//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Boring, Bedtime and Bacon // Story: Hazy Days and Magical Ways // by Dogger807 //------------------------------// "Boring" was the word for the day . . . or night . . . or whatever hour it might be. Time passed with nothing to mark its passage, not even the beating of his heart. It was as though perfect order had been achieved; truely a fate worse than death. "Cramped" was the next adjective that came to mind. Someone with claustrophobia would have gone insane by now. His cage kept him tethered to one point. It magically expanded to give him an inch leeway on all sides, regardless of posture, so long as he remained centered on his spot. It shrank to match his rodent form while enlarging to match his human form. The result was that the only activities open to him were calisthenics, both physical and mental. It was the ultimate time out. There weren't even meals to break up the monotony. Whatever magics were imprisoning him also kept all of his biological processes in stasis. Given the lack of toilet facilities, this was a mixed blessing. A wry half-smile graced his face as he savored the realization that this was still better than Azkaban. However, it was cruel in a manner he had never before thought possible. Here, nothing would ever change. Seeking to soothe his boredom, Peter lifted his head and screamed in frustration. Greedily the walls devoured the sound, abruptly returning the room to silence once Peter shut his mouth. “I don’t want to hear anything from you,” said the only other creature that showed any signs of being able to speak the Queen’s English. “They promised they would move you elsewhere once they could be assured that you couldn’t escape. They were even promising you convalescent visits. That’s better than anything they’ve ever offered me.” “How do you handle it?” Peter demanded, turning his attention to Tirek. “I just remind myself of all of the things I’m going to do to those ponies once I’m free.” Tirek shrugged. “You’re welcome to help.” Peter didn’t so much as bother to answer. “You have yet to tell me why you’re here.” Tirek pressed, “How close did you come to taking over?” Peter just sighed. He took his rat form and settled down for yet another nap. Rosie approached the new trunk set up in the living room. Her father had strapped it down so that it couldn’t be moved taking extra time to ensure that the lid couldn’t be shut accidentally or otherwise. She peered down at the exposed stairs and called out. “Granny! Mum and Dad have gone to work!” “Thanks, dear,” an elderly voice called back. “I’ll be up in a few.” “Okay, Granny!” Rosie yelled. “I’m just going out for a bit to pick up a friend to go to school with us!” “Your dad hadn’t mentioned driving anyone else.” Granny’s voice held a questioning tone. “She doesn’t have a ride,” Rosie answered. “It’ll be a surprise for her, too.” “I don’t know, dear.” Granny’s voice said. “Maybe I should talk to her parents first.” “You can talk to them after school,” Rosie insisted. “I’ll take Eva with me to go get her.” “Alright.” There was a sigh in the voice now. “I guess there’s no harm, in that.” “Thanks Gran,” Rosie said. “We won’t be long.” Without waiting for another reply, Rosie headed toward the fireplace. A budding zoologist might claim that the snow in the clearing had been tamped down by a herd of buffalo. They would have been immediately upbraided by a more senior scientist. The prints were the wrong shape. The prints were the wrong size. Besides, the centaurs responsible were huddled together at one end, staring wide-eyed at their two early morning visitors. “H-how did you find us?” one of the larger males shakily asked. Eva pointed a sleepy hoof at the cooking fire merrily crackling away. A plume of white smoke lazily drifted skyward. “Were you supposed to be hiding?" she asked. “What do you want?” another male demanded as the group took an involuntary step back from the deceptively harmless appearing bundles of chaos. “We want Licenta to come to school with us,” Rosie cheerfully said. “And your elders have given their permission?” Licenta’s mother asked. “Our principal said she would be welcomed.” Rosie smiled. “He said there was an open invitation.” “I don’t know . . .” Licenta’s mother started. “You can keep her. It’ll be better for everyone involved.” The first male broke in. “I can no longer see her; she was already lost to us.” Licenta’s mother sighed, and a tear trickled down her cheek as the filly in question smiled widely. “I’ll escort you to the edge of the forest,” said the elder female. It was official; he was a freak. As far back as he could remember, his parents had ranted against anything that wasn’t normal. The break had changed all that, leaving him more than a little confused. Overnight, his parents' attitude had been reversed. He had been told not to call his cousin a freak anymore. He had been denied thirds at meals. He hadn't been able to convince his mother to do what he wanted, even when he had thrown a tantrum. Mum and Dad had tried with several long conversations to explain the changes, but his anger had muted a lot of what had been said. His perfect world had been shattered. He had still been reeling from the upheaval when one of the women from supper the night before had shown up at the front door. She still had that ridiculous hair, but this time she had come holding an owl. His mum had asked him to keep the woman, Bon Bon, company in the sitting room as she finished off a few last-minute chores. The wait had been awkward, and the woman had tried to lighten the mood by asking the owl how it had liked the trip. He was now fairly certain that he could fluently swear in owl if push came to shove. When his mum finally came back, they had been ushered into the pouch that the owl had worn. A concept he still found creepy. However, the ride had resulted in the best day of his life. He had met the ponies. Miss Bon Bon had turned out to be a pony herself. The day had been a whirlwind of memories. His mum had breathed fire. Miss Sparkle, the purple unicorn, had unblocked the magic that he and his mum never knew that they had. He had been seen by another unicorn, this one a doctor. He had acquired a little unicorn friend who fit snuggly in his lap. He had eaten several new and wonderful things. He had even apologized to his cousin. He had even been sincere. Things could have gone better, on that front. The weight of the apology had left him feeling worse than he could ever remember. It had also felt right, somehow. His new unicorn friend had been with him as he wallowed in the new sensations. It had been horrible. It had been horrible, yet somehow it had left him feeling more right with the world. He still didn’t understand; he could only accept that everything had changed. It was almost a disappointment to go home after that. Then, another woman had shown up at the front door. She had been accompanied by another unicorn and a couple of men wearing robes. His mum had informed her that Harry was no longer living with them and that the floo connection was no longer necessary. The woman had responded by saying that the connection was also for him. She had said that Dudley Dursley was on her list of muggleborn. That was the moment he had realized that he had become a freak. The rest of the break had passed like a dream. They had visited a magical shopping center where he and his mum had bought wands and he had gotten school supplies for his new school. He would be going to the same school as his cousin. Not long after, yet another woman from the fated supper had shown up at the house. Instead of using the front door, like normal, she had stepped out of the fireplace. His mum and the woman had yapped all through teatime and at some point his mum was invited to take part in private tutoring. He had ignored much of that; preferring to concentrate on hanging out with his gang. They had welcomed him back; having missed him since he had been away at boarding school. Thus, he had whiled away the rest of the break, the same as always, yet changed forever. When the time had come for school, his parents had stuffed him onto a train and said their goodbyes, leaving him to face the unknown alone. He had been lucky to find a compartment with more kids his own age who were also going to Hogwarts for the first time. Most of that trip had been spent listening to Ralph, a smaller brown-haired boy, go on about how he was looking forward to learning magic and how he would be casting magic missile before the week was out, the heck with cantrips. The next interesting thing had happened after they had exited the train; a pair of redheaded twins had been wrestling with some girls and losing badly. They had put on a good show though. He never would have dreamed that a quintuple leg-scissors was even possible. The trip to the castle had been an eye-opening experience. Carriages that moved by themselves were the mode of locomotion. Ralph hadn’t shut up for the entire jaunt. Several notable things happened in the dining hall that night. First of all, a girl had sat down next to him and started hugging him. It turned out that she was his little unicorn friend, and her name was Dinky. There was no doubt that he had caught cooties. Then, when the meal had appeared; just appeared on the table, everything had seemed to be going swimmingly. The food had been tasty and plentiful. For the first time in a long time, he had been sure he would be having thirds and fourths and fifths. Well, that had been a vain desire. At the raised table one of the teachers had frowned in his direction as he went about stuffing himself. She had waved her wand at him and suddenly all the food on his plate had disappeared; anything else he had tried to add simply returned to the serving platter. When pudding had appeared, he had managed one slice of cake before the vanishing food annoyance had started up again. He didn’t need Ralph to explain to him that the witch had cast some kind of diet spell on him. Drawing on past experiences of not getting what he wanted, he almost lost his temper. If it weren’t for Dinky placing her hand on his forearm, he was sure that he would have. After the meal, there had been more announcements, and the professors had been introduced. He knew that there was no way he could remember all the names that had been thrown at him. When all of the blathering had finished, one of the professors had come down to their table and introduced herself as Professor Babbling, their point of contact, their head of house. She had then led them out into the courtyard where a large tent had been waiting. With a flourishing wave, she had declared that relic from a dead circus to be their home for the rest of the year. A sense of dread had gripped his spine at the thought of being crammed into the flimsy structure with the rest of the new students. That apprehension had vanished once they had entered. The inside was completely at odds with the outside. A large comfy common room had been the first thing they had seen. With a start, he had realized that the temperature was very comfortable. Then, with another start, he had realized that Dinky had never left his side. With crisp efficiency, Professor Babbling broke them into groups, directing each to separate rooms. Exhausted by the long day, it hadn't been long before he crawled into bed and had fallen asleep. The rotund boy quivered like a bowl of jelly as he was roughly shaken. “Hey, you two need to get up!” Ralph said as he continued his assault.” “I’m going to punch you if you don’t stop,” Dudley threatened. “Good, you’re awake,” Ralph said, walking away. “Now get up.” Dudley lay there for a few seconds, trying to take in his surroundings. The prat had left the curtains surrounding his bed open, letting in the light. Wait? You two? Slowly, Dudley realized his arms were wrapped around something. Looking down, he saw a mop of yellow hair. Well, that was new. Dudley was aware of Ralph drawing back the curtains on the next bed over. “Get up!” demanded the prat. “Guah?” came a voice in response. “You really are a pony.” Ralph said. “Are those wings?” “Yeag,” came the reply. “Well get up!” Ralph said. The muffled thump of a pillow hitting someone in the face followed. Dudley looked down again. What was Dinky doing in his bed? Another curtain was pulled back. “Get up!” “Whaaaa?” came a voice. “You’re not a pony,” Ralph accused. Grumbling ensued followed by. “I’m a dragon.” “A little dragon,” Ralph said way too cheerfully. “Cool, what kind of breath weapon do you have?” *Whoosh* “Green flames.” Ralph crooned. “Cool! What kind of damage can you do with that?” “If you don’t shut up, you’re going to find out,” replied the voice. “Don’t be a grump; now get up.” Ralph said, moving on. “And you might want to ask for a new pillow; it looks like you vaporized yours.” "Celestia! No!" Dudley noticed Dinky looking up at him. “Morning already?” she asked. Dudley grunted and closed his eyes for a few more minutes of sleep. It was official; he was a freak. Wait! Was she naked? The sun wasn’t up yet as Emma Granger stood over her stove waiting for the pot of water to start boiling. When she was satisfied, she added a few pinches of salt and started to reach for the porridge mix. As her hand fell on the box, she heard something tapping on glass. Looking up, she saw an owl patiently awaiting entrance. With a sigh, she crossed the room to let the bird in. After closing the window, she took a few treats from a covered bowl before trading the food for the letter the owl was carrying. As the owl departed, she read the missive. Dear Mr. and Mrs. Granger, I hope this letter finds you well, and I wish to start out by assuring you that your daughter is not in any trouble. That having been said, it has come to my attention that Hermione has arrived at school in possession of a puffskein. This is an annual occurrence among first-years, especially those raised in the muggle world. However, there are reasons that this harmless creature is not on the approved list of pets. In short, young witches and wizards form bonds with their animal companions, and I’m afraid puffskeins are best described as disposable pets. Their life spans are not the greatest under the optimal of conditions, and they are, unfortunately, favored snacks for both cats and owls, as well as the larger toads. It would be advisable if you were to come and collect the creature from your daughter to avoid future heartache and disruption to her magic as a result of the previously mentioned bonds breaking harshly. You are reminded that the approved list for familiars is as follows, one owl, cat, or toad. Thank you for your time, and I apologize for the inconvenience. Yours respectively, Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall Emma sighed as she put down the letter. If it wasn’t one thing it was another. Grimacing slightly, she filled a cup from the faucet to replace the water that had boiled off from the pot. Mrs. Brown stumbled through the house, loosely holding a letter from Hogwarts. Her husband hadn’t been in their bed when she had awakened, and his side hadn’t been warm. This was more than a little disturbing; he had never woken before her in the past. Was he still fretting over their temporary status as werewolves? They had been assured that a cure would be made available in the spring. It wasn’t long before she heard a familiar boinging sound and her frown deepened. She was not at all happy when she strolled into the sitting room. “Dear, have you been at that all night?” Mrs. Brown demanded as she found her husband in the exact same spot he had been in when she had decided to head to bed. Her son was in another chair, patiently holding his controller and waiting on his turn. “Hun?” said Mr. Brown, not taking his eyes off the telly. “Just give me a few more minutes. I want to finish this level.” “Have you two been at this all night?” Mrs. Brown demanded harshly. “All night?” asked her son, turning to look at the window and widening his eyes when he saw the early morning light. “Dad, you need to go to work.” “What?” Mr. Brown said, pausing the game. “Don’t joke, I have a few good hours to sleep yet.” He turned to look at the window as well. “Um,” he said after a pause. “Hun? Do we have any pepper up potions in the house?” Eva and Rosie stared up at their Granny as the elderly woman stared down at her granddaughters and their friend. The friend was poking Rosie curiously after witnessing her change from being a little pegasus. “This is your friend who needs a ride?” Granny asked cautiously. “Yes Granny,” Rosie said cheerfully. “She’s coming to school with me.” Granny scrunched her nose. “And her parents are okay with this?” “They said we could keep her,” Eva said. “They said she was too chaotic.” “They did, now did they?” All three girls nodded. “I see,” said Granny. “Licenta was it then?” “Yes,” said the little centaur. “Have you eaten breakfast yet?” asked the elderly woman. “No,” replied Licenta. “The adults hadn’t finished eating yet when Rosie and Eva showed up.” “You weren’t eating with them?” Granny asked. “No,” said Licenta as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “I have yet to earn my place, and since my life span is going to be so short, I never will.” “Your life span is going to be short?” asked Granny. “It has been foreseen that I will be eaten by an acromantula,” Licenta said. “Oh,” said Granny with a frown. “What’s an acromantula?” “Large spiders that live west of our territory.” Licenta shrugged. “Well, we are just going to have to keep you away from them,” replied Granny. “Now, to the table with the lot of you.” “Mum already fed us,” Eva noted. “Yes, I saw the frying pan in the sink,” Granny said. “We’ve time for a bowl of cereal, and you can keep your friend company. Licenta, dear, what kind of cereal would you like?” “I do not know.” “I suppose we should start with corn flakes then,” Granny said leading the children into the kitchen, “and maybe some fruit to go with.” “You have fruit?” Licenta asked. “In the middle of winter?” “Yes,” replied Granny. “Would you fancy an apple?” “I may have an apple?” Licenta sounded very hopeful. “Of course, you may, dear,” Granny said. “We have Macintosh and Red Delicious; which would you prefer?” “Whichever you are willing to spare.” Licenta said, excitement filling her eyes and voice. “Here you go,” Granny said after retrieving one from the ice box. She was more than a little rattled at how the little girl inhaled the treat. Keeping an eye on the child, she retrieved a bowl from the cupboard and filled it with the promised processed corn-based breakfast. She was even more dismayed when Licenta ate the core and stem without blinking. “Thank you,” Licenta said when she had finished. “That was delicious.” Granny chuckled. “Well, it was a Red Delicious. Now, how are we going to do this? You are too short to reach the table and I don’t think you’ll fit comfortably in a chair. I suppose sitting on the floor will have to do for now.” “Okay,” Licenta said, lowering herself to the floor, as the two girls sitting at the table giggled. “Will this do?” “It will have to.” Granny handed Licenta the bowl. “I apologize; we haven’t had a centaur as a guest before.” “Thank you.” Licenta said eyeing the bowl in her hands. Granny turned to head back to the refrigerator. When she returned with the milk, the food was already half gone. “Didn’t you want any milk with that?” Granny asked as the centaur took another handful, stopping with the flakes halfway to her mouth. “I’m not a nursing foal,” Licenta informed her. “I can see we have a few things to work on,” Granny said as the little centaur started to chew on her next handful. The muggle studies professor was strolling down the hall towards breakfast, chatting amiably with Professor Vector, when a group of younger children accompanied by a woman in a yellow dress passed by them. Taking advantage of the chance encounter, he called out for them to stop. “Yes Professor?” a young girl with bright red hair and sporting a huge bow asked as the group ground to a halt. “Bacon!” protested the woman, obviously dismayed by the interruption. “Bacon!” she repeated pointing in the direction of the Great Hall. “Sorry to hold you up," the muggle studies Professor said pacifyingly. “I was just wondering who this young woman accompanying you was. I spotted her sitting at your table last night, and I must admit I was curious but neglected to make inquirers. May I get your name?” The last was directed toward the woman. The woman peered at him a second before puffing out her chest. “Magah! Magah eat bacon!” “Good job, Magah,” praised a girl with pink and purple hair. She had a beautiful red and gold bird sitting on her left shoulder. “You’re getting the hang of sentences.” The muggle studies professor’s confusion clearly shone on his face. “Getting the hang of sentences?” he asked. “She’s Sweetie’s pet,” one of the boys with red hair answered. He started to take a few steps toward breakfast as if that was all that needed to be said. “She’s not a pet, Ron,” the pink- and purple-haired girl snapped. “Sweetie has a pet woman?” the muggle studies professor ventured. “It doesn’t sound better no matter how many times you say it to yourself,” Professor Vector said, trying and failing to hide her smirk. “I can’t imagine how it would,” the muggle studies professor said. “What’s going on here?” “Bacon!” Magah said forcefully. “Eat bacon!” “You’ll get your bacon in a few minutes,” the bow-bearing girl said. “Ah’m sorry professor; she hasn’t had any since break started, an’ she’s being a mite impatient.” “Is she a student then?” the muggle studies professor asked. “No, she is registered as a pet,” Professor Vector answered, “and I must say, she is starting to display a remarkable level of comprehension, all things considered.” “How is it noteworthy that she is showing a remarkable level of comprehension, and how does a student have a human pet?” the muggle professor said with a bit of an edge in his voice. “Despite appearances she’s not a pet human,” Professor Vector said. “Miss Belle, would you mind showing my colleague her true form?” “I’ll try Professor,” the purple- and pink-haired girl replied. “She’s learned how to change without her necklace, and she can be stubborn. Magah, four legs now.” “No,” said the pseudo woman. “Bacon.” “Don’t be like that, Magah,” said a girl with bushy brown hair. “The sooner you change, the sooner you get your bacon.” “No,” said the pseudo woman. “Bacon.” “See what I mean?” asked Miss Belle with a shrug. “She really wants her bacon.” Professor Vector smiled. “She’s smarter than I would have guessed, at least at the level of a two-year-old, I would venture.” “I have no idea how old she is,” mused Miss Belle. “You might want to ask Hagrid,” Professor Vector said. “I’d wager he has an idea.” “Bacon!” demanded Magah. “Well, since she’s not being cooperative, I’ll just let you know that she is a unicorn from the forest that the children have taught to take a human form,” said Professor Vector to her companion. “Her status is that of a beast. Granted, a beast displaying near human levels of intelligence, but a beast nonetheless.” “She’s a unicorn?” the muggle studies professor said incredulously. “That’s remarkable. How would I go about getting myself a unicorn?” Professor Vector opened her mouth to reply but was beaten to the punch by a girl with solid purple hair. “If you really want a unicorn, we could just drop you off in the middle of town. You’d have one or two in fifteen minutes, give or take fourteen minutes and fifty-nine seconds.” “It would all depend on how fast you can run,” stated a boy with messy black hair. “To be fair,” said a girl of Indian descent, “they wouldn’t be the same kind of unicorns, and it would be up to debate on who belongs to who.” As if reacting to a cue, the bird squawked and launched itself from Miss Belle’s shoulder only to land on the muggle studies professor’s. There was a flash of flames, and then they were both gone. A few seconds of silence followed as all of the children and the remaining professor traded worried looks. “I told you it wasn’t a good notion to give her ideas,” the girl with bushy brown hair finally scolded. “She’s been hanging around the Marauders and Mr. Discord.” “I wonder how fast he can run,” mused the boy with messy black hair. “I wonder how big his herd is going to be,” added the girl with solid purple hair. “We are so getting detention for this,” the girl of Indian descent said. The school shuddered as if a million stomachs cried at once. "BACON!"