Chapter 13 – Ron the Animagus

The next couple of days were nerve wracking for Ron. He hoped with all his might for a big storm but all he got was a few drizzles and at most some slight rain with no thunder anywhere near.

He was frustrated and beginning to get really anxious about his timetable. He wanted to do everything quietly and without alarm and having his best mate and his girlfriend on the house would be dangerous.

Sure, his plan was to sneak out during the night to see and consume the ready potion, but Harry had always stayed in his room and Hannah would likely stay in Ginny's, which had a good view of the trail to the creek.

Besides, he had read and reread all the books available to him in the house, so he had nothing else to do other than fretting over the climate. He did his best to train in whatever he could, but mum would freak out if they ever left far enough that she wouldn't be able to see them from the windows.

Even the Xiao-technique would have to be put on hold for a while when his best mate and girlfriend arrived. He also still had no clue about what was wrong with Hermione and if she'd even stay in The Burrow after doing their shopping.

He didn't even have the opportunity to bond with his family; dad had been promoted and was always getting up to work earlier and arriving later every day. Mum couldn't concentrate on anything other than cooking and the clock that showed the family's status. The fact that all hands were pointing to Mortal Peril did nothing to assuage her concerns.

Bill and Fleur were nice enough during meal times but as soon as they were done the two of them would rush to his room and lock themselves in. Not that Ron could blame them for that. Ginny went flying everyday for as long as she could just to escape the oppressive feeling in the Weasley household.

Fred and George still came by to visit every once in a while but, as cheery as they sounded, Ron could still detect some slight worry from his brothers. Either way they never stayed for more than a meal and a few minutes.

Percy was still giving all his family the cold shoulder, which Ron simply couldn't comprehend. It appeared that his problems with the family were deeper-rooted than he had ever considered.

Ron had half a mind to send him a letter but every time he tried to put something on parchment the words seemed feeble and inadequate to him. Besides, Ron was never the favourite of any of his siblings and he couldn't help but think that Percy would just disregard completely whatever he said.

Like the problem with Hermione he figured it'd take a direct eye-to-eye confrontation to clear the air, but of course, in his brother's case that was unlikely to happen any time soon.

Ron sighed and turned his attention back to what he had been doing. He had been testing his transfiguration spells when an idea struck him. Something simple that would still be deeply appreciated by his best mate.

He had transfigured a rock into a piece of wood in a weasel form. Then he had begun steadily making modifications to it.

First he had made sure that it would bear a humanoid posture and figure, standing on his back feet and with a straight back. Then he had transfigured another piece of wood to serve as a broom stick, exactly like Harry's Firebolt.

After that he had to change the weasel's posture slightly to fit him in a somewhat realistically rendition of Harry's flying, connecting both pieces. It looked good but still lacked the details needed to represent his best mate, as it was it could've been a mini-statue of any of his siblings, except Percy.

The first thing Ron did was paint the eyes a bright emerald green. I wish I had come across that spell before the Yule Ball, I'm sure I'd manage to not look so terrible if I could modify that... robe. That was followed by the weasel's head being adorned with a mess of jet black hair.

Ron then took a good look at the measures and transfigured part of a broken quill into the round glass frames that his mate had always used. He had to shrink it a little bit to actually fit the model but the result was nice, he was looking more and more like Harry.

After that he took his wand and aimed at its forehead, making a faint line in the shape of a lightning bolt, a scar that Harry hated but that represented part of him all the same.

Only one thing left now, but how can I properly transfigure something to really look like a snitch? It should look golden and I suppose that I could just paint another piece of something but it wouldn't be the same.

Ron took a good look at his belongings, he couldn't spare one of his two galleons, his dad had gotten a raise but they were still struggling a bit. He eventually found the answer when he saw last year's D.A. galleon.

He immediately set to working on it, transforming it in a small golden snitch. For the wings he used bits of a broken vial he had, making it crystalline and giving it a sophisticated look.

At last he joined all the parts together and the result was really pleasing. The Harry-Weasel statue was seemingly flying with one of his paws gripping the Firebolt while the other was brandishing the snitch in the air; it looked exactly like Harry did whenever he got it – which was nearly always – and had a bright smile upon its face.

As a final touch he created a small pedestal for the figurine and engraved 'Harry Weasel – Youngest seeker in a century'.

Ron was quite pleased with the result. He was not quite so sure his mate would appreciate being called a weasel instead of Potter, but he could always change that if needed.

Satisfied with his gift to Harry, Ron climbed down the stairs to have dinner with his family. He didn't have to wait long for everyone to arrive, except for dad who had sent word telling everyone he would have a late night of work.

He was making small talk with Bill when he heard a rumbling in the sky.

"Do you think that...?" Ron's question was cut short by a massive 'kaboom' sound that could mean only one thing. A lightning strike! He had to fight a massive grin out of his face while everyone else was startled by how furious the storm seemed to be.

Ron had been trying to eat slowly and with proper manners recently but tonight he was so excited that he finished whatever was on his plate as soon as humanly possible.

He bade a good night to everyone and almost sprinted to his room. Once he was there he locked his door and returned his broom to its normal size before opening the window.

As soon as he did he could feel just violent this storm was. The wind was howling fiercely, there was enough rain to drench him in a minute and he could actually see faint lights from thunder on the horizon.

Ron carefully exited through the relatively small window with his broom in hand all the while trying to control somewhat the winds around him. The window wasn't large enough for him to go straight through it mounted on his broom, so he left his Cleansweep floating just outside and jumped on it.

There was a moment of fear when he thought he might slip and he sank a good few meters before managing to take some control of it and guide it towards the creek while avoiding any windows in the house.

Ron made the journey as quickly as he possibly could; while it was good to feel this kind of natural wind, the rain was hitting him heavily and he was never a fan of getting soaked.

It was a relief when he entered the small cave and had some shelter from the weather. He quickly cast a drying and warming charm on his clothes and himself.

However, once that was done, Ron found himself tensing up. What if I made a mistake? What if the wards somehow prevented the lightning from reacting with the potion?

He shook his head, whatever the case he'd have to face the consequences and could only hope for the best at this point.

Ron was a bundle of nerves when he started walking towards the corner he had left the potion in. He was used to disappointments throughout his life, his first wand being one of the best examples, but in this case he wasn't sure how well he could take it if it failed.

The journey of a half-dozen steps towards the location of the potion was really strange for him. He was both terrified and elated with the possibilities but he didn't have long to dwell on it, soon he was in seeing range of the potion.

Ron actually jumped in joy and whooped when he saw that it had gotten a blood red colour. It actually bloody worked! He sagged in relief against the wall, while taking a careful look at the potion.

It matched exactly the one in Abibi's memory. He, Ron Weasley, would be able to become an Animagus!

When that thought hit him he couldn't help but laugh like a maniac and quickly tried to prepare himself for what he was about to endure.

Ron took a deep calming breath and carefully took the potion phial to the edge of the cave. Then he drank it, curious to see what kind of animal he'd turn into.

The first thing he felt was an intense fiery pain, similar to the ones when he forced memories out of his scars, but widespread throughout his entire body. He gritted his teeth and endured.

A few moments later and he could hear and feel a second heart beat on his chest, drumming in a frequency slightly different from his own. Then an image filled his mind.

It was a beautiful Red Owl; its fur was a mix of a dark brown colour with the same shade of ginger as his hair and dotted with white in some places. The eyes were pitch black surrounded by a thin circle of a light yellow colour.

The beak was small but looked sharp; the claws seemed as if ripping an eye off would be no problem. Its body was not overly big for an owl, a bit larger than Hedwig if he had to guess.

Ron was just beginning to analyse his new form and think of potential uses when he felt his body transforming.

There was a slight discomfort and then the entire surroundings seemed bigger. He tried to take a few steps towards the edge of the creek to see his own reflection but his balance was off.

He had to adjust his posture about three times before managing to walk without the danger of falling over. After that it was easy to confirm that he looked exactly the same as the image in his head.

It was worth noting that the entire world around him seemed as if there was a midday sun blowing in the sky. I have night vision! That right here is already a good enough progress and should help immensely with my plans!

Ron didn't wait another moment before beginning the test he was more excited about; flying. He had always loved it and now he'd be able to do it on his own, without the need for brooms, thestrals or hippogriffs.

He stretched his wings, reverently feeling how different they were from having arms, and jumped a bit while batting them frenetically. He managed to get a few feet of the ground before falling.

Well, he didn't think it'd be so easy, but that was still embarrassing so he kept trying. He hit his head on the wall of the cave a couple times; fell on the ground even more and on the creek once, which made him transform back into his human form so he wouldn't drown.

But he wasn't one to give up on something that would be both useful and enjoyable so he kept trying. After a couple of hours he was able to keep flying in circles around the cave if he went steadily and without making any sudden movements.

Ron decided it was time to try flying during the storm. Honestly, it was a perfect opportunity, he was as safe as he could be to practice it and even in his owl form he could sense the currents.

That was impossibly harder to do; he had to keep batting his wings with all his might to not be blown off course and he kept getting sidetracked from his goal, sometimes dropping down abruptly due to a full blown wind going by. Somehow he managed to stay airborne the entire time, so he considered that a small win.

After what was perhaps a good hour he changed back into Ron and went into the cave exhausted. To his surprise, a happy one, he could still see things as clearly as if it was day.

While he recovered and prepared himself for another bout of flying, Ron began to think what else he could possibly have overlooked of his Animagus form that would benefit him.

Wait, magical owls can find the address of people without ever having been there before. That... that would give me the information I need to know the whereabouts of the Death Eaters and I'd only need their names! Time to check if this will work.

Ron quickly changed back and decided to play safe for now. Harry Potter – he thought. As soon as he finished the thought he could feel a tingling on his chest and some information coming into his mind.

Slightly northeast, about a hundred and fifty miles away. He didn't have a map in hand but as far as he could remember that was exactly where his neighbourhood should be. Still, that was too far away for his flying skills right now and he had no way to check.

The next best option, one that was close by and he could actually reach in a decent time was obvious – Luna Lovegood. Once again he got all the information needed of her location and the distance.

A bit over ten miles and in the opposite direction of the storm, that was great! He hastily begun to fly, he didn't know how long this trip would take nor how much time he spent during his transformation. He figured it was about midnight for now.

And if someone saw that he wasn't in his room by the time dawn arrived his mum was likely to have a heart attack or curse him. Probably both.

It was simply exhilarating flying with his own body and without any support! The wind howled behind him and he felt that eventually he'd comprehend even more facets of it if he kept using his Animagus transformation as much as he could.

But that was something to contemplate later, for now he had to keep his entire focus on flying as fast as he could in the direction of Luna's presence. Since he was still getting the hang of it he had a nagging feeling that Pig would out fly him without any problems and that hurt his ego more than a little bit.

Practice makes perfect – he reminded himself and with renewed determination he did his best to set a slightly faster pace. He saw another flying animal passing by but it didn't even glance in his direction so Ron decided to ignore it as well.

What he couldn't ignore was that it was flying at a much higher altitude than he was. I wonder if that makes a difference on the speed. With brooms it didn't, unless you went way over the top and purposefully stood as high as clouds, which would give your problems with visibility and wind knocking you around.

Would animals be the same? Could he use his wind affinity to somehow enhance his flying speed? Well, he had nothing to lose doing this test. Unless I crash down and die, of course.

So Ron in his owl form went a bit higher. So far it seemed about the same, so he decided to be somewhat reckless and went higher than even the stormy clouds – either the worst of it had passed or it hadn't reached this place yet.

He struggled a fair bit during it, he would've been tossed around by the winds if he hadn't some way to control it and he felt eerily cold after going through a cloud that was likely filled with rain.

Once he passed and was above the clouds he felt it was easier to fly; the currents were very mild and gentle and he had no obstacles ahead of him. He also could see so much more!

The vast prairies around him, hills in all shapes and sizes, signs of the muggle village in the far horizon, he could see them all. Now he knew the true meaning of the expression 'birds view' as he indeed had the ability to notice every little thing with a lot of detail.

In fact, even from so high up in the sky he could perceive shapes moving around some of the trees in the area.

Ron felt free and unshackled by anything, so much in fact that he actually screamed in satisfaction. The result was a sharp hoot that startled him for a brief moment before he remembered he was an owl right now.

He quickly gathered his thoughts and focused again on reaching the Lovegood's home as he could feel that he was getting very close.

Once he was fairly sure he was in the vicinity of it he began his descent. Either he had gotten better at his flying or going down was easier. Whatever it was, the fact was that he managed to reach the house sooner than he expected.

And what a house that was! It looked like a Rook from a chess set, it wasn't very big but it looked really nice from the outside.

Ron perched himself in the branch of a tree nearby just to make sure he was in the right place. It didn't take long for him to confirm that was indeed the Lovegood's home.

There was an assortment of weird things growing around it, some type of vegetable in a wreath on the door and a random collection of tools by one of the un-curtained windows that practically screamed Luna.

Ron decided to go back; he had already seen enough to confirm that he now could find out the whereabouts of many people. He had once heard that it was possible to make a place untraceable for owls but he had no doubts that he'd manage to grasp the location of most of the Death Eaters.

He thought of The Burrow and started his journey back. It was much easier after he found out the ideal height at which he should fly and he managed to get back quicker than his first trip.

Once he was back in the propriety he went into the cave, turned back into Ron, shrank his broom, transformed into an owl again and flew through his window clutching it into his feet and talons.

Ron rejoiced when he saw the clock was showing that it was 1:35 a.m.; he certainly spent less time on it than he first thought he'd have to. And his Animagus form was much more useful than he thought it'd be! He needed a detailed map of the British Isles, a way to conceal his tracks and he'd be able to commence his plans.

Ron spent the rest of the night and the next couple of days in a flurry of activity. He made a list with all Death Eaters known to him along with their approximate distance from The Burrow, another with all living members of the sacred twenty eight families, including even the neutral and light ones just in case he needed to seek asylum temporarily.

He made special notes of the Death Eaters that had Ministry jobs in the past like Macnair and Rookwood or were still considered innocent enough to gain access into it. They could put innocent people under the Imperius curse and that was something which could turn the tide of the war very quickly to the wrong side.

Other than that he could add only a few more names to the list, Fenrir Greyback the notorious and vicious werewolf that liked to bite children, people who delighted in the suffering of others, like Umbridge... after that he was stumped.

He'd have to wait until Hogwarts started to use the Room of Requirement to see if he could get copies of the trials after the first war and add some names. For now the only thing he could do was practice and turn into an owl and track the known Death Eaters to see if they were moving.

Sometimes they did, in groups of three or four, but mostly they were laying low, presumably waiting for their lord's order. There were no mass meetings these days as far as he could sense.

And of course, he had no way of tracking the Giants or dementors and he didn't even know if other dark creatures had already been recruited.

Every week there'd be news of some kind of attack, but so far there was no big movement on their part and that made Ron think they might be saving their strength until he got enough followers to do a risky move.

The problem was that they were being careful and without the names it'd be challenging to ascertain exactly how much they were progressing in their recruitment.

Ron was just cursing himself and trying to figure a way around it when he sensed two people arriving at the apparition spot on the garden. He wasn't worried though, one of them was definitely his best mate and the other had an aura of power that could only mean one person – Dumbledore.

He went down the stairs while feeling the two of them going into the broom shed, presumably to talk about something sensitive. He decided he could wait a bit to see Harry and resumed his walk.

"Ronnie, what are you doing up at this time?"

"Couldn't sleep, mum, so I thought I'd make some tea to relax."

"Okay, honey, sit down and wait just a minute."

"Sure, thanks mum." She only waived his thanks off, the kitchen was her domain after all and she seemed already done with dad's late dinner.

A couple of minutes later there was a gentle knock on the door and soon enough both the Headmaster and Harry appeared. His mate was crushed by one of his mum's hugs before smiling widely at him.

"Ron! It's good to see you, mate!" He said while patting his back and taking a seat by his side.

"Good to see you too, Harry. Everything fine with the muggles?"

"Yeah, they mostly left me on my own, which I'm thankful for."

"If you don't mind me asking, what were you and Dumbledore doing tonight?"

"Oh, he wanted me to help convince a Professor to come back from retirement. His name's Slughorn and he taught at Hogwarts for a good while from what I understood."

"Cool, do you think we'll finally have another Professor of Defence that knows what he's doing?"

"Well, he can't be worse than Umbridge, can he?" Both boys snickered at that before Molly interrupted them putting a bowl of onion soup in front of Harry and speaking.

"Oh no, dears, Professor Slughorn is a Potions Master, I don't think he was hired for the Defence position."

Ron and Harry traded baffled looks.

"What about Snape, then? Do you think he was fired?" His mate asked hopefully.

"Most likely he got his wish of being the Defence Professor." Ron rebuked with a grimace that Harry shared.

"Anyway, mum, you know this Slughorn guy? How is he?"

"Well, he's a good teacher, but he has the tendency of favouring people he thinks will have great careers and makes connections with them. He likes to make reunions, parties and dinners to introduce his protégées to each other and spread his influence. He never thought much of your father, thought he had no ambition."

"Oh, great, he'll expect me to attend these, won't he?" Harry asked already seeming a bit annoyed.

"You can always refuse, mate. It's not like he can change your grades because of it." Then something occurred to Ron.

"Ah, mum, is he like Snape only accepting N.E.W.T. students that got an Outstanding?"

"He used to be content to accept students who got Exceed Expectations as well; I don't think he'd have changed in that regard."

Ron could see the clear relief on Harry's face but he hesitated. Between both of his best mates it was very likely he'd be overlooked and not invited to whatever reunions the Professor hosted.

While he didn't particularly wanted to be favoured they were both obviously going to be present amongst this little group and being left out wouldn't be cool – not that he was unused to it, of course. Not to mention that hearing about Slughorn not caring about his dad left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Well, he had read a lot of the potions book Bill lent him and he could at least take the class to see how it goes. Worst case scenario he'd just drop it and resume his self-study.

Soon after that his dad arrived and the conversation took a more pleasant turn. Not long after that Ron was helping Harry carry his things into the twins' room, glad that his best mate was nearby but he'd maintain his privacy to keep doing his own things.

The morning of the next day was kind of weird. Harry looked absolutely perplexed that Ron wasn't planning on playing Quidditch this year and he seemed about to have a stroke when Ginny informed him that Ron had been reading books by his own volition.

Whenever they would talk about the war it soon became clear that there was something that Harry wasn't telling him. Ron couldn't exactly blame him as he had more than his fair share of secrets but something about it seemed off.

He decided against confronting him, if Harry wanted to tell him something he'd do it in his own time. So he instead elected to give him his birthday present a bit ahead of time. Harry teared up a bit and gave him a strong hug, proclaiming it one of the best gifts he had ever received in his life.

They got downstairs for breakfast and began to talk about random things like they always did. Ron was distracted out of his thoughts by the arrival of the mail with their O.W.L. results.

He was pleasantly surprised to see he had passed seven of them! No Outstanding, obviously, but he was more than happy with his grades. Harry got one in Defence, which surprised a total of zero people.

The results must've made Harry remember that one of his best friends was nowhere in sight and so he asked.

"What about Hermione? She's usually already with you guys when I arrive."

"I dunno, mate, she's been really distant in her replies to my letters. I'm not sure what I did wrong but she seemed a bit distant since the end of term." Ron could see from the corner of his vision Ginny rolling her eyes and that baffled him.

"You know something I don't?" He asked his little sister.

"You're a bit of an idiot, Ron. And don't worry, Harry, you two are still her best friends and she'll meet us tomorrow when we go to Diagon Alley to buy supplies and see the twins' store."

Ron was even more dumbfounded with this 'answer' and he stood there a few moments gaping like a fish and trying to think on what the hell had happened. Even Harry seemed to understand what Ginny had said and didn't question it, instead changing the subject.

"What about Hannah, mate? You two are still dating?"

"Yeah, she'll arrive here soon, I think. She spent the last few weeks trying to console Susan after her aunt's death but she'll come and spend the rest of the day here and then go to Diagon Alley with us tomorrow."

"Cool. She's nice and it'd be good to get to know my best mate's girlfriend a little better." Harry had put some emphasis on the word 'girlfriend' but Ron merely thought he was trying to have a bit of fun with him.

Well, if he was trying to see his ears turn red he certainly succeeded.

Ron was playing chess with Harry near the fireplace and wearing his best casual clothes, which he deemed decent enough to receive Hannah. But as soon as she arrived he felt his jaw drop.

Hannah was once again wearing a pretty dress, this time it was white with flower patterns through it. This dress was a bit more casual than the one she wore when he had visited her house and it wasn't as fitting as the red one – he reckoned she went for a laid-back look as well.

Ron quickly gathered his wits and jumped from his seat.

"Welcome to The Burrow, Hannah!" Next thing he knew he had his arms full of her and she was seemingly learning the rib-cracking hug technique that his mum had perfected over the years.

"I missed you." Hannah whispered while giving him a quick peck on the lips.

Ron only became aware that they were still hugging when he heard faint snickering sounds coming from the dining room. He took her bag and intertwined one of his hands with hers, gently guiding her away from the fireplace.

They came face to face with a lot of smiling Weasleys. Mum and dad didn't wait for an invitation before stepping forwards and welcoming her in their home.

Ron introduced his girlfriend to those who didn't know her, namely Bill and Fleur. It was a good feeling seeing his family being so accepting of the girl he was dating and Harry gave her a bright grin that he usually reserved for those really close to him.

Hannah also seemed pleased by all the smiling faces around her and beamed right back. Ron lightly squeezed her hand and said.

"Come on, let me show you where you'll stay the night and then I'll give you a tour of the house." She nodded still smiling and kissed his cheek, to the amusement of pretty much everyone.

Ron fought a losing battle against his blushing face but in the end he decided he didn't care much, it was public knowledge that he easily got as red as a tomato.

They went upstairs while Ron mentioned who used to live in each room, pointed the bathroom and opened the door to Ginny's room.

"I hope you don't mind sharing with Ginny... if you do I can..." But he was interrupted by her finger on his lips.

"I don't mind at all, it'll be nice to spend the night getting to know your sister better. Now let's hurry along, I still want to see your room." She said with a gleam in her eyes.

So they hurried along, Ron merely pointing to whom each room belonged until they reached the fifth floor.

"That trapdoor leads to the attic, where we stash many different things. Oh, there's also a ghoul there." Then, with a bit of trepidation, he opened his own door.

"And this is my room."

Hannah went inside and took a look all around her, smiling softly. He noticed that she sent a glance that he couldn't decipher at his bed but she merely smiled and said to close the door.

As soon as he did she almost jumped in his arms and for the first time in his life Ron knew just how good a snog could be. They were both clumsy but eager to taste each other's tongues.

He took advantage of the time they had on their own to feel her up a little bit, while Hannah was doing the same to him. They spent a few minutes thoroughly enjoying exploring each other before they ran out of breath and broke apart.

Hannah was flushed and with each breath she took her breasts moved in a completely captivating way that had Ron almost drooling. But she didn't want to cause a bad impression on his family so they hastily composed themselves before going back down, so Ron could show her the rest of the propriety.

A/N: Weird place to end the chapter, I know. Anyway, I have a few things to say to all of you who still read and enjoy this fic.

I won't bother you with the details but life has been pulling me from all sides. I'm not anywhere near the ideal conditions both physically and mentally to write. To be honest, I haven't been able to do much of anything these last few days.

I'd like to say that things will improve and I'll be updating soon but I can't. I have no idea if/when I'll manage to write again. I'll do my best to continue it, even at a slower pace, but right now I feel the need to justify my probable absence for a while.

I'm so, so sorry! I know it's as frustrating for you as it is for me, I still haven't written a fraction of the crazy stuff I had planned.

Anyway, thanks for sticking by this far! Hope everything turns out well for all of you :)