Wizard Hunt (Original)

Chapter 8, Animagus

    Changing was painful and you absolutely hated it. You hadn't even attempted to get up, not that Ominis didn't scoop you up despite trying to scratch him.
"She's lively," Sebastian teased, getting you to grumble, which came out a growl instead.
"You were exhausted the first time you changed too," Felix reminded, before his eyes looked at you. "Unfortunately, out of all of our animagi forms, yours is the easiest to sneak inside the castle."
You huffed as Sebastian tried to scratch your head, so you hissed, getting a chuckle from Ominis.
"That's unfair, why can't I pet you? You let Ominis hold you."
The words were thick with jealousy, getting Ominis and Felix to look at him. "I'm not answering that AGAIN," Ominis replied.
"Alright, you can change back." Felix mentioned, so Ominis put you back down on the floor.
You almost screamed as you shifted back, remaining face first on the floor for a second.
"How are you doing?" Sebastian asked.
"Everything hurts," you admitted, seeing his hand move in your field of view, so you took it. "Come on, up you go."
He pulled you up to your feet, though you still felt very wobbly and leaned on the wall beside Ominis to remain upright.
"So, you'll sneak in and get to a professor you trust. I'll fly around to keep an eye on you, while Ominis and Sebastian wait in the forest for a signal."
"My animagus form can sneak in too. I'm cute and adorable," Sebastian said, getting everyone to share the same dubious expression. "Hey, it is cute. Ask anyone. Besides, it's better than if he followed her in."
"Ominis's animagi form speaks to his personality. A loner with an empathic side and strong ties to those he cares for. Leave him alone."
That was obviously not the reaction he wanted, but Felix cut over his remark. "Alright, you'll head in, while they wait outside in the forest line."
You nodded, though you weren't ready to go anywhere at the moment.
"Does it have to keep hurting?"
Ominis pulled you to lean against him as Felix moved close to check your eyes.
"You've finished the transformation, so it should be easier next time." He looked at Sebastian and Ominis. "We'll head out tomorrow, for now, we should get some rest."

       In your animagus form, you trotted towards the school grounds rather quickly, hearing Felix flying high above you and knowing Ominis and Sebastian weren't too far.
The last voice you wanted to hear as you crossed the gates was Draken's.
"Neither of them have shown up for school?"
Professor Black scoffed. "No, neither, but what does this have to do with those pages? If anyone finds out about them-"
"No one will have that chance. Knowing that Sallow boy and Felix, they'd already showed them both, which means they need to die too. It's the only way."
Panic set in as you tried to remain still, but Draken took notice of you.
"Why are there cats everywhere around here? This is a school, not a petting zoo." He pulled his want out. "Crui-"
Professor Black caught his arm. "If a student should happen to see you doing that, there will be more to explain than three dead kids."
You raced towards the doors, slipping inside as one of the students opened the door.
An explosion of noise hit like a freight train as you headed further into the building, having to wait for students to open the doors.
At least until you spotted Poppy, Natty and Garreth heading in the direction you needed.
"It's strange to think Sebastian kidnapped them," Poppy whispered as you approached. "You don't think he's going to hurt them, do you?"
"Maybe we should try to find them?" Natty offered as you passed them as Garreth opened the door.
"I'd like to say no, but a lot can change in a few months."

    You made it to the room of requirement, and transformed back, effectively scaring Desk, who had been tending to the beasts.
"Ah, you're back. We've been very worried about you."
You moved over to him, the serious expression making the smile he gave you fade slowly.
"Can you bring professor Weasley here, without alerting anyone else?"
"Uh, yes," he said before he disapparated.
You glanced around, remembering times where things made sense, or at least more than they did now.
"Oh, thank you Deek," professor Weasley said, drawing your eyes as she looked at you. "You're alright!"
"For now at least. I have some news professor and it's not good."
She nodded as she motioned for you to sit at one of your tables.
Taking a breath, you sat down, with her taking the other.
"What's this all about? And how are you being kidnapped by Mr. Sallow fit into it?"
"It all started when Ominis and I went on the training tour of Azkaban. Draken brought us by Sebastian's cell. He said there was something going on and innocent people were dying."
"In Azkaban?"
You nodded as you pulled the documents from your bag. "It is all true. They've been locking up citizens who haven't done anything wrong and making sure the dementors kill them if anyone goes to investigate their cases."
She took the pages and started to look through them. "But why?"
"The goblin rebellion was started by the Ministry to hide their dirty secrets. They poked at an old wound they knew would rile them up. Rookwood, Harlow, Ranrok, were all funded by Ministry shareholders or secret bank accounts and then all they had to do was wait for wounds to rip open and chaos to ensue. Half the aurors are dark wizards and witches freely using the unforgivable curses. Heck, Draken almost used one on me as I tried coming into Hogwarts."
Her eyes locked with yours. "He tried to use it on a student?"
"Well, I didn't exactly look like a student at the time," you admitted, not that it made it any better.
"Sebastian killed his uncle, that's why he was sent to Azkaban."
You nodded and turned the pages to the marked page and pointed at it.
She sighed and read it, her face becoming more stern by the second.
"Solomon was working with Rookwood. He planned to kill me and Sebastian in that crypt, so Sebastian was only defending himself. They didn't even give him a trial to hide their crimes."
"This certainly changes things," she said, moving to read the rest. "So, the Minister, nearly all the aurors and the headmaster? Oh, dear me."
You pulled out the long strip of paper that was written in the Minister's handwriting. "This has all the names of people imprisoned or dead that were in fact innocent of the crimes laid against them, I know, I already double checked. Some died due to the dementors kiss. Others were killed with the killing curse BY an auror. The reports are in that stack of paper."
She sighed and looked to you. "Did you give Sebastian your wand to escape Azkaban? And then help him obtain these from the Ministry?"
You hesitated, but nodded. "I did professor."
"Well, just like a Gryffindor to do something they believe is foolish." She chuckled, though it didn't last long. "I'm assuming Mr. Sallow and Mr. Gaunt aren't far away?"
"No, but with the Ministry hunting us-"
She shook her head. "I don't want you coming to Hogwarts for the time being. Best keep this quiet until we can get a better understanding of the situation. Sneak back out of the castle and send me a letter of where you're staying. I'll meet you there with a few trusted allies. Maybe we can sort this out once and for all."
"I hope you won't take offense if I don't give you our location directly. We'll meet in Feldcroft in two days. Solomon's house would probably still have something of value in it."
She nodded and patted your shoulder. "I suspect this isn't going to end well, but do try to keep yourselves safe."
She moved out of the room, so you stowed the papers back into your bag, before shifting into your animagus form.
Deek kindly opened the door for you. Giving him a grateful nod as you passed, you headed down the corridor.
There were so many cats in Hogwarts, that you were practically invisible.
At least until you made it outside, and pain exploded in your side as you sailed through the air and landed on the ground roughly.
"I've been around Hogwarts enough, but I've never seen a cat like you before." You looked back at Draken, who raised his wand. "Cruico!"
Unimaginable pain exploded throughout your body. Even when Sebastian used the curse on you, it didn't hurt this bad.
"Hold on!" Sebastian's voice said, though it sounded like he was underwater.
Barely opening your eyes, you saw Sebastian's silver fox form and Ominis's black leopard form attacking Draken.
Your vision blurred, before focusing again.
Sebastian dangled from Draken's wand arm, the wand now snapped in two, hanging on only by the core as Ominis had his thigh on the opposite side.
This time when things blurred they didn't clear and darkness began to close in on the corners.
Once they managed to get him to the ground and he didn't move to get up, they came over to you, before Sebastian scooped your body up with his teeth.
"Careful!" Ominis hissed when you let out a small involuntary painful meow. "Hold on until the tree line, okay? Don't shift."
"How dare you attack innocent animals!" Poppy's voice snapped, before you heard her racing after your group.
Sebastian set you down once they thought they were deep enough into the forest.
You were barely holding onto consciousness and as if sensing they were waiting, you fell asleep and shifted back.
Sebastian was the first to revert back, his hands checking to see if you were still breathing as Ominis's leopard form rounded on Poppy.
"Sebastian? What are you doing here? Where's the cat? Are they okay?"
She jumped when Ominis shifted. "That was her animagus form. That jerk cast the torture curse on her after kicking her twenty feet."
Sebastian looked back. "I think she has a broken rib. We can't heal her until she wakes up."
Poppy startled when the crow swooped down and turned into Felix.
"The aurors are on alert after you attacked Draken," he said peeking around Sebastian to see your unconscious form. "What happened?"
"Draken crucio-ed her," Sebastian hissed, glaring back at the castle. "So, we attacked him."
Ominis shook his head. "It was more on instinct. I heard the spell, but Sebastian was off before that, probably when he kicked her."
"What's going on?" Poppy asked, staring between them.
"We can't really explain right now," Ominis said, looking back towards the castle. "We need to go before we're seen."
Felix nodded. "Yes, especially now that they have kill on sight orders for all of us." Everyone stiffened and looked to him. "I over heard it as I followed her over the grounds."
"Wait, what's going on?" Poppy asked, but the answer never came because Felix apperated them away.
"Did you find those animals?" One of the aurors asked, moving into the clearing with their wand out. 
"No, sir. The must have ran too far into the forest."