Summary:Bolt is now once again human, and Hermione discovers she's now a married woman.
Chapter TextDecember 4th, A Cave in the Forbidden Forest
When Hermione awoke late the following morning, she felt better and more refreshed than she ever had in her life. Her watch read 10am, which worried her, as McGonagall would surely be looking for her, but for now she was content to lie here for a little longer. Recasting the warming charm on her bare legs, only covered by the skirt she was wearing, she turned in her dragon friend's warm embrace in an attempt to get comfortable, only to immediately jump to her feet with a scream as she realized that Bolt was gone, and instead she was lying on a naked teenage boy. A very well endowed teenage boy, her mind unhelpfully supplied.
Hermione felt scared and confused. She'd gone to sleep with Bolt and had woken up in the arms of a naked boy. Who is this? How did he find her? Why was he naked? And better yet, where the hell was Bolt? She thought frantically.
Unluckily for her, her loud scream happened to wake up said boy whose chest she'd just been cuddled into, and who looked to be in a state of extreme confusion, seeming not to even realize she was there, so she readied her wand and waited for him to notice her.
Bolt was in shock as he realized that he'd changed. He'd spent the last eight years as a dragon, and now he was suddenly a boy again. He felt weak and exposed. He wasn't used to feeling so small and vulnerable after being a dragon so long. He'd never even considered the possibility that he might one day change back. His mind reeled as he stared at his hands in shock. What would he do now? Would he have to go back to the human world? What about his bushy haired girl?
Oh god. She's surely going to hate me now, I'm such a freak, he thought angrily, before remembering in alarm that she'd stayed the night with him, and sure enough, one look to his right proved his worst fears to be true.
She was standing there, seemingly horrified at the sight of him, causing him to burst into tears, hiding his face as sobs wracking his body as he broke down at the thought of her hating him.
Hermione was dumbfounded when the boy started sobbing. She felt even more confused than the time she'd used accidental magic in primary school to break a bully's nose using a textbook, and while part of her wanted to just threaten the boy and demand answers, it was obvious that he was just as scared and confused as she was, maybe even more so.
Deciding to try and calm him down to see if she could get some answers, she lowered her wand and took a step closer to the shaking form of the boy, warily noting the way patches of his skin seemed to shimmer and darken, making her wonder if he had some sort of disease.
"Hey. Shh. It's okay, don't cry. I didn't mean to scare you." she whispered, trying to calm down the hysterical boy.
She stood there awkwardly as the boy continued to sob.
Deciding she needed to do something, she cast a gentle calming charm on the boy just strong enough to settle him down and slowly approached him.
Once his sobs had subsided, Hermione spoke again.
"Who are you?" She asked, getting his attention.
Bolt turned his head to look at her and Hermione reeled back in shock.
"Bolt?!" she exclaimed in shock. She'd instantly recognized him. She would know those catlike emerald eyes anywhere, not to mention the black horns on the tops of his head that seemed to be growing. The patches of skin that she'd first thought were some type of infection she now realized were patches of scales, and they seemed to be slowly getting larger, covering more and more of his body.
Harry just looked at her through his teary red eyes and nodded slightly, as he was sure she was going to leave him now that she knew he was a freak.
"But how? You were a dragon! Dragons don't just turn into teenage dragon boys! Why didn't you tell me you were really a human?!" She exclaimed, upset that her pet dragon/best friend had suddenly turned into a mostly human boy, ignoring that he couldn't have told her even if he'd wanted to.
Harry just shrugged insecurely. He wasn't sure how he became a dragon in the first place. It'd just happened.
Now that Hermione knew he wasn't a threat, she took a moment to study him more closely, ignoring the way her knickers dampened as she ran her eyes over his form, though she was a little relieved that her hormones didn't seem to care if he was a dragon or not.
He seemed unashamed of his nudity so she felt no need to bring it up and risk frightening him. He was dirty, and his raven hair was long and matted. He looked to be around her age, and it was obvious to her that he'd been living in the wild for a long time. He's gorgeous, she noted as her eyes were drawn to his toned chest and abs, which were covered by a light spattering of black scales.
"Please don't leave me." the boy rasped, beginning to tear up, drawing her attention back to his face as he spoke for the first time.
It was then that she remembered that this wasn't just a random boy. This was Bolt. The dragon that had quickly become her best friend in just a few weeks. The one she'd spent hours with,and just yesterday had flown on the back of. The one who seemed to understand her better than any other person she'd ever met. The one she was pretty positive she was in love with.
Though she was shocked, she wasn't nearly as shocked as she felt she should be considering the fact that her pet dragon was really a teenage boy. It actually made a weird sort of sense in her mind. She'd spent weeks wondering why Bolt seemed so different from the dragons she'd read about. He was able to write in English yesterday, and always seemed as if he could understand what she was saying. It was because he could.
"You're really Bolt?" She asked softly, turning her attention back to him and dropping to her knees beside him, though she already knew the answer.
Bolt nodded nervously through his tears. She reached out and touched his forehead, caressing the scar on his forehead just like she did when he was a dragon, and smiling when he leaned in to her hand just like Bolt always had. She gasped at the way the curved black horns coming out of the top of his head seemed to retract into his skull at her touch, and his scales began to disappear.After a few seconds, the only thing left that gave away the fact that he'd once been a dragon were his eyes, which seemed to retain their cat-like appearance.
"This is crazy, and will take some getting used to, but I'm not going to leave you Bolt. You're still my best friend, dragon or not." Hermione said, taking the opportunity to run her fingers through his matted hair.
"I'm assuming you weren't born a dragon, as you have a human form, so how long have you been a dragon for?" She questioned, continuing to affectionately stroking his hair as it was obviously helping to keep him calm.
Harry just shrugged uncomfortably. He had no idea. It wasn't like he'd had a calendar as a dragon.
Hermione frowned, frustrated with his lack of knowledge.
"Okay, how about this, do you remember what year it was,?"
"1986, it was almost Christmas" he croaked hoarsely, remembering how the events of that night had changed his life.
Hermione was horrified. She didn't know why, but for some reason she'd only been expecting him to have been a dragon stuck as a dragon for months, maybe a year or two at most, but this poor boy had been trapped as a dragon for eight years?! How was that even possible? This just seemed to get more and more strange.
"Do you know your name?" she asked him.
"Bolt" he replied simply, not realizing she was asking for his human name.
"No, I mean your human name, which I'm pretty sure isn't Bolt." she coaxed, trying to gain any helpful information that could help identify him.
"My relatives used to call me Freak," he replied.
She sighed, wondering what type of relatives would call a child freak, but knew this wasn't the time for those questions.
Glancing at her watch, she gasped. It was now nearly noon. She needed to get back to the castle asap, but she wasn't sure what to do with Bolt. She couldn't just leave him here in the middle of the forest. It had been different when he'd been a dragon as he'd been fully capable of protecting himself. As a human he wouldn't be able to protect himself.
"Bolt. I need to go back to the school, as the headmistress likely noticed I didn't come back last night and she is probably looking for me. Would you like to come with me?" she asked.
Bolt looked at her warily. He didn't want to go back to the human world. It had brought him nothing but pain after all, but at the same time, he felt the urge to be with his human. His instincts screamed at him not to let her out of his sight.
Hermione, sensing his fear and hesitation, tried to reassure him.
"I can't just leave you here. You're human now and you could easily be hurt in the forest. Besides, you're my best friend, and I want you with me. Please come with me? I promise I won't let anyone hurt you." she pleaded.
"They won't hurt me? They won't lock me up in a cupboard and take me away from you?" he whispered, sounding like a frightened child.
Hermione wanted to ask what he meant by a cupboard, but she put it aside for now. The important thing was to get Bolt to the castle and to find out who he was and how they could help him.
She squeezed his hand in support.
"No. I promise that I won't let them hurt you or separate us." she promised, trying her best to sound reassuring.
"Okay, I'll go with you." he agreed, "but if they hurt me I'm coming back here."
She agreed, hoping that once he experienced human life again he wouldn't want to leave. She helped him up as he awkwardly got to his feet, clearly not used to having to balance on 2 legs.
Eventually they made their way out of the cave, and Hermione went and retrieved the broom she'd left haphazardly lying on the ground when she'd arrived the day before.
Directing him to put on the invisibility cloak to at least hide his nudity, he climbed onto the broom behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and squeezing her tight
It wasn't until they were halfway to Hogwarts when she realized that Bolt's horns had started to emerge from his skull again, so she was forced to let Bolt ride without the invisibility cloak on, as it became apparent that whenever he went without skin contact with her he'd start to slowly revert back to his dragon form.
The flight seemed to be taking forever, a fact she was simultaneously loving and hating. On the one hand she was loving the feeling of his arms wrapped around her, as it made her feel more loved than she'd ever felt in her life. On the other hand, she'd never been this close to a boy before, especially not a nearly naked one, and it was making it extremely hard for her to focus on flying, especially with the cold wind constantly reminding her of the fact that she was no longer wearing any knickers under her skirt.
After around 2 hours of flying, Hogwarts finally appeared in the distance, causing Hermione to sigh in relief. Glancing over her shoulder at Bolt, whose head was resting on her shoulder, she saw that he was in awe of the beautiful castle, reminding her of the first time she'd layed eyes on it as a first year.
Bolt was awestruck at the sight of the imposing castle. It was truly a majestic sight, causing Bolt to wonder just who his human girl was.
"Are you a princess?" he asked in wonder once they'd landed just inside the forbidden forest, staring at Hermione in amazement.
Hermione giggled."Of course not silly. I'm a witch. This is Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. Surely you've heard of it?" she asked in an attempt to learn more about this boy who she'd formed such a bond with in the short time since they'd met.
"A witch? Witches aren't real." He looked at her skeptically.
"You'll find out soon enough" she said simply, letting go of his hand and throwing the invisibility cloak over his head causing his anxiety to skyrocket.
"I can't hold your hand anymore, so just follow me as close as you can okay? . Try to stay calm, and whatever you do, don't take off the cloak, okay? We need to get into the castle quickly so I can hold your hand again or you're going to end up a dragon again."
Bolt nodded. He didn't want to cause trouble for her.
As they continued towards the castle doors, Hermione noticed headmistress McGonagall waiting at the doors, clearly waiting for her to return. She just prayed that they wouldn't be upset that she had brought a feral dragon child back with her.
As soon as she'd reached the castle doors, McGonagall began to scold her for staring out so late, not giving Hermione a single opportunity to explain.
"What do you have to say for yourself young lady? You had us worried sick when you didn't return last night, and the only reason I haven't called the ministry yet to organize a search is because I trusted you could take care of yourself, and didn't want you to be expelled!"
Bolt wasn't sure what this lady wanted, but her stern tone reminded him too much of his aunt Petunia, briefly causing him to flashback to his life with his relatives. Thinking he needed to protect his human, he ripped off the invisibility cloak and jumped in front of her, letting out a feral growl in an effort to protect her from the stern woman.
"Bolt no!" Hermione yelled, belatedly realizing that bringing him here may have been a mistake.
McGonagall's eyes widened in horror at the sight of the naked teenager whose slitted eyes were glowing green, larger curved horns growing out of his head and what appeared to be black scales covering his chest. For a split second she thought that James Potter had returned as a demon.
"Stupefy!" Hermione yelled, causing Bolt to drop to the ground with a thud. She ran to him and grabbed his hand, allowing his horns to retreat back into his skull and his skin to return to normal. She hoped he'd forgive her for stunning him, but she couldn't risk him transforming here where he could accidentally hurt someone. She knew the ministry wouldn't hesitate to take him away if that happened. Checking to make sure Bolt wasn't hurt from being stunned, she looked up to find McGonagall staring at her as if she was seeing her for the first time.
"You have a lot of explaining to do lass," McGonagall told her, clearly confused at what was happening. The elderly professor had seen a lot in her years at Hogwarts, but she'd never even imagined something this crazy.
Hermione just sighed.
"It's a long story, professor, but basically this was my dragon until this morning."
Ignoring the shocked and skeptical look on McGonagall's face, she began covering Bolt's body in the invisibility cloak in case any other students were around. There were enough rumors circulating about her without this being added to it.
"It's true professor. Can you please help me get him to the hospital wing without being seen before I explain? I want Madam Pomfrey to hear this and I only want to do this once."
"Blippy" McGonagall called out, causing a house elf to appear next to them in the school's entrance. "Take this young man to the hospital wing. Tell her to keep him sedated until we get there, but to begin running diagnostic spells on him, and to find out if he is who I think he is. Please tell her that Ms. Granger says he was a dragon as of yesterday."
As the house elf popped away, McGonagall turned around and with a quick "Follow me", the pair made their way to the hospital wing.
By the time they arrived Madam Pomfrey had already put Bolt into one of the hospital beds, though what drew their attention most was the fact that he seemed to be convulsing violently, his horns growing and shrinking rapidly, and his scales seeming to shimmer as they rapidly appeared before vanishing again. Even more surprising was the fact that Madam Pomfrey seemed to be struggling to stop it.
When Hermione saw this she raced to him, instinctively sensing what he needed, and ignoring the headmistress and nurse's simultaneous cries of protest, she jumped on the bed, accidentally flashing her bare behind in the process, and wrapped her arms around him. He instantly stopped convulsing, relaxing at her touch, his horns retreating back into his skull.
"My touch seems to calm him. It always has, ever since I found him." she told them, seeing the questioning looks and causing Madam Pomfrey
"Be that as it may Ms. Granger, I think it's time for you to tell us what is going on here, and how it's possible your dragon friend is really a teenage boy."
"Also, please refrain from going knickerless in the future Ms. Granger." Madam Pomfrey added, grinning as Hermione blushed furiously at having been caught.
After taking a moment to collect her thoughts, she began telling them about the events of the past few weeks, only leaving out the part where she'd let the dragon watch her masturbate, and ending with her not wanting to leave him in the forest and flying him back to the castle.
Once she was finished telling her story, Madam Pomfrey began to speak.
"Well first off, I must say that you were right to bring him straight here. If you had left him in the forest, he'd likely be a dragon again by now. It is only your presence that is keeping him in human form."
Looking towards the headmistress she added, "Your suspicions were correct as well Minerva."
McGonagall seemed shaken at the confirmation prompting Hermione to ask what they'd discovered.
Madam Pomfrey glanced toward McGonagall, clearly asking if she should tell her and got a short nod in return.
"That boy is Harry Potter"
Hermione gasped, looking at the sleeping form of Harry/Bolt lying in her arms, where he seemed to be muttering about what sounded suspiciously like "bushy treasure" in his sleep. That would explain the scar, she realized. This poor boy. First his parents are murdered, then he's left on his relative's doorstep like a bottle of milk, and then he's turned into a dragon. She wouldn't wish something like that on her worst enemy.
"How is that possible? Harry Potter supposedly died 8 years ago in a house fire" McGonagall spoke, voicing the question Hermione was wondering herself.
"It seems he is a dragon animagus. There are stories of exceptionally powerful wizards having magical forms, but it's never been confirmed. It seems likely that he has been trapped as a dragon since he disappeared, which we know from Albus's trial was in December of 1986. His body also shows signs of abuse, the trauma of which was likely what forced him into his animagus form in the first place. It takes an extreme amount of abuse to force someone into their form, especially someone who had no magical training."
"We spoke briefly when we woke up this morning. From what little information I could get from him, that sounds correct. He said that the last date he knew was December of 1986. The abuse sounds likely as well. He didn't seem to know that he was a wizard or about Hogwarts, and when I accidentally hit him last night he retreated into his cave as if he was terrified of me. I wouldn't be surprised if he had some sort of ptsd to be honest as he is extremely skittish and is scared easily. I'm not sure if this means anything, but when I first asked him about coming here with me, he asked if he'd be locked in a cupboard."
"Those bastards" Minerva cursed, shocking Hermione with her language, as she'd never heard the professor curse before, though she agreed with the sentiment.
"So if he was forced into his animagus form, why did it take so long for him to change back?"
"I have an idea about that, but first I need to speak with Ms Granger privately," Madam Pomfrey added, glancing at McGonagall.
"I trust professor McGonagall ma'am, she can stay." Hermione insisted, who was now a little worried something may be wrong.
"Very well Ms Granger." Madam Pomfrey sighed, before continuing.
"Last week you came to me and reported that you were feeling a strong connection with your dragon's magic. At the time I thought it could have been possible you were beginning to develop a familiar bond with the creature, as oftentimes a new familiar bond will have a reaction with one's magic. I didn't feel the need to mention it though as it would likely be broken once the dragon was healed and had returned to the wild, and keeping a dragon as a familiar is illegal anyway. However, now that we know your pet dragon is really Mr. Potter here, I realized that this couldn't be the case. I tested you both while you were in the hospital wing, and it turns out you are bonded."
McGonagall gasped, but Hermione was confused.
"You mean I have a human familiar?" Hermione asked, confused as to how that was even possible.
"You misunderstand. You and Mr. Potter are soulmates, and as of last night the ministry of magic you are now considered an emancipated adult. The bonding of your soul's was likely what forced him back to human form as your magic knew you couldn't be together in his current form."
"Married?" Hermione whispered weakly, clearly overwhelmed. Of all the things she thought Madam Pomfrey could possibly say, this was the last thing she expected.
"Soul mates are a very special thing Ms. Granger, so please do not take this lightly. To have a soul mate is one of the greatest gifts magic can bestow on a being, and they are exceptionally rare. Legend says that soulmates are determined by fate herself. A "match made in heaven" if you will. It is unknown how much of that is true, but bonded couples usually do go on to do great things. The last confirmed bonding was between Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw."
"But he was a dragon… I can't be married, professor!" she argued, though deep down part of her was ecstatic at the news. The thought of being married at 15 was scary, but considering she'd always thought she'd end up dying alone, surrounded by her books. She wasn't totally sure what having a soul bond truly means, but if it meant she wouldn't have to be alone anymore, she wasn't going to complain.
Looking down at Bolt adoringly a thought struck her.
"Is that why his body keeps trying to transform whenever he's stressed or isn't near me?"
Madam Pomfrey sighed.
"Even now it is only the bond between you that keeps him from reverting back to his dragon form. The length of time he was stuck as a dragon has led to some complications."
"What kind of complications? Will they hurt him?" Hermione questioned worriedly.
"I'm not sure. You see, not everyone can become an animagus, but the wizards and witches who have the ability all have an animal spirit within them. When a wizard meets their form in meditation, they usually form a sort of bond with the animal spirit, allowing them to physically turn themselves into an animal. When one spends an extended period of time in their animagus forms, they sometimes take on characteristics of their spirit animal. Due to the length of time he was stuck as a dragon, I believe he is just as much a dragon as he is human at this point, if not more so. There have been cases of wizards who have spent so long as an animagi that they've lost their human selves. This is likely what would have happened to Mr. Potter if your bond hadn't forced him back to human form. Even now, his magic is fighting against the bond that's keeping him human, which is why when you aren't near, he seems to revert back to his dragon form. If you stay close to him, the bond should overcome his natural magic sometime in the next few days, but even then he'll likely have some dragon characteristics. His eyes for sure will remain slitted and reptilian, and possibly even his horns, though it is possible that he'll be able to appear fully human for a time once he learns to control his form."
"As long as it doesn't hurt him. What happens if he'd rather live as a dragon?" Hermione questioned. It would break her heart, but if he wanted to live as a dragon, she wouldn't stop him.
"Why would he want that? Surely he'd want to live as a human, it's where he belongs." McGonagall, who'd remained silent until this point, asked.
"He's been abused and neglected as a human, and he's spent over half his life as a dragon. Now he's going to wake up in a strange place as a married human boy with the mind of a 6 year old. I highly doubt he's going to be very happy when he wakes up." she said annoyedly, trying to keep herself from panicking at the thought that he'd likely want nothing to do with them when he awoke.
"Staying as a dragon is not an option, but that's something we'll worry about later if we need to. Right now you need to stay here with Mr. Potter. It's only early afternoon, but you need to sleep, as it will help your bond settle as your magic interacts. Meanwhile, me and Madam Pomfrey need to have a discussion, so you need to take this." McGonagall said, handing her a vial of dreamless sleep, which Hermione reluctantly took, grimacing at the taste.
"Sleep Ms. Granger. We'll discuss what being married to Mr. Potter means for you in the morning."
"But professor…" she responded, trailing off as the potion took effect and she began to fall asleep, curling into Bolt's warmth on their shared hospital bed.
Minerva McGonagall looked at the pair worriedly, before exiting the hospital wing hurriedly Madam Pomfrey trailing behind her. If Harry Potter was alive, then they had some planning to do.
Later that Night, Hogwarts Headmistress Office
"Did you get a good look at his scar Poppy?" McGonagall questioned, drinking a shot of Scottish whiskey.
"Yes. Luckily the soul fragment Albus claimed was lodged in his scar is no longer there. I suspect it was likely burned out of his body when he was forced into his animagus form for the first time. It's honestly a miracle the poor boy survived."
"That's a great relief. I was worried about that when we discovered who he was. Albus's notes clearly stated that the boy would have to die for the dark lord to be defeated."
"Yes." Poppy sighed. "Albus was a fool for hiding what he knew, always thinking he knew best. We're just lucky we found his notes and journals when we did. If we hadn't, we'd be completely unprepared for when the dark lord returns."
"Yes. I had planned to do the deed myself when it was revealed Mr. Potter was no longer with us, but now that we know he is still alive, he'll need to be trained extensively. You know what the boy is destined to do, Poppy, the prophecy is clear that he is currently the only one who can. I just don't know how we're going to tell Ms. Granger. You can tell by the way she looks at him that she's already head over heels in love with him."
"It's odd. Most people would be lost or even angry at being accidentally married at the age of 15 but even though she tried to hide it you could tell she was ecstatic at the news." Poppy replied.
"Well you've seen the way the other students treat her, especially after she killed the basilisk. It doesn't help that Ronald Weasley is constantly belittling her and is always starting rumors to keep her from making friends. To her, finding out you're married to your perfect match must be a dream come true."
Madam Pomfrey sighed tiredly. "Yes, but now you're going to have to explain to her why Harry Potter cannot be revealed to be alive yet, that the dark lord isn't dead, and that her new husband who doesn't even know magic exists is prophesied to defeat him. Are you sure she needs to know Minerva? It isn't like the boy is capable of doing anything about it anytime soon, and last anyone had heard, his spirit was still in Albania, looking for a host."
The headmistress grimaced at the thought of Ms. Granger's likely reaction.
"Yes. She deserves to know just what she's getting into. We'll explain everything to her, from the prophecy to the soul anchors to Albus's misguided plans. I refuse to manipulate them like he would have. I've shown you what Albus's notes said he had planned for the boy Poppy, and it was truly horrible. I won't be a part of that."
"I know. It may also be wise to inform Severus of this as well. We wouldn't have been able to obtain the ring without him after all."
Taking another shot, McGonagall sighed. "Yes, I suppose you're right. I just hope that Severus can see past the boy's similarity to James."