Someday I will own something of great importance. This will not be Harry Potter, as it is already owned by JK Rowling.

Training

One day, Ryua showed up to class with what looked like a terrible case of really dry skin. Nobody remarked on it, and it seemed to be cleared up by the next day.

A couple of days later, her eyes were a disconcertingly irridescent, rainbowed silver, with a slit pupil. People did comment on this, and wanted to know what charm she'd used to get them to do that. Well, a few, very brave people who didn't know her well asked, anyway. People who actually knew her knew perfectly well that she couldn't charm anything to save her life. And people like Hermione in particular had already figured out what she was doing.

Ryua had started her Animagus training.

This wasn't exactly easy... and she was filled with admiration for James Potter, Sirius Black, and even Peter Pettigrew, who had learned to do this without anyone catching on. She was forever getting minor transformations to happen... and then stop, and refuse to go either back or forwards, hence the occasional reptillian attributes.

"Professor... am I doing something wrong?" Ryua sighed one evening, her voice slightly distorted. Athough her body had stayed normal this time around, her teeth had elongated into obvious fangs, both top and bottom, and she was being very careful not to slice her lips open.

"No, you are actually proceeding quite well," McGonnagal said, sounding positively cheerful about it. "It is uncommon for anyone to get even the slightest transformation within a month, let alone two weeks, and multiple times," she said. "I believe it comes from having picked quite the perfect creature to become."

"That's nice and all, Professor," she said, hissing slightly through her fangs, blood welling in her mouth as one of them neatly put a hole through her lip. "But could you help me with these teeth? My jaw didn't exactly grow to fit them..."

Draco was taking advantage of Ryua's temporary physical difficulties to pursue Harry. It wasn't that Harry was avoiding her entirely while she was trying to transform... but on some days, it was just difficult. Like the day she'd had claws, and sliced through his back almost to the bone without realizing what she was doing. Therefore, an unspoken arrangement had formed... when Ryua was being particularly dragonish, she avoided Harry and let Draco do what he wished.

It was only a matter of time before Harry's friends found out what was going on. Harry had never been a star Charms pupil, or Transfiguration, but when he'd fallen asleep in class, in McGonagall's classroom, no less, Hermione pulled him aside, concerned for his health. "Harry, are you feeling alright?" she asked worriedly on the way up to their common room after dinner. He'd been distant for days, daydreaming and drifting almost constantly.

"Mmm? Yeah, of course," Harry said, trying to look more alert and like he was paying attention to the surroundings. He felt a little embarassed for actually having fallen asleep. Drifting off into daydreams was bad enough, but now he realized maybe he ought to beg an evening off from his... enthusiastic lovers. He didn't notice the foolish grin spreading across his face at the thought until Ron laughed and slugged him in the shoulder.

"You've been spending too much time with that girl, mate," he teased, pulling Harry and Hermione into a corner of the common room, all of them sitting down and Ron casting Muffliato for privacy. "I thought I saw marks when you were getting dressed today."

Hermione had gone pink. "Ron, you can't just ask your best friend about his private life!" she protested. "It's... well, it's private!"

"Come on, 'Mione," Ron said, rolling his eyes. "Even you have to admit that it's affecting his schoolwork. And I know you must worry about that."

He knew her so well, sometimes, Hermione thought, with a wave of equal parts irritation and affection. He was right... once it had started affecting his schoolwork, Hermione had really started to worry. "But what I can't figure out is why you're so tired... Ryua's been either busy, transformed, or sleeping off a bad transformation more nights than not, lately. Is she just that demanding on you?"

Harry had been a little embarrassed and pleased when Ron had teased him about his overactive sex life. But somehow, Hermione asking too, probably because she looked worried instead of excited, just made him bright red. Maybe because she hit so directly on the point, although maybe not quite how she thought. It was true, Ryua WAS very demanding... she was flinging herself at him with such vigor that it surprised him. Harry was starting to think she treated a makeout session like a duel, she certainly went at it with the same ferocity and determination. It was fun, no doubt about it... but draining.

On the other hand, that's not what was really the problem. He'd be just fine if he could sleep solidly for a night or two while Ryua was off trying to be a dragon. What was really keeping him from resting was Draco. He was almost as relentless as his sister, but... differently. Where Ryua was intense and demanding, Draco was friendly and playful. Harry was staying up late with him to talk and laugh just as much as anything else they were doing. Not that he didn't enjoy when Draco did want to play...

"Harry?" He came back to himself with a start, realizing he'd drifted off into daydreaming again. "Man, she really must be doing a number on you," Ron said, shaking his head, looking somewhat in awe.

Harry sighed. Well, they'd have to find out sometime. "To be honest... it's not just her. There's... kinda someone else..."

Ron's eyes went wide and he let out a whoop of delight. Hermione looked scandalized. "You can't be serious. You'd do that to her? She's going to kill you!"

He grinned. "No, she's not. She knows about it. I think they're trying to compete right now... so everyone has fun until I can finally make a choice."

"So then who is it?" Ron asked eagerly. "I can't imagine any girl she'd want to share you with."

"Well... you're kinda right..." Harry said, wincing slightly. This was the part he was most worried about. "The other person is kind of not a girl..."

There were a few moments of silence, then Hermione shrugged, and said, "Well, the question still stands then. Who is it?"

Harry looked at her with an expression of profound relief, then glanced over to Ron. His friend's face was as open as ever, showing his shift from surprise to curiosity to confusion... but never all the way to disgust or hatred. Wanting to get all the awkwardness out on the table as quickly as possible, Harry spoke up before Ron could say anything. "It's Draco."

And there was the shift to disgust. "WHAT? But he... he's her... wait. How long? You didn't... in my BEDROOM?" Ron stuttered, going through several abortive thoughts, his voice ending up on a squeak.

"No, we didn't actually get up to anything in your bedroom," Harry said quickly. "That just wouldn't be right." He didn't say how close they'd come, though. "But yeah. Since Christmas break. And yes, Ryua knows, and yes, she was annoyed, but... but this whole open sharing thing was her idea."

"Are you mental?" Ron asked, finally able to get out a complete sentence. "Blimey. No wonder you've been so tired... I mean... twins. Who hasn't fantasized about twins? Okay, usually they're both girls, but... blimey." He supposed Draco was pretty girly looking, if you were talking about thin, athletic types.

"Ron, stop being disgusting," Hermione said, smacking his shoulder lightly. "Of course they're not all three doing it at the same time, are you, Harry?"

"No, of course not," Harry said, although now his mind was off wandering, imagining what it would be like to have both of them at once... Ryua aggressive and demanding, but at the same time welcoming every single advance he made, and Draco curious and enthusiastic, with his better understanding of how the male body worked...

"Alright. You are going to bed," Hermione said, recognizing the glazed look in his eyes. "Don't worry, I'll get word down to the Malfoys that you're just going to sleep it off a bit tonight." She stood up, ordering Ron in no uncertain terms to make sure that Harry went straight to bed, and she went down to find them herself, knowing that Draco would be on patrol, and Ryua would be with McGonagall tonight.

And so, time passed, and although she still hadn't successfully transformed yet, she was getting at least a partial shift every time she had a session with McGonnagal. And they weren't tiring her out the same way anymore, requiring less magic every time, and she was even able to reverse them most of the time.

Of course, just when she was getting complacent about it, one of her attempts made no difference whatsoever to her body. Disappointed, she went to bed, glad at least to be having more sleep time that night, even if it was because she'd failed to transform.

The next morning, in Potions class, there was a bit of minor excitement... Ryua discovered an allergy to Chimera Bile. And sneezed. And lit half the Potions lab on fire. Luckily, most of the ingredients did not create toxic smoke when burned, and Severus was able to clear the room while Ryua was sent to the hospital wing for an allergy charm. "My dear... you couldn't have picked a cute little iguana or something?" Madam Pomfery sighed. "You had to pick a deadly, unpredictable dragon, did you?"

Ryua had just shrugged, feeling too plugged up to say anything... plus, she didn't really want to open her mouth in case she burped out more fire by accident. Once McGonnagal arrived and shrank the extra chemical glands that had grown in her throat, she was sent back to class, along with the two other students who'd suffered minor burns.

With Hermione keeping a strict eye on Harry, he got enough sleep to get through his schoolwork, although he did still have the tendancy to drift off once in a while, daydreaming.

"This is WAY harder than I'd thought it would be," Ryua groaned one day while lazing outside. It was one of the first days of true spring, and she, Draco, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all out, sitting in a patch of sun in the courtyard. "My bones ache from all the shifting..."

"You do tend to look cool pretty often," Ron offered cheerfully. It was true... sometimes the random dragonish attributes were good. Often, though, they were just disturbing, although McGonnagal helped her melt away any of the really bad or dangerous ones.

"Thanks," she sighed, rolling over onto her back, on the grass. It was slightly damp, but Hermione knew drying charms. Harry was back to back with Draco on a rock, both of them opting to stay off of the ground.

They'd really hit it off, Ryua realized. She and Harry fit well together, but with Draco, it was like he'd found the perfect fit for a friend. They had so many similar qualities, being twins, but Draco was easier to get along with, once you were on the same side. Harry was just as obviously enjoying having Draco getting along with him for a change, rather than constantly fighting. Rivals were fun, but friendly rivals were much better.

"How big will you be when you manage to change all the way?" Harry asked curiously.

"About the size of a small horse, probably. Height wise anyway," she said, thinking about it. "Much longer, of course, and with wings. Big enough to ride, but a quarter the size of the wild ones."

"So you ARE going with a dragon," Professor Greenbay said, coming up behind her. He was smiling, somewhere between amused and smug.

"Yeah, Voldemort could control a Basilisk or a viper," she said, shrugging. "So dragon it is. Freedom is always good."

"Plus you can fly! And set fire to the Potions classroom!" Ron piped up, laughing.

Card's smirk stayed in place as the group discussed the various pros and cons of being able to turn into a dragon at will. Ryua kept drifting in and out of attention, getting distracted by something she couldn't pinpoint, but it was in a lazy, cheerful sort of way. It was just so wonderful to stay outside, with the sun and the fresh, clean taste of the air...

All too soon, they had to go back in, when afternoon classes started up. No rush... Take your time... Ryua's mind seemed to whisper softly to her as the rest of the group kept going ahead. It was DADA after all... and with the teacher right behind her, she could hardly be late. And Card didn't seem to be in a rush either.

In fact, the others had already entered the castle and gone by the time they were approaching the gates. There was a gentle touch on her lower back, and Card whispered in her ear, "I'm glad you didn't go with snake." She shivered. His touch felt somehow different this time... it hadn't affected her like this before, and she'd been dancing with him. Dancing a Tango, no less. He split off, heading for the staff room, and Ryua gave herself a shake, heading up to the DADA classroom to meet up with everyone else.

It wasn't until she'd sat down and Card had arrived that she realized he hadn't spoken in English.

"Hermione... Are there other like... species of Parselmouths?" she asked, during Arithmancy later that afternoon.

"Other species?" she echoed curiously. "Like... merpeople?"

"No, humans, but for... d-dogs or something," she said, not quite stumbling over the word dragon.

Being Hermione, she caught the slip and raised an eyebrow, but didn't remark on it right away. "Not that I know of. Parselmouths are exceedingly rare... I've never even heard of someone who could talk to other animals. Not without a spell or something, of course. Why do you ask?"

"Oh... no reason," she said, shrugging. "Just curious."

"Riiight..." Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "I believe that."

Ryua sighed. "Alright... earlier, Card said something to me... and he didn't say it in English. And I know he's not a Parselmouth, but it kind of sounded the same way. Only different... nicer. I liked the way it sounded." she realized. Not to mention the very nice tingles his hand had sent through her.

"You think he's a... that there's a dragon language?" she asked, sounding vaguely intrigued, if a little skeptical. "I don't know. I've never heard of it."

"Me either... but his clan has lived seperate from the rest of the world for ages. Maybe there is such a thing..."

"Sounds like that could be kinda fun," Hermoine said, her cheeks a little pink, and her eyes sparkling with mischief.

Ryua stifled a giggle. "Hermione! He's a teacher, he wouldn't be flirting. Let alone flirting in some language I can't ignore a request in..."

"Uh huh. Sure... You might think there's nothing between you two, but I see the chemistry," Hermione said, giggling slightly.

"There is not," Ryua said, rolling her eyes, ignoring the way her mind pulled up one memory after another of that teacher.

"Is too. Although it's not like you don't have plenty to occupy your evenings with."

"Hey!"

Author's Note: If you think this chapter is familiar, that's because it is. I'd just posted in the wrong place, so now I've pulled it out, rewrote it with updated content, and stuck it where it should be.

Also, is anyone intrigued by the idea of a threesome while they're all three being experimental?