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(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
tossed his head impatiently and laid next to him. Lucius shook from his shock and slid on, gripping Harry's mane. Harry got back to his feet as smoothly as possible and cast a mild wandless sticking charm. Then he took off at a gallop.
He felt Lucius cling to him as he headed for the trees expertly jumping over anything in his way and avoiding anyone still left in the open. Once in the safety of the trees he slowed his gallop to walk, picking his way through the darkness easily.
He heard voices a ways off and headed straight for them. As he stepped into the clearing he found ten wands aimed at him. They all lowered as they realized he was a horse and not an attack. The group appeared to be a group of older teens, most in their early twenties.
"Hey, dude, there's a man with the horse." One piped up.
Lucius let out an exasperated sigh already. Harry gave a whinny of amusement.
"Is there a healer around?" Lucius drawled.
"I know a few spells." A girl said stepping forwards. "I'm still an apprentice but you don't look to hurt."
"My shoulder is cut and my ankle is twisted." Lucius said blandly.
"Easy." The girl snorted.
Harry lowered Lucius to the ground and stood by as he waited for the girl to finish.
"This your trained pet or something?" One of the other guys asked holding a hand up for Harry to smell.
Harry snorted at him. Lucius glanced at him. Harry shook his head in a way that Lucius took to be an 'okay'.
"He's an animagus." Lucius said shortly, wincing as the wound on his shoulder slowly closed.
"Cool!" The boy said more eagerly, looking at Harry.
Harry threw his head as if to say he wouldn't be changing back at the moment.
When Lucius was fully healed he offered his thanks and the two headed off again, this time Lucius walking with a hand to his back instead of riding. Once out of view Harry shifted seamlessly to his grim form and sniffed the air. He turned slightly and led Lucius off to where he smelled Narcissa and Draco. As they reached the area where the other two Malfoys were waiting Lucius caught on.
Harry stopped when Lucius understood his family now waited just behind a few trees. Lucius paused with him. For a long moment Lucius was silent.
"You're not returning to Hogwarts are you." Lucius stated.
Harry shook his head in agreement.
I will be taking my OWLS as soon as possible." Harry said, changing his voice box back to human.
"If you run into any problems, contact me." Lucius said. "I'll get you in within an hour of a call."
Harry smiled, though it looked more like a dark grin in his Grim form.
"Thank you Lucius."
Lucius paused.
"That's the first time you've called me by my first name." He said.
Harry raised a brow at him. The blonde smirked then nodded once. He then straightened, brushing his robe smooth.
"Wait," Harry called as he took a step.
Lucius raised a brow at him but paused all the same.
"Next time you come to my café, could you bring Snape?"
"Severus?" Lucius asked, a slight frown tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Yes. I have to talk to him, but knowing Snape he won't come just because of that."
Lucius's lips twitched at the description but he nodded all the same. And then he was through the trees and meeting a relieved Narcissa and Draco. Harry watched as they vanished with a crack.
The demon woman he had summoned appeared with nary a sound not even a second later.
"All the men are dealt with." She said in a soft voice. "They have been restrained and left for your people to retrieve."
"Thank you." Harry said, still in Grim form.
He lips twitched into a smirk.
"It was fun, call me again should you need any assistance in battle."
Then she grabbed his left paw and nicked it with her finger. He felt the familiar spark of magic and then she vanished with a puff of smoke. Harry knew when he changed back to human he would have another tattooed band on his left wrists.
He breathed out in a rush and looked to the sky. He'd have to go find the others before they started to worry.
Harry looked around the dead field and at the dead trees and frowned. He'd been here before. Yes, yes of course he had. There was the grim watching at the edge of the trees and the raven in the dead tree in the center of the clearing.
But why was he here?
He glanced around again and was surprised at what he found. The grass though dead was hiding the fresh green grass that was shorter then it and the trees all had buds. He frowned. Why was that? Why did everything appear to be growing?
He didn't have time to ponder this any longer. He threw himself to the side on instinct. A large black body flew over the spot he had been standing and hit the ground with a loud thump. A whinny of amusement echoed. Harry stared in shock at the large black stallion. It was tall but slender with a coat of dark ebony. Green/brown eyes landed on Harry and the horse snickered again throwing its head. Mane of black with a red tint was tossed about.
"Three forms?" He spoke aloud. "I have three forms?"
The stallion whickered again and trotted around him showing off grace and speed. It started to gallop and started around the clearing, jumping hidden logs and turning tight circles before rearing. Harry was in awe. It looked so fast, so free. Finally it trotted up to him and took a deep breath, taking in his scent.
"You're beautiful." Harry whispered reaching out slowly.
It leaned into his hand and then everything melted away.
.-.
Harry woke with a start. He sat up, unmindful of the blanket that slid down his chest to pool at his waist. Running his fingers through his hair he found it coarser then usual. He smiled wildly as it slowly turned to his regular texture.
Then he realized he was not in his own bed. He blinked then spotted Elewa sleeping beside him, face buried in a pillow. Silently he rose and grabbed his clothes from the floor. He tugged them on and then grinned as he cast a cleaning spell on himself. His magic jumped eagerly to the command and he wanted to giggle in relief as he felt it flow through his veins.
He exited the room silently and bound down the stairs. He passed by the goblins sleeping on the couches and slipped outside. Once in the fresh air he breathed deeply. Then he jumped. He transformed into his raven form and with a few wing beats was high in the sky. He shot up higher and hovered above the clearing. He could see jungle surrounded Elewa's house for miles upon miles. Then he dived.
He dived straight down until he hit the tree tops and then swooped out over the trees. When he was a distance a way he found himself over a tiny clearing with a waterfall in it. Pausing in his flight he glanced around before dropping to the ground, transforming back to human on his way down.
He landed lightly on the soft ground and breathed the humid air happily. The waterfall wasn't large, nor was the pool it fell into, but it was beautiful and peaceful. Harry took a seat on one of the large boulders and just listened for the longest time. He listened to the birds, the rustle of the trees, the sound of the water, and the silence beneath it all. He sat as still as the boulder he was one, marvelling at how warm his magic was in his veins. It cooed at him, caressing him as it seemed to compress around him like a hug. He smiled unconsciously the whole time.
Then he stood and transformed. Because he'd learned how to change properly with his first two forms, he didn't need much practice with his third form. He transformed perfectly, seamlessly shifting from human into a black stallion. He pranced in a quick circle enjoying how much freedom he felt just being in this form. He felt powerful and fast and free. He galloped around the tiny clearing and the pool for a few minutes testing out his new limbs and such.
He transformed back after a few minutes and decided that even though the cleaning spell had cleaned him up, nothing was better then an actual bath. He shed his cloth onto a near by rock and took a breath before diving into the pool. Luckily it was shallow and the waterfall wasn't big enough to suck him under and have him drown. The water was pleasurably warm and so clear and clean. Harry hummed as he scrubbed himself under the falling water and just enjoyed the silence.
A flurry of silver interrupted his bath. He spun, magic already crackling at his finger tips when he realized it was just a patronus. A beautiful leopard one. Its mouth opened and Elewa's voice emerged.
"Lord Black! Please return now! You're goblin guards are convinced I've done something to you and are now holding me hostage above a boiling pot of oil at spear point!"
There was a pause.
"The goblin Switchblade says that he has always wanted to see how human's taste." Elewa's voice came out with a slight waver as the patronus vanished.
Harry laughed slightly but decided he'd best tell the goblins that Elewa was innocent. He waded to his clothes and pulled out his wanted. He closed his eyes and pictured the exact moment his magic had returned to him.
"Expecto patronum." He chanted.
A burst of silver erupted from his wand.
"Please tell Switchblade that I am taking a bath a ways off and that I will return soon. And please don't hurt Elewa, I left without his knowledge."
The stag gave an amused toss of its head and took off into the trees. Harry sunk back into the water and happily relaxed.
.-.
Harry looked over the pretty flower on the branch. He was careful not to touch it as he didn't know what was safe and not so safe here in the middle of the jungle. The flower was small and brilliant red. It had a tempting scent that smelled heavenly. He prodded it with a stick and watched it cringe away from the object as if it could think. Harry knew it was magical.
"That is a dangerous plant."
Harry spun, hang automatically going for the knife at his waist with his left hand and the wand at his hip with his right hand. He turned to face the person who had spoken, ready to defend or attack. He found himself stopping with something akin to shock.
The man he was looking at was certainly not human. He had a human build, about six feet tall and slender, with creamy caramel skin. His lips were a darker mocha color and a small ring of black, almost like eye shadow circled his eyes.
His hair and eyes set him apart from humans though.
His hair started black, all the roots and such black for a good four inches. And then it faded into every color. A dark shade of every color Harry had ever seen was mixed in, all swirls and twists. It was all pulled back in a high ponytail that flared every which way at the ends. Two long locks and bangs framed his face. The bangs were short and all black while the locks both faded to dark red at the ends. Feathers of brilliant red and blue were tied in the thick hair along with strings of wooden and bone beads
Loving the story so far? There's a whole world of magic and mystery waiting for you with over 85+ chapters still to come! By supporting my Patreon.
You not only get early access to new chapters but also exclusive content, behind-the-scenes insights, and special perks just for fans like you.
Join us on this enchanted journey and help shape the future of the tale. Your support makes all the difference—discover more and become part of the adventure today!
http//patreon.com/BLAKE025
(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~