taking control

Chapter 3: Animals and Alleys

A/N: I'm not really happy with the first half or so of this chapter, but I don't think I ever will be. So oh well. Anyway, thank you all for coming back and reading. And as always, reviews with any comments or criticisms will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Chapter 3: Animals and Alleys

The next couple days flew by in a blur for Harry. He was constantly training and studying. He was really getting bored with his current supply of books as it mostly just contained old textbooks that he'd already been through in his classes. He also had the defense book he'd been given over Christmas to help him instruct the DA, but he'd already been through that book more than once. He longed to make a trip to Diagon Alley to expand his library and just to get out of the house and do something.

He was becoming quite proficient in his apparation training. He progressed from popping around his house to apparating around his neighborhood. He could apparate with relative ease now even across the entire neighborhood, but Sirius had warned him not to try doing a long distance apparation just yet for fear that he'd splinch himself. Harry was getting restless.

His animagus training had progressed rapidly. He was able to change every individual part of his body into either his panther or owl form at will, which delighted him to no end. He was anxious to make a full transformation, but Sirius had stopped Harry from doing it the night before and made him promise to wait until the next night to try it. Harry couldn't wait to go to sleep tonight.

He had written back to Ron berating his best friend for actually sneaking into Ginny's room to read the letter Harry had sent to her. He explained in no uncertain terms that he considered Ginny a valuable friend and that he had every intention of continuing to write to her throughout the summer. He told him that he and Ginny were just friends and that she was perfectly capable of looking out for herself and didn't need an overprotective brother hovering around sticking his nose in her business all the time.

He'd also told Ron that he had absolutely no intention of getting in the middle of one of his fights with Hermione about Viktor Krum. He told Ron that he was being rather ridiculous about the entire thing and warned his friend to drop the subject before things turned ugly.

It didn't take long for Harry to receive a reply back from Ron. He had gauged his friend correctly when he had decided that Ron would most likely fly off the handle after reading the letter. Ron had warned him off writing to Ginny any more with a veiled threat hanging over him if he continued to write her. Ron had also asked Harry just whose side he was on of the topic of Viktor Krum. Ron claimed that he was putting their friend in danger by not warning Hermione to stop writing the Bulgarian.

Harry decided not to bother responding to his irate friend. He knew that his friend would be in no state to listen to reason at the moment, so he didn't even bother trying. Ron's temper got the best of him far too often for anyone's good. Ginny was certainly right about one thing: Ron needed to grow up, and fast.

He had written to Ginny again after receiving Ron's reply. He'd talked about Ron's ridiculous threats and accusations a bit and other things as well. He told her that he had not yet mentioned the DA to anyone else yet, Ron and Hermione included, and asked her to hang onto his secret for just a little bit before he let his other friends in on his plans.

He received replies from both Neville and Luna, who were both surprised but glad to hear from him. They told him how sorry they were about the loss of his godfather. They also both asked if the DA would be continuing next year. Luna had, in her awkward way, told Harry that it was like having friends. Like so many other times, Harry had no idea how to respond to her.

Luna had also talked about the expedition she was on with her father to find the Crumple-Horned Snorkack. They had apparently been hot on the trail, but the animals kept eluding capture. She said she expected they will have caught one by the end of the month. Harry wondered what they were actually following but decided it might be best not to know.