AUGUST 3RD

Over the next 2 days the trio practiced every waking hour, only stopping for food and drink, and usually only at the insistence of Ron's stomach or Dobby and Winky. Waking up on the 4th the trio were ready to try their animagus training, and hopefully work out what animal they were meant to be.

After breakfast the teens walked up the stairs to the training room and sat in the chairs they were getting so good at transfiguring, so much that they just banished them and kept stones in their pockets at all times. Practicing their Occlumency training to clear their minds, they then laid the parchment before them and held the filled quill in their secondary hand. In their dominant hand was their wand and they chanted the spell that would determine what their designated animal for the teens.

They had made sure that Dobby only interrupted them for emergencies, because once started it was horrible if they were distracted. After 10 minutes of chanting the sounds of quills could be heard coming from each of the teens. They were drawing, in great detail and colour what they would look like in animagus form.

Once there was once again silence the teens performed a longevity charm over the ink, so it didn't age out, and looked over the animals they would become.

Ron was red fox with blue eyes and brown spots here and there, he seemed pleased because the fox was a common animal to be skulking around a forest or household, good for recon work.

Hermione was a honey blonde lioness with brown eyes, great for attacking prey but not really a common animal to be seeing in England. She seemed disturbed by the fact she would be spotted but then set about seeking everything that was known about the common lioness.

Harry was looking over his parchment because he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Intsead of just one animal there was two. A black mamba snake with red eyes and a dark as night panther with vibrant green eyes, "Umm Hermione?"

"Yeah?" Hermione was nose deep in a muggle animal book on felines.

"I have two."

That shocked both of his friends, so much that they both dropped their own books and raced to Harry to be sure he wasn't seeing things or lying.

"Wow"

"This isn't right, why would the snake have red eyes?" Ron asked after his friends hadn't said a word.

See the couple knew why the snake had red eyes but they couldn't believe it, it just couldn't be possible. It would mean that Harry was a Horcrux and Hermione had to kill him to relieve him of the piece of soul that was contained in him.

"Oh Harry I can't, don't make me. There's got to be another way," Hermione broke down and it caused Harry pain as he thought of how much he would miss the witch before him.

"You have to Mione, it's the only way to defeat him. We'll just have to bring me back afterwards, quickly."

Ron finally caught on and he went deep purple, "Oh hell no, this isn't happening mate."

Harry turned to his best friend and looked him right in the eye, "Yes it is and it has to happen NOW!"

A flash of flames appeared out of nowhere, "Fawkes?"

The phoenix sang a quiet song, filled with passion and morose. He dropped a sheathed sword on the ground before Harry and then sat on the wizard's shoulder.

"Hey boy, you miss him too hey?" Harry had always felt a connection to the phoenix who had saved him from the Basilisk venom flowing through his body in his 2nd year.

Hermione lifted the sword and unsheathed the sword of Gryffindor, remarking on how beautiful it was, "He must have taken great time and effort into forging this, even a goblin couldn't get it this perfect and you can feel the different magical energy radiating off it, obviously of a very powerful wizard."

Harry smiled slightly at the sight of his love holding the sword that was a lot smaller than he remembered it all those years ago. Ron sat there dumbfounded that THE sword of Gryffindor was in his friend's hand right in front of him.

"Wicked"

"Yeah it is," Was all Harry could say in response as her pet the phoenix on his shoulder.

"Hermione can I hold it?" Ron asked politely but was very anxious to see what it could do.

"Ok but be very careful," Hermione passed it to her friend, who took it and moved a distance away to practice swinging it.

Fawkes was still singing as her preened himself, but he kept an eye on the witch before him. Hermione noticed and started to feel a little uncomfortable and it must have shown because the phoenix changed songs and Hermione was calmed instantly.

"What's with Fawkes? I think he fancies my girlfriend, don't you boy?" Harry jokingly asked but he received the evil eye from Hermione and a glare, if phoenixes can glare, from Fawkes.

Hermione leant out to touch Fawkes' wing, having an unrelenting urge to touch the mythical bird. When she did though Fawkes squawked loudly, jumped over and started to preen the witch's birds nest hairstyle. Hermione jumped but was help in place by the massive bird's weight. Once he was done, the witch's hair was straight and beautifully styled and the pile of hair that was placed beside her Fawkes took as he flew over to the corner.

"Wow you look great Hermione, he's some hairdresser though what's he doing with all of the hair he removed?" Harry asked his girlfriend.

"I've seen what he's doing before with my old budgerigars, he's making a nest," Hermione walked over the where the newly constructed hair-nest was being sit in by the phoenix.

Fawkes looked morosely at Hermione before giving a loud screech, causing everyone to cringe and put their fingers in their ears. When the screeching was done Hermione saw that Fawkes was gone and a jewelled egg was in the nest.

"Oh Fawkes has laid an egg," Hermione went an touched it carefully, feeling how warm it was without it's father sitting over it, "We should place warming charms over the nest."

"NOS!" Dobby popped into the room and stopped the witch from using her wand on the nest.

"What are you doing Dobby?" Hermione asked impatiently because she was certain that the egg would go cold without something heating it.

"Phoenix issus making egg for yous Mistress Granger but it issus safes as it issus. Phoenix should be backs soon with it's perch for it's young. He issus then goings to his master," Dobby explained as he looked affectionately at the egg in the nest of Hermione's hair.

"You mean Fawkes is dying?" Ron asked the elf, the sword totally forgotten about.

"Yessus Master Wheezy. He issus dyings because Professey issus dead. Phoenix was justs lookings for his fledglings new owner and he issus findings her in Mistress Granger. Sees I issus tellings yous that he woulds return with perch," Dobby pointed to the bejewelled perch and Fawkes seated upon it, looking very sickly.

"Goodbye dear friend," Harry pet the phoenix one last time, pulling feathers out as he did.

"Goodbye Fawkes," Hermione hugged the bird softly and came away with tears in her eyes.

"Bye mate," Ron used one finger to stroke the phoenix.

Fawkes gave one more sadly happy song and flamed away for the last time, to go and die at his master's grave. Hermione cried for a while but soon turned her attention to her new egg. Picking it up, the witch placed it carefully on the perch and turned back to Harry, not having forgotten their previous conversation.

"I'm not killing you Harry Potter."

"Why woulds Mistress wants to kill Master Potter?" Dobby asked concerned.

"I have a very bad thing inside of me and it can only be destroyed if I die and Hermione defeats it by love," Harry explained to the elf.

"Ohs those Horcruxes Professey was talkings about, no master Potter yous aren't one, you weres though," Dobby said, startling the teens.

"What do you mean, 'WAS'?" Hermione asked madly.

Dobby quickly explained, "He hads it when I issus first meetings him and it was powerful, made me scared to be nears him but over years his loves for others destroyed its. This last summers was end of it when Mistress kissed Master first times only yous wouldn't haves noticed its because its was so small and weaks. Its very good, right?"

The trio grinned and whooped loudly, hugging each other and the elf and each other again, "Thankyou Dobby you are a real saint. That's three down, four more to go if Dumbledore was right about the amount."

"Issus Masters and Mistress wanting food now?" Dobby asked happily.

The all over response was yes and the elf popped away to make some sandwiches to bring back up. While they waited for their food, the teens started to concentrate on the animals they were meant to become. Oddly enough, Harry found it easier to picture being a snake than a panther but that could have just been because of the Parselmouth talent he had been given through the scar left by Voldemort.

"So when should we be changing?" Ron asked after a few minutes of concentration.

"Probably not for a few weeks, even months, but if we practice constantly then it should be easier and quicker to do. All you have to do is clear your mind and picture the animal you are meant to be and then you will become it," Hermione explained for the fifth time that day.

Harry nodded and was about to get started again when Dobby popped in, so training was called off for the duration of lunch. Then they got back to it. After 3 hours, Harry could feel a big tingle crawl up and down his spine. Suddenly, just as he was looking at the snake, Harry started to feel odd in the stomach. It was a burning that quickly spread through his body, getting unbearably hot, so much that he cried out in pain.

"Harry? Oh Harry keep thinking about the snake or panther, don't stop," Hermione ordered him.

The wizard kept thinking of the snake, and the burning grew more intense. He cried out but it wasn't coming out as a human cry but as a loud and low hiss. Opening his eyes, the wizard noticed that he was on the ground and could see the feet of his friends. Looking up her saw a giant Ron and Hermione looking down at him.

"Congratulations Harry mate," Ron bellowed down, causing Harry to get a headache.

Harry hissed violently, making Ron back up and sit on a high up chair he transfigured. Hermione wasn't scared because she knew that Harry's hearing would be ultra sensitive, and quickly picked him up and placed him around her neck.

"Handsome wizard, handsome snake," She whispered to her black mamba boyfriend.

Harry rubbed his head against her neck, hearing the pound of blood rushing through her arteries. He could hear other things too, like the increased tempo of Ron's heart, and the sound of house elves at work. Smell was outstanding, it came through his mouth and his brain told him what it was and how far away it was. His eye sight was excellent, better than with his glasses on. The only problem Harry the snake had was how to get back to his normal self.

Hermione must have picked up on his want to change, or she just wanted his back to normal to kiss him, so she explained how to get back, quietly, "Think about what you looked like as a human and don't stop thinking it, no matter what."

Harry did just that and soon enough the wizard was back to normal, "Wicked."

Hermione rushed up and hugged her boyfriend, while Ron stood back and waited for them to finish before congratulating the teen. The group spent the rest of the day practicing, until dinner and then afterwards set up everything they had for the Order in the war room as they had their first Order meeting since becoming leader and members the next day.