A/N: Whoa. Long time, no update. I would like to announce, however, that Monday, April 14th marked the one year anniversary of Snuffles' Stay! Hurrah!
And now… an update.
Snuffles' Stay
Chapter Twenty-One
Two months passed by fairly quickly. Hermione was surprised at how fast progress on the Scultore was made - she half expected to collapse and die from exhaustion at most times, or at some, to call it off, completely. Really, extra credit projects took up too much time and work.
By the end of January, the Scultore was finally completed.
Hermione stood apprehensively at the edge of the large cauldron in which the potion was brewing. Professor Snape was next to her, smirking snidely. Perhaps he was happy that he was finally getting Granger out of his hair. Whatever it was that led to the smile, she wasn't at all sure.
Nor did she feel particularly comfortable.
The potion bubbled and fizzed, foaming lazily in the cauldron. Hermione gulped and trembled inwardly. What if the potion went wrong? What if she had mistaken something and added the wrong thing and…
"Well?" Snape demanded. "Ladle a phial full and take the potion."
Hermione did as she was instructed. The ladle was small enough to pour the liquid easily into the clear glass phial, which turned purple because of the potion. She smiled weakly. The book had said that the finished Scultore turned purple.
"Well… Bottom's up!"
She lifted the phial to her lips and tipped it back. A warm, sludgy liquid swam through her mouth and floated down her throat. Her body felt increasingly warm, a bubbly feeling spreading through the pit of her stomach. The warmth spread across her body, toward her fingertips and to the tip of her nose.
The sensation was wonderful. It didn't hurt like the Polyjuice Potion had, but it was a bit surprising. Her body twisted and contorted, shaping and re-shaping until her body had become smaller, more compact, and her skin had been disguised by fur.
Hermione looked up at Professor Snape. She had meant to say, "I did it, Professor Snape!" but no words came out. Instead, a rather loud and excited bark sounded.
Snape laughed himself silly. His laugh was low and cruel-sounding, but humorous all the same. Hermione laughed, too. How ironic?
She was human again by the sheer will of her mind. Her eyes glittered with mirth and excitement. She had become an Animagus! She would be able to run wild and free under the moonlight, alongside of Sirius, beyond the castle grounds…
"Aren't you going to take some, Professor?" she asked.
Snape's laughter had dulled somewhat. He eyed the potion, as if making an important decision come to life in his mind. Was he already an Animagus? And why wouldn't he take the potion, if he wasn't? After all, he basically helped create it with Hermione, rather than simply instruct her.
He had ladled a phial-full of potion, lifted it to his lips, and swallowed it. The next moment, a large Jaguar stood in front of Hermione. She whimpered - how fearsome. Reluctantly, Hermione reached down and petting Professor Snape the Jaguar. Greasy.
Professor Snape transformed back into himself, still rather amused. He looked the glass phial over again and threw it over his shoulder.
"We are done here," he said shortly. Turning on his heel, Snape exited the Potions lab where the Scultore was being brewed.
Hermione seized the chance to ladle some of the extra potion into glass phials and hide them in her robes. Ron and Harry… They would want to have some, when they found out what she was.
A thought came to Hermione's mind. Sirius!
Hurriedly, without bothering to clean up the potion, Hermione ran out of the dungeons and made haste to Gryffindor tower.
Harry and Ron were sitting on a couch in the Common Room. Hermione grabbed a hold of Harry's robes and pulled him up, dragging him along to her dormitory. Ron followed, asking, "Hermione, what's gotten into you?"
"You want to know what I've been up to with Snape, lately, don't you?" Hermione asked. She watched Harry and Ron's faces - both were signed and sealed with confusion. Inwardly, Hermione giggled.
"Yeah, and…?" Ron asked. "Tell us, already. Don't make me have to guess."
Hermione shook her head. "No, wait… Where's Sirius?"
"He's out with Dumbledore," Harry said. "Won't be back until later tonight."
"Oh…" Hermione pouted and slumped onto her bed. Should she tell Ron and Harry before Sirius got back? If she gave Harry and Ron the potion now, the three of them could transform before he got back, and it would be a triple surprise.
Hermione's mind was decided. She pulled out the phials and stared with fierce determining at Harry and Ron. "This is a special kind of potion that I created. Drink it. Every last drop," she added, seeing Ron's blatant distaste. "And no, it doesn't taste like the Polyjuice potion."
Ron cocked an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Because I told you to!" Hermione snapped. Why did boys always have to be so stubborn?
Harry grabbed the nearest phial and tipped it backwards. He felt the potion swim down his throat and felt a sudden tightening in his stomach, the rising of the hairs on the back of his neck. Hermione was right - it didn't taste like the polyjuice potion, but it sure felt quite like it.
Ron followed suit. Soon, the two were writhing inside, transforming and changing before Hermione's eyes. The two had shortened, transformed into something different. Course red hair sprouted all over Ron - fiery and bright.
When the transformation had completed, Hermione looked down at a pair of emerald-green eyes and bright brown eyes so much like her own.
She was not only looking at a pair of eyes, but instead, at a bright red otter and a black stag.
*****
When Sirius padded his way into Hermione's dorm room that night, he did not expect to find what he saw. There was no apparent Hermione, but Hermione was there, somewhere. He could smell her.
He sniffed around the room, searching for the source of the smell. On the bed, Hermione was there - or, her scent was. She wasn't there, though. Under her bed was a few magazines, a couple of shirts… but no Hermione. He could see, though four legs…
That looked like an animal's.
Sirius barked and went to the other side of the bed, surprised. What was this other animal doing in Hermione's room? Where did it come from? Why-
But he stopped short. He realized that the smell of Hermione was coming from the large, fluffy brown coated dog standing before him. Its eyes were so familiar - brown, almond-shaped eyes… and around the dog's neck, a fine line of silver colouring and on the chest, a tear-drop shaped spot of red.
It definitely was Hermione.
Sirius was Sirius again and was staring down at the large brown dog that was Hermione. She, like he had, transformed into herself and sat down on her bed, grinning. The tear-drop garnet that Sirius had given her for Christmas shone in the light.
"Hermione… when did you… how did you…?"
"Just now, with Professor Snape."
He gawked, staring incredulously. "You can't be serious… You… you're a dog, too? I never would've thought…"
Hermione laughed and pulled Sirius into a large hug. He was so surprised that he forgot to put his arms around her.
And now… an update.
Chapter Twenty-One
Two months passed by fairly quickly. Hermione was surprised at how fast progress on the Scultore was made - she half expected to collapse and die from exhaustion at most times, or at some, to call it off, completely. Really, extra credit projects took up too much time and work.
By the end of January, the Scultore was finally completed.
Hermione stood apprehensively at the edge of the large cauldron in which the potion was brewing. Professor Snape was next to her, smirking snidely. Perhaps he was happy that he was finally getting Granger out of his hair. Whatever it was that led to the smile, she wasn't at all sure.
Nor did she feel particularly comfortable.
The potion bubbled and fizzed, foaming lazily in the cauldron. Hermione gulped and trembled inwardly. What if the potion went wrong? What if she had mistaken something and added the wrong thing and…
"Well?" Snape demanded. "Ladle a phial full and take the potion."
Hermione did as she was instructed. The ladle was small enough to pour the liquid easily into the clear glass phial, which turned purple because of the potion. She smiled weakly. The book had said that the finished Scultore turned purple.
"Well… Bottom's up!"
She lifted the phial to her lips and tipped it back. A warm, sludgy liquid swam through her mouth and floated down her throat. Her body felt increasingly warm, a bubbly feeling spreading through the pit of her stomach. The warmth spread across her body, toward her fingertips and to the tip of her nose.
The sensation was wonderful. It didn't hurt like the Polyjuice Potion had, but it was a bit surprising. Her body twisted and contorted, shaping and re-shaping until her body had become smaller, more compact, and her skin had been disguised by fur.
Hermione looked up at Professor Snape. She had meant to say, "I did it, Professor Snape!" but no words came out. Instead, a rather loud and excited bark sounded.
Snape laughed himself silly. His laugh was low and cruel-sounding, but humorous all the same. Hermione laughed, too. How ironic?
She was human again by the sheer will of her mind. Her eyes glittered with mirth and excitement. She had become an Animagus! She would be able to run wild and free under the moonlight, alongside of Sirius, beyond the castle grounds…
"Aren't you going to take some, Professor?" she asked.
Snape's laughter had dulled somewhat. He eyed the potion, as if making an important decision come to life in his mind. Was he already an Animagus? And why wouldn't he take the potion, if he wasn't? After all, he basically helped create it with Hermione, rather than simply instruct her.
He had ladled a phial-full of potion, lifted it to his lips, and swallowed it. The next moment, a large Jaguar stood in front of Hermione. She whimpered - how fearsome. Reluctantly, Hermione reached down and petting Professor Snape the Jaguar. Greasy.
Professor Snape transformed back into himself, still rather amused. He looked the glass phial over again and threw it over his shoulder.
"We are done here," he said shortly. Turning on his heel, Snape exited the Potions lab where the Scultore was being brewed.
Hermione seized the chance to ladle some of the extra potion into glass phials and hide them in her robes. Ron and Harry… They would want to have some, when they found out what she was.
A thought came to Hermione's mind. Sirius!
Hurriedly, without bothering to clean up the potion, Hermione ran out of the dungeons and made haste to Gryffindor tower.
Harry and Ron were sitting on a couch in the Common Room. Hermione grabbed a hold of Harry's robes and pulled him up, dragging him along to her dormitory. Ron followed, asking, "Hermione, what's gotten into you?"
"You want to know what I've been up to with Snape, lately, don't you?" Hermione asked. She watched Harry and Ron's faces - both were signed and sealed with confusion. Inwardly, Hermione giggled.
"Yeah, and…?" Ron asked. "Tell us, already. Don't make me have to guess."
Hermione shook her head. "No, wait… Where's Sirius?"
"He's out with Dumbledore," Harry said. "Won't be back until later tonight."
"Oh…" Hermione pouted and slumped onto her bed. Should she tell Ron and Harry before Sirius got back? If she gave Harry and Ron the potion now, the three of them could transform before he got back, and it would be a triple surprise.
Hermione's mind was decided. She pulled out the phials and stared with fierce determining at Harry and Ron. "This is a special kind of potion that I created. Drink it. Every last drop," she added, seeing Ron's blatant distaste. "And no, it doesn't taste like the Polyjuice potion."
Ron cocked an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Because I told you to!" Hermione snapped. Why did boys always have to be so stubborn?
Harry grabbed the nearest phial and tipped it backwards. He felt the potion swim down his throat and felt a sudden tightening in his stomach, the rising of the hairs on the back of his neck. Hermione was right - it didn't taste like the polyjuice potion, but it sure felt quite like it.
Ron followed suit. Soon, the two were writhing inside, transforming and changing before Hermione's eyes. The two had shortened, transformed into something different. Course red hair sprouted all over Ron - fiery and bright.
When the transformation had completed, Hermione looked down at a pair of emerald-green eyes and bright brown eyes so much like her own.
She was not only looking at a pair of eyes, but instead, at a bright red otter and a black stag.
When Sirius padded his way into Hermione's dorm room that night, he did not expect to find what he saw. There was no apparent Hermione, but Hermione was there, somewhere. He could smell her.
He sniffed around the room, searching for the source of the smell. On the bed, Hermione was there - or, her scent was. She wasn't there, though. Under her bed was a few magazines, a couple of shirts… but no Hermione. He could see, though four legs…
That looked like an animal's.
Sirius barked and went to the other side of the bed, surprised. What was this other animal doing in Hermione's room? Where did it come from? Why-
But he stopped short. He realized that the smell of Hermione was coming from the large, fluffy brown coated dog standing before him. Its eyes were so familiar - brown, almond-shaped eyes… and around the dog's neck, a fine line of silver colouring and on the chest, a tear-drop shaped spot of red.
It definitely was Hermione.
Sirius was Sirius again and was staring down at the large brown dog that was Hermione. She, like he had, transformed into herself and sat down on her bed, grinning. The tear-drop garnet that Sirius had given her for Christmas shone in the light.
"Hermione… when did you… how did you…?"
"Just now, with Professor Snape."
He gawked, staring incredulously. "You can't be serious… You… you're a dog, too? I never would've thought…"
Hermione laughed and pulled Sirius into a large hug. He was so surprised that he forgot to put his arms around her.