September 1st 1994
Harry and Ron were chatting with Ginny when they saw Hermione come through the barrier onto 9 and ¾. She must have been running very late as the Weasley's had been early and still among the last to board the train.
She was walking slightly funny and it seemed like her thighs and butt had gotten thicker but not her upper body. Except for her breasts Harry noticed which seemed larger. Her hair was a thick flowing mane that came to her waist.
"Hey Herms too bad you got sick this summer. You missed a heeluva World Cup." Ron exclaimed as she came up.
"Yeah I know I was so worried about all of you."
"So what happened you look like you got hit by an engorgio."
"Uh something like that. C'mon lets get on the train."
=====xxxxx=====
Once they were in a compartment Hermione sighed, "Look I'm sorry I didn't come visit this summer. I made a mistake with a potion I was working on."
"You made a mistake. No way. You're like the only person Snape doesn't ever yell at even."
"Well he yelled at me plenty this summer."
"So what did you do? Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I can't show you until we get to the school because I'm too big to fit in the compartment but I can change shape. With some help."
"Like what?"
She lifted her shirt to show a rather ornate belt she was wearing against her skin.
"This belt returns me to my human form, or mostly. My legs and backside are a bit thicker due to having to compress my equine body into a human legs. My breasts are also reduced to these as Centauress have much larger than human ones."
"Larger than those!" Ron said oogling her nice cantaloupe sized bosom.
"Equine body?" Harry exclaimed.
"Yes they get larger, about the size of large melons. And yes Harry equine body. I was using horse hair to develop a potion of speed and endurance and used a microwave to process some of the materials. Apparently the wizarding world hadn't considered that yet so there was no warning in any books."
"Wow are you okay does it hurt?" Harry asked in concern.
"Well it feels uncomfortable wearing the belt too long but there isn't much I can do. Mom and dad live in the city. Fortunately dad fenced in the backyard so I can at least go outside."
"You mean they let you stay among muggles like that. Wicked. I'm surprised they haven't declared you a creature and made you live in the forest." Ron said in shock.
"Gee thanks Ron. I am not a creature. I'm still me. I'm still a witch I just have four legs sometimes."
"Wow so do you eat food or hay?"
"Ron what does it matter."
"I never got to talk to a centaur before."
"And if you keep it up you won't be."
"So what are you going to do at school?" Harry asked to try and distract from their fight.
Sighing she smiled, "Well stairs won't work with four legs so I'll have to spend a lot of time in human form but when I'm outside I'll get to change."
"So your boobs will grow and come out?"
"No I have a bra of holding as dad calls it. We got it in Diagon Alley."
"Hunh what're you talking about."
Ginny giggled, "They are normal bra with the cups charmed with a permanent expansion charm on them. As far as you'll know they'll never be bigger than what she is now."
"Really?" Ron sounded disappointed.
"Yeah really Ron." Hermione said with a huff.
"So uh your not going to keep this a secret?"
"I'm stuck like this permanently. It'll come out eventually. Besides I went through a full Wizengamut trial to determine if I was a witch still or a creature. They voted I was a witch."
"Wow."
"Yeah. So uh I guess if its too weird for you guys you can leave."
Harry chuckled, "Nah I think its kinda neat I guess."
Ron frowned, "Yeah but what about kids someday or you know things right now?"
Hermione huffed at him, "I don't know about kids. They weren't sure and I wasn't going to let them experiment with me. As for sex which is what I am sure you were carefully hinting at Ron. I have all of the normal female components when I'm like this. When I'm a centauress I have those parts."
"Blimey fine. I was just curious. No need to bite my head off."
"Well yeah there is. You never listen to me, you try to bully me into doing your home work and now you act like I'm some kind of freak."
"Well you are kinda."
Harry narrowed his eyes at Ron, "Never use the word freak to describe someone around me again Ron. Not if you value breathing."
Ginny sighed knowing this was not going to end well she grabbed her brother's arm. "Ron Harry and Hermione need to be alone to talk about some stuff. Let's go."
"What? What do they need to be alone to talk about."
"Just c'mon and I'll explain." She said dragging her brother out of the compartment as he began to squawk.
Harry and Hermione sat awkwardly for several minutes before Harry said, "Well uh. I'm glad you're back and can stay with your parents."
"Thanks I was so scared when they tried to declare me a creature. Dumbledore gave me this belt. He also said that you'd probably understand what I'm going through."
"Well I have been through a bit of attention."
"I know. So uh I guess my friendship with Ron is over."
"Yeah I don;t know if mine is either."
They fell silent for a few more minutes.
"So how do you look when you're changed?"
"Dad says I look really pretty. My equine half is a dark chestnut and I have a mane that goes down my back. Aside from my breasts though my torso is a bit thicker is all the changes to my human half."
"Cool. So you're too big to change in here?"
"Yeah it would be a bit awkward. I'm technically a pony as my equine half is 14 hands high but with the three feet of head and torso that makes me like eight feet tall."
Harry chuckled, "Yeah I could see the problem. Slow dancing like that could be a problem."
"Well four legs takes a bit to get used to as well."
=====xxxxx=====
The two of them spent the journey just sitting quietly talking. Without Ron there they discovered they really did have a lot in common and by the time they got to Hogsmeade they were boyfriend girlfriend.
Ron was grumpy but got over it. As Hermione had needed to get her belt off she went outside. Harry was given permission to be with her by a twinkling eyed Dumbledore.
"Here Harry keep track of my shoes and stuff okay." She said stripping her shoes and socks off. He blushed when she tossed some pink knickers at him but folded them into her shoe.
He stood there as she reached under her shirt and he heard a slight click. The next thing he noticed was her form seemed to shift and grow. Within seconds she was in her Centauress form. Her uniform skirt making a fringe around the border between the two halves.
Shyly she bit her lip looking down at him, "So still want to be my boyfriend?"
"Yeah I do. You look neat."
She smiled and pranced around in the courtyard for a few minutes. Harry came over and ran his hand down her flank after she nodded for him to do so.
"How does it feel?"
She shrugged, "Different. But not bad. I can't wait until I get a chance to practice running. That's going to be cool."
"Yeah I bet."
She held her hand down to him, "Do you wanna ride me?"
Harry laughed, "Uh yeah but I don't think it'd work like this."
Realizing what she said she blushed and swatted him. "Maybe when we're older for that one okay."
"Yeah okay." He said as he climbed with her help up on her back.
His arms around her waist they cantered around the courtyard for a bit before Professor McGonnegal came out and said it was time for bed. Hermione was given a stable in the hidden courtyard to spend the night if she wanted.
"Uh I guess. I can stay here."
"Well this is a hidden courtyard. No windows look out on it and we can secure the door so that only professors and yourself can open it."
"Could you rig it for Harry too?"
Minerva raised her eyebrow but nodded, "Yes I believe that would be acceptable, as long as you do not abuse this."
Harry shook his head, "I won't"
"Neither will I ma'am."
"Very well."
=====xxxxx=====
Hermione spent the nights in her courtyard as a centauress. Harry coming to visit her nightly. She showed him how she looked out of uniform one night causing him great joy.
The year progressed badly. The tri-wizard tournament came and Harry was entered against his will. Hermione, Neville and Ginny were the only Gryffindors to stand with him from the beginning and one slightly odd Ravenclaw named Luna.
He began to spend more time with Hermione in her courtyard studying and preparing. Their friendship with Ron gone. Minerva had adjusted the door so that Hermione could choose who to allow to enter.
Hermione did not reveal her changes until after Ron began to yell at Harry and called him a freak lover for loving her. She got caught in the middle of the fight between them and her belt was temporarily broken. When her form was revealed everyone was even more divided with the Slytherins making fun of her the Ravenclaws curious how it happened and the other two houses divided.
Sitting in her courtyard while Dumbledore said he would work on her belt Harry was trying to apologize once more.
"Harry its done. The secret is out and if Ron hadn't been a jerk it would have come out some other way."
"Yeah I guess. Well it's good you don't have to hide yourself."
"I know. Although Professor McGonnegal said I do still have to wear my uniform at least from the waist up."
=====xxxxx=====
The first task came and everyone freaked out about Harry almost dying in the face of the dragon. He had not been stupid enough to try to out fly a dragon. He used a speed charm and a mirror image spell to distract and confuse the dragon until he could sneak over and grab the egg. He was only mildly singed.
Hermione had begun to make friends among the Centaur herd in the forest. She discovered that she did not have the same scent that a true Centauress did so the males considered her a witch. They would not touch her which was one question answered for the Ministry.
The Yule Ball saw the return of Hermione's belt in time for her to dance with Harry. Neville and Ginny danced as well with Ron showing up with his date Lavender. The fact they got caught inflagrante delico in a carriage only made the evening more entertaining. The problem that 9 months later her and Ron welcomed a happy little accident into their suddenly wand point married life was not as funny.
The egg was finally figured out by Cedric who told Harry. Hermione was at the bottom of the lake and made it out. Her belt still working even after the dunking.
Neville had become Harry's new friend replacing Ron. Hermione was also happy with the change as Ginny was now Neville's girl.
The third task came and Harry won. Unfortunately he wound up in a graveyard without Cedric. He fought Voldemort and managed to barely escape with his life.
The summer after that Harry was allowed to visit and stay with Hermione. They spent a lot of time hiking in the wilderness areas. Her on four legs and he on two unless he was on her back.
Dudley and the Dursleys died when the Dementors came to Little Whinging as he was riding his girlfriend, only in her two legged form, that day.
By the time they got back to school they had firmly cemented that they would not be separated.
Umbridge took over and made Hermione stay in her human form constantly. Fortunately Dobby showed her and Harry a room where she could change and run when the compressed feeling got to her too much.
That room came in handy when they formed a resistance to the Ministry hag. Fortunately when she caught them Hermione's friendship with the Centaurs came in very handy and Umbridge was dragged off and trampled to death.
Harry listened to Hermione and did not rush off to the Ministry. Voldemort and his Death Eaters were caught in a trap by the Order of the Phoenix as Harry had warned them to deal with it. Having had Dobby go and check on Sirius.
Voldemort was publicly revealed and the Ministry started fighting. Dumbledore managed to resist the allure of the ring and destroy the horcrux. He taught Harry about the history of Riddle and had him get the memory from Slughorn. It took some time but he did.
Draco had managed to get a vanishing cabinet fixed allowing Death Eaters to infiltrate the castle. Hermione was almost caught but her speed managed to permit her to escape. Harry was not so lucky as a killing curse hit him from Bellatrix.
The battle went quickly as the Professors and senior students rallied. Draco fell in battle when he saw Harry get up after the Killing Curse distracted him and Hermione trampled him.
Bellatrix escaped to fight again. Although Dumbledore himself took down Fenrir.
Hermione was celebrated for her actions. With most of the students who had still held out for calling her a beast shifting their opinion. Slytherins were cleaned up and any of the ones loyal to Voldemort expelled.
Over the summer the Ministry fell and Hogwarts became a castle under siege as Dumbledore opened the doors for any who wanted to resist. The Horcrux hunt was undertaken by members of the Order of the Phoenix who managed to find them with minimal loss of life. Hufflepuff's cup in Bellatrix's vault was the most difficult as they did not learn of it until she was captured in a daring raid on Malfoy Manor which left it a flaming ruin.
Voldemort and his forces finally attacked the castle en masse. Hermione and the other centaurs fought on the flanks. Harry and his friends as well as the Professors, aurors and other refugees stood firm. Until Voldemort finally managed to enter the castle where Neville killed the snake and Harry after fighting him managed to defeat the Dark Lord forever.
Hermione and Harry were reunited after the battle as was Neville and Ginny. They did lose quite a few though as the battle had run wild. Fred and George had both died in combat as did Professor Slughorn among others.
After the war Hermione became the next potions professor to Snape's chagrin. Although she did use her life as an example to muggle-borns to be careful when using muggle methods to prepare potions. She did research and work with Snape about what would be safe to use in a muggle kitchen.
Her and Harry had moved to Hogsmeade so she would not have to wear her belt again unless she visited her parents. The potions labs had been moved out of the dungeons to make it easier on her.
Her and Harry had a wonderful personal life as he became an auror to protect the Wizarding world. Their sex life was quite satisfying and enjoyable although one drunken night after Ginny's Hen party Hermione did sneak into a neighbor's field and horse around. She fortunately discovered that while she had the anatomy to do so she did not have the reproductive capability to do so, only having children with Harry. Oddly enough while she was pregnant she did not need her belt to remain human.
They had an odd if nice and long life. One of their four children being a natural horse animagus to the surprise of everyone.
