Last time:
Harry blanched slightly, his eyes flickering. There was going to be another Trial, another test? He glared accusingly at Remus for not warning him. When the other caught his look, he simply shrugged quietly. Harry sighed, and got up when instructed. Joining Malfoy in the middle of the room, he sat down cross-legged. Whatever the Trial threw at him, he would handle it. He would not appear weak in front of everyone else. He would soon end up cursing his Gryffindor pride, though he didn't know it before the Trial started. They were first told to meditate, and then let their awareness drift from their bodies. That was fairly easy for Harry, and for Malfoy as well, and they were soon speeding towards the Realm of Half-Realities. Otherwise known to the world, the Realm of Dreams.
When the world slowed to a stop around them, Harry looked about in curiosity. They seemed to be on a plain with plenty of grass and scrubs, but nothing in the way of substantial cover. After looking about for a bit, he noticed that Madam Sel had appeared in front of them. In this strange land she appeared even more fae like, and if he looked at a certain angle he could almost see a silhouette over the lithe form of the woman. She was smiling slightly, with her eyes glittering in hidden humor.
Her voice sounded again, and he couldn't help but be captivated by it. It spoke "Welcome to the Realm of Half-Realities. This is where your Trial takes place. Look to the north, do you see that dim shadow of a mountain?" Both Malfoy and Harry nodded. Despite it being dim, it was too obviously a mountain, and Harry was sure that it was huge up close. After all, the clearer one could see an object in the distance, the bigger the object. Sel spoke again "That is your goal. You have twenty-four days to make the peak of the mountain. Before you reach the peak you shall face two Challenges, one for each of you. The greatest test though, is survival. Despite you not being in the real world, your body will feel everything it would there. Hunger, thirst and exhaustion will all take their tole if you do not take care of yourself. And because your magic is what is keeping the Trial alive, and providing the Challenges, you can not just simply summon food to you. You must work together to survive. For if one of you should get to the point that you cannot make it to the mountain even with help, you both shall Fail."
This seemed a bit extreme, and both boys could not help but show their outrage on their faces. The woman merely said "On a side note, the worst test takers who have succeeded, made the peak within twenty-one days. The best made it in fourteen. The test will start as soon as I disappear. I wish you both Good Luck, and I will see you on the mountain peak." At the end of her speech, she faded away. Harry mouthed indignantly for awhile before he got a hold of himself. He then glanced over at Malfoy, who seemed to be having even greater difficulty controlling his outrage.
Harry sighed, and said "Come on Malfoy, we might as well get started. I'd like to be away from here before we have to sleep. I think I see trees in the distance towards the north. We'll probably find food there." The blond, instead of arguing like he would have just a week ago, nodded. Then they both started off, beginning their long journey. What they didn't know was though it seemed like days to them, it would only take a single day of real time. Though, this would feel like eternity for those waiting back in the real world.
***
Speaking of the real world, Sel had just come out of her trance when the two would-be Animagi had started their journey. She looked at the two adults, the ones who were there as witnesses. She sighed slightly, speaking as she uncurled from the rather uncomfortable position "They have begun their journey. Thank you both for agreeing to watch them. They might need help to come out of their trance if they get stuck. However, I ask that you do not wake them prematurely. The trance cannot be replicated, and should they be pulled out of it before they fail or succeed on their own, they will be angry that they lost the chance to find their Animagus forms." Both males simply nodded, too nervous at being asked to pretty much be guardians to the boys for that day.
Smiling, Sel walked away. She would be back in thirteen hours, ready to go into the trance to help the boys at the end. For now, she needed to shake out her aching muscles and bones. She was getting far too old to be sitting on the floor like a kid. However, when Albus had asked her to be the 'judge' for the two Animagi's Trial, she had jumped at the chance to help a new generation along the way. That, and she had owed a favor to her old friend. The old Hawk was too cunning for his own good. She always wondered if he should have been a Snake instead if he hadn't compromised with the Hat. Then again, it was none of her business what her old friend had wanted so many years ago.
***
Harry sighed, waiting for Malfoy to catch up. The blond had tripped because somehow or other his shoes had become untied, and he had had to stop and retie them. Of course, Harry hadn't noticed that until he had nearly passed out of hearing distance from the annoyance. He looked on ahead, grumbling at the delay. If they were lucky, they would now reach the tree-line by mid-morning of the next day. But they would have to set up camp before that. He had hoped to get there that day, but it wasn't going to happen.
Malfoy came up, saying "Sorry about that. Shall we continue?" Harry nodded, and they both set off. It was going to take some time before he trusted the Snake not to stab him in the back, but he rationalized it that Malfoy wanted to reach the peak as much as he did. After all, how many could become Animagi so young? Very few, if Harry knew the ratios at all. He just wished that there was an easier way of become a Natural Animagi then suffering a traumatic event. It would most likely make their minds a bit more stable if it were.
They made fairly good time, despite his initial fears. Instead of mid-morning, they would make the tree-line two hours after dawn if they kept up the pace. Harry was looking forward to it, for there was little if anything to eat or drink around here. They built a fire, knowing that they would be spending the next two to three weeks sleeping it rough. They didn't even have a sleeping bag to lie down on. While this bothered Malfoy just a bit, Harry was used to not having much comfort. They enjoyed the warmth of the fire for a bit, then Harry banked the coals so the fire wouldn't go out.
They lay there for a good time, exchanging small sentences back and forth. Neither one knew when the other fell asleep, but for them it would be the first peaceful night they had in many days. It was hard to have a nightmare in the Dream Realm without that nightmare coming to life. Besides the fact that most of the things they saw were images in their mind anyways. For now they were just grateful for the restful sleep. They both knew they would need it in the coming weeks. They didn't know that they would be lucky to keep having such good nights through out the rest of their journey.
The End.