In late June, Minerva declared Andromeda and Harry ready to shift.
Andromeda had thoroughly researched the effect shifting while
pregnant might have. There was no risk whatsoever. Despite being a
hard skill to learn the lure of turning into animal had attracted many a
witch and wizard before. Witches found that shifting with a baby had
no ill effect. The baby was a part of Andromeda, her blood was the
child's blood. The science of it did not make any sense to her but
magic and science were not always friends. In fact, they hardly ever
were.
The only time transforming would become a problem would be near
birth when the magic would simply not work. She could have tried
transforming all day and she would remain human.
So in one breath to the next, Andromeda let her magic change her
as Harry did the same beside her.
She blinked, suddenly much smaller than she had been, her
eyesight sharper, and her ability to see far away magnified to an
almost absurd degree. Andromeda looked toward Harry who was at
eye level with her.
Harry was a white falcon. He almost looked like a snowy owl, with
grey-black flecks at the ends of his wings.
He was a pretty bird.
She tried to take a step closer to him and find her feet clawed and
unbalanced on the stone floors. She swung her arms back to catch
herself and find that she too was a bird. Because her 'arms' were
assuredly not arms.
She flapped her wings hard and was able to lift a foot off the ground
before stumbling back to the floor.
Harry had no such issues. Once he began to beat his wings, he did
not stop flapping until he was airborne. He began to circle the room
and let out a piercing shriek, that to her own bird hearing translated
to an exclamation of pure joy.
After another loop around Minerva's office he landed -gracefully,
damn him , beside her. He nuzzled her neck and found she was a
few sizes bigger than him.
Minerva clapped, "Both falcons, wonderful!" She summoned a mirror.
Andromeda blinked at herself, she was charcoal grey, almost a sootblack, her eyes were brownish amber, and she was giant. If Minerva
hadn't said they were both falcons she might have said she was an
eagle.
Andromeda cocked her head at the older witch.
Minerva seemed to understand the question, "I think you are a
Gyrfalcon, which is the largest breed of falcons. Your dark coloring is
unique but not altogether uncommon for a Gyrfalcon. However, white
Peregrine falcons are quite rare and he is probably on the smallest
side of the scale for that breed. Peregrine's are known for being the
fastest falcon among."
Harry squawked with pride.
Andromeda clipped him with a wing which sent him stumbling, and
he plopped onto his chest in a spiking of puffed feathers.
There were benefits to being the bigger one.
When he found his feet he sidled closer to her and nudged her
toward the window. She obliged him and jumped when he did. Flying
from this height was easier, the updraft working for her.
Once the wind caught them, she forgot about everything but the joy
of flight, of dancing with Harry, and the air in her lungs. She had
never known freedom such as this.
She didn't know if it had been minutes or hours that passed but
eventually, they landed back in Minerva's office. She had been
reading a book when they landed and shifted back to human form.
Andromeda was ready for a nap, Harry was all energy.
"That was amazing! " he enthused.
Harry caught her around her waist as Andromeda stumbled toward a
seat.
"Are you alright?" he asked his enthusiasm quickly turning to worry.
"Fine, but that was a workout," she smiled and patted Harry's hand.
Minerva stood beside them, "You will both need to go to the ministry
tomorrow and get yourselves registered."
They nodded.
"Andromeda, would you cast a patronus please?" Minerva asked.
"Why?" she asked in return.
"An old woman's curiosity."
Andromeda flicked her wand. Calling up a happy memory was not
difficult, not with him sitting right beside her, her free hand in his.
"Expecto Patronum."
A small falcon that matched Harry's form perfectly burst from her
wand.
Harry laughed and flicked his own wand, his patronus joining hers.
His was also falcon, only larger and matching her animagus form.
They looked at each other grinning, and Andromeda could not help
but steal a quick kiss with the proof of their heart's joy soaring
around them in silver mist and light.
The next full moon Harry, Andromeda, Teddy, Draco, and Wendy
Bird ventured into the Forbidden Forest.
Harry hated being back here but the forest seemed brand new in this
form. His eyesight was worlds better, as was his night version.
Keeping up with Teddy as a bird was easy, even as the young
werewolf/wolf-shifter sprinted through trees and under logs, chasing
after every insect and bunny he caught sight or wind of.
Draco who was taking his potion seemed to act more human than
any of them but nevertheless lopped after Teddy wherever he led. At
one point Harry had to chase everyone back from the direction of the
spiders.
They ran until dawn, until Draco shifted back. Teddy fell asleep in
Harry's arms, Andromeda still in falcon form, drifted off on Harry's
shoulder, Wendy Bird nodding off on his other shoulder.
"That was fun," Draco said tiredly, dragging his feet behind Harry.
"You can have the couch if you like."
"Thanks."
They walked together in silence back to the house, both of them too
drained to apparate back safely.
"Did you ever imagine this would be our future?" Draco asked as
made up the couch after putting Teddy in his crib and gently laying
Andromeda on the covers their bed. She had barely twitched when
Harry had unhooked her from his shoulder.
"Draco," Harry said sadly, "I don't know that I ever imagined having a
future. There were days when just seeing the next morning was
uncertain."
"I'm sorry," Draco said not looking at him. "Sorry for whatever part I
played in that."
Harry tossed a pillow at him, "I'm not a saint, nephew, I made nearly
as many mistakes as you did."
He nodded, brushing back a strand of blond hair back, he was
growing it out like his dad's. It looked good on him, although it did
make him look more feminine than he already had. "Goodnight,
Uncle Potter."
The nephew/uncle had started as a barbed joke between them. But
the discomfort of the situation had long since lost its bite. After all,
Draco hadn't even known his Aunt Andromeda until Harry started
living with her.
But the nephew/uncle name calling between them had allowed them
to move past their school years' relationship, past the children they
had been. Who they were now, wasn't recognizable to who they had
been.
Besides, they may have been the same age but they weren't in the
same stages of their lives. Draco had just started dating someone he
actually cared about, while Harry was practically married and was
raising a kid. Harry taught classes part-time and had as much sway
over the public as Albus Dumbledore. Draco still wasn't quite sure
what he wanted to be and with the lycanthropy and his history, there
were not many doors open for him.