"Oh just you wait, watch this-" And he closed his eyes, focusing on the thought of changing to the huge towering beast he'd assumed the form of so recently. With an exhilarating rush he felt himself growing rapidly. Hermione made a sound that made him think of an animal being crushed. When he opened his eyes, she was far down on the ground, frozen with shock. He let out a sort-of chirp and lowered his long neck, down, down until he was eye level with his friend. He nudged her playfully with his colossal beak-like snout and she had to grab on because the force of his gesture almost knocked her over. He raised his head and she clung onto his face in a moment of panic. Her hands slipped from the smooth scales in a terrifying split second, but as she braced herself for impact she felt a layer of soft feathers beneath her and opened her eyes to find that Harry had caught her with his wing. She hissed, claws springing from her fingers, and used them to climb up Harry's wing and onto his shoulder.
"For the love of merlin, Harry! I'm a cat! Cats don't leave the ground, Harry! No, no! Put me down!" He let out a series of squawks that resembled laughter and began to change back. When he became fully human Hermione was still clinging to him like a koala, her eyes clamped shut.
"Hh, Hermione? Coast is clear, you're on solid ground." She hopped down with a huff, stalking back to her seat. She snatched her book up again and seeing her obvious glee at being able to work out her inheritance, he let her pour over the book in silence for a while. They could be serious in a while. He took the opportunity to compose a letter to Gringotts, about something that had crossed his mind several times over the past couple of days. It didn't take too long. It was a brief request, and he didn't expect to wait too long for a reply either. He stuck his head out of the window and let out an experimental shriek, hoping he was actually speaking bird like he thought he was and not just screaming. To his relief, Hedwig came fluttering down and took the letter.
He was walking to sit down when Hermione let out a squeal.
"I've found it! Here," she splayed the book out open on the table. "Eurasian lynx," she announced with triumph. "I'll finally be able to fully transform!" She cried happily. And suddenly where Hermione had sat was an exquisite, grey and black wild cat, about twice the size of a regular house cat. Her coat was sleek and thick, and the little tufts of hair on her ears stood proud. She looked down at her paws with wonder. Harry beamed.
"Oh my lord. So cute," he mumbled to himself. He took a step forward and Hermione turned to look at him.
"Please, can i pet? You look so soft~" He said in a hugely cutesy voice. Hermione cocked her head to one side but didn't refuse his advances. He held the back of his hand out like he would to a regular cat, and deciding to humour him, Hermione sniffed his hand gently before rubbing the side of her head against it. She began to purr involuntarily and Harry almost squeaked. Too cute. He sat down in the seat next to her and she jumped up to the table, pushing her head against Harry's hand eagerly.
To Hermione's heightened sense of smell, Harry carried a distinctly familial scent. His was a scent she placed unwavering trust in. She felt as though he were her sibling, if not by blood.
Hedwig swooped in, dropping a sealed letter onto the table. Harry chirped affectionately, and Hedwig chirped back. Harry sighed, turning to the letter. He cracked the Gringotts seal to reveal a brief letter, and two moving pictures of the gruesome scene with Vernon in the lobby of Gringotts. Hermione, who was leaning over the other side of the letter, hissed at the images. Harry smiled sadly.
"You know how I managed to get out of that whole mess? My uncle beat me so hard he physically broke down the block on my magical core," he said, his tone empty. Hermione rubbed her feline face against his cheek and he ran a hand absent-mindedly over the top of her head. He read the letter under his breath.
Dear mr. Potter,
Enclosed is photographic evidence of the event should you wish to send it as proof. You have full rights to reveal any information given to you should you wish to do so.
Kind regards,
Meqik
He found a grim sense of satisfaction in this. Wasting no time, he pulled forward new parchment and scribbled out a letter.
R. Skeeter,
The following is a personal account of an event that has until now been kept secret. I have been given permission to send you this letter by the goblins of Gringotts and you are fully permitted to write an article on it.
On the 26th of July, at 1.am, Harry Potter portkeyed himself and his uncle into Gringotts bank, Diagon Alley. Potter was bleeding profusely from wounds inflicted upon him by his uncle, who was wielding the weapon as they arrived (notice the bloodied belt in his right hand in the provided image). Harry Potter is currently taking residence in a safehouse away from his relatives. For further information, see the goblin Meqik who witnessed and resolved the entire confrontation. Please make sure to mention that Albus Dumbledore placed Harry Potter under the care of his relatives with full knowledge that they would act abusively towards him.
Do not tell anyone under any circumstances that it was I who sent this letter. Please detail that you received the information from an anonymous source.
Many thanks,
Harry J. Potter
He sighed and wrung his hand slightly. He rolled the page into a scroll and gave it to Hedwig, who nipped his earlobe and swooped off into the afternoon. Hermione plopped down into Harry's lap and purred like a lawnmower. Harry smiled and stroked her sleek fur gently. He knew, however, that they had to discuss what they were going to do.
"Hermione, we need to talk about this." He felt the weight in his lap grow until Hermione, in her human form, lay draped across his legs.
"Yeah, I know," she sighed. She slid from his legs and sat next to him, putting her legs across his. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder in silent support. It was something neither of them wanted to think about.
YOU ARE READING
Creature Comforts (h.p.)
FanfictionHarry always knew something was not all well in his life. No matter how hard he tried to pretend everything was fine, an uneasiness was always present in his gut. Of course, it was normal to grow feathers during the night, right? At least, he assume...
