazed and in the Christmas spirit, this is Padfoot, over aaaand out!