Hello! I'm back again with another chapter! But this one will be a bit shorter because I need to manage my homework. I will now do about 1500-2000 words for each chapter and I will update once a week at least. I promise. If I don't then bug me until I do. (Goanna!) And also, I am getting my braces. OH NOOOOOO! I hear it hurts. But back to the story!

Harry awoke with a start. Seeing the familiar curtains around his bed that could only mean he was in the Hospital Wing, he groaned. He regretted what he had done to Malfoy, even though he had been provoked. He knew that he should not have lost his temper, and that he had a very serious talking-to as soon as he was recovered. Ignoring the dull throbbing in his head, he sat up. He hissed in pain and immediately regretted it when a sharp pain shot up through his wrist and up his arm. He quickly supported himself using his other hand (thankfully, his wand hand) and gingerly lifted his injured wrist. It was wrapped in a cast and he knew immediately it was broken. Oh, joy. He thought. Shifting his position on the bed so he could lean against the bedpost for support, he leaned over and grabbed his wand off the bedstand. With it's welcomed weight resting in his palm he felt a bit better.

He knew he would soon get bored of staring up at the ceiling, so he quickly cast a Tempus charm, and finding that it was in the afternoon, decided it would be best to tell his friends that he was awake. He closed his eyes and calmed his breathing. Thinking of the last time he had seen them, laughing with their jokes, and flying through the air on his broom, he uttered the well practised spell. With a burst of magic his stag leapt out, illuminating the dim, closed off space. Harry opened his eyes again, feeling the atmosphere suddenly lighten a bit. He let his patronus play around for a minute. It had not gotten a lot of excersize lately as his relatives couldn't stand magic anywhere near them. He had gotten quite close to it and cared for it often because it had saved his life on multiple occasions- without it he would probably be in the hands of a crazy lunatic (Voldemort) and the wizarding world would probably be doomed right now.

He flicked his wand and his stag turned its attention back to him, waiting eagerly for orders.

"Tell Hermione and Ron that I'm okay, please." Harry commanded. It nodded and turned around, passing through the walls of Hogwarts as easily as if it were an illusion. Harry only had to wait for a few minutes before his concerned friends charged into the Hospital Wing earning more than one glare from Madam Pomfrey. He was immediately pelted with questions from Ron and scoldings from Hermione. They spoke all at once, not waiting for the other to finish before starting themselves.

Ron quickly rushed to him. "Harry, mate, are you all-"

"Why did you do that, Harry? You know-" Hermione cut in, joining her red-haired friend beside Harry's bed.

Ron scowled at her. "Hermione! As I was asking, Malfoy looked pretty beat-"

"It was such a bad example, do you know how hard we had to work to keep the whole school from knowing?" Harry ducked his head. She had a point there- it was only the first day of school, and what would the rest of the year act like to their partner if the two Head Boys couldn't even avoid a fight? What would the whole school think when the half-famous rivalry between former Death Eater Draco Malfoy and war hero Harry Potter didn't get better, if worse, after the hard-fought war? Harry was thankful that he had such caring friends. No doubt if word got out it would be all over the papers. He could almost imagine the front page now, Harry Potter attacked by Draco Malfoy? even worse, he would have reporters swarming over the school asking for interviews. He shuddered. One would have thought that the wizarding world would stop obsessing over him once he fulfilled his fate. But instead, he was still treated like a celebrity.

Smiling slightly, he apologized. "I know, guys, I'm sorry. I just lost my temper. It won't happen again, I promise." Hermione sighed.

"Well, since we could hear Malfoy taunting you, we managed to convince McGonnagal to not give you detention. She did take 5 points from Gryffindor and Slytherin, though." Ron nodded.

"But Harry, what I don't understand is why you had to punch Malfoy like that. Believe it or not," Hermione made a face and grimaced,"It's only the first day back and no matter how much he deserves it, you ought to not have started the fight."

"I know, Mione, but he stole my quill and he wouldn't give it back." Harry sighed. "You know, the one that gives you suggestions and corrects your spelling mistakes? The one that Sirius gave me for my birthday?"

Hermione gave him a pained look. Even Ron was looking at him funnily. "What?" Harry asked.

Hermione just sighed again. "Harry, are you a wizard or not?" Her words took a while to sink in and when they did he groaned and put his face into his hands. A simple summoning charm would have prevented the fight between Malfoy and him. He apologized profusely and, satisfied, Hermione continued.

"And I also asked Dumbledore about-" She lowered her voice." Us becoming Animaguses. He thought it was a brilliant idea and we would also have an extra escape route if we where captured."

Harry waited impatiently for her to continue. "And so, we were going to start today." She pretended to be angry. "But now we can't, because you're injured."

"It doesn't matter! My wand hand is fine!" Harry protested. He had been in worse situations- he was sure he could handle this. Hermione looked doubtful.

"But it requires lots of concentration and mental strain. Are you sure you can handle it?" She eyed him, watching his response carefully. Harry frowned and nodded. He was not going to let some small injury stop his friends plans. And, to tell the truth, he was honestly feeling fine now that he knew the gossip mill wouldn't be running and that he wouldn't have to sit through an hour of McGonnagal's stern speech.

"All right. Meet me at the Room of Requirement at 10 p.m. then." Hermione told him.

Harry shivered and wrapped his cloak tighter around himself and he crept silently up the many flights of stairs. He was used to night-time wanderings, he was just not used to the chill. He ascended the last two steps and made his way to the seventh floor where the door usually appeared. He checked the time. He was about one minute late. He walked past the place, thinking, I need to go to where my friends are. He turned around and retraced his footsteps, repeating the thought over and over in his mind. As he went past the place a final time a door sprung into place. It was unlike any door he had ever seen before.

It had vines curved over the top, forming a sort of arch. Piles of snow lay in a soft blanket beneath it. A dark sky completed the perfect picture of serene nature. Inside it was more breathtakingly beatiful. Leafy green trees stretched their branched out to embrace the dark sky. A pale moon shone down on the softly falling flakes of snow. Stars glittered cheerfully above him and Harry drew in a deep breath. The air smelled crisp and clean, of the earthy scents in a forest, of the sharp coldness after freshly fallen snow, except better, all mixed together. Freedom.

Harry slipped his invisibility cloak off and stepped towards a sheltered clearing. He could see four logs placed in a square and the familiar shock of bushy hair that signalled that Hermione was there. He could also see Neville and Ron seated on their own separate logs. Ron looked tense and ready to bolt, whereas Neville glanced around warily at his surroundings. Harry crunched through the snow and brushed flakes off his glasses as he approached. When he reached the only vacant log We must need space for becoming an Animagus, Harry thought, Hermione quickly ushered him to his seat.

"Why where you late, Harry? We need as much time as possible for this. Come on, everyone! Get your wand out! Now, you're probably wondering why the room is like this. When we first turn into an animagus, it is probably best to be in a habitat that is familiar to the animal you take shape in. If you panic too much, you might get stuck." She winced. "Now picture the animal you want to become clearly in your mind. Don't rush this part, it is very important."

All around him eyes closed and Harry did the same. He pictured the muscles beneath the white and black fur rippling with every movement, of the red and grey head as it flicked up at small sounds humans could not even dream to hear. He could almost hear the drumming of its paws as it ran, swiftly and gracefuly across great distances, the low growl as it faced its prey and sprang forward for the kill. He almost didn't hear Hermione's next instruction, too caught up in the yellow-brown eyes of the coyote as it raised its head to challenge its enemy.

"Now keep your eyes closed and point your wand at the middle of the clearing, and repeat after me, factus est in animali!"

"Factus est in animali!" Four voices chanted. A russet coloured light shot out of Hermione's wand, followed by white from Neville, silver from Ron and gold from Harry. All four shook from the force of the spell. Harry felt a portion of his magic stream out of his want and gasped, opening his eyes. The colours swirled in the air, dancing, twirling around each other, when, finally, they blended together in a seamless ball. It hovered in the air and Harry's wand was almost torn from his hands when it exploded, sparks flying everywhere. Four remaining glowing balls shot toward each of their casters. Harry's golden one passed through him and settled in his magical core, joining and becoming a part of him.

Harry's eyes rolled back when the transformation started. His skull deformed and reformes, taking up the shape of a coyotes. His eyes shifted and the initial discomfort becane a searing pain. Dull stars burst in his vision when the pain burned into his legs as they shortened. He fell onto all fours and groaned when his limbs clicked into place. It nearly unbalanced him and as soon as it finished his back straightened and his spine lifted. A scream ripped itself out of his hoarse throat when his back ached and a tail grew. The process was excruciatingly slow and he rocked forward when his hands and feet moulded into paws. An itch broke over his body as fur began to sprout. His hair shrank into his head and regrew in a different colour. It was terrible. It was unbearable. It was worse than a Cruciatus curse.

Harry felt as if he was poised before a huge leap over a chasm that would decide if he would become an animal or not. He swayed and his four legs trembled as they struggled to hold up his body. He pushed off with all of his remaining strength in his minds eye. He sailed toward the other side, almost flying through the air, almost reaching it, almost, almost. He grit his teeth as he thought of his patrons, filling him with warmth and strength at times when he most needed it. It gave him enough mental support for him to tumble onto the other side of the chasm in his mind.

Then his poor soul couldn't take it anymore and he fell into dark, soothing, unconsciousness. Falling... Falling... Falling...

Yes, I know, I am so cruel and uncaring and whatever you was to call me for leaving you hanging on teh edge like that. But please, I have abandoned my homework to finish this chapter. At one point I lost 500 words when the website glitched and I couldn't save my work. Life has been okay. Again, I will update in a week or so if not sooner. Bye!

IceMistyWolf