Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter or +Anima. This is the sequel to +Magica.

+Magica II: Brewing Storm
Chapter 1: Changing Tides

Hermione sat on the edge of the bed in the third year dorms as rain pinged on the window pain. The +Anima as they called themselves had only been there for a few days and things at Hogwarts were already changing and she honestly didn't like the change. She hoped that Harry's words "I hope things don't get worse" wouldn't come back to haunt her.

Taking a deep breath she shook her head imagining various shapes in her head. She blinked a couple of times as the water droplets on the window suddenly moved to into the shape she imagined of a Raven. This caused it to disperse and look like rain droplets again. She got up from the bed and walked over to the window and imagined the shape of a lion and watched as that formed on the window.

The bushy haired female took a deep sigh. "Really... it's not as if I asked for this."

Going over to the bed she flopped down and then placed her arm over her eyes. She dozed off and woke up the next morning to the sunlight streaming into the room. Getting up she saw that the window still had rain drops on the window pane. She then changed and headed down the stairs in time to see the other members of Gryffindor speaking with each other.

Ginny looked up. "Hermione... what kind of control do you have over your ability?"

The female blinked a couple of times before shaking her head. "I really don't want to talk about it."

"Rumor has it that you have little control." Lavender spoke then, only to have Ginny cover her mouth.

"Honestly, I just figured out I have this power and I'm finding myself not yet ready to accept the fact I have this ability. Actually, it is kind of still strange this whole legend with the +Anima. There has to be something more to all of this."

"Good grief. You're over thinking things like you always do."

Hermione flinched before heading down to the dining hall. As she walked down the stairs she came across Cooro who was watching a puddle of water off in some corner as the water twisted and moved. Letting out a deep sigh she walked over. "What are you doing?"

"The water is moving. It's pretty cool."

The female shook her head. "Don't you want breakfast?"

"Oh yeah!" The male +Anima's attention was distracted and the water stopped moving and even reformed into a regular puddle. He then stood up and placed a hand behind his head. "I was trying to find my way to that big room where everybody eats but I got lost."

"Well, if you'll follow me I'll help you find that place."

Cooro's eyes widened. "Wow! You're such a nice person."

Hermione turned then to head towards the dining hall. As she walked along she heard the various whispers about her and her abilities. One of the people in Ravenclaw spoke then. "I think they should try resorting her. She should be in Ravenclaw, not Gryffindor. This isn't fair at all if you really think about."

This caused Hermione to stop. "This really isn't fair? Really... do you even understand what you're saying?"

"If you happen to have the water power you have the traits of a Ravenclaw and thus belong in there."

"You know... why weren't you guys saying that way back in first year when I was getting the best grades for my year."

"What are grades?"

"Grades are a way to measure how well you do in academics." Hermione turned back to Cooro who was staring at them as if no argument was going on. She turned back only to find him asking another question.

"What are academics?"

"They're reading, writing and other stuff you learn." The bushy female continued her conversation with the three girls. "You very well could have brought this up a lot sooner. Truth of the matter is the reason I ended up in Gryffindor is because on top of having traits of a Ravenclaw I also have traits of a Gryffindor. I choose Gryffindor though because I didn't want my smarts to be my defining trait, unlike some Ravenclaws I know."

"Excuse me?"

Hermione turned to see Alannis glaring at her. "What do you mean excuse me?"

"What do you mean that our smarts are our defining traits?" Alannis placed her hands on her hips. "I take offense at that."

"That was meant as an insult."

"Well, what makes you think that such statements are true?"

"The fact you... all of you pretty much... have been telling me that I should be in Ravenclaw because I have the traits of a Ravenclaw but don't accept that I can fit into other houses. You know... what will be really funny is if the earth based powers which are supposed to go to Slytherin end up going to someone everyone feels should have been in Hufflepuff but ended up in one of the other two houses. Would serve everyone right with how they're acting all high and migthty."

"Well, I'm going to push for a resorting for you."

"Excuse me?"

"I'll repeat what you said. What do you mean excuse me?"

"You know exactly what I meant. You have no business even suggesting such a thing. As if the teachers would even go for it."

"Yes they will. I'm going to write a letter to my parents today. You getting the powers and not being in the house is not right. They'll agree with me and they'll use their influence to make sure that you end up getting sorted into the correct house, that house being Ravenclaw. Don't think that just because you are a stuck up brat that you can get away with acting like you're better then us." The girl spun on her heals and took off with the other girls from Ravenclaw.

Cooro blinked a couple of times. "This may just be me, but isn't the person acting full of themselves that girl?"

"You're not very bright, but you're honestly right about that."

"People tell me that all the time, that I'm not very bright. They do say I'm a good judge of character though. It's one of my strong points. At least... I think it is. Sometimes it gets me in trouble because I want to see the good in everybody and sometimes while I'm right that they're a good person their intentions aren't always good. Not sure how that actually works."