CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
There was a silence in the kitchen before Ron and Harry both exploded with questions. Hermione, overwhelmed by the response, nearly fell over in her chair. She held up her hands.
"Shut it!" she yelled.
Both boys became silent. Harry scratched his head, causing his already unruly hair to stick up in a new direction. He cleared his throat.
"Hermione, you are off your nut."
Hermione clamped her mouth shut, her jaw clenched tight.
"I can't become an Animagus," Harry continued. "First of all it takes years to learn and second Avada Kedavra does kill animals. Don't you remember Professor Moody killing that spider?"
Ron shuddered at the memory.
"There is quite a bit of difference between a spider and a large mammal," Hermione said matter-of-factly. "If you'd read The Killing Curse: Revealed then you would know that it can kill small things, such as spiders or beetles or butterflies, but if thrown at a mammal – a large dog or a stag or an antelope or elephant—"
"You don't have to list every single mammal out there, love," Ron said, trying to steer Hermione back onto the point.
Hermione shot him a look and continued on. "If thrown at a large animal it might make them stumble but it would take twice as many curses at once to kill it. Or, if the spell was thrown enough times in quick succession."
Harry considered this. "How do you know this?"
"I just told you, I read about it. Don't I know everything from books I've read?"
Harry almost chuckled. "Indeed. But, whoever wrote the book – how did they find out about it? Did they throw the curse out to a dog and waited for it to die?"
"No, no, no. There's a Department in the Ministry that spends all its time working on new spells and improving old ones. They have to run all sorts of tests before the spells can be approved."
"I thought the Killing Curse was illegal though," Ron said. "Why pass a spell if it's going to be illegal?"
"Oh, don't you ever read your history books? Binns talked about this, you know, when we were fifth years before OWLs. The Unforgivable Curses weren't always illegal. So, the Killing Curse was tested on animals before it was approved as a valid curse by the Ministry."
"Wait, if it didn't work on animals, how did they know it worked on people?" Ron asked. "And how come I don't remember this from History of Magic?"
"Because you don't ever take your own notes!" Hermione snapped. "The curse was invented at a time when crime was at an all time high. The prisons were filled and since the Wizards who created the curse were so sure it was going to work they went to the prisons and used criminals as test subjects. They found out it worked on humans because of the way the curse was designed."
"Oh? And how exactly was the curse designed?" Harry asked.
"If I were to point my wand at you and say the Killing Curse – well, besides the fact that it wouldn't work anyway because in order for any of the Unforgivable Curses to work you have to mean them."
"What does that mean?" Ron asked.
"It means," Harry answered for Hermione, "that unless Hermione actually wanted to kill me the curse would have no effect on me. Thank god, too, because Hermione's spells always work."
"Anyway," Hermione continued, "if I were to mean it and point my wand at you the curse would go straight to your cerebral cortex" – Hermione held up her hand in front of Ron to keep him from interrupting – "which is the part of the brain that effects thinking and problem solving skills and memory. Basically, the curse jumbles up that part of the brain so that what you're thinking is 'stop breathing, stop living' and you die. It sounds simple but it's really very complicated. The reason the curse is designed this way is to keep people from just using the curse on anyone who annoys them – thus, the reason for the person to have to mean it – and also it keeps someone from using it to kill off a whole group of people at once."
"But, why doesn't it have affect on animals like it does people?" Ron asked, finally able to get a word in.
"I don't know if the makers of the curse purposefully had the curse designed for human murder, but since animals don't have the same capabilities of thinking and reasoning as humans do. If a dog is sitting down he cannot just stop breathing because he wants to see how long he can hold his breath. Animals aren't made that way. Humans are. However, since spiders are so small and hardly complex, Moody was able to kill one quite easily."
Harry held his head in hands and sighed. "I don't like this at all. Isn't there a more simple way? I cannot possibly learn to be an Animagus in time to fight Voldemort."
"Of course you can. Your father taught himself but I have something much more useful. I have all of McGonagall's notes on the transformation of Animagi and it should prove to be very helpful since she's an accomplished Animagus herself."
"What if Harry turns himself into a toad or something?" Ron asked. "How's he supposed to fight off Voldemort then?"
"You think I'll turn myself into a toad?" Harry asked, his voice rising. "The animals Animagi turn into reflect their personalities. You think I'm a toad? Some best mate you are."
Ron rolled his eyes. "You've been spending far too much time with Ginny, stop being so dramatic. You'll probably turn into a stag like your dad."
"Or a dog like Sirius," Hermione offered. "Whatever it is I'm sure it'll be a very noble and brave creature."
"Perhaps he'll be a panther or a tiger! That'd be wicked."
"I'm so glad you think this is cool," Harry said. "Why don't we all learn to be Animagi? That'll be fun, right?"
Ron missed the sarcasm in Harry's voice because he thought it would be a grand idea. "It'd be just like your dad, Harry! And Sirius and Lupin. Best friends who are unregistered Animagi. It'd be really cool." Ron turned to Hermione. "If we turned into the same animal could we—"
"AH!" Harry stood up quickly and put his hands over his ears. "Please don't finish that thought! I don't need to think of you as two otters mating. Uck!"
"Hey! You don't know that's what I was going to say!"
"Well, isn't it?"
Ron made a face. "Well… Anyway, otters? Why would we be two otters?"
"That's my patronus," Hermione said. "An otter. Although, I don't imagine that's what I'd turn into as an Animagus. Although, if I learn to be an Animagus it would certainly help me to teach the two of you. Not that I don't think you could learn on your own but you do have a tendency to give up when something gets really hard."
Harry opened his mouth to protest but after exchanging a look with Ron he knew Hermione was right. He'd like to think that if it was something as important as this he wouldn't give up but he'd much rather have Hermione teach him than have to learn himself. This wasn't something that would come as second nature to him as Defense Against the Dark Arts did. No, Transfiguration of any kind always proved to be difficult for him, even though he usually got it in the end… with Hermione's help.
Harry nodded. "That's a good idea, actually."
Hermione smiled. "Well, then that's settled. The two of you should probably continue to practice your Defense and Charms while I start on this."
"How long do you think it'll take you?" Harry asked.
Hermione shrugged. "Not terribly long."
"She's a ruddy genius, don't forget," Ron said.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'm going up to my room to work on this. If I'm not down for lunch don't come looking for me, all right? I don't want to break my concentration." She pecked Ron's cheek before retreating back up the stairs.
"So, you shag her and she comes up with all the answers to killing Voldemort. Was it that boring that she actually time to think about other things?"
"Sod off," Ron snapped. "I think it's time to practice Defense. Want to try more shields? I promise not to throw too many hexes at you."
Harry gulped. He didn't like the way Ron sneered out his promise – it was going to be a very long day.
"Draco, how much longer is this going to take?" Ginny asked from her seated position on the floor of Malfoy's bedroom.
"Sick of me already?" Malfoy asked, turning around from his bubbling cauldron and looking at Ginny hatefully.
"Will you stop with that rubbish? I'm not sick of you. I don't hate you. I'm just emotionally tired of dealing with you. I wish the fortnight was over so this bloody potion would be finished."
Draco nodded. "Me, too."
"I still maintain that it's a terrible, terrible idea."
"I didn't ask you."
Ginny sighed. She got up from the floor and picked up the book of potions from Draco's desk. She flipped through it until she found the page she was looking for. "Where are you going to get Essence of Rebecca?"
Draco went over to his trunk and pulled out a wooden box and handed it to Ginny. She looked at it – the top was delicately carved and Ginny didn't need to ask to know that it was Draco's family crest. The carving was beautifully done, the craftsmanship nothing less than magical. Opening the box, Ginny looked inside.
"Oh," she said automatically. She pulled out a large plait of dark brown hair, tied on either end with green ribbons.
"Yeah," Draco said, staring at the hair. "Rebecca said that in old legends ladies used to give knights a lock of their hair before they went into battle as good luck charms. She saved her plait after her friend Kelly severed it for her. It was suppose to bring me good luck since, at the time, I was in a constant bad mood because my father was on the Ministry's Most Wanted List."
"A constant bad mood? It's nice to see that you've changed."
Malfoy snatched the hair and the box away from Ginny. "Forget it. I shouldn't have told you. If this fucking potion didn't require two pairs of hands stirring it I never would have shown that to you, so just forget I ever did, all right?"
"She must have loved you an awful lot to give you her hair like that."
"Whatever, she wanted it short anyhow."
"Are you sure she didn't put a Good Luck Charm on it?"
Malfoy's eyes lifted from the box in his hands to Ginny's eyes. She smiled, realizing that he never even considered that the hair might have been severed for a purpose. He swallowed and put the box back safely in his trunk, closing and locking the lid. He turned and sat on the trunk, running his hands through his short blonde hair. Sighing, Ginny sat down next to him.
"You know, Draco, you don't have to do this. This potion, well, it's not the greatest idea."
"But, I need to forget. I don't want to remember anything about her. She's dead to me. I need her to stay that way."
Ginny wet her lips. "Is the worst memory you have of her when she told you she was half-Muggle?"
"Yes."
"What's the best memory?" Ginny waited for Malfoy's answer, but he didn't supply her with one. "Draco. What's the best memory?"
"I don't want to talk about this."
"Too bad. What's the best memory?" Ginny asked again, this time much more forcefully. "I'll tell you the best memory I have of Harry in exchange."
"I don't want to hear your bloody little stories about bonking Potter, thank you."
"Well, then, I'll tell you my favorite memory if you don't tell me yours."
"Fine, fine," Malfoy snapped, holding his hands up in defeat. "That filthy tosser you call a boyfriend tried to hex me in the corridors after Potions so I sent a really nasty stunning spell at him, only he ducked and it hit a first year – this little first year who I'd seen crying in the Slytherin Common Room late at night because her mum just died or some other such rubbish. I hit her with Stupefy and she went flying back into the wall and broke her ankle when she fell down. I felt like absolute shit."
"How is this your best memory?"
"Shut it or I won't tell you. I hit this first year who was barely eleven and had just lost her mum and I think was failing miserably at Potions, always blowing stuff up like Longbottom. She was in my own house so it's not as though she actually deserved it or anything. But, Rebecca said none of that mattered, me hitting the girl with a spell and ruining what was already a terrible day for her, she loved me anyway. Disgusting Mudblood."
"Watch your mouth!" Ginny snarled. She straightened herself up and took in a deep breath. "Was that the first time she said it?"
Draco nodded.
"I think Rebecca was good for you. She made you see there's more to life than simple hatred. All you ever did was go around hating people. The only times you ever laughed were when someone got hurt. That's no way to live."
"That's not true."
"Isn't it, though? Let's list all the things you hate, shall we? Harry, Muggles, half-bloods, Dumbledore, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Werewolves, especially Professor Lupin, anyone who is poor—"
"Stop it."
"What did you ever love, Draco? Potions? Quidditch? That hardly balances out all the things you hate. You don't see the look you get in your eyes when you talk about her. They become lighter and less gray. They almost shine. You're a different person. You're not as hateful or mean. You're completely different."
Malfoy stood up and walked back over to his cauldron.
"If that's such a good memory for you, why do you want to take a ruddy potion to make yourself forget? So what if she was half-Muggle? That was hardly her fault. She didn't ask to be born of Muggle lineage. Plus, she obviously has enough in common with you since she was placed in Slytherin despite the blemish in her family tree. Harry's mother was born a Muggle so technically he's still a half-blood. I don't hate him for it."
"That's because your family are a bunch of Muggle Lovers."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Oh, for the love of Merlin. I'm sure Rebecca misses you, as well."
"I never said I missed her."
"I can tell you do, though. Why don't you send her a letter? Lupin would deliver it for you by an owl, I'm sure. I bet she misses you."
"She doesn't miss me," Draco spat. "She's off with some sixth year. Daniel Lestrange."
"Lestrange? I didn't know there were any Lestrange children…"
"Yes, he's related to what was once the very noble Black family."
"I know all about the Black family tree," Ginny said. "But, do you really know if she's having it off with this other boy? That could just be rumors."
"Well, rumors have it that she lets him defile and degrade her in every way possible. She doesn't want to remember me, I don't want to remember her. Let her have her sordid affair with this Daniel character and let me have my potion to forget she ever existed."
"Write her a letter to see whether or not she really misses you. If she writes back and says she hates you, then I'll help you brew the potion. If she says she misses you as well then you have to forgive yourself and stop this nonsense."
"I'm not going to write her any bloody letters."
Ginny stood up. "Fine. Then, I won't help you with your potion any more."
"I'll tell Potter about the diary."
"I don't care. Tell him all you want. I'm tired of keeping secrets from him anyway. I might as well come clean about it myself. I'll only keep your secret about having fallen in love with a Mudblood if you write to her." Ginny placed her hands on her hips. "What do you say?"
"I never did like you Weasleys," Draco sneered. Nevertheless, he sat down at his desk and pulled out a quill and parchment.
Ginny left his room feeling quite satisfied.
Hermione heard a rumble in her stomach. Looking outside she could tell it was way past dinner time and the stars were already showing against the black sky. She stood up from her desk and extended her arms over her head, moaning as her muscles stretched. She didn't want to stop and take a break now, she was so close to the first step of becoming an Animagus. Halfway back to her chair, Hermione noticed a slip of parchment sticking out from underneath her door. She went over and picked it up. Upon noticing Ron's messy scrawl, Hermione smiled and opened up the folded parchment.
Hermione:
Here you go, skiving off meals again. There are sandwiches in that ice box thing in the kitchen from lunch if you get hungry.
Anyway, Lupin came over tonight and ate dinner with us. Well, not Malfoy, of course, but me and Harry and Ginny. We told him and Ginny about your plan with the spell and the blood and the sword and the Animagus stuff. Lupin thought it was brilliant. He had his doubts over whether or not Harry could learn the wandless Shields. He reckons Harry has a better chance at learning to be an Animagus than all this wandless magic rubbish. Lupin said he'd bring you more books if you needed them or to tell you to make sure you get him to ask McGonagall any questions you might have about this Animagus stuff because she'd be the expert on it.
I just wanted to tell you about Lupin. Oh, and don't work too long because I don't want to have to go a long time without seeing my girl. Last night made me happy, you made me happy, and all that other romantic rubbish that I'm suppose to say to make you smile and make you want to come to my room later for another shag.
Just wishful thinking.
Love,
RonHermione couldn't help but smile widely as she reread Ron's letter. He was truly a silly boy sometimes and she knew he definitely wanted to try another round of shagging – or two or three or four, but she also knew he was probably very serious about her having made him happy. She could tell he was content last night by the way he held her closely, tightly, sighing happily, his breath hot on her neck, whispering things into her ear until they both fell asleep.
Hermione's heart leapt in her chest just thinking about it. Damn him for making her fall in love with him and damn him for making her first time good enough that she wanted more. It had been right difficult to concentrate several times over the course of the day; her mind kept wondering to the events of the previous night.
Ginny was right, of course, it had hurt, but in an odd way. Hermione had tensed herself up for what was a momentary feeling of sharp pain, and then, it went away and she felt filled by Ron. And it was as perfect as it could have been. Their movements were awkward at first until they found a pattern and moved in sync. It was a little clumsy, where their hands went, where their mouths went, while trying to keep the physical connection and not completely lose their mental connection.
Laughing a bit to herself, Hermione knew one of the reasons Ron was so damned pleased with himself was that he'd managed to keep control of himself for several minutes before coming. Hermione had to thank herself for that. She knew it was difficult for boys to completely rejuvenate themselves in time for another quick orgasm – she'd learnt that from books. Well, of course she did! She learnt everything from books!
Hermione crept down to the kitchen and got herself a sandwich. She ate it as she went back up the staircase to the first level. She pushed open Ron's door and heard him snoring softly. She ate the last bit of crust and took off her shoes and socks and climbed into the bed next to him. He was on his side, his back towards her, so Hermione slipped her arm around his waist, hugging him to her. She sniffed in his very Ron-smell and closed her eyes. She dozed off almost immediately, dreaming of Animagi and the animals they all turned into.
At the beginning of the following week, Ginny rapped her knuckles against Draco's door. She needed this secret with Draco to be over. She still hadn't told Harry her secret but he knew she was continuing her daily meetings with Malfoy. It made her sad that while Harry slept next to her every night in her room he didn't try to shag her – not once since Valentine's Day.
Draco opened his door and looked at the youngest Weasley. His eyes inadvertently raked down her body and settled on her chest for a moment. Ginny crossed her arms over her breasts, realizing she should never have worn a semi-low-cute shirt around a randy boy.
"I will not be needing your services today," Draco said.
Ginny smiled. "She wrote you back!"
"Yes," Draco replied, almost bitterly. "The Werewolf gave me her letter last night when he came by. Now, if you don't mind, I have some napping to catch up on. Please, leave me alone."
"Do tell me what she said."
"She's with that other bloke I told you about, but she said the rumors weren't true. And while she's not sure she wants to break things off with him, especially since she doesn't know when she'll get to see me again, seeing as how I can't go and tell her where I'm staying, she still forgives me."
"She forgives you?"
"For calling her a Mudblood and all that rubbish. She still is, you know. A Mudblood, I mean. So, your little plan worked, I won't take that ruddy potion, and you can have your time back with Potter. Although, I do hope you've told him your secret. I'd hate to 'accidentally' let it slip when he's around."
Ginny blushed. "I'll tell him, don't worry."
Draco shrugged. "Now, if you don't mind, I really do have some napping to take care of."
Ginny nodded and walked down the hall towards the staircase. She felt good about herself. Draco, the stupid git that he truly was, was going to remember his girlfriend and be able to write her and love her like he should have been doing all along.
It was the very beginning of March when Hermione barged into the dining room sometime after lunch about ready to keel over with excitement.
"I did it."
"Did what?" Ron asked, lowering his wand. He and Harry had been practicing Defense spells while a bored Ginny watched.
"I learnt how to become an Animagus."
"What?" Harry cried. "It's been, like, two and a half weeks."
Hermione shrugged. "I had some help."
"Help?"
Hermione blushed. "I cheated a bit."
"What in the name of Merlin are you on about?" Ron asked.
Hermione lifted a chain from underneath her t-shirt. Harry immediately recognized it as a Time Turner, the same that she had used in her third year to go to multiple classes.
"I've been turning this back a lot to give myself extra hours in the day to work on learning and to catch up on sleep. It was hard, though, in this little house, not to bump into myself, but I managed."
"Makes sense," Ginny said. "After all, you'd say you were going to take a nap and then come downstairs two minutes later to go to the dining room to practice or read."
Hermione nodded. "I suspected this would have taken months to learn otherwise and I'm not sure there would be enough time before Voldemort.... Lupin said the Time Turner belongs to someone in the Ministry but he's a part of the Order so my using it has been overlooked for the time being. But, it doesn't matter, does it? I've learnt it!"
Ron put his hands on his hips. "All right, then, let's see it."
"See what?"
"See what!" Harry laughed. "See you turn into an animal! What are you anyway?"
Hermione took in a deep breath and began to change. She became quite smaller, fur extending all over her body in the same brown hue as her hair, her limbs shortening and her abdomen lengthening. She was completely different, but her eyes looked almost the same.
Ginny gasped. "It's like a double entendre…" she whispered, looking up at Ron. "The way she moans and cries when you two fuck... and then she turns into that."
Ron turned bright red. "What are you on about?"
Ginny's eyes widened. "You don't get it?"
Harry snorted. "He always was a bit thick."
Ron frowned.
Harry sighed. "A mink… or minx… is a sexual woman."
"A mink?"
Ginny laughed. "Yes, silly, look at her! Hermione Transfigured herself into a minx!"
To Be Continued…
A/N: I KNOW Moody killed that spider. I would have
included the explaination I came up with in the last chapter, but the
way I ended it, it would have felt wrong to continue you on with it.
I got a review saying there was too much fluff in my story.
Too much fluff?! Never!! Actually, I try to balance things
out and not have it complete fluff. It makes sense, though,
because in high school, about the time yo'ure a senior, you look for
every chance you can get to make out (or have sex) with your
girl/boyfriend, right? And when you're in boarding school youhave
to sneak around to do it so it's a bit more memorable (ahem, am I
right?!?!). I actually have to make sure I keep some chapters
semi-fluff/smut-free even though it's hard because after all, you all
know, my fave character is Naked Ron!
Review :)
