The Darkness That Lives Within

Before he had stopped fighting the gentle urging from the shadows, Harry Potter had seemed like a little child, no more than ten or eleven, though he had been fifteen, almost sixteen. Now, he looked so much more...mature. Even he, who was used to odd things happening in the magical world, was sure that this was not common.

His unruly raven-black hair had changed; it was now smooth, and seemed to suck in light when it landed on the strands. It was almost like solid oil, though it wasn't shiny either. It looked more like a black sponge, though that wouldn't quite fit. No matter how one thought about it, it was now shoulder-length, and silky.

His eyes, vibrant emerald green, now held a depth that wasn't there previously. It was spooky even for him to stare into his eyes, so he didn't linger longer than necessary. He noted that his ink-black hair was now his natural hair color; shrugging lightly, he moved on.

He almost looked like he had dark green eyeliner on; if it wasn't for the fact that, when touched, the line felt like snakeskin, one might think he was wearing makeup. Also, he noted, his lips had darkened slightly, turning to a lovely shade of red. He also absently noted that the scar he had borne for so long had disappeared.

His skin, previously dark from spending too much time outside, was now more of a golden color, seeming to glow slightly. To the touch, it was a lot softer than it had been, too.

Examining his teeth, he noted that some were sharper than before, while others duller. Shrugging and deciding to look closer at a later time, he continued with his examination of himself.

He was more fit than he had been, though this may or may not have been due to the immense load of work he had been given since the beginning of the summer. He also noted that he was about a foot and a half taller, now about 6'5.

Also, he noted that he didn't need his glasses anymore, and that he could see details in things that he was sure even people with "perfect" vision couldn't see - such as the individual strands of hair on his head, or the slight imperfections in the mirror he was looking in.

Shrugging again, he then turned and examined his back. Frowning lightly, he noted a pair of silvery lines that ran down the middle of his back.

"What is this?" he asked the shadows, who had uncurled from around him so that he could examine himself.

"Something you have wanted for a very long time, my love. You've always wanted to fly without your broomstick; now, you can," the shadows replied, causing Harry to gasp softly as realization hit.

"Wings!" he thought-said enthusiastically, turning back to the mirror. "How do I make them appear?"

"Just think of flying, my love, flying free like a bird, and they should appear."

Remembering the feeling intense feeling of flying on a broomstick, he shivered lightly as the lines started to tingle. Concentrating, he heard a pair of soft pops, and a slick sound, as though cloth was sliding through water, before he opened his eyes...and gasped.

His wings had appeared, stretching high above his head, with the tips just brushing his knees. Though he had half-expected them to be feathered, he noted that they weren't; they looked more like dragon's wings than he had thought they would. Running a hand over the thin, dark green and silver-speckled wings, he found that the membrane was soft, while the more muscular parts were scaled.

Smiling slightly, he stretched again, happier than he could ever remember being. Though he hadn't truly changed that much, he was sure that the changes that he had undergone would spook many people.

"What is today?" he asked absently, noting that the sun was just coming over the horizon.

"It is your birthday, my love; you have been...asleep...for two weeks," the voice replied, hesitating only slightly. "We are not sure what has happened during those weeks, as we have had to watch over you, and keep you protected. But we do know that Albus Dumbledore, the meddling old fool, sent Severus Snape to check up on you. He was sent away with information about you and orders not to tell Dumbledore anything about it. He'll be useful, Severus will, in letting your friends know that you quit fighting."

"Wow," he returned simply, stretching again. "Well, we should get going then. If it's my birthday, we need to go to Diagon Alley to get school stuff. Wait...where are we?" he asked, realizing that the elegant room he was in now wasn't the room he had fallen asleep in. Thinking on it, he realized that everything seemed sharper than it ever had been, clearer, and he shrugged most of it off as his mind reacquainting itself to his body.

"We are in Snape manor, my love; Severus was kind enough to let us come here for your protection. He might have a gift for you; we don't know. But we do know that everyone will be mourning your loss, save for the Slytherins and some of the Ravenclaws. You'll see; it's going to be fun. We'll make sure of it, my love."

"All right then. Well, can you please tell Snape that I'm awake? And that I need clothes? Oh, and that I would like to go shopping as soon as possible?" he asked, stretching a third time before turning his attention once more to the room.

"Of course, my love...he knows," was the reply, giving him a few minutes' notice before Severus Snape walked calmly into the room. Gasping softly as he entered the room and saw Harry, Severus walked smoothly over to him.

Eyes slightly wider than normal, the death-eater-turned-spy walked to the green-eyed male's side, noticing that the wings that the younger male bore hid just about everything that he might have been able to see. Shaking his head lightly, he sighed softly as he held out clothes to the male.

"Hmm...he's different when he's not at school," was the first thought that passed through Harry's mind as he absently took the clothes, unabashed at the fact that he was fully naked in the presence of another male, even if his wings did cover...everything.

"Why, hello, Professor Snape," Harry said calmly, quickly slipping into the pair of black silk boxers and the silver silk pants, leaving the shirt off. The clothes were slightly baggy on him, though not anywhere near as bad as Dudley's old hand-me-downs had been. Sighing lightly, happily, he stretched lightly.

Instead of talking, as he didn't exactly trust his voice at that moment (who would, with such a handsome male as Harry Potter half-naked in their room?), Severus Snape simply nodded politely. Clearing his throat before trying to talk, he watched as Harry stretched.

"Your servants told me that you would like to go to Diagon Alley to shop," Severus commented, voice polite, disguising his desire.

"He likes you, my love, your Professor really likes you," the shadows commented, causing Harry to smile lightly.

"More like lusts after me," he replied dryly, sniffing the air inconspicuously.

"Of course, Professor. Would you kindly escort me?" he asked kindly, showing none of his mirth at the Professor's plight.

"True. After all, he knows that you're still his student. Against the rules to go out with a student," the shadows commented lightly, almost causing Harry to laugh. As it was, Severus was suspicious at his smile.

"Yeah. I wonder how long it'll take for him to get over the fact that I, the student he oh-so-obviously lusts after, am going to be in his more advanced classes?" he wondered absently, causing the shadows to laugh. Gently coaxing them to wrap protectively around his young body as Severus nodded in affirmative, he stretched again. "Should I leave with or without the wings? I happen to prefer them, but it may or may not be a good idea to leave without them."

"Keep them. It'll spread our news faster, after all."

"Alright then, Professor, if you would be so kind as to Apparate to the Leaky Cauldron, I'll meet you there. Yes, yes, I know: I'm not old enough to Apparate yet. But there are other ways of travel, Professor, ways that get around anti-apparition wards. And I happen to know a few."

"Erm..." was all Severus Snape was able to say before Harry disappeared with hardly so much as a whisper. Shrugging lightly (while hoping that the rather handsome male didn't get hurt in his method of travel), he Apparated with a rather loud crack.