Ok i know that this is a short chapter and not nearly as good as what i had hoped it would be but it was just so hard writing it, i kept hitting writers block and had to force myself to overcome the speed humps in the writing of this chapter. I almost gave up!!
The next chapter will hopefully be easier to write and longer, not alot of action in this one, but the next should have some scenes where Hermione and Draco become closer, Lucius and Narcissa appear as well but only briefly.
i don't own anything to do with the Harry Potter world, wish i did though as i would have Draco and Hermione together!!
Read and Enjoy and i am sorry for the delay in this update. Hopefully the next chapter won't be so long in coming!!
Chapter Nine: Facing His Fears
The following weeks were spent helping Draco to overcome his fear of Manticores. Hermione was called to the Slytherin dorms nearly every night of those weeks, but she always refused the request to stay there the full night. Desensitizing Draco was slow going, a form of one step forward, two steps back. They were hoping to get him to the stage where he would be confident and in control enough to face a Bogart, that would form into a Manticore when Draco faced it. That Friday the Slytherins and Gryffindors had Transfiguration together and Professor McGonagall had set the subject at human transfiguration, specifically Animagi.
"Alright, now because we are focusing on Animagi this lesson, I have asked for two former student to help me with the fundamentals of what is required to become Animagi" McGonagall stated as the class started. Before the students could ask any questions, the door to the classroom flew open and James and Sirius strolled in, both with large grins on their faces. Sirius slammed the door behind him and followed James towards the front of the class.
"Mr Black! Kindly refrain from slamming my classroom door!" McGonagall snapped.
"Chill out Minnie, I'll remember that for next time" Sirius grinned cheekily.
"Padfoot, after all the detentions and points deductions you received for calling her that, you would think that you had learned your lesson" James commented with a laugh.
"True, one would think that wouldn't they, but she can't give me detention or take house points away any more" Sirius replied.
"No, but I can hex you into next century" McGonagall snapped, her eyes narrowed at Sirius.
"True, true" Sirius agreed, though he didn't look in the least bit concerned about it.
"Alright, so we're showing the pipsqueaks how to become an Animagus, is that correct?" James asked as he reached the front of the classroom.
"HEY!" Harry and Ron scowled.
"Oh sorry son, didn't realize that you were in the class" James commented when he saw his son sitting there.
"So, it's the Lions and the Snakes, this should be interesting" Sirius stated, when he saw that it was a Slytherin/Gryffindor class.
"If you two wouldn't mind, I would like to get back to actually teaching sometime in the near future" McGonagall snapped sharply.
"Sorry Minnie, please continue" Sirius answered blithely. McGonagall ignored him and turned back to her class.
"Now, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, there are two ways to become an Animagus. The first is through meditation and concentration. It is less traumatic on your body for the initial change and takes quite a while to do prepare for and do properly. The second has only newly been advertised as an alternative to the meditation, although it has been in existence for nearly fifty years. It is a potion, it takes six months to brew and turns you into your animal instantly, although it is still necessary for you to complete the fundamental exercises beforehand, in order for you to prepare your body for the trauma of turning into an animal"
"You mean there was a potion? Damn Prongs! We could have become Animagi in our third year instead of doing that boring meditation crap for two years" Sirius exclaimed.
"Blame Moony, he was the one that did all the research for it, he never found the blasted potion" James replied.
"Ah Hem!" McGonagall interrupted.
"Oh sorry Minnie, continue" Sirius chuckled, waving his hand at the Gryffindor Head of House. McGonagall scowled at the two former Gryffindors, then continued.
"Once you have completed your initial transformation, your body becomes tuned to your animal and your transformations become second nature" so saying this, McGonagall quickly transformed into a cat. Sirius grinned and transformed as well, becoming the huge black dog. James was about to transform when all hell broke loose. Padfoot's animal instincts overran his human tendencies and he started barking at the cat. McGonagall's feline instincts kicked in and she hissed in fright at the huge black dog that was barking at her. Padfoot growled and bounded towards the tabby cat situated on the front desk. Parchment and ink went flying as the cat took off across the room with the dog in hot pursuit. Students screamed and ducked as the two animals started jumping and dodging in between all the desks.
"Padfoot! Down! Heal! Stay! Sit! Bad dog! Dammit! Minnie will have your guts for garters when she gets out of this mess!" James cried as he started chasing his best friend around the room. The Gryffindors and Slytherins were laughing and screaming as they witnessed their strict Transfiguration professor scrambling around the room being chased madly by one of her former students. Fifteen minutes later James stopped and slumped onto McGonagall's desk trying to catch his breath after doing three laps of the room chasing the dog. McGonagall, seeing an escape jumped into James's arms and scrambled up onto his shoulder, hissing and spitting at the dog as it came bounding towards them.
"Holy Merlin's boxers!" James shouted as he saw Padfoot bearing down upon him and the cat. Leaping onto McGonagall's desk he quickly gained higher ground and transformed into Prongs, McGonagall climbing up onto his antlers and clinging on for dear life as the stag tried to keep the dog from jumping up onto the desk.
"Harry! Do something!" Hermione stated as she crawled out from under the desk she had taken cover under when the dog and cat had jumped across it. Harry and Ron crawled out from under their desks and ran towards the still wildly barking Padfoot, pouncing on the shaggy black dog they pinned him to the floor.
"Professor, transform back quickly!" Harry grunted, as he and Ron struggled to subdue the thrashing dog beneath them. The cat climbed down from the stags antlers onto his back and quickly transformed back into the Transfiguration professor. McGonagall looked the worse for wear, her hat was skewed and her usually neat hair was falling out of the tight bun in which she kept it, her robes were crinkled and she was sitting astride the giant stag, her black stockings had a run in them and her sensible shoes were hanging from her feet. As soon as the cat disappeared, Padfoot ceased his barking and lay beneath Harry and Ron quietly. McGonagall quickly dismounted from Prongs's back and shakily climbed down off her desk. The stag jumped off the desk and transformed back into James. McGonagall looked like she was in some kind of trance, paying no attention to the things around her. Harry and Ron got to their feet and Sirius transformed back into his human form. Getting to his feet, Sirius looked over at the disheveled McGonagall and grinned.
"That was fun hey Minnie!" McGonagall snapped her head towards Sirius and whipped out her wand.
"I'll show you fun Sirius Black!" she snapped as she sent a hex towards the former Azkaban inmate. Sirius yelped as he dodged the hex and took off up the isle and after opening the door he bolted from the classroom. McGonagall was close on his heals sending hex upon hex after him.
"CLASS DISMISSED!" she screeched as she left the classroom chasing the escaping Sirius. James gave the bemused students a sheepish grin.
"Sirius was always able to get under her skin" he stated by way of an explanation before he took off after Sirius and McGonagall.
The students filed out of the classroom after packing up their things, both Slytherins and Gryffindors laughing and talking about the spectacle they had witnessed in Transfiguration. They marched down the corridor heading towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, as they once again shared this class with their rival house. Upon entering the classroom the students noticed that the desks had been removed and instead a large wardrobe sat at the front, the scene eerily familiar to their first lesson in third year with Lupin.
"Alright, today we are doing some revision from your previous years, can anyone tell me what we will be doing today?" Professor Mounthin asked once the class was assembled. Nobody was shocked when Hermione's hand raised.
"Yes Miss Granger?"
"Bogarts, the incantation for a Bogart is Ridikulus, nobody knows what they look like as they change depending on whom is facing them at the time, they morph into that person's greatest fear. Laughter is what really defeats a Bogart, the more there is the faster it is defeated" Hermione answered proudly, though she threw a concerned look at a very pale Draco.
"Very good Miss Granger, ten points to Gryffindor" Mounthin replied, "Alright form a line, I want all of you to face the Bogart today, Miss Granger you first if you please" Mounthin stated as he released the Bogart form the wardrobe. Hermione nodded, knowing what her greatest fear was, she was prepared when the Bogart morphed into two bodies laying on the classroom floor, eyes open and lifeless.
"Who are they?" Neville whispered.
"Hermione's parents" Harry answered softly, watching as Hermione raised her wand and shouted the spell. Instantly the bodies sprung up in fluffy pink bunny suits with long ears and cotton ball tails. A few giggled erupted as Harry moved forwards, knowing what the Bogart would turn into. A dementor appeared where the two people in bunny suits had been and Harry quickly raised his wand.
"Ridikulus!" the dementor disappeared to be turned into the blown up body of his Aunt Marge, the same as she had been when Harry had lost control of his magic in the summer before third year and blown her up for insulting his parents. Harry grinned cheekily and made way for Ron.
Draco was standing at the back of the line, reluctantly moving forward as all the other students faced the Bogart, he let out a small laugh as Neville once again had Professor Snape wearing his grandmothers clothes. Blaise took his turn, the vampire he was facing suddenly wore thongs, Hawaiian print shirt and board shorts. Theo was next, the last one before it was his turn. Everyone gasped as Lord Voldemort himself appeared, the professor paled and gasped, but before he could do anything, Theo had cast the spell and Voldie stood there in a fluffy pink bath robe, curlers and shower cap on his head and cute bunny slippers on his feet. The students howled with laughter. Looking around Draco saw that Harry was grasping his sides as he tried to breathe through his chuckles. Draco pasted on a slight smile, but that faded quickly as he saw Theo start to move from in front of him. Draco stood stock still, frozen in place as the Bogart began to morph into what he knew would be a Manticore. He wasn't ready for this, he wasn't ready to face his fear. His body started shaking and his eyes were wide, glued as the Manticore began to take shape. Warm arms slid around his waist from behind and a soft voice whispered into his ear.
"You're not alone, just think of what would make it look funny" Draco turned his head slightly and glanced at Hermione. Because her head barely made it past his shoulder, she was on her tip toes in order to whisper in his ear.
"I can't do this, I'm not ready" he whispered back. Over the past few weeks, Draco had been able to somewhat control his fear, but only when he was in physical contact with Hermione. As long as he could feel her, even just to hold her hand, he was able to keep the fear he felt from totally consuming him.
"Close your eyes and imagine what would make it look hilarious" Hermione instructed gently. She knew, better than anyone, just how much self control it was taking Draco to not give into his fear.
"Hermione, I don't think that I can do this" Draco insisted. It was only on rare occasions that he used her first name, still preferring to call her Granger, just as she called him Malfoy when she wasn't helping him with his fear.
"Yes you can, Draco. Now close your eyes and think of something that would make it look funny" Draco sighed heavily and did as she told him. The good thing about a Bogart is that it couldn't make any sounds, so Draco didn't have to listen to its haunting cries as the now formed Manticore began to pace in front of him. Draco concentrated on thinking what would make the Manticore look funny, but the only thing that he could see was Filch's cat as it had looked when James Potter had turned it into a miniature replica of the Gryffindor lion.
"Do you have something?" Hermione asked softly, tightening her arms around his waist.
"I think so" Draco answered shakily.
"Then raise your wand and open your eyes once you're ready to cast the spell" Hermione instructed gently. Draco did as she instructed.
"Ridikulus!" the Manticore shrunk and turned into Mrs Norris before puffs of hair appeared and she looked exactly as she did that day in the Great Hall. Draco grinned as the rest of the class screamed in laughter, all remembering the scene in the Great Hall with the Marauders. Hermione hugged him tightly.
"Congratulations" she whispered before she let him go and moved away so that Theo and Blaise could return to his side.
Well there it is, told you that it was short and not all that it could be but i had so much trouble with it, it was just being so bloody stubborn!!!!
Please read and Review, but no flames, i'm trying to keep my confidence in my writing ability, seems the harder i make my stories the harder it is to continue them but i promise that i will complete all my stories.
Thankyou to all those who have read and enjoy my writing i appreciate all your reviews
angelrider93