Me and Kathey waited, the air around us tense and electric as the moment finally arrived. Slowly, our bodies began to shift. It wasn't painful this time, just strange, like every bone and muscle was being rewritten with purpose. Her form diminished first, her frame tightening and refining as her clothes seamlessly merged into her body, reshaping into sleek feathers.
Within seconds, she stood perched at the edge as a Peregrine Falcon ,paler than usual, almost white, her striking purple eyes sharp and alive.
My turn followed. The same pull coursed through me, stronger, heavier. My body compressed and expanded at once, reshaping into something built for the skies. Feathers spread across me in a deep, dark golden shade, almost shadowed, and when I blinked, the world sharpened through piercing bluish eyes. A Golden Eagle.
For a second, we just looked at each other.
Then without a word, we leapt.
The wind roared past us as we took flight, instinct guiding every movement. It felt natural. Effortless. The castle below, the grounds stretching endlessly and it all felt like ours, like our own kingdom. We circled once, twice, testing control, speed, precision. No hesitation. No imbalance.
We landed moments later and shifted back, the transformation reversing just as smoothly. We checked ourselves quickly, no irregular patches, no strain, no instability.
Perfect.
We were about to jump down from the highest point of the castle when a blinding flash split the sky. A bolt of thunder struck me.
Everything went white. Pain surged through my entire body, raw and violent, like fire tearing through my veins. I collapsed instantly, my robes charred, skin burned, wounds open from the sheer force.
"TAYLEN!"
Kathey rushed to me, dropping beside me and holding me upright, her voice breaking slightly despite her control. "Stay with me—stay with me!"
But then, something changed. The pain didn't fade. It shifted. My body… yet again, adapted.
Where anyone else would have died, something within me awakened. The storm didn't destroy me, it fed me. My muscles tightened and became denser , my senses sharpened, and beneath the burns, my body felt… stronger. Faster. Reinforced.
I exhaled slowly, gripping her arm for support.
"I'm… fine," I muttered, though my voice was rough.
"You're not fine!" she snapped, eyes scanning every injury.
But even as she spoke, the wounds had already begun stabilizing.
We didn't waste time. With her supporting me, we shifted back into our Animagus forms and flew down, slipping into the Gryffindor common room. Empty. Good.
I dropped onto the couch, pulling her close without thinking. My breathing slowed as I turned inward.
My cores.
They weren't just stable, they were glowing much much brighter . Both light and dark, brighter than ever before. My thoughts sped up, sharper, clearer. A realization hit me.
The limit… it's gone.
I opened my eyes.
Kathey was right beside me, holding one of my spare robes, worry still written across her face.
"Kathey—?"
"Oh God—you're up!" she said instantly, crashing into me in a tight hug.
I let out a small breath. "Yeah… yeah, I'm fine. But—watch this."
I raised my hand and snapped. Tiny sparks danced across my fingers. Her eyes narrowed.
I turned toward the fireplace, focusing. "Let's see…" and a bolt from my finger struck the wood.
Flames burst to life instantly. "Heh… okay, that works." Then, like an idiot, I tried pushing further , well, trying to summon actual thunder.
Nothing. I paused.
"…Yeah, okay. Not that broken."
Kathey let out a breath, still holding onto me. "Seems like it's contained within you. You can channel thunder… not create it out of nowhere. What did you think? You'll become thor or what? And make a Mjolnir? "
"Fair enough," I smirked.
We stood up slowly.
"We'll test everything tomorrow," she said, handing me my robes. "Right now, you're resting."
Our hands brushed as she passed them. For a second… we just looked at each other. Then, almost at the same time, we looked away.
"Yeah," I muttered. "Rest."
The next morning, we were already at our training area, working on the den. "Guys," I called as Victor and Elara approached, "we've gotta show you something." Kathey and I exchanged a glance.
Then we transformed.
"YOU BASTARD!" Victor yelled.
"YOU DIDN'T TELL US?!" Elara added, equally furious. And yeah… they were genuinely about to kill me.
"Relax, relax!" I laughed, holding up a small journal. "I wrote everything down. Simplified process." That changed everything. Excitement replaced anger instantly. Under our guidance, they began their own Animagus journey while we continued building the den.
We tested everything after the thunder attack. My abilities had clearly evolved. Speed, strength, reaction everything was amplified. When I sparred underwater with the Merking alongside Victor, even he was caught off guard.
"You've gotten stronger," he admitted, narrowing his eyes.
"Watch this."
I raised my hand and released a controlled bolt.
It zigzagged through the water, striking multiple targets in rapid succession.
The Merking paused.
"…Impressive."
Victor just stared. "…I'm not even surprised anymore."
That evening, we gathered again as storm clouds rolled in. Time for Victor and Elara.
We climbed to the same height. They were already waiting.
"You ready?" I asked.
Victor cracked his neck. "Let's do it."
Elara simply nodded.
The transformation began.
Victor's body expanded and he grew larger, heavier, more powerful, until a massive Brown Bear stood in his place.
There was a pause.
Kathey and I looked at each other.
Then we burst out laughing.
Victor, now a full-grown bear, just sat there, looking… offended.
"Oi! Stop laughing!" he growled.
"Mate, my dear friend and brother, you're a bear!" I managed between laughs.
Elara's transformation followed, smooth, controlled. A red fox. Elegant. Sharp. Perfectly suited. She flicked her tail, clearly pleased.
The next morning, we showed them the den.
Hidden at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, the entrance to our den only revealed itself when one of us traced a cross into the earth, the ground enchanted to silently part to unveil a descending stone passage. Below lay a vast underground chamber, carved into a perfect blend of transmuted rock from earth and runes to support the earth above from collapsing . The air was cool, lit by soft floating lights that dimmed or brightened with our presence. At its center stood a sunken combat arena marked with runes for custom arenas , surrounded by a compact but fully equipped gym and a circular table where plans were to be drawn and rewritten. One side housed our workstations cluttered with rune boards, enchanted tools, and a desk for inventions, while another opened into a quieter corner with low seating, maps, and shelves of books for strategy and study. The walls subtly shifted to reinforce themselves during intense training, and a concealed exit led deeper toward the forest for stealth movement, which would be transformed further to branch more into the forest and Hogsmeade along with a window connecting to the lake. It wasn't just a hideout, it felt like a war room, a workshop, and a peaceful seclusion.
Victor immediately turned into his bear form again and crushed us in a hug.
"VICTOR—CAN'T—BREATHE—" I choked.
Elara added her own touch with Muggle games, while Victor somehow insisted on building a kitchen.
Fair enough. We trained. Constantly. In both forms. We improved.
Classes went smoothly. Our professors noticed. The Avery twins still tried to outdo us.
They failed. Every time.
Kathey was doing great at Quidditch, she was even better than Oliver, she would probably become Quidditch captain. She got a broom gifted by her parents too before one match of hers. It was a Comet.
Pomona approached Kathey one day. "There's a camp this August, you'd benefit greatly from it.Your parents better read this old teachers letter and allow you! "
Kathey nodded politely. I just smiled quietly.
She has no idea Kathey basically owns it.
And then… Snape.
One evening, he called me into an empty room. The door locked behind us. He turned slowly.
"Taylen," he began, voice quieter than usual, "our conversations… over the past two years… they've made me see things differently. Correct mistakes I didn't realize I had."
I stayed silent, watching him carefully. He took a breath. "The world is not as kind as you believe it to be."
Then he continues "Tell me… what if I told you… I was—no… am a Death Eater?"
The room went still. I met his gaze.
My mind was steady, protected. My Occlumency held firm. And more importantly, He wasn't trying to enter my thoughts. He trusted me.
I exhaled slowly.
"…Then I'd ask," I said calmly, "why you're telling me now. There's definitely a catch, cause no way someone like you would be a blood purist and bullshit. "
Something shifted in his expression. He smiled. Yes he did that quite often with me.
Outside, thunder rolled faintly in the distance.
And for the first time
It truly felt like the game had begun.
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