A Small Case Of The Nargles

Chapter 3: Tiny

Harry woke with a start and found himself curled up on a white, very pouffy mattress. Not being able to place the odd matress in his mind, Harry sat up to look around and was startled at how huge everything looked. He recognised the the curtains and the stark white ceilings and walls of the hospital wing, but he was confused on why every thing seemed larger then normal. And why was he on a large mattress instead of a hospital bed?

Harry went to sit up on his knees when something on his back caused him to fall forward and knocked him face first into the mattress.  Confused, he went to push himself back into a sitting position and found that he had to struggle against a pulling sensation behind his shoulder blades, like he was wearing an overly filled backpack. He reached back to feel what was on there and felt two bony appendages coming off his back, surrounded by webby skin and cartilage.

He had wings.

That's when he noticed his hands weren't right, either. His skin was cobalt blue and scaly and his nails were black and pointy. Panicking, Harry searched the rest of his body for any feature that looked normal to him.

Nothing.

He wasn't wearing any clothes, but he didn't look naked. His body looked lean and covered in the the same blue scales he found on his hands and arms. His limbs were long and nimble and his feet were dainty with pointy toenails. He reached up to feel his face and was met by more scales. His face felt leaner and longer and his chin felt pointer. He still had some of his hair, but his ears were gone and he had antennae and his crown.  

He didn't feel like a human anymore. He felt like an insect.

"Help!" Harry called out, hoping someone would hear him. "Someone please tell me what the Hell is going on!"

Harry was answered by hushed whispered words and giggles that seemed to surround him, but no one was there. "Hello? Who's there?"

"Oh, it sounds like Harry's awake!" he sighed in relief as he heard the booming but familiar voice of Hermione from the other side of the curtain.

"'Mione! I'm so glad to see you! What's going on? Why do I feel so little and scaly?"

Hermione entered the little curtailed off room followed by Madam Pomfery. The mediwitch stood in front of him while Hermione sat beside him, which made Harry realise that he wasn't sitting on a mattress; he was sitting on a pillow and Hermione was sitting beside him on the hospital bed.

"We don't really know what's going on Harry." Hermione answered. Her figure towered over him and her voice was almost loud enough for him to shield his ears, hearing holes?, in pain. "We were in the library and you opened a mysterious book that seemed to have a defense spell in it that transforms the unwanted reader into....something."

Harry looked at the brunette, puzzled. "Ok, so I'm not human? What am I then? Some type of fairy?"

"We're not sure, Mr. Potter." Madam Pomfrey answered him. "But my diagnostic spells say that your perfectly healthy."

"And you look more insect then fairy." Hermione chimed in. "We called for Hagrid to come check you out to see if he knows what you are  but he's out feeding the Thestrals right now, so he will probably be another hour or so."

"Hey 'Mione! Is he awake yet?" Harry heard Ron's voice from the other side of the curtain and soon saw his face peaking into the room. "Can we visit him Madam Pomfrey?"

"Sure kids, but only for a few minutes. We don't want to overload him and we are still unsure what creature he is and if that creature side of him has any negative feelings towards big crowds."

"We will keep it quick, ma'am." Came Neville's voice as the mediwitch left and was replaced by Ron, Neville and Luna. They all crammed themselves in the curtained doorway of the room.

"Hi guys! How's it go....AHHH!" Harry was suddenly filled with fear that shot through his chest and down to his stomach as the trio of friends walked closer to him. He fought the weight of his wings as he scrambled across the pillow and closer to Hermione.

"Harry! What's going on?!?" Hermione shrieked in surprise and fought to catch the flailing frame of her now six inch tall friend.

"I don't know! I just...GET IT AWAY!!"

"Get what away, Harry?"

He buried himself in Hermione's shirt as suddenly he know what was scaring him. "THE CORK!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry Harry." He heard Luna say behind him when all at once, all the fear left his body like a tidal wave.

Harry sighed in relief as he loosened his grip on Hermione's shirt and felt him drop to rest in his friend's palm. He turned around and saw the confused gazes of the other three occupants of the room.

"Harry, what's going on?" Ron asked.

"I have no clue."

"Oh silly boys! Isn't it obvious?" Luna's face brightened in acknowledgement. "He's a winged little creature afraid of cork! Its quite easy to see that he's a Nargle!"

"A NARGLE?!?" the four remaining students exclaimed.

"But I thought those weren't real?" Ron exclaimed, receiving a glare from his girlfriend.

"Of course they are!" Luna smiled as she reached forward and ran her fingers over Harry's wings, who had to stop himself from basically purring with the sudden comforting sensation. "You just can't normally see them because they're invisible and you need glasses like mine." she indicated the pink odd shaped glasses perched on top of her head.

"Well...Merlin's pants." Neville muttered, matching Ron's mask of shock with one of his own. "I..
I'm sorry we ever doubted you, Luna."

"Guess you're not as Looney as we thought." Ron agreed.

Looking up from his sitting position on Hermione's palm and having his wings caressed my Luna, Harry had to admit that maybe Looney Luna wasn't as Looney as they thought.

He did seem to be, in fact, a Nargle.

Well, maybe this year won't be as relaxing as he thought.

Damn.