the beast within

inheritance

harry sat on his bed staring out of the small window in his cupboard. it was nightfall and the Dursleys were asleep. harry shook a spider out of his hair and looked at the luminous face of his battered and dented alarm clock. according to it, harry would be 14 in 10 seconds. 

9, Dudley grunted in his sleep . . . . . . .

8, the wind howled in the summer night . . . . . . 

7, the trees swayed in the rhythm of the wind . . . . . . . 

6, the clock ticked closer and closer . . . . . . .

5 seconds to go  . . . . . .

4 seconds to go . . . . . .

3 seconds to go . . . . . .

2 seconds to go . . . . . .

1 . . . . . .

a searing pain ripped through Harrys small frame, causing him to whimper. he had learned long ago not to cry. sitting up, harry stared into the mirror as his appearance changed. his short, untidy hair went straight and long, ending at his shoulder blades. his eyes changed too, one flushing gold while the other flushed a blood red. both seemed to glow in the brightly in the darkness of the cupboard. then, harry opened his mouth revealing his teeth grow into needle sharp canines. after, two small horns appeared on his forehead and a pair of black, skeletal, bat like wings sprouted out of his back. as well as that, a pair of fluffy ears grew out of his head and two silky soft tails grew at the base of his spine. as suddenly as it started, it stopped, only letting a grey halo appear hovering over his head. harry went to rub his neck, when he let out a gasp. instead of nails, he had claws and along his back were longish spines and fur. harry collapsed onto the bed, wincing as he moved his new limbs awkwardly. suddenly, a letter appeared on his chest. harry picked it up and peeled of the strange seal on the back of it.

harry slowly took out the letter, it read:

dear Mr. potter

                              you have achieved your animal inheritance. would you kindly portkey to us at Gringotts to see what creature you are and what your powers are. the letter is the portkey and the word is 'Albus Dumbledore' 

yours truly,

                       Ragnook (the head goblin in Gringotts wizarding bank)

harry stared at the letter, and then he said, "Albus Dumbledore". suddenly, harry felt a tugging around his navel and was thrown around wildly before landing outside a snowy white building. harry walked up to the door and entered. inside there was a large hall with goblins looking at small jewels and weighing hefty pieces of gold. over a large detailed pair of doors, there was a poem carved into the wall, it read :

enter, stranger,

but take heed

of what awaits

 the sin of greed,

those who take,

but do not earn,

must pay most dearly,

in there turn,

so if you seek

 beneath our floors,

a treasure that was never yours,

thief,

you have been warned

bewere

of finding

 more than treasure

 there.

harry, keeping that message in his mind, went up to one of the goblins.

"is it inheritance you are looking for" he said in a gruff voice eying his extra body parts.

"yessir" i said in a polite voice.

"through that door there" he answered, pointing to a large door next to the massive one. harry said thank you and walked inside a room of black obsidian and rough bits of rock. the large torches gave of an eerie light. sitting at a dark oak desk in front of me was another goblin.