The Magical World Exposed
by Healer Pomfrey
All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.
Warnings: COMPLETELY AU! If you don't like this, just stop reading and write your own story more to your liking.
During the holidays, Harry was much too distracted by their Animagus practice, which was finally fruitful for the friends, who all managed to transform into their dog forms, except for Susan, who was still at the beginning, and the Weasley twins, who became grey parrots.
From that day onwards, the friends spent an hour every day in their Animagus forms, roaming the large park of the manor together with Sirius in his dog form, Severus in his form of a magical lynx, Frank and Alice in their squirrel forms and Tonks in her form of a magical chameleon. Sometimes, they were even joined by phoenix grandfather Albus or Minerva McGonagall in her cat form, and the Animagi enjoyed themselves greatly.
"We need to teach Moony the Animagus transformation," Sirius spoke up one day, after the huge group of Animagi had excitedly roamed the park for hours.
"I'd like to learn that, too," Amelia spoke up, glancing at Severus.
"I'm still at the beginning, so we can all practise together," Susan replied, grinning.
"Harry and I are going to join you," Hermione spoke up and admitted that they both wanted to try for a second Animagus form.
"Ron, why don't you practise becoming an Animagus as well?" Ginny asked, turning to her brother, who returned a glare that clearly showed he had better things to do during the summer.
HP
Knowing that they had to take their OWLs in two years' time, the children used the remaining weeks of the holidays to intensely review their first three years' books of all subjects before they began to study their fourth year books.
Even the twins joined them in their studies, working on their sixth year books, only Ronald continued complaining that he wanted to enjoy the holidays rather than study all the time.
HP
Only when the teachers returned to Hogwarts two weeks before the beginning of the school year, Harry began to worry again if Lucius Malfoy intended to disturb the Triwizard Tournament. 'On the other hand, why would he?' he mused. 'He's holding a grudge towards Hermione and me, but not against the school.'
HP
Harry felt his fears confirmed, when the Goblet of Fire, after already announcing the three champions for the Triwizard Tournament, spat out his own name in addition.
He could only stare at the Goblet in shock, barely witnessing that Ronald Weasley blurted out, "What else does Harry need?"
"Harry, you need to go," Hermione whispered, giving him a slight push in the direction of the high table, only to add, "Tell them that you can't fight. Pomfrey will be able to get you out of this."
"Harry, did you enter your name into the Goblet?" McGonagall asked, cripsly.
"Of course not," Harry replied, still completely shocked. "I believe that was Lucius Malfoy's doing in order to somehow get to me," he added, quietly.
"I second that," Sirius spoke up.
"Harry isn't able to fight anyway. His health condition won't allow him to participate," Annette added, giving her son a concerned look.
"I can second that," Severus confirmed.
"If the boy isn't able to participate for health reasons, he must name someone who can participate instead," Mr. Bagman said in a firm voice.
"I choose Ronald Weasley then," Harry replied and, seeing Bagman nod, returned to his seat in relief, while McGonagall called Ron to the high table.
"You let Ron participate instead?" Ginny asked, chuckling. "Oh, we're going to have fun I suppose."
Hermione sighed. "I don't envy him, but it's his own fault because of the comment he let out earlier."
"Nevertheless, we might have to help him," Harry spoke up. "He's not studious enough to really succeed, and we don't want anything to happen to him."
"Thanks Harry," Ginny replied, smiling at his reassurance.
HP
Twice a week, Harry and Hermione spent the evenings together with Remus, Amelia and Susan in the O'Briens' quarters practising the Animagus transformation. Already being Animagi themselves, Harry and Hermione could teach the others, while, at the same time, they tried to transform into phoenixes.
Fortunately, the transformation into their second form did not take as much time as the one into their first form, and as soon as Halloween, Harry and Hermione managed to spike feathers instead of their left hands and arms.
While Harry's feathers were green, Hermione's were blue, and the two fourth-years stared at their arms with a combination of amazement and confusion.
"I thought all phoenixes were red and gold like Fawkes," Susan spoke up, causing Hermione to shake her head.
"No, there are other forms of phoenixes like water, ice or earth phoenixes," she replied, pensively, "but I don't know what blue or green exactly mean."
"Your blue definitely looks like a water phoenix," Harry threw in, "but green?"
"Let's go and ask the founders tomorrow," Hermione suggested, happily. To Harry she thought, 'I don't mind if we have different phoenix forms, provided that we can communicate with each other. At least, we'll both be able to fly together, anyway.'
'That's for sure,' Harry replied, smiling broadly. 'I can't wait to complete the transformation.'
HP
After the last afternoon class on the following day, the twins and their wives hurried to the founders' lair, and Harry and Hermione showed Godric their wings.
"Well done," the founder commended them, before he explained, "Hermione must be a water phoenix and Harry a wind phoenix. Both forms are very powerful phoenix forms, oh well, like all phoenix forms in fact."
"Harry, work hard on the transformation, it'll turn out very useful in the near future," Rowena suddenly spoke up, causing Harry to stare at the Seer in surprise. However, the founder did not further elaborate what she might have seen in one of her visions.
HP
Like during the previous years, the quartet of the twins and their wives spent three evenings a week at the founders' lair, and the four ancient professors took turns teaching the children what they seemed useful for them.
"I love training with the founders," David said one evening, when they returned towards the entrance hall after a tiring Defence Against the Dark Arts practice with Salazar.
"Me too," Ginny added, tiredly leaning into David's embrace. "I think we must be very much ahead of everyone else in some subjects."
"I believe so, too," Hermione agreed. "What they're teaching us is far beyond NEWT level, let alone OWL level."
"We can ask Sirius," Harry replied, breathing heavily. "I think I'm going to skip Salazar's Defence lessons from now on though."
"Harry, are you all right?" Hermione asked, giving her husband a sharp look.
"I will be," Harry reassured her after using the inhaler from the teddy that he was always secretly carrying around. "I just hope that we'll never have to fight against Malfoy or any other dark wizard in a way like that," he added, wearily.
"We'll all be with you," David promised, making Harry cast him a questioning look. "See to it that you manage to transform into your phoenix form soon," he continued, matter-of-factly. "Then you can just flash away if we're not with you to protect you."
"Thanks twin," Harry said, warmly, feeling very much reassured by his brother's kind words.
HP
"What you need is an emergency Portkey," Sirius said, after the twins told him about Harry's fear. He stepped into the fireplace only to return a few minutes later, carrying two golden chains with small pendants in the form of dogs, which he handed to the twins. "Put these around your necks. They'll be invisible to everyone but yourselves and your betrotheds. The pendant is an emergency Portkey and will take you to Potter Manor if you activate it. The activating code is 'Puppy's home'. I have two more for your wives. Actually, I had them made for you during the summer, but I forgot to give them to you."
"Thank you so much, Sirius," Harry and David replied, simultaneously.
"I hope we won't need them though," Harry added in a barely audible voice.
HP
The day of the first task of the Triwizard Tournament approached, and not only the six friends but also the older twins had asked Ron multiple times if he had been able to figure out what the first task was about and if they could possibly help him. However, the youngest Weasley boy merely bathed himself in his fame, which at least in his own opinion was surrounding him as a Triwizard champion, and informed them that it was unknown what the task would be about.
"Are you at least practising some?" Hermione asked in apparent concern, causing the redhead to shake his head.
"Why would I, if I don't know what it's about?" he merely queried and stepped away.
Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance and decided to go and ask Rowena for any hint as to what to do to help Ronald.
"Unfortunately, Ginny's brother has chosen the wrong priorities," Rowena spoke up, shaking her head in apparent annoyance. "I really don't think he deserves any help, however, since you probably don't want him to die, I'll give you one piece of advise."
"Yes please," David and Ginny replied, simultaneously.
"Who's the best at a shrinking, enlarging and hovering charm?" Rowena queried, giving the four a sharp look.
"Harry," Hermione replied, while Harry blurted out, "Hermione."
Rowena smiled, before she turned to Harry and instructed him what to do if he noticed that Ronald needed it.
The four friends profusely thanked the founder and, after a few more minutes of chit-chat with the other founders, left the founders' lair to head to the Great Hall for dinner.
'I can't wait for the first task. This is going to be fun,' Hermione thought to Harry, who full heartedly agreed.
'I'm just only happy that I don't have to participate,' he replied, sighing contentedly.
HP
Later on, when the friends spent the evening at home, Cillian told them, "Tomorrow, I'm going to bring a group of students to watch the first task."
"Muggles?" Hermione asked, wide-eyed.
Cillian chuckled, as he pointed out that he was a Muggle himself, even if he had two magical sons.
"Dad, can't you bring the Grangers, too?" Harry asked, giving his father a pleading look.
"I can do that," Cillian offered. "They could just come through the fireplace though, as they're already able to see Hogwarts. The students will be brought here by a Portkey, and Molly Weasley will accompany us to cast a spell at the students that will enable them to see Hogwarts. I've heard that the champions have to fight dragons in their first task, which will surely be interesting for my students."
"Dragons?" Ginny asked, seemingly horrified, as she turned to her mother. "I just hope Ron will be okay."
"He will be, Ginny," David said, soothingly. "Remember what Rowena told Harry."
HP
The day of the first task was a bright day, and the whole school gathered outside on the grounds, where spectator seats had been prepared for everyone.
Knowing that they might have to help Ron, Harry and his friends sat in the second row, right behind the headmistress and several official looking wizards, while they kept the rest of the row open for Cillian and his students.
Several of the Muggle students greeted them with enthusiasm, recalling that it had been them who had performed the display of magic at their university already multiple times.
However, as soon as the first dragon appeared, closely followed by the first champion, everyone immediately became quiet.
Harry impatiently waited for Ron to appear, however, his classmate seemed to be the last of the four champions to take the first task. 'I just hope this goes well,' Harry thought. 'Even if I don't overly like him, he's one of the Weasleys.'
tbc...