Chapter 6, Potions and Animagus

"Remember me, why do we need to take Potions?" Harry asked while they walked to the dungeon, it was Monday morning and time for their second Potions class of the year. Harry was dreading it, Snape would take his anger out on him, as always.

"I don't think Potions is that bad." Anna replied.

"You have only had one lesson and you're not a Gryffindor, but wait and see he will come after you too." Ron sighed as they walked in to the classroom. Snape wasn't there yet so they took seats way in the back and waited after a few minutes. Snape entered, he gave Harry his usual nasty glare and walked to the front of the class.

"We will be brewing the Anispirit Potion today." Snape looked around the class, his eyes finally rested at Harry. "Does anybody know what it does?" Nobody was surprised that Hermione hand went up in the air, Harry knew what it was too, but it didn't matter if he put his hand up or not, Snape would pick him. And Snape did exactly what Harry had expected.

"Mr Potter, do you know the answer to this question?" He sneered at Harry.

"Actually I do, sir." Harry answered calmly, he was determent to not let Snape get to him.

"Mr Potter thinks he knows the answer, please do tell us." Snape said with a cold voice.  

"The Anispirit Potion shows the animal form of your soul. It is used to determine what kind of animal your Animagus form can be." Harry replied calmly.

"Almost correct Mr Potter, but you are not complete." Snape spat sounding slightly disappointed. "The Potion usually shows more than one kind of animals, your Animagus form is usually the clearest one. What is the most important ingredient of the Potion?" He looked again at Harry.

"Blood drawn with a silver knife." Harry replied. "It must be a circle and after you drink the Potion the image will appear in the circle. The most common place is the underarm or the palm of your hand."

"At the end of the class you all will try out your Potion." Snape spoke. The blood needed to be added as last ingredient, but because of the short time span it was normal to first bottle the blood.

"I will supervise the cutting," Snape said with a vindictive sneer "we don't want a blood bad in this class. I trust you all remember the cleaning spell and healing spell." He walked Harry and Ron's table.  

"Ok mister Weasley, if you please do it." Ron picked up his knife put an antiseptic spell on it and placed it at the palm of his hand. He shook a little, but he made a circle and he caught the blood. After the bottle was filled he put a simple healing spell on his hand and he was ready to start brewing.

"Ok mister Potter," Harry looked at Snape and draw the circle on his hand, he tried concentrating on something else. The three friends had done a blood Potion before and Harry found out that if he didn't think about it he could do it. After Harry healed his hand, Snape walked on disappointed about the ease with which Harry had done it.

Snape started looking at the others some of the students had big trouble cutting them self, Dean was shaking so much Snape did it and he was not the only one he needed to do it for, most of the girls could not do it them self. Snape walked to Neville and gave him his nastiest sneer and looked ready to do it for him.

"Longbottom if you please do it, or do you need help with it as usual." To everybody's surprise Neville didn't flinch and calmly drawn the circle, caught the blood and healed him self. Snape looked very disappointed.

"Have you done this before Neville?" Hermione whispered to Neville, he nodded

"I have been growing Blood Eating Leeks." he replied softly. Harry could not stop a shudder, Blood Eating Leeks were used in Potions as a power booster, but they were very difficult to grow because they needed fresh blood of a human. Harry could not help feeling impressed with Neville.

After a half hour the whole class was ready to start brewing, the lesson went by normally. All of Neville's calm behaviour was gone and he had just as much trouble as usual, Snape kept looking at him waiting for him to screw up. But to everybody's surprise, twenty minutes before the end of the class his Potion looked exactly like it should.

"Longbottom, I never toughed it possible, but it looks like your Potion is correct. And Miss Granger didn't even help you, it looks like hell froze over." Snape sneered at Neville. Neville became very red and shrank in his chair at the snicker and laughs from the Slytherin. Harry hated Snape at this moment, he was the only one who could insult Neville when he did something right.

"All your Potions are ready, if you please would take it, than I can check the result." Snape said after he had inspected all the caldrons. Harry took the Potion, it didn't taste too bad, a little bitter. He looked at his hand and slowly a beautiful phoenix formed on his skin, it was a very clear picture.

So my Animagus form is a phoenix. He toughed, but then he felt his heart drop. McGonagall had warned them that magical creatures were impossible to become, you needed the magic of the creature too, this meant that to become a phoenix you need the phoenix magic and that was impossible. He looked around the class, most of them looked very excited and showed their hand when Snape inspected the results. Nodding sometimes, shaking his head when he reached Grabbe and Goyle. When he finally looked at Harry's hand, his eyes showed some surprise and something like disappointment for a very brief period, but he didn't say a word. He walked to the front of the class.

"You can clean up, homework is to write about what you have seen on your skin, compare it with your own character, it has to be two scrolls in length." He said with his usual sneer. The class left talking excitedly, Hermione, Anna and Ron left with Harry.

"Lets go to McGonagall you know we promised to come by her this afternoon." Hermione reminded him. McGonagall had promised them last year that she would help them to become Animagus, when they had done the Potion. They said good-bye to Anna and almost ran to McGonagall. Harry was not as enthusiastic as the others, he knew he never could become an Animagus. They knocked on the door and almost immediately the door opened.

"Ah misters Potter and Weasley and Miss Granger." McGonagall had opened the door from behind her desk, "What can I do for you?"

"We did Anispirit Potions to day and we came to ask if you would help us become Animagus." Hermione said after they sat down in some chairs McGonagall pointed to.

"Ah yes," she said while she pushed her chair back, "show me your hands or arms." Hermione showed her hand, Harry saw the image of a cat and a dove.

"I see, I think your form will be a dove, as you can see it is a little bit clearer. They are both strong, so you probable won't have any trouble becoming an Animagus."

"And you Ron show me your hand." She said turning to Ron, Ron's hand showed an eagle very clearly and a very vague image of a unicorn.

"It is very simple with you, you are definitely an eagle, I'm impressed." McGonagall said proudly. "And Harry, what is your form." Harry showed his hand defeated. McGonagall looked just like Snape just as surprised, but there was something else. At first Harry could not determine what it was, until he remembered the look. It was the same look he got when he was lying in the hospital wing. It was worry.

"Ah, I'm sorry for you Harry, but you know what this means, don't you?" She asked softly.

"Yeah, I know." Harry said, "I can't become an Animagus." Ron and Hermione looked at him.

"What are you saying?" Ron said surprised, he had been staring at his hand and had not seen what Harry's form was. Harry put up his hand.

"I got a phoenix, I have a very strong spirit but I never can become an Animagus." He said sadly "I wanted it so badly, but no I have to be different and get and magical being as form."

"Harry, you don't have to be Animagus to be a strong good wizard," a voice said from the doorway. They all turned around and there stood Dumbledore. "I could not help over hearing your conversation, Harry there is nothing to be a shamed of."  Dumbledore walked in to the room, closed the door carefully and walked to them.

"Let me see your hand." Harry put out his hand, "I see a very, very strong phoenix, that is something to be proud of Harry. Remember that. Did you ever wonder why I am not an Animagus, Harry?" Harry shook his head, he noticed that Hermione and Ron also looked very interested.

"No sir, but I assume you did not find it necessary." Harry replied.

"I always wished I could become an Animagus, but I had the same problem as you have, Harry I also had the phoenix. I was just as disappointed, but I found out, there are other things I am very good at. So I forgot about it, concentrated on those other things, you need to do that too." Dumbledore looked at him his eyes twinkled, "now go and see what your class mates have, it is an very interesting topic of conversation. One of my classmates had a worm as form."

"Mister Weasley, Miss Granger if you want to practise, I have time on Wednesday evening. I will be in my classroom from 8 o'clock. If you please would leave now, I can have a word with the headmaster." She said while holding open the door.

"Ok Professor, we'll go and have lunch now." Hermione said putting her arms between those of the boys. Harry's disappointment had been reduced, if Dumbledore had a phoenix than it wasn't all bad. When they reached the Gryffindor table, the 7th years were discussing their animals.

"Hey sit down, we were just wondering what your animals are." Dean said, "I'm a bloodhound, with a little bit of a rabbit mixed in." he said laughing showing his hand.

"I can't believe it, you have two totally different animals in your soul, two natural enemies." Seamus said "I at least have two hunters, I am a fox it fits me I think. And a shark but I don't think you want to become a shark Animagus, it is useless on land. You three must look at Neville's hand, he is a lion." Neville showed his hand, it showed a clear lion no other animal. Neville looked so proud, Harry could relate to his feeling.

"And what is your form?" Neville asked.

"I'm an eagle." Ron said proudly, "and a little bit of a unicorn thrown in. Hermione is a dove or a cat and Harry is a phoenix."

"But that means you will not become an Animagus, Harry?" Neville asked.

"No, but most of us won't, so that is a comfort," Harry said, he really felt that way.

"But are there any funny ones?" Ron asked, "and what is yours Anna?"

"I have a snake and a wolf." She said showing her hand, Harry felt his hearth drop. She showed a clear snake, it twist and twined the same way the snake in the dark mark did. I have to watch out for her, his mind said, but he didn't know if he wanted to listen.

"Do you know what Grabbe's animal is? A Flobberworm." Dean said laughing, "I sat behind him, and I could barely hold in my laughter, I think Snape so was disappointed."

"Did you see what Malfoy had?" Ron asked curious.

"Yeah, he had a dragon, so he won't become an Animagus and Goyle had a tadpole as animal." Dean answered, he couldn't help laughing, soon the whole Gryffindor table heard Grabbe and Goyle's animals and they all joined in the laughter. Ron and Hermione sat hand in hand under the table. Harry saw Ron trace Hermione's dove lost in thought and than he made everybody startle

"I've got it, yES. I knew I would find it, it is exactly the same, look at it!" he yelled while holding up Hermione's hand, everybody looked at him like he lost his mind.

"Can I get my hand back, Ron?" Hermione asked annoyed, Ron had dragged her from her seat.

"Sorry," Ron said rather enthusiastic, "but I finally found the answer to my riddle look at your hand, doesn't it remind you of something?" Hermione still looked like she toughed he had lost his mind.

"It is my Patronus, you are my Patronus, Hermione." He said picking her up and danced about the great hall.

"Mister Weasley, I'm glad you are happy about something, but could you be less noisy about it." Professor Flitwick said with a stern voice. Ron looked up at the other students, they all looked at him and were laughing. Ron became red in seconds and sat down.

"I'm sorry," he said very softly, Harry looked at Hermione's hand.

"Ron is right, it is the same dove. So that answered the question what your form will be." Harry said. The rest of the day was spent discussing Ron's discovery and their animals.