Disclaimer; I am only a conduit for the ineffable energies of the Void. The muses whisper in my ears and I put my fingers to the keys. I just wish they'd give me characters of my own so I didn't have to play with other peoples'.
/As always, this is mental communication. /
"Alright you Rascal, come on it is time for your next flying lesson."
"Ok, why do I need more lessons, you already showed me how to use a broom."
"Well aren't you asking your parents to let you come to my school next year? If you are going to claim to be my sister you need to be able to out fly everyone. The Potter family has always prided themselves on being the fastest people in the air. Or at least as far back as I can trace." Harry hoped he wasn't lying; his father was as far back as he could actually trace the Potter family and he'd been a quidditch star too. Oh well, traditions had to start sometime.
"Umm, Harry…" Lucy was no longer meeting his eyes, she seemed ashamed of something.
"What is the matter Rascal?" Harry intentionally used the pet name he knew irked her, trying to bring her out of what ever was wrong.
"I don't suppose you have another broom do you? We didn't mean to… I'm so sorry!"
"Calm down and explain I only have the two of them, but I can buy another if I have to, I can afford it. Now what is wrong?"
"Mother was very excited when I showed her how your brooms worked, she loves to fly fast. She and Lucivar try the Runs every Winsol and this looked almost as fun. So after I showed her how your brooms worked in the air, we kind of took one apart to see if we could make it better."
Harry's breath caught and his face paled.
"Which broom did you take apart, my old one or the one I have been letting you use?" He was desperately thinking 'Please don't say they destroyed Sirius's first gift to me…'
"We used the new one, please don't be angry. We just wanted to see how the craft worked while it was still new and fresh." Lucy was almost crying she was so upset.
"Oh thank heavens! No, I am not mad at you. The new one can be replaced, it wasn't cheap, but it can be replaced. My broom is very important to me; it was a gift from someone very special before he died. I don't have much of his to let me remember him."
"You're not mad?"
"No, it is alright. Remind me later to give your mother a book I have. I have a book all about brooms and how they are made. If you two had thought to ask, this wouldn't have happened, but then again I see you are just like your mother when something piques your curiosity. It must have been four times last week she blew up my cauldron trying to figure out how the potions would be different if we used different herbs."
"Oh, that sounds exciting, was it a big explosion? One time she was playing around and accidentally turned herself blue for a week." Lucy was back to her usual self, giggling over her mother's many mistakes.
"Tell you what; I am still in the mood to go flying. So why don't you teach me to fly your way and we'll continue on brooms after I have had a chance to replace yours?"
Lucy spent the next half hour trying in various ways to help Harry understand how to fly with Craft, or even how to air walk. Harry thought he understood, but he just couldn't seem to grasp it. Jaenelle was still the only one in the Hall who would teach him Craft mind to mind; everyone else was too rooted in the taboo of not invading anyone's inner barriers.
'Ok,' Harry thought to himself, 'I need to visualize wings growing from my shoulder blades, made of craft. The more detail I can visualize the better. Perhaps the ones I will have in my animagus form will work. I've almost got enough detail on them to try for real. Ok, but if I am going to use those, I need to rethink my proportions a little. My bones are too heavy, and my back muscles aren't aligned right. Hmm… Perhaps if I used the charm from my transformation I can make the necessary changes and then use Craft for my new wings. Yes that should work...'
Harry pulled out his wand distractedly and muttered the body morph charm. He started with making his bones more porous and bird like, then strengthened his back muscles a bit, then began thinking of all the other things that would make flight possible. Bones, check. Muscles, check. Rearrange internal organs, check. Decrease mass, check. As he went through every thing in his mind he would need to make this work, he continued on into the other aspects. Then, he visualized the wings sprouting from his back and poured his Red strength into it.
Pain ripped through Harry, he felt as if he were back in front of the Dark Lord, under the cruciartus. This wasn't supposed to happen. Too late he realized what he had done. He was forcing the animagus transformation before he was ready. There was normally some pain experienced in the first shift, but the more imperfections there were the more it hurt. Harry should not have attempted this yet, that much was obvious.
There were only two choices open to him now, or at least so all the books agreed. He could fight through the pain and complete the transformation, or he could get immediate medical assistance before the body morph charm wore off. If he were partially transformed when the body morph charm wore off, that would be all the animagus could ever achieve. Reversing and becoming human again prevented the wizard from any transformation at all. No, in Harry's mind the only way out was through. No matter how much it hurt, he needed to completely become an owl before his five minutes were up.
He never expected to need Daemon's lesson so soon. Harry wanted to lie down and quit, the pain was excruciating, but his determination to follow through with what could be a very useful ability won out. He fought with everything within him and focused on transfiguring his body into that of a snowy owl with green eyes, messy head feathers, and a black lightning bolt on his back.
His vision was swimming and out of focus from the pain when Harry finally passed out. He had done it. He was an owl animagus.
When Harry finally came back to reality, Hedwig seemed very large, but slightly blurry as she cooed and clucked worriedly. She was coddling him to her chest and trying to preen his head feathers into some semblance of order. He saw a ceiling so he must be back inside. There were voices approaching.
"I was teaching Harry how to fly when he fell over and started to scream. I think he is in a lot of pain, do you have the bottle he gave you?" Lucy must be in the hall, and it sounded like she was bringing Daemon.
"Yes, I've got it. I am happy to say it works too. Do you know what is wrong with him?"
"You'll have to come see, he passed out and I put him in his bed."
"If he passed out, whatever happened must really have hurt. Harry is can handle pain better than anyone I've ever met except your uncle and I." He could hear them entering the room now. "Where is he, I thought you said he was here? All I see is Hedwig and another owl. No offense intended to you sir."
"Dad, that is Harry in bed with Hedwig. Didn't you hear him telling grandmother that he was an owl at dinner when he came here?"
Daemon let out a sigh. In a defeated voice he turned back to Lucy. "Go get your mother. Only the two of them could make this kind of mistake. I'll give Harry some of his potion."
Daemon used the bit of craft originally intended for snowballs to pull a bubble of potion close enough for Harry to sip with his beak.
/Oh thank you Daemon. That is exactly what I needed. I am glad Lucy remembered that you had one of my potions. /
/I am as well. Are you going to be able to fix this on your own? This is a bit beyond what we can do. /
/Yes, once I rest and recover some of my strength I should be able to go back to normal. I imagine your wife will want to pepper me with questions now that I finally accomplished the transformation. / An idea popped into Harry's mind. /Well if we are going to have a craft lesson, we mind as well be comfortable. Hold on a second and I will arrange some refreshments. /
Harry brought in a silver plate he sometimes used to chop potions ingredients on, and filled it with some of the Weasley Twin's more interesting creations. A tea pot and tea were summoned and water heated. Harry avoided mentioning anything about the treats.
Lucy and Jaenelle came back into the room giggling. Apparently something about his new state and how he got there was funny to the women.
/Do I dare ask what is so amusing? Please help yourself to some food while we discuss what happened and how I plan to fix it. Ladies, you might enjoy the yellow biscuits. Daemon, I would recommend the square chocolates for you. /
The ladies immediately took his advice and grabbed a biscuit while Daemon reached for a chocolate, never having reason to doubt his intentions. After a few seconds Jaenelle and Lucy were turned into giant yellow canaries. Daemon looked very relieved when he didn't join them.
/Tell me Daemon, what is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you? /
"Well back when I was just beginning to court Jaenelle as a lover I woke up one morning to a nice warm body next to me. Not even bothering to open my eyes, I assumed it was Jaenelle and cuddled close. Eventually my brain realized something was wrong and I woke up to find myself groping Kaelas. He and I immediately agreed never to mention the incident again and he found somewhere else to sleep from then on." Daemon looked horrified to have admitted that and slapped his hand over his mouth.
Both canaries looked at him with open mouths. They had never heard this story. Everyone just assumed that it was impossible to embarrass Daemon Sadi, especially in bed.
'Thank you Fred and George. There is my investment at work. Verita-mints two minutes of truth in a tasty treat.'
/Ok, now that we all have someone else to laugh at, I assume you want to know about how I became an owl and what went wrong? /
Two pops signaled Lucy and Jaenelle returning to normal, though some yellow feathers remained in their hair.
"Actually I am much more interested in how you did that to us."
/Two of my business partners have a gift for making people laugh. They invented a lot of spells, potions, and tricks over the years to accomplish this goal. When they left school, I provided them with some money to start a business bringing their genius to the masses. The chocolates make you unable to lie for two minutes. The yellow biscuits turn people into canaries. The blue sweets make bubbles come from your mouth when you speak. The red ones are the most fun in my opinion; you can breathe fire for a minute. /
With the humor of the situation sufficiently diffused away from his accidental experience as an owl they discussed the pranked treats and possible ways to spread merriment around the Hall. The others were all set to slip Saetan a Verita-mint and listen to any juicy stories he knew, but Harry had to advise against repeating a prank just on principle.
Surprisingly the sweets and Harry's accidental transformation became the leading argument for sending Lucy to Hogwarts. Here was a practical demonstration of some of the things magic could do that craft could not. The jokes themselves were funny, but a creative mind could see how the same principles could be used in other ways. In other words, Jaenelle and Daemon did the exact opposite of what the Weasley Twins did. They reversed the thought processes required to turn useful magic into pranks and saw potential.
On the way to dinner that evening, Harry asked Lucy to stop and let the adults get further ahead. He hadn't learned how to fly in his animagus form yet either, but Hedwig promised to teach him, so he was riding Lucy's shoulder to dinner.
He could sense Kaelas was nearby somewhere, but as always he proved elusive. He wrapped himself in a sight shield too, and hoped to get out of this without being mauled. He had endured more than enough pain for one week.
/Kaelas, I know you are around here somewhere and if you promise to redirect your anger I will give you useful information. /
/Why would I be angry, this is just our training? I must commend you, I too know you are present but I didn't see you even before you hid yourself. /
/Or maybe you just did not know it was I. I heard a most interesting story today. One you would not be happy about. Tell me Kaelas, what was your most embarrassing moment? By any chance does it involve Daemon's bedchambers when he was courting Jaenelle? /
/How do you know of that? /
/Daemon told Jaenelle, Lucille, and I this afternoon. /
/He told? And he told the Lady? Oh dear, the coven will know of this and I will hear no end of teasing. Him too of course, but I won't have to hear that. /
/I thought you deserved warning and a chance to get revenge before the coven finds out. Maybe a good distraction will kill the story before it ever gets started. /
/That would be quite the distraction. What did you have in mind? /
/If I gave you a potion, could you slip it into his wine without him noticing, the High Lord's too? /
/Both of them together? I hope this is worth the effort. /
/Trust me. / Two small potion vials appeared and hung in the air near Lucy.
At dinner, Harry was the center of attention. Aaron who thought them crazy the first time he heard Tersa and Harry at the dinner table made sure to sit closer this time and talk to both of them. Lucy looked bright and happy, with a hint of mischief. She almost ruined the plot by looking at the head of the table too often, but Daemon dismissed it as her planning to spread the story of his and Kaelas encounter.
Halfway through the meal, Hedwig flew in from an open window and dropped a field mouse on the table in front of Harry. Harry was grateful and cuddled with Hedwig in the owl equivalent of a hug.
Sniffles came from the head of the table and everyone turned to see Saetan and Daemon almost bawling their eyes out.
"That has to be the most touching thing I have ever seen. Can you feel the love between them father?"
"I can son. Have I told you recently just how much I love you?"
"Not nearly often enough. Come here, I want a hug!"
If anyone were paying attention to Harry instead of the overly emotional pair they might have heard his message to Kaelas.
/Mischief Managed. /
Hedwig and Harry stood on the balcony rail that night, overlooking the courtyard. Harry was excited, he was finally going to learn to fly. Flying under his own power and without the use of a broom was always a dream of Harry's.
/Ok, I am ready I think. How are you going to teach me? I hope you can explain better than Lucy. /
/I will teach you the same way my mother taught me. What's to explain? / She said as she batted him in the back of his head with a wing. He fell to the ground with a soft thud. /Oh well. If you are still alive, climb back up here and we can try again later. /