Good afternoon everyone,
I hope that you have enjoyed the story so far. All of the positive messages are heartening and driving me to continue. Please review and let me know how you feel about the story and the direction that it is taking.
P.S.
I still don't own Harry Potter as J.K Rowling will never give it up. All I can do is play with the world that she created for us to enjoy. All OCs are mine though unless otherwise stated. Thank you and happy reading!
Chapter 14
At breakfast the following morning, the trio waited with their friends for Prof. McGonagall to pass out their timetables. The elder witch saved Harry for last, telling her that she would allow the dropping of Divination if Harry proved herself able to score, at the minimum, an "E" on the Ancient Runes exam from the third year materials.
Hermione squealed in delight as she knew that Harry was ready for such an exam. Harry thanked the professor and was told they she would be meeting with Professor Bethesda Babbling that evening at seven sharp to determine if she would be able to join Hermione in the course.
Harry's schedule was fairly straightforward. Monday was History of Magic which was followed by Potions and double Herbology. Tuesday was Care of Magical Creatures, DADA, Charms, and then an empty slot for Ancient Runes if Harry managed to get into the course. Wednesday was Herbology, which was followed by Astronomy in the evening. Thursday was Transfiguration with a double dose of DADA in the afternoon. Friday ended the week with History of Magic, double Charms, and ending with Care of Magical Creatures.
Overall, Harry was pleased with her schedule. Nearly every single class would see Hermione at her side, and even Regulus would be at her side. The only difference in their classes was that Regulus had chosen to take Arithmancy instead of Care of Magical Creatures. He didn't get along with most magical creatures due to the powerful bestial nature of his own bloodline. They either saw him as a threat and attacked or were too frightened to approach him.
As it was Monday, they began the day with Prof. Binns, which had both Harry, Regulus, and nearly everyone else in the classroom besides Hermione, nearly comatose at their desks. After the class, Regulus complained that he had never suffered through such a boring lesson. As he was taught by his mother, she had always ensured that each lesson was exciting so that he was more likely to retain the material being covered. If he never sat through another boring lecture on Britain's Goblin rebellions, it would be too soon.
The one-on-one nature of the lessons the young Black heir had with his mother also allowed him to excel in every subject, placing him miles beyond those of similar age. Regulus was truly surprised at how quickly Harry had closed the gap between them when it came to their casting of spells. The raven-haired witch had a knack for practical application and continued to surprise him by being able to add certain spells to her repertoire with seemingly little effort. He assumed that it was due to no one ever telling Harry that learning certain magics was supposed to be difficult. Then again, this was the girl who defeated a troll in her first year, a basilisk in her second, and nearly a hundred dementors in her third.
The next class of the day was Potions. Harry and Hermione had informed Regulus about the infamous dungeon bat, and he had even gleaned some incriminating information about the man from his father and Mooney.
"Is he really as bad as everyone says he is?" Regulus asked the two witches walking beside him down the hall.
"Afraid so, Reggie," Harry replied.
"Don't lie to the bloke!" Ron shouted as he came up behind them. "The old greaseball is much worse than the stories. Remember when he docked poor Neville house points for breathing too loudly, or that time he took points from Hermione for actually knowing the answer? Doesn't get any worse than old Snape."
"That'll be 10 points from Gryffindor, Mr. Weasley, for being disrespectful to a professor," sneered the topic of their discussion as the dark wizard came up behind them. "Do you think you can say whatever pops into that minuscule brain of yours just because you are friends with our local celebrity?"
Each of the Gryffindors was startled by the man's presence, but Harry was livid at the man's reminder of her celebrity. Due to her anger, her hair color shifted to red as she glared at the obnoxious man before her.
Surprised by the spitting image of Lily Evans, Severus Snape was momentarily at a loss for words. His eyes wandered over the young witch's new appearance as if attempting to memorize every detail of her form. After his momentary lapse, the man regained control over his features and quickly returned the scowl to his face.
Regulus was about to challenge the man for staring so openly at his betrothed, but the potions master spoke before he was able to tell him off.
"Well, stop gawking," he sniped at the four companions. "Get inside before it's detention for all of you."
The four students scrambled into class before the surly man could take away any more house points. Harry and Hermione found a table in the middle of the classroom while Ron sat beside Seamus. Regulus selected his own workstation and began to set out his book and parchment. While preparing for the class, someone unknown to him sat down in the empty chair at his table.
"Good morning, heir Black," the newcomer greeted as she prepared for the class beside him. "My name is Daphne Greengrass, heiress to the Greengrass bloodline. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"A good morning to you as well, heiress Greengrass," Regulus answered with a surprised smile. He was pleasantly surprised to see that she was capable of speech while in his presence. Most every other girl in the school just stared at him as if he was a piece of meat. "Call me Reggie. I look forward to working with you this year."
"Please," the normally cold Slytherin started, "call me Daphne."
The two spoke quietly amongst themselves until the bell rang, and it was time to quiet down. After ensuring that no more students would be entering the class, the potions master slammed the doors shut and strode towards his desk at the front of the classroom, his robes billowing behind him as always.
"Welcome back to another year of Potion's instruction," Snape drawled to his students. "This year, you will learn how to brew several different antidotes as well as the poisons that they are used to counteract. By the end of the term, you should be sufficient enough with the material that you do not poison yourselves. Then again, your partners will be the ones that you test your antidotes on, so I can only hope you aren't as useless as previous classes were. I suggest that you take this year more seriously than the last. Should your antidotes appear to deviate from what is on the board, you may be called upon to test your own brew."
A nervous silence fell upon the class as the professor allowed that information to sink in with a twisted smirk.
"We shall also be covering the Wit-Sharpening Potion, Calming Draught, Shrinking Solution, Pepper-Up Potion, Ageing Potion, Skele-Gro, and Doxycide," he explained. " Should you dunderheads show any promise of this year's curriculum, we may ever discuss Amortentia and the legalities of the controversial potion."
"For now, though," he began, "instructions are on the board. You have 45 minutes to turn in your finished products."
The remainder of the class was surprisingly pleasant for Harry. Snape had not once picked on her potion with Hermione, and he only took points from Neville on one occasion instead of the usual three. She didn't know what caused the sudden change in the man, but she hope that it would last.
The two witches finished their potion in record time, each aiding the other through the difficult process. Harry made her way to place the vial on Prof. Snape's desk when she was suddenly tripped by Pansy Parkinson. The Slytherins around her laughed at Potter heiress's sprawled form, causing her hair to turn red in anger, until the potions master stalked over and, shocking everyone, helped Harry to her feet.
"How dare you display such dangerous behavior in a class as important and volatile as Potions!" Snape hissed at Pansy, causing the girl to cower beneath his towering form. "20 points from Slytherin for such blatant disrespect. I expect to see you tonight for detention, Ms. Parkinson. You will be cleaning the first year's cauldrons without the use of magic until I am satisfied. Is that understood?"
"But sir-" Pansy squeaked in confusion at the angry professor.
"Is that understood!" the man sneered.
All Pansy could do was nod her head quickly in terror. She had never seen him this angry at a fellow member of her house. This was sure to be the talk of the school by the end of the day!
"Did your potion survive the fall L-Potter?" the professor asked Harry with a raised eyebrow, hoping that no one noticed his near slip.
"Yes, sir," Harry replied in confusion. "Hermione charmed our vials to ensure that the contents were protected in the case of any accidents."
"Of course she did," the man said with a roll of his eyes. "Five points to Gryffindor for thinking ahead."
With a swish of his robes, the man returned to his desk, Harry's potion held delicately in his hand. He left the young witch deeply perplexed by the unusual situation. She quickly returned to Hermione to help her clean up before the two left the classroom to discuss what had happened.
"Hermione?" Harry asked
"Yes, Harry?" the witch asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Please pinch me," she asked to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
With an innocent smile on her face, Harry's wife swiftly pinched her side, causing the green-eyed witch to yelp in pain at the strength behind it.
"Oi!" she shouted as she rubbed the painful mark that was left behind. "I didn't mean that hard!"
"Sorry, Harry," Hermione sweetly replied. "I needed to make sure that you were really awake."
"I don't think that's how it works, Mione," Harry grimaced. "Look, you totally left a mark!"
"Want me to kiss it all better?" the bookworm said sweetly.
Hermione's sudden question caused Harry to swallow involuntarily.
'Well…" the blushing girl started before Hermione smacked her arm.
"I'm just teasing Harry," the shorter girl said with a laugh.
"Minx," Harry muttered under her breath.
The two decided to spend their time together in the library, both researching the Triwizard Tournament until it was time to head to Herbology. After dinner, Harry had taken the Ancient Runes exam and passed with flying colors! Hermione was so pleased with the news that she nearly squeezed the life out of Harry. The rest of the day went by fairly quickly, and they finished it by having tea in their quarters with Regulus while they each started on their homework.
"So, Reggie," Harry said with a coy smile. "You seemed to be awfully friendly with a certain blonde Slytherin. Is there anything that we should know about?"
Regulus choked on his tea when he saw the suggestive looks that Harry was throwing his way. After wiping himself off and glaring at her, he told them about the new friend that he had made in Daphne Greengrass.
"To be completely honest, Daphne is quite nice," the young heir answered. "She has some formidable Occlumency shields and was surprisingly able to work with me without becoming a drooling idiot. That Lavender Brown who sat in front of us, however, kept attempting to draw my attention with her excess cleavage. I swear a new button was undone every time she turned around to bat her eyes at me. If I had to make a guess about Daphne, though, I would say that she is lonely. I learned that she has very few friends in Slytherin, Tracey Davis and Blaise Zabini being her two most trusted."
"Hmm," pondered Hermione. "If she isn't as bad as the other Slytherins, maybe we could make the effort to befriend her and her friends?"
"That's not a bad idea, Mione!" Harry said excitedly. "The hat almost placed me in Slytherin back in first year. Who knows? If I had accepted, maybe Daphne and I would have become friends."
"You too, huh?" asked Regulus with a grin. "The hat told me that I could do great things in Slytherin. It's too bad I had to turn down its offer. I had my mind set on joining a couple of witches who would have strangled me if I had not followed them into Gryffindor."
The two witches laughed and smacked Regulus with the nearest cushions available.
"Oi!" Regulus shouted at the attacking witches. "That was a compliment!"
The rest of the week passed in the same manner. The most interesting class that they had was DADA with Prof. Moody. When the trio entered the room, they noticed that it was completely empty of any other students.
"Where is everyone?" Hermione asked. "We're not even that early."
Regulus used his enhanced senses to see if they were being pranked and detected a still figure standing in the shadows at the back of the room. A flash of red shot out of the disillusioned attackers' wand, which Regulus quickly deflected with a ball of black fire, and a battle quickly ensued!
"Protego Maxima," harry shouted to block the spells that followed. "Expelliarmus, Stupefy, Serpensortia!" She quickly incanted her latest spell chain in the direction of the mysterious attacker as her companions drew their wands.
"Expelliarmus, Petrificus Totalus, Incindio, Depulso!" shouted Hermione as she came up beside her friend.
"Impedimenta, Expulso, Defodio, Reducto!" Regulus came in hot from his position in front of the girls. Each spell that he cast was more dangerous than the last.
The attacker found himself under a barrage of attacks and whipped his wand around in several complicated patterns deflecting all but one of the hexes and curses sent in his direction. The final spell in Harry's chain sent a massive python toward the man which wrapped him tightly within its coils. The serpent's grip was so great that the man lost his wand when it began constricting around him, hissing into his face. Realizing that he had been bested by the three teens, the man broke into laughter that sounded oddly enough like crunching gravel.
"Wonderful!" the man barked. "Truly wonderful! Some of those spells may have been borderline, especially from you Mr. Black, but you three would have survived the attack. That is the best display of CONSTANT VIGILANCEthat I have seen in quite a while! I dare say that you would make excellent Aurors once you've finished your training. I haven't had that much fun in years!"
"Professor Moody?" Hermione asked the downed man.
"Right in one!" the man wheezed. "Would one of you be kind enough to remove the snake? My wand appears to have gotten away from me. It's been quite a while since that's happened to me. Must be getting older than I thought."
With a quick finite from Harry, the python disappeared in a puff of smoke. The witch had learned that as a Parstlemouth, she had amazing control over the spell. The more power she channeled into it, the larger the snake that was summoned. The added benefit of being able to communicate with the summoned creature made controlling it much easier than others would have been able to accomplish.
After picking up his wand from the ground beside him, the scarred man asked them to wait in the next room while he surprised the next students to enter the classroom. The room was filled with unconscious students that Harry and her companion set about waking with a quick enervate each. After another 15 minutes and several stupefied students, Moody stepped through the door and invited everyone back into the classroom.
"Well," Moody began gruffly as his prosthetic eye wandered around the room, "if you lot aren't the sorriest excuse for witches and wizards that I have ever gazed eyes on, then I don't know what is. Only three of you managed to stop my attack and put me down, while the rest of you fell with barely any fight. I know that your training has been sporadic with what Dumbledor has told me, but I had hoped for better than this. You there! Gingerbread! What is the most advanced spell that you've learned in this subject?"
"The freezing spell, sir," Ron mumbled as his ears turned red in embarrassment.
"Show me," their professor commanded.
Ron looked around at first to make sure he wasn't hearing things.
"Now, lad!" Moody barked.
"You asked for it," Ron mumbled. "Glacius!"
A blue beam of frosty magic shot forth from the redhead's wand. Moody didn't even dodge the icy blast. The spell flew right over his shoulder as the man sighed in exasperation.
"Not bad on power, lad," Moody finally said after a moment. "However, you need to work on your aim. You also need to work on CONSTANT VIGILENCE! You were very nearly the quickest student that I dispatched today."
The gnarled man stopped for a moment as if lost in thought as he mulled over his next words.
"You'll be Arthur Weasley's son, eh?" Moody asked. "Your father got me out of a very tight corner just before the start of term. You are going to need to buckle down if you want to survive my class. Don't let your old man down, eh?"
"Potter!" the man shouted as he quickly singled out the Girl-Who-Lived. "What about you? What is the most advanced spell that you've learned in this class?"
"The Patronus, sir," Harry answered after a moment of hesitation.
"Interesting, lass," Moody said with a pensive smile. "Well, let's see it."
Harry quickly thought about the moment that she discovered Sirius saved her from the Dursleys and learned that she would never need to return to Privet Drive.
"Expecto Patronum!" Harry shouted with her wand raised high.
In a burst of magic, an enormous light erupted from the end of her holly wand. The large shaggy dog that appeared ran around the room in search of any threats before returning to Harry's side and filling her with warmth but also confusion.
"Marvelous," said Moody with awe in his voice. "Such control."
To say that Harry and Hermione were shocked was an understatement. Discovering that Sirius's form had replaced her father's stag caused Harry to tear up. Filled with emotions that she didn't know how to handle, Harry grabbed her belongings and ran from the room. Hermione and Regulus were quick to follow after the distressed witch.
"Well," the ex-Auror said to those that remained, "I guess that's it for today. Someone let those three know that I want 18 inches on the practical applications of a well-thought-out spell chain due to me by our next class. By the way, 50 points to Gryffindor for a most excellent display of advanced magic. Dismissed!"
Hermione and Regulus finally found Harry with her face hidden in her pillow on the Potters girl's shared bed. She tried her best to bury her face into the pillow so that her two companions wouldn't see her tears.
"Harry," Regulus said as he stroked her back. "What's wrong? How can we help?"
Harry wouldn't move from her position and only cried harder, causing the young witch and wizard even more worry. Hermione had a feeling that she already knew where the problem started but had to be sure.
"Harry?" she asked as she stroked her best friend's wild hair. "I'm going to assume that this is about the change in your Patronus. Or is there something else that's upsetting you?"
Regulus looked at her in curiosity but wisely kept his mouth shut until Harry explained what had happened. He had never seen Harry's Patronus and was curious as to what the problem was. It was a marvelous piece of magic, and he was in awe that Harry could cast it. Not even he had fully mastered the spell. All that he could produce was a vague avian form before it collapsed in on itself.
Finally, Harry wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and told them what had caused her to be so distraught.
"I feel like I'm losing them, Hermione." Harry finally admitted through her tears as Hermione wrapped her arms around her. "First, I grew closer to Calliope, and she has allowed me to call her mum. Now, my Patronus has changed from my dad's animagus form to that of Sirius'. Am I slowly losing the connection that I had with my parents? Am I just replacing them with Sirius and Calliope?"
"Oh, Harry," Hermione sighed as she continued to stroke her hair. "Your parents could never be replaced. They are here now, watching over you, and they will continue to do so for the rest of your life. Sirius and Calliope love you, but they would never try to replace your parents. They can only be there for you to guide you down the path that they think Lily and James would want you to take. In the end, how you feel about them is up to you."
"Harry," Regulus said to grab her attention. "Mum and Dad both love you. We can't deny that. But I don't believe that either of them seeks to replace your parents. I'm sorry that your Patronus has changed. I have read that this only occurs when someone faces tremendous changes in their life. You have faced a lot over the summer, and I wouldn't be surprised if my dad saving you is what caused the change. You see him as your guardian which is the whole purpose of the Patronus charm. The only advice I can give you is to send him a message with Hedwig. Let him know about your fears and ask him how he and mum feel about your fears. They will never lie to you, and I can promise you that you will be happy with whatever answer they provide."
"Thanks, Reggie," Harry finally mumbled as she hugged the young wizard. "I think that's the best way to figure all this out. I'll write Padfoot a letter tonight and send it with Hedwig once it's finished. Thanks for helping me out, I thought my heart was going to burst. I have never felt so many different emotions before in my life! It must come with being a girl."
Hermione smacked Harry on the arm for her cheek before giving her another "Hermy hug". The young witch and wizard both let Harry wash her face before the trio headed down for dinner. It was turning out to be an interesting first week for the three Gryffindors, and the roller coaster that was life was teaching them new lessons on a daily basis.
Each of the teens was growing closer to one another in their own way as they began to rely on the other in ways that they had never done before. Harry and Hermione continued to seek comfort in each other's arms at night, but one evening, when Harry had gone to bed early, she had a terrible nightmare.
In her dream, Vernon stood towering over her diminutive form and began beating her with his belt before finally deciding that his fists would bring him more satisfaction. Her wand was locked away, so she was at the complete mercy of her uncle and his violent ministrations. Once Harry lay broken on the floor, the large man tossed her into the dark abyss that was the cupboard under the stairs, laughing as she screamed to be let out.
Hermione and Regulus needed several moments to wake the screaming girl from her dream and even longer to calm her down. After she was fully awake, Hermione and Regulus asked about her nightmare and what it was about. Harry reluctantly told them that it was about the night Vernon had beat her and tossed her into the cupboard before being saved by Sirius. The young witch and wizard did their best to comfort Harry and reassured her that she would never be going back to that dreadful place. That night, they all slept together for the first time. Slowly, Harry drifted off to sleep with her closest friends surrounding her.
As she slept, Harry dreamed of flying through the sky in her animagus form, with Hermione holding tightly to her back. Regulus flew beside them in his own form as they danced through the many clouds of the sky. The freedom that came with truly flying brought peace to Harry, and she slept soundly throughout the remainder of the night.
…
After that night, the days began to blur together. Hermione's birthday had finally arrived, and a large celebration had been held for everyone's favorite bibliophile. They celebrated in the Gryffindor common room so that all of their friends could be present, and food had been provided by the school's first and only paid house elf, Dobby.
"Happy birthday Mrs. Harry Potter's Grangey Ma'am!" the excited house elf greeted her after Hermione thanked their friends for attending the unexpected party. "I's be hoping that you have a most wonderful day!"
Harry was glad that the elf was so happy with his new employment. She felt a curious connection between her own magic and the elf and made a note to ask him about it the next time that she wasn't so distracted. She was fairly certain what the elf had done, but she didn't want to have an argument with Hermione on her birthday if she could help it.
Harry and Hermione were happy to learn that their elvish friend had joined the elves at the school and was even collecting a wage for his efforts. House elves still had a long way to go in terms of gaining their own rights, but it was definitely a start.
When Hermione finally opened her gifts, she was surprised to find one from Sirius and Calliope. The husband and wife had sent her their finished notes on the Magical Animagus Ritual along with the vial of blood that the bushy-haired girl had asked to be set aside. She was greatly excited by the prospect of completing the ritual and nearly ran off before Harry and the rest of her friends dragged her back down to the sofa to open the rest of her presents.
The next gift came from the twins. The two Weasleys provided Hermione with a list of interesting potions that they had created, along with their different uses. One of the potions that grabbed her attention was a more advanced version of the Polyjuice potion, which allowed the witch or wizard to maintain the desired form for nearly two hours. At this, no one could say that the infamous duo lacked intelligence. They were just disinclined to adhere to the expectations of their mother.
Ron and Ginny had both ordered different treats from Honeydukes while Hermione's old dormmates Lavender and Parvati had gifted her with a subscription to Witch Weekly and a fairly decent box of magical cosmetics. Even Neville had supplied a gift which was a book on different magical plants that were present in the UK. Regulus had ordered Hermione a book on advanced charms titled Many different Charms to Charm the Unaware, which was obviously filled with borderline nefarious charms.
The last present that Hermione opened came from Harry. The green-eyed witch had floundered when deciding to choose the perfect gift for her bonded and after nearly pulling out her hair in frustration had come up with the perfect gift. Sirius had told Harry how he and James had a set of mirrors that they used to speak to one another when they had alternate detentions. Harry asked Sirius for the spell formula and created a personal set for Hermione so that she could keep one for herself and send the other to her parents. This would allow for the Grangers to communicate with their daughter every night without the need to rely on an owl to send a letter. Once Harry had explained the purpose of the gift, Hermione tackled the love of her life and proceeded to snog her to breathlessness.
Everyone laughed at the sudden display of affection, even Ron. The absence of his mother's influence was returning the stalwart friend that they had known for so many years. It was nice to have the original trio back together again. Regulus could see that both witches were happy with their friend and hoped that their smiles would remain for the rest of the year.
Regulus had not been very fond of the youngest male Weasley at the beginning of the school year; however, Ron was turning out to be a somewhat ok bloke. As long as the two witches in Regulus's life were happy, the youth couldn't really ask for more. He had come to see them as his best friends and was hopeful of adding more during his time at Hogwarts.
The young Black and the Weasley twins had become fast friends due to their outgoing personalities, and their love for the Marauders only helped the friendship to grow. Regulus was even certain that the blonde Slytherin from his potions class would soon be counted among his closest of friends.
His most difficult acquisition was turning out to be young Neville Longbottom. The pudgy boy had power in spades, but he lacked the confidence to truly make it his own. Regulus decided to make it his mission to embolden Neville and to bring out the lion that was hiding within him. He had high hopes that the potentially powerful young wizard would join their growing group of friends instead of remaining on the outside and looking in. Regulus didn't want another Peter Pettigrew to appear amongst this generation, after all.
The Black heir had also eventually decided that he would work harder to befriend Harry's first friend. After studying the teen, he had determined that as long as Ron didn't fall back under his mother's obvious guidance, then he may just be worth the effort. He had a keen mind as well as a ruthlessness that he saved for those he viewed as enemies. Maybe this time away from Howler Molly, as the woman had been dubbed by the Gryffindors, would be beneficial to the friendship of the "Golden Trio". If Ron could learn to control his mouth and think before taking action, then everyone would be happier for it.
After her friends finally banished the last of the wrapping paper from her presents, they said their good nights and returned to their rooms. Hermione quickly grabbed Harry and Regulus and dragged them to their joint quarters as her gifts floated behind them. Once within their entry room, the excited bookworm asked them to help her set up the ritual for her to become a magical animagus. If she didn't do it now, she knew that she would overthink it and miss out on the interesting new magic. No one told Hermione Jean Potter no, especially if it involved learning new magic. Not even herself.
With resigned smiles, Harry and Regulus set up the ritual while Hermione cleaned up and prepared herself for the transformation. Once she had returned, she read quickly through Sirius's notes and memorized each and every spell and chant required to begin the updated ritual. After readying herself, Hermione stood within the middle of the ritual circle and asked for the blood of the magical creature to be applied by Harry.
Harry agreed and painted a series of runes over Hermione's heart and began to chant the words with her wife, causing the foreign blood to seep into the brown-eyed witch's skin and merge with her body. Once Harry had completed her chanting, she left the circle and joined Regulus at his side. Hermione took a moment to clear her mind and swallowed down the potion as Harry and Regulus watched over her. As the potion settled in her stomach, Hermione's eyes rolled back as she drifted off to the realm of spirits.
At this moment, Harry and Regulus felt useless. They took turns reading over Sirius's notes to ensure that they hadn't missed any steps. By the time they finished, Hermione had been unconscious for over 45 minutes, and the two were beginning to worry. No sooner had they decided to fetch Prof. McGonagall, the two teens heard a predatory growl and leaped backward in surprise. In the place where Hermione once sat now stood an enormous jungle cat with dark chocolate-colored fur. A dark miasma drifted across its coat and began to cover the unknown creature in shadow. The feline quickly vanished into the shadows of the room before bursting out from behind the startled teens, landing on top of them. The magical creature suddenly licked Harry's face before shifting back into one Hermione Granger with a giddy smile plastered across her face.
"It worked!" the young witch squealed with glee. "I actually turned into a Shadow Cat! We have to owl Sirius to let him know that it was a success! Oh, this is just so exciting! Can you believe what this means for the future of the Animagus Ritual? Everyone will want the chance to be able to choose the form of a magical creature!"
"Slow down, Hermione," Regulus said with a laugh. "It looks like you didn't notice the most important part of the ritual. To be able to obtain a magical creature form, you must have a certain amount of magical power without external aid. Not everyone is as powerful as we are or has the control to be able to pull this off. Besides, I'm sure that this knowledge will only be shared with those who have a need to know or are in the highest seats of power. Dad even left us a letter stating something similar attached to the last page of his notes."
"Oh," Hermione said with a pout. "But knowledge like this should be free to everyone. Not just those with the wealth and power to buy it."
"I agree with you, Hermione," Harry said at her side. "But imagine what a dark wizard could do with this ritual. Could you imagine if Voldemort ever returned and had the ability to transform into a basilisk? If he transformed in a crowded place like Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, the bodies would pile up before anyone could stop him."
"Well, I guess I can see the problem with that," the brown-eyed witch admitted. "If that is how it has to be, then alright. Do you think Sirius would mind if we told our friends? Not all of them, of course, but I suppose that Ron, Fred, George, Ginny, and maybe Neville?"
At her hopeful smile, Harry and Regulus both chuckled. Hermione was always so eager to share knowledge with her friends. Hopefully, this would be enough to satiate her desire.
"He already has given us permission, Hermione," Regulus said with a smirk. "He asked that if any of our friends wish to make the transformation, we let him know what magical creature they would like to turn into, as well as a sample of their blood to check their ambient magical strength. If someone doesn't have the required power levels to make the change, then it won't work."
"The question is," Harry started, "when do we ask?"
"How about this weekend?" Hermione offered with a yawn. It would seem that the magical drain from the transformation was finally catching up with her. "This would give our friends time to think on it and decide on a potential form."
"Sounds like a plan," Regulus agreed. "Why don't we call it a night, Hermione? You look like you're ready to pass out at any moment."
"Alright," Hermione agreed. She was too exhausted to put up much of a fight. "I suppose I am awfully tired."
Glad that she was able to accomplish the ritual but too tired to stay awake to practice, Hermione let Harry guide her to their room. Regulus wished them goodnight before also retiring for the evening.
"Good night, Harry," Hermione mumbled as she snuggled up beside her companion, quickly falling asleep in her arms.
"Pleasant dreams, my little wildcat," Harry whispered in reply. She gently buried her face into Hermione's bushy curls and soon drifted off into pleasant dreams of her own, a content smile on her face.
