Chapter 3: Being You

Once they got to the Great Hall, Ron bombarded them with guilty questions.

"How are you guys? How do you feel? Did it hurt really bad. Is it finally over? Do you think it was a timed thing? You seemed to have recovered very well and quite at the same time."

Harry and Hermione seemed to mumble most of their answers.

"We're fine, it didn't hurt that much, now we're ok, forget about it."

Ron seemed to relax a little.

"So, you guys ready for our Transfiguration exam?"

Ron saw Harry tense up. "Harry are you alright?"

Hermione pasted a smile on. "I'm fine." She said. * Harry? We have a Transfiguration exam! I completely forgot what with all this! You're gonna fail it for me, I know you are! You didn't study! You opted on letting Ron win you at Wizard's Chess and…*

*Hermione, our minds are linked, just tell me how to do it all right? *

Hermione let out some tense breath.

* You're supposed to pretend you're me, remember? *  Harry thought to Hermione. *When have I ever worried about an exam? * 

Hermione sighed to herself. It would be a miracle the day that Harold James Potter finally worries about an exam…

"Would you like my bacon Harry?" Neville asked Hermione.

"Blech no! I hate bacon!"

*Hermione. *

*What is it? Can't a girl eat in peace? *

*Hermione, I like bacon, bacon is my favorite breakfast food. *

Hermione flushed a bit and turned to look at Ron, Dean, Seamus, and Neville, who were all staring at her as if she just turned into a troll.

"Harry I thought bacon was your favorite?" Asked Ron with a suspicious glint in his eye.

"Oh! Bacon! Umm…I decided that it's too unhealthy to eat… " Hermione gave a weak smile.

"Its about time you realized that Harold James Potter!" Harry said with the most Hermione-ish bossy tone. "Every morning, eating that junk. Tsk." 

This made Ron, Neville, Dean and Seamus forget about Harry, and turn to their own bacon in contemplation.

Hermione smiled at herself.

*Thanks. * She thought to him.

*No problem. *

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Alright everyone. Who can transfigure this snail into a toad?" Prof. McGonagall asked her 5th year Transfiguration class. She was surprised to see that the first, and only, hand belonged to Harry Potter. When she turned to look at Hermione Granger, she was even more shocked to see that her hand wasn't even up, and that she was staring straight ahead, her ears a nice shade of pink. This drastic change rendered Prof. McGonagall speechless. As soon as she composed herself she finally let Harry Transfigure the creature. She saw Mr. Potter staring at the creature in concentration waved his wand and before she knew it, there stood a toad in its place. "Very well Mr. Potter." She turned to stare at Hermione. "Miss Granger, are you all right?"

Harry turned pink and stumbled "I'm…fine Prof. McGonagall…. quite fine thank you."

Ron gave Hermione an amused look and she in turn, yelled at Harry.

*Why didn't you raise your hand? *

*Why did you raise your hand? *

They were both silent for a moment.

*Do you think she suspects?* Hermione asked quietly.

*I doubt it,*  he reassured, although he wasn't sure he was sure.

Both seemingly oblivious to the rest of the world, neither of them noticed Prof. McGonagall addressing Hermione.

"Miss Granger…Miss Granger…MISS GRANGER!"

At this both Harry and Hermione's head shot up.

"Yes Professor?" Harry asked.

"Miss Granger, prove to me that you are well by turning this snail into a toad."

Harry gave Hermione an alarmed look.

*Help Me! *

*Don't worry. It's easy. Just look at the snail and picture a toad. Say Ciris, and channel your energy to your wand and direct it at the snail. Its simple. * 

Harry did as Hermione coached, and before breaking a sweat he had, to his amazement, turned the snail into a toad.

"Very good Miss Granger, as usual." Prof. McGonagall told Harry.

Harry turned to look at Hermione, a triumphant smile on his lips. She in turned gave him a wide smile.   

The rest of the class period went by uneventful. Professor McGonagall seemed to have been suspicious at first, but those thoughts fell from her face as she saw Harry, as Hermione, perform even faster and better as the progression of class.

"Miss Granger, you have done exceptionally well today, as have you Mr. Pottter. 10 points to Griffyndor for such effort."

Harry and Hermione walked out of class laughing, feeling content and lightheaded.

*We did it! We actually did it! McGonagall bought it!* Harry danced in his head.

*I know. You won't believe how relieved I feel!* Hermione laughed back.

Meanwhile Ron walked out of class behind the delighted duo, silent. Why do they keep staring at each other like that? He thought, jealousy beginning to sink in.

"We have break right now, then Double Potions." Ron said with a look of annoyance in his eyes. "I hate having Double Potions! Its such a boring class!"

But this sudden outburst from Ron caused Harry and Hermione to come back down to earth.

*Double Potion. I forgot! We won't survive that class Hermione. Transfiguration is one thing, but Potions is totally different!*  

*Relax Harry! We're linked up, we'll just sit down together and be partners in Potions today ok?*

Harry looked indignant. *What about Ron? Ron is always my partner? Don't you think he'll notice something is off?*

*Don't you see he has already noticed?*

Harry turned to look at Ron, and sure enough, he saw a look on his face that he couldn't quite read. That was quite weird. Harry could always read Ron's face.

*If he already suspects why make him suspect more? You will be his partner all right?*

*Who would you rather have find out the truth, Ron or Snape?*

At this Harry stood dead in his tracks.

*All right. I'll tell Ron that I want to switch partners for today because I believe that I'm, you're, in danger of failing Potions, worse than he is. Ok?*

Hermione sighed. Relief evident in her face.

"Lets go get our books." Ron said, breaking the silence.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Back in Gryffindor Tower, Harry asked Ron the million-dollar question.

"Ron can Harry be my partner today?" Harry asked him.

"Why?" Ron asked, with a suspicious glint in his eye.

"Its just that, I think Harry needs my help in Potions, Snape won't get off his case and all and I think that if I helped him he wouldn't mess up so much and Snape wouldn't take so many points off…"

"Ah! I get it. Sure, you can have Harry today. But that means I'm stuck with Neville doesn't it?"

"I'm sorry Ron."

"Its ok, old bloke hasn't been doing that bad this year."

Remarkably Neville hadn't been that much of a klutz that year. He hadn't totally gotten over his  klutziness, but it was an improvement to previous years.

*~*~*~*~*~*

*So he fell for it?*  Hermione asked Harry once he was done talking to Ron.

*Yeah. We're all set.*

Sure enough when break was over and they entered the Potions dungeon they went to sit to the arranged places. Neville gave Ron a questioning gaze.

"Harry needs help in Potions and Hermione volunteered."

Neville accepted this as easily as Ron did and all began their work.

Remarkably, Neville worked better than usual, probably because he wasn't as nervous with Ron as his partner, since he knew Ron wasn't the intelligent, bossy, impatient Hermione. Ron worked better as well, probably because he felt superior in his knowledge of Potions.

Hermione and Harry were working as good and efficiently as ever. Snape and Draco weren't blind to catch notice.

"I see that working with your little girlfriend has improved your Potions making  Potter." Malfoy said maliciously.

At this the Slytherins burst into laughter.

Harry and Hermione both turned red, and Ron as well, but for an entirely different reason.  

Snape however was amazed at what the change of partners had created.

"Mr. Potter will this change be permanent?" He asked.

"No, not really, I just needed Herm's help and…"

"I am not one to assign seats to my students, but in this case I think I might. I would like this changed seat arrangement to be permanent. I have noticed that without Mr. Weasley, you Mr. Potter, are less inclined to cause a ruckus." 

Snape made it sound like his motives were for his own good, but that was because he didn't want them to realize he was impressed with their new work ethic.

Harry and Hermione acted as if this didn't faze them, but secretly Hermione was pleased, Harry however felt torn. He was happy to be working with Hermione, but what about Ron?

Ron was sitting with Neville, mixing vervain with fern seed, glowering. On one hand, he was jealous at the closeness Harry and Hermione have seemed to be experiencing since their summer at Auror Camp together. But he was happy that with Neville he might actually get a good grade in Potions.

At the end of Potions the Trio exited the dungeon in a tense state.

"Ron, are you ok with all of this?" Hermione asked him.

"I'm fine Harry, honest! Oddly enough I think I work better with Neville than I do with you!"

The Trio laughed at this and went off toward the Great Hall for lunch. Once they finished their lunch, they had a little bit of time before Charms. They headed toward Gryffindor Tower. Once there Ron, deciding to put off homework, went to play Exploding Snap with Dean Thomas. Harry and Hermione went and sat together on one of the overstuffed couches, Harry with his head in a Hermione's Transfiguration textbook, and Hermione with Harry's Quidditch Through the Ages. However, the farthest thing from their minds was the books in front of them.

*Harry, I'm worried. Don't you think that the Polyjuice Potion should have worn off already? I mean…its been half the day already and…*

*You read my mind.*

*Of course I did. I didn't want to say anything before but…*

*Hermione, would you mind skipping class?*

Hermione gave him a blank stare.

*Hermione, I know what you're thinking but…*

*Harry! I am NOT skipping class! No matter what has happened to us in the past, we have never…*

*Hermione I am getting desperate! Last time we did this, the Polyjuice Potion wore off in one  hour! It's been half the day now and it is till going strong!*

Hermione racked her brain for something. Something is wrong. She knows it is. She just had to think.

*Harry, if this is the effect of Polyjuice Potion, why did it happen over night and not instantly like the last time? And why did I wake up in your bed with your body and you in my bed with my body, when it should have been me waking up in my bed with your body and you waking up in your bed with my body. That's the way a normal Polyjuice Potion would have worked. It just doesn't make any sense!*

*That's exactly what I've been thinking.*

*No you haven't, I haven't heard you.*

*That's because I didn't want you to hear it.*

*So you're saying we could block each others thoughts?*

*Yes, I guess so.*

*Harry, the spell isn't supposed to work that way. This spell allows an unlimited mind link. You shouldn't be able to block anything from me or vice-versa.*

*Well, Polyjuice isn't supposed to work the way it's working right now isn't it?*

Hermione grew panicked for a moment.

*Harry, we're gonna have to skip class!*