Happy belated valentines' day. This chapter is dedicated to my friend, who picked out all the animals that Harry, Ron, and Hermione should turn into. I think I'll start to speed things up a bit. Here's a hint. Chapter 24 and 25 will focus on Halloween.
Chapter # 17
Monday, September 9th, 10:00 A.M

Snape sighed bitterly as he stirred the potion. It was definitely not a very good day. He blinked as the students piled in the classroom in the dungeons, his eyes lingering off-handedly to Hermione Granger, who was unusually quiet lately. He was sure it had something to do with.. Well, he knew he shouldn't be pondering over it like this, but still, something wasn't right. Even though, deep within, everything seemed all right, he knew on the outside something was terribly wrong.

"Today we will brew a very complicating transforming potion called the angleris potion. This is not something to meddle with, and I give you fair warning, that if spilled onto any solid surface, that surface will transform into fire. DO NOT under ANY circumstances should you even THINK about touching the substance. " Snape warned them roughly. "It will hurt severely if poured onto skin, though it is used in some healing methods. Any questions?" Snape glared at them, as if he was daring them to ask a question. Hermione raised her hand. He glared at her with a sneer.

"Um, what about those potions we made on last Monday?" She asked nervously.

"You will be using them in transfiguration this afternoon." Snape replied. "Anything else?" No one else had any questions, so the class passed by quietly. Until Malfoy started to whisper insults to Harry when the potion made a small erosion of bubbles in his face.

"Potter, are you trying to catch on fire? I hope so, bloody hell that would be an awesome sight!"

"Back off, Malfoy." Harry replied quietly. "I'm not looking for a fight today."

"Awww! Is poor little Potter missing his mommy and daddy? Too bad he killed them when he was one." Malfoy replied. Hermione caught onto the insult and glared at Malfoy at the mention of James being dead. But before she could scold the pureblood brat, a more authoritative voice broke out.

"Mr. Malfoy? I see you are done your potion." Snape barked roughly.

"Uh, no sir. I was just talking to Potter, you know, giving him advice." Malfoy replied smoothly. He didn't think Snape would get him into trouble. How very wrong he was.

"I see. Well, Potter, how is your potion coming along?" Snape withdrew a quill from his pocket and stuck the tip in Harrys' potion. Harry held his breath, knowing that if nothing happened he would probably get told off. But as soon as the tip of the quill hit the potion it combusted into blue flames. Snape nodded his head in approval, much to everyone's' surprise.

"Now Malfoy, kindly test your potion." Draco nodded and stuck a quill in the potion, but nothing happened. "Twenty points from Slytherin for lying to the teacher, and twenty points to Gryffindor for keeping your temper to yourself. A rather unusual feat for you hotheaded Potters." Snape said with a small smile at Harry.

"Someone's in a good mood." Ron muttered. Harry nodded.

"Yes, Weasley, I'm in a fairly good mood." But Severus didn't want the students to know why. He sat down and examined the glowing red crystal, thinking. That saying, he had looked it up, and found that LASCIATI AGNI SPERANZA VOI CHENTRETRI meant "Abandon all hope, ye who enters." Rather clever, Severus thought bitterly. But as soon as he heard someone approaching the desk he shoved it in a drawer. He looked up into shockingly emerald eyes.

"Uh, I'd just like to thank you professor." He was blushing greatly when he said this. "For being fair today. I mean, it's not like you're always that, um, nice to me. You know, you usually favor the Slytherins." Harry finished breathlessly. It had been Hermione's idea to thank Snape, though Ron had objected to that.

"I see." Snape said slowly. "Well, Po. Harry," Harry blinked when directed to his professor by his first name. He had been wondering lately if Snape even knew his first name. "It's not often I do that for someone, but you didn't ask for a fight with Malfoy, and I certainly didn't want to see you punch him. Physical fighting is much disapproved in school."

"I wouldn't have punched him!"

"And are you sure that if I let him insult not just you, but your family, you wouldn't have punched him?" Snape asked calmly.

"I probably would have given him a good black eye." Harry admitted. Snape sighed.

"Had he been insulting you, I would have let it go as another teenage scuffle, but he did, in fact, insult your family. And much as I hate your father, I'll admit to placing him as a sort of role-model for me. He got good marks, I tried to get better. He got on the quidditch team, I got to be captain. I did have respect for him. But yes, putting it bluntly, I hate him."

"You still hate him? I mean, he's dead! And hate is a really strong word, professor." Harry replied, wondering why Snape was being so civil to him.

"Well, maybe I don't hate him as much as I'd like to think I do, but." Snape sighed. The bell rang suddenly, so Harry and his fellow Gryffindors left, followed loosely by the Slytherins. The double potion lesson had been very draining.

"So we have Transfiguration and charms after lunch?" Ron asked. Harry nodded.

"Harry, that was good of you to thank Professor Snape. You never know, he might soften up in his old age." Hermione said with a grin.

"He isn't that old. I mean, he's no older than my dad. Dad would be thirty-five right now, so Snape is thirty-five."

"Holy cow! Snape's only twenty years older than us!" Ron said with a grin. Harry shrugged.

"Oh well. Hey Hermione? Do you still have my cloak?" Hermione felt her face pale.

"Uh, I still need it." She said quickly.

"That's fine. Just don't lose it, okay?" Harry asked with a small smile. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I won't."

"Are you ever gonna tell us who you're seeing?" Ron asked. Hermione sighed. She didn't really think Ron would ever drop the subject for good.

"Ron does it really matter that much to you?"

"No." Ron sighed. Harry smiled and started to eat his lunch. Transfiguration was next, so they hurried to Mcgonagalls' classroom. She sat behind her desk, staring at them pointedly, and that's when they realized that they were five minutes late.

"Oops. Lost track of time." Harry said quickly. Hermione sighed. Draco snickered from where he sat.

"Nest time this happens I will turn Mr. Potter into a watch for you two to get here on time." Mcgonagall said strictly. Harry managed a weak, nervous smile before they sat in their usual seats.

"Now, Professor Snape has given me your potions, and you will drink them one at a time. Understood? Good, now let's begin. Ms. Brown?" Lavender stepped forward uncertainly and drank her potion. There was a small fizzling noise, and a faint pop. A penguin stood in her place. After a minute Lavender tuned back and sat down. The class progressed in much the same manner. Several people applauded when Neville turned into a tiger. Hermione drank her potion and waited. The familiar feeling came to her, but this time it wasn't just her eyes that tingled. Her whole body did. A faint pop and Hermione looked around. Everything seemed so big. She stretched her arms, only to realize they had feathers on them. She turned back into herself and sidled uneasily into her desk.

"Exciting, isn't it?" Ron asked as Draco Malfoy got up uncertainly. He turned into what looked like a salamander at first, then grew into a four-foot long lizard. Parvati turned into a black cat. Pansy Parkinson turned into a small yellow dog. Harry squirmed uneasily as he drained the bottle.

"Ugh, that was disgusting!" He gagged, then felt a tingling sensation in his body. A weird feeling took hold of his mind, and he felt the floor shift underneath him.

The class watched as the stallion went onto his hind legs then settled nervously on the floor. He shook his head in a rather humanlike manner.

Harry shook his head and looked around. He felt strange. Every time he tried to stand up, the whole class gasped and he felt like he was going to fall over, so he landed back down. Of course! He was a horse now! Still a bit confused, he felt his body start to tingle again. A small sigh escaped his lips as he turned back, finding himself on his hands and knees in a rather awkward position. He scrambled up and sat down in his seat, blushing. After everyone was done, which took up all of the class, they piled out of the classroom and towards the charms corridor.

"Well, that was embarrassing." Ron mumbled. Harry nodded. He wasn't too sure what to think of all this animagus stuff.
PREVIEW OF NEXT CHAPTER

September 10th, Tuesday at 8:00, P.M Severus Sighed and rubbed his head in confusion. He was pondering over the fact that his head was hurting, and he had to go on a death eater raid. Things would probably get very ugly. Apparently Voldemort had come up with a plan to kill Harry, and he knew something about James Potter. Severus shook his head and rubbed it again.