Fish stumbled down the hallway and dashed off, knocking over the decorations on either side.
"Nya!"
(ω´≡ω´)
Once again hindered, Fish shook his head and started crawling on hands and knees. As he did so, his body grew smaller, and a coat of black and white fur covered his entire form.
"Nya~!"
?(?=?=?)?
Back in his most comfortable state, Fish let out a happy meow, flicking secondary images with his four tiny paws and galloping around the ancestral Black family house.
Although smaller now and still twisting and turning as he ran, he was faster than in his human form. In his cat form, Fish wasn't limited to running on the floor alone; he ran on walls, the ceiling, and in the gaps between various pieces of furniture.
Harry and the others trailing behind could only catch a glimpse of a gray shadow leaping around the house. If they weren't careful, they would lose track of Fish and rely on his occasional meows for direction.
As Fish circled the house, turning it into what seemed like a hurricane-stricken zone, he realized he was back where he started. He stopped and looked around.
Before Harry and the others could pounce on him, Fish bumped his head against a nearby window and darted straight onto the street.
Now Harry and the others knew... they were in trouble.
"George, Fred! Come with me and chase after Fish! The rest of you stay at home and await Arthur's report. And tell my great-grandfather to inform Dumbledore."
Sirius quickly assigned the tasks, and then, before Harry could say anything to stop him, he transformed into the large black dog and leaped through the window Fish had shattered.
George and Fred glanced at each other and transformed back into magpies, flying out through the completely broken window.
Harry was terrified, worried that Sirius would be discovered by the Ministry and that Fish would cause a huge problem. But he couldn't go outside himself. After all, his transformation into a stag was far more conspicuous compared to that of a cat, dog, or magpies. So, Sirius' arrangement actually made sense, even though he still didn't know that Harry and Ginny had successfully become Animagi.
But Harry soon realized his initial concern was somewhat unnecessary.
Because with the sound of Fish's "nya nya nya," cats and dogs from around Grimmauld Place came running from all directions, including some large dogs the size of Sirius, making him blend in perfectly.
Similarly, Harry's second concern was obviously redundant.
Because things had gone too far!
Harry, Ron, and Ginny watched in astonishment as the animal army, led by Fish, swirled in the distance, scaring away the Muggles along the way.
It took Harry a moment to snap out of his shock and rush to his room. The portrait of Phineas Black hung on the wall, and Harry had heard the old man mocking him during the summer holidays.
Unfortunately, the Phineas portrait was already empty. So, Harry turned to the hallway where there were portraits of many Black family members. He could only hope that one of them could contact Phineas.
However, as Harry entered the hallway, he was met with a barrage of curses from Mrs. Black, who wouldn't have spared him a glance in Fish's absence.
"I need a favor from Mr. Phineas Black!" Harry shouted at the top of his lungs, barely making any noise above Mrs. Black's incessant curses. "It's about Fish."
Mrs. Black finally stopped cursing and looked at him coldly, while the other Black family portraits directed their attention to Harry.
Although Fish's animal affinity didn't work with portraits or ghosts, Fish remained one of the favorites, even without the animal affinity. And because he was such good friends with Phineas, the eldest of the Blacks, the portraits treated Fish much better than Sirius, the sole heir.
Seeing that Mrs. Black had finally calmed down, Harry hurried to tell them about Fish and how he hoped they could find Phineas Black and ask him to help inform Dumbledore.
Mrs. Black and the others had been aware that Fish roamed around the Black house, but they didn't know what was happening and had thought Sirius had tried to catch him because Fish had misbehaved, so they had even observed it with amusement.
But the truth was that Fish had gotten drunk, and that was a little problem.
Mrs. Black's lips twitched twice, but in the end, she couldn't overcome it and turned around with a growl, leaving Harry dumbfounded.
"We can't help you," explained a middle-aged woman with a kinder appearance behind Harry. "The ancestor usually stays in the headmaster's office at Hogwarts, and only successive headmasters can access the portrait there."
But the woman added, "If the ancestor returns later, we will inform him."
That seemed to be it for now. Harry smiled bitterly and left the hallway to return to Ron and Ginny.
When he reentered the kitchen, he was greeted by Ron and Ginny. Harry also saw Ron holding a piece of parchment and a golden phoenix tail feather quill.
"Mum just wrote! Dad is alive!" Ron raised the parchment and the golden quill in his hand, with a sad look on his face. "But we still don't know the details..."
"Don't worry, Mr. Weasley will be fine... we still have Fish..." Harry reassured as he hugged Ron.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, he laughed bitterly again.
Fish, who they had considered their last resort, was nowhere to be found.
Obviously, Ron and Ginny had also thought about it and asked urgently, "And you? Have you already informed Dumbledore?"
Harry sighed and told them about Phineas, and the three of them sat anxiously in the messy kitchen, hoping Mr. Weasley was safe and sound, and praying for Fish to return soon.
Meanwhile, Sirius, the twins, and the other three were also praying...
They prayed for Fish to come to his senses, or else the entire Muggle society in England would be in chaos...
No, it already was in chaos...
"Nya~!"
?(=???=)?