Professor McGonagall sat in the staff room looking over some scrolls of work students had turned in during the week. It was the first Saturday of the second term of the school year at Hogwarts. Later that day, it would be her turn to try and catch Harry up on what he had missed during the first term. She wondered if there would be anything left of his brain by the time he got to her. Professor Bane got him first for Defense Against the Dark Arts, and then Hagrid would get him for Care of Magical Creatures. When she thought about that, she wondered if there would be anything left of him at all considering the creatures Hagrid was likely to pull out of the forbidden forest to study.
Professor Bane walked into the staff room, and as soon as he saw Professor McGonagall, he said excitedly, "I've never seen anything like it."
"Like what?" McGonagall asked.
"Harry," Bane responded. "I just came from my tutoring session with him to get him caught up."
"Didn't it go well?" McGonagall asked.
"It went beautifully," Bane said taking a seat near her. "I must say that he is far more advanced in his studies of Defense Against the Dark Arts than I ever would have dreamed possible considering that he missed an entire term of class."
"Mr. Potter has always had a knack for it from what I hear," McGonagall said.
"He has more than a knack for it," Bane said immediately. "There were times when I wondered exactly who was tutoring who. I planned on moving through the book quickly because of the short time we had to cover everything he missed, but I had no idea just how fast Harry was prepared to move."
"I take it you're pleased with his progress then," McGonagall said.
"Astounded by it more like it," Bane said. "He knows everything in the book."
"What do you mean?" McGonagall asked.
"He can literally quote the entire Defense Against the Dark Arts book," Bane said. "I started with chapter one. There wasn't a topic in it he couldn't fully explain. I moved on to the next one, and he knew that as well. Before I knew it we had reached the end of the book. I've only gone halfway through the book with the students that were actually in the class."
"Maybe he studied it while he was in the hospital," McGonagall suggested.
"Maybe," Bane responded, "but that wouldn't account for the fact that he was able to expand on each of the topics beyond the information contained in the book. That boy has studied some pretty advanced magic in some place other than his classes. Even Miss Granger wouldn't have been able to do what he just did, and I happen to know that she's read the book through at least three times."
"So, are you saying you don't have anything else to teach him?" McGonagall asked.
"Not very much if I stick to the topics I was going to cover in class," Bane said. "I still have to test his dueling skills, but if they're anything like his book knowledge I think I could graduate him out of the seventh year Defense Against the Dark Arts class today."
"Amazing," McGonagall said as she silently wondered just how much knowledge Harry had actually gotten from Voldemort.
"Out of fairness to Mr. Potter," Bane said, "I've decided to hold off on the dueling until he feels that he's recovered from his accident sufficiently. I must say that I'm anxious to see just what he can do though."
"I think we all are," McGonagall said, hoping that Harry's skills would be enough to get him through what they all knew was coming.
After Lunch, Harry walked into the Transfiguration classroom to find Professor McGonagall sitting at her desk correcting scrolls from the week's classes. He walked up to the front of the class, but when she didn't look up at him, Harry took a seat in the first desk and waited.
"How do you feel, Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked not looking up from her grading.
"Fine, Professor," Harry answered. "I'm really sorry I have to take up your weekend to tutor me."
McGonagall looked up from her scrolls with a surprised look on her face and said, "I am your teacher Mr. Potter. Anything I can do to further the education of a student is never an imposition."
"Still," Harry said, "I appreciate it."
"You are quite welcome," McGonagall said. "From what I hear, you seem to be doing quite well with your studies so far. Hagrid says that you really impressed him with your ability to work with the black winged tree serpent he had in class today."
"That was easy for me," Harry said. "It's a distant relative of the snakes, so I was able to talk to it. Once I got it started talking, I almost couldn't get it to stop. It had more questions about me than I had about it."
"A useful gift to be sure," McGonagall said. "You seem to have made quite a good impression on Professor Bane as well."
"Well, he's made a good impression on me too," Harry said in response.
"I'm glad to hear it," McGonagall said. "The character of our Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers has been a bit inconsistent in recent years. It's good to know that you have a good one for your final year."
"Believe me," Harry said, "no one appreciates that more than I do."
"I can quite understand your point, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said. "Do you feel up to some Transfiguration now."
"Ready to get started whenever you are, Professor," Harry said.
"Very well," McGonagall said. "The first task you will need to perform, is to transfigure one of the desks into a pony and then back into a desk again. Would you like me to explain the procedure to you, or are you prepared to perform the spell on your own."
"I can do it, Professor," Harry said.
Harry pulled out his wand and uttered the correct spell as he waved his wand, and the desk before him transformed into a small pony like one might see at a children's pony ride. Harry let the pony walk a few steps before waving his wand again, causing the pony to turn back into a desk again. Harry levitated the desk back over to its original spot and set it down gently.
"Very good, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said. "Your next task will be to transfigure the paperweight on my desk into a goblet."
"Ah, easy one," Harry said as he began to raise his wand.
"With water in it," McGonagall said watching his reaction carefully.
"Oh, that one will be a bit more difficult," Harry said. "Transfiguring one object into two that have a totally different chemical composition is fairly tricky as I recall."
"Would you like me to guide you through it?" McGonagall asked.
"No," Harry responded. "I think I can do it."
Professor McGonagall watched as Harry pointed his wand at the paperweight. An instant later, the paperweight transfigured into a silver goblet with her Initials etched into the side in deep relief. She could easily see that the water in the goblet was as clear as any she had ever seen. Once she shook her head at Harry to let him know that he could proceed, the goblet and the water turned back into the paperweight it had been before.
"Your third task is to transfigure yourself into any animal you choose," McGonagall said. "Don't worry if you are only able to do a partial transfiguration. I am perfectly capable of changing you back to your original form. I must caution you that it is very dangerous to attempt a transfiguration of this type without the help of someone who knows how to reverse it. Unlike transforming into an animagus, once you transfigure yourself into the animal, you will not be able to transfigure yourself back of your own free will. You should never do this transfiguration without someone knowing exactly what you transfigured into. There would be no way to communicate your wish to be changed back otherwise."
"I understand," Harry said as he launched himself into deep thought.
McGonagall watched Harry for several seconds before asking, "Would you like me to instruct you?"
"Oh, no thanks, Professor," Harry answered. "I was just trying to think of what animal I wanted to transfigure into. I think I have it now."
"Proceed then, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said.
Seconds later, Harry uttered the correct spell and pointed his wand at himself. McGonagall watch in amazement as Harry began to quickly transform. Harry shrank down out of her vision as he transformed into the much smaller creature. McGonagall began to rise out of her seat to look over the edge of her desk to see what Harry had changed into, when she heard a familiar song, and a brilliant red phoenix launched into the air and circled the Transfiguration classroom.
Professor McGonagall sat back in her seat and watched in wonder as Harry, the phoenix, soared happily around the room. It was such a beautiful thing that she couldn't bring herself to stop him. Finally, several minutes after his flight had begun; Harry landed on the edge of one of the desks, and sang a few more notes of phoenix song as he looked at Professor McGonagall.
It took another few seconds for her to realize what the phoenix was asking her to do. She raised her wand, said the reversing spell, and the phoenix began to change until Harry sat on the edge of the desk.
"Mr. Potter," McGonagall said, her eyes wide, "that was…"
"Amazing!" Harry exclaimed. "I can't believe how wonderful that was! I've never felt so… free."
"Mr. Potter…" McGonagall began without being able to find words to say what she wanted to.
"Did I do something wrong, Professor?" Harry asked, mistaking her reaction.
"Wrong?" McGonagall asked. "My dear boy, it was brilliant. Never in all my years of teaching have I seen a student successfully transfigure into even the most simple of animals on their first try. To transfigure yourself into something so complicated as a phoenix is… well… just unheard of. What on earth made you pick that particular animal?"
"I don't know," Harry responded. "You said to choose any animal I wanted, and when I thought about it, it just seemed the most logical one to start with. It has played a significant part in my life so far after all."
"I can see now that Professor Bane wasn't exaggerating your ability," McGonagall said. "Do you realize the magnitude of what you've done here today, Mr. Potter? By all rights you shouldn't have been able to do any of the three tasks I set before you. All three of them represent the most advanced and complicated transfigurations that can be done. Transfiguring an inanimate object into a complicated animal form, changing a single object into two dissimilar objects, and transfiguring yourself in to an animal are things that few seventh years are able to do even one of at the time of graduation."
"Then why did you ask me to do them in the first place?" Harry asked. "I thought we were only reviewing the things that I missed during the first term."
"Professor Bane says that you memorized the book in Defense Against the Dark Arts," McGonagall said. "Is that true?"
"Yes," Harry admitted.
"Am I right in assuming that you have also memorized your Transfiguration book as well?" McGonagall asked.
"Yes," Harry responded.
"I figured as much," McGonagall said. "I designed this test to see if I should waste my time trying to teach you the things I taught during the first term. It would appear that I needn't bother. Quite frankly, I really didn't believe that you could pass this test. I was hoping that you would fail it in fact. I was really hoping that there was something left that I could teach you, but what you have shown me here today is all the proof I need to tell me that you have exceeded the expectations of this class. I think you will do quite well on your Newt for Transfiguration. It should serve you well in your auror training as well."
"Thank you, Professor," Harry said, not quite sure what he was hearing.
"There is only one final thing I would like to ask you to try," McGonagall said. "If you don't already know that you can do it that is. Have you ever tried to find out if you are an animagus?"
"No," Harry said, showing a bit of excitement.
"You know of course that your father was one," McGonagall said, "so there is a good chance that you will be as well."
"I didn't know that it was something that could be passed along," Harry said. "Does that mean that I'll transform into a stag like my dad?"
"Not necessarily," McGonagall explained. "Occasionally the ability is passed on, but the animal is always unique to the individual. The animal is like a projection of the person's own personality into animal form. We wouldn't know what you might transform into until you try it."
"I'm ready to try then," Harry said, taking a deep breath.
"Do you already know how to do it?" McGonagall asked.
"I think so," Harry said, not sure of where he might have read about the process. "I just concentrate on focusing everything that I believe myself to be into my chest and think the words "animagia transforma". Then I just have to think "animagia reverto" to change back."
"That's right," McGonagall confirmed. "The key is in being able to calm your mind and focus your thoughts properly. You may find that easier than some do since you've had occlumency training. The concentration process is similar. This time, instead of trying to empty your head of all thoughts, try to empty out everything except the one thought of who you truly are."
Harry closed his eyes and set about his task. Professor McGonagall had been right. It only took a few seconds for Harry to clear his mind, before concentrating on who he thought himself to be. When he visualized his whole being to be centered on his chest, he thought about the two words that would begin the transformation.
Something was happening. He could feel his body changing. He was doing it. He was an animagus. Then, he felt something that disturbed him terribly. He was growing larger. He was growing stronger. He felt something forming where his own skin had been only seconds before. He had scales. A sudden memory flooded into his mind, and he knew that he had to stop the transformation right away. He thought about the words to reverse the process, but a terrible pain shot through him instantly. There were a few seconds of intense pain, and then he felt nothing. He knew nothing. He was nothing.