Disclaimer: See Chapter One, I'm not writing it again.
OO
Silver moonlight seeped through the windows, illuminating the stone walls and floor of the dormitory. Three four-poster beds ringed the room, the steady breathing of their occupants the only sound. Dawn was still hours away, and everyone was still asleep. Everyone that is, except Phae.
She sat upright in bed, hugging her knees close. Her normally bright red hair hung limp and dingy around her face, and her mismatched eyes were bloodshot and half-closed. She felt slightly nauseous. Whether the insomnia was a product of her queasy feeling or the queasy feeling was a product of her insomnia, she didn't know. All she was sure of was that she was awake at some ungodly hour of the morning when all sane people were still sleeping.
OO
Phae staggered into the Great Hall the next morning just in time to grab a slice of buttered toast before their first class.
"What's wrong, Phae?" asked Becca as they climbed the marble staircase.
She shrugged – she hadn't told her friends that she'd been awake for several long hours the last four nights.
"Come on," goaded Lily, "You're not yourself."
"I'm feeling better," she lied. "It was probably just a bug."
Judging by the looks they gave her, they weren't buying her story for a minute, but they didn't mention it again.
Not even when she slept through History of Magic did they ask, despite her being one of the few in the class able to withstand Binns' soporific voice.
"I can't believe I did that," Phae berated herself as they left the classroom. "I probably missed pages of important notes."
Becca feigned seriousness. "Yeah," she agreed, nodding her head vigorously, "absolute loads of interesting stuff."
Phae glared at her friend. "I bet it's on the exam too," she sulked.
"No worries, Phae," said Lily, "I'm sure someone was actually paying attention…and not playing hangman on their parchment," she glared at the four boys walking slightly in front of them.
James spun around and continued walking backwards, having heard her comment. "Hey, Evans. Lupin takes the notes for us. Why should all of us rot our brains?"
At that moment, Sirius grabbed his friend and pulled him away from the suit of armor he was about to crash into.
Thoroughly embarrassed, James and his friends took a detour down a deserted corridor, while the girls, giggling furiously, continued towards the Transfiguration classroom.
OO
For Phae, Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall was usually one of the most interesting classes. McGonagall had a reputation for being hard, even on students from her own house, but it was also a subject that could have disastrous results if you weren't paying attention.
Lily's elbow in her ribs snapped her back into reality.
"Are you feeling okay, Phae?" asked Remus, turned around in his seat trying to pass her a box of mice.
"Of course," she lied quickly, "I just drifted off for a minute. Why?"
"You are looking green," agreed Lily. "Maybe you should go back to sleep?"
She took a mouse from the box and handed it to Lily. She really wished people would stop asking if she felt all right. "I'm fine," she assured them and returned her gaze to Professor McGonagall.
After a lecture on transforming a mouse into a matchbook, Professor McGonagall had them practice. It was quite an easy transfiguration for third year students, and most had done it on the first try.
"Ms. Sands," said McGonagall, staring over her shoulder, "Let's see what you can do."
Try as she did, the mouse refused to be transfigured, and the more she tried the worse she felt. After the third try, Phae laid her head on the desk, her head felt like it was splitting open.
"Are you quite all right?" asked McGonagall.
Phae nodded; she really didn't want to tell McGonagall it hurt to use magic at the moment. "I'll be fine," she lied.
OO
After Transfiguration the Griffindors headed for lunch and their last class of the day – Potions. Potions was a difficult class under the best of conditions as Professor Slughorn had a tendency to choose his favorites and ignore the rest of the students. He also had a penchant for not giving directions and allowing the students to experiment with their potions.
Around the dungeon, most of the cauldrons were simmering softly and the students were talking when it happened. With a soft scream, Phae noticed her potion was slowly eroding her cauldron. As she watched in horror, small holes began appearing in the sides of the cauldron. Drops of potion began spilling onto the thick wooden prep table, making it smoke. Soon the drips began eating into the table as well.
By this time, most of the class was watching with fascination as Phae tried to fix what had happened. When she had vanished the whole mess, three-quarters of the cauldron had been eaten through and a decent chunk of the table was missing.
Professor Slughorn came sweeping over to see what the fuss was about. "Ms. Sands, what happened here?"
"I have no idea," she stated, looking confused. "It just started melting the cauldron."
Slughorn shook his head. "That's why you must always be careful when brewing your potions. I am sure you've learned you lesson, but that's still a zero for the class today." Without hesitating, he spun on his heel and headed back to the front of the class.
Chewing on her lower lip, Phae tossed her ruined cauldron into the large stack in the corner and packed up her things. Without asking permission and feeling like she'd be sick at any moment, she quickly left the dungeon and headed up the stairs.
Halfway up the marble staircase, her head reeled and she had to grab the railing to keep from falling. Thankfully the halls were nearly empty as everyone was still in class. The last thing she wanted was another person suggesting she needed the hospital wing.
OO
Phae collapsed into her bed as soon as she made it into their dormitory. All she wanted to do was sleep, but it felt like something large and wiggly was trying to get out of her stomach. Becca came in to see if she was going to dinner, but she pretended she was asleep.
The moonlight was flooding the room and the silence was perfect when Phae awoke. For the first time in almost a week she didn't feel sick as she stumbled across the room for a glass of water. She paused to stare of the window at the cold, dark grounds and froze when she caught sight of her reflection.
Running a hand through her hair, her suspicions were confirmed. Instead of normal, human-like ears, she now had two pointy cat-like ones. With a scream, she stumbled backwards and tripped over her trunk. Landing on her bed, a sharp pain raced up her back as she landed on something and it bent painfully. Running a hand down the back of her leg, she grabbed what felt suspiciously like a tail trailing nearly to her ankle.
Lily and Becca had woke with her scream and were lighting the candles next to their beds. "What the – ?" asked Becca sleepily.
"Phae, what's wrong?" asked Lily, wiping the sleep from her eyes.
"I have a tail!" Phae replied, trying to sound calm as she peered up the cuff of her pajama leg and caught sight of something long and furry.
Lily sighed. "Are you sure it's not just another prank?"
She ran a hand over the cat ears. "Do these look like a prank?"
Becca had gotten out of bed and walked over, looking at her suspiciously. Tentatively touched one of the fun-covered ears. "Those look real to me. Um, maybe you better go down to the hospital wing."
OO
"What's all the noise about?" demanded Madame Pomfrey coming out of her office wearing a floral-printed dressing gown. "This is a hospital!" – Phae had ran nearly all the way to the hospital wing, and was now doubled over, breathing heavily. – "Oh, it's you," said the nurse, sounding annoyed. "Well, what's the problem."
Phae raised her head, but before she could say anything, Madame Pomfrey gasped. "What happened to you?"
She shook her head. "I have no idea. I just woke up like this."
Suddenly businesslike, Madame Pomfrey grabbed her by the wrist and was dragging her back down the hallway. "Professor McGonagall must be told about this. These pranks are getting out of hand."
Professor McGonagall answered her office door wearing a tartan dressing gown and adjusting her spectacles on her nose. "What on earth, Poppy?" she asked as Madame Pomfrey dragged Phae inside.
"These pranks need to be stopped," demanded the nurse, gesturing towards Phae's ears.
"Ms. Sands, what's happened?" asked McGonagall.
Phae shrugged, still trying to catch her breath. "I don't know. I woke up to get a drink of water, and they were just…there."
McGonagall eyed her shrewdly. "You weren't at dinner last night. What were you doing?"
"I was sleeping. I haven't been feeling well, so I went to sleep right after potions," she explained. "You can ask Becca and Lily if you want."
"What did you eat today?" asked Madame Pomfrey.
She shook her head. "Nothing. I've been sick and not really hungry."
The nurse shook her head. "Kindly wait in the hall. I need to have a talk with Professor McGonagall."
With a sigh, Phae left, closing the door behind her and seating herself on the cold stone floor.
OO
Madame Pomfrey emerged a few minutes later and dragged Phae back up to the hospital wing. "You'll be happy to know, we've talked to Professor Slughorn, and he does not believe it's a potion someone slipped to you."
"Oh good," she replied sarcastically. She had a bloody tail! Was no one going to do anything about it!
"But Professor McGonagall will still be questioning those boys if they had anything to do with it," the nurse continued.
Her jaw dropped. "But I haven't even spoken to them for longer than five minutes today!" The nurse ignored her protests, dragging her into the hospital wing and forcing her into one of the beds.
It was no better the next day. Phae had spent the rest of the night watching the shadows dance across the high ceiling of the hospital wing and praying that it was all a bad dream and wake up in the morning in her bed with no tail or furry ears.
When Madame Pomfrey brought her a couple slices of toast and a glass of pumpkin juice on a tray, she sat up and tentatively ran a hand through her hair. The ears were still there, and she shuddered when she felt them.
"Professor Dumbledore believes it most prudent to keep you here until we learn what it is you've got," the nurse explained professionally. "In case it might be something contagious. Goodness knows we can't have students running around like half-animals, can we?"
Phae scowled and picked at the toast without a word. Becca and Lily tried visiting her soon after, but the nurse shooed them off with some warning about contagious diseases.
OO
It went on the same way for several days with Phae remaining in the hospital wing and her only contact being with the nurse. Professor McGonagall arrived soon after lunch on what was her fourth day in the hospital, looking positively hawk-like. She conferred with Madame Pomfrey for some time before turning her attentions to Phae.
Phae tried not to cringe with the Professor fixed her with her beady eyes. "After much deliberation, Ms. Sands, you'll be pleased to know that we understand this sudden transformation," she said briskly. "It is the belief of Professor Dumbledore, Madame Pomfrey, and myself that you are an animorphmagus."
"A what?" asked Phae, having never heard of such a thing.
"An animorphmagus," explained Madame Pomfrey as though she was reciting something out of a dictionary, "is a wizard who is able to transform into any animal at will."
She was still confused. "I thought those were animagi."
"An animagus," said Professor McGonagall patiently, "needs a wand and a spell to be able to transform. All an animorphmagus needs is to think about becoming an animal."
"Of course," interrupted Madame Pomfrey, "animorphmagi are incredibly rare – I don't recall any cases in the last fifty years at least – and there are a number of tests to determine if that is in fact what you are."
McGonagall nodded in agreement. "We're sending you to St. Mungo's for those tests, and when they're done, you'll be returned to us."
Phae grimaced. "You're making me sound as though I'm one of those little mice with experiment on."
The Professor offered her a rare smile. "They're not really all that bad, and you'll be back here in no time."
OO
Madame Pomfrey had been wrong. There had not been an animorphmagus in nearly a hundred years, and none of the Healers at St. Mungo's were familiar with the condition. Phae was subjected to any number of tests, some of which possibly bordered on torture.
After nearly a week and some practicing her shapeshifting abilities, they dubbed her an animorphmagus and made her fill out all sorts of Ministry of Magic paperwork before finally sending her back to Hogwarts.
Becca and Lily squealed when she appeared in the Great Hall halfway through lunch.
"You're back!"
"They wouldn't tell us anything!"
"St. Mungos! What was wrong?"
"Thank goodness you're okay."
After some pressing, Phae lowered her voice and told them about being an animorphmagus. "But you mustn't tell anyone," she implored them just as the four Gryffindor boys sauntered into the hall and to their table.
"So," said Sirius, taking a seat next to her, "the great rumor mill is saying you got hold of some Polyjuice Potion and had a bad reaction."
She glared at him. "If that's the best way of getting the story out of me, you've got no chance – And I'm not really inclined to share with you anyway."
Sirius exchanged a shocked look with his friends. "Well," he continued, "there's another choice one about you being a squib."
Becca looked like she was ready to curse him, but Phae grabbed her wrist. "Oh, the horror of what that would do to your fragile little egos. All you need to know is that I'm fine now." Without another word, she got up and walked out of the Hall, Lily and Becca right behind her.
The four boys watched, perplexed, until James leaned back and ran a hand through his black hair. "I don't get it. They're more temperamental than our Lupin on one of his bad days."
Remus cringed and shot James a cautious glance.
OO
AN: Be kind. This isn't my favorite, but I had to introduce her "ability" somehow…