A.C.H. (Animagi Control Help)

Eglantine opened the Room of Requirement, happy to see that the room given by the magic was no doubt a room suitable for teaching.
"Please be seated Mr. Vaight." she stated clearly, indicating the chair in the dead centre of the room.

Darien strolled in and perched on the chair, balancing all four paws carefully and glancing around.
Wow, this room changed a lot.

"We will begin simply. Your anger and rage help you transfigure and in order to control your form, you will need to learn to control yourself. I believe that I may be able to assist you. But you must let me assist you." Eglantine waited for his response, hoping he would realize how much she was willing to help him.

Control himself... Great. Just great. Absolutely brilliant. He cursed inwardly.
What was wrong with him?? His whole family could control themselves...except him.
Except the wolf.
He just hoped the assistance didn't require entering his mind.
The wolf tried to speak, but the vocal chords had changed back and it came out as an affirmative growl.
Darien emphasised the agrement by nodding his head.
At least if this worked, he wouldn't keep fighting with himself...He could fight with Nick or Ana instead.

Eglantine sighed as Darien nodded. Pointing her wand at him, she began to gently coax his body back to its normal human form. It took a great deal of her strength, but in less than ten minutes a fully human Darien Vaight sat before her. Of course this was a very temporary cure to such a complex problem.

"You will need to divide yourself from it." she stated finally. "Try to imagine that you can see a wolf but do not touch or become it."

Darien closed his eyes and tried to imagine wolf as a separate being.
It didn't work. It kept coming closer and pulling at him.
"I...can't..."
He fought harder, but the wolf wouldn't stop pushing forwards.
"It won't leave me alone!" Darien realised he was shouting. "Um...sorry Professor."

Eglantine flinched, but simply tucked her wand away. Patience was essential. None of these exercises would be simple.
"Nevertheless try again." she urged. "You control it not the other way around."

Debatable, hissed a voice in Darien's mind.
He tried again. The wolf kept circling for a while, but eventually came and tugged at his sleeve, and he couldn't get it to back off again.
He opened his eyes and leant backwards in the chair, angry with himself.
"I can't do it, okay?"

"Very well. Then you are a failure." Eglantine stated, seriously. Letting her words sink in for a moment, she shook her head. "Or are you?"

"Apparently so."
Darien folded his arms.
"I can't do it, I'm a failure...Wouldn't surprise anyone, least of all me."

"And that is why you fail, Mr. Vaight." Eglantine sighed. "If you set yourself up as a failure than you will never rise above that." Deciding to use a different tactic, she bit her lip.

"Tell me about your hobbies." she offered.

Darien's mind was thrown into turmoil by the unexpected question.
"What's that got to do with anything?"
But he sighed.
"Quidditch, flying, swimming, running. Occasionally fighting." He added as a humourous afterthought.

"How do you swim? By thrashing about in the water in hopes it will wash you ashore? How do you run?" His hobbies were perfect examples of control, she thought. Thank goodness his hobbies were not snogging and being annoying...of course those actions seemed to be second nature to him.

"Depends which one I am." Darien answered.
"If I'm a wolf or human, I mean. Or a mixture of both."

"I see." Eglantine sighed. "How are your occlumency shields?"

Darien grimaced.
"That...I am working on that."
Darien what are you doing? Stop sending me messages of failure and depression already!
Darien glared at a patch of floor. Shut up Ana, DeLanquar is trying to help with my crazy wolf issues.
Well close the telepathy first for merlin's sake!
Will do. He closed down the link.
"They're not awful...but they're not perfect." He muttered.

"And your legilimency skills?" Eglantine pressed.

"No idea. I don't invade people's minds and privacy as a twisted hobby Professor."
Darien only hoped that others would do the same, so his mind would remain safe...and his own.

Eglantine raised an eyebrow. Twisted hobby... interesting, she thought. She figured fairly quickly that he knew others who viewed legilimency as a "hobby".

"Would you transfigure yourself for me?" she asked softly, secretly taking notes with a charmed quill and pad behind the wheelchair.

He opened the door in his mind and the wolf bounded out. He crouched on the chair, managing to keep his balance and his feet on the chair with some difficulty.

Noting how the chair made it difficult for Mr. Vaight to stand on all fours, Eglantine transfigured it into a platform.

"You can fully understand me and know who I am?" she asked.

The wolf nodded and swallowed slowly.
"Ah that's better. Hate not being able to talk." He grinned slightly.
"And in answer to your question yes, I am aware that you are Professor DeLanquar...and I presume that means I can understand you."

Very sure of himself...and rather cheeky, Eglantine thought.

"Can you picture an orange in your mind? A simple round orange. I want you to transfigure it in your mind into an apple." With simple lessons like these, he would be able to learn to control his transformations...

Darien blinked several times.
An orange to an apple? What in merlin's name did this have to do with...well...anything?
Sighing, he pictured an orange, and it changed into an apple.
"Yup..." Something moved out of the corner of his line of vision. He noticed a small, hovering fly...zig-zagging towards him.
His inner hunting instinct laughed. Time to play.
He waited, still and silent as the fly came closer.

"Yup is not an appropriate answer, Mr. Vaight. Have you completed the task?" Eglantine asked, her voice a gentle question.