1Once again, thank you for the reviews.
Chapter 3: The Lesson
When Hermione awoke she was lying in the hospital wing, staring up into Jule's worried eyes. With a shriek, Hermione jumped a bit, as Jule screamed as well and fell backwards.
"Why'd you scream?" Jule yelled from the floor. "You scared the shit outta me!"
"I scared you?" Hermione yelled back, leaning back against her pillows and breathing heavily. "Why the hell were you staring at me like that? You almost gave me a bloody heart-attack!"
"I was waiting for you to wake up," Jule replied conversationally, sitting up and propping her arms up on the side of Hermione's bed. Clearly over her fright, she continued. "McGonagall told me to sit with you, and when you wake up I'm s'posed to take you to the Headmaster's office. She said you'd know the password, and that you'd also know how to cast a deafening charm so I couldn't hear it." Jule scowled. "I don't think she trusts me very much."
"Can ya blame her?" Hermione asked, gesturing exasperatedly at Jule's pink, still sparkling hair. "You look like a freak."
"Thanks, May," Jule said, actually sounding sincere. "You don't know how much it means to me to hear you say that."
"Shut up," Hermione grumbled grouchily, getting out of bed and stalking towards the door, Jule following behind.
"So," Jule said as they walked towards Dumbledore's office. "What did you see when you touched the ball?"
"What do you mean, what did I see?" Hermione asked back. "The whole bloody room was filled with a blinding golden light, didn't you see it?"
"No," Jule said slowly, as though talking to an idiot. "I saw the golden light, but I'd like to know what animal you saw."
"Well," Hermione replied primly, insulted by Jule's condescension. "I saw myself, the normal me, then I turned into a lioness."
"Really?" Jule sounded excited. Hermione figured she must be hyper from the sugar in her two breakfast muffins. "That's awesome! I'm only a bat, but you must be an awfully powerful witch to be able to turn into a lioness. It's the big animals like that that powerful animagi turn into. I'm pretty weak."
Hermione blushed. "Thanks, I guess." There was a long pause as they continued walking. "So, how long was I unconscious?" She asked, more to fill the silence than out of actual curiosity.
"'Bout seven hours," Jule checked her watch. "Give or take."
"Seven hours!" Hermione yelled. "What about your classes? You didn't skip the first day to watch me sleeping, did you?"
"No, of course not!" Jule shot back. "Classes are over now. I went to my classes and Madame Pomfrey watched you, but when I was done I came by to visit and she told me to keep an eye on you. She got distracted by some first years that got acid burns last period in Herbology."
"Poor kids," Hermione muttered. "Great start to the next seven years of their lives, huh?"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Jule shrugged it off. "Anyway, Pomfrey asked me to watch you and a little while later you woke up."
"Hmm," Hermione muttered, irritated that Jule didn't care about the poor first years. They were just eleven, still babies, no doubt freaked out as it was to be in Hogwarts. The last thing any child needed was to get acid burns, especially on their first day away at a new boarding school!
The two girls continued on in silence, but not for long because they were almost at Dumbledore's office already. When they reached the griffin, Hermione cast a deafening charm on Jule and told him the password, "Earwax Bertybot," which Hermione found quite disturbing. The two quickly rode the moving stairs up to Dumbledore's office. Jule wanted to run back down and do it again, but Hermione punched her in the arm and knocked on the door. "Come in," the headmaster called.
Pushing the heavy door open Hermione stepped into the fascinating office. "Ah, Hermione, you're awake," Dumbledore smiled kindly, pushing a cup of tea and a cookie into her hands as he motioned for her to sit before him. "And Miss McKay, you're here too," he smiled again before giving her the same treatment as Hermione. "Now then, since we're all settled, I suppose we should get down to business," he said in his slightly raspy old voice. "Miss Granger, it has been brought to my attention that you have great animagus potential. Congratulations!" Hermione muttered a shy thank you. "Never mind that," Dumbledore brushed off her thanks.
"Now, you are in need of training. Although originally Professor McGonagall had planned to teach you herself, she just realized that she is far too busy attending to her duties as Deputy Headmistress and head of Gryffindor house. Therefore, it has been decided that Julie here will be in charge of your training as well as that of one other student who was discovered to have animagus potential. So, every Wednesday after dinner you will all adjourn to a place of your choosing for lessons. Any questions?" The two girls mutely shook their heads. "Splendid! Now, I want each of you to take a lemon drop and be on your way!" He cried jovially, offering out the candies and then gesturing towards his door.
The two girls left in silence. As soon as they were a bit past the griffin Jule burst. "Teach! ME, teach YOU! The man's fucking insane!"
"Julie?" Hermione asked slyly, looking pointedly in Jule's direction.
"Shut up," Jule muttered shortly. "Don't talk to me, don't even look at me."
With that they continued on in silence, Hermione grinning widely and looking straight ahead as Jule, or Julie, muttered angrily to herself.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Because the first day of school happened to be a Monday, it was not long at all until Wednesday rolled around. Hermione and Jule, and supposedly the other animagus, were all instructed to stay behind after dinner to meet up and decide where the lesson should be held.
Hermione was excited; she couldn't wait to start trying to turn into the lioness. It seemed to take the rest of the student body forever to finish their dinner that night as Hermione and Jule sat in their seats, Jule looking slightly dejected and Hermione was bouncing up and down with nervous energy.
"If you don't stop that," Jule drawled without even looking at Hermione, "I'll deduct points from Gryffindor. Teachers around here seem to love doing that."
"Why would you deduct points from your own house?" Hermione wanted to know. "Besides, as Head Girl I could just give them right back."
"Shut up," Jule said crossly, still staring off into space instead of at Hermione.
It was not much longer after that before some silent message seemed to communicate itself throughout the other students that sent them all leaving to go to their common rooms. "That was fast," Jule remarked lazily as the last student, a short, chubby third-year Hufflepuff, high-tailed it out of the room. "If you ask me there's some serious herd mentality going on here."
"Oh no," Hermione groaned, seeing who the only other person left in the empty hall was. "Malfoy."
"Ah," Malfoy breathed, strolling casually towards Hermione and Jule. "My two favorite mudblood Gryffindors. Lovely evening for learning, isn't it?"
"What animal are you supposed to be, Malfoy?" Hermione snarled. "A ferret, perhaps?"
Malfoy paled slightly. "I thought we had a deal, Granger," he muttered.
"You just called me a mudblood!" Hermione yelled in exasperation. "Ferret," she added as an afterthought.
"Huh, I did didn't I?" Malfoy said, sounding a little surprised. "I guess when you say something so many times…"
"Go to hell," Hermione snarled.
"Only to visit you," Malfoy quipped back.
"PEOPLE!" Jule yelled over their noise. "Why don't we all just play nice and get this over with, OK?"
"Fine," they both snarled at the same time. Realizing it, Hermione glared at Malfoy while he smirked irritatingly at her.
"God," Jule muttered, running her hand through her hair in exasperation. It was all blond today, and her make-up was gold to match. Hermione personally thought she looked a bit like a pine-apple, but that was just her. "Come on. Where do you guys wanna work?"
"Let's go to our common room," Malfoy said quickly. "No ones allowed in their, so we won't be interrupted.
"Decent idea, Blondie," Jule said a bit flirtatiously.
"Don't even try it, Yellowy," he shot back.
"Wasn't gonna," she held her hands up innocently. "Promise. I won't bite; I never quite acquired a taste for ferret." He blushed. "What is that all about?" Jule asked. "Why do they all call you ferret, or ferret-prince, or 'the amazing bouncing ferret'?" He turned especially red at the last one before stalking off in the direction of the Head dormitories without saying anything. "What?" Jule asked Hermione. "What'd I say?"
"He's a bit sensitive about the ferret incident," Hermione said quietly as they followed a few feet behind Malfoy. "I'll tell you 'bout it later."
"OK," Jule shrugged.
By the time the three of them reached the portrait of the elderly witch Malfoy seemed to have regained his composure. "Alright, I suppose you'll need to learn the password to come to the lessons," he told Jule curtly. "I don't want to have to wait for you in the Great Hall every Wednesday."
"Very sensible of you."
Ignoring her, Malfoy continued. "So, I won't cast a deafening spell on you, but don't think that means you can come in here whenever you like. If I catch you sneaking around here doing weird, American things I'll change the password and keep the new one from you."
Rolling her eyes, Jule nodded emphatically. "Alright, alright, can we just go inside?"
"Fine," Malfoy spun about dramatically and faced the portrait. "Mot de passe," he said with a horrible French accent. Hermione snorted. "What?" He snarled at her as the portrait swung open.
"Nothing," Hermione smiled sweetly at him before leading the way into the common room.
Before then Hermione had only spent moments in the common room, on her way to or from her room. Now she took the time to examine it. It was a large room, although smaller than the common room in Gryffindor tower, with high ceilings and a large fire place. The walls were stone, but were mostly covered in colorful tapestries to make them more homey feeling. The floor was stone as well, but was almost completely covered by a series of soft, thick carpets. There were two high backed arm-chairs facing one another across the open space before the fireplace, one red and the other green. Directly in front of the fireplace was a large, slightly squishy-looking couch which, in an effort to create some neutral territory, was an unattractive brownish color. Other than the chairs there was nothing distinctly Gryffindor or Slytherin about the whole room. There were two doors, one to the left and one to the right. The red chair was to the left, as was Hermione's room, and she guessed that the other door on the right was Malfoy's. They each had their own bathroom as a part of their rooms to avoid unfortunate co-ed accidents.
Hermione, remember how she had decorated her own room, wondered vaguely how Malfoy had decorated his own room. One can tell a lot about a person based on how they decorate their room.
"Now then," Jule, who was now reclining on the squishy brown couch, cleared her throat. "I am going to teach you how to turn into your animal shapes, also known as some technical word that I can't remember right now. But don't worry; you'll never use it, so why learn it? Anywho, basically all there is to it, if you have the natural talent, is to picture the animal in your head and imagine being it. Using that shiny ball thingy McGonagall has, you should have discovered what your animal is. I know what May's is, Malfoy what's yours?"
"Why should I tell you?" Malfoy asked insolently.
"Malfoy, are you completely daft?" Hermione asked, exasperated. "She's teaching us! Maybe knowing what animal you are might be useful."
"Yeah!" Jule added fiercely.
"Fine!" Malfoy threw his hands in the air. "I'll tell you the bloody animal I saw. No need to get your panties in a twist. It's just…"
"What?" Hermione asked tartly. "Embarrassed to let on that you really are a ferret?"
"No!" Malfoy yelled. "At least, not the ferret part. It is odd though."
"Why, what could possibly be so odd?"
"Stop pressuring me!"
"Just spit it out already!"
"Fine," he gave up. "I saw a wolf."
A/N: Dude, as I was rewriting this chapter I realized something totally creepy. I started the story last year when I didn't have any friends at my school, but this year I actually got some and my closest school friend has the same last name as Jule. Freaky, no? Oh yeah, review.
Preview:
Closing her eyes, she turned around and kissed him, not caring that she didn't know him, wanting to feel the way Jule must when she kissed strangers.