Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Azeroth

Chapter 211, Section 210: The Minotaur Harry and the Hunt for Peter
It's impressive, but not that impressive.

Having witnessed such a massive and impactful fact, Sirius was so excited that he became incoherent.

Given Harry's wish, Sirius Black had indeed prepared his godson's Animagus form to be a bull—whether it be a North American bison or a European bison, a strong bull form would certainly be nice.

Sirius was even ready to transform into a big dog and ride on Harry's bull's back to go out and play, but now he sees this bull instead.

He's certainly imposing and strong; those arms and legs, just looking at those muscles, you can tell he's full of power... but this makes it... no, how is a dog supposed to ride him?
What cow walks upright?!

Well, this time it's a real NTR (Netorare) character.

Sirius could still vaguely make out some resemblance to Harry on that enormous bull-faced Sirius, and he almost laughed, and he did.

“I never imagined that even a storm conjured by magic could achieve the transformation into an Animagus,” Lupin exclaimed. “That’s really cool, Harry. James will love your Animagus form—he’s always loved strong, big things like that since he was a kid.”

“It turns out that the essence of the Animagus ritual is actually to require a conceptual symbol. As long as the image of the storm appears, the ritual is considered successful,” Harry’s bull mouth suddenly spoke up. “As for my father, we can summon him to take a look when we get back to the cliff. It’s not a difficult thing.”

Unlike his youthful voice in human form, which matches his physical age, Harry's voice in minotaur form is much deeper and more resonant.

"He...he spoke?!" Ron, who had come along, exclaimed in astonishment. "Why can he speak?!"

"Because they're minotaurs?" After seeing these minotaur-like creatures with their own eyes, Hermione finally had a clear understanding of the minotaurs that Harry kept talking about. "Since they're minotaurs, it's not strange that they can talk, right?"

As a staunch materialist, Hermione could quickly accept the fact that a minotaur was actually standing in front of her, and that such a creature truly existed in the real world.

If it exists in the real world, then what doubts are there?

That makes perfect sense.

“No, no, no, that’s not how it works, Hermione,” Lupin shook his head repeatedly. “Animagus is just a wizard’s spell. A wizard is always a wizard. At most, it just gives a wizard another form—well, but there are indeed some wizards who choose to live forever in Animagus form. For them, this form is actually their true self. If you think about it that way…”

As Lupin spoke, he became a little confused himself.

"Who cares about all that, Remus?" Sirius said nonchalantly. "Are you doing all that research just to become a professor? As long as Harry is still Harry, that's all that matters—well, how are you feeling now? Harry, can you turn back?"

“It should work,” Harry thought for a moment and said, “I’ll give it a try.”

"Don't rush or panic, take your time," Sirius continued to share his experience. "Just imagine your human form in your mind. Even if you don't react immediately, it's not a big problem. Just practice more."

Before Sirius could finish speaking, Harry's entire bull body seemed to shrink rapidly, his fur changing quickly, and in less than two seconds it transformed back into the clothes Harry was wearing.

"...Indeed clever." Sirius felt a little disappointed, thinking he could give Harry more pointers. "But you have to be careful, Harry. If you have to point your wand at your heart to transform, then your wand will fall to your side instead of becoming part of you after you transform. In that case, you'll have to be careful with your wand, or it will be a problem if you lose it."

“Sirius is right, but if you practice Animagus to a higher level, you won’t need a wand to shapeshift at will,” Lupin added with a smile. “Then you won’t have to worry about that anymore.”

“It’s alright, wands aren’t particularly important to me,” Harry said, touching the warhammer at his waist. “Interesting, my warhammer just transformed along with me and became part of my hoof… Hmm, I wonder if my fists in minotaur form will poison enemies.”

“That’s pretty insidious,” Ron couldn’t help but remark. “Who would have thought that a person… a bull’s fist would have basilisk venom?”

"That's amazing!" Neville asked curiously. "Wait, Harry, what's that horn on your head?"

Harry reached up and removed the pair of transfiguration horns that had been created on his head. He no longer needed those fake horns; what remained on his head now were real horns, completely different in appearance from before—a smaller version of the blade-like horns he had in his minotaur form.

“That’s my real horn now,” Harry said with great joy. “You can think of it as an incomplete Animagus transformation, a part of my body.”

"Cool!" Ron said enviously. "Congratulations, Harry."

As Harry's closest friends, Hermione and her two companions were naturally aware of Harry's obsession, and it was certainly a good thing that their friend was able to get what he wanted.

"Thank you," Harry said with a smile.

He hadn't been this happy in a long time.

From that day on, everyone in the castle who had seen Harry knew that the professor seemed to be in a very good mood lately, and even the bolder students who went up to ask where they could buy the same horns as Harry were not penalized.

After a Transfiguration class, Professor McGonagall suddenly stopped Harry as he was about to leave.

“I think something has probably happened to you, Professor Potter,” Professor McGonagall said, her expression turning serious. “Your voice is normal now, and the herbal smell is gone… I think you understand what I mean.”

Harry: "..."

As expected of a woman whose Animagus form is a cat, is she really that perceptive?

Does this mean they discovered it a long time ago?
That makes sense. People who have practiced Animagus magic would certainly be familiar with the scent of mandrake, especially those who have failed and had to start over many times due to various accidents... Cats have a very keen sense of smell.

“I think you should remember what I warned you about, Professor Potter,” Professor McGonagall said rather sternly. “It was a very dangerous kind of magic, one that could be fatal to a shapeshifter if not handled carefully. So, for safety’s sake, any attempt should be made under the supervision of others—do you remember?” “…There were indeed people watching me, Professor McGonagall, don’t worry,” Harry said somewhat guiltily.

“Sirius?” Professor McGonagall asked, and after seeing Harry nod, she said, “Excuse me for speaking frankly, Harry, I know it’s impolite to talk about your godfather like that, but Sirius… he does lack the composure of an adult, and he might not be able to take good care of you if you are in danger.”

“You’re right,” Harry said, looking down.

Although Sirius would be furious if he heard these words from his dog-like godfather, Harry humbly accepted Professor McGonagall's words—because the old professor genuinely cared about him, and her anger stemmed from her fear that Harry might suffer uncontrollable harm while practicing magic without supervision.

“Of course, as a colleague, I can’t judge your behavior too much,” Professor McGonagall suddenly changed the subject. “Would you mind showing me?”

"Huh?" Harry was taken aback.

Harry was almost certain that he saw a kind of curiosity in Professor McGonagall's eyes.

Indeed, people whose Animagus form is cat-like tend to be more curious.

"of course can."

Harry, of course, wouldn't refuse such a small task. After closing the classroom door to ensure no student would suddenly barge in, he quickly transformed into his Minotaur form.

"These two corners," Professor McGonagall said thoughtfully, "are these the minotaurs?"

“Yes, Professor,” Harry said in a muffled voice, “as you can see, my Animagus form is special. It’s not that I can transform into ordinary animals without magic, but rather that I can use elemental magic.”

“I understand, thank you, Professor Potter. You can change back now.” Professor McGonagall nodded and said, “Thank you for satisfying my curiosity. Even though I have been studying Transfiguration for decades, it still holds countless secrets.”

“Just like Hogwarts,” Harry said with a smile.

“Yes, just like Hogwarts,” Professor McGonagall said with a slight pursing of her lips. “Ever since the Chamber of Secrets was discovered, this phrase has almost become a new saying—you can leave now, Professor Potter.”

"That's it?" Harry said, somewhat surprised. "I thought you would—"

"Did you think I'd have you register with the Ministry of Magic?" Professor McGonagall chuckled softly, almost imperceptibly. "The Ministry of Magic has regulations that Animagus must undergo the corresponding level assessment and have their mark left—so what exactly is an Animagus?"

“Wizards who can only transform into non-magical creatures are called Animagus,” Professor McGonagall shook her head slightly. “But clearly, the minotaur you transformed into is neither a non-magical creature nor even an ordinary animal, so you are not an Animagus—and since you are not an Animagus, you do not need to register according to the Ministry of Magic’s regulations, understand, Professor Potter?”

“I understand,” Harry smiled. “Thank you for your understanding. I’ll be going now.”

Clearly, Professor McGonagall let him off the hook by subtly changing the subject.

Who says Professor McGonagall is a rigid or inflexible person? This old professor is a talented person who came from Gryffindor.

“Go ahead,” Professor McGonagall nodded. “Remember to hand in next week’s lesson plan. Even if the course content hasn’t changed much, you still need to write it. Don’t be lazy.”

"……Yes."

Harry hates writing lesson plans.

....................................

This winter in the Scottish Highlands is colder than last year, with two snowfalls before Christmas, forcing Hagrid to clear an entire road leading to the castle and Hogsmeade.

Harry was also busy; he didn't even have time to help Hagrid. Instead, he took the time to clear the snow near the Great Totem with his godfather and teaching assistant Lupin, making room for the students to have classes.

The snow was almost as high as Harry's waist; Filch said that even the owl sheds in the school collapsed under the weight.

In such terrible weather, Harry certainly couldn't let his apprentices continue hunting giant spiders in the Forbidden Forest, otherwise it would be troublesome if they fell into the snowdrifts and got into trouble... The clever centaurs would also not go out in this weather, wouldn't it be better to stay in the tribe and warm themselves by the fire?
However, even after clearing away the snow, Harry didn't have a moment to rest. The Forbidden Forest in winter, especially the one already covered in snow, was the perfect opportunity to hunt down the traitor.

The severe cold, where food was scarce enough to freeze an ordinary creature to death, forced the rat to find a way to survive—Harry simply did not believe that Peter Pettigrew would just wait to die, after all, he was someone who could completely regard himself as a pet rat and survive in someone else's house in the body of a rat.

Having mastered Animagus magic, Harry gained a deeper understanding of just how terrifying Peter Pettigrew's willpower was, or how loyal he was to the will to live. If a wizard always lived in his Animagus form, he would easily forget that he also had another form, that he was actually a human being, and would eventually live out his life in the wild as a somewhat intelligent beast until his death.

However, Peter Pettigrew lived as a mouse for almost ten years. He could even read newspapers, rationally analyze his current situation and escape, and find ways to evade Harry's magical pursuit.

Putting aside his actions, his willpower already surpasses that of many ordinary people.

In response to Peter Pettigrew's will to survive, Harry began divination from the day the first snow fell... three times a day, once in the morning, once at noon, and once in the evening, all in an attempt to find Peter Pettigrew's trail.

The falling snow did indeed make the landscapes in many places more similar and indistinguishable, but as long as Peter Pettigrew needed to find food to survive and to start a fire to keep warm, he had to move around on the snow.

In this way, the wind and water elementals that roam freely in the Forbidden Forest, becoming more active with the snowfall and cold winds, will find his presence and guide Harry to his location.

(End of this chapter)