And that's how Hermione found herself across the room from a griffin.
For a moment, Hermione was too startled to truly comprehend what she was seeing, but once she did, she frowned. There was something off about the griffin that Harry had become. She'd read about griffin's, of course, and knew they had the head of an eagle, the body of a lion, and wings, but the griffin that Harry had become was just a lion with wings.
It all became clear when he moved to take a step towards her. The movement caused his fur to shift in a way that reminded Hermione of fire, leaving only one possibility; an elemental griffin. Harry's element was obviously fire. Hermione quickly ran through everything she knew about elemental griffins, which was quite a bit. She knew that they were supposed to be very intelligent, and that the rest of their personality seemed to stem from their elements. Fire griffins were said to be fierce and uncontrollable, but also very protective. She also knew was that they had some type of control over their elements, but no one seemed to know how it was accomplished.
All that was pushed from her mind as Harry the griffin came towards her. She had no idea if the griffin part of Harry was in control, or if Harry himself was. And if the griffin was, she didn't know if he viewed her as a threat, or even food. She held very still as the griffin padded closer, until it was almost directly in front of her. As she stared at the griffin, she started to shake a little as she realized that he came up to her neck; if he decided to attack, she wasn't so sure she could stop him, and was suddenly unsure of her idea at being with him when he transformed.
Fortunately, all the griffin (she wasn't sure if it was Harry in control) seemed to want to do was sniff her, and she started to relax after a few moments. After a minute or two, she hesitantly reached out to pet him. When she first touched him, he tensed, before leaning into it, reminding her of the first time she hugged him. After a few moments of petting him, he let out a deep, rumbling purr that echoed throughout the chamber, causing Hermione to giggle a little at an enormous lion with wings purring.
After a few more minutes of petting the griffin, (with a few giggles here and there at his obvious pleasure) Hermione finally gathered her courage to ask, "Harry? Is that you?" She was rewarded by a nodding of the head, but the purring didn't stop. "Can you change back now? It's a bit disconcerting," she admitted.
The griffin nodded again, and slowly melted into Harry, who promptly fell over due to the change in equilibrium. He quickly righted himself and asked with an eager grin, "So? What am I?"
"You don't know?" Hermione asked, a bit surprised at the shake of his head. For some reason, she had assumed you would just know what your form was once you turned into it. "You're a griffin," she said, starting to get excited. "And not just any griffin, but a fire elemental griffin!"
Harry just stared at her for a moment. "What's that?" He asked when it was clear that she wasn't just going to open up and elaborate.
Hermione tried to give him a reproachful look, she really did. But when she the mixed expressions of lost and hopeful, she couldn't helpbut think he looked cute, and proceeded to explain. "Unlike normal griffins, elemental griffins don't have an eagle's head, they're basically just big lions with wings. What makes them truly special, though, is their ability to control a specific element-fire, in your case. It will be truly interesting to see whether or not you can manage that control outside of your animagus form," she mused thoughtfully.
"Wait, so let me get this straight: I'm a big lion, which is already a big cat, I also have wings that I can fly with, and I can control fire," Harry recounted. "Has anyone else ever been an elemental griffin?" He asked.
Hermione thought through all her books for a moment, before replying, "It's rumored that Godric Gryffindor was a thunder elemental griffin, but other than that, no."
"Great, I must just be the bloody poster boy for abnormality," Harry grumbled. He was happy with such a fierce form, he really was, and he knew it would be exceedingly helpful, but it was still annoying to always be such an oddball, even in the world of magic.
"No you're not," Hermione said soothingly, evidently having heard Harry's mutterings.
Harry gave her an incredulous look, and asked, "Really? If you could please point out someone else who has lived through all three Unforgivables, survived a fight with a basilisk, driven off hundreds of dementors, battled a dragon, survived five encounters with Voldemort, fought off a possession, has a prophecy made about him, and has an elemental griffin as an animagus form, I would be grateful to hand the role of Chosen One over to him. That's not to mention surviving the Dursleys," he added as an afterthought.
Jesus Christ, he's been through a lot! Hermione realized with horror. She knew he was also leaving out the pain of seeing both Cedric and Sirius dying in front of him, as well as the guilt he had felt when he cast the cruciatus curse-even if it was on Lestrange. She struggled to think of a rebuttal, but she knew there was no chance of that happening, and even if there was, there chances were between nil and zilch that it had all happened to someone before they turned sixteen. But there was one thing he said that really caught her attention. "Wait, did you say all three Unforgivables?" She demanded.
Harry's face rapidly paled; it was the one thing he had kept hidden from her, the one thing he couldn't bear for her to experience. He hadn't even told her about it, and the only thing he had intended to lie to her about. "Yes," he answered softly.
"You mean that bastard put you under the cruciatus and the imperius?" She demanded again. He simply nodded. "And you kept it from me?" He nodded again. "Why?"
"I'm strong enough to go through it, but I'm not strong enough to see y-you in that much pain," he admitted softly after a few minutes of silence. "I-I couldn't do it." He admitted with unshed tears in his eyes.
He had looked down at her question, and therefore didn't see the bushy-haired missile that launched itself at him. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Harry," Hermione whispered in his ear.
"Don't worry about it, 'Mione," he whispered back comfortingly, "it's over now, and I have you."
"That's right, mister, you do," Hermione sniffed against his shoulder. "And don't tell me not to worry with that maniac still after you. Especially after finding out what he's willing to do to you."
Harry chuckled at how determined she could sound even while trying not to cry. "I just don't want you to worry about what already happened. I know you'll worry about the future no matter what I say. But the past is over," he said.
"Does that mean you'll stop blaming yourself for Sirius's death?" Hermione asked shrewdly.
There was a moment of silence before Harry whispered, "No. Because it is my fault, and to remember my mistakes and learn from them so I don't lose someone else. I couldn't handle it if you died," he whispered, getting a little choked. "You saw how I was after Sirius died, but without you, there'd be no point in living."
Hermione experienced an odd moment where she felt both joy and depression simultaneously; joy that Harry loved her so much, but depressed because he still blamed himself. "If it's your fault, why didn't you stop Bellatrix from firing that curse?" She asked him ruthlessly.
"I couldn't," he whispered.
"Exactly!" Hermione exclaimed, pouncing on the opening he made. "There was nothing you could have done!"
"I could have not gone at all!" He said fiercely, pulling back from Hermione. "You told me-you said it was a trap! You had never led me wrong, so what made me think you would this time? I could have listened to you, then Sirius wouldn't have had to come to my rescue, and Bellatrix couldn't have killed him!" He was screaming by the end, and Hermione could tell he was struggling to hold himself together.
Once he was done, Hermione whispered, "Harry, I gave that advice without the benefit of your visions. After seeing your vision of Mr. Weasley, and then your vision of Sirius, I can honestly say I would have done the same thing. Would you have blamed me if our positions were reversed?" She asked him gently.
Harry looked shocked for a minute before blurting out, "No, of course not!" He still looked surprised for a moment, but then he realized what she did, and smiled gently before pulling her back into a tight hug, whispering, "Thank you," in her ear.
"I'll always be here for you," she whispered back, meaning her words to be comforting.
Harry, however, didn't take them that way and stiffened in her arms. "Please," he choked out, "please don't make a promise you can't keep. I couldn't take it."
Hermione gave a grim chuckle, replying, "Harry, after the bond is complete, it's not an empty promise. Besides, remember the Soul Rings? Even if they kill me, I'll be able to be with you."
Harry wasn't sure if he should be relieved that she would always be with him, or worried that they were talking about death, so he just hugged her, trying to convey his desperation through the action, and also projected it through the bond, causing Hermione to gasp at the strength of the emotion. He was perfectly content to simply hold her like that, but her mention of the bond reminded him of a question he meant to ask, and brought up a new one. "Hermione, what did you mean it's not an empty promise after the bond is complete?"
"Well, apparently, if my soul goes on-or yours does-it will drag the partner's soul with it," Hermione explained. "It doesn't really some like a good thing, to be honest."
"Well, I don't mind if it means we're together forever," Harry said honestly, causing Hermione to smile into his shoulder. "But I had another question about the bond. What happens during the final stage?"
"Ummm...well, our connection will strengthen, making our thoughts and emotions more easily read by the other person, and it will push us towards completing the bond," she muttered awkwardly. "And it will prevent birth control," she added.
"Oh," Harry said simply, a little shocked. "How hard will it push?"
"Well," Hermione began, "it's more our magic pushing us. And, given how powerful we are, it's going to push hard."
"Oh crap," Harry muttered. "I want to be a father, but not yet!"
"I don't think we have a choice," Hermione said. "Plus, our animal forms are naturally more basic, including sex. So that, too, is lowering our inhibitions," she sighed.
"Speaking of our animal forms," Harry said, eager to change the subject, "Are you going to change now?"
Hermione smiled at his blatant attempt to change the subject, but acquiesced and nodded. "I think that opposite sides of the room would be prudent again, though." Harry nodded at her suggestion, and reluctantly released her and walked back to where he started from, as did Hermione. Taking a deep breath, she willed herself to change.
Harry watched in amazement as Hermione melted into a form that he recognized from Hermione's description of his own form-he was face-to-face with a giant lion with wings, but instead of the red tinge he had seen in his own fur, her's had a brown tinge, leading Harry to assume that her element was earth. It seemed even more evident when she moved and it looked like pebbles cascading across her fur.
As he watched, he noticed that Hermione seemed much more aware of herself than he had been; she was looking back at herself and stretching her wings. Since it seemed so much like the Hermione he knew, he smiled and started walking towards her. Unfortunately, this set the griffin part of her off at the sudden movement, and it gave a low growl in warning, causing Harry to freeze and pale a little. Okay, note to self, don't make any sudden movements, he thought sardonically.
Suddenly, it occured to him that Hermione may be in a different form, but they still had the bond connecting them. Hermione? He questioned in his head, trying to get it to go through the bond.
He was rewarded by the griffin's head snapping up, and a questioning thought Harry? was sent through his head. I didn't know we could talk in our forms, Hermione said.
Neither did I, Harry said with a grin, But it's definitely useful.
Hermione slowly melted back into her normal form, agreeing, "It definitely is."
For the next few weeks, the would head down to the chamber after every class, practicing in their forms and seeing if they could control their element in their regular forms. Neither was actually expecting to be able to, and they were both surprised when Harry was suddenly covered in flames and Hermione caused the entire chamber to shake in the first few attempts. Thankfully, the only thing hurt was Harry's pride when it turned out he had burnt his clothes off and Hermione had to conjure him more between fits of giggles.
The first change came when Snape started teaching silent spellcasting; in an attempt to humiliate Harry, he called him to the front so they could 'demonstrate' dueling with it. It was a very quick duel, as Snape started off by taunting him, thinking he wouldn't be able to do it. He quickly found himself stunned and disarmed, waking to a classroom of stunned students. Upon realizing what had happened, Snape snarled, "That's fifty points from Gryffindor for attacking a teacher." Harry, to his surprise, simply nodded and headed back to his seat. Snape left him alone for all future classes after that.
The second change came when Hermione finally managed to catch Harry up with Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, enabling him to switch from Divination to thos two after taking his OWLs on them and passing. The best benefit for the two of them was having every class together, and the second was the knowledge that this could help them with the evntual confrontation with Voldemort.
To their surprise, it was nearly Halloween and nothing had happened yet. On Monday-exactly one week before Halloween-the first Hogsmeade weekend was announced, causing Harry to groan. "Harry?" Hermione asked, concerned. "What is it?"
"Hogsmeade is going to be attacked this weekend," Harry said sadly.
"How do you know?" Hermione asked. Glancing up to his scar, she whispered, "Did you get a flash from Voldemort?"
"No," Harry said morosely, "it's almost Halloween. Except for last year, something bad has always happened on Halloween. If you were Voldemort, would you give up the opportunity to attack a magical village when the school housing the person on your 'Most Wanted Dead' list visits there?" Hermione shook her head mutely. Harry closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and raised his head. "We're still going, though. We can protect them, and, if I'm wrong, we should have fun while we can," Harry said, clearly very determined.
Hermione, though worried, nodded in agreement. "It will be our first date at Hogwarts," she said, trying to put a light spin on it.
Harry, knowing what she was attempting, raised her hand to his lips and kissed the back, asking lightly, "Milady, will you do me the great honor of allowing me to accompany you this Hogsmeade visit?"
Hermione, acting pompous, replied, "Well, I might allow it. I'll have to check my other prospects."
Harry's lips quirked towards a smile, but he continued to play the part, saying, "Alas! Am I too late?"
Hermione couldn't hold it any longer and burst out laughing. Neville, who had taken to sitting with the two, just shook his head in bemusement. He was quickly distracted, though, by a tall, red-headed boy who was walking towards them. Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, he grabbed the couple's attention and pointed him out. They glanced over at the nervous Ron, and the laughter died as he came closer.
"H-hey, guys," Ron said nervously. "C-can we talk?" He asked, gulping. Harry and Hermione glanceed at each other, carried out a quick mental conversation, nodded, and then gestured for Ron to continue. "I-I just wanted to apologize. I shouldn't have accused you," he nodded to Harry, "of using a love potion, and I know I had no claim to you, Hermione. "C-can we become friends again?"
Could we? Harry asked Hermione mentally.
I don't know, Hermione answered. He has a tendency to get jealous, and given everything we've been doing, would it even be possible to include him?
Harry sighed across the link. I don't know. But he was my first friend my age, he said plaintively.
Harry, how good of a friend has he been? She asked gently.
What do you mean? Harry asked, a frown visible on his face.
Has he actually stuck by you when you needed him? Fourth Year, at the beginning of the Tournament, he abandoned you even though as a friend he should have believed you, she said gently. Do you remember how greedy and jealous he looked when he saw the inside of your vault Second Year? When something good happens to you, or you get something he wants, you're just someone who has what he wants. I know you don't want to hear it, but I don't think he's actually a very good friend, Hermione said to him, gently breaking her thoughts to him. She wasn't sure if he could handle more, but she had to continue. Even in First Year, she mentally whispered, when you first encountered the Weasleys, didn't something seem suspicious? Mrs. Weasley had been going through the barrier for about a dozen years, do you really think she would be asking loudly about it, or screaming about it being packed with muggles? She could see Harry practically curl up on himself as she spoke to him.
"Ron," Harry started firmly, "were you actually my friend?" He asked.
Ron looked truly startled by the question. "W-what do you mean?" He asked after a moment of hesitation.
"Did someone push you into being my friend?" Harry pushed, noticing that Ron paled at the question. Standing slowly, he asked menacingly, "Who?"
"M-Mum," Ron admitted. "Sh-she said Dumbledore thought we would be g-good f-friends."
"DUMBLEDORE!" Harry screamed, not noticing his magic exploding out of him and shattering the windows in the Great Hall.
Dumbledore, sitting at the Head Table, jumped to his feet, saying sternly, "Mr. Potter, control yourself!"
"Oh, I will!" Harry said, marching towards the Head Table. "Because I'm tired of you doing it!" That said, Harry turnedfand marched out, robes billowing in a way reminiscent of Snape. Everyone stared after him in shock, except Hermione, who shot a glare at the Headmaster and hurried after her husband