A lot of plot in this chapter, furthering of the animagi project, hope you enjoy, and please review!!!!

Anniacuru: my wonderful beta; still putting up with me!!! Thanks. *sends an acacia honey covered Draco*

Obviations: thank you for reviewing all of my chapters! Wow!!! Glad you love it! *sends a honey covered Snape*

Fallenangel664: you'll love Snape in This chapter then! We all pity Ron, even though he is really funny like that… *sends Draco with vanilla ice-cream (to cool him down!)*

Whoeveriwant: thanks for the review! I think Draco would kill Harry if he brought Cai to lessons though, and so would Snape! But, I'll see what I can do… Yes, Draco won!!! Yay. I think it bothered Ron more than Harry though. I got the name 'Cai' from a very good friend of mine. It is a shortened version of her name. You're not dense, and no one has asked me that before. Glad you loved the story!!! Hope you like this chapter! *sends a honey covered Draco or Harry (tell me your choice in your next review)* ps, cool name!

Sara Beara: glad you like it! Hope you enjoy this chapter! *sends a honey covered Draco or Harry*

Usernotavailable: ok, here it is! Hope you like it. 'please' sometimes makes faster updates though! *sends your choice of Draco or Harry (tell me in your next review)*

Sammi: aww, no worries, Snape won't cause an argument between them; they can do that on their own. Your wittle heart is safe for now. McGonagall will definitely Not become lovers with Snape *shudders*. Colin was taking a photo of Snape's reaction, the look on his face. hope you like this chapter! *sends Draco with chocolate chip cookies*

To everyone else, enjoy!!!

Key (you probably know it by know anyway)

An, poetry, prophesy, letter.

Draco thought

Harry thought

Normal

~~~ = Scene / POV change

Chapter 18

The class of Gryffindors and Slytherins looked at their teacher with thinly veiled amusement. Today, Professor Tonks had her hair a deep purple, and it stood on end as if she had been electrocuted. In fact, moments earlier, something quite similar to that had happened; Peeves had set a trap for her as she had ushered her class into the room they were in now. He had swooped in with a firecracker, only a wizard kind, shouting, "Dada's teachers gaga! Dada's teachers gaga!" she had been amused up to the point he threw the pulsating ball of light straight at her. Tonks' orange hair set alight, but she stopped it by simply changing it to the frizzy afro-style it was now. She sent Peeves through the floor with a well aimed banishing charm towards the dungeons, and the class were gratified with hearing Snape's yells as Peeves reduced his classroom to chaos.

"Ok class," she said in her familiar jovial tone, "today we are going to do some practical work connected to your Transfiguration project. This will be the last clue you get before the real thing, so cheer up you lot!" her zeal on the last point had got the Gryffindors laughing. The Slytherins looked at them haughtily with disgust plain in their eyes. "Once again however, you will have to do this in pairs, because you would confuse the experiment otherwise." The class looked downcast; they wouldn't be able to see their friends' results first hand. But, anticipation got the better of them, and they let themselves be ushered out of the room to re-enter with their allotted partners.

Harry talked about inconsequential things with Ron and Hermione until it was his turn. He didn't know what to expect because the pairs who had left did not return to the room that the class was waiting in. This was to ensure that no one would be prepared for the ominous sounding 'experiment'. He and Draco walked into the room in silence. They were greeted with a large wardrobe. And just what exactly are we supposed to do in a closet? Draco thought. One possible answer came into both their heads and Harry blushed.

"Ladies first…" Draco snickered.

"Oh please." Harry rolled his eyes and walked towards the cupboard, wand poised. He opened the old wooden door and stepped back in surprise. A mist poured out onto the floor like water. Harry couldn't for the life of him discern the colour. This is silly; what colour is it? Grey? Black? Red? It began to take shape.

"It's a Bogart, Potter," said Draco helpfully, before brandishing his own wand.

"I know what it is!" snapped Harry, "but I don't know how this helps find our animagi form."

"Isn't it simple?" asked Draco condescendingly, "your fear makes you what you are. We have to see the form it takes for you, and then we interpret what it means."

From behind a curtain, Tonks' muffled voice called out, "Correct! 10 points to Slytherin!"

Draco smirked, but Harry was too caught up in the form slowly manifesting in front of him. It was a man, Harry was sure. Its transformation completed quickly, and Harry was standing face to face with… himself. Only, he was old, so old… He looked ancient and was leaning on a walking stick. In his other hand, he held Harry's broken wand. A deep sadness was etched on his face; these eyes had seen many battles. Harry was horrified; what does this mean? Old age? Broken wand? I don't… he fretted in his head silently, but his anguish was portrayed on his face.

Draco but a hand on his shoulder, "let it go," he said, quiet enough for only Harry to hear, "we'll talk about it later." He led Harry away to the wall and stepped in front of the Bogart. It registered the change in person, and began to morph. The man grew taller, paler, and the eyes grew colder. The wand extended into an elegant silver cane. Draco faced his father…

"You bring shame to the name you carry so carelessly!" the Bogart whispered with enough malice to make it echo like a scream. "Pathetic, found wanting in the eyes of our Lord and Master." He advanced towards a shocked Draco, but Harry raced in front of him and shouted the curse against Bogarts. Lucius changed in a flash; he now had frizzy brown hair and the teeth of a beaver. Draco watched this change in horror, and then collapsed in laughter. To see his father, his mighty muggle-hating father, with the features of the 'mud blood' he so derided… it was too much to keep a straight face.

Having accomplished his task of unfreezing Draco, Harry led him out to the allocated classroom where the others were waiting. He was about to ignore the façade of their hatred and accompany Draco to his seat when Draco collected himself. "Thanks, Harry." He walked over to Blaise and Theodore with neither a lingering gaze nor any recognition whatsoever of Harry. How does he do that?

Ron bounded up to Harry from his seat in the corner. "How d'it go with the ferret? What's he afraid of?" Harry shook his head; he wasn't going to tell anyone what happened in the room.

But his efforts were like a fish out of water, and he was only saved by Hermione coming over sensing his discomfort. "Grow up Ron, taunting people you don't like will not help the matter." She said brusquely. Harry flashed a grin but she flashed a look back telling him that she wanted to know, and she would. Harry didn't doubt her interrogation skills, having been subjected to them so many times. But somehow, he wasn't worried at her reaction; trusting her sensibility. "Was yours still a spider?" she asked Ron.

"Yup." Ron grinned, "Can't get over those things, and I blame you entirely Mr. Potter!" he added jokingly.

"Hmph." Harry said, before turning to Hermione, "you never did tell us what your Bogart changed into in third year… what is it now?"

Immediately, Hermione's smile faded, and Harry had the overwhelming feeling that he shouldn't have mentioned that. But Ron, oblivious as always, pushed the matter.

"Go on 'Mione; please tell us!"

She went pink, and glared and Harry, "in the third year, it was McGonagall, saying that I wasn't good enough for Hogwarts, and that I was to be sent back to my parents and my mind wiped." Harry stepped in, to try and comfort her, but her glare put him off, "today, it was Fudge. The slimy b… he… was smirking at me, holding the deeds of Hogwarts, threatening to tear it down and make it a holiday resort."

"Mione, I had no idea, I'm…" Ron broke off, genuinely shocked. Harry held his head downcast. He was so sorry about making Hermione tell them about her innermost fear. He tried to convey it to her with his eyes, but she just continued to glare. Sorry Hermione… the bell went, and they left for lunch.

~~~

It was a normal lunchtime for the golden trio; Ron was thrashing Seamus at chess, Hermione was studying and Harry was being dragged through the dungeon corridors towards the portrait of Circe by an impatient Draco. "Hurry up Potter!!!" he said slightly out of breath. Harry followed him panting.

They careened through the portrait and she smiled, "usual, Mr. Malfoy?" he nodded and she shut, smirking.

~~~

"Let me through!!!" yelled the irate potions master. He had been outside Draco's secret room for over half an hour. His rage was attracting attention, but pupils who knew what was good for them stayed away; Snape was throwing out detentions for so much as looking at him. Circe stuck her tongue out at him and smirked. He tried a different tact. "Please let me through."

"I cannot do that Professor." Circe replied.

"I said the bloody password; what more do you want?"

"Nothing," she laughed at his face, "you can't make me open this door; I have direct orders to deny entry to everyone, especially you!"

"I'll burn your portrait if you don't let me through!"

"Only Dumbledore is allowed to 'retire' portraits. Sorry Professor you're not allowed in."

 When Snape fumed, he did it whole heartedly. He stomped and raged and muttered obscenities. He paced the corridor angrily for about ten minutes. Snape was there to ask Draco just what exactly McGonagall had been talking about. But Circe was being as stubborn and impudent as ever and wouldn't let him in.

He took out his wand with a flourish, waving it threateningly at her. She sighed and clapped her hands. Snape's robes fell to the ground as did his wand. Snape shrunk and began to sprout feathers. He was becoming a raven, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. The newly transformed professor cawed menacingly to Circe who just laughed. Draco, having finished with Harry, left him to recover on the floor and opened his door to see what she was so happy about. He looked at the raven and tried to look back to her disparagingly, but burst into laughter himself at the expression on the disgruntled bird's face. "Circe, who have you just turned into that?"

"Your teacher," she replied coyly, "he was very rude!"

Draco looked at the Snape raven and laughed. Laughter erupted from the air behind Draco as well. "Turn him back, please," asked Draco, putting on his infamous charm. She fell for it hook, line and sinker. She giggled, but conceded. Draco went back into his room.

Snape was returned to his human form, a very angry form it was too. "Malfoy!" he yelled, "detention for not taming your door!"

Just as Snape made to leave, he heard something; but he could not see anyone. 'Please let Minerva be wrong, please…' begged Snape silently in his head. He walked arms out stretched towards the portrait. His left hand caught on something in the narrow corridor. He grabbed onto it and pulled the soft material he felt. It came quite easily. Snape was now holding an invisibility cloak, and standing in front of him was Harry Potter dying of embarrassment.

Snape almost threw up. He envisioned McGonagall's smirking face in front of him. "Potter!" he yelled, "50 points off Gryffindor for your state of… dishabille!" he threw the cloak at him and Harry ran off towards the stairwell. Snape leant on a wall, trying to scourge the images from his mind. It was in vain however, and he retreated to his office to have more than one glass of his 'modified' fire-whiskey.