[Llanfarian] Stick Around Long Enough (DJ, Keela)

SATURDAY, 31 AUGUST 2002, 11:08 PM, LLANFARIAN, ABERYSTWYTH, WALES

“Only those who stick around long enough to see the caterpillar turn into the butterfly actually get to witness the transformation.”
― Kristin Michelle Elizabeth

His handwriting was more atrocious than normal and his hand was shaking as he rolled up the note and attached it to his familiar's leg. "Fly as quick as you can to Keela's, and try to beat the weather," he instructed Alis, who hooted out a military-esque affirmative and launched herself out the window promptly. Before long his snowy owl veered off to the right and out of view, but DJ still kept his eyes out the west window toward the as-yet-unseen, but still approaching, black clouds - imagining them as blacker than the ordinary night sky - and glancing at the open-front covered box next to the window which housed his Animagus potion.

This had been a journey three years in the making - a year of preliminary study and proving to Professor McGonagall how responsible he could be and that he was talented enough to learn to be an Animagus, followed by her letter of approval and his two years of private lessons with the Transfiguration teacher, Professor Markham, even through his torturous last year at Hogwarts where (almost) everyone hated him. Actually Professor Markham told him he could start with the mandrake leaf last summer, after his sixth year was over, but being in Azkaban's holding cells and on trial had kind of interrupted his summer plans. So he had faithfully started with the process again on the June 24th full moon (the first one after taking his NEWTs) - had accidentally swallowed it when he nearly choked on it around July 7th - started over on the 24th of July - and kept it safely in his mouth this time even through his interview in Italy the day before the August 22nd full moon, until finally that night he put the mandrake leaf in the crystal phial he had been waiting to use for so long. In the moon's bright light he plucked out one of his hairs from his bangs and added it, along with a teaspoon of dew from the thickest part of the black alder forest off Nant Paith he had used Muggle-Repelling Charms on for two weeks. Lastly he had retrieved the chrysalis of an Acherontia atropos, which fortunately had cost him next to nothing because the species migrated to Wales and south England naturally in the summer, and secured it in the phial. The whole thing had liquefied into a murky magenta-ish colour, and DJ had placed it in the box next to his window designed so that he could see it, but very little light fell on it.

Then every day since then, he had been incanting the Animagus spell with his wand tip over his heart, very faithfully, at the sun's first rays and last light. Some aspiring Animagi had to do so for months or even years if they were waiting for a lightning storm, which was necessary for the potion to actually become effective and consumable. DJ had been prepared for this; Wales' maritime climate, especially where he lived practically right off of the Irish Sea, meant that in the warmer summer months thunderstorms were quite rare. But just now the weatherman had said something about a front coming across Limerick and Kilkenny and the southern third of the Emerald Isle, and it was expected to make landfall in Wales sometime between 1:30 and 2 in the morning. DJ had taken to listening to Muggle radio and reading their newspapers as well as the Daily Prophet, but this storm had been unpredicted -- making it all the more fortuitous that DJ had been paying attention.

The note to @Keela Doyle had been the first priority. As his best friend, she needed to be there when he finally made his Animagus transformation. In fact she had kind of demanded it before they departed Hogwarts for the last time together back at the end of the term. Alis was a strong, fast flyer, but it was still over 100 miles to Dublin from here and it would take DJ's owl some time to reach Keela. At least Dublin was north of the storm front; Alis shouldn't run into any of the foul weather, and assuming she woke Keela up quickly, they'd both be back in plenty of time for the first lightning strike and the very first time DJ ever turned into his brand new Animagus form.

He was too excited and couldn't have fallen asleep even if he had wanted to - but he had to stay awake and ready and alert, watching the skies and the crystal phial. He condescended to go downstairs and tell his father that Keela would be coming over to watch the transformation, but then he went right back to his bed and sat on the edge of it, staring out the window with completely unconcealed impatience and joy.

SUNDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER 2002, 1:27 AM, DUBLIN, LEINSTER, IRELAND

Though slightly fatigued, the she-owl's wings beat strongly and steadily as she finally started flying back over land instead of the tumultous Irish Sea. She waited to descend among the houses until she was exactly in the neighbourhood of Keela Doyle's house, and drifted down silently, unnoticed by any of the few late night wanderers in the street. She alighted outside a bedroom window and tapped loudly at the glass, one large golden eye looking in curiously at the form in the bed.

Everything was burning. The dungeons were choked by flames; her eyes watered, and the acrid smoke choked her. An unearthly wail reverberated in her skull. She knew that wail. They were coming: the creatures from the bowels of the Gauntlet. She tried to call out, tried to reach for Val, for Freya, for Dennis – but there was no one. She was alone, and the darkness pressed in on her. Stifling her, crushing her, driving the very breath from her lungs—

She woke with a gasp; pulled abruptly from her dream, heart in her throat, as her brain suddenly registered that the pressure in her chest was real and not conjured by her dream. She opened her eyes.

… And saw Aisling, sitting squarely on her mistress’s chest and staring intensely at the window.

Feeling shaky all over, and her heart still going a million miles a minute, Keela didn’t have the strength to move for a moment. The details were quickly slipping away, like trying to hold water in cupped hands – but she knew what she’d dreamed. Her fear ebbed to yield annoyance, and finally she made an indistinct grumbling noise, lifting the cat up and plopping her beside her in bed where she’d initially curled up and gone to sleep without issue. It wasn’t usual for Aisling to climb on top of her as she slept; unlike most cats, she shared a bed shockingly well most of the time and stayed put. She glanced over, and the cat was still fixated on something across the room… probably an odd shadow. Weirdo.
“What in Merlin’s saggy left—?”
She was interrupted mid-admonishment by an insistent tapping sound, like something hard on glass. Instinctively she glanced the window, and her pale blue eyes widened in surprised recognition.

“Alis?” she whispered softly, more to herself than the owl perched on her windowsill. Her heart quickened. It had to be well past midnight – was something wrong? It was quite unlike DJ to owl her in the middle of the night…

Rolling silently out of bed, she crossed the room in two long strides and eased the window open, shivering slightly as the cooler-than-usual September night hit her mostly-bare legs. (Her nightwear of choice in the summer often consisted of soft shorts and an oversized t-shirt.) The snowy owl shuffled in looking a tad disheveled, with a few of her feathers sticking out; most of her flight had been over open water, after all. She cast a warning glance at Aisling over her shoulder, but the cat had lost interest and gone back to snoozing, the tip of her tail twitching occasionally. She was quite familiar with Alis, anyways, and had (fortunately) never bothered with her.

Keela returned her attention to their unexpected guest.
“Well hello, lovey,” she murmured as she shut the window again, absently smoothing the ruffled feathers as she reached for the note Alis inevitably bore. “What’s happened?”

She’d needed to read it through twice before her sleep-fogged brain caught up – and, suddenly, it clicked. She gave a quiet snort, the corner of her mouth curling with amusement.
“Of course this would all come to fruition when I have to be nearly halfway across the world in a few hours…”
Her cousin Quinn, Seeker for the Falmouth Falcons, had managed to secure her an extra ticket to the annual Quidditch Gala to help Keela network for her professional aspirations. The Gala was in Singapore this year; the local time was eight hours ahead of Dublin, and she was supposed to meet Quinn at two in the afternoon at the hotel. Which meant she had just under four-and-a-half hours to spare. She really didn’t mind, though. There was something about the thrill of a late-night adventure, especially one so long-anticipated. She’d make it work, in any case. And she’d be the first to see his Animagus form, after all.

Suddenly wide-awake, Keela broke into a freckled grin, raising her eyebrows at Alis.
“Is it time, then?”
Without waiting for a response Keela dressed quickly, pulling on a pair of jeans and her favorite Kestrels sweatshirt. After a moment’s pause, she scribbled a quick note in case she was gone longer than expected and one of her family members came looking for her. No point in waking them up in the middle of the night.

[font face=trebuchet ms]Gone out for a bit. Will be back in time to Portkey to the Gala, don’t worry.
— K[/font]

She left the note on her unmade bed and, turning from it, she glanced out the window. Far out on the horizon, she could see a faint semblance of dark clouds gathering, and there was hardly a breath of wind in the trees below. Dublin must be well ahead of whatever front he was talking about.
Letting out a soft whistle between her teeth as she ran a brush through her thick blonde hair, she then seized a hair tie from her nightstand and twisted it up into a bun. When the wind inevitably picked up in Wales, she’d be grateful for it.

“Ready?” she whispered into the semidarkness, turning back to Alis and offering her left arm like she’d seen DJ do many times before. There was a soft rustle of wings and a warm weight and tightness on her forearm, and Keela patted her automatically. Withdrawing her wand, she pointed it at her closed bedroom door and muttered “Muffliato” to avoid disturbing her slumbering family with the tell-tale CRACK of Apparation. His hometown was a decent distance from Dublin, if she was remembering correctly, but not one she hadn’t accomplished before.

Keela brought her left arm into her body to draw Alis in, cradling her to her chest with her free arm to ensure she stayed close. Keela had no idea if the snowy owl had ever experienced the absolute delight that was Side-along Apparation – but she remembered her first time all too clearly. If she could keep Alis still and secure, all would be well. Even if it meant Keela suffered a minor talon-raking in the process.

She closed her eyes and focused on her destination.
‘DJ’s house, Llanfarian… DJ’s house, Llanfarian...’

Thank Merlin she knew how to pronounce his town properly – otherwise, there was no telling where she’d end up.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Sunday, 1 September 2002 || 1:41am

Fortunately her Apparation skills were on-point, and she appeared with a POP on his front walkway. Alis bobbed slightly with every step as Keela made her way up to the house. Reaching the front door she raised a hand reflexively to knock, but hastily withdrew it as she belatedly remembered what time it was. Not an appropriate hour for social calls, in any case. She wasn’t sure if he’d said anything to his family about impromptu her arrival tonight, either, or how much they even knew about his Animagus studies. No, it was probably best to be covert.

She glanced at Alis. Hopefully the snowy owl hadn’t been too unsettled by the uncanny sensation of being squeezed and stretched through a very small tube…
“Would you get his attention, please? I don’t want to throw pebbles at the wrong window.”
Keela wasn’t entirely sure just how much owls actually understood, but she spoke to them like she would another human regardless. She did the same for Aisling and pretty much every animal she came across, in truth. Why not?

All was quiet, save for the rustle of foliage caught by the wind. The air felt heavy with the impending storm, and Keela felt the gooseflesh rise on her arms in anticipation. She was, if she did say so herself, a ride-or-die type of friend. Of course, there was always the cautious optimism that the riding would outweigh the dying, but nonetheless she was looking forward to being there through it all.
Even if it meant her cousin might kill her for being out so late… but what she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.

Time had dragged on and on and on as DJ impatiently waited for Keela and Alis and the storm -- and yet, it seemed like the blink of an eye before there was a moderate CRACK outside his open window. He jumped up to make sure it was, as he suspected, an Apparition and not a thunder crack, and was rewarded with the sight of Keela walking up the steps with Alis under her arm. He glanced at the clock. 1:41, Alis had made decent time. She'd be earning extra treats for that.

He rushed down the stairs, not worried about waking his dad who was probably well dosed by now (and even if he did wake up, he'd remember DJ mentioning Keela's arrival), and threw open the front door in his black shorts and grubby white tee, just as Keela was asking Alis to get his attention. "Attention gotten," he grinned. "Come upstairs, quick. Lightning hasn't struck yet, but it's coming." Even without any rain it was impossible for him, or anyone, to ignore the thick black thunderclouds that had already covered half of the sky and were starting to completely cover his little town.

As they ascended, Alis having been released from Keela's arms and flown up ahead of them, DJ reflected that he really had very little clue what his plan was. He hoped he wouldn't turn into something huge like an elephant or something, and end up crashing through the second-story floor. His dad might annoy him but he certainly didn't want to kill him. All he knew was that as soon as lightning flashed and the vial turned red, it was ready to be drunk and needed to be done soon. But whoever invented the Animagus process either hadn't thought things through, or had been a bit mad. Who would actually have wanted to transform for the first time in the middle of a furious storm? Maybe they'd have to Apparate somewhere else quickly - and at this time of night, DJ had the perfect idea for where.

"Okay, so," he said, as he plopped onto his bed and gave Keela plenty of room to either join him, or use his beanbag chair in the corner. "The vial is there," he pointed to the shaded alcove next to the window, "and if you see it turn red before me, let me know. But I think as soon as it does, we might want to Apparate away with it again. I don't want to wreck my room or the house with whatever my form ends up being. There's a path east of here where I got the dew for the potion, and nobody's going to be anywhere near there at this time of night or in this weather. Once the potion transforms I can take you along with me, unless you think you can find it yourself. And then..." he threw his arms out. "Boom. I turn into an awesome animal. Or we find out my life has been a lie and I suck at Potions and Transfiguration, and I become some hideous chimera, in which case, you put me out of my misery," he joked.

Out the window he could see flashes within the clouds, whether it be heat lightning or just travelling lightning he didn't know. But he was still waiting for that one first strike to actually hit the ground, and the potion to do that final all-important transformation that would lead to his own. He glanced at it just to make sure, but it was still that dark-pinkish-brown colour, so it wasn't ready yet.

Just as the words left her lips, the front door flung open so suddenly that she startled.
“Christ, spying, were you? Excellent. Was just telling Alis here that I’d hate to romantically flick pebbles at the wrong window.” She flashed him a toothy grin and chuckled, taking in his appearance. “You certainly dressed up for the occasion,” she teased as she obligingly followed him into the house, up the stairs, and into his room. Keela bit back a laugh at what her mum and cousin would think about her being in a boy’s bedroom alone, never mind that he was one of her best friends.

After only a fraction of a second’s hesitation she took up a place next to him at the foot of bed (though much more gracefully), cross-legged, hands resting casually on her knees as he oriented her. She nodded along as he spoke; the path he’d mentioned, presumably into either a clearing or some degree of tree-cover, would probably be best.

“Or we find out my life has been a lie and I suck at Potions and Transfiguration, and I become some hideous chimera, in which case, you put me out of my misery.”

She gave a snort of laughter at that, reflexively clapping a hand to her mouth and glancing at the door. Lowering it, she gave him a pointed look and waved a hand dismissively.
“Oh shut it, you’ll be fine. Don’t worry, I’ll find a nice Magizoologist to look after you.” She smirked.

There was a heartbeat of silence, and she couldn’t help but state the obvious.
“Merlin, we’re finally doing this, yeah?”
She broke into another grin instantly. The excitement was palpable; she could feel it crackling like electricity, like the lightning that would bring about the next step in the plan.

“Right,” she began again, “so, given we don’t know what in the bloody hell you’ll be turning into, or exactly how long you have to down that lovely concoction, it might be best to go out there now and just… wait it out.” Keela glanced out the window as she spoke the last bit; it had begun to rain, by the looks of it, but the night was still relatively warm. “Why don’t we—?”
She froze mid-sentence as she perceived a flash of red in her periphery, her heart stopping momentarily as she realized from where it had originated. Well, so much for planning ahead. Keela let out an unintelligible hiss, for she had suddenly forgotten how to form words, and swatted at him excitedly and repeatedly, bobbing up and down from her spot on the bed.

And just as suddenly, her throat un-stuck itself. Keela turned to him, pale blue eyes bright.
“Didyouseethat?! C’mon, go go go!” she whispered in fierce elation, feeding off of the sudden rush of adrenaline as a laugh bubbled up in her chest, unbidden.
“Hang on, Muffliato,” she muttered, pointing her wand at the bedroom door so they wouldn’t wake his dad with Disapparating. Why hadn’t she thought of that earlier? Her brother Eamon had told her about the nifty spell years ago.

“Might be best to leave Alis here, just in case,” she thought aloud breathlessly, springing up from the bed and waiting for him to pick up the vial before taking his arm. “Ready when you are.” Keela grinned nervously, waiting for him to Side-along Apparate her to their next destination.

They were barely settled in the room, and DJ had just started idly listening to Keela while he absent-mindedly wondered whether to wear more clothes or not (experienced Animagi could metamorphose with their clothes but he had no clue if he was that talented, natural cockiness aside) and starting out the window...

And lightning struck.

At first he didn't register what was going on, because he'd been watching the skies whereas Keela, apparently, had been watching the vial. But her first swat on his shoulder drew his attention immediately to the potion. She must have seen the actual abrupt change from murk to bright crimson, because there it was in all its potioneering glory. DJ had done it. He'd learned everything he could from Professors McGonagall and Markham, he'd finished the month-long mandrake leaf trial, he'd brewed the potion correctly, and it was ready for him. Even in spite of everything else that had happened in his life -- his parents, Aunt Ceinwen, Reece, Linnet -- Damien Conway had managed what few witches and wizards before him had (on the record), and become an Animagus.

Er, no, wait! He had to drink it first!

About the same time that Keela finally found her voice, DJ finally remembered how to move his own body. He jumped up and clasped the potion vial tightly, then relaxed his grip slightly afraid he might accidentally shatter the bottle and ruin his entire life forever. He cursed in awe and excitement in a whisper, before turning to Keela and observing her casting a Muffling charm or something on his bedroom door. She stepped back over quickly and looked about ready to grab his arm, just making sure he had his potion close in hand. "Good idea," he said hastily about her thoughts on Alis, before petting his familiar with the back of his hand. "You did great tonight, old girl. Extra treats when I come back. Take a breather."

But Alis obviously had other ideas; she hopped back over to the window, nudged it open wider than the little crack that had been its gap, and flew off into the night. DJ grinned even more broadly, his face almost hurting but not caring about that. "She knows where we're going. Obviously she wants to meet us there. Grab on, Doyle!" And the moment that she took hold of his arm, he vividly pictured the two of them right on the path between the forest and the field leading down to the banks of Nant Paith, and turned on his left heel and right toe, dragging Keela into the night.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The crack of a magical boy and girl appearing two and a half kilometres away blended in perfectly with the crackles and snaps of the alders in the wind of the approaching storm, and as DJ had predicted, nobody was anywhere nearby. He instinctively looked around and then up in the sky, checking for Alis. But although it would only take the snowy owl three minutes to get from Llanfarian to this walkway, DJ was too impatient to wait for his familiar. She would catch up. And she'd recognise Keela even if she didn't recognise DJ in his new form, whatever it turned out to be. "Okay, stay back, Keela," he cautioned, sidestepping quickly into the middle of the riverbank field. "And have your wand ready please, just in case," he added shakily.

The moment was upon them and he didn't want to waste any more time in case something happened to interrupt or ruin the moment. He put the tip of his own wand against his breastbone and enunciated clearly and excitedly, "Amato Animo Animato Animagus!" just before popping the top of the vial off with his other thumb and downing the potion in one go.

Immediately he screamed without intending to, as a massive burning pain rapidly spread throughout his body simultaneously both from where his wand tip had been touching him and from the potion liquid washing down his esophagus. He might be embarrassed about doing that in front of Keela later, but for now he was doubled over and feeling his heartbeat getting louder and faster in his ears... actually extremely fast -- no wait, his own heartbeat was just normal-fast, so what was that rapid thumping/fluttering? It was at least three times as fast as his own pulse. He was sweating all over and his back kept convulsing, had he done something wrong? Was he doomed to be some sort of half-transformed monstrosity all his life? Keela had better be ready and willing to take him out if he started getting violent----

In his mind's eye, more vivid than what he saw when he concentrated on Apparition, he saw himself up in the air. His body caught the warm air of a summer updraft and he soared, occasionally flapping powerful wings, feeling free and alive. His feathers were all a deep dark rich brown -- no wait, his crown and his nape were a more golden colour, and his feathers just above his feet were a pale goldenrod too. Normally one couldn't see oneself but he knew instinctively that this was him, this was what he was about to become... and if he'd had any doubts, the weird colour patterns of the feathers on his chest and his mid-back would have erased them all.

Abruptly he returned to his senses of the present where the pain suddenly washed away and the burning sensation became a powerful and rebirthing catalyst, a sense of newness and freedom washing over his whole body. His arms stretched out wide but stayed about the same length as his torso condensed and his legs shrank and moved forward slightly. He almost lost his balance until the tail of his tee thickened and sprouted a fan of new feathers, and he naturally leaned forward as his chest rounded out. His face pressed out and elongated and hardened, feeling like fingernails growing over his nose and mouth, and then dropping into a sharp pointed beak.

His first instinct was to flap his wings and get away because there was very clearly a human girl right over there, not to mention the incoming storm. The trees that were up the hill looked thick enough to provide some shelter until he could figure out where his nest was, but he had to get around the girl first. Sharply he looked up and to the west as a new sensation approached, and he narrowed his eyes at the sight of a snowy owl approaching him. A rival predator! There were too many dangers here. He had to leave. But if he did, Alis wouldn't know where to find him---

The shock of coming back to his own mind and instincts almost hurt DJ, and in the running for the most random reaction to the new experience ever, he sneezed. In the process of his head bending down toward his plumed chest, he saw the mark that he had seen in his mind earlier and knew that it was his telltale sign, that unique marking that would allow DJ Conway to be differentiated from every other golden eagle out there. The stripes on his breast feathers had some strange and well-defined yellow colours, mimicking the golden Chitileanu trident that was tattooed on his human chest. Which meant that directly opposite that, in the centre of his back, there would be a patch of red feathers that resembled his crimson gryphon tattoo as well.

His hearing and his eyesight was so much sharper now, but even so he couldn't fathom exactly what the look on Keela's face meant when he looked at her and flexed his wing tips in a "well what do you think" motion, even as Alis landed on the grass next to him and cocked her head to examine DJ's brand new body.

With a faint CRACK, they appeared on a narrow path between a wooded area and an expanse of rolling fields that Keela could barely see in the dark of the night. The clouds from the storm had obscured the moon; their only real light would come from the lightning, it seemed. Willing her eyes to adjust more quickly, she released DJ’s arm as he moved off the path and partway into the field. She stepped a little ways off the path, too, in the lee of a large alder tree to better hide herself from the path.

The Irish witch let out a hollow laugh as he advised her to stand back and have her wand out.
“Doubt I’ll need it.”
But there was an unmistakable quaver in his voice, and so she did as he requested anyways.

A chill rippled down her spine as he uttered the incantation and downed the potion. For a wild moment a sudden fear threatened to overtake her, but she fought it back. Hadn’t he told her that this was the most critical piece, stepping willingly into his transformation and without fear or apprehension? No, she couldn’t risk alarming him and ruin this for him. She had to hold steady and have faith in her friend.

In the next heartbeat, however, her mind was wiped completely blank. The scream that tore from him cued her most primal instincts, and she bolted towards him before she could so much as stop to think. Her mind reeled. He needed help, she needed to do something – but what? Panic rose in her chest. He hadn’t told her what to expect, how to help… she didn’t want to unintentionally hurt him.
She stopped short perhaps ten feet from where he was doubled-over, clutching her wand. Her throat was bone-dry, and as desperately as she wanted to call out to him, she forced herself to stay quiet. She couldn’t distract him.

And then his form was shrinking, and for a brief moment she lost sight of whatever form he’d taken in the shirt and shorts he’d left behind (she was too focused to be properly amused by this at the moment). She jumped as he apparently sneezed, dislodging the shirt from over top of him – and for the first time, she laid eyes on her friend in his Animagus form. He was a bird of prey of some kind, perhaps three feet in length from beak to tail-tip, with lovely dark brown plumage and some lighter markings she was having trouble discerning in the semidarkness.

For a few heartbeats she simply stared, dumbstruck. Her left hand went involuntarily to her mouth, her wand held loosely in her right.
“Holy fuck.”
Her chest suddenly felt much too tight with suppressed emotion; pride, relief, and a few more she couldn’t quite parse out as her brain scrambled to catch up. She broke into a radiant smile and – laughing as he flexed his wings – turned back to him as the rain started to fall in fat droplets. One of them caught her squarely on the forehead; she knew it was only a matter of seconds before the heavens fully opened up, but she couldn’t care less at the moment.
Alis joined them then, and Keela dropping to her knees beside the pair of them.
“Merlin, you’ve done brilliantly. How d’you feel?”