Chapter 4

The travel begins

The very next day, Minerva awoke, only to find a tiger sitting beside her, which roared loudly.

"Yes, yes. All right. I am awake," she told the beast.

The tiger quickly transfigured itself into the future Minerva, who said, "You said that you wanted to be awakened when it was time to leave. And, so I have." She snapped her fingers and Minerva found herself standing beside her bed dressed in her best green robes. Future Minerva turned herself back into a tiger and somhow managed to tell her past self, "If you like, we could get to our destination much quicker if you rode upon my back."

Minerva, a bit reluctantly---this was a full-size 600 pound animal after all--- took a seat upon the back of the tiger. The tiger/Future Minerva proved a quick ride indeed, and within five minutes, they both made it down in the park.

"Well, good morning, Minerva. You seem to be the first one up," Kitty said. A moment later, they saw another shadow appear.

"Hello, Xiomara," Kitty said, acknowledging Madame Hooch. "How does the morning find you?"

"Well, considering the fact that I was awoken by a rather large hawk screaming in my ear, not too badly, really," Xiomara answered tersely, yet politely.

A large red-tailed hawk flared its wings as it rapidly descended toward them all. At the last moment, it turned itself into the Future Xiomara Hooch.

"Only a Hawk, Xiomara?" Minerva questioned, eyeing her friend with one arched eyebrow. "Try being roared awake by a tiger."

Soon the four students had made their way into the park, and joined them. Kitty told them all, "All right, all of you. Take a good look at the Hogwarts Castle. Because it will be the last time you'll be seeing it again."

Kitty snapped her fingers once, and the Future Xiomara and Minerva turned themselves into two female tigers. "Go on now! Three of you on each of them. Quickly now!" Kitty instructed. "No more than one instructor on each tiger, mind you", Kitty quickly added.

Minerva and Xiomara took their seats, one on each tiger's back. Hermione took up a seat just behind Minerva, while Ron climbed on behind her. Harry took up a position behind Xiomara, while Draco seated himself---most reluctantly---behind Harry.

"Right then! We are leaving," Kitty declared with a nod. The tigers---loaded down as they were---began to walk.

After a few miles they were within the Forbidden Forest. They made their way through the forest until they came to a high cliff. As they all waited upon their most unusual mounts, Kitty moved over to a seemingly innocent bush. Hidden within the shrub was a hand-shaped opening. She placed her hand down, settling her palm into the depression there.

"DNA scan positive. Welcome, Kitty Petro," stated an odd female voice, seemingly from nowhere. To their most apparent astonishment, the cliff they were upon split itself in half, and a path showed them the way toward their eventual destination.

"Ruddy brilliant!" Ron said, his eyes wide and excited. "That was wicked!"

"Thank you, Ron. I do try," Kitty said, grinning.

They walked inside, down the path, astride their tigers, and finally made it to a most stupendous chamber, that soared upward to at least sixty stories. But, most impressive of all, was the chamber's architecture. Each story was supported by six stout pillars that stood in a semi-circle, complete with elegant balconies. Framing the left side of the structure was a pillar carved in a likeness of Minerva McGonagall. She stood straight and tall, her wand held out before her. Her pointed hat supported the floor above.

The next pillar going to the right of McGonagall was undoubtedly done up as Hermione. She held her right hand up, as if she were wanting to answer some teacher's question. In her left hand, she clutched a book, bracing it against her hip. Hermione's upraised hand supported the floor above.

The next pillar over was Ron likeness. He had a smile on his face, while holding his arms crossed before his chest. The floor above was supported by a few hairs that where standing up upon his head.

Next there was a sweeping marble staircase that led up to the next floor. To the right of the stairs, the Draco pillar stood proudly. He held his wand upraised in his hand, so that it supported the floor above his likeness. A smile was carved on his face, while his other hand was upon his hip.

Next to him, the Harry pillar loomed. He held his arm up in triumph, showing all the Snitch he held firmly in his grasp. The top of the Snitch supported the floor above. His eyes were closed, but his mouth was open in what had to be a shout of joy.

The right-most pillar was---of course--- a remarkable likeness of Xiomara Hooch in pillar form. She was holding a broomstick. The body of her broom supported the floor above on its tip. She was smiling and when you looked closer, you could see that she held a Beater's bat.

"Madam Hooch? You were a Beater?" Harry asked quietly.

"Why, yes, Potter, I was a Beater for the Ballycastle Bats a few years back," Xiomara said, just a bit proudly.

"Oh, please… not another conversation about Quidditch," Hermione moaned, digging her elbow into Ron's side when he opened his mouth to join in.

"So… can I assume that you all like it?" Kitty asked, proudly. She smiled, and then continued, "This is the way to the bedrooms you all will be using. Do you see all these doors?"

The six newcomers nodded.

"Behind each door is a bedroom for a single person," Kitty told them all. She then withdrew a ring of keys. "Here. These are your keys," she said, handing one to each of them. "Each has a number. Just find the right numbered door, and set yourselves to home."

They made their way up the sweeping staircase. "Well, I think we have to go a bit higher," Xiomara Hooch observed.

"Oh? And how do you know that, Madam Hooch," Hermione asked.

"You see, dear, my key is numbered 9736," Xiomara told her, and they all looked down to their keys, which had similar range of numbers. They climbed the stairs for nearly fifteen minutes before they had reached the door labeled 9000.

"Ah, look here! This is the 9000 door. We must be getting close," a slightly winded Minerva said. " Xiomara, take Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley to the left. Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy will accompany me to the right."

Eventually, the found their set of rooms. The first person to find their room was Draco Malfoy. "Room 9731. This one's mine," Draco said.

"Hello. Here's 9732…this is my room," Ron said, inserting his key.

"I suppose this one is mine," Harry declared and used his key to enter Room 9733.

"I'm next door to yours, Harry," Hermione said and unlocked Room 9734.

"I then suppose that the next one is mine," Minerva said and made her way into Room 9735.

Xiomara went inside her own room, 9736. Room 9736 was done up with hawks, her own favorite animal. Hawk pictures on the wall, on the rugs on the floors, a hawk plush toy that screamed like its namesake, and a hawk-shaped chair. The entire room was done up in the gold and red of the Gryffindor House. She had her own desk and her own set of books. Picking up one, and glancing at the other titles, she saw that they all were about Quidditch. A moment later, she heard a scratch at the door and she moved over to open it. A tabby cat made its way imperiously inside and jumped on to the bed.

"Minerva, as you are my neighbor, must you travel about as a cat? It's just a bit unnerving… talking to a cat, you know," Xiomara complained.

Minerva turned herself back and said, "Cats are noble beasts and quite intelligent. I can really understand everything you're saying, you know," she explained. Then she looked on the room. "Ah, so you like hawks, eh?"

"How did you know?" Xiomara asked, slightly startled.

"Even the most unobservant of us could come to the very same conclusion I did, Amanda. This room fairly screams hawk, you know," Minerva replied with a small grin. "Beside… all of our rooms are done up in your own favorite things. Your favorite colors, your favorite animal, and your favorite subject matter."

"Oh, really? So what does your room look like, Minerva?" Xiomara asked.

"Lions. Everywhere in my gold and red room are lions. And where all your books are about Quidditch, all of my books are about Transfiguration," she told her. They both laughed, and then they heard a polite knock at the door.

"Come in," Xiomara called.

Hermione opened the door, and came inside. "Wow! You must like hawks, Madam Hooch," she said.

"Yes, I do, dear," Xiomara replied with a smile. "Might I ask just what your room looks like?"

"I can do better than that, Madam Hooch. I can show you," Hermione said, smiling, and beckoning for the two ladies to follow her. When they made their way into Hermione's room, they saw that she liked white tigers… as her room was full of them. Her bookshelf was covered with books, and she too sported the Gryffindor colors.

"A very nice room, Miss Granger," Minerva said, and meant it.

"What do your room look like, Professor?" Hermione asked.

Minerva grinned slightly, and took them to show them her room.

"Lions," Hermione said.

"That is because, dear, I am a true Gryffindor," Minerva said proudly. "That we can all see," the girls heard from the back of the room by the door. Harry and Ron stood behind them, gazing at Minerva's room.

"Ah, Mr. Potter. Dare I ask what animal is your favorite, Harry?" Xiomara asked.

"Sure! It's the phoenix, Madam Hooch. Just like Professor Dumbledore's Fawkes," Harry said and showed them to his room, where there was a plush Phoenix, that even made a reasonable example of phoenix song.

"And you then, Mr. Weasley?" Minerva asked, looked at Ron. Ron swallowed hard, and showed her a little cute plush tabby cat. "I know, I know! But I can't help it," he protested weakly, his cheeks pink. "They are so cute, and nice, and everything."

Minerva took the tabby, put it on her bed and then turned herself into her familiar tabby self. She jumped on to the bed looked at Ron. Then, she unexpectedly jumped up into his arms, where she began to purr delightfully.

"Well, well, Mr. Weasley. All that purring is just Min´s way to forgive," Xiomara explained with a grin.

Minerva the tabby jumped down turned herself back to her human form, saying, " Xiomara, I have told you before not to give me that nickname. Unless, that is, you would like to be attacked by a very angry cat."

"Do any of you wonder what Malfoy's favorite animal might be?" Harry said.

"If you really must know, Potter, you only need to turn around," drawled an arrogant Draco Malfoy. Everyone turned around to see Draco standing in the doorway, holding a white plush ferret.