Hermione watched as the troll entered the bathroom. She froze in absolute terror, unable to think or react in anyway. The troll saw her and was about to swing his club down to crush her when something small leapt onto his arm with a growl. It was a black wolf that was gnashing and biting at the troll.

The troll thrashed wildly trying to knock the wolf off of it when it slipped and fell backwards. Landing on the floor with a mighty thud the wolf ran to its throat and tore into the soft flesh. Blood gushed and spurted in large gouts and in a few moments the wolf padded back to Hermione. Its muzzle was red with troll blood, the tongue hanging out while the tail wagged rapidly.

She stared into the green eyed beast which came up and sniffed her outstretched hand. She carefully rubbed the back of the canine head before its ears perked up and its head spun towards the door. A moment later and the beast ran off.

Hermione was standing there staring at the cooling body of the troll when the professors entered the room.

===xxx

By the time Hermione returned to the Gryffindor common room it was late and most students had gone to bed. Harry Potter was sitting on the couch though reading a book. She had no idea how to figure him out. He seemed so quiet and polite, yet he was friends with that loud obnoxious Ron Weasley. She could not understand that.

He looked up when she came in and stared at her with those emerald green eyes. She had been developing a strange and wild theory all evening in the hospital when they were examining her. They had in the end believed her when she described the small black wolf that had ran in and killed the troll. Releasing her to return to her home room with a pat on the head and a warning to be careful.

Harry smiled at her as he stood up and moved towards her. "Hey. I'm sorry about earlier. I should have said something to Ron about his behavior sooner."

Hermione nodded, "Thank you. I admit I may have been a bit overzealous with my behavior too."
Harry nodded as he held up his hand, finger and thumb apart a pencil width. "Maybe a little bit." He teased. "I should have moderated things a bit more. I already gave Ron a strong dressing down. So he should apologize to you in the morning."

Hermione nodded, "Thank you. I'm not entirely certain I'm ready to forgive him yet."
Harry shrugged, "Understandable. I hope you can forgive me." He said hopefully.

She smiled, "Of course. You saved me. How did you do that?"

Harry raised his eyebrow, "I saved you? How do you mean?"

"The wolf you turned into a wolf. It had beautiful black hair and the same green eyes you have." She said desperately, looking into his eyes.

He looked at her, "Really? Sounds very nice. Glad it turned up to save you." He said with a grin.

She frowned, "Harry? Are you trying to say that wolf wasn't you?"

He laughed, "I'm saying you were scared and confused. You might have been seeing things."

She frowned even harder, "I didn't hallucinate that. There was teeth marks on the troll."

He smiled, "We better get to bed. Its going to be a long day tomorrow." He turned and headed for the boys stairwell.

Hermione grabbed his arm, she begged desperately, "Please Harry. Tell me how. I won't tell anyone about your secret. I promise. You saved my life I owe you."

He stopped and looked around. They were alone in the common room, the lights were low and the flicking fire in the hearth made the shadows move and flicker. Hermione thought his eyes reflected the light in an unnatural way.

He nodded then slowly his body seemed to stretch in someways, shrinking in others. His face lengthened into a muzzle while hair broke out. Soon he was standing on all fours the wolf she had seen.

He padded over to her and stuck his nuzzle in her crotch briefly. She took a step back and embarrassedly exclaimed, "Harry!"

He seemed to be laughing as he sat on his haunches looking at her. His tongue lolling out as she studied him.

"I've read about animagus but that is some very advanced and powerful magic. You're not a werewolf because its not the full moon and the change is a lot more painful and dangerous. So what are you?"
Harry shifted and stood before her again. He adjusted his clothes a little bit before saying, "I'll tell you tomorrow. It's Friday and we have potions with Slytherins. I'd rather not fall asleep in my cauldron. I promise I'll tell you before dinner tomorrow."

She nodded, "Okay. I'll hold you to that."

"Thanks. Friends?" He asked hopefully. Holding his hand out to her.

She took it and said, "Friends."

===xxx

The next day Hermione received a rather shallow but honest apology from Ron which she accepted. Her parents had taught her to be the better person after all.

The rest of the day she spent trying to figure out how Harry had done that. She watched him and could not see anything unusual about him. He seemed to be a skinny, slightly muscular normal boy. His glasses seemed to be practical not cosmetic and in general if she had not actually watched him turn into a wolf last night she would not believe it.

Finally he took her by the arm and led her to a secret passage that led out of the castle and down into the woods by the lake.

"Uh Harry should we be outside here?"

"Its okay. You're with the big bad wolf now." He grinned.

She snorted briefly but kept quiet until they got to a small alcove hidden from the castle. "Okay. So when are you going to explain?"

"Here should be good. We are far enough from anyone." He said pacing around briefly.

"Okay. So explain." She said.

He took a deep breath, "How about you tell me what you think I am?"

"Well. I don't know what you are. The things that you could be, the evidence doesn't align."
"Because I didn't try to eat you last night when I turned into the wolf." He chuckled.

"No but you did stick your nose someplace rather rudely." She frowned at him crossing her arms over her chest.

He chuckled briefly, "Sorry, but you have no idea how much you can learn about someone by smelling them."
She looked surprised then realization settled in, "Oh! Right. When you're a wolf your sense of smell must be much greater."
He nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah it is. Its amazing. I can smell flowers, animals, I can smell all of the students from across the school. Even when I'm a human I can smell things better than other people, and hear and sort of see. Somehow my vision is a bit wonky as a human but when I'm a wolf it gets better. But as a wolf its all so much better, so much more amazing. You should really smell yourself the way I smelled you." He immediately stopped talking and started blushing after he said that.

She smiled, "Thank you I think. I'll take your word for it."
"Right. Sorry. You're the first person I've told. I wanted to tell Hagrid but I'm kinda scared to. He means well but he's not all there I think at times." Harry confided.

Hermione had not spoken to Hagrid so did not have an opinion of her own, "What about your family? Don't they know?"
He frowned and actually growled slightly, "If I told the people I live with about this they would probably put me in the kennel club."

"Oh. They wouldn't. Would they?" She asked in horror.

He shrugged, "My parents died so I live with my aunt and uncle. They don't like me."

"I'm sorry." She sympathized.

"Thanks. But can we not talk about them?" He asked.

She nodded, "Okay. So you have full control over your shifting?"

He nodded, "Yeah. My clothes shift with me too."

She studied him thinking, "Can you do a partial shift?"

"I've never tried but I don't think so. When I want to shift I just sort of think about it, will it and it happens." He explained.

"Okay. Well a partial shift would only be beneficial for enhancing your senses, and you couldn't do the wolf eyes thing in the middle of a Quidditch match."

He laughed, "No. I mean I can see the movement of the Snitch really well already."
"I wondered." She replied.

"So. This is me." He said holding his arms out. "Whatever I am."
She walked around him, and even sniffed him herself. He chuckled when she did that.

"Well you smell very much like a human. With shampoo and soap, at least to my normal senses. You look human." She frowned, "I'm stumped."

"So you don't know what I am either?" He sighed.

"No. But that's not entirely a problem. We are in a magical school. There is no doubt something in the library about this, and if not we could ask Professor McGonnegal." she suggested.

He sat down, "I dunno."

"I know you don't want anyone to know about this but I'm sure she can be trusted." Hermione said sitting next to him.

"Maybe. But I don't want to risk anything that might get me kicked out. What if this is something they don't allow?"

"Given the way Draco and the other Slytherins act I have a feeling they allow a great deal here." She huffed.

He thought for a moment then nodded, "Yeah I guess you're right."
"So. Is it just a wolf or can you turn into other things?" She asked.

He looked like he was thinking then said with a grin, "I've never tried anything else."

"Maybe you should." She suggested.

Harry stood up and took several deep breaths. After several minutes he shook his head. "I think its just the wolf."

She nodded, "Well that will help narrow it down then."
He grinned, "Okay. Well that's all I can tell you right now. At least all that I can figure out how to tell you. Trying to translate things from the wolf to people is rather rough."

She smiled understandingly, "Well this should be enough for now to help us figure this out."

"Yeah I hope so." He agreed.

"Can I see you shift again?"

He laughed and leaping shifted so he landed on all fours. She came over and stroked his fur, looking into his face and shaking her head, "If I hadn't watched you shift. I would believe you were just a normal wolf."

He licked her face after jumping on her causing her to fall back onto her butt, "Harry!" She laughed. "I like you but no kissing until we get to know each other better."

He made a chuffing huff sound she guessed was a laugh before he ran around in circles and then laid down beside her with his head across her leg. She petted him, "Okay. Behave yourself."

He closed his eyes as his tail thumped slowly. She shook her head but smiled softly.

===xxx

The two of them returned to the library in time for dinner. Harry walking on two legs as he still wanted to keep it secret for now.

After several hours of research Hermione said, "Well Lycanthropy, animagus and certain magical items can allow a person to become a wolf. The only problems are that Lycanthropy is a curse that does not allow transformation at will, animagus takes several years to develop and unless once uses the even more advanced version does not get to choose their animal form. And of course magic items are pretty much what they say they are, items such as a belt or coat made from the particular animal."

Harry frowned as he thought. "So that doesn't explain things."

"Not apparently. I suppose it could be something incredibly rare or unique but that would require more in-depth research than I can do." she admitted.

Harry thought for a moment, "In the one book it said the government makes an animagus register. I don't like that idea. It seems sort of wrong. So can we keep this between ourselves for right now."

Hermione considered for a moment but after looking into Harry's eyes she nodded, "Okay. I suppose so."

"Thanks I really appreciate that." Harry said taking and squeezing her hand briefly.

Hermione smiled as he made contact with her. The warmth of his hand causing her heart to speed up a little bit.

===xxx

Several days went by as they continued to try and research the concept of shape shifting into animals. Hermione did uncover the shamans of various native tribes around the world who could shift into their spirit animals, children of deities or other supernatural beings like the Kitsune as well.

They even spoke with Hagrid about magical animals that could assume human form. He knew of several more and told them a great deal. Some of the various things sounded like they fit what Harry could do but not all of them. Harry was willing to just accept it as something he could do, Hermione on the other hand was still trying to find a reason for everything.

"Look Hermione. Its just what I do. What I am. Its like you have brown hair. I can turn into a wolf." Harry stated one afternoon as they sat outside in the woods.

Hermione frowned but said reluctantly, "Alright Harry. But I'm not going to totally give up. I'm just going to add it to the ever growing list of questions about the world I keep."

Harry laughed and said "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"So you still don't want to tell anyone else?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm not comfortable with that idea yet. Ron and Draco, for example, do not react very well to unusual people." Harry said with a frown.

"That's why you've been keeping him at arm's length." Hermione observed.

Harry nodded, "Yeah. He smells funny too. That rat of his stinks."

"Is that just human or wolf senses?"

"Just under human. I don't want to smell him as the wolf." Harry shuddered.

"That might be something to explore. Lavender caught his rat in the girl's dorm. She chased him out but we told Margaret about it and she got some of the school cats to stay in our dorm. So we haven't seen it since then." Hermione said with a thoughtful expression.

"I recognize that look. That means you're thinking." Harry said with a grin.

"Well all of this research on shapeshifting makes me wonder if there isn't more to that rat than appearances would show." Hermione replied thoughtfully. "Does Professor McGonnegal smell different too?"

"She does a bit. But she smells cleaner, sort of like lavender bath water and its hard to put into human words." He said with an expression of concentration. "Its like trying to explain colors to someone who's never seen before."

Hermione nodded, "Okay, I can accept that. So does Ron's rat smell different than other rats?"

Harry thought for a minute, "I'm not sure. I haven't been around enough other rats to find out."

Hermione thought for a minute, "Maybe we could ask Hagrid if he has any rats around. You could smell them and then see if they smell similar to Ron's rat."
Harry grinned at Hermione, "You are brilliant. I knew there was a reason I liked you."

Hermione grinned back, "I know."
Harry just laughed as they headed for the hut of their hirsute friend.

===xxx

"Ye want ta kno iffen I got any rats? Why? Ye got a snake ye wanna feed?" Hagrid asked in confusion.
"No, I want to examine them for transfiguration class." Harry said.

"Ahh. I see yer friendship with Hermione there is rubbing off on ye." Hagrid said with a knowing wink. "Good to see ya wan'ing ta work hard there 'arry"

"Yeah. This is amazing stuff to learn."
Hagrid agreed and found them a pair of rats. Harry sniffed and examined them. Working with Hermione to try and change them a bit to keep their cover story with Hagrid.

After they had practiced spells a bit they thanked their tall friend and went on their way.

"Those smelled totally different than Scabbers." Harry declared once they were away from the hut far enough.

"So if Ron's rat Scabbers smells different than a normal rat, that increases the probabilities it's something else." Hermione stated.

Harry looked thoughtful, "I wonder. Is there a spell to force an animagus out of their animal form?"
"There probably is. We would just have to find it and it would probably be at least as advanced as the spell to turn someone into an animagus." Hermione considered.

"Which means a professor would be the one to do it. Right?" Harry asked. Starting to grin.

"True. What are you thinking Harry?" She asked looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Well, which would be the better class to do this, charms or transfiguration?" he was looking at the castle as they approached it with a glint in his eye.

Hermione considered for a moment. "Transfiguration because it is dealing with changing the inherent properties of an animate or inanimate subject while charms is changing the external properties or forces acting on a target subject."

"Tomorrow is going to be a very interesting class." Harry declared.

===xxx