CHAPTER 4

"Harry, Ginny, Draco, if you would excuse us for a moment, we need to settle a few things," Professor McGonagall said. Mrs. Craglin was completely in tears now, wiping her eyes and blowing her nose with tissues offered to her by McGonagall, while Mr. Craglin was angrily shaking his head, pacing around in front of McGonagall's desk and hissing something low at Nate, who was looking shell-shocked and nearly in tears himself.

Draco and my parents rose and headed for the door where Erickson had taken it upon himself to usher them out. Scorpius and I followed quietly at a short distance, never straying from each other's side. When the adults all had their backs turned, Scorpius chanced pressing his muzzle against my neck briefly, nuzzling warmly, just before Mum turned around to encourage us to follow.

Once outside on the landing, Erickson politely gestured for us to follow him into the private room off the Great Hall, the one we'd lined up in as first-years before being Sorted.

"We haven't cancelled any classes except for my own," he explained, once he closed the door behind us. "We don't want to alarm the other students and it's probably best if we maintain privacy as best we can until this ordeal is resolved."

"So what's the plan?" Dad asked, hands on his hips, already in Auror mode. "Casting experimental magic on underage wizards is a serious crime, not just grounds for expulsion."

Erickson nodded, "Yes, Professor McGonagall explained to Nate that he might very well face charges from the Ministry. I'm sure she'll turn over anything needed for a trial. I'll testify as well if necessary, and of course –" he looked down at Scorpius and me. "Once the boys are back to normal, I'm sure they'll be happy to explain what exactly happened as well."

We both nodded, and I felt Mum stroke gently over my ears. I found that I liked the feeling so I stayed seated at her side and she continued her gentle ministrations.

Draco asked Erickson what his part in all this was, probably mostly to burn time until McGonagall had finished with the Craglins, so Erickson told about how he noticed his students were missing after lunch and enlisted our help to find them. Less than ten minutes later, the missing boys had run back into the classroom in a panic, teary and shouting for help. When he got to the classroom Hodges and Leary had indicated, there was Craglin, laughing his head off at two livid wolves.

Our parents all sighed, exasperated, then dissolved into uneasy silence. Erickson's story had revealed almost nothing, and offered no answers or solutions. I was aching to tell them what happened, and while I'd never been overly talkative before – especially with my parents – I felt terribly frustrated that I couldn't speak at all in that moment.

My agitation must have showed, because Mum squatted down next to us and looked me right in the eye. She was smiling softly and shaking her head in an affectionate sort of disbelief at the situation.

"You boys should be proud of yourselves," she said sweetly, and she stroked her hand fleetingly over Scorpius' furred foreleg, then my own. "Pulling those other boys out – that was brave of you. At least you're not hurt. And Minerva and Andre will set you both right again."

At the mention of his name, Erickson rolled up his sleeves importantly and looked at the two of us. "Right, well, let's start with the basics," he said, intently. Pointing his wand at Scorpius, he muttered, "Fera verto."

Nothing happened, which was probably for the best with the way Scorpius cringed away from him and Draco glowered at Erickson.

"Let's leave the spellwork to Minerva," Draco said tightly, moving to stand protectively in front of Scorpius.

"If he's developed a counterspell and he provides it to her willingly, it might help reduce his sentencing," Dad mused quietly, almost to himself, as he looked absently into the fireplace. "Not that a case like this would carry a light sentence, of course, but cooperation helps everyone. First and foremost, we need to get the boys Transfigured back and make sure they're healthy."

The room once again descended into uncomfortable silence for several more minutes in which the adults all seemed to have nothing better to do than stare at Scorpius and me, scrutinizing us with pained expressions on the faces. I could feel Scorpius' unease increasing, triggered more so by the stress level in the room than by his Transfigured state, though neither of us dared to move in for comforting cuddles in front of this lot. His hackles were raised, and I felt mine lift as well.

Unable to take the mounting tension in the room, and not trusting myself to avoid snuggling up to Scorpius while sitting so close to him, I started pacing the room to calm my nerves. I felt everyone's eyes tracking me as I stalked around aimlessly, occasionally shaking out my coat, until McGonagall entered abruptly, looking slightly flustered. I walked back over to my mother's side as the Headmistress took out her wand.

"Young Mr. Craglin just gave me the counterspell, so let's get this started, shall we?" She said. She indicated for our parents to back away from us but none of them moved.

"What if he lied about it?" Draco asked apprehensively, and I heard my dad hum in agreement.

"Exactly, what if the spell he gave you makes the Transfiguration entirely permanent, or changes them further?" Dad asked, nodding at Draco.

"Mr. and Mrs. Craglin authorized me to use Veritaserum on Nate to ensure the accuracy of the counterspell instructions," McGonagall said matter-of-factly.

If I'd had eyebrows right then, they'd have been in my hairline. I couldn't imagine her using Truth Potion on an underage student, even with parental permission, but I suppose desperate times and all that.

There was a ripple of shock in the room at her pronouncement, but everyone here knew Vertiserum well enough to know that whatever instructions he'd given her while under its influence were completely truthful.

My parents both leaned down, cocking reassuring half-smiles and each giving me firm ruffles over what used to be my shoulders. I tried to say, "Thanks, guys, it'll be fine," out of reflex but it came out as a pathetic drawn-out whine instead. How unmanly. The undignified sound earned me a cooed, "Awww, love," and a kiss on the muzzle from Mum. I snorted, embarrassed.

They stood up and I turned toward Scorpius, who was wagging his tail ever-so-slightly as his dad spoke softly to him. Then Draco stood from where he was kneeling down and ruffled a hand over Scorpius' neck before backing away to stand off to the side as well, on the opposite side of the fireplace as my parents. "You're sure about this, Professor?" He asked nervously.

"I think I can handle a bit of Transfiguration, Draco," she said coolly. "Cragin's process was actually remarkably neat and simple, even if the incantation was lengthy. Boys?"

Scorpius and I moved towards her, and were standing as close to each other then as we were when the attack first happened, our furred shoulders brushing slightly. McGonagall started muttering an almost musical spell, the end of her wand issuing a light green smoke that surrounded us, much like the purple smoke did earlier. But rather than crackling with energy, this one began to shimmer harmlessly as it wrapped us up. It slowly obscured my vision and when I turned my head, the last thing I saw before it overtook me were my parents' faces, both grimacing fretfully.

The spell's magical execution might have felt gentler, but the transformation itself was just as rough as the first time. My bones bent impossibly, twisting and growing this time. My fingers cracked as they lengthened, and I couldn't hold in the half-wolf, half-human grunt of pain as they snapped, one by one. My nose felt like it was being shoved back into my face, as though I was being pressed mercilessly into a brick wall. I could no longer breathe so I couldn't cry out as my teeth ground down and my ears felt as if they were being yanked down my skull. The odd warmth that had settled over me from the first transformation was lifting now, and I shivered as it rose from my skin, pulling itself out of my pores. My head spun, my balance faltered, and my newly-reformed knees gave out entirely. I was cold all over and my back spasmed brutally as my spine compressed, no longer accommodating a tail.

I groggily realized that the smoke had cleared, and I could make out the vague shapes of my parents. A sudden stab of vanity gripped me just then and I wished my parents weren't here to see me like this, especially as my arms snapped back to their correct positions, my elbows locking and then giving out, forcing me over heavily onto my aching back. I couldn't contain the sharp, ringing groan that I let out as my shoulders broadened too quickly and the joints popped, my arms reseating themselves in their sockets. My shout triggered a pained gasp from my mother, and again I desperately wished that she wasn't here to see this.

I rolled again as my ribs rippled around inside my chest before I collapsed, my transformation finally finished, and I ended up on my side facing Scorpius, who was squirming rather spastically, hissing out a grunt as his back arched painfully. I watched, utterly sickened, as several of his vertebrae slotted themselves back into place, one by one. After a final jerk of a backwards-twisted wrist that made him growl much the way his wolf-self might have, Scorpius settled down as well, panting.

We were winded and listless, and suddenly I felt hands on me and heard voices, although I couldn't immediately make out what was being said by anyone for a few moments. I laid still for a few more breaths, listening to the panicked flutter of my racing heartbeat while two pairs of gentle hands stroked over my hair, shook my shoulder, squeezed my hand, rubbed my back. Then the unsteadiness seemed to pass, waring off surprisingly fast for how intense it was. I shakily sat up and blinked the tears out of my eyes. When had I started to cry?

Mum was wiping my face as Dad held me up by my shoulder, peering at me carefully. This was the most upset I'd seen them they had since they'd Floo'd into the Headmistress' office. My vision sharpened, my brain slowly catching up, and it felt momentarily strange to be able to make out so many colors that the wolf couldn't. My pulse was still thudding through my whole body and my mouth was dry.

I heard coughing and looked to my left, seeing Scorpius being helped up to a sitting position by Draco. I felt a surge of relief. My best mate was back and in as good a shape as I could ask for after the insane couple hours we'd just had.

"Oh, boys, I'd like for you to go straight to the Hospital Wing so you can be monitored," said Professor McGonagall, rather anxiously. "How do you feel? That looked much slower and more awful than any animal Transfiguration I've ever performed, I'm so sorry."

"Not at all, Professor," Scorpius croaked, then coughed again. "We're human, at least."

"Did it work? Nothing - wolfish…leftover?" Dad asked me.

I took a quick mental inventory as well as I could while sitting on the ground, feeling like I'd just been hit by the Hogwarts Express.

"Feel fine. Nothing feels off. But we'll let you know, Professor, after we've had a chance to rest," I said to McGonagall and she beamed unsteadily for the first time that afternoon, looking somewhat reassured.

Scorpius surprised everyone by standing up suddenly, shaking out his limbs and stretching before Draco could get up to follow him. "Thank you, Headmistress, I don't think a better execution of that spell would have been possible. I think Nate just didn't factor in comfort." He grinned gratefully at her. "But I am parched and starving," he announced. "Albus?"

I found that I was able to stand up as well and, letting Mum take my hand, began to walk with Scorpius towards the door. "I'll have an early dinner sent up to you," the Headmistress called after us. "Also, Harry, if you wouldn't mind – when you have a moment after Albus is settled, could you –?"

Dad looked over at her and nodded. "Absolutely, Professor. I'll be back to your office to speak with the Craglins and I'll open the official inquiry this evening."

Professor McGonagall smiled tightly and nodded before leaving out another door leading to the Kitchens, Erickson following after her.

The five of us made an odd group as we headed up to the Hospital Wing.

"That looked much more painful that I imagined it would be, like Minerva said," Dad fussed and Mum looked at me solemnly, squeezing my hand tighter. "All the Transfigurations I've seen or done never seemed to cause pain to any living thing being Transfigured."

I didn't want to worry them any more than they already were, but after the events of fourth year, I'd made it a goal to at least try to avoid flat-out lying to them. I glanced over at Scorpius, who was looking straight ahead. He'd obviously heard what my dad had said and was now pointedly avoiding eye contact with both me and his own father.

"Honestly, yeah, it – it was pretty uncomfortable," I said, not looking at anyone. "I'm not sure how long it took on either end, I kind of lost track of time on both Transfigurations, but it feels like it lasted a while. The second one – turning back, I mean – felt a bit..."

"Turning back felt much worse," Scorpius muttered almost angrily, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Draco's brow furrow and jaw clench even more. Scorpius briefly caught my eye and shrugged.

Well hell, if he's going to be blunt, I will be as well.

"Yeah, it bloody hurt. Both times. Slow and painful," I said firmly. There was a collective sigh of frustration from the group; narrowly-contained anger that not only had Craglin attacked and used us, but hurt us as well. The last time anyone had hurt either of us intentionally was when Delphi –

Nope. I was not going to think about that just then. Absolutely not.

"You're going to pursue charges, Potter," Draco snarled at my dad. "As stiff a penalty as the law allows. And no getting off easy just because he's underage."

"Of course I am, Draco," Dad growled back and I can't stop from rolling my eyes at their casual, never-ending feud. "Underage wizard or not, this is a serious crime. He's already been expelled and his wand snapped. I plan to arrest him when I head back to Minerva's office, right then and there."

Draco huffed his displeasure and we continued on in heavy silence until we reached the Hospital Wing.

Madam Fairmont, a gifted young Healer whom Professor McGonagall had convinced to leave St. Mungo's for Hogwarts, replaced aging Madam Pomfrey a few years prior. As we entered, she was collecting trays of food from a pair of House Elves. One of them told her something as she set the second tray down, before they both bowed deeply and vanished with two tiny pops.

"In bed, the pair of you," she said to Scorpius and me, kind but firm. "The Headmistress sent elves with your food, but she also sent along the message that you ought to be given a potion of distilled mandrake as a supplemental restorative."

"To help counteract any lingering effects of the Transfiguration," Scorpius said, reciting as if he was in class, while kicking off his shoes and shrugging off his robes before he climbed into the bed to my right.

"Is that what happened, then? A Transfiguration?" she asked, handing each of us cups of water before hurrying to the cupboard to retrieve the correct potion bottle. Our parents took seats near us but stayed out of Madam Fairmont's way.

"Yes, ma'am," Scorpius said, still managing to be his usual polite self even through his fatigue and hunger.

"Class assignment gone wrong, or a prank?" She asked shrewdly, selecting a bottle and starting to measure out the contents in two cups.

"Neither, ma'am, not exactly a prank –" Scorpius started to say, but was interrupted.

"They were attacked by another student," Dad said impatiently. "Nate Craglin."

Mum cut in, "They were protecting a couple of second-year boys from him."

"You mean young Mr. Hodges and Mr. Leary," said Madam Fairmont, ceasing her measuring and looking up at us, suddenly piecing together the active afternoon she must have had. "Professor Erickson brought them in earlier, poor boys were frightened half out of their wits. The Professor didn't give me any details, just that a sixth-year had been using 'ill-advised' magic around them."

I couldn't help but scoff at Erickson's sugar-coating. "'Ill-advised magic.' It was indeed that."

"It was Craglin, you say?" Madam Fairmont asked, her gaze sharpening in concern, and a bit of skepticism too. "I wouldn't have guessed it."

Draco's glare seemed to be permanently affixed to his face but he said nothing. Dad answered again, "He used a Transfiguration of his own making. I'll be having the Improper Use of Magic Office open an investigation. Minerva has already expelled him."

Madam Fairmont straightened suddenly, looking alarmed at the news. She grew more serious but didn't say anything more and returned to her task hastily. She finished measuring out the glasses and replaced the bottle back in the cabinet.

"After you've had this, you can have you your dinner trays," she said, handing each of us a cup full of an oily-looking potion the color of wet clay. It smelled like earth after rain, a scent I found quite pleasant. The texture was an entirely different story, however. It gagged me, somehow being both runny and chunky all at once, like poorly a blended smoothie.

I quickly chased it down with another glass of water that Madam Fairmont had passed me, while mum situated the dinner tray on my lap. I dug into the beef stew and saw Scorpius doing the same.

"So what happened?" Dad asked.

Ugh, really, he wants to talk right now?

I swallowed thickly. "Like Erickson told you, really. Scorpius and I have a free period after lunch, so we were going to go back the Common Room, but Erickson stopped us as we were walking past his classroom, and said he couldn't find a couple of his Gryffindors. Luckily Scorpius already knew one of them, Hodges, from tutoring him last year." I gulped another bite of carrots and potatoes.

"So we retraced our steps, and then we heard this blast from down the corridor from an empty classroom and ran in and sure enough, the boys were in there, but so was Craglin and he was going into some sort of trance. Started doing what you just saw Professor McGonagall do, except Craglin's spell made purple smoke that sort of burned." I chanced another bite.

"Anyway, Scorpius yelled at him but he didn't seem to hear him and didn't stop his incantation so we ran inside and Scorpius got the kids down and I shoved them away. I told them to run for a teacher." I took another huge bite.

Scorpius took up the baton, having been able to shovel food in his mouth the entire time I was talking.

"So the boys ran for it, but by that time, we were pretty much wrapped up in the smoke and it touched us and we just… changed. It was slow and dizzying and…" he swiped a nervous look at his dad but continued, "– it was pretty painful." Draco dropped his head for a second, hissing out an angry sigh before he looked back up at his son.

"But then there we were, just…" Scorpius trailed off, shaking his head and I totally understood. He was remembering that strange few moments where we felt like ourselves in our minds, but our bodies didn't even remotely match.

"It was so confusing," he said, "because my consciousness didn't change. I still felt like me, but I looked down and saw paws. And I looked over where Albus was supposed to be and there's just this big, black wolf. And I freaked out because I didn't connect that it was you at first," he finished, looking over at me.

I nodded. "Yeah, same. I tried to say something but it just came out all growly. And then there's Craglin standing there, just completely thrilled with it." I was almost haunted now by the elation in his laugh, his unadulterated victory in Transfiguring us, our consent be damned.

"By about that time, Erickson showed up and sent Hodges and Leary to get Professor McGonagall," Scorpius went on. "Then after she got there and talked to him for a bit, Erickson Disarmed Craglin and we all went up to her office and she contacted all of you."

Everyone was silent and attentive. Dad nodded when Scorpius finished. "Thanks for telling us, boys. You'll probably still need to testify for the Ministry."

"Why can't we just give our memories and have the Wizengamot view them in a Pensieve?" I asked. I'd always wondered that. Wizarding trials always seemed to depend so heavily on witness accounts and testimony, when viewing memories exactly as they were seemed like a much more efficient way of discerning the truth of a situation. No lies or embellishments possible.

Dad nodded, looking a bit surprised. "You could offer that, if you want to, but that's not common. You might still be called to give traditional testimony on top of that, if they have additional questions."

"Craglin said he'd developed the Transfiguration to include a sort of Permanency Charm," Scorpius cut in suddenly, having just finished his plate. Everyone turned to look at him.

"He wanted to create a spell that could turn someone into something, then have them get Transfigured back while permanently retaining some trait of the thing they were Transfigured into. He used some stupid Quidditch excuse for it."

There were gasps and looks of disgust from everyone.

Madam Fairmont, until then completely silent as Scorpius and I said our bit, quickly interrupted. "Wait, you're saying he designed part of an experimental spell to leave the… subjects altered? Forever?" She looked outraged.

I looked around. They all looked horrified and angry. I realized this was the first time it had been brought up since we heard it from Craglin himself back in the classroom while we were still Transfigured; McGonagall hadn't included that detail back in her office.

"What didn't get Transfigured back correctly?" Mum asked, suddenly grabbing my arm and looking me over, as though looking for remnants of padded paws or shaggy fur. Draco had moved up in his seat and was staring hard at Scorpius, scrutinizing him the way Mum was scrutinizing me, minus the contact.

I was a bit startled at her intensity and I stuttered, "I – I'm not sure, I feel fine, really."

And it wasn't a lie, I truly didn't feel different. Sore, yes, from the double Transfiguration in the span of only a couple hours, but nothing I wouldn't have expected. I looked over at Scorpius, who shrugged.

"Same, mate. His spell must have failed. It was experimental after all and he was so full of himself that he probably got his spell proportions incorrect. That, or McGonagall managed to undo whatever he thought he made permanent," Scorpius said.

"He's certainly got nothing on her, especially when it comes to Transfiguration," I agreed. "Her counterspell looked and felt very different too, even though she said she got it straight from him. It was green and didn't burn."

"I still want to do exams and cognitive tests anyway," said Madam Fairmont, and our parents all nodded wholeheartedly before Scorpius and I could agree. I guess that decision was made for us, then.

"Ready when you are," I said wryly. I moved the dinner tray off my lap and onto the table next to me and looked pointedly at my parents, who were still sitting by my bed.

They took the hint and stood to leave, Mum leaning over to kiss my forehead and rub my arm. Dad watched me but didn't move, then said, "You know, Al – Albus. Back in the McGonagall's office, when you walked up to us… I couldn't help but think you looked almost exactly the way Sirius looked when he was in his dog form. Huge and shaggy – gave me a bit of a blast from the past, actually." He quirked a fond half-smile, remembering his godfather whom I'd only seen in pictures or heard about in stories.

I suddenly felt the old awkwardness of misunderstanding that we'd wrestled with so much in my fourth year. "A good blast from the past, I hope?" I said, my anxiety getting the best of me.

Did I want to know that I'd unintentionally reminded Dad of his godfather, who was murdered right in front of him by Draco's aunt Bellatrix?

But Dad just smiled, "Yeah, a good one, of course. I thought I'd never see him again."

"And technically you still haven't." I smiled thinly, relieved that he wasn't upset.

He actually laughed at that and clapped his hand over my ankle for a few seconds. "Very true. Write to us if you notice anything different, okay? And tell Professor McGonagall straight away."

"Will do," I said.

They moved away and I looked over to see Draco standing up from where Scorpius had had him in an eager hug. Draco nodded at Madam Fairmont and passed my Dad, saying curtly, "Keep me posted on the investigation."

He didn't wait to see Dad nod his assent, but instead strode purposefully from the Hospital Wing without a backwards glance.

"I need to meet with the Craglins again," Dad sighed. "And I'll probably make the arrest as well. It could take some time."

"I'll surprise Lily for dinner in the Great Hall, then," Mum said. "She should know what happened anyway. And besides, I've missed the Hogwarts cooking."

"What's wrong with my cooking?" Dad asked, mock-insulted, as they started to leave. Mum turned to give me an affectionate wink before linking her arm with Dad's and the two of them walked out of the Hospital Wing.

Madam Fairmont had already drawn the curtains around Scorpius' bed and began to do the same around mine. She performed his exam first, but it sounded as uneventful as mine ended up being. We didn't even get fully undressed, which I was glad for, and Madam Fairmont seemed satisfied with what she found – or didn't find, as it were. She released us both within an hour and, having already eaten, we headed back to the Slytherin Common Room, passing several Housemates as they left for dinner. We had the dormitory to ourselves in a rare moment of luck.

Once the door closed, Scorpius pulled me into a long, comforting kiss. We slowly parted and just held each other, pressing our foreheads together.

"Are you okay?" He asked quietly, seriously. "Actually okay?"

"I think so. Are you?" I stroked my thumb up his jawline and he leaned into it.

He nodded tiredly. "Yeah, I guess so. I think we'll be okay. I'm glad McGonagall got us sorted out quickly, I'm not sure I'd want to be trapped in a wolf's body for the rest of my life."

"You made a cute wolf," I said. He blushed a bit and it was so endearing that I couldn't resist pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"But I'd never get to finish school as a wolf," he whined.

"That's the worst thing you can imagine about being a wolf?" I laughed.

He smirked and lightly swatted my belly. "Go to bed, wolfboy," he said playfully, kissing me once more and pulling away to get ready to settle in for the night. It was too early for bed normally, just barely dinner time, but we were both too tired to do any homework after the afternoon we'd had. We could catch up tomorrow.

As I pulled on my pajamas, I saw that Scorpius had already dressed and was trying to read in bed, but he'd fallen asleep with the book open on his chest. I carefully pulled it off him and marked his page with a quill from his side table. Then I pressed a kiss to his temple and got settled into my own four-poster for the night.

At least that nightmare was over. Right?