Distortion (Book 2 of The Corruption Sequence)

Chapter 6 - More Idiocy

By refusing any further offers of food and drink, Harry knew he was frustrating the efforts of the Aurors to subdue him, and he quite enjoyed it. He also made regular requests to see Dumbledore over the next hour and a half, but it did no good. He doubted his requests were even being passed on.

He smelt a very large rat and he was beginning to seriously consider freeing himself and bypassing the Ministry. The only thing that kept him in his room was the fact that he did not trust himself.

In the end he decided to practice his Occlumency some more; at least that was productive and then he would be ready for anything that might happen. As it was, he was totally unprepared for what did occur.

One moment he was trying to close his thoughts down and eliminate any emotional reactions from his mind and the next he was so consumed with despair that he had no chance to stop the cry that started in the centre of his chest and erupted from his throat. It was worse than the wail he had released after he had killed Voldemort and it caused physical destruction in its wake. Furniture shook, glass shattered, and wards tumbled down as banshee power combined with everything else in Harry's mixed up body and refused to be impotent anymore.

He knew without a doubt that Malfoy was being taken to the Ministry. He had never been so sure of anything in his life and he knew that it was a death sentence. There was no hesitation in his movements as he surged to his feet and ran for the shattered window, smashing through what was left of the ornate glass to the ground below. For a split second his body almost hovered as he descended, landing lightly on the grass below the second-floor window, but the moment he hit the ground he shifted.

The wolf was faster than anything else and he ran as quickly as his legs would carry him towards the front of the house. Nothing would have stopped him as he focussed only on one thing: preventing Malfoy leaving.

When he rounded the side of the building on to the main drive, he saw two Aurors about to put Malfoy into a Ministry car. He did not even think about pausing as he leapt at the nearest of the two officials.

Wolf met man and Harry flattened the unprepared Auror with his considerable bulk, then without hesitating he took a mouthful of Malfoy's robes and dragged him away from the car. Unprepared for the attack, the Slytherin overbalanced and fell heavily, rolling off the drive and on to the grass. Once his prize stopped moving Harry jumped to stand over the fallen wizard, facing the Aurors and growling menacingly.

His opponents rounded on him with spells and he shifted form without even knowing he was doing it. His vision dimmed and the air around him grew cold as the magic bounced off of him harmlessly. The Aurors existed in his sight as bright spots of warmth and life, and he was torn between trying to take that life and protecting the warmth he felt behind him.

"Expecto Patronum," one of the Aurors cast desperately and bright silver light filled Harry's awareness.

He shifted again, the world becoming flat and lifeless to his eyes as his sense of smell sharpened until it was almost overwhelming. He felt the skin of his neck change texture and stiffen, and his tongue lengthen and fork. The Patronus coming towards him faded as its reason to be ceased to exist.

"By Merlin," one of the Aurors said as Harry looked at him, hissing his anger, and then the man turned to stone.

The other Auror threw his arms over his eyes and dived behind the car. The thrill of the hunt almost drew Harry away from his position, but he shifted again, holding himself in place with the enticing thrill of a human heartbeat.

"Enough of this!" Harry had never heard Dumbledore shout and he suddenly knew why.

At the headmaster's instruction it was almost as if the universe came to a standstill.