Chapter 18: Permission
Hogwarts was in the full bloom of Spring, and the first Quidditch game (again) was coming up, and Harry was getting ready in the dressing room talking to Ron. A few people were humming "Weasley is our King" and Ron blushed profusely, ears tinged with red, and Harry grinned as they approached the pitch. Their first match was against Slytherin, and as the Quaffle was released, Harry saw a glimmer of gold go right past him, and he dove after it. "Potter has seen the Snitch!" said Ernie MacMillan, the new Quidditch announcer. "And there goes Malfoy, diving...diving...!" The crowd let out a disappointed sound; the Snitch had gotten away. "Too bad! Oh, here comes Ginny Weasley with the Quaffle...past Bole...past Flint...she scores!" The crowd erupted in cheers, and Harry smiled as Ginny did a victory lap before heading back into the game.
Harry watched from above, and he noted that Malfoy was watching him for any sign of the Snitch. 'You want to cheat do you?' thought Harry with a grin, and he dove into a Wronski Feint, straight down to the pitch. Malfoy followed suit, and at the last minute Harry tore back up into the air, and Malfoy realized too late that he had been misled. Malfoy slammed into the pitch at full speed, and the crowd let out an "Oooh!" of horror and a few grins. Most everybody wanted Slytherin to lose.
Harry took no notice of what was happening with Malfoy as he was busy looking for the Snitch, hoping the accident would buy him some extra time, and indeed it did as Malfoy got woozily to his feet and then promptly fell over. Then Harry saw it; a glimmer of gold by Malfoy's head. 'Oh no,' he thought, diving toward Malfoy as fast as he could; Malfoy turned, clearly not entirely conscious, and stared at Harry, "Wha?" he mumbled incoherently. Harry whipped past Malfoy so fast that Malfoy's robes fluttered in his wake, and Harry's hands found the Snitch.
"POTTER HAS THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS!"
Malfoy, in the meantime, fell over yet again, still mumbling, but Harry didn't care; his teammates swooped down to him and began shouting happily. He blushed intensely when Ginny Weasley kissed him on the cheek, and Ron gave her a reproachful look, but they continued celebrating anyway.
That night in Gryffindor common room everyone was celebrating with extra stashes of food from Hogsmeade, and Ron was getting into bragging mode about his moves on the field. "...Caught the Quaffle, but only just; I mean, if I hadn't thought up the idea of giving it a kick and then catching it with the hands..."
"The look on Malfoy's face was priceless when he hit the ground!"
"He's an idiot for not seeing the Snitch in time; right by his head too!"
"The way you got that Quaffle Ron...that was something!"
"Ginny, you swerved that Bludger like it was nothing; did you see it coming?"
Harry grinned as he listened to everyone's conversations, then finally decided that he needed to go to bed; he climbed up to the boys dormitory and finally fell upon his bed, still thinking of the match, and blissfully went to sleep.
It was a good day.
It was mid-April, and Harry was eating lunch with Ron and Hermione, when Ron noticed something strange. "Anybody else been noticing how Snape's been acting funny lately? Like over the past few weeks?" The three of them looked up at the High Table to see that Snape was eating very, very slowly, and every once in a while a hand would snap up and clutch his jaw. The three of them looked back at each other, "He's been doing that for a couple weeks," said Harry, "I noticed that before. Didn't think anything of it." Ron shrugged, "Still think it's a little odd. I don't know what he's doing it for."
They looked up at Snape again and saw that he was doing it again, only this time rubbing his jaw. Something, clearly, was hurting him every time he ate. "Probably his teeth," said Hermione, "you'd think he'd go to a dentist, but not him. Too proud for that, I'm sure." "I don't think he's ever been to one, have you seen his teeth?" grinned Ron, "Always spitting at us with those yellow teeth...so gross." Harry laughed and they continued to eat, and finally it was time for their Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson.
"Today," said Lupin, pulling out a large book, "we will be reading the next two chapters in your book first, and then have our practical lesson. You see, we're about ready to go into some dangerous territory, and I don't want anybody getting hurt." A few people hurried ahead through their textbooks and saw what the chapters were; vampires and bugbears. "As you can see, both of these creatures are blood-sucking, and their bites will cause their victims to become the same creature themselves. Can anyone tell me where vampires first came from?" Hermione's hand shot into the air; "Yes Miss Granger?" "Transylvania, in the fifteenth century," she said proudly. "Very good Miss Granger, take ten points," said Lupin.
"Now how about bugbears?" he asked. Again Hermione's hand shot into the air, quivering with excitement. "Yes, Miss Granger?" said Lupin quizzically with a smile. "Bugbears originally were located in Russia but then migrated into other areas of Europe, such as Germany's Black Forest and Poland." "Very good, another ten points," said Lupin, moving on. Hermione beamed, and Ron silently rolled his eyes as Lupin said, "Now I'm sure many of you are wondering how it is that we'll be examining either of these creatures up close, so I'll tell you.
"I happen to have a friend who is a vampire, and he has sportingly agreed to come in and discuss his disease with you. Also, I am currently working out something with Hagrid to have a bugbear imported here legally, with a license from the Ministry of Magic. Now, your assignment for this week is to read the next two chapters and then give a six inch summary on each. These will be due Monday. You may begin...now."
Everyone grinned and read their chapters in silence; they were more than happy to read if it meant getting to see a real life vampire and bugbear. Not many people got the chance to do that. Their time in class passed quickly, and Harry found that he had already begun to write his summary on vampires when the bell rang. The three of them hurried out into the hall after they each said goodbye to Professor Lupin, then headed up to the common room.
They had just rounded a corner when they almost ran head on into Snape. "Miss Granger, just the person I was looking for," he said, "I need a word with you." Harry and Ron exchanged glances but Hermione said, "Go ahead, I'll catch up later."
A few minutes later they were clambering through the portrait hole, and Harry and Ron immediately turned to each other, "What was that about?" said Ron. "Dunno," said Harry, "but I hope he's not going to tell her off again. That's the last thing she needs what with all the studying she's been doing for the end of the year exams." "No kidding," said Ron thoughtfully, "actually...Harry...I'm starting to think that...that maybe we should study too." Harry was shocked, "Really Ron?" "Yeah. I mean, I know it's strange for me to say that, but the truth is, I really want to do well on the end of year exams and the N.E.W.T.s. If I don't do well...I won't be an Auror."
Harry grinned, "As long as we're studying together I think we'll be all right." Ron shrugged, "That and if we get Hermione to help us." Just then, Hermione came through the portrait hole, "Hello," she said, sitting down beside them. "What happened?" asked Ron instantly. "What?" said Hermione, "Oh, you mean with Professor Snape?" They both nodded, "Well," she began, "remember how you were both saying that he was acting strangely at mealtimes? Well he asked for my parents' office number; I think there's something wrong with his teeth. He said one of them was bothering him but he wouldn't say anything else." "Why doesn't he just remove it magically?" said Ron.
"I asked him that, but he wouldn't go into details; said he doesn't like to do it that way or something. Prefers Muggle dentists. And since he already knows my parents..." "He feels more comfortable around them," finished Harry. "Right," said Hermione, "so I guess he'll be seeing them some time soon." Harry and Ron grinned, "Maybe he'll finally get his teeth straightened, all yellow and nasty..." Ron trailed off, "Ugh!" "Besides," added Hermione, "he said that this would square us." "Oh, you mean no more trying to get the best of each other?" asked Ron. "Basically," said Hermione firmly, "I think...I guess...he never really clarified..." Harry and Ron laughed, but Hermione looked slightly exasperated.
Dinner that evening was wonderful, and it made Harry feel better before he went down to his Occlumency and Animagus lessons for the evening. He waved his goodbyes to Ron and Hermione, then descended into the dungeons, silently clearing his mind of a few unwanted things, readying himself for Occlumency. "Tonight Potter," said Snape once he had arrived, "we're going to try something a little different with your Occlumency. Instead of me attacking your mind, you are going to attack mine." Harry hesitated; he wasn't sure this was something he wanted to see, but he only nodded.
"The Headmaster wants you to become at least somewhat accomplished at both Occlumency and Legilimency, so listen carefully. In order for you to become a Legilimens, you need learn how to prepare your mind for attack. When you attack a mind, Potter, all your thoughts must be concentrated on that one person. Eye contact is key because the spell will not work unless you are looking directly into the person's eyes." "What about Vold-er, the Dark Lord, sir? He's never looked into my eyes but he's been inside my mind," Harry spoke. "That, I am not entirely certain about," said Snape, folding his arms and looking at Harry distastefully, "although he is capable of more than most wizards, and I have no doubt that he has a few extra abilities that most humans do not. That would make sense as well, being a non-human..." "He's a non-human? Sir?" "After he transformed, no, he is no longer a human; he might appear as such but..." Snape trailed off, and he seemed to be deep in thought for a moment, then his eyes snapped back up to Harry.
"As I was saying, being a Legilimens requires eye contact and intense concentration. You need to think of your own mind as a needle, prodding the other person's mind. You're really diving into their brain, in a way, and you need to understand exactly how that works." Snape stood up, "Try the spell now as you are." Harry fumbled for his wand, pointing it at Snape. He remembered he had to keep eye contact...focus your mind... "Legilimens!" said Harry. His wand let out a wisp of gas, then fell limp. Clearly it hadn't worked. "Not concentrating hard enough Potter," said Snape easily, "you have to concentrate on the person intensely and keep eye contact. Try it again."
Harry took a deep breath and stared at Snape for nearly a minute, concentrating, then cried, "Legilimens!" This time he saw gray shapes, he saw things moving, but what he could not see...where was he...?
He was back in the office now, and Snape shook his head as if clearing it of thoughts, "Did you see anything?" "Just shapes moving," said Harry, "I couldn't tell if it was even anything at all." "That's a good sign," said Snape, "but not good enough to prevent you from practicing. You understand that you may not practice this on any other human being, don't you?" "But sir, how do I practice if I can't-" "According to the ninth decree for Underage Wizardry," interrupted Snape, "you may not practice on a schoolmate until the legal age of eighteen. But you will have to practice by learning to focus your mind. You can at least focus on different people, although you may not use the spell. Do you understand me?" "Yes sir," nodded Harry. "Good. Practice on your concentration for the next week. For now, however, you need to work on your Animagus transformation."
Harry nodded as Snape continued, "For now let's see how you've been coming along. Go ahead." Harry pocketed his wand and began to concentrate yet again; a King Cobra, with green eyes and black glasses markings around the head, about a foot and a half long... He could feel himself moving, changing, but he continued to concentrate; a rattle, smooth scaly skin, white underbelly...
He was on the floor, in his King Cobra form, hissing at Snape. "Very good," said Snape, and Harry found that, after months of practicing lip reading, he was getting much better. "Now transfer again," said Snape. 'No no, he didn't say transfer, he said transform,' thought Harry, mentally making a note about the way he had said the word 'transform.' He needed to observe people more carefully. In his snake form, Harry now thought of himself; six feet tall, with messy black hair, green eyes, wears black glasses, big baggy clothes, skinny...
He was moving again, but Harry continued to keep his eyes shut, still concentrating, and a minute later he was standing next to Snape, in his human form. "Better than last time," said Snape, "but you're still transforming slowly. You need to learn how to do it quickly, Potter. In a way it's like Occlumency or Legilimency; the key is speed and concentration. Now do it again, come on, hurry it up."
This continued on for about half an hour until finally Snape said that was enough for the night, and Harry was grateful as he was getting tired. "You're moving along much faster now," said Snape, "but you're still taking quite some time to do it. You need to be about this fast." Snape transformed abruptly and sat hissing before Harry, then five seconds later he was a human again. "You can practice this on your own but only when you are alone, Potter. And do not attempt to practice if you cannot concentrate. Horrible accidents have occurred when wizards aren't concentrating and end up half and half, and I'm sure Madam Pomfrey would just as soon not take you to St. Mungo's."
Harry nodded and Snape dismissed him, and he was just about to leave when Snape called after him, "Just a minute Potter." Harry turned back, and saw that Snape was holding a piece of parchment, "This is your Animagus license. It just came in from Cornelius Fudge. I've already signed it but you need to sign it as well before they can legally register you." Harry took the slip of parchment and read
The Ministry of Magic declares that
Harry James Potter
has been accepted as a legal Animagus under the strict supervision of
Professor Severus Christopher Snape
and acknowledges all responsibility of any misuse involving his
transformation, registered with the markings of green eyes and black
glasses in the form of a King Cobra.
Harry looked down at the bottom of the paper to see that two people had signed the parchment, and he asked Snape for a quill as he read
Cornelius Achilles Fudge
X Minister of Magic
Professor Severus Christopher Snape
X Supervising Animagus Wizard
X Animagus in Training
Harry signed the parchment and handed it back to Snape, who said, "You should be getting your official license as soon as they receive this and have time to process it. Until then, you're still an illegal Animagus, so don't get any ideas. That's all." Harry turned and left the dungeon; within days he'd be a legal Animagus... He had to tell Ron and Hermione, and when he got back to the common room he did. "That's cool Harry!" said Ron excitedly, "You'll have to show us!" Harry grinned happily, then said, "Well...now that I think about it...I don't know...I mean, Snape said he wanted me to concentrate, and if you guys are around...I could go about halving myself..."
"When you say halving you mean being like half snake half Harry right?" asked Hermione. "Yeah," said Harry, "Snape told me some stories a few weeks back about people that had gone and halved themselves. It was pretty horrible, apparently." He told them the story that Snape had told Harry about some bloke Snape had once known that could transform into a ferret (Ron snorted, thinking of Malfoy), but apparently got distracted and transformed into a human being that crawled on the ground and had fur. "Ugh," said Ron, "that doesn't sound at all pleasant now does it?" "Not really, no," said Harry, "so I'd just as soon not end up a scaly human slithering across the ground."
Hogwarts was in the full bloom of Spring, and the first Quidditch game (again) was coming up, and Harry was getting ready in the dressing room talking to Ron. A few people were humming "Weasley is our King" and Ron blushed profusely, ears tinged with red, and Harry grinned as they approached the pitch. Their first match was against Slytherin, and as the Quaffle was released, Harry saw a glimmer of gold go right past him, and he dove after it. "Potter has seen the Snitch!" said Ernie MacMillan, the new Quidditch announcer. "And there goes Malfoy, diving...diving...!" The crowd let out a disappointed sound; the Snitch had gotten away. "Too bad! Oh, here comes Ginny Weasley with the Quaffle...past Bole...past Flint...she scores!" The crowd erupted in cheers, and Harry smiled as Ginny did a victory lap before heading back into the game.
Harry watched from above, and he noted that Malfoy was watching him for any sign of the Snitch. 'You want to cheat do you?' thought Harry with a grin, and he dove into a Wronski Feint, straight down to the pitch. Malfoy followed suit, and at the last minute Harry tore back up into the air, and Malfoy realized too late that he had been misled. Malfoy slammed into the pitch at full speed, and the crowd let out an "Oooh!" of horror and a few grins. Most everybody wanted Slytherin to lose.
Harry took no notice of what was happening with Malfoy as he was busy looking for the Snitch, hoping the accident would buy him some extra time, and indeed it did as Malfoy got woozily to his feet and then promptly fell over. Then Harry saw it; a glimmer of gold by Malfoy's head. 'Oh no,' he thought, diving toward Malfoy as fast as he could; Malfoy turned, clearly not entirely conscious, and stared at Harry, "Wha?" he mumbled incoherently. Harry whipped past Malfoy so fast that Malfoy's robes fluttered in his wake, and Harry's hands found the Snitch.
"POTTER HAS THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS!"
Malfoy, in the meantime, fell over yet again, still mumbling, but Harry didn't care; his teammates swooped down to him and began shouting happily. He blushed intensely when Ginny Weasley kissed him on the cheek, and Ron gave her a reproachful look, but they continued celebrating anyway.
That night in Gryffindor common room everyone was celebrating with extra stashes of food from Hogsmeade, and Ron was getting into bragging mode about his moves on the field. "...Caught the Quaffle, but only just; I mean, if I hadn't thought up the idea of giving it a kick and then catching it with the hands..."
"The look on Malfoy's face was priceless when he hit the ground!"
"He's an idiot for not seeing the Snitch in time; right by his head too!"
"The way you got that Quaffle Ron...that was something!"
"Ginny, you swerved that Bludger like it was nothing; did you see it coming?"
Harry grinned as he listened to everyone's conversations, then finally decided that he needed to go to bed; he climbed up to the boys dormitory and finally fell upon his bed, still thinking of the match, and blissfully went to sleep.
It was a good day.
It was mid-April, and Harry was eating lunch with Ron and Hermione, when Ron noticed something strange. "Anybody else been noticing how Snape's been acting funny lately? Like over the past few weeks?" The three of them looked up at the High Table to see that Snape was eating very, very slowly, and every once in a while a hand would snap up and clutch his jaw. The three of them looked back at each other, "He's been doing that for a couple weeks," said Harry, "I noticed that before. Didn't think anything of it." Ron shrugged, "Still think it's a little odd. I don't know what he's doing it for."
They looked up at Snape again and saw that he was doing it again, only this time rubbing his jaw. Something, clearly, was hurting him every time he ate. "Probably his teeth," said Hermione, "you'd think he'd go to a dentist, but not him. Too proud for that, I'm sure." "I don't think he's ever been to one, have you seen his teeth?" grinned Ron, "Always spitting at us with those yellow teeth...so gross." Harry laughed and they continued to eat, and finally it was time for their Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson.
"Today," said Lupin, pulling out a large book, "we will be reading the next two chapters in your book first, and then have our practical lesson. You see, we're about ready to go into some dangerous territory, and I don't want anybody getting hurt." A few people hurried ahead through their textbooks and saw what the chapters were; vampires and bugbears. "As you can see, both of these creatures are blood-sucking, and their bites will cause their victims to become the same creature themselves. Can anyone tell me where vampires first came from?" Hermione's hand shot into the air; "Yes Miss Granger?" "Transylvania, in the fifteenth century," she said proudly. "Very good Miss Granger, take ten points," said Lupin.
"Now how about bugbears?" he asked. Again Hermione's hand shot into the air, quivering with excitement. "Yes, Miss Granger?" said Lupin quizzically with a smile. "Bugbears originally were located in Russia but then migrated into other areas of Europe, such as Germany's Black Forest and Poland." "Very good, another ten points," said Lupin, moving on. Hermione beamed, and Ron silently rolled his eyes as Lupin said, "Now I'm sure many of you are wondering how it is that we'll be examining either of these creatures up close, so I'll tell you.
"I happen to have a friend who is a vampire, and he has sportingly agreed to come in and discuss his disease with you. Also, I am currently working out something with Hagrid to have a bugbear imported here legally, with a license from the Ministry of Magic. Now, your assignment for this week is to read the next two chapters and then give a six inch summary on each. These will be due Monday. You may begin...now."
Everyone grinned and read their chapters in silence; they were more than happy to read if it meant getting to see a real life vampire and bugbear. Not many people got the chance to do that. Their time in class passed quickly, and Harry found that he had already begun to write his summary on vampires when the bell rang. The three of them hurried out into the hall after they each said goodbye to Professor Lupin, then headed up to the common room.
They had just rounded a corner when they almost ran head on into Snape. "Miss Granger, just the person I was looking for," he said, "I need a word with you." Harry and Ron exchanged glances but Hermione said, "Go ahead, I'll catch up later."
A few minutes later they were clambering through the portrait hole, and Harry and Ron immediately turned to each other, "What was that about?" said Ron. "Dunno," said Harry, "but I hope he's not going to tell her off again. That's the last thing she needs what with all the studying she's been doing for the end of the year exams." "No kidding," said Ron thoughtfully, "actually...Harry...I'm starting to think that...that maybe we should study too." Harry was shocked, "Really Ron?" "Yeah. I mean, I know it's strange for me to say that, but the truth is, I really want to do well on the end of year exams and the N.E.W.T.s. If I don't do well...I won't be an Auror."
Harry grinned, "As long as we're studying together I think we'll be all right." Ron shrugged, "That and if we get Hermione to help us." Just then, Hermione came through the portrait hole, "Hello," she said, sitting down beside them. "What happened?" asked Ron instantly. "What?" said Hermione, "Oh, you mean with Professor Snape?" They both nodded, "Well," she began, "remember how you were both saying that he was acting strangely at mealtimes? Well he asked for my parents' office number; I think there's something wrong with his teeth. He said one of them was bothering him but he wouldn't say anything else." "Why doesn't he just remove it magically?" said Ron.
"I asked him that, but he wouldn't go into details; said he doesn't like to do it that way or something. Prefers Muggle dentists. And since he already knows my parents..." "He feels more comfortable around them," finished Harry. "Right," said Hermione, "so I guess he'll be seeing them some time soon." Harry and Ron grinned, "Maybe he'll finally get his teeth straightened, all yellow and nasty..." Ron trailed off, "Ugh!" "Besides," added Hermione, "he said that this would square us." "Oh, you mean no more trying to get the best of each other?" asked Ron. "Basically," said Hermione firmly, "I think...I guess...he never really clarified..." Harry and Ron laughed, but Hermione looked slightly exasperated.
Dinner that evening was wonderful, and it made Harry feel better before he went down to his Occlumency and Animagus lessons for the evening. He waved his goodbyes to Ron and Hermione, then descended into the dungeons, silently clearing his mind of a few unwanted things, readying himself for Occlumency. "Tonight Potter," said Snape once he had arrived, "we're going to try something a little different with your Occlumency. Instead of me attacking your mind, you are going to attack mine." Harry hesitated; he wasn't sure this was something he wanted to see, but he only nodded.
"The Headmaster wants you to become at least somewhat accomplished at both Occlumency and Legilimency, so listen carefully. In order for you to become a Legilimens, you need learn how to prepare your mind for attack. When you attack a mind, Potter, all your thoughts must be concentrated on that one person. Eye contact is key because the spell will not work unless you are looking directly into the person's eyes." "What about Vold-er, the Dark Lord, sir? He's never looked into my eyes but he's been inside my mind," Harry spoke. "That, I am not entirely certain about," said Snape, folding his arms and looking at Harry distastefully, "although he is capable of more than most wizards, and I have no doubt that he has a few extra abilities that most humans do not. That would make sense as well, being a non-human..." "He's a non-human? Sir?" "After he transformed, no, he is no longer a human; he might appear as such but..." Snape trailed off, and he seemed to be deep in thought for a moment, then his eyes snapped back up to Harry.
"As I was saying, being a Legilimens requires eye contact and intense concentration. You need to think of your own mind as a needle, prodding the other person's mind. You're really diving into their brain, in a way, and you need to understand exactly how that works." Snape stood up, "Try the spell now as you are." Harry fumbled for his wand, pointing it at Snape. He remembered he had to keep eye contact...focus your mind... "Legilimens!" said Harry. His wand let out a wisp of gas, then fell limp. Clearly it hadn't worked. "Not concentrating hard enough Potter," said Snape easily, "you have to concentrate on the person intensely and keep eye contact. Try it again."
Harry took a deep breath and stared at Snape for nearly a minute, concentrating, then cried, "Legilimens!" This time he saw gray shapes, he saw things moving, but what he could not see...where was he...?
He was back in the office now, and Snape shook his head as if clearing it of thoughts, "Did you see anything?" "Just shapes moving," said Harry, "I couldn't tell if it was even anything at all." "That's a good sign," said Snape, "but not good enough to prevent you from practicing. You understand that you may not practice this on any other human being, don't you?" "But sir, how do I practice if I can't-" "According to the ninth decree for Underage Wizardry," interrupted Snape, "you may not practice on a schoolmate until the legal age of eighteen. But you will have to practice by learning to focus your mind. You can at least focus on different people, although you may not use the spell. Do you understand me?" "Yes sir," nodded Harry. "Good. Practice on your concentration for the next week. For now, however, you need to work on your Animagus transformation."
Harry nodded as Snape continued, "For now let's see how you've been coming along. Go ahead." Harry pocketed his wand and began to concentrate yet again; a King Cobra, with green eyes and black glasses markings around the head, about a foot and a half long... He could feel himself moving, changing, but he continued to concentrate; a rattle, smooth scaly skin, white underbelly...
He was on the floor, in his King Cobra form, hissing at Snape. "Very good," said Snape, and Harry found that, after months of practicing lip reading, he was getting much better. "Now transfer again," said Snape. 'No no, he didn't say transfer, he said transform,' thought Harry, mentally making a note about the way he had said the word 'transform.' He needed to observe people more carefully. In his snake form, Harry now thought of himself; six feet tall, with messy black hair, green eyes, wears black glasses, big baggy clothes, skinny...
He was moving again, but Harry continued to keep his eyes shut, still concentrating, and a minute later he was standing next to Snape, in his human form. "Better than last time," said Snape, "but you're still transforming slowly. You need to learn how to do it quickly, Potter. In a way it's like Occlumency or Legilimency; the key is speed and concentration. Now do it again, come on, hurry it up."
This continued on for about half an hour until finally Snape said that was enough for the night, and Harry was grateful as he was getting tired. "You're moving along much faster now," said Snape, "but you're still taking quite some time to do it. You need to be about this fast." Snape transformed abruptly and sat hissing before Harry, then five seconds later he was a human again. "You can practice this on your own but only when you are alone, Potter. And do not attempt to practice if you cannot concentrate. Horrible accidents have occurred when wizards aren't concentrating and end up half and half, and I'm sure Madam Pomfrey would just as soon not take you to St. Mungo's."
Harry nodded and Snape dismissed him, and he was just about to leave when Snape called after him, "Just a minute Potter." Harry turned back, and saw that Snape was holding a piece of parchment, "This is your Animagus license. It just came in from Cornelius Fudge. I've already signed it but you need to sign it as well before they can legally register you." Harry took the slip of parchment and read
The Ministry of Magic declares that
Harry James Potter
has been accepted as a legal Animagus under the strict supervision of
Professor Severus Christopher Snape
and acknowledges all responsibility of any misuse involving his
transformation, registered with the markings of green eyes and black
glasses in the form of a King Cobra.
Harry looked down at the bottom of the paper to see that two people had signed the parchment, and he asked Snape for a quill as he read
Cornelius Achilles Fudge
X Minister of Magic
Professor Severus Christopher Snape
X Supervising Animagus Wizard
X Animagus in Training
Harry signed the parchment and handed it back to Snape, who said, "You should be getting your official license as soon as they receive this and have time to process it. Until then, you're still an illegal Animagus, so don't get any ideas. That's all." Harry turned and left the dungeon; within days he'd be a legal Animagus... He had to tell Ron and Hermione, and when he got back to the common room he did. "That's cool Harry!" said Ron excitedly, "You'll have to show us!" Harry grinned happily, then said, "Well...now that I think about it...I don't know...I mean, Snape said he wanted me to concentrate, and if you guys are around...I could go about halving myself..."
"When you say halving you mean being like half snake half Harry right?" asked Hermione. "Yeah," said Harry, "Snape told me some stories a few weeks back about people that had gone and halved themselves. It was pretty horrible, apparently." He told them the story that Snape had told Harry about some bloke Snape had once known that could transform into a ferret (Ron snorted, thinking of Malfoy), but apparently got distracted and transformed into a human being that crawled on the ground and had fur. "Ugh," said Ron, "that doesn't sound at all pleasant now does it?" "Not really, no," said Harry, "so I'd just as soon not end up a scaly human slithering across the ground."