A/N: Been a while. But I'm still here. I hope you enjoyed the last chapter. Life has been pretty difficult lately. But I've found some time to construct a couple paragraphs here and there. I hope everyone is staying safe and most importantly staying at home! I also hope this chapter lightens up some moods.

Oh yes, before I go. I've seen some reviews and received a couple of messages asking whether I'll be continuing this story. And to that, I answer yes! I will never give up on this story until it is complete. No matter how long it takes for chapters to go up, I will finish this story eventually, that I can promise. However, if you're ever in doubt, just visit my profile and there you will see exactly what chapter I'm working on and what other stories I'm also doing on the side. Now on to the chapter…


Chapter 46: Adaptation

October 31st, 1998.

The fire sent pleasant waves of heat towards her back as she lay on her side, staring at his face. She wished they had larger covers, but the sofa blanket had to do. She doubted she'd be able to trek to one of the bedrooms, mostly because her entire body was aching from the transformation. The 'shenanigans' which took place afterwards didn't help either. However, the bigger problem was Harry's arm tightly wrapped around her waist. He was peacefully asleep. Even better considering his reoccurring nightmare. Hermione couldn't help but wonder what it could mean. Harry is the only wizard she's ever known or heard of to have the same dreams repeat.

Could it be something more? She asked herself. No way! Voldermort is dead. All Horcruxes have been destroyed. Nothing tied him to this world, therefore nothing tied him to Harry. And yet. There was that knot in her chest that she couldn't free herself from. Like it could all mean something.

Suddenly, Harry's grips tightened as he buried his face in her neck. She smiled and brought her free hand to the back of his head, gently playing with his hair.

"I love you." He said in a muffled voice.

"What's that?" She asked, just because she wanted him to say it again.

He pulled away far enough to look at her. "I… love… you."

"Mhmm, you should." She teased. "Or else I'd rip you apart with my lion claws."

"Careful there, queen of the jungle. You are speaking to the king." He teased her back.

"And of the forest, it seems." Hermione reminded him.

"How on earth is that possible?" Harry marvelled. Truth be told, she didn't really know either, but from what Beamey said, it wasn't impossible and could only happen to extraordinary wizards. That was enough to satisfy her curiosity.

"You're special, Harry. You always have been. Is it really so hard to believe that becoming Animagi would be special too?"

Harry closed his eyes, "I guess… I just wonder what it could mean."

Hermione laughed, "We could always try speaking to McGonagall, she might know something about it. We should also show her our forms."

"Oh yeah and what about our clothes? Do you we need to take them off every time? Sirius never needed to do that."

"Oh no, I believe it should be completely fine from now on. Being naked was only necessary for the first transformation. From what I read, the book stated that our forms will consider our clothes as part of us next time we form."

Harry nodded, "Well that's a relief because when it comes to stripping myself naked in front of another person, I'd much rather that person be just you."

"Same here." She smiled and then leaned over to kiss him. "Okay, so once we see McGonagall, do you want to come back here and then go to Godric's Hollow?"

Harry completely forgot what day it was. Today was the anniversary. "Yeah. I guess that works." Suddenly he felt a tension in his chest. One of sadness. Today wouldn't be a pleasant day.


Eventually, they both had to get up and shower before getting dressed. As Harry entered the kitchen he spotted Beamey finishing up on making breakfast.

"Ahh, thank you so much, Beamey. I was just about to do that." Harry smiled.

"It is nothing. Beamey loves to cook." Said the elf.

"Yeah, I can tell," Harry answered as he bit into his toast. He couldn't help but wonder why house-elves were so poorly treated by some wizards. They're nothing but helpful and kind. And they have that innocent aura around them; like all they want to do is bring happiness. Harry remembered how quickly Kreacher became good the moment he was shown some respect and kindness himself.

"Hey Beamey, what were my parents like?" Harry asked.

Beamey smiled up at him, "They were the nicest masters Beamey ever had. Just as nice as Harry and Hermione."

Harry smiled, "I wonder if they ever thought you'd be making me breakfast."

"Mistress Lilly always told Beamey to always be ready in case her son arrives one day. But back then… she was still hopeful."

"Hopeful of what?" Harry asked.

"That her son would grow up in this house." The elf explained, a pained expression on her face. "She was a very nice person. One of the nicest people Beamey ever met. Beamey cried for a very long time when she left with master James. They needed to hide from the dark lord, of course."

Harry nodded, "Yeah, I know the rest of that story."

Beamey walked across the kitchen and took hold of Harry's hand, "They would be very proud of Harry. Beamey knows that for sure."

Harry smiled at the elf, "Thank you, Beamey. I know my mum would be very proud of you too. I'm glad you're part of our family." And then he knelt down to hug her.

"That's got to be the most adorable thing I've seen all year." Came Hermione's voice as she approached both of them. "Can I join in for the group hug?" She asked.

"Beamey loves group hugs!" The elf exclaimed happily.


The afternoon was just coming around when they bid their goodbyes to Beamey and apparated back to the gates of Hogwarts. The clouds were murky over the castle and it looked like rain was coming.

As they approached the gates, a crackle from within the trees intensified in Harry's left ear. The lion inside his head roared with caution. His wand appeared in his hand almost instantly, as he spun around, facing the forest next to them. His left arm was extended, shielding Hermione who looked half worried, half shocked.

"What is it?" She asked.

Harry didn't answer, he kept gazing into the darkness between the trees, trying to make something out.

"Harry, you're scaring me," Hermione added, as she pressed her hold on his arm. Her other hand was hovering over her pocket where she kept her wand.

He allowed for his muscles to relax slightly, but the grip on his wand remained strong and his eyes stayed fixed on the forest. "I'm not sure."

"Mister Potter!" A stranger's voice came from the opposite direction.

They both spun around to see a cloaked wizard leaving the edges of the forest, wand in hand. But a pleasant smile on his face. Harry couldn't recognise him. He extended his arm, wand pointing at the wizard's legs.

The wizard's smile faded as he stopped walking, "Mister Potter? Is everything alright?"

"Harry, that's an Auror's cloak," Hermione whispered to him.

"Are you an Auror?" Harry asked, wand still tightly gripped.

"Of course! We're making our round through the castle grounds. It's our weekly patrol today." The wizard answered.

Harry's arm loosed up as he stopped aiming his wand. The lion's angry growl quietened down.

"Is everything okay?" The auror asked as he approached them slowly, "I didn't mean to scare you. Headmistress McGonagall told us you'd be coming, so I wanted to greet you at the gates."

Harry relaxed and put his wand away, he stopped shielding Hermione and grabbed her hand instead. "Sorry about that. I heard something coming from the forest." He felt slightly embarrassed. Was his hearing off? He thought to himself. He could swear he heard something on his left, but then the auror came from the right.

"Yeah, that would be me. I'm sorry if I spooked you guys. We do these patrols weekly. Just making sure no scavengers or death eaters have decided to hide around. We take the 'darkest under the lighthouse' saying very seriously." He chuckled as he extended his arm. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Potter, I'm Jackson Weller. But you can call me Jax."

He had long blonde hair. It reached all the way to his shoulders and he had deep blue eyes. Harry couldn't be sure but he looked no older than thirty. That was only because of the light blonde beard. He could easily be seen as an early twenties guy without it.

"The pleasure is mine." Harry shook his hand.

"Ahh, and you must be Miss Hermione Granger." Jax smiled as he shook her hand too.

"I must say, it's an honour to meet the two of you. I can't say how grateful and proud I am to have fought alongside you. I doubt either of you would remember me, I was one of the few survivors from the viaduct."

The viaduct was the first line of defence during the Battle of Hogwarts. It mostly consisted of a small group of Aurors who managed to flee the Ministry and suits of armour from Hogwarts.

"How in the world did you escape?" Hermione asked. "The viaduct got overrun in seconds the moment the barrier went down."

"Unsupported flight," Jax answered.

"That's very odd. I thought only Voldermort's selected death eaters used that magic."

Harry could feel the lion inside him growl again.

"I know a couple buddies of mine who would have a lot to say about that statement. You see that's a myth which spread around soon after Voldermort's return. He never invented unsupported flight. It has actually been around for a lot longer. It was originally used by the Order of the Pheonix during the first wizarding war."

"The order of the Pheonix? You know about the order?" Harry asked.

Jax smiled, "Of course I do! My old man was in it."

"John Weller isn't it?" Hermione asked, "I believe I read about him. He's the wizard who single-handedly defeated an entire group of Voldermort's death eaters in 1971."

"Yeah, that's him alright. Voldermort was forced into retreat after his little squad got completely wiped out. Unfortunately, that put my old man on top of his hit list. He was captured eventually and killed."

"I'm sorry." Harry informed, "Sounds like he was a great man."

"Thanks. He's the reason I became an Auror. Just trying to make him proud." Jax told them. "Anyhow, back to the subject at hand, unsupported flight came around during the first war. If I was to guess, I'd say that Voldermort spotted one of the order members using it and decided to steal the idea. All he changed about it was create an aura of dark smoke to look more menacing. Originally, unsupported flight has a silvery looking trail." Jax explained.

This made Harry recall a moment from his battle with death eaters at the Ministry in his fifth year. When the order arrived, some of them flew with silvery trails following them. He didn't pay much attention at the time. But it all made sense now. He also remembered that Hermione was badly injured. Always following him into the most dangerous places. Always by his side. The greatest companion he could ask for.

"How exactly does it work?" Hermione asked.

"It's essentially just like apparition, but short distance. And it requires double the focus. The price for looking cool has never been higher." He chuckled.

"I heard they're going to start teaching it soon." Said Hermione.

"That is correct. Funny enough, I'll be leading the classes." Jax informed. "Say, Mister Potter. You ever thought of joining the Aurors?"

"I have actually. I'll be giving the idea some serious thought after leaving Hogwarts. But my decision solely depends on how the Ministry is run once I leave school." He informed.

"You don't like the Ministry of magic?" Jax asked.

Harry didn't know how to answer. It was the truth. He didn't. Ever since he became part of the wizarding world, the Ministry was always run by manipulators and fools who preferred to look the other way when conflict arrived. And when the world needed it most, the ministry was quick to fall under the reign of Voldermort. Proved just how many corrupt and evil people were part of it. Harry would rather die than be part of that kind of government.

Jax chuckled, "Don't worry, Mister Potter. It wasn't a trick question. I hate it too. Despise the bloody place. I was one of the lucky few who escaped when it got overtaken. Most Aurors got locked up, some were executed on the spot."

"Sounds terrible," Hermione added.

"Oh, it was. But it's much better now. With Shacklebolt as our new Minister. I believe things will finally start heading where they should. It's about time the wizarding world got the leader they deserve. Come to think of it, I wouldn't be surprised if Kinglsey doesn't choose you for his replacement in several years. Harry Potter, minister of magic." Jax laughed.

Harry could feel Hermione's hand tighten around his.

"Anyhow. It was a pleasure speaking to you both. But unfortunately, I must return to my duties. I still have the east corner to patrol before regrouping with the others." He extended his arm once more, "I hope we meet again, Mister Potter."

"The pleasure was mine. And you can call me Harry." Harry shook his hand.

Jax nodded his goodbye to Hermione before disappearing in the trees.

"I can't believe we've never met him before. His family was in the order." Said Hermione.

"I've never heard of the Wellers," Harry confessed.

"His father wasn't on the list. He isn't on any of the pictures either. He was killed rather early. Just when the order started to rise." Hermione informed. "But I remember seeing his memorial in Godric's Hollow."

They walked towards the castle in silence for a while.

"Harry, what happened back there? You looked seriously alarmed."

Harry shook his head, "I'm not sure. I just heard something in corner of the forest and it was like alarm bells started going off inside my head. I felt uneasy."

Hermione bounced up in excitement, "That might've been your animagus. One of them was warning you about a danger. I've read about it. But I don't understand. We didn't see anything. And the Aurors are patrolling the forests."

"I don't know. But it felt strange. It was like my hands acted on their own." Said Harry.

"Well, it's not like you don't have battle reflexes. Your animagus powers must have amplified them even more." Hermione explained. "I heard that having an animagus form has the potential to improve reflexes or amplify a wizard's senses. I can't imagine what two separate forms can do."

"We should probably speak with McGonagall about it," Harry added.

"That's not a bad idea."

And yet as they headed up the hill towards the castle, now in complete safety, being behind castle gates, Hary still felt uneasy. Now he could feel the wolf in him. Slowly pacing around, worried. He was almost certain that he sensed a presence within those trees. And as he moved deeper into the castle grounds, he was more and more certain that it wasn't Jax Weller who alarmed his senses. There was something else in that forest.