Fic: Transformation
Title: Transformation
Pairing/Characters: implied Harry/Cedric, Minerva McGonagall
Rating: G
Warnings: Slightly crack. Un-beta-ed and hastily written.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and friends belong to JKR, not me.
Summary: Cedric's first attempt at becoming an animagus doesn't go quite as he expects.
A/N:
younggoose and
minisinoo are completely to blame for this!
Transformation
Cedric and Harry sat down on the grass at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where Professor McGonagall was already waiting for them. This was to be Cedric’s first attempt at becoming an animagus, after months of practice and preparation, and McGonagall had suggested that he bring along someone close to him to help ease the process. If she was surprised at all by his choice, she didn’t say anything.
Instead, she greeted each of them with a small nod. “Thank you for coming out today, Mr. Potter. I have high hopes that today we will see Mr. Diggory’s first transformation, and I’m sure your presence will be a great help.”
Harry shrugged, looking slightly uncomfortable. “Yeah, sure. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, though.”
McGonagall smiled warmly. “You won’t have to do anything, I should think. Your proximity and support will be enough.” Her expression grew serious, and she turned to Cedric. “Do you think you’re ready, Mr. Diggory?”
Cedric nodded once. To be honest, he was incredibly nervous about the whole thing. McGonagall had insisted, in their private lessons, that none of her previous students had ever progressed as rapidly as he, and she had expressed her full confidence that he would be successful on the first try. Even so, Cedric was wary. He had studied the dangerous complications of a partial transformation, or even more frightening, the irrevocable damage of a permanent change. That was Harry’s purpose here today: to keep Cedric tethered to his human identity and not lose himself in whatever animal form he would assume. Assuming he was able to transform at all.
McGonagall prompted him to begin, and with a last glance at Harry who grinned encouragingly, Cedric closed his eyes. He began by focusing on his breathing as they had practiced, urging his nervous energy to dissipate. He let his muscles relax and his arms fall heavy at his sides. It didn’t take long for him to reach that familiar state of calm, where he was dimly aware of Harry seated next to him, but all his thoughts were turned inwards. In the distance, McGonagall’s voice was issuing instructions.
“Very good, Cedric. Now, I want you to visualize the animal core we’ve discussed. Nod when you can see it.”
Cedric sunk deeper, searching for that core, and suddenly he saw it. It was small as a pebble, glowing sun-bright but pure white. He nodded, careful not to lose sight of it.
“Excellent. Now go ahead and reach into it, and don’t lose your focus.”
Cedric did. He reached for the glowing pebble and felt it grow larger, filling his chest, then his entire torso. His concentration was so complete that it was earning him a headache, a sharp pain right between his eyes. Suddenly, without any conscious effort, he leapt to his feet, then bent forward to place his hands back on the ground. He felt his whole body swell. His head lifted to the sky, his back gracefully arched. His arms and legs grew long and sturdy. He stretched, and moved, and expanded without choice, and then suddenly, it was over.
Cedric opened his eyes.
The first thing he noticed were the colors. Sunlight was filtering through the sparse trees on the edge of the forest, illuminating their golden green leaves and touching down on flowers pink as pale lips. The sky above was a violent blue, but turned deep purple under the shade of the canopy. The forest invited him, cool and protective, and without a second thought, Cedric set off at a gallop.
He spent several minutes just weaving in and out of the trees, becoming comfortable with his new body. Although he didn’t have his wand, he didn’t feel as though he needed it. Magic seemed to be running through his very veins. He felt powerful, charged with energy, yet oddly serene. He also sensed an immediate camaraderie with the other animals of the forest, who peeked out from their hiding places to gaze in wonder at the newcomer.
“Cedric!”
At the sound of his name, Cedric turned and trotted back. Harry and Professor McGonagall were waiting for him, looks of shock across both their faces. Cedric sidled up next to Harry, and after a moment’s hesitation, Harry reached up to stroke his back, which felt wonderful.
“You can change back now, Mr. Diggory,” McGonagall said softly.
Cedric let his animal core slip between his fingers, and with a slight stumble, he was back on two feet, feeling flushed and giddy with adrenaline.
McGonagall and Harry were staring at him, their mouths hanging slightly open. Cedric broke the silence. “So I’m a horse!”
This seemed to snap McGonagall back to her senses. She closed her mouth and studied him for a moment. “Actually, that isn’t precisely correct.”
Cedric’s smile faltered. He looked back and forth between McGonagall and Harry. McGonagall’s uncharacteristic look of awe was starting to unnerve him. Harry on the other hand, seemed to be trying very hard to suppress a grin, which unnerved him even more. “What do you mean? Wasn’t…wasn’t I a horse?”
“Well, no.” McGonagall paused. A few moments passed. “Cedric, your animagus form is a unicorn.”
Next to him, Harry burst into laughter.
“A WHAT?” Cedric could feel the blood drain from his face, and he feebly sank to the ground. “How - but I - that’s impossible!”
“I assure you it’s not. Harry can attest to your form, and you most certainly were a unicorn.”
To verify the statement, Harry sank to the ground as well, practically rolling around in fits of laughter. Cedric punched him hard in the shoulder to shut him up.
“But professor, do I - do I have to be?” he asked weakly.
McGonagall looked appalled. “I don’t think you fully appreciate the significance of this. Animagi who are capable of becoming magical creatures are incredibly rare. I’ve never even met one before today. And as a unicorn, you may even be able to transfer some of those magical abilites into your daily, human life. Mr. Diggory, you have the potential to become an incredibly powerful wizard.”
Harry stopped laughing long enough to add, “Or an incredibly pretty one.”
McGonagall shot Harry a stern glare, but Cedric groaned and covered his face with his hands.
Harry rolled his eyes and patted his back. “Hey, I’m just taking the mickey. At least you didn’t turn into a blast-ended skrewt, right?”
“I think I’d rather be a skrewt,” Cedric mumbled.
“Honestly.” McGonagall shook her head, looking exasperated. “Unicorns are extremely powerful and dangerous creatures, completely misunderstood. Didn’t Professor Hagrid teach you anything? I, for one, am certainly glad you did not turn into a skrewt.”
“You were all…sparkly,” Harry said helpfully, wiggling his fingers in the air.
Cedric looked over at him, aghast. “I sparkled?”
“I’m afraid so.“
“That’s it. I’m never transforming again!”
McGonagall let out a forced sigh. She stood there with her arms crossed, eyeing the two of them in frustration. Then she said, “I think Mr. Potter will be sorry to hear that.”
Cedric looked up at her. “What?”
Her lips slowly turned upward into an uncharacteristic smirk. “I suppose while you were busy getting used to your new form, you didn’t have time to notice Mr. Potter’s reaction?”
Cedric looked over at Harry, who was no longer smiling, and whose ears were starting to turn red at the tips. “What reaction?”
“Well, for one, his eyes never left you for a moment. And at the rate he was breathing, I was half afraid he would pass out. Then it took him three tries to find his voice long enough to call you back from the forest. Not to mention the way he looked at you when he pet your back… If I’m not mistaken, your unicorn form left Mr. Potter quite dazzled.”
Harry’s face turned bright red, and he carefully avoided Cedric’s gaze. Now it was Cedric’s turn to smirk.
Maybe being a unicorn wasn’t quite as bad as he had thought.
Pairing/Characters: implied Harry/Cedric, Minerva McGonagall
Rating: G
Warnings: Slightly crack. Un-beta-ed and hastily written.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and friends belong to JKR, not me.
Summary: Cedric's first attempt at becoming an animagus doesn't go quite as he expects.
A/N:
younggoose and
minisinoo are completely to blame for this!
Transformation
Cedric and Harry sat down on the grass at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where Professor McGonagall was already waiting for them. This was to be Cedric’s first attempt at becoming an animagus, after months of practice and preparation, and McGonagall had suggested that he bring along someone close to him to help ease the process. If she was surprised at all by his choice, she didn’t say anything.
Instead, she greeted each of them with a small nod. “Thank you for coming out today, Mr. Potter. I have high hopes that today we will see Mr. Diggory’s first transformation, and I’m sure your presence will be a great help.”
Harry shrugged, looking slightly uncomfortable. “Yeah, sure. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, though.”
McGonagall smiled warmly. “You won’t have to do anything, I should think. Your proximity and support will be enough.” Her expression grew serious, and she turned to Cedric. “Do you think you’re ready, Mr. Diggory?”
Cedric nodded once. To be honest, he was incredibly nervous about the whole thing. McGonagall had insisted, in their private lessons, that none of her previous students had ever progressed as rapidly as he, and she had expressed her full confidence that he would be successful on the first try. Even so, Cedric was wary. He had studied the dangerous complications of a partial transformation, or even more frightening, the irrevocable damage of a permanent change. That was Harry’s purpose here today: to keep Cedric tethered to his human identity and not lose himself in whatever animal form he would assume. Assuming he was able to transform at all.
McGonagall prompted him to begin, and with a last glance at Harry who grinned encouragingly, Cedric closed his eyes. He began by focusing on his breathing as they had practiced, urging his nervous energy to dissipate. He let his muscles relax and his arms fall heavy at his sides. It didn’t take long for him to reach that familiar state of calm, where he was dimly aware of Harry seated next to him, but all his thoughts were turned inwards. In the distance, McGonagall’s voice was issuing instructions.
“Very good, Cedric. Now, I want you to visualize the animal core we’ve discussed. Nod when you can see it.”
Cedric sunk deeper, searching for that core, and suddenly he saw it. It was small as a pebble, glowing sun-bright but pure white. He nodded, careful not to lose sight of it.
“Excellent. Now go ahead and reach into it, and don’t lose your focus.”
Cedric did. He reached for the glowing pebble and felt it grow larger, filling his chest, then his entire torso. His concentration was so complete that it was earning him a headache, a sharp pain right between his eyes. Suddenly, without any conscious effort, he leapt to his feet, then bent forward to place his hands back on the ground. He felt his whole body swell. His head lifted to the sky, his back gracefully arched. His arms and legs grew long and sturdy. He stretched, and moved, and expanded without choice, and then suddenly, it was over.
Cedric opened his eyes.
The first thing he noticed were the colors. Sunlight was filtering through the sparse trees on the edge of the forest, illuminating their golden green leaves and touching down on flowers pink as pale lips. The sky above was a violent blue, but turned deep purple under the shade of the canopy. The forest invited him, cool and protective, and without a second thought, Cedric set off at a gallop.
He spent several minutes just weaving in and out of the trees, becoming comfortable with his new body. Although he didn’t have his wand, he didn’t feel as though he needed it. Magic seemed to be running through his very veins. He felt powerful, charged with energy, yet oddly serene. He also sensed an immediate camaraderie with the other animals of the forest, who peeked out from their hiding places to gaze in wonder at the newcomer.
“Cedric!”
At the sound of his name, Cedric turned and trotted back. Harry and Professor McGonagall were waiting for him, looks of shock across both their faces. Cedric sidled up next to Harry, and after a moment’s hesitation, Harry reached up to stroke his back, which felt wonderful.
“You can change back now, Mr. Diggory,” McGonagall said softly.
Cedric let his animal core slip between his fingers, and with a slight stumble, he was back on two feet, feeling flushed and giddy with adrenaline.
McGonagall and Harry were staring at him, their mouths hanging slightly open. Cedric broke the silence. “So I’m a horse!”
This seemed to snap McGonagall back to her senses. She closed her mouth and studied him for a moment. “Actually, that isn’t precisely correct.”
Cedric’s smile faltered. He looked back and forth between McGonagall and Harry. McGonagall’s uncharacteristic look of awe was starting to unnerve him. Harry on the other hand, seemed to be trying very hard to suppress a grin, which unnerved him even more. “What do you mean? Wasn’t…wasn’t I a horse?”
“Well, no.” McGonagall paused. A few moments passed. “Cedric, your animagus form is a unicorn.”
Next to him, Harry burst into laughter.
“A WHAT?” Cedric could feel the blood drain from his face, and he feebly sank to the ground. “How - but I - that’s impossible!”
“I assure you it’s not. Harry can attest to your form, and you most certainly were a unicorn.”
To verify the statement, Harry sank to the ground as well, practically rolling around in fits of laughter. Cedric punched him hard in the shoulder to shut him up.
“But professor, do I - do I have to be?” he asked weakly.
McGonagall looked appalled. “I don’t think you fully appreciate the significance of this. Animagi who are capable of becoming magical creatures are incredibly rare. I’ve never even met one before today. And as a unicorn, you may even be able to transfer some of those magical abilites into your daily, human life. Mr. Diggory, you have the potential to become an incredibly powerful wizard.”
Harry stopped laughing long enough to add, “Or an incredibly pretty one.”
McGonagall shot Harry a stern glare, but Cedric groaned and covered his face with his hands.
Harry rolled his eyes and patted his back. “Hey, I’m just taking the mickey. At least you didn’t turn into a blast-ended skrewt, right?”
“I think I’d rather be a skrewt,” Cedric mumbled.
“Honestly.” McGonagall shook her head, looking exasperated. “Unicorns are extremely powerful and dangerous creatures, completely misunderstood. Didn’t Professor Hagrid teach you anything? I, for one, am certainly glad you did not turn into a skrewt.”
“You were all…sparkly,” Harry said helpfully, wiggling his fingers in the air.
Cedric looked over at him, aghast. “I sparkled?”
“I’m afraid so.“
“That’s it. I’m never transforming again!”
McGonagall let out a forced sigh. She stood there with her arms crossed, eyeing the two of them in frustration. Then she said, “I think Mr. Potter will be sorry to hear that.”
Cedric looked up at her. “What?”
Her lips slowly turned upward into an uncharacteristic smirk. “I suppose while you were busy getting used to your new form, you didn’t have time to notice Mr. Potter’s reaction?”
Cedric looked over at Harry, who was no longer smiling, and whose ears were starting to turn red at the tips. “What reaction?”
“Well, for one, his eyes never left you for a moment. And at the rate he was breathing, I was half afraid he would pass out. Then it took him three tries to find his voice long enough to call you back from the forest. Not to mention the way he looked at you when he pet your back… If I’m not mistaken, your unicorn form left Mr. Potter quite dazzled.”
Harry’s face turned bright red, and he carefully avoided Cedric’s gaze. Now it was Cedric’s turn to smirk.
Maybe being a unicorn wasn’t quite as bad as he had thought.