-8-

Animagus.

-8-

Yuan was looking around the senior Transfiguration professor's classroom, thoughtfully thinking about her plans. She found it hard to believe that, to the Chinese of this world, she was 15 years old, when in fact she was almost 30 years old, and in a year she was going to be taking the Chinese magical world's version of OWLs, which were more gruelling than what was going to be hosted in Hogwarts at around Dumbledore's time.

She sighed, took out her wand, and silently conjured up the time. She sighed again in irritation, wondering just how much longer the professor was going to be.

Normally she refused to let anything interfere with her independence. She hated asking for help, as it always caused problems further down the line for her. However, while she still retained her long dislike towards asking people for anything even remotely resembling help or advice, this was one of those times she was willing to bend that rule, but she hoped this was not going to take too much time. She was going on a date, and she wanted to get ready.

To her relief, the fireplace glowed green, and the professor shot out of the Floo portal. After spluttering at the soot covering his body, the professor waved his hand, banished the soot, and quickly cleared his throat and nose of any remaining particles of dust.

"Ah, Yuan, my dear," the professor began.

Yuan bowed respectfully. "Professor."

"I spoke to the Headmaster, about asking for my time and aid that you can become an animagus."

"That's right, and as an animagus yourself, you would be perfect to help me," Yuan remembered how a few years ago, the professor had demonstrated his proficiency in the animagus transformation, and he wasn't the only one as nearly every member of the Transfiguration department and a few others had the skill. The professor in front of her could transform into a cat, an owl, and a Chinese fireball; there weren't that many wizards and witches in her real time and place who could do that, and such knowledge and skill would greatly help her become a greater magician.

As Harry Potter, she would have sought out the means of becoming an animagus by herself without any problems, although she was prepared to ask for help if it was important. Becoming an animagus had been something Harry had longed to become, but at the time he had been realistic enough to give it some time, and wait until he'd learnt enough about self-transfiguration before working on it independently.

If there was one thing Yuan had hated about the animagus transformation of her old world it was that while it was easy to do, it was limited, but ever since she had grown in this version of Ancient China, she had learnt the process was different, and there were even ways of forcing the person's magic to choose more than one animal, and then transfiguring themselves all the way. She just didn't know how, and she realised that there were too many dangers in trying it herself. Hence why she needed help, something she hated, but she was prepared to use the Room of Requirement back in Hogwarts and the portal she had come in from, to summon avatars to help her male self, although she was sure once she had done it once, then she wouldn't need help.

"Mm," the professor murmured in thought, "you are one of the most powerful students in my class, and you pick things up quickly. And that was one of the reasons why the Headmaster was convinced into granting permission."

Yuan bit her lip curiously. "May I ask why you needed to let the Headmaster know, sir?"

"Standard procedure. Many witches and wizards have played games trying to become an animagus. It rarely ended well," the professor said.

"Ah," was all Yuan said.

"Ah, indeed. But with my help and supervision, you will become an animagus. I have helped many students become one, and I will be assisted by other members of the department. What do you know about the process used in becoming an animagus?"

Here Yuan was certain. "I know that a potion-induced meditative trance is used, similar to how we use meditation to attain the right awareness and freedom of mind to become masters of wandless magic."

The professor nodded. "That's correct. Some wizards and witches don't bother with the trance, but they only make the process of the transformation harder; sometimes they become an animagus hybrid, pushing their magic to become their desired creature, only to discover they are many creatures, and become deformed. As a result, animagus transformation has been restricted as the transformations can have detrimental effects on the mind. That's why knowledge of it is restricted."

Yuan already knew that, as she had looked for the knowledge of the transformation process, only for it to be bogged down. Even her family didn't help.

"I understand."

-8-

Yuan dutifully poured the tea into the cups at her family's dining table, using her control to perform the movements. It had taken a while for her to make use of wandless magic, requiring many hours of practice with charmed teapots pouring water to make sure she didn't cause a disaster before she got it right.

"Thank you, daughter," her father, or rather the man who was her father in this world, smiled at her.

"Thank you, father," Yuan smiled back and took her seat, next to her twin brother. Lee smiled back at her before they began eating their dinner. It had taken Yuan a while to master chopsticks, but she had managed it in the end, and now she could do it with her eyes closed. More or less.

"We received a certificate from the Ministry before the holidays began, my dear daughter, and my son; you have both performed amazingly well at the school. Lee, you have done well in potions, transfiguration, and magi-zoology. And both of you have become animagi."

Lee and Yuan shared a smile, both of them had talked at length about that ambition.

"May we see your forms, dears?" Their mother asked.

"You go first, Lee," Yuan smiled at her brother. It was an amazing experience for her, to have a brother at all after being lonely for so long.

Lee stood up with a smirk, and he walked into a corner. In the blink of an eye, Lee pushed his magic into the transformation and he transformed into a black panther.

Their parents clapped madly while the panther prowled playfully around the dining room. Finally, Lee transformed back.

"Very well done," their father crowed in delight.

"Thank you, father," Lee smiled.

When it was Yuan's turn, she stood up as well and went to the same corner. She closed her eyes, pictured her form and let the magic flow, and she became a beautiful tigress. While she basked in her family's pride, she smirked inwardly, thinking of how she had hidden her five other forms. There was no chance she was going to make her brother jealous, not after all of the work she had put into making their relationship work.