How They Fell

Chapter Fifteen


Harry spent the next month watching the dot labelled Draco Malfoy move around the Marauders Map whenever he could.

It was infuriating.

He watched him go to classes, the library, move about the Heads room’s and even visit Snape, but he never saw him moving around near the Hufflepuff common room again. There were two occasions were Harry looked at the map only to find Malfoy coming back from that general direction but Harry never caught him going to it! It was also impossible for Harry to watch the map all of the time, the best he could do was peek at it every so often. It almost drove Harry mad, he was sure that Malfoy was doing something – if only he was watching the map at the right time!

However, between the vast amount of homework they were being given, Quidditch practice and all of the extra work that they were doing for their animagus transformations, Harry really didn’t have any extra time.

“I don’t even have time to meet the man of my dreams!” He complained sarcastically to Ron and Hermione. Ron spluttered on his pumpkin juice, but Hermione looked sympathetic.

“I know Harry, it must be really hard for you – I mean Hogwarts doesn’t have the most thriving gay community does it? In actual fact it’s really rather repressive in that respect. You know I don’t think I can name any one in this school who is openly gay.”

“Well you wouldn’t would you.” said Ron. Harry and Hermione turned to him questioningly, Hermione with a scowl of warning which made Ron’s ears go red as he hastily tried to explain. “I - I mean homosexuality is really taboo in the wizarding world.” Harry was still looking at him questioningly.

“Why?”

“I- I suppose it’s the whole pureblood tradition thing. If your gay you can’t exactly carry on the blood line, can you?”

“I suppose not. But it does exist, doesn’t it?” Harry questioned.

“Well yeah, but nobody talks about It.” said Ron, continuing to eat his dinner.

“Oh! …So I shouldn’t write my coming out letter to the Daily Prophet.”

Ron snorted. “No Harry – defiantly not a good idea!”

“Well I don’t think that’s very good! In the Muggle world it’s pretty much accepted. And if everybody is guarded about their sexuality how on earth is Harry supposed to know who to ask out?”

Harry blushed. “Well Herm, I mean – I really don’t have time at the moment.” Hermione scowled. “And well there’s no one I’m particularly interested-.”

“Oh, nonsense Harry!” interrupted Hermione. “You’ve just been too busy watching Malfoy to pay attention to any one else! There are plenty of good-looking boy’s at Hogwarts. I mean take Antony Goldstern for example, he’s very handsome.”

“Yeah, but he’s straight isn’t he.” Put in Ron.

“Fine! What about Terry Boot, Blaise Zabini or Justin’s Finch-Fletchly’s friend in the year bellow? And Shamus isn’t bad looking.”

“Hermione!” Spluttered Ron looking horrified. “Shamus is a friend! And a Slytherin? Harry really isn’t interested in Zabini.”

Harry had gone very pink and was looking as though he wanted to hide under the table.

“Honestly Ron, I think Harry can decide his own taste in men without your help!” Said Hermione raising her voice.

Harry leant forward quickly to stop his best friends from arguing and announcing his sexuality to the entire hall. “Look guy’s…I’m really flattered that you want to help me and everything, but I really don’t want you to start setting me up with people, even just suggestions. I’m fine honestly!”

“We know that Harry!” Said Hermione clearly placating him. “I just think that it would be good for you to find somebody, it would take your mind off this ridiculous thing with Malfoy.”

“It is not ridiculous!” Burst in Ron, and the two promptly started arguing about Malfoy – again.

* * *

Despite all of the work they were putting in, their animagus transformation was taking longer than expected. The exact words of the incantation were still beyond them, although they had worked out the correct wand motion.

The previous week Hermione had figured out the correct proportions for the ingredients. Unfortunately this had only shown them how complicated the potion was. It made Polyjuice look like a walk in the park by comparison – although there were a lot of similarities between them. And it really didn’t help that they had very little idea of what they were doing.

The ingredients had to be exactly the correct amounts and brewed in such a way that they all worked in harmony together. A very difficult task considering the strength and potency of nearly all the ingredients involved. The potion also had to be made in conjunction with the moon (“as it represents change,” explained Hermione as though she were stating the bloody obvious) allowing the wizard to move from one form to another at will. This meant that the potion which took exactly a month to brew had to be started and completed on the last day of the full moon. Like Polyjuice the fluxweed had to be gradually broken down over three weeks by being kept at a constant temperature of thirty-seven degrees. The mixture was then boiled off leaving the concentrate behind, to which they should add the moss and then stir exactly forty nine times, alternating between clockwise and anticlockwise every seven turns. The knotgrass, belua blood and lacewing fly’s had to be mixed in a separate cauldron between the first and third phases of the moon, only to be added as the full moon rose for the first night. The bicorn horn and ribosis pollen both had to be ground to very fine dust before being added simultaneously as the moon rose for the final time. The potion then had to be very carefully mixed with smooth, gentle stirring in the direction following the moon’s movement.

Just thinking about the bloody thing gave Harry a headache.

In his opinion Hermione ought to be given her O in her potion’s NEWT right now. The book had given them some very subtle tips on what exactly had to be done, but the rest had been Hermione carefully applying potions techniques that would compliment both the ingredients and the purpose of the potion. For relatively few ingredients it was ridiculously complicated!

Despite the fact that they still didn’t have the full incantation Hermione insisted that they start brewing the potion at the next full moon in early November, they could always re-do it if they didn’t get it in time.

It was decided that Moaning Murtle’s bathroom would be the best place to make the potion. It had worked out fine last time and Hermione refused to let them brew it in her private bathroom.

* * *

November was one of the most stressful months Harry had ever spent in school. The Gryffindor vs. Slytherin Quidditch match was coming up which meant extra practices. The teachers seemed to be determined to fill their heads with as much as possible before Christmas and Ron, Harry, and Hermione were constantly running off between lessons to check the potion.

The first week had gone smoothly as it was the only simple part of the potion, and they were now brewing the knotgrass and belua blood. It seemed to be going well; however, it was extremely volatile and required regular checks.

In Harry’s case this was a right pain as it meant long discussions with Myrtle. If anything her crush on him had increased over the passed years, much to Harry’s annoyance and embarrassment. He would spend about fifteen minuets every visit just trying to work out how to leave the bloody girls loo without upsetting her too much. He only ever managed to escape by promising that he would come back very, very soon.

Unfortunately for Harry he was just disentangling himself from one such conversation with Myrtle, promising her that she was his very favourite ghost in the whole castle, when a first year Hufflepuff walked into the bathroom.

She squeaked in surprise, and then stood staring at Harry, then at Myrtle, then at Harry again as Harry turned pink and embarrassedly rubbed the back of his neck.

Things got worse when Myrtle became jealous. “Who’s this Harry?” She asked shrilly, swooping over to the girl. “Your girlfriend?” She sneered.

“What? – No Myrtle, no! I don’t have a girlfriend!”

“Don’t lie to me Harry! I hear how all the girls whisper about you! You don’t have to pretend to me! Oh no! Don’t bother to be honest to poor old mindless, moony, moaning Myrtle!” And with that she dived down the toilet flooding the whole room. Harry managed to relight the flames under the cauldrons before they lost too much heat and then turned to the still shell-shocked Hufflepuff.

There was an embarrassed pause.

“Er? Sorry about that. She can get a bit – er, possessive sometimes. It’s really best if you don’t come here, it’s permanently out of use anyway.” The Hufflepuff just stood their gaping. “Er? Right. Bye then.” And Harry left.

Ron howled with laughter when Harry told him. “A Hufflepuff…Harry Potter the boy who lived-girl’s bathroom-professing his eternal love to-Myrtle, and you-you’re …gay!” Ron managed to splutter out.

“Oh I’m glad you find it so amusing.” snapped Harry. “I’ll just go down there now shall I? Explain to Myrtle I’m off the market, turn her over to you?” That shut Ron up.

* * *

Harry was so shocked when he found out that Malfoy had been kicked off the Slytherin team he almost fell off his broom.

“What?”

“Malfoy’s not playing seeker. You’re up against a fifth year, Marcus Flint’s brother.” explained Ginny very slowly.

“But – but how? Why?”

“I don’t know. It’s a really weird thing to do, Malfoy wasn’t the best seeker in the world but he has much more experience than whoever they’re now using.”

“But – but-”

“Oh honestly Harry! It’s really good; you’ll wipe the floor with who ever it is. Look, I know your upset ‘coz you won’t get the chance to beat him this year, but it will make beating Slytherin a hell of a lot easier. It was rather close last year.”

That Malfoy had been removed from the team did a lot to confirm Ron and Harry’s suspicions. Although they still weren’t sure how being turned on by your friends and house, and strolling close to the Hufflepuff common room late at night were connected.

Ron and Hermione again started arguing over the whole thing as they were just finishing the second part of the potion and were about to add it to the fluxweed. If it hadn’t have been for Harry yelling at them to calm down, the potion probably would have gone drastically wrong.

* * *

Ginny was right, without Malfoy the Slytherin side was a bit of a push over.

Again the only discernable Slytherin tactic was excessive use of their beaters to injure the other team as much as possible. When this failed to stop Gryffindor scoring goal after goal, the entire team took it upon themselves to be as brutal as possible.

Fortunately, Harry had caught the snitch before too much damage could be done. It had been rather simple. He had spotted it flitting around the halfway line fifty feet in the air. Robert Flint had been closer, but Harry quickly over took him, dropped into a shallow dive and grabbed the snitch.

Looking back on it, it had been rather easy! Harry felt a small stab of regret. At least with Malfoy the flying was exiting, it was competitive, not just the sort of stuff he was used to in practice.

Never the less, the Gryffindor’s where ecstatically happy and instantly announced a house party. This just annoyed Harry, why were they celebrating when it had been such a simple match? And Malfoy had had the whole afternoon to wander about the castle without Harry knowing anything about it.

Harry spent his evening hiding under his invisibility cloak watching the map.

* * *

The last week of the animagus potion was completely hectic. The potion had to be checked every hour, which resulted in being late to lessons, and they spent every spare minute in the library trying to find out the correct word for the incantation. They were no closer now than they had been before and they were all decided that the very last thing they wanted to do was spend another month remaking the potion from hell.

By Thursday night they had given up any pretence of trying to keep up with their homework. The full moon rose on Saturday.

By Friday they still hadn’t found it. Saturday was a Hogsmede visit so the library was empty; however it did not improve their moods that they were unable to go.

“I was counting on this Hogsmede trip to pick up a book.” complained Hermione. “It’s a summary of the latest research on why -.”

“I’m sure it’s fascinating.” interrupted Harry, “but can we please get on? If we find the bloody thing quickly enough we might still be able to go.”

However by early evening they were still no closer to finding whatever word it was that they were looking for and they were getting desperate.

“And I’d run out of pumpkin pasties.” moaned Ron. “If only it wasn’t for these bloody Apparation wards, we could nip over there, nip back and it would all be fine.”

“Yeah, I haven’t Apparated for ages. You kind of miss the independence and freedom of it, don’t you?” Harry thought wistfully, but Ron wasn’t listening.

“Wait…” Ron was staring straight in front of him evidently thinking hard. Harry and Hermione looked at each other, bemused. “Thought – thinking…” There was another pause as Ron clutched his head dramatically. “That’s it!!!” He said launching himself out of his seat. “Clueo idemere!”

“Eh, what?” asked Harry.

“Clueo idemere!” Harry looked at Ron expectantly, raising his eyebrows. “The spell thing!” Harry blinked, it wasn’t getting any clearer. “At the Apparation centre…the spell thing to determine your essence.”

“That’s it Ron!” Cried Hermione ecstatically, also leaping to her feet excitedly.

“What?” asked Harry.

“The essence spell thing!” Replied Ron excitedly.

“Yes, it fits perfectly and it does exactly what we want it to! You’re a genius Ron.” The two of them were now hugging and jumping up and down.

Madam Pinse was sending killer librarian death glares at them, but Hermione and Ron were oblivious.

“Ooh!” exclaimed Harry finally catching on. The spell Mr. Plumpit had used to show him his magical essence – that was it! They wouldn’t have to remake the potion!

“We don’t have to remake the potion!” And all of a sudden Harry found himself hugging Hermione and jumping up and down. However, their celebration was short lived as Madam Pinse had had enough.

“What exactly do you think your doing?” They all stopped hugging. “Miss Granger I expected better of you. Out, now!”

Hermione and Ron went straight off to check on the potion, sending Harry to the kitchens to get dinner for them. He had to be in the bathroom by nine or he would miss the moon rise when they had to add the other ingredients.

Harry headed off to the Gryffindor common room to drop off his books. When he got to his dormitory he looked excitedly out of the window. The sun was setting, just a few hours to go and he would be an animagus like his father!

Harry sat wondering for the millionth time which animal he would be. More out of habit than anything else he pulled out the Marauders Map muttered, “I solemnly swear I am up to no good,” and began to scan the parchment.

He felt his body tense as he watched the dot labelled Draco Malfoy leave the Heads rooms. His pulse seemed to speed up as he grabbed for his invisibility cloak, threw it on and ran out of the dormitory.

He sprinted down corridor after corridor constantly following Malfoy. He was moving towards the Hufflepuff common room. Harry felt elation fill him. Finally he would find out what Malfoy was up to!

However Malfoy was now moving on pass the common room. Harry altered his course, taking a passage that would bring him to an area of the school just above the hospital wing.

He was getting closer. Harry watched the map, his excitement growing as Malfoy slowed halfway down a corridor. He then just disappeared.

Harry blinked surprised, then scanned the map again.

There was nowhere he could have gone. The corridor had no passages coming off it in that particular spot and no secret rooms. Harry was confused – Malfoy must have gone somewhere!

Harry swiftly made his way to that corridor, walked along it and stopped just were Malfoy had disappeared.

On one side was a painting of a landscape and on the other a small stone plinth with a vase on it.

One of them had to be the entrance to a passage or a room of some sort that the Map didn’t have on it. That was really odd, the map had never been wrong before, it seemed to know every possible passage in the school. Either the Marauders had missed this one or it had been created after their time at Hogwarts. It was all really strange.

Harry searched them both peering at every possible thing which could show either the picture or the vase to be a passage.

After half an hour Harry admitted defeat. There was nothing on either to suggest anything. But Malfoy had not appeared anywhere else on the map! That meant that there was probably a room off this corridor which the map wasn’t aware of. Malfoy was here somewhere and Harry decided that he would just sit and wait until he came out. Thanks to his invisibility cloak Malfoy wouldn’t know he was being watched.

So Harry sat and waited

…and waited

…and waited.

Malfoy was taking ages to do what ever he was doing and Harry was beginning to worry. It was getting closer and closer to nine o’clock when he had to be down in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom. He decided that they would just have to go without sandwiches from the kitchens. However when it was half passed eight and Malfoy still hadn’t appeared Harry began to worry.

He stared at his watch, watching as the minuets ticked passed. Twenty five to. Twenty to. Quarter to.

Harry stood up abruptly, frustration filling him. Ripping off the cloak he checked his watch again.

He really had to go!

Letting out a small roar of annoyance Harry turned on his heal and sprinted off down the corridor in the direction of the bathroom, without noticing the plinth with the vase on moving slowly to the side as a door appeared and opened behind it.

* * *

Once more Harry raced along corridors and down stairs as he made his way to the second floor.

Fortunately the running helped to improve his mood, by the time he burst unceremoniously into the girl’s bathroom his frustration had been mostly replaced by eager anticipation.

“Where the hell have you been?” demanded Hermione as soon as he had come to a halt.

“Err? Um…” Harry quickly decided it was best not to tell Hermione what he had been doing. “Got caught up – Dobby.”

There was a pause then. “Oh! So you got the sandwiches then?”

“Err, no – when I realised what time it was I had to run off.” Well that bit had been true.

“Well at least you’re here on time.” Hermione checked her watch. “We’ve got two minuets before we have to add the Bicorn and Ribosis. Ron and I have already ground them, and we just have to add both at the same time and in the same general quantities, that’ll be the tricky bit. Harry and I’ll do it. Ron you have to stir…”

“Yes, yes I know. You’ve only told me four times all ready.” He interrupted.

“I do hope I’ve got everything right – I mean I was always unsure about the most effective way to shred the moss alarmitas. But I rechecked everything at least four times…its just that this is a really dangerous transformation-.”

“She’s been like this for the past hour…” whispered Ron before raising his voice so that Hermione could hear. “Don’t worry Herm, I’m sure it’s all fine.”

“Yeah,” said Harry. “And anyway if anything did go wrong – which it won’t.” He put in hastily at Ron’s fierce glare. “Then I’m sure Madam Pomfrey will be able to fix it. So don’t worry.”

“Right. Ok. Shit! What’s the time? Ok, thirty seconds. Ron take the spoon remember.”

“Yes Herm I’ve got it!”

“Ok – and Harry, quickly, quickly take the Bicorn. Pour it in slowly, at about the same rate as me. Keep your hand as far away from me as possible or they will react together. Ok…ready, steady go…”

There was absolute silence as the three friends all concentrated fiercely on their personal tasks. Hermione was looking absolutely intent; Harry was constantly glancing at her to make sure he was putting in the right amount and Ron was scowling slightly with his tongue stuck out.

Eventually all of the ingredients were added and Ron was left stirring the potion. Harry and Hermione waited in tense silence watching him. The book had very helpfully informed them that ‘a coppery brown colour was very important to any witch or wizard attempting this transformation.’ And now they all watched fearfully waiting to see if the potion was correct.

They breathed a sigh of relief when the coppery colour was achieved. Hermione quickly removed the cauldron from the heat, placing it on the cold bathroom tiles.

“Now we give it a couple of minuets to cool and then -.”

“Animagus time!” Whooped Ron. They were all grinning broadly, with relief, pride and excitement.

“You both know how to do the spell? Remember it pronounces ‘clu-ere idoomere.’ Don’t forget, you do the spell first, fix the picture of your essence clearly in your mind then drink the potion. You should then transform into the form most fitting for you, remember how the transformation feels, or as the book put it ‘remember the transformation process,’ and then it will be possible for you to change at will.”

“Um?” Harry and Hermione turned to Ron. “Who’s going to go first?” There was a short pause before they all started arguing.

After ten minuets it was decided on, much to Harry’s annoyance, that Ron should go first, then Hermione and last off all Harry. He argued that as the whole thing was his idea he aught to be the guinea pig. Ron had then asked what guinea pigs had to do with anything, and if Harry thought that was the form he was going to take – well that was just funny.

“Imagine it Harry, there you are facing off you-know-who, you get into a tight spot, have to make a quick getter way – and pouf! A guinea pig bolts for freedom! The look on you-know-who’s face as his arch nemesis transforms himself into a small fluffy, cute little pet! Yeah, that’ll melt his evil heart – I’m sure that’s why he became a Dark Lord in the first place – guinea pig envy, he didn’t have one as a child…And poof! Nibblers has solved the worst problem to face the wizarding world since the Dark Wizard Grindelwald.”

“It’s a muggle expression Ronald.” explained Hermione scathingly. “But I agree.”

“What that I’ll become a guinea pig!” Questioned Harry horrified.

“No you certainly will not! That you shouldn’t go first, you are the only one who can defeat Voldemort and it really isn’t worth the risk.” That pissed Harry off.

Tension filled the room again as they pored the potion into their flasks.

“Wands ready?” asked Hermione. The boy’s nodded. “Alright, Ron off you go.”

Ron steadied himself, gripped his wand in one hand, the other held the potion. He cast the spell, closed his eyes tight and drank the potion.

Harry was amazed to watch as his friend changed into a small reddish brown bear.

Hermione squeaked in excitement and clapped her hands together – the potion had worked.

“Oh Ron! Congratulations, I think you’re a type of black bear!”

“But he’s reddish brown?” questioned Harry, as Ron went whisking over the floor in his happiness at his new form.

“No he has to be, other wise he would be bigger, black bears reach an average of three hundred pounds.”

For the umpteenth time Harry wondered how on earth Hermione managed to know so many things.

Ron turned back grinning. “It works! So cool!!!”

“Yeah,” grinned Harry. “And it explains why you always put so much honey on your morning toast!”

Ron cuffed him round the ear affectionately.

“My turn.” said Hermione. She too cast the spell and drank the potion and before Ron and Harry’s eyes she changed into an otter.

“Hey that’s the same form as your patronus.” Said Ron watching her scamper around the floor, grinning.

“Ok.” Said Harry one Hermione had turned back. “My turn.” Gripping his wand he moved it in the correct ark. “Clueo idemere.”

Once more he saw the rope circle with its odd mixture of bright green and black which resulted in that sparking dark green. Focusing hard on that picture Harry drank the potion. It tasted odd, slightly like blood and some random animal smells, however the mixture was not unpleasant. Harry could feel the potion begin to move through him. He thought harder than ever of his rope circle. He could fell the potion pushing him to change, shunting his body down the right path. But there was something blocking it. The copper coloured potion had turned to a bright green, but the green was surrounded by black, a suffocating heavy presence. As the green pushed, the black tightened. Harry felt the struggle inside him build, and build until it became too much.

Something inside him broke and he collapsed.



Author's note: now beta'd by syrekinnx, so you don't have to suffer through my bad spelling any more. Thank you to all my reveiwers for being so encouraging. It makes me smile whenever I get a new one.