A favor
That Friday, Harry was hanging out with the twins. They had only made few progresses over their little project. The first challenge being to find a book that taught you how to become an Animagus. They had to sneak into the restricted section of the library late at night, since both Weasleys and Harry were banned from it for whatever reason.
Once they finally had one, the next problem was finding the leaf of a mandrake. They figured they could just steal some from Snape before Fred remembered that their professor kept a close inventory of his ingredients. The last time they had tried to steal something: they were spotted in less than a day. Not only were they given detention, but they also lost 60 points, each.
Harry suggested to just order it and so, now they were on the mission to find someone who sold some. Turns out the leaves are a very rare ingredient. So rare that even Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley did not have any.
“I don’t understand why we can’t just ask someone!” Said an exasperated Harry. “It would be so much easier.”
They were currently all huddled under the boy’s invisibility cloak, on their way to Snape’s office. They had planned to look at the list of all his suppliers and go on from that.
“Because it wouldn’t be fun!” Repeated George for the hundredth time that day.”
“Which is not a good reason. Do you know how dangerous this is! I don’t want to get expelled.”
“My dearest Harry, you are losing everything that made you a Gryffindor, where has all your courage gone? You used to take risks at least twice a day.”
“Now shush, or we’ll get caught for real.” Hushed Fred.
They slowly made their way in the office and started looking in his desk. There, they found something rather interesting.
“Why is there a portrait of your mother on top of Snape’s office Harry?” Asked Fred, pointing to a small frame portraying Lily smiling and waving at the boys.”
“There’s another one here.” Added George.
In the second one, there was a young Lily, around 11- or 12-year-old, with a dark-haired little boy the same age.
“Wait… is that Snape with my mother? They were friends?” Harry exclaimed.
“Here is the list.” Fred interrupted Harry from his newfound discovery. “Let’s make a copy of it. I’ll bring it with me, and I’ll look over it before going to bed if it’s alright with you all.”
“What? Oh, yeah, it’s perfect.” Said Harry, distracted by the picture before him.
-------
Harry asked about it the next morning
“Draco, I need to tell you something.”
“Please don’t hate me, but yesterday, I happened to find myself in Snape’s office during the night and…”
“You were what?” Exclaimed Draco. “Why on earth did you go there, I hope you didn’t steal anything Harry. You know that Snape always finds the culprit. Do you know the consequences to that? He won’t go easy on you just before you’re in his house now.”
“I stole nothing, I promised, don’t tell him, I’m begging you.”
“Only if you tell me everything.”
Harry hesitated before informing him about the mission to become an Animagus and everything they’ve done at this moment.
“I won’t say anything if you include me in your little scheme, I want to be an Animagus as well.”
“I’m not sure, I would have to ash the twins first.”
“I changed my mind: there’s not a snowball chance in hell I’ll be working with them.”
“So, you’re telling me that you will pass on this great opportunity just because of some childish rivalry with them?”
“Yes. Oh! I have an idea, I could do it alone, and if I achieve it before you, you will owe me a favor, the same goes the other way.”
“Deal.” “Now that’s this is behind us, I needed to ask you if you happened to know why Snape has two photos of my mother on his desk and why was he with her in one of them.”
“With her as in with her? I have no idea Harry: I did not even know he had them. I could ask him later.”
“And you think he’ll just tell you?”
“Well, I’m his godson so I can use the excuse of wanting to get to know him better.” Draco shrugged.
“You’re his what?”
“You didn’t know?”
Just then, Harry spotted the twins in the entrance trying to not so subtly grab Harry’s attention.
“Looks like the twin found something on the parchment, are you sure you don’t want me to ask them about you joining us.”
“No, it’s ok. I prefer much more or little competition.”
Harry made his way to the other teens and together, they hid in an abandoned classroom.
“I have a good and a bad new. The good one is that I found someone who sells leaf of a mandrake and can get it delivered to us within the day. The bad news is that it is extremely utterly expensive.”
“Don’t worry about the price, I can pay for the three of us. Just promise me that in exchange, I will have some of us you merchandise for free.”
“Done!”
“Great, it’s settled then. I’ll purchase it!”
-------
A day later, a small package was delivered for Harry who send a small patronus to inform the guys to meet him in the same abandoned classroom as the one form before.
“Let’s get this party started!” Screamed George while joining Harry.
“Quiet, or we’ll get caught.” Warned Harry, laughing at George’s pout.
“So, now we just need the make the potion.”
“Harry.”
“We.”
“May.”
“Have.”
“A.”
“Problem.”
“We didn’t get the rest of the ingredients for the potion.”
“You did not, but I did. I also made a copy of the list of the suppliers Friday without you noticing and I ordered everything else before going to bed.”
“I don’t know if I should be grateful or hate you for that Harry.”
“If I told you that I got everything in much more quantity than needed in case we mess up?”
“Then we adore you, God knows we are all bollocks in potion.”
It took them every day to make three potions, one for each of them. The process was complex, and even if they added a dust more if an ingredient, the potion would explode in their faces, which the boys refused to admit the amount of time it happened to them.
Finally, just when the sun was about to set, the trio finished with their work.
“Great, now, we just have to wait for a week to let it set before completing the last steps to our journey.” Announced Harry, proud of himself.
After waved goodbye to them before joining Draco who was reading in his bed.
“I asked my Godfather Harry.” Started the blonde. “He and your mom met when they were young, even before going to Hogwarts for the fist time. Snape did not tell me exactly, but I sure that he had feelings for her.”
“Do you think it’s the reason Snape hated my father, because he stole the love of his life?”
“That and because your dad used to bully him.”
“No! My dad was not a bully.”
“You don’t know him, Harry, he could have been.”
“You’re lying! My dad was a good man!” Almost screamed Harry.
“Why would I like to you about this?” Equally almost screamed Draco.
“I don’t know, maybe because we used to hate each other, and you wanted to get back at me or something.”
“Woah! I thought our rivalry was past us Harry, we’re friends now, and I thought you trusted me!”
Harry sighed. “I’m sorry Draco, you’re right I should trust you.” “I just find it difficult that my dad used to be a bully. From what people have told me, I always assumed he was the nice popular boy who everybody loved.”
Draco smiled. “It’s okay Harry, I understand. I’m glad to learn that you trust me now.”
“Of course I do.” Grinned Harry.
“Me too.”
They just stood there for a while, only smiling at each other before they were interrupted by Gregory who entered their dorm.
Now that their newfound trust had been admitted, Harry spent most of the following days hanging out with Draco only. All their time was passed in each other company, which made the students gossip. They were not happy with Harry, claiming that he was a traitor once more and now accusing him of working for who-know-who.
Every other year, Harry would be enraged by these accusations, now he only found it funny that students thought he was with the guy everybody believed was dead despite Harry’s warnings.
-------
“Ready?”
“Ready.”
Harry, Fred and George held the potion vials in hands two weeks later. Two weeks because last Friday, when the boys were about to drink their potion, they noticed that it was the wrong color which could only mean one thing: they had somehow managed to mess the potion. They redid it and one week after, it was now perfect and ready to be used.
“Who knew becoming an Animagus was as simple as that? If we did, everybody could have become one already.” Asked George.
“I read about it, the first step in becoming an Animagus is to never reveal how to become one and lie about its difficulty. I think they even had to make a vow for that. They goal was to keep all the wizarding world from becoming an Animagus because they believed it could become too dangerous and out of control.”
“How did you get this information?”
A dark arts book.
Harry did not say it, instead choosing to ignore the question, instead choosing to chug the potion. He was soon followed by the others.
At first, nothing happened, but then Harry fell forwards and found himself crawling on the floor. He was a snake! How ironic. He looked around, seeing that both the twins were monkeys, an animal so fitting for them.
To surprise draco, Harry decided to crawl into the blonde’s bed. His reaction was priceless. Once he noticed the snake, Draco screamed higher than a girl and flew from his bed. He then took his right shoe off and hit the poor Harry multiple time before Harry changed back to his original form.
“Stop it you crazy fat ass, you’re hurting me!”
“You’re calling me crazy? You’re to one who broke into my bed as a bloody snake!”
“Haha, yes, my bad. Does that mean I won our bet? I wonder what I want you to do for me…”
“Not so fast golden boy.”
After that, Draco took a step back and under Harry’s amazing gaze, his friend transformed into a dove. Draco made a few loops and nipped playfully on Harry’s ear before transforming back.
“… How?”
“After our conversation, I copied the parchment where you ordered your ingredients for your potion and unlike you, I succeeded on my first try, so I am successfully an Animagus for longer than you.”
“You’re evil.”
“No, I’m genius.”
“So, what favor do you want from me?”
“I’m not going to store it for when I really need it.”