"Oh, look a Kitty," Hermione squealed letting go of Harry's hand as she ran to the front of the Transfiguration classroom where she grabbed a started tabby cat that had been perched proudly on the desk, its sharp green eyes watching the incoming students with interest. Hermione squeezed the cat tightly to her chest, so tightly that the cat let out an undignified yelp, a sound Harry was certain had never left Professor McGonagall's mouth before in either her Animagus or human form.
"I think it's best you put her down, now Hermione so we can start class," Harry told her as he took a seat at the desk closest to the child, Ron dragging Fred to join him, despite the other child desperately trying to pull himself free so that he too could bet the kitty.
"Oh, this is marvellous," Draco said his voice filled with mirth as he settled into a seat on the other side of the room next to Pansy his eyes fixed on the scene at the front of the classroom.
"Oh, Harry can't I keep her, I promise to comb her and feed her and bath her and play with her, I will help her hunt mice, so she doesn't go hungry I promise, she is such a cute kitty, oh yes you are, you are such a pretty kitty cat, I'm going to name you Tabatha, little miss Kitty." Though Hermione had, started by speaking to Harry, her focus soon switched to the cat Animagus who was held in her arms like a baby, Hermione' stroking its tummy and peppering it's face with kisses, causing the Animagus to let out an unwitting purr. This sound was too much for the Slytherins and Gryffindor fourth years take, many had been trying to stifle their laughter since the moment they took their seats, but five-year-old Hermione naming McGonagall Tabetha and, McGonagall purring in her arms was just too much, Blaise Zabini let out a snort and then every teenager was laughing.
"Oh Merlin, Tabetha," Pansy wheezed, a few minutes later between laughs, tears rolling down her face, the occupants of the class who had managed to calm down, started up again, the Animagus at the front of the room let out an audible growl a sound that sobered them up instantly.
"Oh, Tabetha do you want to go down, maybe you need the potty," Hermione told the cat placing it on the floor next to her, the cat moved away from the girl and in a blink of an eye, Professor McGonagall was stood where the cat had been, significantly redder than any of the students had ever seen her.
"Wow that was wicked, how did you do that," Fred asked who had been largely silent since entering the classroom.
"That was transfiguration Mr Weasley; the subject you are here to learn. Masters of the subject can learn how to become an Animagus, that is to be able to transform yourself into an animal. Not something you will be learning today, or for many years, today we will be turning cushions into teddy bears," the teacher spoke her eyes sweeping the room, with a wave of her wand every student had a cushion in front of them.
"Tabetha why are you lying to him," Hermione asked from behind Professor McGonagall, the professor turned looking down at the child with confusion.
"Whatever do you mean Miss Granger, and please call me Professor McGonagall" she asked puzzled.
"You just told Fred that you have to study for years to be able to transform into an animal, you lied," the girl told the professor, stamping her feet angrily.
"It does take years Miss Granger," the professor told her.
"No, it doesn't, I have never been taught transfiguration and I've been able to do easily it for years," the girl stated, proving her point by shrinking before their eyes into the form of a tiny brown ragdoll kitten. Everyone gasped at the sight, none more than Professor McGonagall who stumbled backwards, hitting her desk. The kitten meowed and a second later five-year-old Hermione was stood there once more.
"I told you it was easy," she told the professor, as she climbed over Harry so she could sit next to Fred who high-fived his friend happily.
"Well Miss Granger, most witches and wizards aren't as naturally gifted as you, for most if they wish to become an Animagus it is a long process which requires potions, meditation and a strong grasp of transfiguration. There are cases throughout history of children like you, who take to the transformation naturally. As with any talent there will always be people who take to it with ease; a man who has never painted can paint a masterpiece on his first attempt after all. Now the incantation we are using today is Pulvinar ferre, the wand movement can be found on page sixteen of your textbooks, I want each of you to produce a teddy bear by the end of the lesson," Professor McGonagall spoke as she took her seat behind her desk, looking noticeably shaken.
Soon the room was filled with the sounds of book pages rustling, and the students speaking the incantation. Two little voices shouted the spell repeatedly, bubbles and harmless sparks shooting out of the toy training wands in their hands.
When the class came to an end, an hour later; Professor McGonagall allowed both Fred and Hermione to choose whose teddy bears were the best. Fred chose Seamus Finnigan's teddy bear, which was a velvet purple bear, that had smoke wafting out of it's nose like a dragon; he thought it was unbelievably cool. Hermione ended up choosing Mr Blondie's bear, after all she had spent the last half an hour sleeping on it. Draco had produced a large fluffy black bear with sparkling silver eyes that was larger than both five-year-olds. Upon seeing it, Hermione had abandoned her own attempts of transferring a bear and had shrunk down into a ball of fluff, setting herself on the stomach of the bear in a tight ball, her tiny snores emitting throughout the room.