The Feathered Serpent: Chapter 11 (Patreon)

The students and a few members of the staff watched with widened eyes as Daphne’s Shield-breaker took care of another opponent’s shield before a quick Disarming Charm ended the duel. This was the twentieth opponent she had faced, and no duel had lasted more than a minute.

Off to the side, Harry watched her beat down another opponent without breaking a sweat. There had never been an upgrade of two ranks in one evening, and she had done it in less than half an hour. He looked around at the gaping faces of students far older than them and even a few who were pursuing their masteries, and he relished the look of apprehension on their faces as they stared at the blonde beauty who turned on her heel and walked away with a parting glance toward him, a small smirk playing on her lips.

That tease.

She knew what she was doing. The evening had gone on in a similar fashion. She went first, followed by him, and nothing more happened. They dueled one after the other, taking down their opponents, and in an hour, they were on the verge of attaining the rank of Viscount or Viscountess.

‘Although she’s already a Viscountess. She’ll never stop rubbing it in my face that she did it before me,’ Harry thought. He knew what that smirk was for. A silent challenge that seemed to rub that very fact in, followed by a reminder to not fall back. Well, he had no intention of disappointing her.

The audible groans that were heard around the dueling arena when he took his spot once again made him chuckle, and he shared an amused look with Professor Flitwick who was conducting the duels for the evening. His opponent came up, and Harry smirked to himself.

Draco Malfoy glared at Harry Potter with utter loathing, gritting his teeth when the asshole didn’t even deign him with anything but a bored look. Draco hated Potter’s guts. He had dared to put his hands on his girl and had corrupted her to his evil ways. No one in the school stood up to him, and Draco seethed every time he saw the brat getting all close to Greengrass. She belonged to him, and he would make sure Potter knew his place, starting with this duel.

He bristled when a few people started mimicking fart noises when he came up on the platform. That had been the most embarrassing experience of his life. He had told his father about it, only to receive a letter from his mother instead, telling him to man up and improve himself instead of complaining about every trivial thing. Draco had crumpled that accursed letter and thrown it into the fireplace at the first instant.

It looked like he would need to resolve his situation by himself. He would get the respect he deserved, and he knew the best way to go about it. Taking Potter down would send a resounding message to everyone. They would know who he was. He was the scion of the House of Malfoy and the sole heir of the Blacks. Privileged blood coursed through his veins, and these worthless peasants would all pay for mocking a being of much superior standing than them.

Ever since those duels, he had been reading up on spells, eager to pay Weasley back for the pathetic prank he had pulled. He knew the wastebin has asked his worthless twin brothers who had nothing better to do than to play silly pranks on everyone. There was no way the idiot could have beaten him otherwise. His father was always right. The Weasleys were of the lowest stock, and they were purebloods in name only. Blood Traitors, the lot of them.

Weasley could go on with underhanded tactics, but he was a Malfoy, and he would prove himself as such. Professor Snape had been gracious enough to grant him a pass to the Restricted Section to aid him in his practice, and he had dedicated himself to reading as much as he could. He knew those books contained spells those feeble-minded idiots considered dark, and that he couldn’t use them. But there was a lot of valuable material he had found that could easily help him take down Potter. He might not have mastered any of the spells, but he had practiced many of them and knew the incantations and wand movements of a lot more. He would prove his worth by successfully casting them in a high-pressure situation.

For his part, Harry was standing with a bored look on his face as he saw the Malfoy brat come up. This would be easy. Malfoy was a prideful bastard with all talk and no bite. He knew the type. Rich brats who had been breastfed every step of the way, never having to work for anything. Harry held nothing but disdain for such worthless individuals. He was glad that it was Malfoy though. It would be an easy three-pointer and he could have some fun with it as well. Looking over to the side, he exchanged a smirk with Daphne, who followed it with a wink. As always, they were on the same page.

The two duelists took their respective places on the platform, and Professor Flitwick called out for the duel to begin.

This was Malfoy’s first official duel in the club, and it showed. The boy’s spells were all off-target, and Harry simply stood there, looking bored.

“At least try, you dunce!” He called out, prompting muffled laughter from the crowd. A few teachers, particularly McGonagall, shook their heads with sighs, muttering about how he was so much like his father. The same thought was going through a certain dungeon bat’s mind, who sneered.

Malfoy bristled at the disrespect he was being shown, and he thrust his wand out, shouting, “REDUCTO!”

It was pure luck that the spell remained on target, and Malfoy grinned when he saw the large destruction spell shot toward Potter. It was so massive – a true testament to the power of the wizard with the blood of the Malfoys and the Blacks coursing through his being.

Harry stared at the poor imitation of the Reductor curse and sighed before leaning to the side. The curse sailed harmlessly past him, crashing against the magically enforced barriers and fizzing away. Malfoy’s smug look vanished instantly.

“That was the best you could do?” Harry asked with a snort and flicked his wand before anyone’s eyes could follow. Malfoy’s eyes widened when a massive bolt of white came careening straight at him, and he frantically threw himself on the floor. He breathed a sigh of relief when the spell sailed over him, and he felt goosebumps rising on his skin as the latent magic of the curse wafted over him. He heard a loud blast of the curse colliding against the barriers and wide-eyed, he stared at Potter who smirked.

“Go on, try another one,” Harry taunted with a smirk as he stood with a relaxed stance, his hand held loosely in his hand. Malfoy gingerly got to his feet, staring at him apprehensively. That spell was powerful. He could feel it in his bones. It that hat hit… He looked over at the half-goblin who simply stood there as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Gritting his teeth, he glared. If that was how it would be, then he would not be playing fair either.

Harry watched as Malfoy stood up and glared before he started flinging cutting curses like mad. As expected, most of them were off-target, but a few found their way home. Harry easily batted them aside.

Muffled whispering broke out amongst the members of the crowd as the gulf in the skills of the two wizards became more and more pronounced as time went on. While Malfoy became frustrated by the minute as none of his spells seemed to be working, Harry was the epitome of calmness as he either ducked, weaved, dodged, or batted the spells aside. Not once did he feel the need to cast a spell.

Malfoy was breathing heavily after a few minutes of intense spellcasting. He had tried numerous spells, from cutting curses to bludgeoning hexes and several entry-level hexes and jinxes like Flipendo or Furnunculus, but none worked. Looking over, he gritted his teeth in frustration as he looked at the small smirk playing on the bastard’s face.

“Serpensortia!”

Harry raised an eyebrow at the unconventional spell, wondering what the boy wanted to do by conjuring a snake of all things. He straightened, looking confused, at the large rattlesnake that slammed on the podium with a thud, hissing loudly.

Quickly, he flicked his wand, levitating the snake, and Malfoy’s eyes widened when he saw what he was trying to do. With a shrill cry, the blonde turned tail and ran off the podium, his wand thrown somewhere near the magical barriers which came down the moment he stepped off.

Harry didn’t wait for Flitwick to announce his new rank or anything else as he looked over at Daphne and motioned for her to follow him. The blonde gave a quick nod and walked toward the changing rooms.

A few minutes later, she saw Harry come in, levitating the snake in front of him and she looked at him in surprise.

“Privacy wards, Daph,” he said as he deposited the thrashing snake on the floor and quickly conjured a cage, just in time to prevent the snake from lunging forward. The snake jerked around, hitting the cage violently.

Daphne quickly erected the requisite wards and joined him. There was no one else apart from the two of them, but it was always better to be sure.

“What’s the matter?” She asked, slightly worried.

Harry stared at the snake as he ran his hand over his face, scratching the side of his neck.

“A minor complication,” he muttered. “Turns out I can hear what snakes speak.”

Daphne’s eyes widened.

“You’re a parselmouth?”

Harry sighed. “Looks like it. It’s the first time I’ve heard it though. I remember going to the zoo a few times, but something like this never happened. There was this one time when we went camping and a snake somehow made its way over. Pretty sure I didn’t hear anything back then either.”

Daphne frowned and she looked at him worriedly.

“We can’t let anyone else find out about this,” she said. Harry nodded.

“I almost felt compelled to speak to it back then. That’s why I ended that duel and came over here,” he replied, still staring at the snake that had now calmed down somewhat and was slithering inside that cage.

“Go on,” she urged. “Try to speak to it.”

Harry nodded and walked closer, squatting to get closer. He chuckled when he heard the snake rattle out expletives.

“~I didn’t know snakes knew curse words we humans use,~” he hissed, and from the intake of breath behind him, he knew it was indeed a hiss.

“~Ah, a speaker. I heard the tales of them, but this is the first time I’m meeting one,~” the snake replied, its two-pointed tongue slithering out of its mouth every so often.

“~This is my first time speaking to one of your kind as well,~” Harry smiled. “~Sorry on behalf of that idiot who dragged you out here against your wishes.~”

“~This is not the first time something like this has happened to me. Just give me a nice meal and I shall leave.~”

Harry nodded and flicked his wand, conjuring a few mice inside the cage. The snake leaped forward, devouring them within seconds. Daphne who was squatting beside him watched the entire chain of events in fascination.

“~Magically enhanced food always hits different. And who is this?~”

“~She’s my friend Daphne.~ Daph, wave your hand,” he grinned. Daphne automatically waved, prompting the snake to bob its head.

“~Your magic feels connected. You two share a close bond, I can tell,~” the snake hissed, and Harry gave a small smile.

“~You can tell, huh?~” he asked, glancing at Daphne who looked at him curiously. He shook his head.

“~Animals are more closely attuned to nature than you can ever imagine, speaker. We can tell these things easily. I can also tell that even though your magic feels connected, you two have never mated.~”

Inadvertently, Harry’s mind wandered to the couple of times they had shared the same bed and how intimate those situations had been. He could not lie to himself and say that he didn’t crave it or want to take things further.

“~You’re right about that,~” he nodded with a small smile.

“~You should do it. The female looks like she will bear you strong offspring. Her magic is almost as powerful as yours.~”

“~And that’s enough chat for today.~”

“~That is enough for me as well. I’d appreciate it if you sent me back to my natural habitat, speaker. It was an honor to speak to one. And think about what I said. It is always better to get started as soon as you can.~”

Harry chuckled and flicked his wand, vanishing the cage and the snake. He stood up, holding his hand out for Daphne who smiled at him and let him pull her to her feet.

“You seem to have enjoyed your little chat with that snake,” she remarked, smiling.

“It was interesting,” he replied. “Animals are more attuned to nature, after all.”

Daphne chuckled before she grew more serious.

“So that confirms that you are a parselmouth,” she remarked. “We need to make sure you never feel this urge to talk to a snake again. It’s possible that you fail to hold yourself back.”

“Practice then,” he muttered with a nod. Daphne smiled.

“Cheer up. You liked that talk well enough,” she teased. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll get some nice ideas as well. As you said, animals are more attuned to nature.”

Harry chuckled as she turned around and walked inside one of the changing rooms.

‘If you only knew what kind of idea that little fella gave me,’ Harry thought to himself. Shaking his head, he walked inside another changing room and shut the door behind himself.

XXXXX

Time seemed to roll by and it was already time for them to finish their animagus transformation.

Harry and Daphne followed McGonagall into a side chamber by the Transfiguration classroom, expectant and apprehensive in equal measure.

Professor McGonagall had gone through the journal to ensure the steps were properly documented and had instructed them on their way. Keeping the mandrake leaf attached to the roof of their mouths had been a pain, but they had managed. The potion had also been perfectly prepared, and for the past few weeks, they had been waiting for the electric storm. Finally, it was here.

McGonagall had let them hide their respective crystal vials in the chamber, and now, they will have their first glimpse at what their forms would be. Both Harry and Daphne were excited at performing their first transformation. They had sensed a second heartbeat every time they placed the tip of their wands against their chests, and the feeling thrilled them.

As expected, the potion inside the vials had turned a shade of blood-red, and at McGonagall’s nod, they grabbed their respective vials.

“It is not advised to attempt your first transformation in groups,” McGonagall said. “I shall be erecting barriers between you two and us as well. Potter, go stand there, and Greengrass, you stand over there.”

Nodding, they followed her instructions and assumed their place in the opposite corners of the room. Another thunder sounded out.

“Speak the incantation as you’ve been told and then drink the potion. The form of your creature will appear in your minds. As soon as you see it, nod and I shall erect the shields. Are we clear?”

They nodded and placed the tip of their wands against their heart and chanted in a clear voice.

“Amato Animo Animato Animagus.”

With a glance toward each other, they lifted their respective vials in a gesture of a toast and gulped the potion down.

Twin grunts sounded out a fiery pain shot through them, and they clenched their eyes shut.

“Don’t show any fear!” McGonagall shouted. “You must conquer the creature, make it a part of you.”

Harry and Daphne slowly got down on their knees, and several tense minutes passed as McGonagall stared, wand at the ready. The moment she saw them nod, she flicked it and summoned a sturdy shield between them. She created another barrier between herself and her two students who remained on their knees, eyes closed and brows furrowed.

Slowly, their bodies began to change. Fur began to appear on their skins, their faces elongated, mouths turning into snouts. Ears began to change shape as well and their spine elongated. Their limbs transformed, paws taking shape as they stood on all fours.

In place of her two students stood two massive wolves – one with pitch-black fur and striking emerald eyes and the other with snowy white fur and glowing sapphire eyes. McGonagall’s eyes widened at the sight.

The two wolves let out loud howls before they suddenly turned toward each other. Heads tilted curiously, they stepped toward each other before their snouts touched the glowing shield. Rubbing their heads against the shield, both let out a whine.

Cautiously, McGonagall took down the shield between the two creatures and watched as they slowly walked toward each other. Her eyes widened slightly when they nuzzled, the white wolf gently rubbing its snout against the black wolf’s neck as they whined softly. She watched as they gently brushed their muzzles, nuzzling their noses and rubbing their bodies together.

Mild howls echoed around the chamber as they sniffed each other before the white wolf leaned forward, gently letting the black one lick her muzzle and nuzzle it.

McGonagall watched it all in fascination. She had never witnessed a transformation that had gone on like this. She watched as the white wolf suddenly turned around and ran away, and the black wolf immediately gave chase. For a few minutes, she watched as the two played around before her eyes widened when the white wolf slowly came to a stop, letting the black wolf place its paws on its back. As quick as she could, she let out a loud bang from her wand that echoed around the room, stopping what was undoubtedly going to happen.

The wolves abruptly stopped and walked over to stand in front of her.

“Visualize your human selves as clearly as you can and try to reverse the transformation,” she instructed.

It took them a few minutes but they successfully managed to turn themselves back. Their wands were held firmly in their hands and they looked slightly disoriented at first. Slowly, they came back to their senses.

“Follow me, you two,” McGonagall instructed firmly and began walking toward her office, leaving them with no choice but to follow. Once inside the office, they took the seat when McGonagall told them to and looked at her.

“First of all, congratulations on successfully completing your transformations. You are, as you already know, dire wolves. Although not common, it’s not the first time someone has transformed into an extinct creature. With proper practice, you will be able to transform at will by visualizing the creature, and it won’t be long before you successfully transform without your wands,” McGonagall stated.

“It was surreal… that’s all I can think of,” Harry remarked, earning a nod from Daphne.

“There is something I would like to discuss with the two of you,” McGonagall said, looking at them with that patented gaze of hers. The two students straightened and nodded.

“Yes, Professor?”

“I would like you two to recall what happened during your transformation. As much as you can,” McGonagall stated. Harry and Daphne nodded and remembered the sensations they had been feeling, and McGonagall stared as their eyes widened.

“I believe you know what I’m talking about?” the stern Transfiguration mistress asked. They simply nodded, clearly understanding what she was referring to. Aside from the first-hand embarrassment they felt at the fact that the professor had witnessed it, there was a sense of thrill that shot through them at the realization that what had almost happened.

“Listen, you two,” McGonagall sighed. “This is not the first time I’ve found myself in a situation like this, even though this one is extraordinary. Having almost adults in the castle comes with certain… baggage that we are used to.”

They nodded silently.

“I think it would be prudent if the two of you didn’t practice your transformations at the same time, for obvious reasons. I shall supervise the practices until you get better. Are we clear? Good. You two may go now.”

Silently, they stood up and without looking at each other, they walked away, leaving the professor staring at their retreating backs. Once they were out of the office, McGonagall flicked her wand and shut the door.

“Why am I surprised? After everything, this seems obvious.”

Sighing, she levitated the stack of parchment in front of her and started grading.

XXXXX

They didn’t talk about it. The evening transitioned into night and they had a quiet dinner in the Great Hall. Tracey was curious, and so were Susan, Hannah, and Megan. They brushed their inquiries away easily.

However, both knew what the other was thinking. It was as clear a memory as any, even though they had been in their animal forms. Harry could still remember the thrill of the chase, as she teased him and ran. He knew what it was that they had done, and he shivered when he imagined how she had allowed him to hold her from behind after the chase was over, as eager and ready as he was. It was only McGonagall’s intervention that had put a stop to it.

Dinner ended, and they walked up toward Ravenclaw Tower. He bid them a goodnight and wordlessly entered his room, just as she entered hers. An hour had passed since, and he lay in his bed, tossing and turning, unable to stop thinking about it. About her.

The words of that rattlesnake came to his mind once again, and he groaned. It wasn’t as if he didn’t want it. He had long ago admitted that he had fallen for her, hard. But he didn’t know how to approach this. He had never been with someone, and even though they spent so much time together, that niggling voice of doubt remained.

The voice, that always tried to convince him otherwise. That she saw it entirely platonic, that they were close friends and not anything more than that, and even that she considered him as close as a brother should. The last thought was always buried immediately.

“So much for the Gryffindor courage I should’ve inherited,” he muttered to himself.

A soft knock on the door made him frown. He stepped out of the bed and walked over.

“Daphne?” He asked in surprise.

“Can I come in?” She asked quietly. Harry nodded and stepped aside. Once she was in, he shut the door and locked it again. Turning around, he saw her sitting on the edge of his bed and he walked over, leaning against the opposite wall.

“Can’t sleep as well?” He asked with a small smile. She nodded, looking to the side and biting her lip softly.

Harry looked at her. She was wearing the same powder blue nightdress she had worn the first night. It came down to just her knees and was sleeveless, hanging off her shoulders with two-finger thick straps. She had her blonde hair down her back in waves and a few curls framed her face. She looked beautiful, as always.

“Me neither,” he sighed.

“Can’t stop thinking about it as well?” She asked softly.

Harry didn’t need her to tell him what she was talking about, and frankly, he knew they needed to talk about it. However, he didn’t know how to broach the subject. Looking at her, he knew she wouldn’t know where to start either. It wasn’t as if they could just agree to forget as they had done back when Ollivander had talked to them about their wands and what the phenomenon signified.

‘Perhaps there is no need to have a talk anyway,’ Harry thought to himself as he stared at her. Taking a deep breath, he decided to just take a leap of faith. He couldn’t live like this, having doubts and constantly thinking about it for much longer anyway.

He walked over and gently took her hand, pulling a surprised Daphne to her feet.

“I love you,” he said softly, and Daphne’s eyes widened. “I think it happened the moment I first saw you in the waiting room of Twilfitt, and I’ve never been more grateful for anything in my life. From then on, I felt this connection with you. As if I could trust you with everything. There was never a doubt in mind about anything related to you. You are a wonderful—”

Harry was cut off when Daphne leaned upward and pressed her lips against his. Shocked, he remained still as she kissed him. The shock didn’t sustain for longer than a few seconds and in no time, they were kissing passionately. Her arms went around his neck as she pressed herself closer to him. Harry could feel her breasts pressing against his chest as her tongue pushed against his lips. His tongue met hers as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against him. His cock pushed into her, but he didn’t care and it was apparent that neither did she, as her arms went behind him and grabbed his ass, pulling him into her groin.

Minutes passed when they pulled away, wide-eyed, breathless, shocked, and beyond all, utterly aroused.

Their lips collided once again, much more passionately than before and his tongue forced through her lips, playing with hers. He pulled her to him tighter and tighter and he could tell that she loved what he was doing. His fingers reached behind her to grasp the zip of her nightdress and he pulled it down. Daphne kissed him hard.

The dress loosened and Daphne shrugged it off her body. She grabbed it and threw it on the chair.

Harry stared at her, clad in nothing but a matching pair of powder blue bra and panties that matched her nightdress perfectly. Her face was flush with arousal, but there was a hint of apprehension in her expression.

Harry leaned forward and gently cupped her cheek, smiling when she nuzzled into his palm, pressing a soft kiss against it.

“Do you trust me?” He asked in a whisper. Daphne looked up at him and smiled.

“More than anything.”

Harry smiled and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flush against him. They clung to each other as he explored the side of her neck, peppering her skin with featherlight kisses and sucking her earlobe gently. He slowly trailed down, kissing along her neck and upper shoulder.

His hand reached behind her and unclasped her bra. Leaning back, he let her take it off and had his first view of her tits. They were a perfect handful and round, capped with puffy nipples that looked very stiff.

Harry gently reached up and grabbed hold of her tits, squeezing softly as his lips met hers once again. His hands fondled her tits, his fingers brushed her hardened nubs and they pinched them softly, making her moan. Smiling, he pulled away from the kiss and reached down, kissing along her cleavage. Daphne threaded her fingers through his hair, keeping his face pressed against her tits. He licked across her soft skin and sucked her tits, flicking his tongue to swirl and lick around her nipples, alternating between the two every few seconds. All the while, Daphne continued to moan in contentment as she kept caressing his scalp.

The feeling of his hands on her was heavenly. She had never felt like this before. She had imagined what it would feel like. For months she had been wondering about it. About being with Harry. And now that the time was finally here, she realized that it was better than anything she had ever imagined.

Harry’s hands squeezed her tits. No one apart from her had ever touched her like this. Harry’s lips kissed her skin and sucked her. She had never felt lips on her tits before. His tongue rolled her nipples around, teasingly, as if he was content in taking his time to slowly drive her over the edge. His tongue probed and prodded her sensitive nubs. All she could do was stand there, eagerly helpless, and let him do whatever he wanted to do to her.

Eventually, Harry pulled away from her tits after a final kiss and stood up straight. He held her by the shoulders and gently pushed her backward, making her sit on the edge of the bed. She looked at him expectantly and watched as he dropped to his knees in front of her. His hands care to gently rest on her naked thigh and he began stroking softly.

Daphne’s eyes widened slightly when he spread her thighs apart. She saw him look inside and furiously buried the urge to cross her legs once again. She wanted this. She wanted him to see all of her, to touch her, and to make her his forever.

His hands caressed her thighs with long, gentle strokes over her soft, velvety skin and she saw them slowly reach upward to her waist where her powder blue knickers were held by her waist. His intentions were clear, and although she was feeling apprehensive about what was surely to come, she wanted it all the same.

She breathed softly when he finally held the waistband of her knickers in his fingers, and he looked up at her in the eyes. He smiled, his eyes full of the love she knew he held for her, and she gave him a gentle nod. Her hips lifted off the bed and she felt him pull the knickers down her hips and over her ass. Her lower lips were freed, and she could feel how the knickers had been clinging to her wetness. Her eyes followed his hands as they dragged her knickers over her knees and down her legs. He slipped them her entirely and dropped them over her bra on the floor.

She was rendered entirely naked now and she found she didn’t feel shy or hesitant anymore. This was Harry – the one she loved and trusted above all.

He looked up and smiled.

“I love you, Daphne.”

Try as she might, she could not help the beaming smile she awarded him with, and Harry remarked to himself that it was the prettiest thing he had ever seen.

“I love you too, Harry,” she replied and leaned down. His lips pressed against hers and moved gently before she felt him part her legs. The musky scent of sex filled the room as he pulled back and looked at her.

Daphne nodded with a loving smile and Harry needed no more encouragement. With a loving smile in return, he gently pushed her on her back and spread her legs apart, exposing her completely.

XXXXX

To be continued…