Animagus Success
A wave of intense pain struck in an instant. Twelve-year-old Evita had never experienced such an unfamiliar sensation. She forced herself to calm down and quietly focused on the two pounding heartbeats. One remained relatively steady, while the other beat furiously, at around two hundred times a minute.
A silver-white peregrine falcon gradually appeared in her mind. Evita froze, unable to resist taking a moment to wonder whether peregrine falcons of that color really existed. As she pondered, she gradually calmed down.
She had been wearing nothing but a cotton nightgown, and the wind felt chilly against her skin. But soon, her arms, thighs... every inch of skin was covered by a close layer of hard feathers. The cold wind was blocked out, and a feeling of lightness and agility slowly rose within her.
After successfully taking her Animagus form, Evita found that the skills of flight seemed woven into her very bones. Extremely fortunate not to have been controlled by instinct, she flapped her wings and flew twice around the house, then landed in front of the living room mirror to admire herself.
She was a peregrine falcon about fifty centimeters long, with a wingspan of nearly a hundred and twenty centimeters, and she looked magnificent. Her upper body was silvery gray, while her underside was grayish white. Her feathers looked as though they were draped in moonlight, giving her an overall silver-white appearance.
This color... It practically tells everyone there's something seriously wrong with me! Fortunately, shaking out her feathers could make them look duller. Besides, when flying high in the sky, a color like this made it easier to blend in.
Evita was immensely relieved.
Besides... my powerful claws and the wind stirred up by my beating wings are really cool, she thought smugly.
After looking herself over from every angle and admiring her handsome, impressive Animagus form, Evita prepared for the equally difficult final step-turning human again.
She began picturing herself in her mind.
First came her silver curls, exceptionally silky and growing curlier toward the ends. Then her silver eyebrows, her purple eyes, close to the color of lavender, her height of roughly 1.52 meters, her arms, chest, thighs...
Evita successfully returned to human form. She leaned against the mirror and studied her reflection. This body had Veela blood; did it have any relatives connected to that ancestry?
What stories had Adele made up, and what had she done to make them plausible and fit them into this world?
A voice that still sounded mechanical answered, "Don't worry, host. I've made up most of it already. Do you want to hear it now?"
Evita shook her head. "No, I'd better not. My curiosity hasn't gotten that bad."
"What a pity," Adele said regretfully. "But knowing is fine too. It's not that important anyway."
Successfully mastering her Animagus transformation earned Evita a formula that looked deeply mysterious. There was only a quarter of it, but every ingredient was precious.
Evita copied the formula into a solid black diary, carefully put the diary into her suitcase's disguised form, and opened her letter from Hogwarts.
Third-year students... certain weekends... Hogsmeade... guardian's signature...
Hogsmeade! Evita kissed the letter twice, took the permission form to Tina for her signature, and looked forward to the day she could visit Hogsmeade without any worries.
It was a place every Hogwarts student loved to visit. She was no exception.
The letter had arrived near the end of the summer holidays, so Evita went to Diagon Alley to buy her supplies for the coming term.
The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 3, several books for Ancient Runes, a new copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and Arithmancy and Graphs... She also needed to stop by the neighboring shop to stock up on parchment and quills.
Evita happily shopped with a fistful of Galleons. When she turned around, she ran into Bill, who had also come to buy books.
"Good afternoon, Bill." Holding a huge stack of thick books that almost rose above her head, she greeted the boy standing a short distance away.
"Good afternoon," the red-haired boy replied. "Did you choose five electives?"
"Yes." Evita nodded and stood on tiptoe, finally managing to glimpse the books in Bill's arms. She raised an eyebrow. "Did you choose five electives too?"
"Yeah, I'm interested in quite a few things," Bill answered briefly. "But some of them clash, so I'll probably only be able to attend half of certain classes."
"What a coincidence," Evita said. "But Professor Sprout said she could talk to the elective teachers and arrange for me to attend fewer classes to avoid schedule clashes. I just have to get high marks on the final exams."
"So I'm planning to attend fewer Muggle Studies classes," she announced cheerfully. "I think I know Muggles very well."
"That's what I'm planning too," Bill said. "Professor McGonagall also spoke to the elective teachers and explained the situation for me. My dad has always been very interested in Muggle matters, and this class has always been theoretical."
"I haven't met Mr. Weasley yet," Evita said thoughtfully. "How has Aunt Molly been lately?"
"I think you can ask her yourself," Bill replied with a smile.
A plump witch came striding over. It was Molly, whom they had just been talking about, with another red-haired boy at her side. She was very enthusiastic. "Good afternoon! We meet again. Fred and George have missed you terribly. They've been looking forward to your letters every day."
"Really?" Evita was delighted. She had spoken very little over the summer and had mostly written to Bill to discuss their studies, but at some point, she had begun corresponding more with the six-year-old twins instead.
"Of course." Molly beamed. "Every morning, they go to see whose letters the owls have brought."
Evita looked away, feeling a little guilty. Molly was clearly a good mother who wouldn't peek at her children's letters. If she found out what Evita had written in them...
I'd be done for... Completely done for.
Not only would Fred and George's bottoms be in trouble, but she might even get scolded by Tina, Newt, and Lily...
How terrifying. Evita shuddered and decided to tell the twins to burn her next letter after reading it.
"Lily's here too?" Molly had no idea what the seemingly sweet and adorable girl in front of her was thinking. She simply waved into the distance, pleasantly surprised once again.
Lily walked over and affectionately pinched Evita's cheek, which had filled out a little. Sounding mildly reproachful, she said, "Weiwei? Why did you come here all by yourself?"
Evita's eyes darted about, and she answered with a grin, "Because I wanted to finish shopping quickly, then go back to Godric's Hollow and give Lily a surprise."
She put her hands behind her back, tilted her head, and asked in the cutest voice she could manage, "Weren't you surprised to see me all of a sudden, Lily?"
"All right." Lily rubbed her cheek and admitted, "I really was surprised."
Bill, standing beside them, cast her a subtle look.
Evita planted her hands on her hips in a very conspicuous little gesture.