For The Greater Good (A Draco Malfoy Story)

Transition

     "Now then, everyone will be attempting to recreate a potion that I will assign to each pairing," Professor Slughorn announced. He began to waddle around the room assigning seats, much to the dismay of the class. I ended up sitting next to a girl named Alexa, from Slytherin. The green of her uniform complimented her own green eyes well, giving her a nymph-like appearance along with her dark brown hair and her fair skin. She sat next to me as if bored with the assignment already.

Draco's table was across from ours and was facing us. He and a boy with smooth skin the color of cocoa bent their heads over a cauldron in front of us as others around our table became situated. Ron and Harry sat by the cauldron closest to us. Professor Slughorn gave Draco, Blaise, Alexa and I the task of making Amortentia while Harry and Ron and their table mates made the Draught of Living Death. Alexa proved to be an excellent partner. She measured and cut everything with such accuracy that I knew she was a perfectionist. Not to mention an orange-yellow light began to form around her, a color I had so far learned meant intelligent creativity. I witnessed it often around Hermione.

When we were finished with our potion, I gazed around at my surroundings. Hermione's hair had turned into a frizzy afro, her brows furrowed with stress; Ron was glaring at his cauldron and Harry was doing everything smoothly, like he hadn't a care in the world. Ron went from glaring at his cauldron to glaring at Harry. My team had made the potion perfectly, we just had to put it into some vials. Before we did that however, we leaned in to smell it. I looked over and saw that Draco was leaning over his cauldron as well. The corners of his lips twitched upwards for a moment before his mask fell back into place and the shutters closed in his eyes.

In the end, Harry's potion trumped everyone else's, a fact that boggled Hermione to no end I could tell. As far as we knew, Potions and Harry weren't two things that were meant to be in the same sentence together. And yet, he was the one to win the small vial of Felix Felicis, a potion that would give the drinker unbelievable luck.

The rest of the day passed by as it usually did, but I knew something brewed beneath the surface. Seems like it was just me who noticed though.

"Rosie!"

The sight of Gabriel's dark hair bouncing as he jogged towards me warmed me more than any fire could. I welcomed his hug. "Hey, Gabe. How are you?"

"Good, now that I've gotten a hold of you," he smiled, throwing his arm around my shoulders as we walked together in the deserted corridor. "Listen, I've been thinking maybe we should go running again like we used to. It's been a while since we've stretched our legs."

"Yeah, you're right. I can't believe I went this long without letting it out. How about tonight then?"

He nodded. "Meet me by the Black Lake just after curfew."

Curfew was steadily approaching but before I could meet up with him, I had to go change out of my uniform. After I changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, I made my way through the corridors silently. If Filch or one of the Prefects found me, there would be hell to pay. Incidentally, the sound of footsteps against the floor began to come towards me, sending me hiding behind a tall tapestry. I held my breath as the footsteps drew nearer but when I saw those same old colors in the corner of my eye, I knew who it was. I opened my mouth to call out towards him but thought better against it. Why was he wandering around after curfew?

Curiosity really was a dangerous thing. You think having it kill a cat would teach us to mind our noses but we never really learn, do we? I know I didn't, as I slowly followed Draco through the halls. He walked and walked until he came to a stop before a wide blank wall. A frown marred my features. He came all this way to the seventh floor, just to look at a blank wall? Draco closed his eyes, his fists clenching momentarily before, to my amazement, a door began to appear on the wall. I watched as he walked in with shoulders slumped, like a man going to the executioner, and the door disappeared. What could he be doing in there? Before I could find out for myself, I remembered Gabriel. He was going to get in trouble if I let him wait around in the open.

When I arrived near the Black Lake, Gabriel was hiding behind a few bushes, wrinkles appearing above his brows.

"Psst," I crept towards the bush. Gabriel jumped, clutching his heart with exasperation.

"Where were you?" he said.

"Dodging a Prefect. Come on, let's go."

Before my eyes, my twin changed from a boy to a powerful Bengal tiger. He sauntered over like a true predator and nudged my leg as if to say 'Get a move on!' I snickered and kept a look out for any passerby before I transformed into my animagus as well. A golden eagle stood where my body used to. "Merlin, I missed how free this felt," I thought toward Gabriel. I couldn't explain how it came about, or why it happened, but from the moment Gabriel and I effectively transitioned into our animals, we developed a mental connection with each other. Our father scoured every book we had but couldn't find any reason as to how only we were able to become linked.

I took the skies, my wings extending from my body as if I was just stretching after being in fetal position all day. I flew in circles above the Forbidden Forest and tried to make out my brother's form. Sure enough, an orange predator moved silently through the Forest.

"Ok, if anything happens just send me a thought or cry out, but not too loud, just loud enough for me to hear it. Don't go far in, and try to stay as close as you can to me," he thought. I gave him a mental eye roll and thought back my agreement.

"Come on! You're losing your edge, Rosie!" he thought running a little ahead, but not far enough for me to lose him. He tended to start these races where he would try to run fast enough for me to be unable to catch up on my wings. Never worked, though.

There was something entirely different about being a bird. I know the answer is obvious, but it goes beyond that. There's a weightlessness to it -- to flying so high that you could see everything below you pass by. Nothing could touch me up there.