Several days later, the group of animalistic students found themselves with a lot of free time on their hands. They had been flat out refused in their Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, Divination was out with Professor Trelawny taking her 'vacation' and Snape had forbidden half of them from coming to Potions after similar incidents as Ginny's reaction. McGonagall now only allowed them inside the Transfiguration classroom if they weren't working with small animals and all seven of them had taken to avoiding Care of Magical Creatures for their own safety.
At the moment, during the last class period of the day, Hermione, Draco and Ron were in Potions thanks to their strong constitutions. Harry had been affected by the potion fumes much as the twins had in Divination and was in the Gryffindor Common Room and was currently playing chess with Ginny who would have had DADA just then. The twins were currently banned from class as McGonagall's lesson plan would have had them turning handkerchiefs into ferrets. With nothing better to do, George and Fred were down in the kitchens setting up some prank or another...
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Draco and Hermione, being the top Potions students in their year, were helping Professor Snape work on an antidote while Ron was given the task that usually fell on Hermione during class: preventing Neville from blowing up or melting his cauldron. Sometime since the incident where Draco had 'coaxed' Hermione out of the tree and she had managed to bite his tail they had come to an understanding of sorts. The two were working in the perfect coordination that came with having a partner of similar skill level as they chopped, shredded, crushed and stewed things at the command of their Potions Professor.
Since the bite, Hermione had been observing Draco's behavior with interest. At least when she wasn't overcome with territorial or otherwise aggressive behavior, that is... She had discovered early on that his pack instincts viewed her as an Alpha in the oddly matched pack and, since his scathing remarks about Ron as they worked, she was trying to figure out who he viewed as the Alpha Male.
"It's really no surprise that the Winged Weasel managed to stay in the class. The way he eats you could probably stick him in a garbage can and he'd eat it all before bothering to find his way out..."
Hermione made a face at that comment, but since Professor Snape didn't correct Draco, she knew it would be pointless to say anything. Alpha Female or not, Snape would get Draco out of trouble.
"Not surprised that Potty couldn't take it, though. Living up to his name by having to run to the loo when all we were brewing was a simple Pepper-Up potion..."
Interesting. Didn't seem that Harry was the Alpha, though it was hard to tell. For all she knew, Draco still mouthed off about her when she wasn't around. It was nice that he couldn't seem to call her foul names to her face anymore, at least. Hermione had been amused much in the last few days seeing how he cringed when she turned her temper on him, poor wolf... A snort of amusement from Professor Snape brought her attention back to Draco's rambling.
"... going to be crushed in Quidditch this season. Those wings of his do nothing for speed. Potty won't have a chance at catching the snitch. He'll be crying for his da... Yeeeep!"
Draco's startled yelp caused heads to turn. Hermione had smacked the backs of his legs with her tail just hard enough to get his attention before narrowing her amber eyes and growling at him. It was almost comical the way just a growl from her made Draco visibly shrank down, wolfish ears flattened to his skull and silver eyes worried, as he attempted to avoid her wrath. Professor Snape actually cringed when an audible whine came from the throat of the Malfoy heir.
"Miss Granger, if you cannot work peacefully with others, perhaps you should take a leave of absence from this class." Snape's silky tones broke the silence and reminded the other students to get back to their work. Just in time as well as Ron almost missed a mistake Neville would have made in their potion.
Thanking the daily lessons with Remus, which involved quite a bit of meditation and other calming techniques, Hermione managed to refrain from leaping over the table and ripping Snape's throat out. After all, she was certain that handing your Professor their throat on a platter was a sure way to fail class...
For his part, Draco seemed torn between wanting to continue his derogatory rant and not wanting to piss off one of his pack leaders. He finally settled for sneering in Ron's direction and settled down to continue the class in silence.
Half an hour later, when class was finally over, Snape called Draco, Hermione and Ron up to his desk. "The cure should be finished soon. Bring the others here after dinner tonight." With that, Snape swooped out of the room.
Ron clucked softly. "Are you sure he didn't get any potion on him? Seems like more of a bat these days than he used to be..."
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"Being able to wear shoes again will be nice. I'm always slipping on the stone floors when I'm in a hurry." Harry munched on a tart apple the twins had liberated from the kitchens for him. He was staring at Draco whom, for some reason or another, had allowed himself to be abducted into the Gryffindor Common Room when Hermione and Ron had returned from potions with the news.
"I dunno, mate. I'm personally going to miss the tail." George seemed to have developed a strange fascination with fixing hair and was currently attempting to do something with Hermione's wild mane. Hermione was purring at the attention, her eyes half-lidded with feline pleasure as George's fingers worked through her unruly locks.
Draco was being abnormally submissive at the moment, sitting calmly on the floor where Hermione had rather loudly told him to 'Sit!' and 'Stay!' His thoughts ran along the lines of homicide for being treated as a common lapdog and berating himself for apparently not even registering as a pack leader to his own mind. Stupid pack mentality had him taking orders from the mudblood... And worst of all, he couldn't even call her that anymore!
Ron leaned against the wall, watching with amusement as the younger Gryffindors seemed to be in a state of mild shock over there being a Slytherin in the common room. Though he himself had been shocked when Hermione had grabbed Draco as they left class. He reminded himself to never let Draco forget about how she had literally dragged him across the castle and into the Gryffindor Common Room. "I was personally hoping we could have used this as a chance to see if we could hang out with Moony on the full moon."
Harry, Fred and Ginny looked thoughtful at that suggestion. Hermione stopped purring long enough to send a curious look Ron's way as George paused in his hair stylist pursuit. Draco snorted something about ruddy brainless Gryffindors trying to get themselves killed.
"I think I'm going to miss being buff." That was, surprisingly enough, Hermione. She flexed an arm, the material of her blouse straining against the enhanced musculature she had acquired with her transformation. "It was rather fun showing Crabbe and Goyle that making fun of me with my new body isn't a good idea."
The guys, being what they were, took her comment as an open invitation to give Hermione a once over. She looked rather like an amazon with her muscles and extra wild hair. Fred even went so far as to ask her if she would model a leather bikini for them and got a pillow in the face for his suggestion.
"Are you guys coming down? It's dinner time!" That was Neville, racing through the common room and out the portrait door.
The magic words when dealing with teenage boys and especially Weasleys are 'dinner time.' In less than ten seconds Fred, George and Ron were racing out after Neville with the rest soon following.
Hermione, still dragging Draco around by his tie, reached the Grand Staircase just in time to see Ron do a nosedive off the banister. "Ron!" She screeched in shock, rushing over and watching the others as Ron angled between the moving stairs like an oversized owl and flick his wings in time to vanish down the right corridor to get to the Great Hall.
"Bloody brilliant!" That was one of the twins, right before hehanded Harry a galleon.
"Told you he'd do it." Harry smugly pocketed the galleon and hoisted himself up and over the rail, following Ron's erratic flight path.
Draco shook his head, muttering about suicidal Gryffindors only to be cut off as Hermione tugged his tie, continuing down to dinner.
"C'mon, Wolfboy. Time you learned what goes on at the Gryffindor table during dinner."
Draco whined. "Kill me now..."
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Hermione's reason for keeping Draco so close to the group turned out to be rather simple. She didn't want him sneaking off early to Snape. Knowing Malfoy, he'd take the cure then manage to destroy the rest of it before they arrived. All in all, once the initial shock wore off that Hermione was still forcing Draco into the presence of Gryffindors, the pleasant chatter common to Gryffindor table had continued. Draco had even managed to get involved in a debate with Ron about Quidditch.
Once dinner ended, Hermione primly led the odd pack toward the dungeons with Ginny whispering at her side. Despite the whispers, everyone in the pack could hear the conversation. After all, they didn't suffer with enhanced senses without getting a few perks. Ginny's whispering turned out to be for the benefit of the Slytherins they passed on their way to the Potions class however as all she talked about were things the others already knew.
"About time you got here." Snape's tone was probably more displeased with their presence than usual.
Professor Snape stood near a medium sized cauldron at the other side of the class next to Madam Pomfrey. The two had worked together on the cure which Pomfrey fussed should be properly tested. Snape had argued that the students already transformed were the only safe ones on which to test the potion without turning more of the student body into half-breeds. Eventually, Snape's argument had won.
"Gather round, we don't want anyone missing out do we?" Snape was carefully pouring measured doses of the cure into small tin cups. "I'm sure none of you mind taking it down here instead of up in the hospital wing. After all, the cure needs to be fresh from the cauldron." He gestured to the cups. "Now drink it down quickly."
Snatching up the cups, the half-breed students all made the predictable disgusted faces at the potion's smell. Draco downed his first, not believing for a moment that his beloved godfather would poison him and, since they had seen Snape pour from the same ladle, the others followed. Although a bit more reluctantly.
The tin cups hit the floor as all seven students gagged from the taste. Muttered comments of 'vile,' 'nasty' and 'had to be poisoned' could be heard. Then it was felt. Their bodies tingled and seemed to ripple as though in the heat and the feeling was just creepy as the sense of touch heightened twenty fold.
It was on Draco that it was first noticed. The thick silvery white fur covering him seemed to become shorter and his muzzle less noticeable. Snape's pleased smirk and Pomfrey's relieved look made them feel better even as tails and wings seemed to shrink... Then, it happened.
"Aaawoooooooo!"
Eight pairs of eyes flew to Draco as he indulged in a howl... A howl which turned into a half scream, half snarl as things went terribly wrong. Within moments, the time it had taken for the others to follow Draco's example and take the potion as well, the others followed. The shriek of an eagle pierced the dungeon, easily heard over three feline roars. The high pitched, frightened neigh of a pegasus drowned out the startled squeaks and chattering of an otter.
Backing swiftly away from the students, Snape and Pomfrey watched in horror as the potion, which had seemed to be working, did a swift about face and soon the class wasn't filled with teenagers, or half-breeds... Where they had stood were perfect examples of normal animals.
A tawny cougar was squaring off against twin tigers, seeming on the verge of breaking loose the Gates of Hell in a horrid battle while a golden red eagle circled overhead as though looking for a place to land. A reddish brown otter chattered fearfully behind a black and silver pegasus that looked on the verge of panic at being stuck on the ground near predators. Even the Arctic wolf had better sense with the larger, stronger carnivores nearby, having slinked over to Snape's desk and hidden beneath it.
Pulling their wands out even as the Hermione-cougar dove at one of the twins, Pomfrey and Snape started hurling Stupefy spells at the seven animals in the class.
"I told you we should have tested it first!"
A/N: Thank you to all my reviewers! I swear getting reviews is the best part of writing. I think I have some sort of reaction kink because I get more delight seeing how others react than I do from reading or watching things myself... Anyway, I hope you like the twist of the botched cure. It adds a new element to the story. And don't worry, the tie-in with the Prologue is coming up soon!