"…Alright," Harry said with a nod after a long silence. "I'll help you—but on one condition. I have to be there to keep an eye on you, just in case something goes wrong."
"That's great!" Hermione exhaled in relief. She took a few quick steps, then turned back to him. "So it's settled then. Oh, and don't tell Ron or Neville… I mean, I don't think they'd be able to learn the Animagus transformation even if they knew, but—anyway! I'm going to play with Ragehorn!"
She dashed off toward Ragehorn without looking back, casually joining Ron and the others in conversation. They were pleading with Ragehorn to let them ride on her back for a flight through the sky.
It had to be said—Ragehorn's personality seemed to have grown much steadier since her ascension. Perhaps it was the influence of the ice element? After all, water and earth elements were widely regarded as the calmer ones among the elemental forces… at least compared to the volatile wind and fire elements.
In Ragehorn's case, it was as if she'd transitioned from the restless agitation of a young dragon nearing maturity to the serene composure of an elder wyrm. Back in the day, she would've never allowed Hermione and the others to step on her sleek, beautiful scales, let alone ride on her back—or, worse, take them flying.
But the Ragehorn of today didn't seem to mind such trivialities. She was already flapping her massive wings, carrying a few of the kids—er, and even clutching Hagrid in her claws as he let out a series of startled yelps while soaring into the sky.
Staring at the enormous draconic silhouette against the clouds, Harry's mind wandered. He thought about what Hermione had just said, and about how Ragehorn's flight no longer seemed to rely solely on the strength of her wings… He thought about a lot of things.
He had no intention of letting Ragehorn leave the suitcase world to roam freely in the outside world just yet—not only because her massive size would easily draw Muggle attention, but also because Harry was starting to understand Mr. Weasley a little better.
Just as Mr. Weasley had left certain loopholes in the law for his own convenience, Harry felt he needed to do the same. He'd have to carve out some legal wiggle room in the yet-to-be-passed Shamanic Rites Act or Elemental Law—at the very least, to ensure no one could accuse him of recklessly using magic to alter creatures just because he had the power to do so.
But before that, when the full moon rose later this month, it would be time for Hermione's transformation ritual.
"…The key is to stay calm, stay determined, and visualize… visualize…"
Hermione's voice faltered, her words becoming fragmented amid the booming thunder. She stood in a forest clearing, the sky above crackling with lightning.
"Don't be nervous," Harry said, suppressing a grin. "Think of it like going for a walk—just take it one step at a time."
"How am I not supposed to be nervous?!" Hermione snapped, then quickly corrected herself. "No, wait! I have to stay calm! Harry, stop talking!"
It was hard not to be nervous. Hermione's mind raced, recalling every detail Harry had reluctantly shared about his own Animagus transformation. Amid the thunderclaps, she could hear the second heartbeat pounding in her chest. Closing her eyes, she downed the potion in one swift gulp.
There were no surprises. At first, Hermione's expression twisted in pain. Her body seemed to melt, reshaping itself. Unlike Harry's transformation, which had made him larger, Hermione's form shrank rapidly. Blue-gray fur sprouted across her body, her clothes vanishing and reforming into a pelt patterned with the faint outlines of her original garments.
In the end, the creature standing on the grass was a Chartreux cat, also known as a British Blue. Its dense, soft fur gleamed a beautiful blue-gray under the light of Harry's wand.
The cat seemed dazed, as if it hadn't quite processed what had happened. It stood there, motionless, until Harry crouched down in front of it.
"—Meow!!!"
A panicked—perhaps even hysterical—yowl erupted from the cat. Maybe it was the disorienting shift to a smaller perspective, but Hermione's transformed self was clearly startled.
As if her paws were spring-loaded, the blue cat launched into the air, executing a perfect backflip before landing. But that wasn't the end of it. Within seconds, Harry watched as the cat's four legs seemed to rebel, each one twitching in a different direction as if possessed. Her back arched dramatically, her mouth gaped wide, and her head whipped left and right in a frenzy.
Harry: "…"
He bit back a laugh. Hermione was clearly struggling to control her new animal instincts. The key to the Animagus transformation was maintaining composure, especially during the first shift. Human minds weren't accustomed to animal bodies, and it was all too easy to be overwhelmed by the instincts of the new form.
And cats… well, cats were very instinct-driven creatures.
"Calm down, Hermione!" Harry called out, worried that if he didn't intervene, the blue cat might twist its own head off. "Don't move! Take a moment to settle your mind, then slowly try to control your body. Remember, you're still human! Don't give in to your instincts!"
After the initial panic, Hermione seemed to realize what she was doing and what she needed to do next.
Harry watched as the blue cat gradually regained control of its four legs, standing up bit by bit. Her fluid, water-like body stopped contorting into bizarre poses and settled into a normal stance. She took a tentative step, then another.
"When you want to change back, just picture your human form," Harry said as her movements grew more confident. "Oh, and do you want to see what you look like?"
As he spoke, Harry summoned a water elemental to create an opaque curtain of water, perfectly reflecting Hermione's current form. The cat's face twisted into an expression of shock—hard to believe a cat could manage such a look. She stood up on her hind legs, pressing her front paws to her cheeks in disbelief.
No further prompting was needed. The upright blue cat quickly transformed back into an upright Hermione, who shouted, "Why did I turn into a cat?!"
"What's wrong with that? Is there a problem with being a cat?" Harry asked, taken aback. "My Animagus form is unique, but you know normal wizards don't turn into magical creatures. You're aware of that."
"No, no, that's not what I mean! I didn't expect to turn into a magical creature or anything," Hermione said, pacing back and forth. "I just didn't think I'd—Merlin's beard! It's just like Professor McGonagall!"
"It's not exactly the same. McGonagall's a silver tabby American Shorthair, and you're a Chartreux," Harry pointed out calmly. "I think the blue cat's a bit cuter, though."
"Watch your words, Harry. How can you use 'breed' when talking about two ladies?" Hermione shot him an exasperated look, then turned away. "But… do you really think—I mean, is the blue cat cuter?"
"Yeah, it's got a round face, kind of adorably clumsy," Harry said with a brief nod.
This time, he was met with a murderous glare from Hermione.
When Harry and Hermione returned to the Great Totem, Sirius was sprawled on the sofa, engrossed in a Muggle handheld gaming device.
"Oh? You're back?" Sirius said without looking up as he heard Harry open the door. "I bet you pulled it off. I told you, Harry, you're making a big fuss over nothing. We learned that spell back in our lower years, and even that dimwit Peter managed it. Hermione's way too clever to mess it up."
"Why are you here?" Harry asked, his face blank. "Don't you have a job? How's things going with the goblins?"
The sight of Sirius lounging on the sofa, playing games like a lazy dog, made Harry's fists itch. He couldn't stand people who just idled away their time.
"Ahem, I was just a bit worried about you two, that's all. It's Hermione's first transformation, after all," Sirius said, catching the edge in Harry's tone. He sat up straight, his posture suddenly impeccable. "As for the goblins, Remus is handling it. Honestly, it feels like they don't even need me there. Those goblins are tough nuts to crack—they're so stubborn, they won't budge an inch."
"So, no progress then?" Hermione interjected, steering the conversation away to spare Sirius, considering Harry's irritation was partly her fault.
"Pretty much," Sirius said with a shrug. "Goblins live forever, so they're happy to drag out negotiations for ages unless you stick a wand to their heads. But obviously, neither the Ministry nor my lovely godson would let me do that. So—why not show off your Animagus form, Hermione? That's way more interesting than boring goblin talk."
With that, Sirius leapt off the sofa, transforming mid-air into a large black dog.
"Woof! Woof woof!"
Barking a few times, Sirius wagged his head, urging Hermione to join in.
Hermione took a deep breath, glanced at Harry, and transformed into the blue cat, hopping onto the back of the sofa.
"Aha! A cat!" Sirius transformed back in a flash, pointing at Hermione. "Just like McGonagall!"
"Not quite. Different breed, for one," Harry said, unsurprised by the slow progress with the goblins. He scooped up the blue cat and sat on the sofa, stroking her fur. "Also, Hermione's not going to register with the Ministry like McGonagall did."
"Aha, none of us are exactly model citizens," Sirius said with a sly grin, noticing how stiff and tense the blue cat was in Harry's arms. "Be careful, Harry."
Harry didn't respond. Instead, he conjured a ball of water and lobbed it at his incorrigible godfather's head.
Hermione might not have immense power yet, but her determination to help Harry in any way she could touched him deeply. Mastering the Animagus transformation had unlocked a tremendous leap in her Transfiguration talent.
Now, she could effortlessly turn a rock into a chirping bird that could fly on its own—a feat many fifth- and sixth-year students couldn't manage. And Hermione was only in her second year.
Thanks to this, Professor McGonagall had started giving Hermione and Harry some very pointed looks. The seasoned professor had good reason to suspect certain people were once again skirting the edges of the law… or, well, not just the edges anymore.
But McGonagall didn't call them out. Instead, she invited Hermione to join her Transfiguration Club and gave her extra lessons—exactly what Hermione had been hoping for.
Harry's tense preparations for what lay ahead now included someone who, for reasons he didn't entirely understand, was throwing herself into self-improvement with all her might. Before long, even Ron, Neville, and Harry's apprentice, Luna, were being pushed by Harry to study practical magic more diligently.
This wasn't just because of Nicolas Flamel's ominous prophecy. Harry had noticed the elemental activity in this world was surging rapidly. Around Hogwarts, elemental spirits were appearing everywhere—even in places no one would expect.
Water elementals danced across the surface and depths of the Black Lake. Earth elementals rumbled through the meadows. Wind elementals howled past the castle's turrets. And fire elementals in the kitchens had the house-elves screaming in panic. Not to mention the elemental spirits popping up around the students out of nowhere.
Ink from their quills would suddenly leap out of the bottle, forming tiny ink elementals that left footprints across parchment before scampering off, leaving students staring in stunned silence at their ruined assignments.
At breakfast, milk elementals dashed from one end of the table to the other, diving into buckets of water and turning them into milk amid the students' cheers… Hogwarts had become a lively—er, chaotic—place overnight.
And it wasn't just Hogwarts. Similar changes were happening across Britain, though the elemental spirits elsewhere weren't as active as those in the Hogwarts region.
Fudge even rushed to Hogwarts in the dead of night to consult Harry, the Minister of the Department of Shamanic Rites, for solutions. Forget Fudge panicking—even Harry was starting to feel the pressure.
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