The Bond of the Links

Chapter 6

Back at the common room, the four sat at a separate table, doing their homework. When they had finally finished, Shalimar tried to brighten up the mood. 'Harry, Ron do you always write nonsense for your Divination homework? You know, you really should- ' Ron groaned, brightening up the atmosphere at once.

'Skip the lecture Shalimar! We have had it from Hermione a million times,' he said, obviously thinking that she was going to tell them make an effort. Shalimar's eyes twinkled in amusement at how irritated the two looked at the memory of the lectures.

'Who said I was going to lecture you? As I was saying, before you interrupted me, you really should help me think of stories that the old bat will buy!' Harry burst out laughing, and Ron looked absolutely delighted that Hermione was the only one in their group who disapproved. Even Hermione looked amused and relieved. They chatted easily for a while, until Harry looked out of the window.

'Anyone wants to go flying with me?' he questioned, looking around at the rest. Ron and Shalimar agreed; Hermione and Ginny said they would come to watch. They walked out onto the pitch, their broomsticks over their shoulders. Shalimar had a Firebolt too, and the three quickly shot off into the air. Harry felt the air whip through hair as he flew upwards at full speed, almost vertical.

'Harry! Be careful!' Shalimar yelled, as he slipped a few inches down, his knuckles white. He turned his broom slightly, so his position wasn't too dangerous. Looking around, he saw that Shalimar was flying slightly behind him. 'Wanna race?' He yelled at her. She nodded once and zoomed off towards one end, Harry on her tail. They started off at one end.

'Ready Shalimar? Ok. One. Two. Three. Go!' Harry shouted. The two friends sped off towards the other and of the pitch, urging their brooms forward. They had the same type of broom and the same skill. As she urged her broom to fly ahead, Harry did the same. They flew neck to neck until Shalimar's sight got obstructed by her hair. He punched his fist in the air and turned around to face Shalimar. She was grinning.

'Nice flying, Harry,' Shalimar told him.

Harry grinned. If truth be told, he was surprised. He had closely observed Shalimar's flying skills over skills over the summer, and she was good.

'Oh well. Who cares? I won!' He did a mock victory lap around the pitch and flew towards the ground, Shalimar ahead of him.

They found Sirius waiting for them. He was laughing at something Ron and Ginny had just told him.

'Sirius! What are you doing here?' Shalimar asked him.

'McGonagall thought that Harry should practice his Animagus transformation now. Ron, Hermione and Ginny are invited.'

Harry groaned, not wanting Ron to see him as a cheetah with human feet. Due to his stress levels, they had minimized his lessons and he had progressed slower than before. Ron was looking at him mischievously. Harry didn't even want to think about what he must be imagining

They walked up to the empty classroom reserved for Harry's transformations, talking about the way Seamus had turned into a duck the other day, having eaten Fred and George's Duck Delights. They turned a corner and found the professor waiting for them.

'Come on now,' she said briskly. They entered the classroom. Harry was excited. By right, he should be able to do it today. He was nervous, because he knew that normally, it took wizards about 5 months to do it, if they had studied enough beforehand. At least 3 months. Why he was supposed to manage it in a month, he didn't know, but he was nearly there. It was mid-November, after all, and he had studied before. That was how slowly they had been progressing; but somehow he realized that he was less stressed nowadays.

'Okay Harry, do your stuff,' Sirius said. Harry closed his eyes and imagined turning into a cheetah. Seconds later, he felt the ground much closer to his face. Hermione gasped. Looking into the mirror, he saw a magnificent cheetah, where he had been just moments ago. He looked into his eyes. They were like his own green ones, but had a touch of gold-orange, so they glowed like a feline's. He loved looking into his eyes every time he transformed.

Suddenly, he was joined by another cheetah. He turned to face Shalimar. Her eyes were the same colour as his. He turned and went up to Ginny, who backed away slightly. Hermione was still looking awe-struck. Ron was the first to recover.

'Bloody brilliant!' he exclaimed.

'Weasley! Language!' was McGonagall's immediate reply.

Harry transformed back into his original form and rolled on the ground in helpless laughter. He was soon joined by Shalimar.

'Argh! Who understands felines?' Ron said, looking disgruntled. The only response he got was more laughter.

'Well Harry, go out into the grounds with your friends and do what you want. Sirius will accompany you,' McGonagall said, an amused look on her face, and swept out of the room.

The group went out and sat near the lake, their broomsticks beside them. Harry was feeling too restless to sit down. He leaned against a nearby tree and looked out towards the castle. He saw someone entering. He couldn't make out who it was until he 'zoomed' in.

'Hey! Isn't that Angelina?' he asked the others. Shalimar looked closely and nodded. The others, except Sirius, were simply bewildered.

'How can you see so far?' Ron asked. Harry shrugged. He thought that the truth would sound quite weird. Ginny, however was looking thoughtful again. Even Hermione was looking slightly occupied, as if trying to figure something out.

'I need to go to the library,' they said simultaneously, then grinned. Noticing their expressions, Shalimar looked slightly worried. She glanced at Sirius, who nodded slightly. Aware of this exchange, Harry frowned.

'Let's all go,' he said. Ron looked at him as if he had grown an extra head. He shrugged.

'Might as well finish our homework.'

They went to the library after putting away their broomsticks and taking their homework, while Sirius went off into the staffroom. In the library, the girls sat together, while Ron and Harry did their homework.

***Shalimar's POV***

Ginny and Hermione were looking through a book titled Animagi.

'No...ah...no that's different...Ah! Animagi with animal traits in human form...umm...there it is!' Hermione said in a loud whisper. Shalimar read the paragraph she pointed to.

An Animagus witch or wizard might have his or her animal's traits in certain circumstances. Only if the witch or wizard is a Link will he/she have the animal's traits in his or her human form. This will enable the person to have special attributes that no spell or potion can give other wizards and witches. Full information on Links is found in Overcoming Dark Forces: A Guide.

Ginny gave a disappointed sigh. 'That book is found in the restricted section of the library! It has information about people who have special powers to overcome Dark forces. But I heard there are some weird spells and potions which can kill if not done properly.' She shuddered.

Hermione peered at Shalimar intently. 'What?' Shalimar asked.

'Well... You read the paragraph there. You and Harry were the only ones who saw Angelina back there. Felines can see very far. Both your eyes glow feral when you are angry or intense in a fight or argument. Your Animagus forms are cheetahs. Basically, you both are ferals, as they are called when your Animagus form is any kind of feral and you are a Link. You have to be a Link to-Now...if only I knew what a Link was...' she trailed off.

Shalimar grew uncomfortable, avoiding Hermione's eyes. She knew she couldn't say anything yet.

'It's probably in the Restricted Section, the information I mean. Anyway, can you help me with this question?' Shalimar quickly changed the subject.

Hermione looked downcast. Slowly, she nodded.

***End of Shalimar's POV***