Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
April 2, 2008 - Serena Pov
I became an Animagus. It hadn't really been necessary, but after making love to Enid, I became much more aware of her needs. And I must say, I almost had Bella stake me a hundred times for overlooking the obvious.
Enid needed a pack, a herd. Yes, we were her pack, her family, but even with the strong ties to The Company seal, there were certain mental demands she couldn't ease by simply spending time with us.
My first thought was to become a shapeshifter like Enid, like a Quileute, to form a proper pack. But the very idea of becoming anything close to a werewolf gave me hives, literally; I just couldn't do it. I didn't have a problem with Enid, whether she'd been a werewolf or a shapeshifter, but just the thought of becoming one made me nauseous.
I guess the part that's the old Serena and Severus still hated Remus Lupin viscerally, enough that I couldn't ignore it. So I thought of the next best thing: Become an Animagus. I started a week after Valentine's Day when the full moon began, and I finished a little over a week ago. A full lunar cycle later.
I almost thought I had ruined the potion. I'd completely forgotten about the mandrake leaf in my mouth that needed to be kept in for a full lunar cycle, and I'd been using time bubbles indiscriminately for what was definitely more than one full lunar cycle. Luckily, the potion was successfully completed on March 21st, which was a full moon. I just had to let it sit and wait for a storm, which, since I can travel anywhere in the world with my portals, was the easiest part.
Unfortunately, I hadn't been able to use it immediately; preparations had to be made. And reciting the incantation at dawn and dusk until I heard the second heartbeat in my chest was crucial, and it took me a little over a week to achieve it.
My form was a Raven.
I certainly didn't see that coming. I thought it would be a spider like my patronus or a snake. A Raven, I certainly didn't see coming. But… I guess it was fitting. Ravens were known for being really smart problem solvers and able to create and use tools. Ravens can also be loyal and terribly vengeful. In fact, I was quite spiteful. I didn't want to keep doing any more soul-searching because of my Animagus form.
I looked in the mirror, and I was a pretty normal Raven, a common Raven. I was completely indistinguishable from the other Ravens. The only notable feature was my eyes. My eyes, like my human form, had a white four-pointed star acting as my pupil, which unfortunately stood out too much if I wasn't careful.
Now, I just had to tell Enid. And that's exactly what I was about to do.
"Get up already," I said, looking at Enid lying on top of me—our bed. Enid had practically moved into my room after Valentine's Day, something that, to my surprise, Bella hadn't discussed. Had she even made some sort of schedule? I didn't know it, but whenever I started having sex with one of them, the other would simply disappear from the room for the rest of the night. Now, so far, there hadn't been a threesome, much to my disappointment. And it wasn't something I wanted to push just yet if they were uncomfortable.
That's not to say that the three of us haven't slept in the same room. While I had sex practically every day, it didn't always happen at night, so there were some days when I slept with both of them on either side of me.
I couldn't help but look around our room. When it was Bella's and mine, there was a certain color scheme. The room was large and nicely decorated, but most of my belongings were black or purple, occasionally another dark color, while Bella's colors were similar; her things were black, white, purple, and green. So, the colors stayed within a certain range.
Over the past month, Enid had started bringing more and more of her things into the room. So quickly, the room began to look more and more like rainbow vomit. Her clothes, stuffed animals, some posters, pillows, even sheets and blankets, and other belongings were scattered around the room. None of us minded the change of colors, despite what Bella would have Enid believe when she found things increasingly colorful.
"Do I have to? It's early," Enid yawned as she sat up and stretched her arms lazily over her head. The sheet covering her exposed her perky little breasts for my viewing pleasure.
"It'll be worth it, I promise," I said anxiously. Enid nodded and began to crawl out of bed.
"Let me get dressed, and I'll follow you," she said simply.
"No need, just come quickly," I said as I created a portal. Enid looked surprised but grabbed the sheet and covered herself with it.
"Okay, let's go," Enid said with a smile, completely trusting me that I wouldn't play any kind of prank on her. I stepped through the portal and appeared in the field of flowers. Enid stepped out and looked around curiously.
" So, what are we doing?" Enid asked excitedly as she bounced happily around the field of flowers.
"Could you turn into a wolf for me?" I asked with an expectant smile. Enid looked confused but simply dropped the sheet to the floor without any problem, smiling at me before transforming into her giant wolf form and sitting down to wait for my next instruction.
I didn't say anything, but simply took a slight backward leap and jumped much higher than a normal person before transforming into a Raven. I could see Enid stop stiffly, even her eternally expressive tail frozen. I'd been practicing before this encounter, so my transformation didn't disorient me in the least.
So I simply started circling Enid before stopping and standing in front of her. I wasn't a large Raven; in fact, I was pretty average, about two feet tall from my legs to my head. My wingspan was 55 inches, but even so, it was a minuscule and almost laughable size as I stood in front of a nearly two-meter wolf while sitting.
Enid finally reacted, instantly jumping out of her sitting position and jumping back in surprise before approaching excitedly, looking like a giant excited dog as she bowed her head to the ground to get a better look at me while her tail was wagging wildly in happiness. Enid began circling me while continuing to bow and bark happily, I puffed out my chest while preening and stretching my wings. Enid looked excited before howling at the sky in excitement.
After a few seconds, I began to flap my wings and took flight once more. Enid stared at me, and I just squawked in her direction before pointing toward the forest. Enid seemed excited once more. I just began to fly low to the ground toward the forest. Enid immediately caught up with me as she ran and took a step forward. Enid was fast, much faster than a common Raven.
But despite looking like one, I wasn't your average Raven. Even though, as a witch, I shouldn't be able to use my magic while in my Animagus form. Between my defenses, talents, and templates, that didn't matter anymore. Best of all, I could sense all the metals I had before transforming and could access the metal arts freely. So I started building speed to keep up with Enid.
Enid looked over her shoulder to see where I was, only for me to pass her by. I squawked mockingly in her direction. Enid looked slightly surprised for a few seconds before starting to go faster competitively. I easily kept up. We must have been running/flying around the island for at least an hour without tiring, completely happy simply in each other's presence.
Neither of us moved more than a few feet away from each other. We were practically glued together, even though we were moving in different directions. Finally, I stopped once more in the field of flowers and transformed into a human. I stretched my arms slightly just in time to see Enid return to her human form as well.
"Oh Em Gee, OH EM GEE! Sera, you're a Raven !" Enid squealed happily as she hugged me, still completely naked. "When did it happen!? How did it happen?! Why didn't you tell me sooner?! " Enid squealed in glee.
"I wanted to surprise you, and I recently finished my Animagus transformation," I said with a smile. "I realized you needed a pack, and even though I wanted to... I wanted to transform into a wolf, but... I really couldn't, so I thought it would be the next best thing, and well... now you have me here, as a Raven." I said with a crooked smile. Enid pulled away and looked at me for a few seconds before smiling widely and brightly.
"That's enough, this... that's wonderful, Sera, I love you," Enid said with a loving smile. She knew about Lupin, so she understood. She simply hugged me once more. I hugged her back, and we stayed that way for a few seconds.
"I love you too, but this isn't all. There was one last thing I wanted to try." I broke the silence. Enid pulled away and looked at me curiously.
"You've done more than enough, Sera," Enid said sincerely. I smiled but still pulled out my phone, just hoping this would work.
Added Potential [You as Serena Prince has Pack's telepathic connection (Twilight)] -5 [66]
It couldn't be a Quileute pack without the telepathic bond. I could feel it, I could feel the connection forming between Enid and me. Enid shuddered before she felt it too. She had a glassy look in her eyes before automatically shifting into her wolf form. I did the same in my raven form.
"Y-you bonded to me." It was weird seeing a giant wolf while I heard Enid whimpering in my head. I returned to my human form. Enid jumped in my direction, and in midair, she transformed into her human form.
"I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you!" Enid repeated, clinging to me with teary eyes. I held her tightly in my arms. Even in human form, I could feel the weight of the telepathic bond in the back of my mind; it was easily identifiable with my level of Occlumency.
I could feel Enid leaning completely into the bond, as if she were letting her whole being flow through telepathy, as if she wanted to unconsciously attach herself as close to my mind as possible. She truly needed this, and that was all I needed to know.
"I love you too," I said before hugging her tightly once more.
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April 4, 2008 - Serena Pov .
"Are you sure this is necessary?" I asked, grimacing as I looked at myself in the mirror. The dress I was wearing was exceptionally revealing. Not that I truly cared. I liked my body and wasn't ashamed to show it off. But for what was supposed to be a meeting with the Phenex to negotiate a marriage contract between Ravel and me, I didn't think it was really appropriate.
Aria had changed into a black dress. Though calling it a dress was an overstatement. The dress barely covered my modest chest in front, leaving everything on the sides and top exposed. Just below my chest was a thick studded belt, and that's where the black skirt began. A long skirt that, from the start, had a slit on the right side that left my entire leg exposed, and was held up only by a silver chain above my waist.
The slit was so wide and started so high above my waist that you could tell I wasn't wearing any underwear. The only thing hiding my modesty was the rest of the skirt and my complete trust that Aria would cover my crotch with any sudden movement I made.
The dress on top gave a wide view of my cleavage and was only held up by the ruffled straps that crossed at my upper back, where they joined the dress halfway down my back.
Finally, to top it off, I had on some black heeled shoes. My thick belt had a chain attached to both sides, where it met the right side, where my pocket watch was placed. And to complete the whole look, I wore my full jewelry. Half a dozen piercings in each ear, several necklaces, a dozen rings, bracelets, and bangles that were placed all over my arms, from below my shoulder, my forearm, and my wrist. All of them were made of different metals, with no care to coordinate the colors.
In addition to my prominent hand tattoos, I had a new addition to my body. On my arm, just below my shoulder, was a pentagram, a simple circle with a 5-pointed star. At each point, there were some sort of spikes sticking out of my skin.
My hair was still the same as always, slightly short, with my horns sticking out over my forehead and reaching towards the ceiling, my tail was tangled around my left leg which was covered. I still had dark purple lipstick on, my eyes were still star-shaped, and my cheeks had several black stars that appeared and disappeared. Really, since I shouldn't hold back in the demonic world, my demonic power is strong enough for several to continue appearing all the time.
"Excellent. You look perfect, Sera." Lucius smiled as he looked at me. I snorted loudly; that comment would have sounded different if he didn't have a calculating look in his eyes, basically planning the entire encounter with the Phenex. "Good work, dear," Lucius said as he turned to Narcissa and kissed her chastely on the lips. Narcissa smiled.
The others were also dressed appropriately enough for the meeting.
Lucius is wearing a suit, but instead of a jacket, he is wearing a trench coat. It was mostly black, with small silver details, except for his waistcoat and tie, which were Slytherin green. His silvery-yellow hair was tied back in a ponytail at the end and fell over his shoulder. He had a pair of rings on his fingers and was holding a snake-headed cane.
Narcissa, beside him, was dressed much more modestly than I was. But it fit perfectly next to Lucius. A small corset at the waist, the top of which had a white underlay and a black overlay that covered her arms, the sleeves were slightly loose at the forearm before closing at the wrist. She had a Victorian jabot at her neck and a long Slytherin green skirt. She also wore little jewelry, just a couple of rings and an emerald around her neck.
Finally, she had her scissors swords in a tiny version placed inside her corset, barely leaving them visible.
Bella had decided to continue wearing her white trench coat suit, but a few things had changed. She had a few small royal purple details scattered throughout the suit, which matched her purple eyes, and the snood Enid had made her, which was being used as a... scarf. Well, since it was simply a circle of wool, Bella simply placed it around her neck without wrapping it, letting the rest fall.
A few simple charms and it always stayed in place. I was sometimes jealous of Bella's regeneration; for some reason, her clothes were included in it, so she had no problem using the snood most of the time, something Enid was delighted about. My own regeneration only regenerated my body, so the only thing I could use was Aria if I didn't want to be naked in the middle of a fight, so I couldn't wear mine very often.
And speaking of Enid. Enid was dressed as always. Casual and colorful. At Lucius's suggestion, she had dressed lighter than usual, so her multicolored sweaters were replaced with a light blue coat that was left open. She also wore a purple, pink, and white cropped top along with a yellow skirt, which left Enid's stomach and most of her legs exposed. Finally, she had on green and pink sneakers with yellow, green, and pink tights.
Her hair was down, but still dyed at the tips, though in addition to the usual light blue and pink, there was a touch of purple here and there. Her nails were also painted interspersed. She was wearing a couple of rings and nothing else.
She looked really cute. Casual and cute.
Actually, I was the only one who was supposed to dress formally for this gathering. The others were instructed not to. But all three of them literally came from nobility. What they wore was "casual" to them. In fact, Bella made a real commitment with her purple snood hanging around her neck. Something Enid really loved.
"Okay, ready to do this?" I asked aloud once everyone was ready. With a round of nods, I created a portal and stepped through it without hesitation. The rest followed immediately.