Khaos

Theo was suspicious. Nat had been acting odd, and Hannah was disappearing even more often. Theo was worried about both of them, but they didn’t say anything to either of them, instead, Theo had been owling Grandpa Newt. 

Grandpa Newt was worried about them too, especially after hearing what Nat’s boggart was. Theo had found out about it from Hannah when Nat hadn’t shown up to dinner that night. Theo hated the fact that Nat’s greatest fear was her brother. Grandpa Newt had been especially concerned by that, and what Theo had explained of the history of the Nightlocks regarding Nat. 

Grandpa Newt had been especially concerned by the symbolism of the collar, not that he’d explained to Theo why he was worried. 

Theo was concerned, but right now, Theo’s concern was put on the back burner because now there was an explanation for why Hannah had been disappearing more than usual. Hannah was introducing them all to Harry Potter in a random hallway that seemed less populated than most on the sixth floor.  Nat seemed hesitant and suspicious. Paige, being Paige, was not suspicious whatsoever and had no hesitation to promptly befriend Harry. Theo decided that if Hannah trusted Harry Potter, they would trust Harry Potter. 

Nat was suspicious of Harry Potter. He was just barely taller than Hannah, and far too short for his age. Internally she was practically vibrating with excitement at the possibility of testing her Muggleborns being Squibborns theory. She couldn’t help but blurt out, “Your Mom was a Muggleborn right?” 

Hannah’s eyes widened and she said, “Nat, you can’t lead with that!” 

Nat frowned and asked, “Why?”

Hannah sighed and said, “Nat you’re a pureblood from a blood supremacist family — yes I know they’re your kidnappers but still. I know you’re a mad scientist but these people don’t so you can’t just lead with that.” 

Nat pouted and said, “I just need more Muggleborn DNA for my theory! I need at least twenty different Muggleborns to prove it! I’ve only had two! Yes, they were both connected to a squib line of purebloods, but I need more than two so I can make sure my study is large enough that there’s no question that I’m wrong!” 

Harry looked mildly intimidated by this and asked, “Hannah, who’s the mad scientist?” 

Hannah simply responded, “Harry, this is Natrix Nightlock, my best friend. She’s not actually a Nightlock, she was kidnapped, and from what I’ve learned of her biological parents, she takes after her bearer.”  

Nat saw the rat in Ron’s hands and yelped, jumping up into the air and somehow landing directly in Hannah’s arms. Hannah nearly fell over and asked, “What the hell was that?” 

Nat pointed at the rat and said, “That rat has eyes that are way too human! I don’t like it! Please, the Grindylows are better than that rat! It is evil, I swear!” 

Hannah looked at the rat as Ron yelled, ‘HEY! Like a slimy Slytherin like you even deserves being anywhere near any living creature!” Hannah’s eyes darkened at that. Harry winced. Theo glared, and Paige looked like she’d say a swear word. 

Nat pushed down how that hurt and said, “That’s not nice.” 

Hannah said, “Harry, please explain to Ron exactly how wrong he is, before I do it for you. You and I both know which one you prefer.” Harry sighed and apologized to Nat before walking away, dragging Ron with him. Hannah let Nat down and said, “Don’t listen to him, he’s a jerk.” Nat smiled thinly and said, “It's fine, I’ve had worse said to me.” 

Hannah’s expression darkened further, but she didn’t pry. Instead, she was saying they should see how Filch was doing. Nat nodded and said, “He wants me to check in with him weekly to question me about how living with Filius is going anyway.” 

Paige said, “For how gruff he is, he’s very protective of us, isn’t he?” 

Hannah said, “When he likes someone, he’s protective of them because there aren’t many people he likes.” 

Nat said, “Probably because so many people he meets treat him like dragon dung.” 

When they found Argus, he thoroughly interrogated Nat on how Filius was treating her before they all followed him around like ducklings, helping with the things he’d let them help with, and many students whispered in horror about the small smile on his face as four second-years trailed after him like he was a mother duck. 

⭑⛤★☆★⛤⭑

It has been a week since Nat and the others met Harry and Nat was sitting among the thestrals when suddenly Hannah came into the clearing with Paige, Theo, and an older Slytherin. Nat raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who's he?"

Hannah blinked and said, "Oh, this is Haul, I thought I introduced you to him, anyways, I have an awesome idea! I've been reading books and we should become animagi!" 

Paige asked, "Isn't that illegal?" 

Nat responded, "Only if you get caught after you complete the process and you haven't reported your form to the ministry within 30 days of completing the transformation. They can only really do anything once we're 17. There’s nothing actually illegal about starting the process because not all people even have an animagus form. I’ll just have to get a few mandrake leaves from the greenhouse, the first-years are having that lesson soon.” They all blinked at Nat and Nat explained, “Filius has tea with Professor Sprout on Wednesdays and Fridays in his quarters, they invite me to hang out with them when I have no homework. Or rather Filius bribes me with Earl Gray.” 

Haul then asked, “Are you some sort of god? I get the odd sense you aren’t human.” 

Hannah responded for Nat instantly, “Only half, Haul, she’s only half god.” 

⭑⛤★☆★⛤⭑

It was now two days later, and they were down at the lake. Nat pulled a bag out containing five leaves and said, “We have to have these in our mouths for an entire month, no taking it out, so I’m going to give you a leaf with a sticking charm on it and you’re going to put it on the roof of your mouth so we can still speak normally and nobody notices. I’ll take care of the potion after the month’s end however we may have to do it over again if it’s a cloudy night a month from now. I have one of the ingredients for us all on the way, Filius doesn’t ask questions when I get packages unless the sender is one of the Nightlocks, then he inspects it. He’s kind of terrified of my potion-making.”

Theo immediately said, “You made wolfsbane potion last month, of course, he’s scared of your potion-making, you’re eleven and you made wolfsbane, something Snape was the previous record-holder for youngest to make. AT TWENTY-FIVE ” 

Nat rolled her eyes and corrected, “Improved Wolfsbane Potion, it works better than Snape’s, tastes like hot cocoa, and I gave it to someone who needs it. I will continue making it because it worked so well. Also don’t forget to say Amato Animo Animato Animagus while doing this movement with your wand every day. I’ll do it first, Amato Animo Animato Animagus.” She watched as the others did it before checking off the mandrakes in her head. 

⭑⛤★☆★⛤⭑

On December 3rd, they gathered underneath the almost full moon. Nat brought five labeled vials and they all put their mandrake leaf, now soaked, into the vial with their name. There were no clouds and Nat immediately put a hair from each of them into the individual vials before putting a tablespoon of dew that had never seen the light of day in and mixing in the chrysalis of a deathhead hawk moth. She then stopped the vials and put them in her bag, carefully secured in her potion pouch. They chatted for a bit before they all went to bed. 

The next night, there was luckily a lightning storm and the potions turned blood-red. Nat immediately got up, wearing only her nightgown and boots before heading to each individual dorm and dragging the others along with her. Haul was confused about how she got in while the others seemed to accept it as another one of her quirks. They all went outside to the clearing in the forest. “Are you ready? This is going to be painful and make your heart race, none of you are all that accustomed to tachycardia. It also won’t taste very nice” 

Paige, Theo, and Haul nodded and Hannah toasted them all before saying “Bottoms up!” They all knocked the potion back like a shot to avoid the taste as much as possible. They all got a vision in their heads of their form before their skin began to burn and they felt like they were having a double heartbeat. Finally, they all turned into animals. Theo was a Ferret, Paige was a hummingbird, Haul was a bear, Hannah was a griffin, and Nat was a thestral with silver eyes. Theo’s identifying mark was their glasses, Paige’s mark was her blue eyes, Haul was a grizzly bear with a large scar on his back made by rocks after he’d been thrown in a river, and Hannah was a griffin with marks that matched her glasses. 

Nat flared her wings and stretched, not at all panicked, Peachy fluttered around excitedly, Hannah was going in circles trying to look at her form, Haul was stretched out in the snow, and Theo was wriggling around in the snow. Nat told them she was going to head back to the castle now because she didn’t want to be in the snow when she transformed back, she’d rather do that in the castle where there was no snow and get used to the feeling of hooves on stone. Theo hitched a ride on Nat’s back and the others came along too. Once they got to where the stone started, Theo got off and Nat started sliding. She planted her hooves before carefully stepping differently than the natural gait she’d found. She started walking carefully and didn’t slide. Once inside the castle, she focused on changing back mid-step and managed to do so gracefully like McGonagall. She smirked when she did so, not faltering in her steps. Then she heard faceplanting behind her and turned around. Hannah said, “OW! Why’d you have to make that look so easy!?” Haul groaned, and Peachy grimaced. 

Theo said, “Stop being stupidly good at things first try!” 

Nat said simply, “I was thinking about what Professor McGonagall does and I just visualized that as I took a step!” 

Haul groaned again and said, “Stop being not human for a minute, keep to mortal standards for a bit!” 

Nat responded, raising her eyebrow, hand on her hip, “How about no?”