McGonagall didn't know what she had been thinking, allowing Albus to talk her into teaching her Seventh Years how to become animagi. She couldn't even remember the majority of his arguments, only something about how they deserved the opportunity to do so in a safe environment. A disastrous experiment, at best. Currently, there were five students who had been caught mid-transformation, and three who'd managed to transform and had promptly passed out after looking at themselves in the mirror (Longbottom was literally a bear to move). Granted, the rest had gone according to plan, some transforming completely whilst others were not yet ready…all except Potter. The scarred young man who was still trying to pretend he was a normal child had been caught in the midst of his transformation when his body had convulsed severely. The most alarming moment had been when different body parts had begun changing.

When the young Gryffindor had eventually lain prone, he was nothing short of odd. From his shoulders sprouted raven wings; his entire lower half was a somehow-humanoid form of a powerful lion, though the tail was that of a long, thin snake; his ears had moved to the top of his head and grown black-white fur while becoming pointed; and a quick inspection of his face had exposed fangs as well as canines where his premolars should have been, a forked tongue slightly smaller than a normal tongue might have been, and green eyes quite obviously feline in nature. For now, he was as unconscious as his peers in the Hospital Wing, but where they had been returned to their natural human state, no potion, spell, or combination of the two had affected Harry Potter's changed appearance. Minerva was understandably concerned over what would occur when he woke, due to the massive spike in his core leaving him in a magically-induced coma. They could only guess when his magic would let him awaken, and hoped fretfully that it would be when his muscles had healed from the stress of the transformations and convulsions. The only Professor who seemed unconcerned with the wizarding savior was the Potions Master, who merely studied the body with burning curiosity.

Granted, they were all curious. Poppy had been forced to strip the boy of his clothing, which had been shredded during the dozen or so transformations, while Albus, Minerva, and Severus had been scanning the different limbs separately, trying different means of finding the source of his magical spike. The four had been shocked, to say the least, when they discovered his bare torso was covered in scars, and on his legs black scars stood out starkly in the golden fur. Parts of his abdomen were blackened, as if bruised, and scans had shown that this was due to multiple slow bleeds from an extended period of abuse. Had none of them known any better, they'd have thought he was a Muggle boxer. None, though, had been as surprised or angry as the Headmaster, who had sworn aloud for the first time any of them had heard and swept from the room with thunder in his ice blue eyes. When they had determined that nothing more could be done, the absent Headmaster had called his Heads of House to his office.

Once they had all gathered, Minerva was the first to speak. "Albus, I told you of my suspicions before you ever even left him there!" She chided angrily.

The normally confident wizard looked every bit his age as he nodded sadly. "Yes, Minerva, I am aware. I had thought Petunia would-" He stopped with a wince when the Slytherin Head of House hissed angrily.

"You knew of her attitude towards her own sister, and you thought she would treat the spawn of Lily any different?" Snape demanded in a deadly tone.

The Headmaster nodded again. "I had, in fact. Harry has come to me a few times over the years to discuss being sent anywhere over the Summer period, including being kept here, but I had assumed…hoped…that it was due merely to emotional neglect, something that would strengthen him against Voldemort. I never thought Petunia would…" He trailed off again. "Harry is 17 now, so he will never have to return to that place, that is what matters. The Dursley's will be dealt with in due course, but for now we need to concentrate on the pressing matter of his current condition. Poppy has healed his wounds, and most of his scars have been taken away thanks to Severus' potions. This leaves us with the problem of his partial transformation. I believe I may have found the answer."

He gestured to a large tome that lay open on his desk and the four professors stepped forward to read it. It detailed a ritual originally intended for the barbaric Olde ways of discovering one's animagus form, before Potions had come available. None of the professors understood the implications until they reached the end, where it detailed a specific complication involving the meshing of magics. A magical bonding had taken place between Potter and some other magical entity.

"What does this mean, Albus?" Sprout asked cautiously.

Flitwick's voice squeaked from the chair he stood on. "You don't truly think that Mister Potter has-"

"I do, Filius…Hogwarts has claimed our dear Harry. This has never happened, as far as I know, except to a Headmaster, and never to a level such as this. When Harry attempted the transformation whilst injured, Hogwarts herself used the connection between Harry and the castle to infuse his magic with the ancient magic of Hogwart's heart. As the heart of Hogwarts itself was infused with the magic of the four founders, Harry is now essentially the magical heir to them all," Albus explained calmly. "I spoke with Gringotts, the vaults of the founders, untouched since their deaths besides a small heirloom vault accessed by Marvolo Gaunt, have been transferred to his name."

"What will this mean for Potter?" Snape asked evenly.

The old wizard sighed. "From what I could find out, the effect should be similar to when Hogwarts claims a new Headmaster. He is bound to the castle until his death, able to leave for short periods, a few days at most, before his magic draws him back. Additionally, due to the extent of the bond, his core is now four times as powerful, and he will likely excel at any subject the founders did. Unfortunately, not much is known about the founders."

Minerva frowned. "But why did the bond manifest this way? How long will he be stuck with animalistic features? He's a lion, snake, raven and badger, the reception when he wakes to see himself as such will not be pleasant."

"I imagine not, no," The Headmaster agreed. "However, I know little about it. The manifestation was likely due to what he was attempting when the bond had completed. His body wasn't strong enough for the transformation, and when he fell into the convulsions, Hogwarts completed the bonding. There is no way to know how long the transformation will last, it could be with him for the rest of his life."

"The poor dear, he'll be so distraught," Sprout murmured sadly.

The Potions Master sneered. "If I were to be concerned, it would not be over the boy's reaction, but on that of his peers. Children can be cruel, and Potter will instill fear as well as jealousy when what has happened comes to light. Many within the school, and without, will shun him as a freak of magic."

"What do you suggest, Severus?" Albus asked. "We could perhaps keep him from the students…"

"I won't lock him away like some circus freak," Minerva interrupted angrily.

"No," Snape said firmly. "Locking him away will only breed more fear, and convince the jealous students that he is receiving yet more special treatment. The only thing we can do, as his professor's, is behave as though nothing has changed. If we treat him the same, it may show some of the more uncertain students that he is still just Harry Potter. We can't hope to prevent all of the cruelty, the world will tremble at never-before-seen magic such as this, but we can at least keep most of the students on his side by being on his side as well."

The four professors looked at the Potions Master curiously.

"That is a surprising insight on your part, Severus," Albus said quietly. "Your history with the boy would suggest that you might…"

"Might what?" Snape growled.

"Relish young Potter's torture at the hands of the student body," Sprout said boldly, finishing the Headmaster's thought.

The Potions Master snarled at them. "Despite your opinions, I do not hate Potter. I have, in the past, allowed my history with his parents to affect my actions towards him, but I would never intentionally put the boy in harm's way. We will have to be wary on Potter's behalf, the boy trusts too easily; there will be many who will try to take advantage of him, or hurt him. Some may even attempt to kill him because of his differences and new power, perceiving him a threat."

"Surely you don't think the students would…" McGonagall broke off as the Potions Master pulled aside his robe and shirt to expose his collar bone and chest where a long white scar stood out. A souvenir from when Sirius Black had tried to kill him by sending him after a werewolf.

Albus Dumbledore sighed gravely. "Then all we can do is hope for the best…"