With the weather getting colder even in Spain, the children moved their attention back to transforming into various shapes. They had already mastered changing into other people. They now tried to change into other life forms: Dogs, cats, birds, snakes, fish, and whatever else would catch their attention.
The time since they had first tried a partial transformation also helped. Both Hermione and Harry had read some more and understood the process better. With both of them tutoring Dudley, he simply couldn't stay behind.
While they first tried to change their noses, ears or limbs, it was soon evident that a full transformation was more than merely changing their form. In a way, it was like changing into a different person. A different person had a different view of things and felt things differently. Changing into an animal was taking these differences into a new dimension.
FindPet Care
There was also another aspect that they all thought they needed to tackle before making a full transformation. Even when changing into a different person, their clothes stayed the same. For this transformation to be of any use, they needed to transform their clothes along. That wasn't a straightforward task, as Hermione explained. "We need to not only change the sizes of our clothes, but also their form or styles. We may even need to conjure some items we don't normally wear. For example, when I changed into my Mum, just making my clothing larger would have seemed weird. I mean, no adult wears such clothes. I'll need to change my jeans to have the cut that my Mum wears and change the shirt into a blouse or an appropriate shirt. Mum wouldn't wear a shirt printed with animation characters, you know. I'll also need to add a bra, since women, especially at work, wear them. I may also need to change the underwear, too. If you change into a woman or older girl, you need to change such things too."
Clothing
Discover moreWatch Sci-Fi FilmsShop Cat TreatsCatsFind Pet CareBrowse Clothing"But not if we change to other boys," Dudley said.
"Not if the other boy is roughly your age, but older boys wear different trousers and shirts, different shoes, too. And when the weather is cold or rainy, we may need to add or change overcoats too. For women and girls as well, I believe."
It took them several weeks to master changing their forms and their clothing at once. Hermione reached that goal first, and her clothes always looked exactly as expected. Harry took longer, and his clothes weren't quite that exact, but more than passable. Dudley had the most difficulties with that, mainly due to lacking the theoretical side. He still managed, after a while, but wasn't sure it was worth the effort.
Clothing
They then tried to turn into cats, considering them the most useful animal form for their current or near future needs. A cat could go everywhere and not attract undue attention, since stray cats lived almost everywhere. Cats could climb trees and reach places unreachable to people. They were flexible, powerful and stealthy. They could be useful for spying or for detective work. They could hear things from much farther than humans, useful for eavesdropping on conversations. They also had no natural enemies while in towns and cities, except for large dogs — of course, but these could be easily avoided by climbing a tree or an electricity pole.
Discover moreClothingclothingclothesIdentify PlantsBook a SafariThis time, Harry was the first to succeed. He turned into a dark grey cat with green eyes. As a cat, he couldn't change the colour of his eyes, but he could change his fur colour and length at will. Hermione thought that his natural grey could blend well in almost any place. He could also change into a tabby cat if needed.
Hermione was the next to change. She turned into a ginger-white cat with long fur and brown-green eyes. Just like Harry, she could change her fur to fit the occasion. It took her a moment to realise this, and she changed into a grey cat, like Harry.
WatchSci-Fi Films
Dudley needed another day before he could do the same. His natural form was a mostly white cat with some pale grey markings and blue-green eyes. It took him much longer to adjust his fur and make it grey or ginger. He didn't feel very comfortable in that form either.
Hermione had already looked for some explanations. "It looks like each person has a preferred form. Normal Animagii, as such people are called, only gain one form. I'm not sure if this is due to not having enough magic for more or just laziness. From what we have found out until now, most magical people are quite lazy. That means that if they have something that works, they rarely look for a better or different way to do that. We are powerful enough for more, and I think we're not that lazy either."
Discover moreShop Art SuppliesFan fiction booksWriting softwareCreative writing coursesShop Kids' BooksDudley growled. "Speak for yourself."
Hermione turned her glance to him, and he lifted his hands in surrender. "Only joking!"
Harry wasn't quite sure about that. Dudley didn't like to put effort anywhere. Harry's and Hermione's enthusiasm dragged him along, but it wasn't his initiative.
–..–
They spent a few afternoons trying to change into various cats, not merely their 'natural' form. Dudley lost interest after the second afternoon. Harry and Hermione kept trying for two more days until they considered themselves proficient enough in this transformation.
"We should next try dogs. They're almost as abundant in cities and towns. With appropriate collars, they may even be acceptable at places no other animals are. We should also try for various sizes. While domestic cats are mostly close to one size, dogs vary from pocket size to almost horse size. We should try at least a few useful sizes."
Discover morebird'sShop Bird SuppliesdogShop Dog FoodBrowse Art PrintsHarry wasn't surprised that his 'natural' form as a dog was also a dark grey one with shaggy fur and a long snout. His eyes were slightly brownish green. He moved to stand in front of the mirror and tried to change some aspects. He could change his fur, just the way he did as a cat. He could also lengthen or shorten his legs at will or change his snout to be shorter or longer. He could change practically any aspect of his form except for his eyes.
Hermione's initial dog form was a brown small dog of a race Harry wasn't sure about. Her fur was the same colour as her normal hair and was slightly curly, just like her hair. And just like Harry, she could change everything at will, except her deep brown eyes.
Dudley tried it too. He turned into a wide bulldog with light brown fur. He looked at the mirror and transformed back. "It reminds me of Aunt Marge and her dogs. Not something I like to remember."
Dudley didn't try that again.
–..–
Harry and Hermione started roaming their respective neighbourhoods as dogs, each time as different dogs. At both places, many of the neighbours had dogs, and most were allowed to roam free during the day. As dogs, they could visit the backyards of houses where they wouldn't be allowed as children. Their keen sense of smell didn't help them much there, but their better hearing did. They heard quite a bit of gossip not intended for children. They didn't care about it. They only wanted to get accustomed to their dog forms.
While these places, with too many dogs free, were unsuitable for cats, they quickly discovered some places in London where cats were very welcome. Fading to such places was easy enough. They also found out that they could fade even when in their animal forms. It could prove useful at times.
As cats, they could listen even better than dogs, and the scents were not as distracting. Their night sight also allowed them to sneak into dark places and see almost as well as in broad daylight. Then, climbing tall trees and watching everything below was a very different experience.
Hermione also used her cat form to search for lost or hidden books at the bookshop on Diagon Alley. She found a few interesting books. Some she got even free due to them being too old to have a price.
–..–
"Don't you want to try and change into a bird, a fish or an insect?" Harry asked Dudley.
The blond boy made a face. "I may consider changing into a bird, preferably one that is not hunted by other birds or by people, but a fish is not attractive to me, and I doubt it can be useful. As for an insect — certainly not. Too many dangers to even contemplate it."
Harry could agree about the dangers, but becoming so small could have its own benefits, overshadowing the dangers. Fish could also be useful in the sea or lakes, but, admittedly, much less useful on land, where most people lived.
Hermione also agreed that a bird could prove the most useful. "We may try for an eagle, but any bird can do. We may then try to change its form, the way we do as people."
It proved quite easy. After changing to other animals, changing into a bird seemed trivial. It also walked on two legs, like people.
Harry turned into a grey owl, still retaining his green eyes. Hermione turned into a brown owl, not unexpectedly.
They tried to walk a bit, finding that hopping gave much better results in that form. Flying, though, came naturally. As owls, they couldn't open the window, which was probably for the best, while trying it in the Dursley house.
Dudley joined them for this exercise. He turned into a lighter brown owl. He also didn't feel right in the air, despite flying just as well.
They tried it again during the weekend at the Grangers' house. Dudley tried to fly for a moment and then landed and reverted to human form. Harry and Hermione enjoyed flying to the nearby park and landing on the branches of the trees. Flying felt freer than swimming and much more rewarding.
Then, under the cover of the spring foliage, they tried to change into larger birds. The two owls were replaced by two eagles. Both had similar colouring, differing only in the eyes, but nobody could see them.
The eagles could fly even faster than the owls and cover larger distances with little effort. Their better sight also allowed them to discern more details in areas of interest. They could read even the smaller print on the front page of the newspaper while hovering more than a hundred meters above the news stand.
'I think I'll use mostly this form for flying,' Harry thought.
'I'll do the same, ' he felt Hermione's thought.
He was so surprised that he almost lost control of his wings. Luckily, the bird's instincts saved him from falling.
They hurried back to the backyard and changed back to their normal human form. "Did you hear me think?" Harry asked.
Hermione shrugged. "I believe I've been hearing you since we changed into each other. As soon as I turned my attention to you, I could find out what you thought. This is the first time I actually heard it as words, though."
"And I heard you too! I'm not sure if I was aware of your thoughts earlier. Maybe I was too oblivious. This time, it was impossible to ignore."
She smiled. "Do you like it?"
He shrugged. "Why not? I feel very close to you, and this can only make us closer."
Her smile widened. "I like it too. We should try it over larger distances, though. It may turn out useful to talk to each other this way, you know."
He chuckled. "Sure! Saves telephone bills."
Dudley approached them. "I can see you enjoyed flying. Was there anything else?"
Harry could sense, 'I'll try to answer only in thought.'
Hermione looked at Dudley for a long moment and said nothing. She then sighed. "We also found we could communicate without talking. I tried it with you now, but it looks like it didn't work. Didn't you sense anything from me?"
Dudley shook his head. "Nothing. I can tell you're disappointed and you felt a bit tired when landing, but I can't sense your thoughts. I could try Legilimency, but I'm sure your shields would stop me."
Hermione nodded. "True. Then it seems like this is another thing special to Harry and me only. I wonder if there's more."
That was a subject for another research and another day.