Disclaimer: Don't own anything, except Draconis

Previously: "I hope so." Dumbledore replied. "She and Eragon are our only hope for defeating Voldemort and Galbatorix. Lady Nasuada, of the Varden, suspects that it is a matter of time before they join forces."

Ch 4- Transformations

A few days later…

"Hermione, tomorrow we will start your physical training. I will teach you how to fight with a sword, and I will give you exercises to make you more flexible." Eragon discussed during lunch. "We will also go over your mental training. Anytime you need me, just call out my name in your mind like you do so with Draconis. I will be able to hear it, and we can carry on from there. I want you to become more comfortable with me. Feel free to ask me questions. From now on, consider me more than just a teacher."

Hermione smiled at his hospitality. He seemed really nice and eager to get to know her better. Hermione took a bite out of her salad. "Do you have a strong bond with Saphira?"

"Yes I do. Soon your bond will become just as strong. You will learn to be able to think as one, to be one. Draconis will be your consciousness, as you will be his." Eragon answered. Draco approached them.

"Um, Hermione? Can I talk to you for a second?" Draco asked.

"Sure, sit down." Draco eyed Eragon suspiciously. "Whatever you tell me, you can tell Eragon. He won't tell anyone." Hermione smiled.

"Well, I was kinda hoping I could speak to you in private." Draco eyed her.

"Fine."

Draco dragged her outside the Great Hall and into the corridors.

"Whose he?" Draco looked at her.

"I told you!! He is the one that is going to train me." Hermione said exasperatedly.

"For what?" Draco pushed the matter further.

"I told you! We can't talk about it here, someone could overhear." Hermione eyed the darkened hallways cautiously. "The matter that we discussed at Hogsmeade? Remember?" Draco thought for a minute before understanding.

"Oh yeah."

"Now don't tell anybody, or I will slit your throat." Hermione glared menacingly, "or get Draco to do it for me." Draco looked at her confusedly before understanding again. He winced. They went back into the Great Hall.

What was that about Hermione?

Oh, nothing. He was wondering what you were training me for.

And? What did you say?

I told him the truth, he already knew about Draconis anyway. He caught a glimpse of him in the forest.

Oh. Will he tell anybody?

Probably not, I threatened him anyway.

That works.

Hermione sat down across from Eragon and finished her meal. They went back the dragon room, and Eragon pulled out the scrolls for her. Hermione greeted Draconis and had a small conversation. Once Eragon handed the scrolls to her, Hermione looked through them in awe and delight.

"I will try to pick up the ancient language as fast as I can." Hermione smiled at him. Eragon smiled back. In a little while, she would have to go on her nightly patrol with one of the prefects. She believed that prefect was either Draco or Terry Boot. Hermione waited and talked to Eragon before she went out on duty. She was supposed to meet Terry in the Great Hall.

"Hey Hermione," Terry greeted.

"Hi Terry," Hermione replied. They walked in silence through the bottom floors. Ron and Draco had the top floors that night. As Terry and Hermione were finishing the last floor they had to patrol, they heard a yell and then a thud. Hermione gasped. She ran up 3 flights of stairs to see Ron and Draco beating the crap out of each other.

"What is going on here? Expelliarmus!!" Ron and Draco flew apart. She binded them in ropes. "What happened?"

"Malfoy attacked me!!" Ron snarled.

"That's not true you stupid weasel!!" Malfoy retaliated.

"Shut up ferret boy!!"

"Both of you shut up!!" Hermione screamed. "Draco, explain to me what happened."

"We were arguing, and then he lunged at me," Draco sneered. Hermione pushed into his mind slightly, she found he was telling the truth. She was starting to get pretty good at this.

"About?"

"Why was he talking to you during dinner outside the Great Hall, huh?" Ron yelled.

"Why do you need to know? It was none of your business, Ronald Weasley!!" Hermione was really starting to lose it.

Control yourself Hermione. Draconis's voice popped into her head.

At the moment, that is very hard.

"Detention, Ronald Weasley!!" Hermione yelled. "Tomorrow at 8pm with Snape." She smirked.

"Fine." Ron got up, having recovered from her spell, and stomped off beet red.

"Draco, did you finish your rounds?" Hermione asked.

"No. In fact, as soon as Weasley got here, he lunged at me. Bloody weasels." Draco muttered to himself.

"Terry, we're done. So I'll just finish up with Malfoy here."

"Will you be ok?" Terry said while indicating toward Draco.

"I'll be fine." Hermione nodded. She and Draco patrolled silently. Hermione sighed.

I think I held myself pretty well.

That you did, I'm surprised you didn't kill that boy, Ron.

Haha, thanks Draco.

Your welcome.

I didn't get to tell you what Saphira taught me. Guess what? There are other dragons out there!!! Two of them are evil, but there is one that is hidden in a place called Ellesmera. She said that he was her mentor. His name was Glaedr. Isn't that cool?

Of course it is.

"Hermione?" Draco looked at her as she giggled at Draconis's enthusiasm.

"Oh nothing, just thought of something funny." Hermione smiled. They finished their patrol and were soon off to bed.

The next few weeks passed by quickly. Hermione kept up with her classes and her training. Draconis was now taller than her, and he had begun his physical training as well. Hermione had learned to scry people and prevent herself from being scryed. She began to talk to Harry again but still ignored Ron and Ginny. Hermione had now mastered the ancient language, and her conversations with Eragon were spoken only in that language. Since Hermione had mastered putting up the barriers in her mind, Eragon taught her to keep her mind open and take in everything around her. Everyday she would sit outside for an hour to meditate. She would find that the lake and dirt were swarming with an infinite amount of creatures. Hermione could feel the impulses that rabbits and squirrels had. Hermione realized that elves did not eat meat because they knew how creatures strived to survive. She felt as though, when she meditated, she was one of the creatures. She could feel their wants and their fears, their hopes and their dreams. Hermione had become a fair swordsman or woman in this case. She was still nowhere near as good as Eragon. Hermione learned and excelled in the use of ancient magic. She also learned how to control her emotions. She and Draconis had to establish a stronger bond so that they knew what each other's lesson was about just as if they had been there because Eragon and Saphira would quiz them on it.

Draconis, on the other hand, was learning aerial tricks, stunts, and endurance. Once he learned to breathe fire, which he was very proud of, Saphira made him hold his fire until he could no more. At first he could only hold it for about 5 minutes, but know he could hold it for half an hour and sometimes more. He and Saphira got along very well and trained in a clearing in the Forbidden Forest. Draconis know hunted on his own or with Saphira. He learned some of the ancient language.

One month later, Hermione went and sat down for breakfast with Eragon. She and Eragon ate breakfast together and with no one else. Eragon started noticing the elf –like features appear. The changes happened quicker on her than they did on him. Her hair now tamed itself, her eyes slanted slightly upward, her ears were pointier than a regular human's, and her skin was fairer and almost flawless. Her senses sharpened, and she gained a lot of strength very quickly. She and Eragon had become very close and were like brother and sister. They only spoke in the ancient language to each other.

"Good morning," Eragon greeted. They would not see each other in the dragon room because Hermione woke up an hour earlier than Eragon. By now, Dumbledore had announced about her being a rider and of the company of 2 dragons.

"Good morning Eragon," Hermione beamed. She ate a muffin and some toast. "Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me today?"

"What's Hogsmeade?" (remember they're talking in the ancient language so no one can understand them)

"It's a place where you can buy stuff. Basically we take a day off on Sundays." Hermione explained.

"Ok then, sure." Eragon agreed.

"Hi Hermione." Harry came up to them. "I haven't talked to you in a while, how have you been."

"I'm good, sit down." Hermione patted the bench next to her. Harry obeyed.

"Hi, I never formally introduced myself to you. I'm Harry Potter." Harry stuck out his hand for Eragon to shake. His green eyes glistening with enthusiasm.

"I'm Eragon Shadeslayer. Pleased to meet you." Eragon shook Harry's hand.

"Are you in any of the houses?" Harry asked.

"No. My sole purpose for being here is to train Hermione." Eragon answered.

"Oh. Hermione doesn't even really belong to Gryffindor anymore. She's never around." Hermione blushed.

"Harry!!" Hermione nudged him softly. Well for her it was softly, Harry thought it hurt QUITE a bit.

"Ouch!! That hurt, 'Mione!" Harry rubbed his arm.

"Whatever. I have to go, I haven't done my charms essay and it's due after lunch. I'll see you in a little while Eragon, bye Harry!!" Hermione ran off.

"How long have you known Hermione?" Eragon questioned.

"Um, about 6 years I think. I met her here at Hogwarts. Ron, her, and I have been friends ever since. Well, me and Ron have. She got into a huge fight with him." Harry explained.

"Which one is Ron?" Eragon looked as Harry pointed to his red-headed friend.

"So are you and Hermione close?" Harry asked trying to make it seem casual.

"We've gotten closer as time progressed, we're pretty close now." Eragon answered.

"Really?" Harry raised a brow. Eragon inwardly rolled his eyes.

"I really need to get going, bye Harry." Eragon walked off gracefully Harry observed.

Saphira?

Yes?

Is Hermione in the Dragon Room?

Yes.

Ok, thank you.

Harry noticed that Hermione had changed a lot. He didn't think she noticed it though. She seemed more…elegant. Her features were more defined and yet softer at the same time. Harry felt really weird feelings for her and he didn't like it. He really wished Ron would apologize to her already. Too bad he was as stubborn as Voldemort was evil. Harry sighed. He was always stuck in these friendships.

"Hi Harry," Ron greeted as he walked through the portrait.

"Can't you just apologize Ron? I'm getting really sick of this. And if you don't apologize soon, she's going to hate you altogether." Harry said.

"Never, I'm not the one who needs to apologize." Ron crossed his arms. Harry sighed. Ron was hopeless.

"Fine whatever. But when she sicks her dragon on you, don't come crying to me." Harry closed the subject.

"She has a dragon?!" Ron eyes bulged.

"Where have you been? Of course she has a dragon, have you noticed you never get to see her except during classes, breakfast, and dinner. If you're lucky, you'll see her during lunchtime. And what do you think Eragon's here for? Oh yeah, he's just enjoying the view. You're completely clueless to what's happening around you Ron!!" Harry cried. Ron still couldn't get over the fact that Hermione had a dragon.

"So will you apologize?"

"Are you crazy? Of course not." Harry groaned in frustration.

Hermione got ready to go to Hogsmeade. She put on some jeans, a t-shirt, and her robes over that. Saphira and Draco were in the Forbidden Forest training. They were no longer allowed in the room, only at night. Hermione put her hair in a ponytail and waited for Eragon in the Dragon Room. She and Eragon talked about almost everything now. She told him about her troubles with her friends, and he told her about his troubles with an elf named Arya, whom he liked.

"Hermione? Have you ridden Draconis yet?" Eragon asked as if remembering.

"No, why?" he smirked.

"I think its time you finally rode him."