Excuse Me?

Nimhi and Midnaite

No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made. This is a fan created work.

Notes: What the hell we were thinking when we wrote this chapter, I have no idea.

Chapter 4
Dawn Mornings

~ ! ~

Harry and Hermione were still giggling as they left the Great Hall and poor Ron was still completely paranoid. He kept casting nervous glances over his shoulder. Unfortunately for him, Draco walked up to the group just as Ron was scanning the room behind him.

"Hello." Draco said pleasantly.

Ron screeched, jumping back. His wide eyes fixed on Draco who had an amused smile on his face.

"STAY BACK!" Ron jetted behind Hermione and drew his wand. "I'll…I'll hex you!"

"Please, Ron, don't make me laugh." Draco said before turning to Hermione. "Um, Miss Granger, I don't know that I recall your first name…"

"Hermione." The brunette said pleasantly. "It's Hermione."

Draco smiled charmingly and took her hand.

"Hermione." He said, kissing her hand gently. "It's a pleasure."

Hermione blushed prettily and Ron's eyes stormed, though he was still too jumpy to really do anything. Harry rolled his eyes slightly at his friend's anger. Draco's eyes flickered to Ron.

"For merlin's sake Ron, stop hiding." He said. "I don't plan to hex you. I just wanted to say hello."

Ron looked unsure but slunk out from behind Hermione anyway.

"May we start over again?" Draco requested. "We didn't have a very pleasant start. I'm Draco Malfoy."

"I know who you are, Ferret." Ron spat. Hermione elbowed him sharply, making him wince.

"Ron." She said firmly. The redhead frowned deeply.

"Ron Weasley." Ron said finally, warily holding his hand out to shake. Draco smiled mischievously and took Ron's hand, kissing it as he had Hermione's. Ron's eyes went wide and his face red. He pulled his hand back quickly. Draco snickered softly. Ron simply stared at the blond. Harry smiled.

"Sorry to cut this short, Draco, but we've got to get to Charms." He said. Draco smiled at him.

"See you soon." He said, bowing and leaving. Ron stared after him. Then he turned his wide eyes to Hermione.

"Did Draco Malfoy just kiss my hand?" he asked, as though he thought he had been dreaming. Hermione nodded.

"You know, he can really be quite charming." She said thoughtfully.

"Hermione!" Ron gasped in shock. "How can you say that?"

Harry shook his head, an amused smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. They headed off toward Charms.

~ ! ~

After Charms, the three Gryffindors had Herbology, and then Harry and Ron headed up to Divination while Hermione went to Arithmancy. After that they all headed to Potions. When they arrived, they met a bit of a dilemma. Neville wanted Hermione to sit next to him, Ron wanted to sit next to Harry, Hermione wanted to sit next to Ron, Draco wanted Harry to sit next to him, and Harry really didn't care where he sat. In the end, Hermione ended up by Neville, Ron by Seamus, and Harry by Draco. As the other students filed in they stared in shock at Harry and Draco's choice of seating. Once the whole class had come in, Snape burst out of his office. He glared around the room at all the students before his eyes lit on Harry and Draco. He appeared shocked for a moment before masking it.

"Today." He said dangerously. "We will be working on a very advanced potion. A potion which, even at the slightest mistake, can easily turn into an entirely different potion."

Neville squeaked nervously.

"In addition." Snape added. "It is an individual project. The person sitting next to you will be the one to monitor your change."

Neville squeaked again and Hermione looked nervously at him.

'Change?' Harry thought nervously. 'Splendid, I'll probably end up turning myself into a rat or something…'

Snape began barking instructions at them and everyone began hurriedly taking notes. When he finished, Snape stormed back into his office as the students began working. Fortunately, almost the entire class had copied down the instructions exactly. Unfortunately for Draco, he was the only one who hadn't. Unfortunately for him, he had written 12 pixie wings, not 12 xixie stings.

Eventually everyone finished their potion and they all looked identical. Kind of like Cream Soda, really. Snape glared at everyone.

"One person from each pair will now drink exactly one spoonful of their potion." He said. "Well? What are you waiting for? Do it!"

Everyone looked at the person sitting across from them.

"You first?" Draco asked. Harry shrugged.

"Sure." He said, picking up a spoon. He dipped it in his potion and brought it to his lips. "Wonder what this does."

He drank it and set the spoon down.

"Well?" Draco asked. Harry shrugged.

"Nothing yet." He said. Then he felt it. A slight tingling in his toes. It slowly moved up his body. Before his eyes everything seemed to get bigger and he felt himself shrinking. He opened his mouth to ask Draco what was going on and was startled at the sound that rang out from his mouth. "Nyao?"

Draco's eyes sparkled and he picked Harry up. Harry had turned into an adorable black cat. Draco glanced around the room. He saw a brown cat shaking in Hermione's arms, a yellowish cat trying its claws out on Ron's robe and various other felines around the room. He grinned and scratched Harry behind the ears. Unintentionally, Harry let out a long purr.

"Everyone." Snape said coldly. "Smear some potion on your partner's nose."

Draco did as he was told and suddenly found his lap occupied by Harry.

"Hello." he said, amusement shimmering in his eyes. Harry blushed as he delicately removed himself from Draco's lap. Snape sneered and rolled his eyes.

"Now for the rest of you." he said irritably. Draco grabbed his spoon and carefully spooned out some of his potion, but when he drank it, he didn't become a cat. In fact, nothing happened. He blinked.

"Professor?" Draco said, frowning. "Mine didn't do anything."

A red cat jumped suddenly onto their table and seemed to grin at Harry. Draco stared at it a moment, then turned back to Snape.

"I'm sure it's not your fault." Snape said, glancing coldly at Harry and Kitty-Ron. "You still get 100%. For effort."

"Thank you Professor." Draco beamed. Harry sighed and pet Kitty-Ron who hissed at the blond. Seamus came over and picked up Ron to turn him back.

After classes, Hermione, Ron and Harry went outside to sit by the lake. Just as Ron and Hermione began to argue about classes, "Of COURSE you're always getting low marks! You never study!" "At least I have a life APART from studying!" "Why you…" etc., a blonde girl ran frantically up to them.

"Harry! Hermione! Ron!" she screeched. "Help!"

"Do we know you?" Harry asked slowly. Silver eyes flashed desperately at him. Recognition suddenly flooded the dark haired boy. "Draco?"

"Help me…" Draco whimpered, falling to her knees and placing her head in Harry's lap. Harry, Hermione, and Ron stared wide-eyed at her.

"Th-that's Malfoy?" Ron choked out. Then he smirked. "Lookin' good blondie."

Angry eyes filled with tears glared up at him. The girl pulled herself up into Harry's lap and broke down in tears.

"God…damn it…" she sniffled. "…what is wrong with me? I can't stop crying!"

Harry was in a state of shock as he awkwardly tried to comfort the very curvy girl huddled against him. Hermione's eyes flooded with sympathy.

"Poor girl." She said. "The shock from the change must have thrown her hormones into overdrive."

Ron was staring in shock. Draco sniffled and looked over at Hermione, tears streaming down her face. She launched herself at Hermione and hugged the other girl.

"Help me, please!" she sobbed. Hermione did a much better job of comforting the upset boy-turned-girl, and soon Draco's tears had disappeared.

"We should go see Dumbledore." Hermione said firmly. The teens stood and began walking, Draco latching onto Harry. As they passed through the hallways, girls threw shocked and angry glares at Draco and boys gave approving-yet-obviously-jealous glances at Harry. Draco looked as though she was about to burst back into tears, Ron was still in shock and Hermione was silently going over things she would have to tell Draco if this was long term. Harry was just confused. When they reached the statue outside of Dumbledore's office Harry said the first candy to come to his mind.

"Lollipop."

Nothing.

"Candy cane?" Hermione tried. After 'lemon drop', 'licorice', 'chocolate', and 'marshmallow' had failed, they finally got in when Draco unexpectedly said 'pocky'. Merlin only knew how he had any idea what pocky was. They climbed the stairs and knocked on the office door.

"Yes?" Dumbledore's voice said. "Come in?"

They entered. Dumbledore smiled.

"Ah, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Draco, welcome!" he held out a box. "Pocky?"

Draco took three of the cookies while the others declined. Draco collapsed in a chair and nibbled.

"Now, how may I help you?" Dumbledore asked. Harry fidgeted a bit.

"Well you see, Sir…Draco's been turned into a girl…" he said. "And we were wondering if you could turn him back…"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with amusement.

"Oh dear." He said, not sounding the least bit worried. "I think I know what's happened. Did you make a transfiguration potion that turns you into a cat?"

"Yes." all four teens answered in unison. Dumbledore nodded, smiling slightly.

"Well then, I'm sorry Miss Malfoy, you're going to have to wait this out. It'll take at least a week."

"WHAT!" Draco screeched, jumping up, a piece of pocky dangling from her mouth.

"I'll arrange for you to be transferred temporarily to Gryffindor under the name Dawn Mornings where Hermione can help get you used to being female." Dumbledore said calmly as the four teens blinked. "As for the rest of your classmates, everyone will be informed that Miss Mornings has been exchanged for Mister Malfoy in an exchange program."

"Dawn Mornings?" Draco asked in disbelief. "How corny is that?"

"You can say that your parents had an odd sense of humor." Hermione shrugged. Draco sighed. Ron came out of his shock and snickered at Draco's misfortune. Harry cast him a warning look.

"Your school was a very secret school for highly skilled witches and wizards and you're not allowed to tell the name, lest it get into the wrong hands." Dumbledore continued. "You will share Harry and Ron's schedule and will act as though you really are an exchange student. Not even the teachers will be informed of this, so make the act good Miss Malfoy. If you ever should need me, the password 'bubblegum' will always get you four in, but only you four, mind. And that password will become void once Miss Mornings is once again Mister Malfoy."

The teens nodded. Dumbledore smiled.

"Wonderful." He said. "Off you go, Miss Mornings, your things will be in your new room by evening."

Draco nodded and they left. As they walked towards the Gryffindor common room Harry smirked.

"Well, Dawn," he said. "Welcome to Gryffindor."

Draco sighed. This was going to be the longest week of his…her, whatever, life.