The Wolf's Howl

Transformation

Hey peeps! I know I really shouldn't start a new story when I already have 3(?) that I'm working on, but this wouldn't leave me alone. Enjoy! Anything you recognize belongs to JK Rowling, amazing queen she is.

I will attempt to update this story every other week on either Thursday or Friday. If I miss an update, Monday will be it.

#first_attempt_at_an_updating_schedule

~.~.~

"Hermione doesn't need to know, Ron!" Harry wizard said, exasperated. 

The ginger sighed. "I just feel like it's a bad idea, mate. What if something goes wrong?" 

The raven-haired wizard shrugged. "I don't think it will," he said. "Both of us have gotten really good since the war. I really think we can pull this off." 

Ron allowed a small smile to touch his lips. "I would like to see you and Hermione argue some time. I don't think either of you would let up until you killed each other." 

Harry rolled his eyes and dragged his friend into the abandoned classroom. Pulling two flasks out of his robes, he smiled. This was really happening. He handed one flask to Ron, keeping the other for himself. 

"Ready?" he asked. Ron nodded nervously. "You remember the incantation?" he affirmed, earning him another head nod from the red-head. "Alright," Harry said quietly. "Three, two, one." 

Both boys downed the potion at the same time, creating identical faces of disgust as the rotten egg taste assaulted their tongues. 

As though they were mirror images of each other, they drew their wands and performed the complicated movements required by the spell, while saying, "Mainiet mani. Padarit manu kermena speli sava devesele." When they finished, they looked at each other. 

"It didn't work?" Ron asked. Harry frowned and looked at his hands, which were still hands. "I don't think so," he replied. Then he gasped. 

He felt something powerful under his skin, itching to be free. So, Harry did the only thing he could think of. He let the magic have its way. 

The change was immediate - no chance to feel fur sprouting from flesh, bones re-arranging or senses sharpening. Harry suddenly stood on all fours and looked around before landing eyes on his friend. But his friend wasn't his friend anymore. 

In the place of the tall ginger wizard stood a lithe cougar with intense facial markings. Harry's jaw dropped. Ron, meanwhile, was staring at Harry in a similar fashion, though it was slightly more difficult for his jaw to drop than it was for Harry's. 

"Mate?" a voice sounded in Harry's head, causing him to jump and look around wildly. He felt fur along his back stand up, prompting him to look backwards. He was surprised to see a dog-like body covered in pitch black fur, so he looked back at his friend. He thought for a second, then cocked his head to the side. Feeling an open portion of his mind, he pressed through it. 

"Ron, is that you?" he thought. The cougar nodded his head in response. Harry smiled, elated at still being able to talk with his best mate. 

"You're a wolf," Ron stated, amazement clear in his voice. "Is that what I am?" Harry asked. He had thought that he was some kind of long-haired Labrador. The cougar - Ron - simply nodded in response. "Cool," Harry responded. 

"You're a cougar - and a proper brill one at that!" Ron smiled, which gave him a fierce and slightly feral look. Harry would have to get used to that. 

"So, do you want to change back, or wander for a bit?" he asked. Ron rolled his shoulders, which Harry took for a shrug. "I kind of want to wander a bit. But I think we should separate - it's weird enough to have two non-native animals wandering Hogwarts; it'd be weirder for them to be together. Besides, I'm pretty sure wolves and cougars don't get along." 

Harry paused. "Did you just make logical sense?" he asked. Ron rolled his eyes and walked towards the door. Harry noted how his friend subconsciously seemed to slink away, rolling his shoulders and holding his tail low and still. 

Evidently, some animal behavioral patterns transferred automatically. 

Harry tested it out, noticing how he managed to step softly without paying attention to it, and how he also held his tail still, but a little higher than Ron did. 

He watched, amazed, as Ron gracefully leaped up and opened the door with his paw. The cougar then stepped back and nodded his head, allowing Harry to go through first. Harry nodded his head back and padded through. 

Due to his dark coloration, Harry decided to attempt to stick to the shadows. He took a glance back and saw Ron's dark tail tip vanish around the corner. He was alone, but it didn't bother him. He actually enjoyed it - there was no one else around to clutter his senses. 

He took a deep breath, registering the scents of the grounds and surrounding classrooms. With shock, he realized that he could smell the minty scent of the Venomous Tentacula in Greenhouse 3 and the slightly musty scent of the Potions room, despite being on the other side of Hogwarts. Harry smiled to himself. If his other senses were as strong as his nose, he'd be set. 

Suddenly, he heard footsteps. He looked around frantically, eyes seeming to notice a shadowy corner before his brain had time to catch up. He darted towards it and curled up into the shadow and waited. And waited. And waited. Minutes later, Harry realized that he was hearing Remus move around in his office two floors above him. 

I'm going to have to get used to this, Harry thought. He was really going to have to learn to recognize sounds that are close and sounds that are far away. 

He slunk out of his corner and began to wander down the halls. He was amazed at how fast he traveled, even at a walk, without making any noise. 

I wonder if this is why they called Sirius 'Padfoot', Harry wondered to himself, before deciding that it probably was. He heard footsteps again, but realized that they were also far away, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly where in Hogwarts they were. 

He kept walking along, smelling the scents that he had never noticed before. Someone wears Axe, he noticed. It was only significant to him because most wizards stuck with RS Terre, which was a magical deodorant that smelled however the wearer wanted it to smell. He decided to try to figure out who it was at a later date. 

He continued wandering for an hour or so, before a quiet call echoed in his mind. "Harry?" Ron said. "What?" the wolf replied. "Meet me back at the classroom. It's getting late." Harry sighed. Ron had a point, but he was enjoying his alone time. He turned around and trotted to the classroom. 

He entered the room, seeing the cougar already there. They locked eyes - gold meeting green. They nodded at each other, then mentally said the incantation to change back into their human forms - "Man vajag buut taads, kas man bija pirms tam."  

Just as instantaneous as the change to wolf had been, the change to human was. 

Harry found himself sprawled on the floor and a quick glance at Ron told Harry that Ron had also fallen flat on his face. "Well, that was graceful," Harry remarked. Ron chuckled, getting up and offering a hand to Harry, who took it. "I agree. We'll have to work on that," the red-head replied. 

Harry rolled his shoulders and frowned. The feeling was still there; the power rolling right under his skin was still trying to press it's way out. He looked at Ron and raised an eyebrow. "You still feel it?" he asked. Ron nodded. 

"I think that's normal, though. That's what the book said, anyways," he replied. Harry's brow furrowed. "Where did you read that?" he asked. Ron shrugged. "The Introduction. I read a little extra because I was uneasy about all this." Harry nodded at Ron's response, then smirked evilly. 

"You do know that no one reads the Introduction, right?" he said teasingly. Ron rolled his eyes and pushed Harry's shoulder. "If you mention it to anyone, you'll be eating slugs for a month," he threatened.

 Harry laughed. "Like that worked out for you last time," he said. Ron huffed and stalked out of the door. Harry noticed the almost prowl-like way he walked away and chuckled to himself. 

Harry followed, his footsteps making no noise on the marble floors.