Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Harry Potter, except those that clearly aren't from J.K. Rowling's stories. And since I expect anyone reading this by now to be a complete HP aficionado, I'm sure you'll know which ones they are.
Chapter 1 — The Change
"Quiet Hermione," Harry hissed, glancing anxiously up and down the torch-lit corridor.
"I still don't see why we couldn't have used the invisibility cloak," she muttered as they crept through the shadows. "Or the map. They would have saved us a whole lot of trouble."
"Because I don't want to risk something happening to them if this goes wrong," Harry explained yet again. "Come on."
With a final glance behind him and a soft, "Alohamora," Harry ducked into an abandoned classroom, pulling a reluctant Hermione along behind him. If only McGonagall hadn't destroyed the Room of Requirement — it would have been perfect for this! As it was, they would have to make due with the stone cold classroom and hope that nobody would find them.
Guilt bit into Harry once again. Dumbledore was dead and he, Harry, had done nothing to prevent it. Hermione might argue that he had been under Dumbledore's spell at the time — "What could you have done?" — but Harry would never forgive himself for watching while Snape, that murderous traitor, killed Dumbledore in cold blood.
At least Dumbledore had trusted him to hunt down and destroy the Horcruxes — or so he had thought. But a few days before Harry's birthday, when he would have been legally free to set out on his search, the Order had appeared at the Dursley's home and shown him Dumbledore's will. In it, Dumbledore clearly stated that it was crucial for Harry to finish school before embarking on his search for Voldemort. Harry didn't understand why — what had Hogwarts left to teach him, anyway? But Dumbledore never said nor did anything without a reason, so for once Harry shut his mouth, packed his bags, and returned to Hogwarts as a 7th year student.
Of course, returning to Hogwarts didn't mean that he planned to give up fighting. On the contrary, Harry's hatred for Voldemort and his leech, Snape, had flamed into an all-consuming fire. Which is why he was in a cold abandoned classroom at 2:00 at night.
Hermione watched with concern as Harry paused in the doorway, his eyes glazing over with memory. Once again, she was glad that Harry had decided not to tell Ron what they were doing. Not only would Ron's ineptitude at Transfiguration have slowed them down, but his tactless comments would have made Harry's decision harder than it already was. Not to mention that Ron's absence meant Hermione didn't have to deal with him any more than she had to.
She didn't know why she let the redhead affect her so much. He was a nuisance – hadn't all their arguing last summer proven as much? Breaking up had almost been a relief. She could finally get on with her life…as Ron had certainly gotten on with his.
Hermione scowled and Harry, breaking out of his own thoughts, saw the scowl and misinterpreted it. "This is the last time, I promise. One more draught is all we need, right? Then we should be permanent Animagi."
"We?" Hermione asked, unable to keep the bitterness from her voice. "Don't you mean you?"
These last few months had shown them both quite clearly that there was something that Hermione — brown-eyed, bushy-haired Hermione, the smartest witch in their year — could not do. She could not transform into an Animagi.
It didn't make any sense. She had spent hours under Harry's invisibility cloak in the Restricted Section of the library, learning how to brew the potion and how to perform the wand motions and incantations that would eventually let them transform at will into their inner beast. She knew she had done it right because the last few times they'd met, Harry had successfully made the partial transformation that preceded the ability to transform into the entire animal. Yet no matter how hard she tried, she could not change even a hair.
"Maybe you just need the final dose," Harry suggested uncomfortably. "Then I bet you could do it."
Hermione nodded. It was worth a shot. "Here we go." She handed Harry a vial and held one up herself. "Cheers," she said dully, and together they downed the potion.
Change, Hermione though desperately. She had drunk the potion, performed the enchantments…by all rights, her body should now possess the power of instant metamorphosis. Change.
A bead of sweat rolled into her eye and broke her concentration. She was still 100% Hermione Granger. Harry, on the other hand…
…was happily pouncing around the classroom, leaping onto desks and chairs several times taller than he was and then jumping off again, always landing on all four feet.
Eventually he stopped in front of her and, in spite of her misery at not being able to transform, Hermione couldn't help admire the animal he had become. He was a handsome black housecat with silken fur and delicate pink-padded paws. His eyes were his own – a startling emerald green, but they fit the cat he had become, making him look luminous and mysterious all at once.
Suddenly the cat was gone, and the boy Harry was back.
"Congratulations," Hermione said, forcing herself to smile.
"Thanks," Harry said. He looked jubilant, but at the same time downcast. At her questioning look, he elaborated. "I was kind of hoping that I would be a stag like my dad, or even a dog like Sirius."
"But this is so much better!" Hermione exclaimed, practical as ever. "Cats are so common – you're used to sticking out no matter where you go, but as a cat you could go anywhere and nobody would care."
"Anywhere…," Harry began slowly, "…like a Death Eater's meeting?"
Hermione instantly saw the advantage of his suggestion. "They'd think you were one of theirs! All Animagi are supposed to be registered, and they'd never think that any of us — well, you," she rushed on, ignoring the dismay that swept through her, "would be capable of doing this at our age, without training. They'd never suspect!"
"Yeah," said Harry, beginning to get excited. "Yeah! I need to practice more, though. I interpret things differently as a cat. It's going to take a bit of practice to get these instincts under control."
With that, he transformed once more into a cat. Hermione watched him prance around the room without really seeing him. Why couldn't she turn into an animal too? Though the process was complicated, she had performed it all correctly, and she had never heard of anyone coming this far and not being able to make the transformation.
"Maybe I just don't have an inner beast," she murmured out loud.
"Ever try a bookworm?" a sarcastic voice asked from behind her.
Hermione let out a small gasp and whirled around, pointing her wand at the tall boy who was casually leaning against the wall.
She had shut the door, she was certain of it, and neither she nor Harry, with his sharp, feline ears, had heard the Slytherin come in. That must mean he had been here…
"—the whole time Granger, that's right," he smirked. "If you and Potthead were any less observant, you'd rival Crabbe and Goyle."
"Shut up, Malfoy," Hermione bit out, trying desperately to think. Harry hadn't changed back yet, which meant he probably didn't have his cat senses entirely under control. The Quintessential Animagi had said it could take several minutes, especially for those just learning how to transform. How long had it been? Harry was crouched at her feet, looking bemusedly from Hermione to Malfoy and back again.
"Tsk, tsk, temper Granger. You ought to be more careful," Malfoy drawled, the smirk never leaving his face. "Once McGonagall expels you, there will be no one to protect you. That temper of yours could get you into trouble." Hermione didn't miss the meaningful way the boy rested his wand against his left forearm, and at that small action, she exploded.
"You ungrateful maggot! If the Order didn't have the decency you lack, you'd be dead by now. I don't know how you convinced McGonagall to let you back into this school, and I don't care if it was actually Snape who said the words or not, you're a cold-blooded killer and you are less than the scum on the bottom of my shoes!"
Malfoy whipped out his wand faster than an attacking adder, and Hermione's gaze shot to it, so she missed the quick blinking of his eyes as the truth of her words hit home.
"Your precious Dumbledore deserved to die!" he snarled. "Dumbledore's Army? You lot couldn't even stop Snape, how do you expect to take on Voldemort? Once I tell the Minister about your breaking the Animagi-Control Act, you two will be in Azkaban, and I will personally be there when You-Know-Who gives the order for the Dementors to suck your souls!"
For once, Hermione didn't think, she just acted. "Obliviate!" she shouted, just as Malfoy yelled, "Imperio!" Neither of them saw the confusion in the cat's eyes clear, nor saw him leap towards Malfoy just as the two teens cast their spells.
The two streams of magic hit Harry full on. A blinding flash of light illuminated every crevice in the room, and a soundless blast momentarily deafened them.
When the lightning cleared from their eyes, the two students looked down. The cat that was Harry Potter lay curled up on the floor, dead.
Please review! Whether you love it or hate it, I want to know.
I've gone ahead and attached a chapter summary to the end of each chapter, in case you need a quick reminder of the storyline.
Chapter 1 Summary:
Harry and Hermione are in the final stages of become Animagi. Harry successfully transforms into a cat, but Hermione cannot make the change. Draco witnesses the transfiguration, and a duel of spells between him and Hermione strikes Harry instead.