DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter and all other characters and locations belong to J. K. Rowling.
Chapter 1 - Sleepless Nights
The sun beat down on the thick woods just down the road from the Burrow. A playful wind tossed leaves and set the branches to singing softly while the long grass twisted and turned under its masterful caress. The low crinkle of dead leaves had the stag raising his head and rolling bright emerald eyes while watching the approaching shadow. His muscles bunched as he lowered his muzzle, ears twitching as he patiently waited for the dark form to make its move. With a sharp snarl, a wolf with a thick shaggy coat sprang from the bushes, fangs snapping at the air where the stags hind legs had just been. Growling playfully, the wolf sank back on his haunches and observed the dark stag prancing threateningly before him, its antlers lowered in warning.
A low yip, had both halting their antics and turning to look into the tall grass. Stag and wolf watched with some trepidation as a small vixen with a dark brown coat slid to a stop before them. Panting slightly the female fox glanced over her shoulder and then darted past the pair into the forest, fleeing from some threat neither of the them had picked up on. Shaking his head at her antics, the stag turned and attempted to leap sideways as the wolf locked its jaws in the thick fur of his lower throat. Bellowing in outrage, the dark animal swung a sharp hoof at the offender, knocking the snarling beast loose. Tucking his head, he shook his antlers and-
"Ron! Harry! Hermione! Dinner!" Mrs. Weasley's voice carried across the meadow and into the forest. The red wolf gave a frightened bark before turning and running into the thicker trees with his tail between his legs, following the path the vixen had taken only moments ago. The stag grunted and glided into the woods, head held proudly as he silently paced after the pair of canines.
"Hurry up Harry!" Hermione admonished, her hands working at straightening the blue sweater she was wearing. Rolling his emerald eyes, he allowed the change to settle upon him. The quick warming bite of magic encompassed him before he rolled his shoulders and brushed his fingers through his black hair.
"Mum is going to kill us!" Ron practically wailed as he brushed frantically at the dark green jumper he was wearing, blue eyes peering in the direction of the Burrow.
"Take it easy Ron. As far as she knows we're playing Quidditch and Hermione is reading, nothing to get worried about." Harry soothed, trying not to chuckle at the panic creeping across his friend's face. Scooping up the brooms resting unused on the ground, he tossed one to Ron before glancing at Hermione who was doing a final inspection of the group. A repeated yell had the trio wincing before rushing into the woods, clutching their alibis and brushing evidence from their clothes.
Harry sat cross-legged on the small bed in Ron's room, fingers playing with the bracelet wrapped around his ankle. The chain was a thick silver, strong enough to stand against the wear and tear it experienced while he was running on four legs. Sighing softly, his eyes roved around the room and rested on Ron's snoring form for a moment. The red head was sprawled on his back, one arm wrapped around his pillow while the other cradled a plastic replica of a Nimbus. Harry chuckled before closing his eyes and leaning against the wall behind him. His ears picked up the faint noises of the house, every creak of wood and click of the clock hands. Six more hours and they'd be on the train to Hogwarts again, a journey he had come to adore over the past five years.
His eyes flickered open, and he groaned before dropping his head into one of his hands while the other returned to rub against the charms hanging from the silver circlet. He smiled as he remembered the day Hermione had presented them to Ron and him. Her explanation on what spell she'd used as well as how she'd managed to get everything had been a dull murmur in the back of his head as his eyes had traced the gift. It was a telepathic link bracelet, allowing the three of them to communicate while they were in their animagus forms. She had made each of them one and insisted they wear them whenever they went out in their animagus forms. Harry had immediately taken to wearing his around his ankle, preferring to hide the charms rather then having to answer the dozen questions people asked upon seeing it. Ron wore his on a long chain under his shirt, while Hermione's were held on a hemp bracelet around her wrist.
Harry ran a hand across his face while his fingers played with the silver charms, fingers brushing first the wolf and then the fox. The wolf was Ron's totem and fit him admirably. He tended to be loyal and strong, he also did best while in a pack or surrounded by friends. Hermione was clever and cunning, thus the vixen was a perfect animagus for her. And he, Harry, had taken on the form that his father had once had: the Stag. It had taken Hermione five minutes to inform Harry why he made a good stag. He was strong, brave, proud, and extremely protective of his friends. The list was long but those few were the ones that had stood out the most.
It had taken weeks to figure out how the spell worked and exactly what it took to use it. Hours of practice and the draining of magic had brought all three low at various points in their experiment but it had paid off. Each of them was able to shift their form without a moments notice, allowing them to dodge or maneuver in an unexpected way. It was his ace-in-the-hole as far as Harry was concerned. A low groan had him glancing at Ron and watching as his friend ran a hand over his face before slowly opening one of his eyes.
"Harry, go to sleep already." He grumbled as he rolled over, eyes seeming to glow in the dark for a moment.
"I can't." Harry whispered softly, ignoring the subtle whispering the presence in his mind was giving.
Ron sat up slowly, blankets dropping to rest in his lap as he rested his weight against the head board of the dilapidated bed. "Voldemort?" The question was asked softly.
"No, it's just the stag." He murmured softly, frowning as the animal in him shook its head and bellowed for release. Rather then vanishing completely, the animagus was always present within his mind. Constantly giving its opinion and warnings, the stag was both a distraction and a life saver.
"Do you need to go out again?" Ron demanded, elbows resting on his knees as his hands cradled his chin. He watched Harry carefully as the other wizard chewed on his lip before shaking his head.
"No, I'll wait. Besides the chances of us getting out of here undetected our slim, your mum's probably got spells all over the door." Harry grinned at the look on Ron's face. Yawning widely, he pressed his head back against the wall and peered up at the ceiling. "Go back to sleep Ron. A few more hours and we'll be on our way to Hogwarts."
"Sure mate, just make sure you get a few hours of sleep." Ron muttered, slumping back down in the bed and dragging the frayed blankets over his head. Harry nodded and watched as Ron dropped into sleep quickly, snorting in amusement when his friend unconsciously reached for the model broom. His eyes glanced at the clock resting on the messy night table, five hours and twenty-five minutes to go. Sighing unhappily, he pulled a magazine from the pile resting on the floor and thumbed through the pages, stopping at an article on the pros and cons of the newest brooms. A few more hours and he'd be safe again, with that thought in mind, he settled down to occupy himself until it was time to leave.
Draco nibbled on a fingernail as his blue eyes passed over the maze of trunks and clothes littering the floor. His room was an absolute mess but that didn't matter to him, he wouldn't be the one cleaning it. Smirking at the thought, he removed a black cloak from his closet and carefully considered it before tossing it onto the floor behind him. Shaking his head in annoyance, he stepped over a packed trunk and pulled open a drawer. Where the hell was his silver cloak? Snarling in anger, he roared for his personal house elf. Sighing, he threaded his fingers through his hair and pulled it away from his face, eyes once again searching the room.
"Mother Have you seen my cloak?" Draco bellowed, inspecting his nails while he waited for her reply.
"No. Did you pack it already?" Narcissa's voice echoed around the upper corridor. Growling unhappily, he flung open his closet door and began tossing clothes left and right. The light pop of Lurcy had him whipping around and glaring at the dirty form cowering before him.
"My cloak, the silver one my father gave me. Find it." He hissed, watching as the small creature vanished and appeared a moment later cradling a mound of silver silk. Snatching it, he shook the material out and frowned at a crease in the cloth but folded it carefully and placed it in a waiting trunk. His mother's voice rose in greeting and he tipped his head as he tried to figure out who could be visiting at this time of night.
"Hey Draco." Blaise called happily, pressing the door to Draco's chamber open and stepping bravely into the mess.
"Evening Blaise." Draco mumbled, closing the lid of his trunk and sliding a lock into place. Flicking his wand, he maneuvered the heavy piece of luggage into the pile already waiting beside the door.
"All packed? Or have you perhaps forgotten something?" Blaise asked sarcastically as he flopped onto the bed, shoving aside several books before settling himself against the pillows.
"No, I think I'm done." Draco snorted in amusement, twisting one of his wrists slightly so the gold bracelet resting there slid into a more comfortable position.
"You planning on going out tonight?" Blaise questioned, eyes darting towards the door resting open a crack.
"No, I've got to get organized a bit more. We'll have plenty of time to play once we get to Hogwarts." Draco said, eyes carefully avoiding the gaze of the other wizard. Shrugging to himself, he pulled his broom from beneath his bed and placed it atop the soft black comforter, pushing one of Blaise's dirty boots away from the shining wood.
"Your sure you'll be okay?" Blaise muttered, trying to keep the conversation quiet so no one passing down the hall would over hear them.
"Yes, I'm fine. No claws, no fangs. Perfectly fine." Draco whispered, striding to his closet and pulling his broom bag from where it hung among the fine robes and shirts his mother insisted he wear. Pausing before leaving the small room, he pondered over whether or not he should pack another pair of boots. Chewing his lip, he glanced at the heap of trunks before sighing and shaking his head, closing the door softly before deciding to pack anhything else he probably wouldn't need.
"I see, but if you do need to go out you'll contact Pansy or I? You can't go trekking out alone at night, even if you are a predator in your own right." Blaise instructed, fingers tugging at the front of his shirt as he considered the embroidered cloak resting on the bed beside him. "Can I-"
"Yes I will, and no you can't." Draco stated, not even glancing up from where he was carefully sliding his broom into its traveling bag. "Shouldn't you be at home packing?"
"Nope, mum's doing it for me. She said after what happened last year she can't trust me to pack my own stuff, which works for me because I really don't need the added stress of figuring out what cloak looks best with those ugly boots she bought me." Blaise said cheerfully, his eyes following Draco's movements with something akin to awe.
Draco shook his head and sighed as he set his broom atop the pile and stepped back to admire his handiwork. In the distance a clock began to chime the time, each loud reverberating bong seeming to shake the house. "Six more hours." He muttered softly.
"Yeah, only a few more and we'll be aboard the Hogwarts Express. Do you think you'll be able to control your Tiger once we get to school?" Blaise questioned, serious for the first time this evening. Draco raised his pale blue eyes and smiled at the question.
"Blaise, I promise if I have even the smallest problem I'll tell you. I still don't see why I have so much more trouble controlling my animagus form." Shaking his head at the thought, he ignored the unhappy snarl bouncing around his mind and pushed down the need to pace. "Once we get to Hogwarts we'll have the whole Forbidden Forest to ourselves. There's plenty of room to hunt and play without worrying about being caught. I mean, it's not like there's another group of animagi running around the school." Draco grumbled, pausing for a moment to grin at Blaise who was still admiring the dark cloak.
"I know. Just remember that Potter and his pals always seem to find their way into trouble. We'll have to be careful about when and where we go out." Blaise paused as his name was called up the stairs. Groaning softly he padded towards the door but halted with one hand resting on the doorknob. Glancing back at the wizard standing in the center of the messy room, he bit his lip but still opened his mouth and said what was on his mind. "How long are you going to let the Tiger control you Draco? It's obviously searching for something but are you ever going to allow him to find it?" With that said he left the room.
"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Draco hollered after Blaise's retreating form. Biting down the feeling that maybe Blaise was right, he called for his house elf and ordered it to clean the room. Gliding towards the balcony off his small sitting room, he peered up at the moon and pushed down the urge to transform and run. Closing his eyes, his allowed his head fell back as he sighed, five more hours and twenty-five minutes until they'd be on their way. He paused for a moment when the Tiger in him halted its growling and purred softly, a feeling of contentedness sweeping over him. Maybe going back to school wasn't such a bad idea...
A/N: I hate writing first chapters due to the amount of explaining that has to be done before you can get into the really good stuff. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and I hope this chapter didn't disappoint anybody.
fourth-face-of-the-goddess - lol, you got Blaise right and by now you should have guessed the other but if you haven't you'll just have to wait.
Iredesent-lol, glad you're enjoying it but I'm sad to say nothing will get really tromped or charged for a few chapters. BloodyMarry - lol, you got them perfect!