Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.
Original A/N: Thanks to MaeSilverpaws1, who is beta-ing this story.
Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Four
Animagus 'Lesson'
Neville was having an interesting start of term this year. He had expected to be questioned after the opening fest and he wasn't disappointed. Like always, it had started with his fellow fifth years, asking him about Harry (as if they hadn't known Harry for the last five years too), and then finally, the rest of the house seemed to jump on the conversation.
"It just seems like Potter gets into something each year," a sixth year had said. "Causes trouble … how do you know he's not making all of this crap up?"
Neville glared at the older boy.
"Relax," someone said from behind him and he felt a strong arm on his shoulder. He turned and saw that it was Cedric. "I might not know Harry as well as Neville does, but I do know he saved my life at the end of last year."
"But you don't know what he saw …" the boy continued to argue, not giving up. "Come on Cedric, you can't believe that You-Know-Who was really there …"
"Why not?" Cedric asked. "You said it yourself Mark, Harry's been getting into things since he came to Hogwarts. He's probably been dealing with things like that all the time."
"Or he's been delusional all this time," Mark went on.
"Harry's not delusional," Neville said, in a calm voice, though his temper was rising.
"Agreed," Cedric added. "I saw him disappear from the center of the maze last year and he got back to the front even after me and I had to walk back."
"That doesn't mean …"
"Look, I know no one wants to believe Harry," Cedric said before Mark could argue with him. "It's much easier to believe that he just made things up but that doesn't make him wrong. I'm not going to tell you how to think or what to believe, I'm just saying what I believe."
"Whatever," Mark said red faced and walked away.
Cedric's comment seemed to have ended the conversation about Harry but he did turn to Neville and asked, "Have a good summer, Nev?"
"It wasn't so bad," Neville shrugged. "I see you were made Head Boy."
"Yeah," Cedric smiled broadly. "My dad went mad when he saw the badge."
"Well, it's big deal," Neville said. "Congratulation. I don't know anyone who could have been a better Head Boy."
"I don't know about that," Cedric said, "but thanks."
"Hey, Neville, is it true that your dad and the new Defense Professor's were partners?" Susan asked him when he turned back to his friends.
"Er … yeah," Neville answered.
"So do you know him?" Ernie asked and Neville nodded his head.
"He's come over for dinner a few times."
"What's he like?" Ernie demanded to know.
"Well, he's good at what he does, Dad always said," Neville said shifting uncomfortable. "Er … how did you know they worked together?"
"My Auntie," Susan said, "I heard her telling my dad it was a shame that Longbottom and Black were no longer partners."
"Eavesdropping again," Neville questioned raising his eyebrow.
"It's not my fault people talk about things while I'm in hearing distance," Susan huffed in mock irritation.
"Uh huh," Neville said. "You might want to talk to the Weasley twins about one of their new products."
"Er … what does it do?" she asked cautiously.
"It's called Extendable Ears … it helps with the eavesdropping," Neville said.
"Oh … okay," Susan said and Neville would bet she would talk to the twins soon.
"Great … now she's going to be even worse than before," Justin complained. "Ow."
"Oh, sorry, did I hit you," Susan said innocently and he glared at her.
"So what's Black like?" Ernie asked Neville again.
"I'm sure you'll like him," Neville said, "though he is very dramatic."
"Dramatic?" the others asked.
"You'll see, I'm sure," Neville shrugged.
"Do you think he'll play favorites with you because he knows you?" Ernie asked.
"Not sure," Neville shrugged again. "Maybe … but he's not going to grade me easier if that's what you mean."
"No," Ernie mumbled, "I was just wondering …"
O
"Come on Neville, just let me go with you," Hannah pleaded, after she had gotten over her shock of hearing that Neville and his friends had become Animagi, she thought it would be really cool to become one herself. Especially after hearing the others describe what it was like being an animal.
"I'm sorry, but I really don't think McGonagall will appreciate it much if I bring you to our 'lessons'," Neville sighed, he had said this before and he knew she agreed with him, but she really wanted to learn.
"I know I'm being a brat," she sighed.
"I wouldn't say brat," Neville said rubbing the back of his head.
"Will you at least ask her if I can join," Hannah asked, disregarding his comment.
"Of course I will," Neville said, looking around before he whispered, "but you do know that these aren't real lessons right?"
Hannah nodded her head, "but they could be if I'm there … and then it would be more realistic."
Neville smiled at her, not sure that McGonagall would want to have a real student. "I better go … if I'm late she won't be happy and definitely won't add a new student."
"Fine then go," Hannah huffed but gave him a quick smile as he left.
Neville hurried off to the Transfiguration classroom, it was Tuesday of the second week back, and the twins had already gone to one of the detentions that they called 'lessons' the previous Thursday. On Friday, during lunch, Neville had gone to McGonagall's office with Harry, Ron and Hermione to formally ask if they could have Animagus lessons (the other boys rushing off to the Quidditch pitch after they had finished).
"Hey Taz," Harry called as he rounded the last corridor.
"Hey guys," he said, because all the others were walking together and then he stopped when he saw that Lee Jordan was there. "What's he doing here?"
"We're going to force McGonagall to teach him too," Fred said.
"He makes it sound so easy, but forcing McGonagall to do anything isn't easy," Lee said, he was looking rather more nervous than he normally does. "Er … why are you so upset Neville?"
"Hannah wanted to come and I told her it wouldn't be a good idea," he groaned.
"Don't worry mate, we'll use Lee as the guinea pig to see if old McGonagall will explode or not," George said.
"Guinea pig! I don't want to be a guinea pig!" Lee groaned as the twins grinned at him evilly.
"Oh, but you just might be one," Fred said wrapping his arm around him. "You never know."
Neville figured the twins had a good point; it was better that he saw McGonagall's reaction to Lee gate crashing the lesson than to have Hannah here.
They all walked into the classroom where McGonagall was sitting at her desk looking at a parchment. She put it down on one of the large piles of parchment that made Neville assume she was grading homework. "Good, you've all got here on time. I see that …" she started and then stopped abruptly, narrowing her eyes at Lee.
"Jordan! What are you doing here?!" McGonagall demanded, her nostrils starting to flare.
"This isn't a good start," George muttered to Fred, who shrugged.
"We've invited him here Professor," Fred said, stepping forward with a jaunty grin on his face.
McGonagall fixed her glare on him. "And have you told Jordan about these lessons."
"If you're asking if he knows we're all already Animagi, then yes," Fred said.
McGonagall's nostrils flared, her mouth thinned until it was a line. Neville was sure that he's never seen her that angry before and he didn't know how Fred could stand there nearly unfazed by the look he was getting.
"You were not to tell anyone about this!"
"You told us that we should let it get around that you were training us," Fred countered. "It's not my fault that Lee was able to figure out that we already learned to transform ourselves. Really, if you think about it, it's all your fault!"
"Too far mate," George whispered to Fred's back as McGonagall seemed to actually start to breathe out steam. "What my dear brother is trying to say, is that like you had told us, we told our friends that you were giving us extra lessons and because Lee knows us so well he was able to figure it out."
"I had understood from what your brother had said," McGonagall snapped, "However I do not see why you have seen it fit to bring him here. You did not come here to get real lesson, you are here to serve detention for breaking the law."
"And we're going to be doing that," Fred said cheerfully. "But in the mean time, couldn't you teach Lee? He is of age, so honestly he could learn this on his own, but we were pretty sure you would have cursed us if we had tried to help him without you. Honestly Professor, we're just trying to be responsible here."
"Don't worry, we won't try to be that way again," George added.
Neville could hear McGonagall's teeth grinding as she glared at the twins. It took awhile for her to become calm enough to say, "very well, Jordan, since you are of age and therefore legally allowed to try to become an Animagus on your own, I will help instruct you now."
"Cool," Lee grinned.
"You two, I want you to clean out those cages on the shelf, without magic." she turned to the twins, and pointed to the rather large pile of cages that were used on the various animals she had in the class. "The rest of you will do lines."
"Do you get the feeling that we were going to be cleaning out the cages too if Fred and George hadn't brought Lee?" Neville heard Ron ask, but he wasn't walking with the others to the table that McGonagall had pointed them to. Instead he was approaching the very enraged professor.
"Er Nev … I doubt now's the time …" Harry tried to warn him but Neville was sure that if he didn't do this now, it was never going to work.
"Er … Professor?" Neville asked.
"What is it Longbottom?!" McGonagall said sharply, she was sitting at her desk again, and clearly still fuming.
"Well … it's Hannah …" was as far as he got.
"Oh for Heaven's sakes!" McGonagall growled. "Was it so difficult to understand that you were supposed to keep this a secret?!"
"Professor I was the one that said it was okay to tell …" Harry said.
"Of course you were, Potter," McGonagall said in exasperation. "You don't seem to have grasped the concept of what a secret is judging by the number of people in this room."
"Er, what's she talking about," Neville heard Lee question and one of the twins shushed him.
"I'm sorry Longbottom, but seeing as my hand isn't being forced," McGonagall said, glaring at Lee and the twins, "I do not have to, nor will I, allow Abbott to take the extra lessons."
Neville frowned, knowing he should say more, but at the same time he wasn't sure that McGonagall would listen to anything he could think of saying.
"Professor," Ron said from the desk he was sitting at, a quill in his hand and he seemed to have started with his lines already.
"What is it Weasley?"
"Er … I was just thinking that it won't take long for everyone to learn about the lessons that you're giving us," Ron said. "I doubt that Lee and Hannah will be the last students that would be interested in learning to be Animagi. You'll probably have more people asking about it."
McGonagall gritted her teeth again, though she wasn't looking as angry as she had been before. "You do have a point. It would probably be advisable if I allow those that have an Outstanding in my class to have these lessons if they wish to."
"Hannah must have an Outstanding," Neville said, not entirely sure because before this year, they hadn't been using the O.W.L grading system.
"She's between Exceeds Expectation and Outstanding," McGonagall said fairly.
Neville gave her the best pleading look he could.
"Very well Longbottom, you can bring her for the next lesson," she finally said, "now joined Fred and George with the cages."
Neville nodded, Ron was right that she was giving the extra tedious and messy detention to the twins and now him, because they had asked to add people to the lesson. Still, he would gladly clean out all these cages by himself, knowing how happy Hannah was going to be when she heard the news.