The Beast Within - Chapter 19

The Veela mascots were professional enough to get back to their jobs. Harry may have enjoyed the attention more than he had let on, but that didn't mean he wanted to miss the game. Also, he was certain that everyone else in the box would be annoyed too. Once they woke up from their stupor.

He was able to spot the Snitch the moment the match started. It took more willpower than he expected to stop himself from trying to chase it. The urge must have been some unexpected side-effect from his condition. He hadn't felt like this when he had seen the Snitch in the shop. Harry chalked it up to the excitement from the game rather than anything too major.

The game was amazing. Harry had always thought himself to be good at Quidditch. Enough people had told him. His win-lose records said so as well. The Pro's were an entirely different league, pardon the pun. Even with his enhanced sense he wasn't sure he'd be able to catch the Snitch before the Seekers. It was a wake-up call as well as good news. Quidditch was more important to him than he thought. Flying was amazing, but being part of a team, the competition, and the thrill of the chase was top-notch.

Harry was just another face in the crowd for about an hour after the game. He celebrated with Ron and the Weasleys, tried to sing some songs with other fans even though he didn't know the words, and bought a couple victory snacks for the crew. Even Hermione, who didn't care all that much about Quidditch, was swept away by the feeling in the air.

Of course, someone had to go and mess it up.

Harry stopped laughing when the sound outside the tent changed. A moment ago, people had been laughing and cheering. It had been replaced by screams. The scent of fear was thick in the air.

"Boys," Arthur burst into the tent. "Take the girls and get to the woods. Death Eaters are attacking."

Everyone froze at the words.

"Death Eaters?" Ginny gasped.

"Here?" Hermione spoke at the same time.

"Let's go," Ron said as he put his shoes back on.

Harry didn't wait for the others. He burst out from the tent and started to run toward the sounds. The sound of spellcasting and screams grew louder as he moved. It wasn't until the Death Eaters were in his view that he realized a few important things. One, they were torturing a group of muggles. Two, the chaos of everyone running away was making the situation worse. Third, and finally, he didn't have a wand anymore. His training with Nym, Hestia, and Moody had been about adjusting to the changes his body had gone through. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't used a wand more than a few times since he had been bitten.

This really wasn’t the time to have such realizations. He stood alone in the middle of the path. The fires around him backlit his form and made him stand out even more. Time seemed to stop as the Death Eaters set their eyes on him. The one holding the muggles in the air dropped them with a dismissive wave of their wand.

All ten Death Eaters were focused on him. Running away never crossed his mind. He might not have a wand, but that didn't mean he was helpless.

Harry roared as he leaped toward them. Spells crackled through the air as he soared at them. He used one of the Death Eaters to break his fall, then burst forward. The next cloaked wizard received a shoulder-tackle. Harry snapped out his hand, clutching the front of their robes before they could fall out of reach. He yanked the Death Eater back towards him and met the mask with a headbutt. His horns easily shattered it.

A spell slammed into his back, right between his wings. He recognized the tingle, a reasonably powerful cutting curse. The magic fizzled away on his scales. Harry twisted, using the Death Eater with the shattered mask as a shield. The wizard instantly turned into a corpse as their fellows kept casting.

Harry tossed the tattered body at the Death Eater that had broken his fall. The wizard went back down to the ground and didn't move to get up again. Either they were dead, or decided they didn't want to fight anymore. His tail lashed out, knocking the feet out from a Death Eater that was trying to sneak up on him.

He jumped back, touching down briefly, only to launch back into the air. His wings extended to their full width to slow his descent. He took a deep breath, felt the heat build, and let out a torrent of flame on the Death Eaters. To their credit, their robes valiantly tried to resist his fire. While they may have worked fine against the usual magical flames they weren't meant to withstand dragon fire.

The lucky few that hadn't been caught in the fire took it as a sign to retreat. Harry tucked his wings and dropped to the ground. He wasn't going to let them get away. The burning Death Eaters desperately tried to strip away their robes once they realized the flames were burning through the enchanted fabric.

He didn't pay them any further attention. They had been marked and he could track them down later. His attention was on those who were running. The area was too crowded to catch their scent which meant he needed some way to physically mark them to track.

His progress stopped as he met a wall of witches and wizards watching the scene in fear. More importantly, he could see a couple of Death Eater masks had been discarded. The bastards had taken the chance to hide in the crowd. Harry had to hope that someone had recognized them.

"Harry!" A familiar voice called to him.

He turned to see Nym and Moody pointing their wands at him. While annoying, he was happy to see that the Death Eaters had been captured before the Aurors approached him.

§Nym?§ Harry asked. §What's wrong? Was anyone hurt? Are the muggles ok?§

"Harry," there was a tension in her voice as she slowly approached him. "Look at your hands."

Harry rolled his eyes but did as asked. He held up his scale-covered hand and wiggled his clawed fingers.

§Oh.§ Harry looked down at the rest of his body.

His clothing had been torn to shred. The only thing stopping him from being completely nude was the accidental loin-cloth made provided by the remains of his shirt. Further inspection was halted as a cluster of Aurors popped in around him.

A tall, fit witch with red hair appeared next to Nym. Harry felt a little rumble in his chest as he took in her form. She gave of the vibe similar to Moody. His instincts told him that she was not someone to make an enemy.

"Auror Tonks," the woman didn't take her eyes off of Harry. "If I recall, it isn't the full moon. Care to explain?"

"Well, Boss, Death Eaters attacked," Nym motioned to the smoldering wizards who were now restrained. "Mister Potter, defended everyone from them."

"Mister Potter," the woman addressed him. "Are you able to provide a statement?"

§Do you have someone that can speak Parseltongue?§ Harry asked.

The redhead took a breath and let it out.

"Gather the suspects," the witch ordered. "Mister Potter, will you come willingly?"

Harry nodded.

"I don't suppose you know how to change back?" She asked.

Harry shrugged.

"Of course," she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Auror Tonks, escort Mister Potter to the office."

"Yes, boss," Nym nodded.

She put on a brave front as she approached Harry. Nym held out her hand for him to take.

"Port Key," Nym motioned to her badge with her free hand.

Harry nodded. He gently took her hand and waited for her to tighten her grip. The training had been focused on his human form. He didn't trust his control in this shape. Nym squeezed his hand as the Port Key activated.

~~
Note:
Apologies for the shorter chapters. Circumstances have made time for writing slim.