Shooting Stars Finished

Dakota was beginning to get extremely stressed, not even noticing that his body was beginning to change. Due to being a half-Veela and quite young, the signs of his Veela side was beginning to show randomly; the tips of his fingers becoming sharp. His hair seemed to grow gradually and he looked more attractive in a way; his eyes turning blue briefly. “Ugh...” He trailed off, beginning to feel...strange. A sharp pain surged from his stomach to his back, almost like somebody had chucked a football right there. 

He winced and before he knew it, he coughed out a bunch of brightly-colored feathers. Dakota’s eyes widened for a moment before he swiftly hid the feathers behind his back, tossing them into the darkness. It must be his Veela side acting up because of his sudden change of mood... No worries however, it’d be fine...it had to be! “An adult?...Well...” The Gryffindor couldn’t just say how most of his family despised him because of his gender choice. Well, he could but it would be extremely awkward and Dakota wasn’t sure that he could handle explaining his situation more than once.

Dakota didn’t stand up for himself no more, instead nodding in agreement as Dorian ended their argument. His back still hurt like hell but he forced that innocent smile to appear on his face, stifling back any more coughs. Don’t embarrass yourself, don’t embarrass yourself, don’t embarrass yourself. “Well, alright then, Sir...” He exhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, the sound of it evident in the grand room. Changing the subject seemed like the best option as of now; it would help lower Dakota’s anxiety greatly. His nails began to go back to its normal shape, and the aching in his back completely stopped all at once. Everything that didn’t make him look human disappeared....or at least he thought so.

Dakota began to get this searing, burning pain in his ears, the male putting his small hands over his mouth while nodding continuously. “Mhmm...” He kept murmuring repeatedly, the boy wanting to show Dorian that despite his odd actions, he was giving him full attention. “L-Love?” Dakota then blurted out as he swallowed the feathers. The pain in his ears had began to turn into a migraine, his ears seeming softer. Be tough, be tough, be tough. “Ngh..." He muttered out, before changing his words swiftly, "Ngh, that sounds hard! However, I'm willing to try!" He exclaimed as he grabbed his spare pen in his pocket and pressed down on the top so the point popped out from the bottom.

He briefly flinched from shock that Dorian went straight to the number three, before going back to focusing. All the words in his mind went right onto the blank sheet of paper, his eyes narrowed lightly. He wrote quite seriously, gaining more confidence knowing that it wouldn't be for anyone. Which meant he could write down anything he wanted without having to worry about embarrassing himself. In the first few seconds he had already wrote two sentences, and it wouldn't be long before he got carried away...

There were particulars to writing a poem that Dorian allowed himself to recall. For starters, every piece of writing required a title, and so he went through the list of things that he could mention in his poem to consider the title. Spending a minute out of his five to peer around the tower, he tried to come up with something to act as a focal point for his poem, then his eyes landed finally on Dakota. He stared at the boy for a short moment, the thought coming to him faster than he had expected it to. This was his new friend, or he hoped they were friends, that he felt like he wanted to keep safe; that he wanted to teach. There it was.

Using the remainder of the time he had allotted, he got to writing, pausing every now and again to put rhythm to rhyme and structure the body of his poem coherently. Many times he had to draw lines through words and phrases that either didn't belong or made him want to cringe. The title was the only thing that remained a constant, never changing as he wrote. With one minute and thirty seconds to spare he transcribed from the ruined piece of paper with all the jottings and errors onto a new page, which was to serve as his final draft. He took all his work seriously, even something as silly and inconsequential as this poem writing contest that he had issued as a challenge in the name of exploring happier venues than the one they had been traipsing down earlier. The end result read thus:



It was an okay poem, at least he believed so, and told a story meant to inspire the reader if they could understand it. As soon as the mental clock in his head went off he shouted "drop everything!" much louder than was needed in the quiet darkness. He hadn't noticed that Dakota had already finished, nor had he noticed all the strange occurrences happening right next to him. He shifted without turning to snatch Dakota's poem away and pushing his own over to the boy for him to read, positioning it in the dim lighting to properly see. He took in every word and his smile grew wider as he read, the part about his name and the person being sexy catching his attention from the very start.

Once he was through reading it he found that he had really enjoyed it. "Keep this up and I might start feeling jealous. Whoever this girl is she sure is very lucky to have you set your sights on her." Dorian turned, finally, to look at the boy and froze. His eyes widened and he subconsciously reached for his wand, a look of shock registering on his moonlit face. "W-what?"

Dakota quickly read over his own poem, not even realizing that Dorian was staring at him. He pressed the top of the pen against his chin, tapping it lightly before widening his eyes, “Jeez, I forgot the title! And that’s the most important part!” He cried, lightly running a hand down his face. All the changes that took place were viisble at this point, his entire face different from before. He had white-gold hair  and the most divine, brightest blue eyes, the boy looking slightly more feminine than before. He had large plumes of feathers on each side of his head, which wiggled a bit for a moment.

He then glanced over briefly to read Dorian’s poem, before finally noticing that the other was reaching for his wand, the boy looking up. He didn’t even have time to thank Dorian for the compliment, as he then saw the other’s confused faced, Dakota not saying anything at first. His ears felt weird and he reached up for them, pulling out a feather. Oh no, no, no... He had never shifted before, not even a little! Why did it have to come out now?! The pain had fournately stopped however, so he was able to properly focus. “Oh, um...don’t worry Sir, it’s perfectly normal! I’m just..I’m like Half-veela which means there’s things that can randomly happen! It’s fine though, it’ll go away!” He swallowed hard and looked side to side awkwardly.

“At least I’m now officially a baby bird...”

The boy had yet to notice Dorian's gawking, still so intent on the poem and how remiss he had been to add a title. All the while the changes that were happening on his extremities had Dorian wide-eyed and worried, yet fascinated at the same time. Several thoughts came to him in a flash, all of which involved deception on the other boy's part until they had eventually reached this stage. Maybe he was an Animagus or Metamorphmagus and Dorian was witnessing a slow transformation taking place before him. He had never heard of one such morphing to take quite so much time to complete, but maybe the boy had learned to such a degree as to control the speed of the shift?

Then he also considered that maybe the boy was a monster in one of those fictions that posed in human skin to befriend the protagonist before devouring them. That was a chilling thought. Yet the one that stood most prominent in his mind was the one that saw Dakota as a mere figment of one of his nightmares. He actually considered that maybe he had been having a dream this entire time which was now taking a turn for the worst. It all felt so real, and yet the thought nagged at the back of his mind. He watched on with a million questions flitting through his mind, and even wanted to reach and snatch the feather from Dakota's hand once he plucked it from his ear, just to see if this was real. When the other boy spoke and explained Dorian found himself taken aback even more, but said nothing as of yet, skepticism still holding him back.

“At least I’m now officially a baby bird...”

These words in the small voice that left the boy had Dorian smiling, a smile so wide it reached his eyes, then full-blown laughter that resonated from deep within his chest. He only managed to stop after a solid two minutes, at which point he placed his wand on the ground next to him and gingerly reached out to touch the feathered mess on the side of Dakota's face, admiring the feel for a spell before removing his hand. "This is so cool! You're just chock full of surprises aren't you?" Dorian was beside himself with glee upon learning that his new friend was a half-breed, though he had the clarity of mind not to say such a thing out loud, knowing full well that such defining terminology could serve the counter-purpose of insulting the boy. But even while he thought this another thought came to him.

The smile faded slightly and the look of confusion returned, albeit a very diluted version of what it had been prior. "Wait a minute. I've never heard of a male with Veela blood before." Dorian squinted and got slightly closer, only now taking in the newly shifted features. The hair, like refined, golden white threads, the facial structure, the brilliant blue eyes that shone even brighter than his own. Some semblance of the truth seemed to be dawning on his face the longer he stared on, but then his next words broke the illusion and he was back to being all smiles. "Whatever. I've never even met an actual Veela before so I have to admit, this is pretty cool. How does this shift work? Can you fly? Does anyone else know?" He had many more questions he wanted answers to, but he paced himself, waiting for the boy to interject.

Dakota’s ear tufts wiggled a bit as his face grew hot, the boy never really going under this change before. It felt weird but like it belonged there-hopefully he’d learn to control it eventually. His eyebrows raised lightly as he got bombarded with multiple questions, the boy blinking twice. “Um...” He tensed up as his ears were then touched, causing him to wince, the new growth being quite sensitive. “Please, be gentle with them!” He exclaimed lightly, resisting the urge to pull away rudely. He also didn’t want them to fall out, the boy reaching up to make sure that they were still in place. After all, if he was to shift more in the future, he didn’t want to be bald. The feathers seemed to be so stuck to him that they were tinted a light red, the laugh he heard making him smile a bit. For some reason, Dorian just had the kind of lauugh that could make anyone feel good inside.

“T-Thanks! I honestly thought it was kinda creepy but I guess not.” He responded with a soft tone, still seeming a tad bit uneasy by the new discovery. He still had to worry about transforming out of this form once they were out of here. He had did the littlest amount of research on half-breeds and what it said about attracting others made him feel quite nervous. He didn’t want everyone following him around when he was to small to even be taken seriously. When he heard that Dorian had never heard of a male Veela, he quickly made an excuse, seeming quite prepared for these questions. “Ohh, there’s plenty of them! Um...” Before he could continue, he noticied Dorian looking right at him, Dakota unable to get any effective personal space due to the wall being behind him. He blinked slowly and bit down on his lip softly, waving a hand in front of Doran’s face. “Are you alright?” He questioned softly, worried that he may be stuck in a trance.

Letting out a sigh of relief when Dorian proved otherwise, Dakota giggled softly in relief. “Fly? Well, I mean I don’t have any wings-I may not even get them. There’s only so much a half-Veela can do compared to a full breed after all. If you want though, maybe when or if I grow them, I can teach you?

From what Dorian had gathered, Dakota had no idea how he had done the transformation. He didn't even seem to know how to reverse it, which had Dorian wondering if maybe this was a permanent shift due to a coming of age. He was no expert on Veelas or their offspring, so whatever conclusion he may come to would hold no water, and thus did not warrant mentioning. What really knocked Dorian for six was the boy's offer to teach him to fly should he grow wings and learn to do so in the future. Was natural flight something that a Veela was able to teach someone? Dorian wasn't about to grow wings, or maybe he was. He considered it for a bit and the thought came to him.

He wondered if he really wanted to tell the boy what was currently trailing a blaze through his mind at the moment. Deciding that they had shared so much already and that this was to be his mentee, there was no need to hide the truth from him. "I'm keeping this hush-hush until I manage to accomplish it, but I want to become an Animagus in the future. It's possibly my biggest dream." There it was. He had revealed to Dakota something that not many people knew, or would ever know until it came to fruition. "Don't tell anyone about this, but if I have my way and I can become an Animagus, I want to be a kind of bird or prey. Maybe when you grow your wings and I can transform into a bird too we can both fly."

It was something to look forward to at least. Standing to full height and stretching, a few bones popped here and there in indication to how long he had been seated and hunched. "I just noticed something. If you're a half-Veela then that means one of your parents is a full-blooded Veela? Somehow I can't picture that assho- that terrible dad of yours being one, so that leaves your mother?" He only just noticed that Dakota had seemed to avoid the topic of his mother in favor of his brothers and father while they had been talking. Was there something about her that he had wanted to keep hidden? Maybe it was this transformation and the truth of it that he had been trying to keep out of the conversation? Whatever the case the cat was out of the bag and Dorian knew some of the truth. He wouldn't push if Dakota didn't wish to talk, but he was very curious about the little half-breed.

Dakota had began to feel more comfortable, slowly sitting up a bit and not becoming as flustered as before. He had honestly expected to get attacked or pummeled to the ground out of Dorian wanting to defend himself. Now that he hadn’t and instead showed his interest, he didn’t really feel any reason to be scared no more. Well, except from the thought on how he was going to get out of this form before the professors found out and took matters into their own hands. In general however, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. He would get attention no doubt from others who saw him like this-and flying did seem pretty cool.  And if being half-Veela helped him achieve gracefulness that also was a plus in terms of dance. 
                                                                                                                                                             
His thoughts were then interrupted by Dorian, Dakota expecting to get another round of questions tossed in his direction. He wasn’t expecting one bit that Dorian wanted to become an Animagus, let alone a bird animal. He would’ve expected that Dorian would want to become a fierce, predatory animal-like a lion! Well, eagles could pass as a fierce animal too. It didn’t really matter much anyway, at least in the end they would both probably get to soar the skies together! With a grin, he nodded to himself. purposely lowering his voice down more. “Oh, thank you for sharing that with me Dorian! And don’t worry, I promise not to tell anybody!” He paused briefly before adding, “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a...maggot in my eye!”

He giggled softly from his own words, his cheeks becoming a bit redder, a sign that he was very elated. Dakota barely got like this around most people, but Dorian had somehow managed to bring his outgoing side out. It was usually hidden because of the constant fears that he’d almost always be thinking about unless a positive force had managed to distract him from it. And that positive force just happened to be Dorian. That didn’t mean that things couldn't interrupt his cheerful self, such as mentioning his mother. At first, he didn’t say anything in response, seeming to hesitate with his words entirely. Hs smile quickly turned not a frown, and he inhaled deeply, his crystal-colored eyes closing.

“Yeah...my mother...she, well....I mean she’s great and all but she’s..changed.” Dakota finally said, the boy staring down at his poem with  remorse in his eyes. “She was so great, and perfect-she coulf identify all the stars in the universe!!” He then looked up towards the stars, his ear tufts seeming to wiggle at a fast rate. “I can’t call her dumb for deciding to date my dad in the first place however, she just wanted a bad boy and...I blame her for that...” Dakota ran a hand down his face. “Now, I’m not even sure why she’s been acting so strange lately,  she never sticks up for me anymore or even stops my brothers from beating me up. I can hear her crying at night as well, and my father...screaming at her. Now the only person that I have left is my grandmother.” He stayed silent for another long period, tears beginning to roll down his cheeks steadily. “But I don’t care anymore , I don’t want to go back home.”

As with anything in life, once you've paid attention long enough you begin to notice certain tells that tell an untold story. In this case, Dorian noticed the bridge of silence, the introspective frown, the sharp inspiration of air and the contemplative closing of the eyes. These were all things that one could view as reluctance, and a great deal of it too given the circumstance. Dorian listened attentively, more so because of this hesitance to respond to the broached topic. As he listened his face twisted into a study of varying emotions, from concern to anger to empathy, and ultimately, to disappointment. He was disappointed in the fact that, sitting right in front of him was yet another boy with mommy issues similar to his own. Why was it always the mothers that seemed to let their children down the most?

Dorian understood what a positive force grandparents could be in a life where your own parents weren't so stellar. In his own case, his father was a gem that he would never trade for anything, but his grandparents had been the main driving force in his short life and he would never trade them for anything. Placing a hand gingerly on Dakota's shoulder, he attempted to comfort him somehow. "Then don't" Simple. Concise. Dorian's conviction could not be swayed. He accepted that he hadn't known the boy for long, but he knew enough to understand that his life back home was far from ideal and a danger to his health. With constant beatings from a father and brothers who seemed to have nothing greater in life to achieve, Dakota was not safe, and Dorian wanted to help in any way he could.

"My offer from earlier still stands. You can come home with me for the holidays. I'll send my parents an owl explaining the situation, but I'm sure my dad won't mind one bit." He would lobby for an extended stay on Dakota's part, but he wouldn't divulge such information until he was almost certain about the outcome. His father would understand, but his mother was a different story, a wild card that he could not predict. Would she even allow Dakota to stay with them? She loved his father and would do anything to please him, which was what Dorian was counting on to get her consent. Smiling at Dakota, he lowered his hand and allowed the silence to deepen. What could he even say or do to comfort the boy now?

They had been at this for the better part of the night; the time had lapsed so greatly that Dorian was certain the sky seemed a little brighter than it should have been. Surely enough, it was almost dawn, and the sky had assumed that hazy glow it always did moments before the sun rose. Dorian breathed heavily after considering that it might be time for them to return to the common room before they got discovered out and about so early in the morning. The excuse could be made that they had simply risen before the others and were eager to start the day, but Dorian wanted to sleep, however little he might get. He rose from the hard ground and helped Dakota up as well. He knelt and retrieved the two poems from the floor and handed the boy the one that he, Dorian, had written.

"We should go back before the sun comes out. I'll let you hold on to this and I'll keep the one you wrote." Dorian turned to exit alongside Dakota but paused. "Promise me you won't go near your father and brothers again, at least until I know for sure you can stay with me." It was a tall order, but given that they were still at school it was a wasted effort. They would stay here until the holidays, which were actually around the corner. But Dorian wanted reassurance that Dakota wouldn't allow himself within close proximity of such danger that his brothers and father posed. They were the worst of the worst and Dorian would sooner see them dead than lay another finger on his new friend. "Just give me some time." With that Dorian walked on his way out of the tower, Dakota by his side. They would talk the time away as they made their exit back to the common room, conversation lighter and easier than it had been before.

Dakota this time didn’t flinch as the hand went on his shoulder, the boy feeling relaxed enough with Dorian. It did comfort him, and the smile sheepishly returned to his face, the Gryffindor looking into Dorian’s blue eyes for a brief second. Those eyes helped calm him down; especially when he knew that they belonged to a person that he could trust. Taking a moment to contemplate his words, he found himself asking many ‘why’ questions. Why did he choose to deal with the abuse back home? Why didn’t he tell any authorities or just run away? Was it because he actually loved his family or maybe that he was afraid that meant giving in to his father.

He wanted to show his father that he could be just as worthy and strong as his older brothers were, it was one of his most desired dreams after all. However, he knew that no matter what he did, he would probably never be at peace with himself. So maybe if he just went with what Dorian said for now, he could see if he was truly happy with another family-after all he could always come back to his home if he didn’t like Dorian’s. And waiting until he was at the period in his life where he actually felt confident in himself wouldn’t be so bad either-perhaps he’d actually have a better chance of proving his worth at that time. Regardless, Dakota knew that he would always have the ability to get his father in possible custody, brothers suspended from Hogwarts and himself sent to a nicer home. But for now, he decided to test the waters in a new home, which he didn’t believe would be so bad.

So Dakota gave hm a small nod, the boy also beginning to go back to his normal form. His blonde hair turned back to its light brown color as his eyes darkened and his ear tufts gradually morphed back into regular human ears. They let behind a dull pain which Dakota assumed would fade away in time, otherwise he’d just take some medicine in the morning. That was the exact same time that he also noticied that dawn had arrived, which caused one of his eyebrows to raise lightly. Did time really go that fast-well, that was a first; it usually went slow for him every single day. It wasn’t long before he noticied Dorian getting up after he too at realized it, the boy smiling more as he was then helped to his feet. He didn’t stumble like he’d used to but instead firmly stood on his own two feet.

He took his journal eagerly when it was handed to him, the boy seeming to get a glimpse of the next poem he’d make as soon as he touched the fabric. His mind seemed to go right to dawn and not only how it looked, but what it actually was. The canopy of gold among blue sky, which sent shimmering rays over the placid ocean. The clouds would soon enough turn into the same color of a ripe mango, the leaves on the trees also turning from a somber gray to an electrifying green as the castle was  bathed in daylight. A beauitful sight to see if he wasn’t so tired at the night, however there was always another sunrise to see. Another day to look forward too.

His thoughts were then cut off when he heard the word, ‘promise’, Dakota turning his head to look at Dorian with confusion on his face. It took a moment before he made himself remember the words that he had faintly heard, forcing them to return to his head. That promise would be pretty hard to keep indeed, but he didn’t need to be asked to at least try his best to avoid their presence. If they came to him, he would do everything possible to go to safety-so perhaps keeping the promise would actually be easy. No...it would be easy. With a firm nod, he gave Dorian an ear-to-ear smile, his brown orbs reflecting determination in them. “Of course...I promise, Sir! And you don’t have to worry, I...I got this.” He murmured out, his words being audible to Dorian’s ears despite his soft spoken tone. As they then exited the tower, he tried copying Dorian’s stride, not slouching over for once. He made himself look ahead instead of the ground as well-knowing that this wasn’t the time to be all shy-espesically when he was feeling so..good!

Yet things did take time like Dorian said...but one thing was absolutely clear.

He is a baby bird.

And he is going to learn how to fly.