Harry began his routine normally the next day. He went for his morning jog and worked out afterwards. It was after lunch that his schedule changed. As soon as he polished off his sandwich, Harry prepared to apparate to the outskirts of Hogsmeade. From there he'd head into the Forbidden Forest to transform into the panther. Afterwards he would take flight in owl form before returning to number 4 Privet Drive for the rest of the day.
Harry said goodbye to his owl and told her where he'd be and that he'd be back later in the afternoon. Some people might think it weird to be telling an owl so much, but she always had an uncanny ability to know what was going on and understand what he was saying. She was a really intelligent owl.
He apparated into Hogsmeade near the Forbidden Forest a moment later. He rushed into the woods and made his first transformation in the real world. A panther was soon stalking through the forest, maneuvering through all the growth of plants on the forest floor and weaving in and out of trees blocking his path. He nimbly traversed the tree laden grounds. The trees weren't thick enough to really impair his movement, so he was able to move around quite freely.
After a while he slowed down into a stealthier stalk through the forest. His movements were silent and he stuck to the shadows to blend in as much as possible. He kept low to the ground to keep hidden from other animals in the area. He decided to practice his hunting skills as the panther and tried to pick up the scent of an animal nearby. He finally thought he found something and followed it as best he could. After several minutes he came upon a rabbit meandering about. He slowly snuck up on the creature and prepared to pounce. As he was about to jump out, the rabbit noticed him and shot out of there like a bullet.
Always one for a challenge, Harry quickly darted after the smaller animal. His long stride allowed him to easily catch up, but the rabbit was much quicker in changing directions making it hard to stop the small beast. Soon enough Harry had the poor rabbit cornered. Fear was clearly visible in its eyes, knowing that it had no way to escape the large feline. Rather than move in for the kill, Harry merely gave the rabbit a poke with his paw then ran off, as if they were merely playing a game of tag.
Harry knew that the time might come where he would need to catch his own food and be forced to kill an animal in that situation. Sirius was proof enough that it could happen. But he had no intention of killing without purpose. He would never kill an animal just because he could or for sport. That was senseless.
Harry ran around for a bit longer, enjoying the exercise in his panther form. After some time he could see Hagrid's hut at the edge of the forest and Hogwarts castle in the distance. He decided to turn around and head further into the forest. It wouldn't due for a panther to be seen running about the forest by Hagrid or anyone else at the school.
After several more minutes running through the forest, Harry decided it was time to give his other form a shot. He shifted back into human form before making the change into an owl. He quickly fluttered up to a tree branch high off the ground. After a moment he took off again and rose above the canopy of trees shadowing the forest. He broke into free air and let the sun wash over him. He flapped his wings to rise high into the air before leveling out and riding the air currents.
He was able to mostly glide at this point, letting currents of air and thermals carry him around with just the occasional flap of his wings to correct his position. He found that he could control his movement somewhat by shifting the feathers in his wings a bit. It was awkward and would take some getting used to, but it was incredibly fun to play with. He began swooping down and pulling back up, enjoying the complete freedom of movement. He could go anywhere at all like this.
Harry could see Hogsmeade in the distance and decided to pay the town a little visit in his current form. He flew around the town for a while, looking in windows and at the few people wandering the streets. He could see Madame Rosmerta in the Three Broomsticks tending the bar for the couple of patrons inside. The town seemed eerily quiet and dead. Harry reckoned that it was because the only time he'd ever been in town before had been during Hogsmeade weekends at Hogwarts with hundreds of other students. The town just didn't seem the same without them.
He rose into the air and left the town behind. 'This is what life is all about,' Harry thought to himself. He could go out and just have fun, completely free to do what he wanted. His whole life he had felt like a prisoner, caged in. He never had any say in his life. He was stuck with the Dursley's for 10 years of his life and sent back there every summer despite numerous protests. They always kept him locked up as best they could. At Hogwarts the teachers were always trying to keep the students confined to keep them safe and keep an eye on them.
Out here, Harry left all of that behind him. This was freedom: no more cages to hold him in, just the air beneath his wings. He was free to soar the skies and do whatever he pleased. He had never felt so alive.
After some time Harry figured that he ought to head back to Privet Drive. He dove down to the ground and pulled up to make a soft landing. Once safely on the ground, Harry changed back into human form and apparated back to his bedroom with the Dursleys. "I could definitely get used to that part of my training," Harry told Hedwig when he had arrived. "Do you enjoy flying that much, Hedwig?"
His owl gave him a strange look and hooted at him.
"You probably have no idea what I'm talking about, do you? You've yet to see me fully transformed. Well you're in for a bit of a shock I should say." And so Harry transformed into the black owl to say hello to Hedwig as one owl to another. Harry hooted a "Hello Hedwig" to his snowy owl.
"Is that you, my human Harry?" a strange yet familiar voice filled Harry's consciousness.
"What was that?" Harry tried to say out loud, though it only came out as a hoot. "Hedwig?"
"It is you, isn't it?" was the only reply.
"Can all owls talk this way?" Harry asked.
"All magical owls can communicate to each other," she told him.
"This is amazing. I always wondered how you could understand me so well. Turns out you know the language but just can't speak it the way humans do. How are we speaking to each other anyway?" Harry asked.
"Mind speak. Magical animals lack the means to speak with our mouths, so we do so with our minds," came Hedwig's reply. "How is it that you have become one of us, human Harry?"
"I've been training to become an animagus," he explained, "so I can turn into an animal form. I can become both an owl and a panther. You said all magical animals communicate this way? Does that mean I'll be able to talk to all magical animals just like I am with you right now?" Harry asked imagining the possibilities.
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