Sorry for the delay again😅.Here are two chapters for the week! I'll stick to two for now until my collection grows a bit.
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Each day settled into a steady rhythm. At sunrise, while the castle still slept, they met in the grassy clearing at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, wands pressed to their chests as pale blue light filtered through the trees.
At sunset they returned to the same spot, repeating the same ritual.
By the fifth day, Gilderoy felt it—a subtle thrum in his chest.
I feel a faint second heartbeat in my chest.
His own pulse seemed to skip in response.
Feels extremely weird.
Amelia's eyes shone as she whispered, "I felt it too! Did you?"
Gilderoy nodded, grinning. "Yeah… maybe it'll get stronger as the days go on. Or maybe we'll both explode like overboiled cauldrons."
She gave him a look of mock annoyance, but there was no hiding her excitement either. Both of them knew something magical was happening, even if they didn't understand it yet.
Ever since the phials had been secured and the incantations begun, dawn and dusk had fallen into the same cadence: wands pressed to their chests, voices joined in unison, sweat beading their forehead. Days slipped by in that cycle, the heartbeat getting stronger, a constant reminder that something was stirring beneath the surface, even if nothing yet showed.
Until one particular evening. As the sun dipped behind the trees, casting long shadows across the clearing, they both murmured the incantation.
The words hung in the air, and suddenly—without warning—the forest around them blurred, their hearts thrummed in an unfamiliar cadence, and they felt themselves pulled entirely into something other as they entered into a trance.
"Amato Animo Animato Animagus!"
Amelia's POV
A tremor ran through me, subtle at first, then deep, insistent. My heart skipped, doubled, and the second pulse began to thrum—a steady, insistent rhythm layered atop my own. I gasped, muscles tensing involuntarily.
Then the world shifted.
Colours sharpened beyond reality. The moss beneath me seemed distant, my arms and legs… gone. I flexed instinctively and felt wings, feathers brushing against my sides. My talons curled, my beak—cold, firm, strange—tasted the air. I was a bird. Not any bird I could name yet, only that the plumage was mottled and sleek, strong and light.
I rose, awkward at first, wobbling as instincts guided my flight. The forest and Black Lake unfolded beneath me in impossible clarity. Shadows stretched long, each movement amplified.
I could feel the air brushing my feathers, hear the faintest rustle of leaves, smell the damp earth and dew. My second heartbeat pulsed like a guide, synchronizing thought and motion.
Every dive, every turn, every hover was instinctive. I couldn't control it. I existed solely in the bird form, my mind entirely consumed by the new senses.
The forest became a tapestry of motion and scent. A squirrel darted across a branch; I followed it instinctively. A fox slinked along the underbrush; I sensed it before seeing it. Every sound, shadow, and flutter of life was magnified, filtered through my newfound vision.
Then—blackness. Opening my eyes, I found myself back in the clearing, still seated beside Gilderoy, who seemed to be lost in his own trance, brows twitching and eyes rolling Then—blackness. Opening my eyes, I found myself back in the clearing, still seated beside Gilderoy, who seemed to be lost in his own trance, brows twitching and eyes rolling.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead and watched him knot formed in my stomach, praying for him to come out of the trance safely.
(POV end)
Gilderoy's POV
The second heartbeat throbbed, insistent. My vision stretched and warped, then focused through sleek black feathers. Talons flexed automatically, wings extended, beak tasting the sharp tang of air. I was a bird—sharp and alert.
Hovering clumsily, I was tossed by invisible currents, yet the second heartbeat guided me, pulling my motions into instinctive precision. Every lift, every turn, every dive was dictated by the animal sense, not human intention.
The Black Lake glimmered below, the Forbidden Forest a maze of green and shadow. My sharp eyes scanned distances I could never see as a human. Rustling leaves, distant shadows, glimmers of moonlight on the water—all of it mapped onto me.
Flight became natural, effortless… yet beyond my control. I couldn't choose to return, couldn't consciously land. My mind was a bird, my body human but unaware, merely a vessel for the trance.
Then—blackness. Opening my eyes, I saw Amelia next to me, concern etched on her face as she wiped the sweat from my brow.
(POV end)
"Hey… you okay now?" Amelia asked, concern lacing her voice. She reached out, brushing the sweat from his brow.
"I'm fine," Gilderoy replied, offering a small smile.
Almost without thinking, Amelia's hand lingered, resting lightly atop his. Gilderoy arched a brow, teasing, "if you keep holding on, I might get the wrong idea."
Her cheeks flushed as she made to pull away, but he caught her fingers gently, refusing to let go. For a moment, neither of them spoke, the quiet charged with something unspoken.
Then Amelia exhaled, her voice softer but bright with excitement. "I actually felt… like I was the bird. I was in its body as I flew around these very grounds. Gilderoy… this is magical."
He nodded, thinking of his own sensations. In his mind, he recounted every sharp movement, every glimpse through feathered eyes. The forest, the lake, the shadows—all of it had been alive in a way he had never imagined.
Amelia sighed. "We'll need to be careful. If anyone finds out too soon—"
"They won't," Gilderoy interrupted quickly, a grin creeping across his face. "Besides, can you imagine McGonagall's face when she finds out we pulled this off?"
That got a laugh out of her, though she quickly shook her head. "Don't get cocky. This was only the first glimpse."
"Yeah," he admitted, softer now, staring up at the stars through the branches. "It was strange… but in a good way."
Days passed, both deepening their anticipation for the coming storm. Each sunrise and sunset, they performed the ritual, pressing their wands to their hearts, speaking the incantation. The second heartbeat pulsed steadily, guiding them closer to the transformation yet to come.