Chapter 33 - ANIMAGUS

Daphne POV

It was currently the next day. Gryffindor had beat Hufflepuff yesterday in Quidditch yesterday. The entire school was still buzzing with excitement after the game. Although I didn't care much for Quidditch, I did for Harry. I showed up to cheer and support him on. I was waiting for Harry in the Room of Requirement. The lightning storm would be tomorrow. I had kept the bloody mandrake leaf in my mouth for the last month and have casted the 'amanto animo animato animagus' spell on a daily basis.

I don't understand how Harry would have wanted to kiss me with the leaf in my mouth, but he still did nevertheless… Gods he is just the best…

I have also been slowly improving my wandless magic. I could lift some objects now, however, I still couldn't lift anything heavier than two very large textbooks.

I couldn't lift a trunk effortlessly like Harry… Honestly, even with Gryffindor in his head, I sometimes wonder if my boyfriend is secretly Merlin!

I had gotten all the ingredients needed to brew the Animagus potion. When meditating over the last month, I had brief visions and snippets of my potential Animagus form. This was a good sign, as it indicated that I could become an Animagus. From the visions, I gathered I was a very graceful four-legged animal as I moved around with ease. Many of the other animals I past lowered their heads and paid respect towards me for some reason.

Even a tiger bowed…

The location was weird though as well, I was usually out in a cherry blossom forest, or relatively close to a shrine of some sorts. I couldn't recognize the writing on the shrine. It wasn't Latin or English. The writing looked like characters. I had looked up in the library for the characters on the wall of the shrine, but it didn't exist. I was getting the cauldron ready when Harry walked in and smiled at me.

"Hey Daph!"

I beamed back at him.

"Hi Harry! I am getting ready to brew the potion! Thanks for being here with me!"

"No problem Daph! Although I am not the best at potions, I do know enough to get by! Besides I wanted to watch you make the potion as your bloody amazing at potions! And I am not saying it to be nice… It is because you actually are great at potions!"

I blushed at his praise.

I mean coming from somebody who has a wealth of knowledge in his head thanks to Gryffindor is saying something.

"That is only because Snape is extremely biased when it comes to you!"

I then turned my attention back to my potions kit and cauldron that was laid out on the table. After double checking that I had all the ingredients and everything was in order, I started to make the potion. Harry watched me closely as I worked. Right before the potion was finished, I took the mandrake leaf out of my mouth and dropped it into the cauldron and mixed it in with the rest of the potion. I then took out a vial and poured the potion into it. I capped it with a lid and smiled.

"There we go! Now we just need to wait until the storm tomorrow!"

I slipped the potion into a pocket in my robe. Harry smiled at me and we both left the Room and went to kitchens. We then spent the next hour feeding each other food before heading back to our respective dormitories and turning in for the night.

I was currently in the middle of charms class, Professor Flitwick was currently running the students through the Glacius charm to freeze objects when I heard a rumble in the distance. I looked out at the window and saw a storm cloud approaching Hogwarts.

Oh no, I need to get out of class now to drink the potion. The lightning storm is going to be here soon!

Harry seemingly noticing my dilemma shot a notice me not charm onto me wandlessly.

I beamed at him, despite him not seeing it with his head facing the front of the classroom, at Flitwick.

I then walked out of class without anyone noticing and bolted towards the castle grounds. I stopped once I was behind a tree near the Black Lake.

Best if not many people saw this...

Once I got there, the wind started to pick up and it had started to rain a bit. I quickly chugged the potion and waited. Then as lightning struck and rumbled in the air. The visions started to appear again. I saw myself on all fours running around the spring blossom forest and arriving at the shrine. I then walked over in front of the shrine and gazed down at the water. At that moment I saw my Animagus form, I was a fox! I then felt my body change and turn into it. Once I transformed, I noticed my fur was golden and gave off a slight glow.

Must be because of my blonde hair.

I then ran quickly towards the lake and peered down at my reflection. To say I was shocked was an understatement. I wasn't an ordinary fox! I had light blue glowing markings, that matched my sapphire blue eyes, on my face and I had... seven tails?

What? How come I have seven tails as a Fox?

I twirled around in a circle, fanning out my seven foxtails. I then realized how large I was after looking more closely at my reflection in the water. I then heard footsteps approaching. It was really loud! It was like my five senses suddenly skyrocketed. I was a bit overwhelmed with the amount of input I could hear. I didn't know what to do so I quickly bolted back towards the tree where I hid behind to drink the potions and stood in the shadows. I then heard Harry's voice and watched him approach my location.

Wait… he isn't talking though… His lips are not even moving… wait what?

Harry then became alarmed and turned to look directly at me.

He seemed to try and focus hard on blocking his thoughts… wait I am listening to his thoughts? I am doing legilimency on him! What? I didn't know how I was reading his thoughts.

I then decided to break eye contact with him and then I could no longer hear his thoughts.

"Daph? Is that you? How did you… Nevermind, explain it to me after you transform back!"

I nodded, not daring to make eye contact with him. I focused hard but I struggled to transform back. Then after the fifth try, I finally turned back into a human. I then sprawled out onto the floor.

"Oh Harry! I am sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"Whoa Daph! It is okay… in fact it is amazing! You seem to be some sort of magical animal! Congratulations! I think you are the first person in all of wizarding history to have a magical animal as their Animagus!"

I was shocked by his statement.

No way that I am… but I could hear his thoughts just now! And what were those glowing blue markings on my face… I am definitely a magical animal!

"...yeah… but I don't know what I am still…"

Harry's jaw then dropped open and hung there.

"Really Daph? You had the ability to read thoughts just now and you have seven tails… surely you know what you are?"

I smacked him on the shoulder.

"Ow okay, okay… you're a Kitsune".

I stared at him and was about to smack him again when he realized I didn't know what on bloody earth a Kitsune was.

"A Kitsune is a type of magical fox found in Japan, Korea and the northern regions of China. The Kitsune are highly intelligent creatures that delve into dreams and have a renown mastery over the mind. They are very adaptive and graceful creatures, however, they are also incredibly fierce and cunning. If someone were to disrespect or try to cheat them, they wouldn't see their retaliation coming. They are fast and quick on their feet, delivering killing blows without the opponent even realizing. It is a type of fox that lives a very long life and has many tails. It can have up to three to nine tails. The more tails you have, the wiser and more powerful you are… and since you have seven tails… and seven being an incredibly powerful magical number…"

I then understood what Harry was implying. My powers as a Kitsune were incredibly strong. My mastery over the mind while in my form would be very powerful. Harry explained a bit more to me about my Animagus form, we then ditched classes for the rest of the day and went to the Room of Requirement. We then did a bunch of experiments and test with my Animagus form. At the end of it, I was utterly exhausted as I transformed back after all the tests. I had learned a lot about my Animagus form. I could read all of a person's mind, and not just their initial thoughts. I could travel freely through a person's mindscape as well.

Of course, Harry's was a Quidditch pitch... I watched as a bunch of different snitches and some unmounted brooms flew around the pitch... Hmmm... creative...

The barrage of memories that I saw when shifting through Harry's head was amazing. I saw him practicing all different sorts of magic.

He really pushed himself to become a better wizard!

However, the best part was that I met Godric Gryffindor! When I entered his mindscape, I saw a tall red-bearded man waving at me. He then guided me across Harry's mindscape telling me about my newfound powers. He told me to practice Occlumency and Legilimency.

Yeah… great… but who is going to teach me? They are illegal to learn after all…

Godric seems to have read my mind, as he told me to simply come back here and that he would teach me. I also discovered what the markings on my face were. Godric told me that they were a notice me not runes and fire protection runes. The long experimenting session was well worth it. Once I returned to my room in my dormitory it was already late at night. Tracey already fell asleep. I then entered my bed, shut the curtains, and fell asleep.

Doran's Ring -

Hello Everyone! Hope you enjoyed these string of chapters! So what do you think of Daphne's Animagus form :D? With the growing knowledge of Animagus, I am sure you guys might get a sense and see where this is going :). Stay tuned, more chapters coming tomorrow!