Hi hi! Sorry it took so long to update, but thanks to all of you who are reading! I really appreciate the reviews as well!!! I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 15: Business As Usual
At last, he reached the portrait guarding the common room. He muttered the password and the painting swung open, revealing the cheery, comfortable resting place of the Gryffindors.
Scattered throughout the large common room, Gryffindors were chattering happily and relaxing. Most were winding down after the first grueling day of classes, but as Harry approached the table where his friends sat, he wasn't surprised to see that Hermione was already studying hard. He grinned quietly at the familiar scene; Hermione sat comfortably, her eyes glued to a thick text book, and Ron sat next to her, slouching unhappily over a mess of parchment and books. With a sigh of relief, Harry sank into a fluffy armchair, suddenly feeling quite exhausted. He looked lazily at his surroundings, and for the first time realized how lucky he and his friends were to claim this spot as their own. Though there were many tables lining the edges of the great round room, this one had several very desirable features. Like most of the tables, it stood beside a window overlooking the grounds, and from this particular spot, Harry had a direct view of Hagrid's cabin by the Forbidden Forest. The table was conveniently situated between two large, cushy sofas, and even had a couple of soft armchairs, and it was somewhat separated from the noise and action of the rest of the room. In Harry's opinion, however, the most pleasant thing about their spot was the proximity to the large, warm fireplace. He could relax and stare for hours into the bright, dancing flames—a perfect distraction from homework. He dragged his eyes away from the blaze and found that Hermione had set aside her book and was now looking at him with a strange expression.
"Hey, Hermione," he yawned.
"Hey," she said, her face returning to its usual cheeriness, "How was it?" Harry looked at her for a moment, trying to remember if he had told her where he was going. No. He had specifically avoided it, following Dumbledore's instructions to keep the meeting a secret. On the other hand, where else would he have gone? Hermione was bound to figure it out, especially having seen the note Harry received at breakfast.
"It was fine…" Harry answered finally. He hoped she didn't push for more information, because he wasn't sure how safe it was to talk about such matters, even in his own common room. He scowled at the thought, and tried to find something else to think about. His eyes fell on Ron, who, he now noticed, wasn't slaving miserably over his work. Instead, he seemed to be enjoying it. His brows were furrowed in concentration as he sat, utterly engrossed in a perfectly ordinary looking book. Harry turned to Hermione with a questioning look, but it seemed that she had only just noticed as well. "What are you reading, Ron?" Harry asked, turning back to his friend.
Ron looked up, caught off guard for a moment. "Oh, just some stuff for Muggle Studies...it's bloody interesting, actually. Too bad you're in Potions! You wouldn't believe some of the stuff these muggles come up with…chemistry…physics…airpranes!" Harry and Hermione both laughed.
"Ron, we grew up with that stuff! And it's airplanes, not airpranes." Hermione corrected him, but seemed pleased at his fascination with the subject. Harry had to admit, it was one of the few times he had seen Ron so interested in a lesson. Unfortunately, it reminded him how uninterested he was in his own homework Since today's Defense lesson had been mainly introductory, and they had only reviewed in Charms, the only real homework Harry had was an essay for Snape, and he certainly was not in the mood to do that. On the other hand, he wasn't sure if he'd have any time to get it done tomorrow night, what with the first DA lesson, so dragged himself upstairs to get his books.
When he returned to the common room a few minutes later, he found Ron and Hermione in the midst of an animated discussion. As Harry sat down and began dumping his books onto the cluttered tabletop, he realized that, for once, Ron was the one doing most of the talking, while Hermione listened patiently.
"But it's true, Hermione! You say Divination's a crock, but you can make predictions about the future! Muggles do it all the time…without any magic at all!"
"Divination is a crock, and muggles don't just predict the future with tea leaves and nonsense! They use information and measurements!"
"I know!" Ron agreed excitedly, "That's whats so amazing! It works! Look….these people use machines to find out what the weather's gonna be like—"
"Meteorologists."
"Yes! And they can predict whether you'll get sick or not….genetikits…?"
"Well….I don't know, Ron. It's all just probabilities…" Ron ignored her as he reached for another book.
"And this," he shoved the book towards her triumphantly, "This is how muggles predict people's futures!" Harry raised an eyebrow, fairly certain that most muggles didn't really believe in fortune telling. Leaning over Hermione's shoulder, he saw the title of the book: Muggle Psychology.
Hermione let out an exasperated sigh. "Ron, psychology isn't predicting futures. It's studying peoples' minds and thoughts and things."
"Exactly. If you figure out someone's thoughts, you can figure out what they're going to do, right?" Hermione looked unconvinced and Harry hid his face in a book, wanting to stay out of it. "Look," Ron continued tirelessly, "Say you know someone really well…a friend or something. And you know how their mind works and what they care about and everything like that, right?" Hermione nodded. "So, how hard is it to guess how they'll react to stuff? Isn't that psychology?"
"Yes…but that still doesn't mean you can predict my future."
Ron grinned. "Sure it does."
"Okay, fine! Go ahead, then." Ron's grin widened momentarily, but he quickly put on a serious face and spoke gravely.
"I predict," he began, rubbing his temples with two fingers, "That you will spend at least two more hours studying…"
"Ron! That's obvious! I've got tons of—"
"And! Then you'll start to make your way up to bed—"
"Ronald! Do you honestly—"
"—But," Ron's face grew dark, "You'll suddenly fall down, screaming…and…oh, no! This doesn't look good Herm…." He threw her a worried look, but she glared back, clearly not amused. "Well," Ron continued, "Don't say you weren't forewarned!" Hermione huffed, but nothing more was said as she returned to her work, though she did scowl dangerously at Ron as he made an exaggerated gesture to check his watch
Ron was, in fact, quite right. The trio spent the next couple of hours deeply immersed in their work. Harry found that he got much more done without the noise of his friends' constant bickering, and by the time Hermione began collecting her things, he had nearly finished his essay and the common room had emptied. Ron too seemed to be finishing up, and with some difficulty, he managed to organize his piles of books and papers. Then, with a casual glance at his watch, he gave a tired yawn and muttered thickly.
"Yep. I was right. Just over two hours." Hermione ignored him, slung her heavy bag over her shoulder, and started towards the girls' staircase. As she turned her back, Ron gave Harry a mischievous look and silently got in step behind her. She had just set her hand on the banister when, without warning, Ron reached towards her, giving her the shock of her life with an unexpected tickling. Just as Ron had predicted, Hermione sunk onto the steps, trying to block the attack, and let out an involuntary screech and a peal of laughter, which was followed by several breathless cries for help, though her eyes were alight with merriment. Harry watched for a moment as Hermione launched a counterattack and then returned to packing his bag. However, a moment later, the laughter and sounds of the scuffle stopped abruptly. Harry looked up and nearly choked with surprise.
There in front of him were his two best friends, kissing like their lives depended on it. As he watched, they broke apart and stared at each other. Evidently, this was something that even Ron had not predicted. Harry dropped his gaze before either of them remembered that he was there, and when he looked up again, both of them had regained control and were looking at him uncomfortably, obviously trying to figure out if he had noticed the accidental kiss. He carefully kept his face blank and spoke innocently.
"So, I guess Ron was right then? About the screaming?" The other two looked at each other, and surprisingly, Hermione answered quietly.
"Yeah. Ron was right." Without another word, she grabbed the strap of her bag and rushed up to her dormitory. Ron and Harry followed suit and trudged silently up to their own beds. Neither talked as they struggled into pajamas, but as Ron threw himself into his four-poster, Harry caught the quick, giddy smile that lit his friend's face, and he smiled himself as he drifted off into a pleasant sleep.
*****
Breakfast the next morning proved to be rather amusing. Though Harry knew what was going on, the rest of the Gryffindors were clearly disturbed by the lack of bickering between Ron and Hermione. The scene was made even more bizarre by the fact that Ron was once again lost in a book, and Hermione's oatmeal had her complete and undivided attention as her own books lay neglected on the bench beside her. Ginny was staring openly at them both, and was so distracted that she managed to shove a spoonful of sugar into her unsuspecting mouth. She wasn't the only one who seemed completely thrown off by the strange change, but fortunately, the awkwardness was interrupted by the reappearance of Tonya Turly.
"Tonya!" Hermione cried happily. "What happened to you?"
"What d'you mean?" the deceptively studious looking girl asked as she dug wholeheartedly into a plate full of eggs and sausage. Hermione opened her mouth to continue, obviously referring to Tonks' absence the previous day, but she stopped short as Tonks shot her a warning look. "I was in the library all evening after lessons." The discussion was definitely over. Silence reigned once again as everyone finished their meal. Soon enough, the group set out for their classes, still keeping their silence, but as they reached the corridor where Ginny was to part with the rest, Tonks also turned to walk in a different direction, and Hermione couldn't contain her confusion.
"Aren't you coming to the grounds for the Creatures lesson?"
Tonks answered bluntly. "No. I've got International."
"What?" Ron asked.
"Ooh! International Studies and Languages?" Hermione, of course, was thrilled. "I didn't realize you were taking that!"
Tonks nodded. "Yes. So, I'd better dash!"
Hermione and the others waved good-bye sadly, but Harry wasn't going to miss this chance to talk to Tonks. "I'll walk you there, Tonya. I'll see you two in a bit, and you at lunch, Ginny!" He didn't wait for any arguments as he followed Tonks down a long, narrow passageway.
As soon as he was sure they were alone, he stopped and turned to face her.
"Tonya," he started, "Can I talk to you? It's important." Her eyes widened curiously, but she grabbed his arm and silently led him to an empty classroom.
Without a word, she carefully closed and sealed the door. Then, Harry watched as she strode around the perimeter of the room, trailing her wand and muttering quietly. Finally, she cast a neat little concealment charm, enclosing the two of them in a translucent, undulating bubble.
"Wotcher, Harry! What did you want to talk about?"
"Er..several things really…" Harry wasn't sure what to ask first.
"Shoot, then."
"Well," Harry sighed, "First of all: What's up with Hagrid? Is he coming back? Is he sick?"
Now it was Tonks' turn to sigh. "This isn't public knowledge, but I suppose you're authorized to hear it…" She paused, watching Harry carefully. "Hagrid's been at St. Mungo's since June. It's thanks to him that the Giants are finally with us, but unfortunately, on the trip back, he got ambushed."
"Ambushed?" Tonks nodded gravely. "Giants?"
"No. Death Eaters."
"Well...well, when's he returning?"
"Soon, we hope. He's been doing much better." She spoke in a comforting tone, sensing Harry's panicky feeling. He nodded quietly.
"Well, what about you?"
Tonks looked alarmed. "Me?"
"Yes. Where've you been? I haven't seen you since the feast! Why haven't you been in classes with any of us?" Tonks shifted uncomfortably and checked around her, though the concealment charm was obviously strong enough to guard against eavesdroppers.
"Well, I'm not in your form am I?"
"You aren't?" Harry cocked his head, surprised. Then again, why had he assumed that she was posing as a sixth year?
"Nope. Seventh." She seemed pleased with herself, but Harry was skeptical.
"Seventh….? But…a class of seventh years walked out Charms yesterday and I didn't see you." Her smile went limp.
"Right…" Again, her discomfort was visible. She leaned closer to him and whispered very softly, "I'm also a second year…Slytherin." Harry jumped back in shock, but slowly, the pieces began to come together. Tonk was working in cognito, trying to dig out Death Eater information. What better place to look than Slytherin House?
"Draco?" he asked breathlessly. She shrugged, but her expression gave away her own suspicions. "Is he involved in all this?"
"It's really too soon to know anything. I haven't managed to get close to him yet, and who knows how close I will get, but he iis/i one of my targets. Then again, many of the likely sources have left Hogwarts altogether."
Harry nodded in agreement, once again wondering about Draco's reasons for returning himself. Finally, he realized that Tonks was watching him patiently and came back to his senses. For a moment, he considered asking her if she'd heard anything about Nagini, since she was being so helpful and open, but he decided against it, guessing that if she'd learned anything about a large, evil snake roaming the school, she would have alerted him. So, after thanking her, he helped her un-ward and de-charm the vacant room and then waved goodbye as they both hurried off to their respective classes.
When, at last, Harry reached the grounds near Hagrid's cabin, he was surprised to see that the usual class meeting place was rather deserted. For a moment he wondered if he might have misread his schedule, but then he spotted Ron's lanky form leaning casually against Hargid's back fence, looking at what appeared to be some very sad Squelching Squash. Harry made his way over to his friend, to find out where the rest of the class had gone, and wondering vaguely if perhaps, by some bizarre chance, they had been eaten by the squash. The idea was ridiculous, of course (the Squelching Squash only ate meat during the autumn), but Harry's amusement faded as he was reminded of Hagrid, who frequently exposed the class to dangerous creatures.
Harry reached Ron, still frowning. Ron, however, was grinning as he turned lazily to face him.
"Hey," he said happily, "They're all in the Owlery, Grubbly-Plank asked me to wait for you. She wasn't too pleased."
Harry frowned more. "The Owlery? Are we learning owls now?" Ron offered only a shrug and a weak nod as they set of back towards the castle.
"So…" he said quietly, "What did you find out about…" He hesitated, obviously wary of being overheard.
"I'll tell you guys what I can later. Not here." Another nod. The rest of their journey continued in silence. Finally, they reached the tall tower that served as a home for the school's owls and those that students brought as pets. Harry cracked the heavy door open slowly, gingerly peering in to see if he could somehow sneak in unnoticed. For a split second he had a clear view of the class, standing around in pairs and trios, evidently getting to know some owls. Then, as if on cue, nearly every owl in the tower turned to look at the door and then swooped as one towards Harry. Like some great, feathery swarm of bees, they hovered around him, hooting and screeching softly. Harry raised his arms to guard his face, but was surprised to find that not a single beak, talon, or feather harmed him as the creatures circled and fluttered wildly.
After a moment, the tumult died down and the owls returned to normal, some going back to the students, but most retiring to their perches. Absolute silence reigned as the students and teacher gazed at Harry in shock. He gazed right back at them, stalk still as he tried to understand what had just happened. Thankfully, Professor Grubbly-Plank broke the awkwardness silence.
"As I was saying, Magical or 'Post' Owls are very social creatures, another distinction from their non-magic relatives. What we have just observed with Mr. Potter was an excellent example; usually reserved for their own kind, mostly their young, that display was the owls' equivalent of a group hug." She eyed Harry strangely and many of his classmates snickered.
Harry saw that Hermione was among them, standing off to one side with Hedwig perched protectively on her shoulder and Pig diving recklessly around her head. Ron stepped from behind Harry and dragged him over to stand beside her. Hedwig hopped up immediately and glided over to Harry's shoulder to give him a gentle, comforting nip on the ear.
For what remained of the hour, Professor Grubbly-Plank continued her casual lecture and encouraged the students to quietly socialize with the owls. She elaborated on the many characteristic traits of Magical Owls, which Harry found rather interesting. Unfortunately, he was having a hard time paying attention. Ron immediately started talking about the "owl hug".
"What was that all about?"
"Oh please, Ron!" Hermione muttered under her breath, "What an obvious question." Evidently the brief period of peace between them was over. Ron stared at her, but Hermione paid no attention. "I want to know what Harry found ou—"
Harry cut her off with a sharp look just in time as they were joined by Neville, Lavender, and Parvati's sister, Padma. While Neville chatted with Hermione, The girls oohed and ahhed over Hedwig's pure, glossy feathers and Pigwidgeon's tiny cuteness (which made Ron grimace). The time passed quickly, and soon enough they trotted back outside to the greenhouses, where Professor Sprout happily set them to planning and planting their own, personal "Potions Gardens". The project turned out to be quite interesting, but Harry was eager to get out of class and find a private place to talk to his friends. Ron and Hermione seemed no less eager, and as soon as the class was dismissed the three hurried, without a word, to the library.
Luckily, the entire library was vacant except for Madam Pince, who smiled at Hermione, but glared severely at the boys. Harry assumed that all students were either eating or in class, but he still insisted on finding a private carrel. The three of them squeezed into the small chamber, which held a small but comfortable table and four chairs. When Ron had shut the door behind him, Harry turned to Hermione.
"Can you cast a good concealment charm?"
"Well, yes…but these study rooms are already soundproof."
"Fine," Harry said, "But I want an additional charm placed just around the three of us. Can you do it?" She nodded and immediately set to work. It took her a moment longer than it had Tonks, but when she was done, Harry was impressed to see that the bubble looked exactly the same. "Perfect! So, I asked about Hagrid."
"And?"
"He'll be back. Hopefully soon. I
guess he's been at St. Mungo's since the summer."
"What happened?" both friends looked worried.
"Death Eaters."
"Death Eaters? Here?"
Harry shook his head. "No. He was…traveling…" He felt horrible keeping things from them, but wasn't sure if this was considered an "Important Order Secret". Thankfully, Ron and Hermione seemed to understand and didn't demand more details.
"Alright, so…" Hermione said after a moment's silence, "What about Tonks? Why isn't she going to lessons?"
"She is. Only, she's not in our year, she's seventh form." Harry hoped Hermione had been less perceptive than he had for once, but his hopes were immediately abandoned when Hermione said she had been looking out for Tonya Turly amongst all the students, including seventh years. "Er…right….listen, I should probably warn both of you that you may have to take up occlumency, since…since you know the prophecy." He spoke apologetically, but found that both friends actually looked happy. Hermione, of course, loved to learn anything new, but Ron was a bit of a surprise.
"I've always wanted to read people's minds…"
"But that's not occlumency, Ron!" Ron shrugged.
"I have to start somewhere. Imagine! I could finally figure out what is going on in girls' heads…and—well, maybe not the twins, but…" He trailed off and Harry grinned.
"Anyways," he sighed, "I can't say much more until you have some more defense, but I do want to tell you one thing: keep your wands handy around Malfoy…and any other Slytherins for that matter." Ron laughed and pointed out that this was nothing new, but Hermione looked disturbed.
"Really, Harry! Do you really believe that all Slytherins are bad? I doubt—"
"Hermione. Just be prepared, okay? Please?" Harry gazed at her until she finally nodded. "Thanks."
Just as they were preparing to leave, Ron spoke up again. "Wait! What about all that owl business in Creatures?" Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Think, Ron!" she said, "Why would the owls respond to Harry as if he were a young owl?" She waited patiently. Ron stared for a moment and then comprehension dawned on his face.
"Ahhh! You think they know he's an animagus, then?" He seemed doubtful, but Harry had to agree with Hermione; it was the only reasonable explanation.
They left the library and started making their way silently to the Great Hall. For a moment, Harry was struck with the thought that perhaps he could have taken the opportunity to tell them about his meeting with Dumbledore last night, specifically the puzzle with apparating, but he caught himself immediately. Like everything else, the information was too important to share, and Harry felt a familiar sense of panic returning to him, which quickly turned into frustration. He was sick of these secrets, and sick of tiptoeing around. Something had to be done.
As they entered the Great Hall lunch was nearly halfway over, and Ron rushed to find a seat and a plate. Hermione followed, but Harry had other plans. He made his way to long staff table at the front of the hall, determined to get at least some of his problems sorted out.
"Professor Dumbledore?" he said quietly as he arrived in front of the headmaster, "I need to talk to you, sir." To Harry's surprise, Dumbledore simply nodded wordlessly and rose from his seat. Harry followed him out of the Great Hall and into the small antechamber which was nestled unnoticeably in a corner behind the staff table. The old wizard settled himself into a large armchair and gestured for Harry to do the same. For the third time that day, Harry watched the protective bubble form as Dumbledore flicked his wand effortlessly and then turned calmly to face Harry.
"What can I do for you, Harry?" Harry got right to the point.
"I need you to arrange occlumency lessons for Ron and Hermione, please. And Ginny too." Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully.
"Have you talked to them about this?" he asked casually.
"Yes, sir. I've mentioned it to Hermione and Ron, and they seemed fine with it. I haven't had a chance to talk to Ginny. It's too difficult to talk about these things, which brings up another problem…can you teach me how to make a privacy bubble like this one?" Harry looked hopefully at Dumbledore, but the older man looked hesitant.
"I can certainly teach you," he offered, "But I'm afraid I must warn you that, even using this charm you must be very discrete. It's a rather obvious spell, and your use of it would reveal certain things…" Harry nodded, understanding.
"There must be some spell that can be used easily? Some way to just…block everyone else from hearing a conversation?"
"Without them noticing that they can't hear it? I'm afraid that there is no spell that does that. It would have to be a very complicated bit of magic; a strong, complex spell or a combination of several simpler spells. As it is, I believe this is the closest there is." Harry frowned and Dumbledore continued. "However, I do believe we can start occlumency lessons for your friends."
Harry brightened. "Soon?" he asked.
"I don't see why we can't begin tonight if they are able. I'll check with Professor McGonagall and ask her to pass along the message. You're welcome to join us, if you'd like."
Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, sir. I think I will." Dumbledore smiled and nodded and asked Harry if there was anything else he needed to discuss. "No, sir," Harry replied.
"In that case," Dumbledore rose and began clearing away the charmed bubble, "I believe we both have lessons to attend." Harry nodded and opened the door into the hall. The din of dining students, which was overwhelming compared to the quiet of the small study, was somewhat comforting to Harry as he made his way back to the Gryffindor table. Ron and Hermione had found seats next to Ginny, Colin, and a number of other fifth years. Harry squeezed in between Ginny and Hermione.
"Hey, Harry!"
"Hullo, Colin, Ginny," Harry nodded to his friends.
"Where'd you go?" Hermione asked from behind her book.
"Just to talk to Dumbledore, I—"
"What about? Faculty business?" Harry looked up at the new voice and was no-so-pleasantly surprised to see Leah. He blinked at her.
"Er…Hi, Leah. Nothing important really…"
Leah seemed rather put-out, but didn't give up. "So, how's it feel to be Hogwarts' youngest professor? You must be very ambitious."
"I'm not a professor…" Harry frowned.
"Oh, right. How's it feel to be Hogwarts' youngest instructor?"
"I'm not an instructor…" Harry answered slowly, horrified to see that Leah was holding a fresh notebook and quill in front of her.
"But you are teaching, right?"
"Yes, but…"
"Well, then! How does it feel to be Hogwarts' youngest teacher in history?" Harry was unsure how to respond. He stared at her blankly for a moment, until a sudden flash of brilliance came to him, and he speared a large chunk of potato and stuffed it into his mouth, rendering himself unable to reply. Leah looked confused for a moment, but didn't give up. "Could you tell me a little but about yourself?" she suggested next. "You grew up with your relatives, right? Where do they live? Is your full name really Harry James Potter, or is it something like Harold or Harrison or—"
"You know, he's just a normal kid, Leah." Harry was shocked to see that these words came out of Colin's mouth, but very thankful as well. Wasting no time, he grabbed a sandwich and an apple and swung himself up off of the bench. He waved a quick goodbye to his friends and winked at Colin before striding quickly from the Great Hall. He made his way to the Transfiguration classroom.
The door was open as he approached the large, tidy room, so he walked right in and found his usual seat at the back of the room. Dropping his bag, he slid into his chair and began munching on the apple. He looked lazily around the bright room, enjoying a few minutes of solitude, but as stopped chewing in between bites, he thought he heard something. He swallowed and pricked his ears, listening carefully, and he heard it again.
A very quiet, sustained "Ahhhhh!" coming from somewhere behind him. Harry's eyes widened and he waited for hear more, but nothing came. He bit into the apple again, but didn't chew, and sure enough, he heard a muffled, whistling chuckle. Slowly, he inched his hand towards his wand, but just as he closed his fingers around it, he was startled by a loud click-clacking sound. He jumped as Professor McGonagall swept into the room. She looked equally started to see him there.
"Mr. Potter! You're early! Are you feeling quite well?" He managed a weak laugh and nodded. There was no way he could tell her what he'd heard, for that would surely let any "spies" know that he was aware of them. "Good," she said, "Actually, I'm glad you are early. We must discuss this year's quidditch team."
At the mention of quidditch, Harry's perked up, but he only half listened as McGonagall went over this years' schedule. The rest of his attention was focused on listening for more suspicious sounds.
"Potter? Are you paying attention?"
"Yes, Professor. Practice before dinner Wednesdays and after on Fridays."
"Right. And tryouts are next Friday."
"Right…" Harry thought he heard a faint hiss.
"And Potter, you'll be choosing five new team members. I'm afraid we'll have a very inexperienced team this year…" Her expression was grave.
"Five?" Harry suddenly realized what she was saying.
"Yes. We'll need two beaters and three chasers. Jack Sloper and Andrew Kirke have decided to resign."
Harry was shocked. "But…what about Katie?"
"She's spending her final year studying in Bermuda."
"Bermuda?" McGonagall nodded grimly.
"They have an excellent wizarding academy. She was one of only three students accepted into their exchange program from all over the world."
Harry could do nothing more than nod distractedly as he tried to process this new misfortune. Then, another dull sound caused him to whip his head back towards the back of the room. McGonagall cleared her throat and he turned back to her to see a worried expression on her face.
"Harry? Are you—" She stopped herself as student began flooding into the room. Harry made his way back to his seat in time to see Ron and Hermione walk in together. He was pleased to see that McGonagall surreptitiously passed them each a small slip of parchment before they made their way towards Harry. Both glanced with interest at their messages and he wasn't surprised when they both looked up at him curiously, but they kept their silence and carefully stowed the notes in their bags without a word.
Class began as McGonagall's lessons usually did: promptly and seriously. Like their other N.E.W.T. classes, this one was composed of students from all four houses. In fact, except for Parvati, who joined them at the back of the room, they were the only Gryffindors in the room. Evidently, this was one of two sections, and Parvati gloomily explained that both Lavender and Padma were enrolled in the other section. She perked up slightly, however, when McGonagall explained that this was the more advanced of the two sections. Hermione, of course, took this news with a satisfied smile, but Ron and Harry couldn't hide their surprise. Defense was one thing, but to be among the elite in Transfiguration was another story entirely. There did seem to be quite a few Slytherins and Ravenclaws in the class, and it was rather surprising that Padma wasn't in this higher level.
Parvati shrugged at the idea. "Well, she is rather useless at Transfiguration," she whispered, "Actually, that's about the only thing she doesn't excel at…but I never thought I was good at it!" Harry nodded politely as he strained to listen for more hissing. He was so caught up in this, that he barely noticed when the professor began explaining the day's lesson.
"Harry!" Hermione prodded him urgently.
"Hmm?" He turned to see her looking at the professor, but McGonagall didn't seem to have noticed. Soon enough however, a rustling of paper and the scraping of chairs against the floor signified the start of the practical lesson, and Harry found himself staring blankly at a fist-sized stone which lay innocently on his desk. "What's this?"
"It's your stone," Hermione offered peevishly. Fortunately, Ron took pity on Harry and explained.
"We're supposed to be transfiguring it to an animal," he offered, looking doubtful.
"Any animal?"
"Right. Though, I'm thinking a slug is my best bet."
Harry snickered. "Well, we all know how much you like slugs…" he muttered, earning himself a loud groan from Ron.
"Is there a problem, gentlemen?" Professor McGonagall joined them in a very Snape-like manner. Both boys shook their heads. "Good. Let's see your transfigurations. Mr. Weasley?" Ron reddened, but raised his wand over his rock and attempted a jiggly, complicated motion. Harry watched as the rock turned smooth and seemed to melt a bit, and too his surprise, McGonagall looked pleased. "Alright. You're on the right track. How about you, Mr. Potter, since I'm sure you were paying close attention to the lecture?"
Harry avoided looking in Hermione's direction, and turned to his own stone. He had a vague recollection of this sort of transfiguration; he remembered reading about it over the summer and thinking of Cedric's similar attempt at the Triwizard tournament. So, with an uncertain confidence, he raised his wand and twitched it around in a detailed pattern. Then, he watched with relief as his piece of granite slowly began to shudder and twist into a new shape. The once-hard substance began to pulse and grow, and finally it took on a familiar, if unexpected, shape. He heard the gasps of his nearby classmates as the stone became a sleek, silvery snake, which immediately wound into a tight coil on his desk.
Professor McGonagall stood behind him, her eyes wide in surprise. "Most impressive, Mr. Potter. Five points to Gryffindor. However, I will also be taking five points. Next time, pay attention to the material we are actually covering in this class." She strode off to the next desk without another word, leaving Harry to wonder exactly what he'd done wrong. He didn't have to wonder long, however.
"Crikey!" Ron whispered, "You weren't supposed to turn it into a live animal!"
Harry's brows furrowed in confusion and he looked to Hermione for clarification. "What other type of animal is th—" The words caught in his throat as he saw Hermione holding a tiny, perfect figurine of her cat, Crookshanks, obviously formed out of rock. He followed her stare back to his own creature, which was now stretching out in the small patch of sunlight that fell on his desk.
"But…we've been doing shape changes for years…" he sputtered.
"It's called 'review', Harry," Hermione grumbled, "Where did you learn to do that?" She nodded at the snake suspiciously. Harry shrugged.
"I read it somewhere."
"Read it somewhere?" Both friends repeated. Hermione sounded surprised, but Ron seemed utterly offended.
"But, Harry," Hermione argued, "This isn't in the book, is it?"
"Ah, don't worry, mate. She's just annoyed 'cause she hasn't read the entire bookyet." Hermione looked like she was about to correct him, but Harry spoke up instead.
"Look, I haven't even opened this book yet. It must've been in another one. But it doesn't matter, so let's just drop it!" Hermione didn't seem satisfied, but the conversation stopped there and Ron and Harry spent the rest of the period doing combination transfigurations to Ron's rock, while Hermione busied herself with translating a huge list of Runes. When the students at last began shuffling out of the room, Harry gently transferred his snake into the pocket of his robe. Hermione shot him a disapproving glance, but he had grown rather attached to the little animal, and was reluctant to transfigure it back into a rock.
The three hurried away from the throng of hallway traffic, and Harry wasn't surprised when, as soon as they were alone, both his friends thrust identical notes towards him. The notes, which were clearly in Dumbledore's script, instructed them to meet in his office after a very brief supper, and specifically asked them to bring Harry. Harry nodded, but refused to discuss it in the open, saying simply that they would find out when they got there. So, the two made their way to dinner to grab a quick bite, while Harry, who said he wasn't hungry, dashed up to the Gryffindor tower to drop of his books and find a warm place for his new pet.
Please review if you have a minute! To all of you who have reviewed: Thank you so much! I love to hear what you think!! From now on, I'll try to remember to respond specifically to some of the more specific comments you have, but if I don't mention you specifically, don't think that means I didn't notice your review!!! Believe me—I notice each and every one!
Response to Joe: I don't think an owl is a lame choice for an animagus animal. I mean, Harry picked it for certain reasons, and yes, he could have perhaps picked an animal with a more…impressive reputation/symbolism, but I thought the owl was a good choice because 1) it's a nocturnal creature, which seemed fitting 2) owls play a prominent and important role in the magical world (sort of like Harry…) and 3) many stories (many good stories!) set Harry as having very powerful/threatening/magnificent animals, which certainly remind us of his own greatness, but I don't really plan on using his animagus form as a demonstration of his power and uniqueness—I think he does that well enough by just being himself! Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!