Answer to review from AlmAno : After seeing your review, I reread my work and you were right, I shouldn't have explained things like that. Thank you for the advice, it's nice to see constructive criticism.
Everyone was silent as Jessica slowly took a step back, which rescinded a little of the mysterious aura of cold and fear.
"Albus, do you have any idea what might have happened to Miss Potter?" Minerva asked.
" Alas Minerva, I have many theories and they are all far-fetched. " Albus answered
" Leave it to Potter to be an attention-seeking brat, just like her father. " Snape sneered
" You do realize I can hear and understand everything you say ?! " Jess said, making everyone jump
" Jess, you can talk ?! " Hermione asked
" Of course, why wouldn't I ? " Jess responded
"Miss Potter, please, could you tell us if anything unusual happened to you before your transformation?" Minerva asked.
" I was in a compartment on the train, with Dean, Hermione and Professor Lupin, when it suddenly stopped and those things came onboard. One of the dementors came in our compartment, and the air was freezing and I felt as if I would never feel joy again. Then it turned its head towards me and I felt as if something from my very being was ripped off. Then I felt something very warm coming from me and the next thing I knew, that monster was absorbed inside me. Then I felt myself heating up from the inside the more we came near the castle and you know the rest. " Jess explained
Dumbledore turned towards Lupin, Hermione, and Dean, who nodded, confirming her story.
" This is very concerning, mrs Potter. I will contact the greatest experts in magic and creatures to solve this mystery. " Albus stated
Jess nodded at him before noticing her left head never stopped glaring and snarling towards Snape but she shrugged it off. The professors led the students away while she laid down on the ground.
( Dumbledore's office )
The professors were assembled inside the Headmaster's office and were discussing the matter of Jessica's transformation.
"Albus, surely you're not thinking of bringing that man, here?" Minerva asked.
" He may be our only hope to ever understand this mess. " Albus responded
" You are talking about Him. " Flitwick stated
" Indeed Filius, Stephen Harkness's knowledge would be a precious help. " Albus added
" What ?! That filthy bounty hunter ?! " the outraged Snape snarled
" A 'filthy bounty hunter' who also happens to be one of the greatest experts in magic of all times. If we pay him enough, he'll come through and explain to us what happened to Mrs Potter. " Minerva responded
( with Hermione and Dean, Gryffindor tower)
The two friends were still shocked by Jessica's transformation. Hermione had, of course, her nose buried in a book trying to solve this mystery, but so far, she hadn't found anything.
" Still nothing, I don't understand. " Hermione moaned
" Hermione, stop. You'll only tire yourself out for nothing. Dumbledore will find an aswer for Jessie's state. " Dean said
" Yeah, 'Dumbledore will find an answer' but given his track record about solving what's wrong in this school, I wouldn't even trust him with looking after Ronald's pet rat. " Hermione responded
" Hey, leave Scabbers out of this. " Ron called from the other side of the room
( one day later, Leakey Cauldron )
A man in a black and orange armored suit was drinking a beer while wiping the blood off a sword. His white hair, small white goatee, and a patch over his right eye were visible. Scars ran from his forehead to his mouth. Suddenly, he stopped, quickly turned around, and pointed a gun behind him.
" I see that your reflexes are as swift as ever, Stephen. " Albus calmly said, sitting at his table
" Dumbledore. What do you want from me ? " Harkness sharply asked
" What makes you think I want something from you ? " Dumbledore asked
" You would never come to me, not because of my prices but because of my methods : When I brought you several death eaters heads, you would not stop lecturing me about not showing them mercy. So I ask again, what do you want from me ? " Harkness responded
"It actually concerns your expertise in magic." Albus stated.
He then explained what had happened to Jessica, and Stephen listened intently.
" And so I am willing to pay your price for your help. " Albus finished to say
" I don't think you have any idea about how bad this could end if anything goes wrong. I want twice the price, and a bonus to stop me from killing your pet death eater. " Harkness negotiated
" Then it's a deal. " Dumbledore said, shaking hands with him
" You'd better listen to me this time, Dumbledore. I'd prefer we avoid another incident like the one in the 1940s. " Harkness stated
( Hogwarts )
Albus and Harkness apparated in front of the lake; Jessica was still asleep. Her right head awoke and began to bark at the other two heads to wake them up. She then got up and saw Dumbledore and a man she didn't know.
But as she looked at him, she felt he was someone who had nothing left to lose after a long life of fighting... Wait, how did she know that?
" Jessica, I would like to introduce you to Stephen Harkness, a bounty hunter and a greater expert in magic than myself. He will be helpful in helping us try to solve the mystery of your transformation. Stephen, Miss Jessica Potter." Albus introduced the two.
" Hello sir. " Jess said
" Good morning, miss Potter. I must say that even after everything I have seen in my life, never have I seen anything like you. So would you lay down so I can examine you ? " Stephen stated
Jessica lay down as Stephen approached her, her heads being lowered and her eyes observing him carefully. When he was close enough, he asked her to open her mouths so he could take a small amount of saliva. He then moved towards her paws. His examination took most of the morning, as he didn't make any sounds beyond the occasional 'hmm' or 'grunt.' Once he finished examining her, he returned to Dumbledore and waved his hands to indicate the results.
" From I have been able to gather, Miss Potter is now a chimera-like creature like the world has never seen before : Her Dna and magical core are now composed with parts of Giant Squid, Troll, Dragon, unicorn, Cerberus, Devil's snare, Philosopher's stone, Mirror of Erised, Thestral, Fey magic, Invisibility cloak, Whomping Willow, Acromentula, Basilisk, Phoenix, Ley lines and Dementor. " Harkness revealed his discovery
" I know how I got all these symptoms, but the why is what I'm most interested in and how do I get back to normal?" Jess asked.
"I'm afraid it's not as simple as that, Miss Potter," Harkness said. "Your magical core has absorbed too much foreign magic for your previous body to contain it; it had to create another body to handle all those changes. For all intents and purposes, this form is your real form from now on."
To Jessica, it felt like he had shot her in the heart. How could he expect her to continue living on after he essentially told her she would never be human again?
" Miss Potter, I must add that I will take as much time as necessary to supervise your training to control these new abilities. If you do not control them, you will be a danger to yourself and everyone else. For example, right now, you are emanating the aura of a dementor." Harkness added
In Jessica's mind, it was fair; she didn't want to hurt her friends. So she sat down and listened to his instructions.
"All right, Miss Potter, the first thing is to get you used to moving in that form; you will start by taking a few steps, and then, we'll see about your additional limbs." Stephen stated
Jess took a few hesitant steps, almost tripping on the first few tries but soon got the hang of it and walked on all fours.
" Good one, Miss Potter. Now, try moving your wings, spider legs, and tentacles. " Harkness instructed.
The whole morning passed like this, with Harkness instructing Jess on how to move her new body. Her deployable spider legs could easily carry her entire body without making a sound, while her tentacle-like whiskers were flexible and dexterous, allowing her to manipulate various objects.
" Alright, Jessica. Now is the time to see what you can do. " Harkness stated
He then drew his wand and pointed it at her. a green curse shot out of it and collided against Jessica. But all she felt was a little sting.
" What was that for!? " Jessica exclaimed.
" You are made of Dragon and basilisk scales, two species known for their resistance to spells and curses. You now have twice the protection. Oh and that curse was the killing curse. " He explained
" Wouldn't that make you go to prison ? " Jess asked
" The ministry tried once. Now the dementors have a nightmare : Me. " Harkness stated
" Do I want to know ? " Jess asked
" No, you don't. " Harkness assured her.
" Okay, what's the next lesson ? " Jess asked, changing the subject
" I want you to look into my eyes and tell me what you see. " Harkness answered
Jess did as he said and when she looked, she saw his story : his first years at Hogwarts, him joing the army then the Second World War, the bombings, the Normandy landing, the Korean war, the Vietnam War, the first blood war then his numerous hunts for bounties. Jess then looked away. Her right head whimpered while the left head growled
" All this pain, this devastation. That's what I felt when I first set my eyes on you." She muttered
" Yes, it's not pretty." Harkness responded.
" Why does my other heads react like this ? " Jess asked
" The left head's affinity is darkness, so it senses my tainted soul. And the right head's affinity is light, so it senses my promises." Harkness softly replied, being the most emotionally open that Jess had ever seen.
" Your promises ? " Jess asked
" My father, my mentor, my brothers-in-arms and my son. I promised them, on their deathbeds, to live to fight another day and if I had to die, to not die for nothing. " Harkness explained
" I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. " Jess apologized, looking away
" No need to apologize, not to me. Not for this. " Harkness responded, before going back into 'business mode'. "Your eyes allowed you to see the depths of my mind and my soul."
As it turns out, each different set of eyes had its properties : Killing gaze, petrifying gaze, magic-identifying gaze, eyes to see with great precision, a infrared vision and a deepest desire-seeing vision.
Jess could also breath fire, fly, breath underwater, swim with much ease, turn herself invisible and cast powerful magic from her unicorn horns, her spider legs and the gems on her body.
Stephen and her noted that the left horn could only use dark magic, while the right horn could only use light magic; however, the middle horn could use both.
Her main legs could spread roots to attack or manipulate objects.
"You did well, Jessica. Now, you will attempt to change back into a human." Harkness stated.
" Finally! " Jess exclaimed in joy.
She began to focus on changing back, but it didn't go as she had wanted.
" No, you're a dragoness now. Try again. " Harkness corrected her
Jessica tried again but this time, she changed into a basilisk.
" Still not the right form. " Harkness commented, facepalming
Jess tried multiple times but changed into a cerberus, a unicorn, a thestral, a phoenix, an acromentula, a giant squid, a dragon-girl, a lamia, a dog-girl, a unicorn centaur, a harpy, an arachne, a cecaelia before finally becoming human again. Well for the most part
Jess was now a very tall and muscular girl, towering over Harkness at seven feet, with tanned skin, her red hair in a ponytail, and wearing a tank top and shorts, which hid her well-endowed curves. Tattoos of Cerberus heads adorned her wrists while her midrift had the triangle symbol on it.
" Okay, I think I can live with that. " Jess commented, flexing her muscles and feeling her breasts and buttocks.
" Jessica, you must never forget that your true form is your chimera form; therefore, you must always return to it every day. " Harkness warned her.
" Okay, I'll remember that. " Jess replied
The two returned to the great hall, and every head turned toward her.
"Jess!!" Hermione exclaimed, as she rushed towards her friend and hugged her.
Jess returned the hug before noticing two things: one, she was easily holding Hermione off the ground; two, Hermione had her head resting on her chest, causing her to blush. It felt really good.
" Potter, Granger ! Twenty points from Gryffindor ! " Snape yelled from the other side of the hall
Jess and Harkness glared at him, and she put Hermione back on the ground.
" Wait here, Hermione," Jess said before she and Stephen went to the staff table.
On her way, Jess took the time to give quick hugs to Dean and Ginny before she stopped in front of the staff table.
" Well, well, coward. It's been a while since Dumbledore made the mistake of saving your sorry ass from Azkaban." Stephen Harkness sneered.
"Don't you dare call me a coward, Harkness," Snape growled.
" Why not ? If you weren't, you would have owned up your shit and gone to Azkaban, like all your colleagues. " Stephen responded
" So he was a follower of Voldemort, and you let him teach here, Headmaster? " Jess asked.
" Severus made mistakes in his youth but he has my trust. " Dumbledore answered
" Mistakes, huh? Let's see those 'mistakes.' " Jess said before looking Snape in the eye, and using her soul-searching gaze.
In Snape's mind, she felt something was trying to stop her but she easily sent it away before seeing his memories.
She saw his abusive father and his spineless mother, his friendship with her mom, his rivalry-turned-mutual-bullying with her father, Sirius Black, and Professor Lupin.
Jess was not as disappointed with her father as she thought : McGonagall had told her that, in spite of his skills, he had been a troublesome teenager.
She also saw Snape call her mother a 'Mudblood,' which marked the definite end of their friendship. She saw him join Voldemort's followers, kill and torture innocent people, and spy on Dumbledore and someone else's conversation, before being caught and expelled.
" The one with the power to defeat the dark lord approaches... Born when the seventh month dies, born to those who thrice defied him. "
Jess saw him report this to Voldemort, then beg for him to spare Lily Potter, without caring about her husband or daughter, when he found out who was concerned in the prophecy.
Jess burned with anger at him, but she also saw his deepest desire : it was Snape, with Lily as a sex slave and her and James being tortured.
She pulled back and she was burning with hatred. She directed her dementor aura at Snape and he now gazed at her in horror.
" RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH ! " She yelled before lifting him with magic and slamming him against the wall
" Miss Potter, stop this at once ! " McGonagall yelled
"No! He has to pay for what he did to my family and all those innocent people! He spied on someone giving a so-called prophecy to Dumbledore and reported this to Voldemort. That's why he attacked my family. It's because of him that my parents are dead!" Jess exclaimed.
Everyone gasped in shock and disbelief before Jen turned towards Dumbledore.
" You knew. " She said
It was not a question but a statement, and Dumbledore knew it.
" Yes. " He sighed. "Jessica, you have every right to be angry, but please, don't do anything you'll regret. Severus is remorseful for what he did and works every day to atone for it." He started to say.
" Actions speak louder than words, Headmaster, and his actions over the years are proof that he isn't atoning at all. How many days has he bullied students for petty reasons? Every single day! And I saw his deepest desire: To make my mother a sex slave and me endure the worst tortures." She responded, as she lit her hands on fire
Everyone, including the slytherins, were disgusted beyond belief by Snape. Jess was ready to burn him to a crisp when Hermione put herself between her and Snape.
" Jess, stop, please. " She pleaded
" Step aside, Hermione. You're in the danger zone. " Jess said
" No, Jess. That's not what your parents would want. " Hermione responded
" What do you know about my parents? Because of that monster, I will never know what they wanted for me." Jess countered
" And as a matter of fact, that's what they would have wanted," said Harkness. "Lily and James were all for using lethal spells against the Death Eaters."
" Jess, I hate him too, but please let him be put on trial. Let the world see him for what he really is. You are better than this. Please," Hermione continued to plead.
Jess continued to glare with hatred toward Snape before turning away and looking at Dumbledore.
"If he is not put on trial within three days, I will kill him," she warned Dumbledore before leaving.
She then stopped and looked back at Dumbledore.
" Remember that I became like this because of your games, Headmaster. If you hadn't brought the stone here, and if you had closed Hogwarts when the chamber was opened, none of this would have happened. " She stated before going outside.
Hermione and Dean nodded at each other and rushed after her.
Next time : While McGonagall do some thinking, Dean and Hermione are there for their best friend.
