June 1, 2000
Digi-Journal
"Sora, hello, were you hit in the head with a soccer ball or something?" Mimi asked me.
"What?"
"Honestly, Sora, I've been yelling at you for, like, an hour now and all you do is stare into space. I don't get it."
"What did you want me for?"
"Oh dear, now I can't remember." Mimi sat on a rock, hand to chin.
"Well," said Tai, standing up. "We'd better get going."
"Mimi, I've been thinking. Seriously, can't a person think around here?"
"Just where are we going, Tai?" said Matt.
" I would think it's obvious, Matt, to defeat the Dark Magics, of course. Where else would we go?"
" God, humans argue an awful lot, don't they?" said Palmon to Agumon.
"So, Digimon do too!" said Mimi.
"Do not!" said Gabumon.
"Do too!" I said.
"Do not!" said Biyomon.
"Do too!" shouted Tai.
"Do not!" screamed Palmon.
"Do too!" said TK quietly.
"Do not!" said Patamon.
"Do too!" Izzy calculated. "My studies show that digimon argue 12.7% more than humans."
"Do not!" Agumon argued.
"Who's arguing now?" retorted Kari.
"We do not!" Tentomon squealed.
"Do too!" Matt bellowed.
"Shut up, all of you!" screamed Joe. Oh god, if we are gonna save two worlds,
there's no chance of survival.
I cannot believe it. I was adopted. Me, Hermione Granger. And my parents, my birth parents, want me back. Mum and Dad said it was okay with them. Blimey, my real parents are maniacs. They will not even let me go back to Hogwarts next year. I tried to tell them that I was a witch, but they want me to go to some idiotic Muggle boarding school for girls. I will not go, I just won't. In fact, why don't I leave right now? I stopped writing, stood up, stuffed my diary and books into my trunk, and dragged it toward the door. I opened it and walked out into the hall, determined. My birth mother, Rose, called out to me, "Hermione, love, where are you going? How about a movie, dear?" I didn't answer her. Instead I opened the door and stepped outside. Then I ran. I ran and ran and ran, always afraid when I heard a car coming, afraid it would be Rose. Suddenly I stopped. An owl was flying toward me.
"Pig!" I cried happily. I managed to pull the letter away from him, which was hard because he was so HYPER; I tore it open immediately. It was from Ron:
Dear Hermione,
Where are you? We are really worried about you and Harry. I sent Harry his birthday present and Errol came back with the package. I hope he's all right . . . you too.
Hermione, please write back and please let Pig find you. I've sent you ten letters and Pig came back with all of them. Blimey, you're really scaring us.
PLEASE WRITE BACK!!!!!!!!
Love,
Ron
My jaw dropped. Harry? Where was Harry? I sighed. At least Ron was okay . . . but I had to help Harry! I just had to, but how?
Without knowing what I was doing, I headed for number four Privet Drive. When I got there, I knocked on the door.
"Mrs. Dursley?" I asked politely when Petunia Dursley opened it.
"Yes?"
I pulled out my wand and pointed it at her, hoping I wouldn't be sent to Azkaban.
"Show me where Harry Potter is, or I'll curse you." I demanded.
Mrs. Dursley whitened. I narrowed my eyes and shakingly, Petunia led me to her car. I climbed into the passenger seat, my wand never leaving her face. She drove to St. Brutus' Secure School for Incurably Criminal Boys.
"M-my sister-in-law sent him here. It wasn't me o-or my husband." Petunia said, looking incredibly frightened. "Please don't kill us." I rolled my eyes as I left the car. 'They sent Harry here?" I thought. I walked up the long narrow sidewalk. St. Brutus's was a large ugly building surrounded by a wire fence. Boys ran around trying to get out, their elders ran around trying to stop them. I noticed Harry almost immediately; There was no mistaking that scar. He was sitting on the ground, head down.
"Harry! Harry!" I called. All the boys were staring at me hungrily. A shiver ran down my spine. Harry's head snapped up and his eyes shone with hope, and then alarm. He ran up to the fence.
"Hermione! What do you think you're doing here?" he called as an adult shouted, "This is private property! You must leave now, by order of the law!" Harry's eyes dropped.
"Hermione, listen to him. Get out of here." I glared at him.
"No way. Not on your life, you great prat." I yanked out my wand.
"You're going to get yourself expelled!" Harry begged me, an edge to his voice.
" And leave you here?" I said as I cast a simple metal-melting spell. The fence was ruined.
"Anyone takes a step closer and you get Stunned!" One kid dashed toward the street, seeing this as a last chance to escape.
"Stupefy!" I shouted, waving my wand at him. He fell to the ground.
"C'mon, Harry." Harry followed me, looking amazed. I felt a surge of pride.
"Wait just a minute." One of the teachers said, pointing a gun.
Without thinking, I cried "Acio!" The gun flew from his hand into mine. I melted it.
I easily erased all their memories. Harry Potter had simply run away and they couldn't find him.
Harry and I started on our way, Harry staring at me incredulously the whole time.
Being a Weasley is hard work.
"Ginny, help your mother make dinner!" my father called up the stairs. Blam! Boom! The explosion from Fred and George's room rang in my ears. Pigwidgeon flew in circles around my room, screeching loudly. Fred burst into my room looking for some ingredient for his and George's inventions.
"Merlin's Beard, can't you learn to knock?" I muttered, looking at him over the rim of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Five.
"No socks in here, George!" Fred screamed, ignoring me. 'Socks?' I thought, a pang of dread in my stomach. I was getting annoyed.
"Mum, neither Harry or Hermione has written back to me yet!" Ron Shouted for the millionth time that day. Then why's pig in my room? I wondered, then pushed the thought aside.
"I beg your pardon?" Mum shouted back. I had just about had enough when the ghoul in the attic dropped a pipe and Percy Called out, "Dad, the roof's fallen in!" That was it. I gathered up my school things and put them in my trunk. Then I dragged it downstairs and outside. Unfortunately, Ron Came Leaping into the living room just as I left.
"Mum!" he cried frantically. "Ginny's running away again!"
I burst outside, hid my trunk in the bushes and climbed to the roof, crouching behind the chimney. Soon the whole family had gathered on the lawn, chickens circling their legs and clucking imperiously.
"Ginny!" they called repeatedly. "Ginny!"
My father sighed.
"What a day. C'mon. She'll be back by tomorrow morning." Not if I could help it! As it grew darker, I snuck down and pulled my winter coat, a robe and my wand out of my trunk. I climbed back up, spread the coat over me like a blanket, and folded the robe for a pillow. The wand hung in midair, swinging from side to side. It lulled me to sleep.
Being an Animorph is infuriating. So infuriating that I punched Marco in the face for no apparent reason. Jake, Cassie, Tobias, Ax, and Marco stared at me.
"Rachel, what in the world was that for?"
I couldn't answer them, I just couldn't. Shaking, I left. I just walked out. I didn't head anywhere in particular. Suddenly I found myself outside a house called the Burrow. It was a very odd place. The front yard was covered with chickens and there was a red headed girl sleeping on the roof! I opened my mouth, I dunno why, but I did.
"What are you doing up there?" I shouted at the girl. She woke with a start and stared at me.
"What do you want?"
"You just looked uncomfortable up there. Do you live here?"
"Wish I didn't."
"Why not?" I asked.
"Too much happens. I dunno if you understand that but-"
"Oh, no I understand." I interrupted.
"Sometimes I just wish I could have a normal life, you know?" she said. I nodded. "It's like, why me? What did I-"
"Do to deserve this." I completed, feeling I had finally met someone who understood. Suddenly the front door opened and a boy with bright red hair and lots of freckles came out.
"Ginny! What are you doing? Talking to a Muggle? Sleeping on the roof? What has gotten into you?"
"Go away, Ron." said the girl called Ginny. I opened the gate, my temper getting the better of me. He had called me something! I didn't know what it meant but it probably wasn't good.
"What did you call me?" I threatened Ron. Suddenly I heard footsteps behind me.
"Rachel, leave him alone!"
"Geroff, Jake, what are you, my mother?" I swung my arm forward and punched Ron in the face.
"Muggle yourself!"
"Cassie, help me!" Jake said helplessly. Cassie stepped forward.
"Rachel, I know being an Animorph is frustrating. We've all had these phases. Remember I quit and morphed a butterfly? Remember we all, except you, quit when the Andalites came? It's hard, Rachel, it really is. Don't give up, whatever you do, don't give up."
"Stupid, Cassie, you just gave us away to those redheads over there!" Marco exclaimed.
"Oh, man." Jake said, running his hand through his hair.
"Animorph?" Ginny asked.
"Ron! Ron! Ron!" said someone from behind us.
"Harry! Hermione!" Ron called; I turned around and saw a boy with wild black hair and a girl with fluffy brown hair racing toward the Ron kid.
"Where have you two been? I've been writing you each about twenty letters a day! Pig came back with all but one to you, Hermione."
"I got that one." Hermione said.
"Pig?" we Animorphs echoed. My anger began to ebb away in the confusion.
"Who are they?" Hermione said, turning to look at us.
"We could ask the same of you." Tobias, in human morph, muttered.
This could lead to some awkward explanations.
My feet ache. I've been walking for maybe a week now. Help. Help. Help. Oh, by the way, I'm Mimi, holder of the crest of sincerity. You've probably heard of me in Sora's entry. We're keeping this journal to make sure we don't miss any clues involving the mysterious Dark Magics. It's my turn to write. Oh, look, there's a hole in the bottom of my shoe; if only there was a mall here. It's been so long since I was last in the Digiworld, I've forgotten what it's like to live without refrigerators and malls. Just think, it's been four years already! Oh, what a life I have led. Well, we Digi-destined are all here, scrummaging for food. Oh, wait, what's that noise? We've gotta go check it out...
"My nose hurts." complained the boy with long brown hair.
"His nose hurts," Ron muttered to me.
"Life sucks." continued the boy. "I mean, I'm not only Super-hero Boy with supernatural powers, but Rachel has to get all psycho on us and beat ME up! Me!"
"Oh, shut up, Marco," said one of the other boys tolerantly. I elbowed Ron in the ribs and whispered, "What are they doing here?"
"I dunno," he whispered back. "They just kinda...were here...I guess."
"What's Ginny doing on the roof?" Hermione said, in a half-whisper. Evidently, the blond-haired girl heard her because she turned to Ginny and shouted, "Hey, Ginny!" Ginny looked at her.
"What?" she replied.
"You related to this red-haired freak?" the blond-haired girl jutted her thumb at Ron and I felt a surge of anger. Ginny looked at Ron, then at me, then at the blond girl.
"Unfortunately." Ginny shouted back.
"Mind if I take him down?"
"No!" a boy with short brown hair said. "Rachel, stop it right now! You've lost it."
"That much is obvious." Marco snorted. Rachel glared at him.
"I'm outta here." she muttered, and left. The other kids looked at each other.
"What now?" asked a black girl. The brown-haired boy sighed.
"Split up." he said. "Ax, Tobias, you two go after Rachel. Go hawk, you'll spot her better from the air. The rest of us will sort this out." A strangely handsome boy and another brown-haired boy left the way Rachel had gone. The remaining people turned to us.
"What did you mean by Pig?" asked the black girl. Ron looked at me and I looked at him.
"Oh, bubotuber pus." Hermione said. "Let's just go inside."
"Bubotuber pus?" the other people echoed.
"Good idea." Ron said. "Ginny, get off the roof!"
"No!" was Ginny's immediate reply.
"WHAT?" Ron said incredulously. "C'mon Gin, you've been up there all night already. It's gotta be uncomfortable."
"So what?" Ginny answered. "It's better than being inside." I yawned.
"Ron, if Ginny wants to stay on the roof, let Ginny stay on the roof. I don't think there's anything wrong with it." Ron glared at me.
"Oh yeah?" he said. "Ginny, get OFF the roof now!" Ginny sighed and turned away.
"Ginny, please, what if a werewolf comes along?" Hermione pleaded. The Muggles looked confused.
"There aren't any werewolves in this area." Ginny scoffed. "And how would they get on the roof, if there were any?"
"That's enough!!" called the brown-haired boy.
"Oh, really?" Ron retorted. "Well, what are you gonna do about it, Muggle?"
"Honestly, Ron!" said Hermione. "Grow up!"
"Marco, morph gorilla. I'll go tiger." I heard the brown-haired boy mutter. "Cassie, stand by, we may need you."
"Yes, oh fearless leader." said Marco. I looked over at him and was more than surprised to see him slowly changing. He was growing hair. His back bent, his muscles strengthened, his facial features squashed, and soon he had become a gorilla. I took a step backward.
"That is just not right." Ron muttered.
"Look," Hermione whispered, pointing to where the brown-haired boy had been standing. In his place was a tiger, huge and deadly....
"Uh-oh," I muttered. Just then there was a pop and Bill, Charlie and Percy appeared on the lawn.
"Umm, Ron, what's going on here?" Charlie said nervously. "Why's there a tiger and a gorilla in our yard?"
"Get those animals out of here or I'll have to call the Department for the Disposal of Magical Creatures." said Percy imperiously.
"Who asked you?" Ron retorted.
"Anyway, they're not magical." Hermione said. "Or at least not magical creatures."
"What do you mean?" Bill said. "Are they Animagi?"
"Sort of. . ." I said, glancing nervously at the tiger, who started to pounce. Charlie whipped out his wand and shouted, "Stupefy!" It stopped dead in its tracks.
"What did you do?" the black girl cried. "JAKE!"
"They seem to be able to transform into animals at will, like Animagi." Hermione said. "Except-"
"Except what?" Percy said.
"Except they're Muggles." she finished. All three of Ron's eldest brothers' eyes popped out.
"Merlin's Beard." Bill whispered.
Our reverie of amazed silence was broken by the girl crying out, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO JAKE?! TURN HIM BACK! HE DOESN'T DESERVE THIS! IT-"
"I'm reporting this to Fudge." Percy decided suddenly. He was about to Apparate but Charlie stopped him.
"Don't. You. Dare." he said between clenched teeth. "You know we've got to go to Dumbledore. This is no time to be thinking about your goddamned career." He looked at the rest of us and begun talking in a low voice. "I want you all to listen to me. I've got experience with dragons so I'll be in charge. We're going to surround the girl. If the others can change, she can too. We'll stun them and Bill-you're good at Weightless Charms. Percy, go to Dumbledore and try and get him to come here, or get a Portkey or something. Ron, get Ginny off the godforsaken roof. Now."
We all pulled out our wands and began slowly moving toward the black girl.
Digi-Journal
"Sora, hello, were you hit in the head with a soccer ball or something?" Mimi asked me.
"What?"
"Honestly, Sora, I've been yelling at you for, like, an hour now and all you do is stare into space. I don't get it."
"What did you want me for?"
"Oh dear, now I can't remember." Mimi sat on a rock, hand to chin.
"Well," said Tai, standing up. "We'd better get going."
"Mimi, I've been thinking. Seriously, can't a person think around here?"
"Just where are we going, Tai?" said Matt.
" I would think it's obvious, Matt, to defeat the Dark Magics, of course. Where else would we go?"
" God, humans argue an awful lot, don't they?" said Palmon to Agumon.
"So, Digimon do too!" said Mimi.
"Do not!" said Gabumon.
"Do too!" I said.
"Do not!" said Biyomon.
"Do too!" shouted Tai.
"Do not!" screamed Palmon.
"Do too!" said TK quietly.
"Do not!" said Patamon.
"Do too!" Izzy calculated. "My studies show that digimon argue 12.7% more than humans."
"Do not!" Agumon argued.
"Who's arguing now?" retorted Kari.
"We do not!" Tentomon squealed.
"Do too!" Matt bellowed.
"Shut up, all of you!" screamed Joe. Oh god, if we are gonna save two worlds,
there's no chance of survival.
I cannot believe it. I was adopted. Me, Hermione Granger. And my parents, my birth parents, want me back. Mum and Dad said it was okay with them. Blimey, my real parents are maniacs. They will not even let me go back to Hogwarts next year. I tried to tell them that I was a witch, but they want me to go to some idiotic Muggle boarding school for girls. I will not go, I just won't. In fact, why don't I leave right now? I stopped writing, stood up, stuffed my diary and books into my trunk, and dragged it toward the door. I opened it and walked out into the hall, determined. My birth mother, Rose, called out to me, "Hermione, love, where are you going? How about a movie, dear?" I didn't answer her. Instead I opened the door and stepped outside. Then I ran. I ran and ran and ran, always afraid when I heard a car coming, afraid it would be Rose. Suddenly I stopped. An owl was flying toward me.
"Pig!" I cried happily. I managed to pull the letter away from him, which was hard because he was so HYPER; I tore it open immediately. It was from Ron:
Dear Hermione,
Where are you? We are really worried about you and Harry. I sent Harry his birthday present and Errol came back with the package. I hope he's all right . . . you too.
Hermione, please write back and please let Pig find you. I've sent you ten letters and Pig came back with all of them. Blimey, you're really scaring us.
PLEASE WRITE BACK!!!!!!!!
Love,
Ron
My jaw dropped. Harry? Where was Harry? I sighed. At least Ron was okay . . . but I had to help Harry! I just had to, but how?
Without knowing what I was doing, I headed for number four Privet Drive. When I got there, I knocked on the door.
"Mrs. Dursley?" I asked politely when Petunia Dursley opened it.
"Yes?"
I pulled out my wand and pointed it at her, hoping I wouldn't be sent to Azkaban.
"Show me where Harry Potter is, or I'll curse you." I demanded.
Mrs. Dursley whitened. I narrowed my eyes and shakingly, Petunia led me to her car. I climbed into the passenger seat, my wand never leaving her face. She drove to St. Brutus' Secure School for Incurably Criminal Boys.
"M-my sister-in-law sent him here. It wasn't me o-or my husband." Petunia said, looking incredibly frightened. "Please don't kill us." I rolled my eyes as I left the car. 'They sent Harry here?" I thought. I walked up the long narrow sidewalk. St. Brutus's was a large ugly building surrounded by a wire fence. Boys ran around trying to get out, their elders ran around trying to stop them. I noticed Harry almost immediately; There was no mistaking that scar. He was sitting on the ground, head down.
"Harry! Harry!" I called. All the boys were staring at me hungrily. A shiver ran down my spine. Harry's head snapped up and his eyes shone with hope, and then alarm. He ran up to the fence.
"Hermione! What do you think you're doing here?" he called as an adult shouted, "This is private property! You must leave now, by order of the law!" Harry's eyes dropped.
"Hermione, listen to him. Get out of here." I glared at him.
"No way. Not on your life, you great prat." I yanked out my wand.
"You're going to get yourself expelled!" Harry begged me, an edge to his voice.
" And leave you here?" I said as I cast a simple metal-melting spell. The fence was ruined.
"Anyone takes a step closer and you get Stunned!" One kid dashed toward the street, seeing this as a last chance to escape.
"Stupefy!" I shouted, waving my wand at him. He fell to the ground.
"C'mon, Harry." Harry followed me, looking amazed. I felt a surge of pride.
"Wait just a minute." One of the teachers said, pointing a gun.
Without thinking, I cried "Acio!" The gun flew from his hand into mine. I melted it.
I easily erased all their memories. Harry Potter had simply run away and they couldn't find him.
Harry and I started on our way, Harry staring at me incredulously the whole time.
Being a Weasley is hard work.
"Ginny, help your mother make dinner!" my father called up the stairs. Blam! Boom! The explosion from Fred and George's room rang in my ears. Pigwidgeon flew in circles around my room, screeching loudly. Fred burst into my room looking for some ingredient for his and George's inventions.
"Merlin's Beard, can't you learn to knock?" I muttered, looking at him over the rim of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Five.
"No socks in here, George!" Fred screamed, ignoring me. 'Socks?' I thought, a pang of dread in my stomach. I was getting annoyed.
"Mum, neither Harry or Hermione has written back to me yet!" Ron Shouted for the millionth time that day. Then why's pig in my room? I wondered, then pushed the thought aside.
"I beg your pardon?" Mum shouted back. I had just about had enough when the ghoul in the attic dropped a pipe and Percy Called out, "Dad, the roof's fallen in!" That was it. I gathered up my school things and put them in my trunk. Then I dragged it downstairs and outside. Unfortunately, Ron Came Leaping into the living room just as I left.
"Mum!" he cried frantically. "Ginny's running away again!"
I burst outside, hid my trunk in the bushes and climbed to the roof, crouching behind the chimney. Soon the whole family had gathered on the lawn, chickens circling their legs and clucking imperiously.
"Ginny!" they called repeatedly. "Ginny!"
My father sighed.
"What a day. C'mon. She'll be back by tomorrow morning." Not if I could help it! As it grew darker, I snuck down and pulled my winter coat, a robe and my wand out of my trunk. I climbed back up, spread the coat over me like a blanket, and folded the robe for a pillow. The wand hung in midair, swinging from side to side. It lulled me to sleep.
Being an Animorph is infuriating. So infuriating that I punched Marco in the face for no apparent reason. Jake, Cassie, Tobias, Ax, and Marco stared at me.
"Rachel, what in the world was that for?"
I couldn't answer them, I just couldn't. Shaking, I left. I just walked out. I didn't head anywhere in particular. Suddenly I found myself outside a house called the Burrow. It was a very odd place. The front yard was covered with chickens and there was a red headed girl sleeping on the roof! I opened my mouth, I dunno why, but I did.
"What are you doing up there?" I shouted at the girl. She woke with a start and stared at me.
"What do you want?"
"You just looked uncomfortable up there. Do you live here?"
"Wish I didn't."
"Why not?" I asked.
"Too much happens. I dunno if you understand that but-"
"Oh, no I understand." I interrupted.
"Sometimes I just wish I could have a normal life, you know?" she said. I nodded. "It's like, why me? What did I-"
"Do to deserve this." I completed, feeling I had finally met someone who understood. Suddenly the front door opened and a boy with bright red hair and lots of freckles came out.
"Ginny! What are you doing? Talking to a Muggle? Sleeping on the roof? What has gotten into you?"
"Go away, Ron." said the girl called Ginny. I opened the gate, my temper getting the better of me. He had called me something! I didn't know what it meant but it probably wasn't good.
"What did you call me?" I threatened Ron. Suddenly I heard footsteps behind me.
"Rachel, leave him alone!"
"Geroff, Jake, what are you, my mother?" I swung my arm forward and punched Ron in the face.
"Muggle yourself!"
"Cassie, help me!" Jake said helplessly. Cassie stepped forward.
"Rachel, I know being an Animorph is frustrating. We've all had these phases. Remember I quit and morphed a butterfly? Remember we all, except you, quit when the Andalites came? It's hard, Rachel, it really is. Don't give up, whatever you do, don't give up."
"Stupid, Cassie, you just gave us away to those redheads over there!" Marco exclaimed.
"Oh, man." Jake said, running his hand through his hair.
"Animorph?" Ginny asked.
"Ron! Ron! Ron!" said someone from behind us.
"Harry! Hermione!" Ron called; I turned around and saw a boy with wild black hair and a girl with fluffy brown hair racing toward the Ron kid.
"Where have you two been? I've been writing you each about twenty letters a day! Pig came back with all but one to you, Hermione."
"I got that one." Hermione said.
"Pig?" we Animorphs echoed. My anger began to ebb away in the confusion.
"Who are they?" Hermione said, turning to look at us.
"We could ask the same of you." Tobias, in human morph, muttered.
This could lead to some awkward explanations.
My feet ache. I've been walking for maybe a week now. Help. Help. Help. Oh, by the way, I'm Mimi, holder of the crest of sincerity. You've probably heard of me in Sora's entry. We're keeping this journal to make sure we don't miss any clues involving the mysterious Dark Magics. It's my turn to write. Oh, look, there's a hole in the bottom of my shoe; if only there was a mall here. It's been so long since I was last in the Digiworld, I've forgotten what it's like to live without refrigerators and malls. Just think, it's been four years already! Oh, what a life I have led. Well, we Digi-destined are all here, scrummaging for food. Oh, wait, what's that noise? We've gotta go check it out...
"My nose hurts." complained the boy with long brown hair.
"His nose hurts," Ron muttered to me.
"Life sucks." continued the boy. "I mean, I'm not only Super-hero Boy with supernatural powers, but Rachel has to get all psycho on us and beat ME up! Me!"
"Oh, shut up, Marco," said one of the other boys tolerantly. I elbowed Ron in the ribs and whispered, "What are they doing here?"
"I dunno," he whispered back. "They just kinda...were here...I guess."
"What's Ginny doing on the roof?" Hermione said, in a half-whisper. Evidently, the blond-haired girl heard her because she turned to Ginny and shouted, "Hey, Ginny!" Ginny looked at her.
"What?" she replied.
"You related to this red-haired freak?" the blond-haired girl jutted her thumb at Ron and I felt a surge of anger. Ginny looked at Ron, then at me, then at the blond girl.
"Unfortunately." Ginny shouted back.
"Mind if I take him down?"
"No!" a boy with short brown hair said. "Rachel, stop it right now! You've lost it."
"That much is obvious." Marco snorted. Rachel glared at him.
"I'm outta here." she muttered, and left. The other kids looked at each other.
"What now?" asked a black girl. The brown-haired boy sighed.
"Split up." he said. "Ax, Tobias, you two go after Rachel. Go hawk, you'll spot her better from the air. The rest of us will sort this out." A strangely handsome boy and another brown-haired boy left the way Rachel had gone. The remaining people turned to us.
"What did you mean by Pig?" asked the black girl. Ron looked at me and I looked at him.
"Oh, bubotuber pus." Hermione said. "Let's just go inside."
"Bubotuber pus?" the other people echoed.
"Good idea." Ron said. "Ginny, get off the roof!"
"No!" was Ginny's immediate reply.
"WHAT?" Ron said incredulously. "C'mon Gin, you've been up there all night already. It's gotta be uncomfortable."
"So what?" Ginny answered. "It's better than being inside." I yawned.
"Ron, if Ginny wants to stay on the roof, let Ginny stay on the roof. I don't think there's anything wrong with it." Ron glared at me.
"Oh yeah?" he said. "Ginny, get OFF the roof now!" Ginny sighed and turned away.
"Ginny, please, what if a werewolf comes along?" Hermione pleaded. The Muggles looked confused.
"There aren't any werewolves in this area." Ginny scoffed. "And how would they get on the roof, if there were any?"
"That's enough!!" called the brown-haired boy.
"Oh, really?" Ron retorted. "Well, what are you gonna do about it, Muggle?"
"Honestly, Ron!" said Hermione. "Grow up!"
"Marco, morph gorilla. I'll go tiger." I heard the brown-haired boy mutter. "Cassie, stand by, we may need you."
"Yes, oh fearless leader." said Marco. I looked over at him and was more than surprised to see him slowly changing. He was growing hair. His back bent, his muscles strengthened, his facial features squashed, and soon he had become a gorilla. I took a step backward.
"That is just not right." Ron muttered.
"Look," Hermione whispered, pointing to where the brown-haired boy had been standing. In his place was a tiger, huge and deadly....
"Uh-oh," I muttered. Just then there was a pop and Bill, Charlie and Percy appeared on the lawn.
"Umm, Ron, what's going on here?" Charlie said nervously. "Why's there a tiger and a gorilla in our yard?"
"Get those animals out of here or I'll have to call the Department for the Disposal of Magical Creatures." said Percy imperiously.
"Who asked you?" Ron retorted.
"Anyway, they're not magical." Hermione said. "Or at least not magical creatures."
"What do you mean?" Bill said. "Are they Animagi?"
"Sort of. . ." I said, glancing nervously at the tiger, who started to pounce. Charlie whipped out his wand and shouted, "Stupefy!" It stopped dead in its tracks.
"What did you do?" the black girl cried. "JAKE!"
"They seem to be able to transform into animals at will, like Animagi." Hermione said. "Except-"
"Except what?" Percy said.
"Except they're Muggles." she finished. All three of Ron's eldest brothers' eyes popped out.
"Merlin's Beard." Bill whispered.
Our reverie of amazed silence was broken by the girl crying out, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO JAKE?! TURN HIM BACK! HE DOESN'T DESERVE THIS! IT-"
"I'm reporting this to Fudge." Percy decided suddenly. He was about to Apparate but Charlie stopped him.
"Don't. You. Dare." he said between clenched teeth. "You know we've got to go to Dumbledore. This is no time to be thinking about your goddamned career." He looked at the rest of us and begun talking in a low voice. "I want you all to listen to me. I've got experience with dragons so I'll be in charge. We're going to surround the girl. If the others can change, she can too. We'll stun them and Bill-you're good at Weightless Charms. Percy, go to Dumbledore and try and get him to come here, or get a Portkey or something. Ron, get Ginny off the godforsaken roof. Now."
We all pulled out our wands and began slowly moving toward the black girl.