Curiosity

* Title: Curiosity
* Author/Artist: Da BeST Team
* Rating: G
* Warnings - None
* Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
* Summary: Due to an initial frightening experience, Minerva McGonagall discovers her Animagus abilities.

Curiosity

The handsome, dark-haired teen walked through the castle, slinking from shadow to shadow, senses at full alert for late-night teacher and prefect patrols. He was a prefect himself, but he didn't want to make any explanations why he was out after curfew. After all, he could not very well tell the enquirer he was about to fulfil his destiny; people just did not understand or share his vision, now did they? How could they?

He gloated to himself, a sneer rising to his lips, as he thought back on his project. He had run across the legend of Slytherin's chamber quite by accident when trying to discover his own roots and origins. He had always known he was special, destined for greater things; discovering he was the Heir to Slytherin had been a natural progression.

Slughorn had been easy enough to manipulate into giving him a pass to the library's Restricted Section so he could trace his lineage through the Gaunts and the Peverells to Salazar himself. A tin of his favourite brand of crystallised pineapple was all it had taken. Weeks of research later, he thought he had found the location of the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. There, he felt, his ideas and dreams would be vindicated for everyone to see.

He finally reached the second-floor corridor and headed towards the girls' toilet. He'd had a good laugh at that when he realized what covered the tunnel these days. It was an ironic laugh; trust Hogwarts to be disrespectful to the greatest wizard of all times in such a way, trying to dull his superiority by causing the ingress to his most marvellous chamber to appear as a girls' convenience.

It was typical of the small-minded, visionless worms that fed on the carcass of giants and produced nothing but mundane carping and doom sayings. Well, now! He was about to claim the greatness back for his forefathers and his line, restoring the glory of the name and extracting a price from those who had slighted him.

Making sure no one was near, he carefully slipped through the doorway and checked to make sure the stalls were empty before casting his eyes around the chamber. His gaze landed upon the central pillar surrounded by sinks. Yes, this was it! It was large enough to conceal the descending shaft. He circled the sinks looking for the sign he knew had to be there, left by previous heirs. He ran his hand along the plumbing, feeling for something different, something special... there! He narrowed his gaze, focusing on the serpent engraved on one of the taps and hissed out the magic word:

"Open..."

~*~

Headgirl Minerva McGonagall had started her patrol this evening with a bit of a challenge; spirits were up and so was mischief-making as the long winter days slowly came to a close and the hint of spring fever began taking over the school's occupants. She had caught several children from the lower forms out past curfew, obviously up to no good! She sniffed to herself in annoyance as she continued her path along the now empty halls. She nodded a greeting as she passed her transfiguration teacher, Professor Dumbledore, and did not notice the twinkle in his eyes as he watched her continue along the corridor.

It was past curfew now; she only had a half-hour left before she needed to return to her room in the Gryffindor tower. She made a few more turns and headed down a rear flight of stairs to the second floor, wrapping her cloak closer around her and casting a warming charm against the late winter chill. This old disused route was the quickest she had found, but the torches were never lit at night. Only the light of the moon, as it reflected off of the remaining patches of snow, gave any sort of illumination through the tall windows at the far end. Ahead of her she could see the well lit main corridor and hurried quickly towards its welcoming light.

A noise behind her caused Minerva to halt her steps. She pulled out her wand and turned back to the darkened hall, fear gripping her throat as she saw a huge serpentine shadow weaving in the moonlight. The sound of scales against granite scraped across her ears, and she knew - she just knew - what was loose in the castle was evil to the core. Grabbing a piece of lint in her pocket she murmured a spell to transfigure it into a mirror far more easily than most witches of her age would. Cautiously, she crept back down the corridor, pressing her shoulders against the wall and muffling her footsteps and scent with two additionally muttered spells so the creature did not feel the vibrations of her walking, nor smell her approach.

She reached the corner. Taking a huge breath, she angled the mirror around it, using the reflection to see if she had been right, praying that the shadow she had seen was just an exaggerated version of a garden snake; yet, knowing in her soul it probably wasn't that simple. The huge, scarlet-crested serpentine head was facing away from her, but there was no mistake, it was a Basilisk - and a full grown one, at that! A gasp caught in her throat. Fear, such as she had never known, coursed through her, nausea gripping her belly. A sudden popping behind her caused Minerva to start, a gasp escaping her lips. Apprehensively, she looked back in the mirror to see if the beast had heard it too, and caught a glimpse of the baleful yellow eyes before everything went black.

~*~

"Miss McGonagall? Minerva! Wake up, child, wake up!"

Minerva mewed a bit as she blinked her eyes against the bright sunlight pouring through the infirmary's clerestory windows. The windows were open to let in fresh air, and she could hear birds singing in the forest. She licked her lips and a chuckle by her head brought her attention to Professor Dumbledore sitting in a chair next to her bed.

"What happened?" she murmured, as she pushed herself upright. The professor fluffed her pillows behind her. Minerva smiled her thanks and sat against them, reaching for the glass of water he handed her.

"What do you remember?" he asked softly, as she composed herself once again.

She thought back. What did she remember? "It was dark, I was patrolling - getting ready to head back to my rooms. I remember... a sound behind me..." Suddenly, she bolted upright and turned to the teacher, realisation clear in her eyes. "A Basilisk sir! There was a Red Crested Basilisk on the second floor!"

"Yes, dear, we know. You've been petrified for several weeks while we waited for the mandrakes to mature. Since then, several other students were also attacked and Myrtle Rogers was killed in the second-floor bathroom. Young Tom Riddle discovered that it was Hagrid who had released the beast. The board of governors has expelled him and snapped his wand. Once Hagrid was expelled, the beast seemingly escaped the school, perhaps into the Forbidden Forest." Dumbledore stood up and pulled the curtains closed around the bed, waving his wand to set up a silencing spell, before reseating himself.

Minerva didn't pay much attention to his movements; she was too stunned to register what he was doing. Several weeks? Myrtle dead? Hagrid expelled? Hagrid? How was that possible, he was such an earnest, simple soul! It did not ring true. How had the beast left the grounds when the wards ... it took her a moment to realise Professor Dumbledore was talking to her again.

"... remember what happened to startle the beast?"

She shook her head dazedly. "I'm sorry Professor, what did you ask?"

"Do you remember what startled the beast?" This time she caught the amusement in his voice. The twinkle in his eyes was brighter than ever, but she ignored him.

Her thoughts flew back to the darkened corridor. "Yes, sir, I do; I was startled by a popping noise and I made a small gasp. I thought someone was Apparating behind me but logically that was not possible as Hogwarts will not allow Apparition, will it?" she rambled. "I assume that same sound was what made it to turn around. I never did see what caused the disturbance - everything happened so quickly!"

"I'm sure it did." The older man reached into a pocket in his robes and pulled out a box of hard sweets. He popped one in his mouth and offered the open package to her. "Lemon drop?"

She shook her head, no. Now if it had been shortbread ...

Dumbledore put the sweets away, and waved his wand again, murmuring 'Finite Incantatem'. He looked down at her, knowingly. "Now, dear girl, perhaps you'd like to tell me about that tail you have?" He looked pointedly at the region of bed near her hip.

"Tail? What tail?" she asked indignantly, but followed his gaze to see a long tabby striped tail twitching beside her, that hadn't been there a moment before. She squeaked, and the hairs on the tail puffed out in agitation as she tried to move away from it, but the offending member continued to follow her. "Professor... what happened?" She seemed to be asking that a lot today.

Dumbledore relaxed back into his chair, settling his hands comfortably in his lap, looking so much like a satisfied and proud grandfather. "I do believe, my dear, you are capable of becoming an Animagus. Congratulations!"

Minerva blinked, then blinked again, a what? She hadn't realised she had spoken aloud until Professor Dumbledore smiled, leaning forward eagerly.

"An Animagus form is one of the hardest transformations to accomplish as it involves the witch and wizard actually using their magic upon themselves to transform their bodies into their animal forms. The majority of folk do not have the concentration, or strength of character, to complete the training, which can take many years. Many give up without even finding their true animal forms; others give up when they discover that even a partial transformation takes as much energy as... as a trans-world Apparition does, every time they need to transform."

"It never gets any easier?" Minerva interjected curiously, making her professor blink as if he had forgotten she was there.

"I... don't know. Alas, I have only theoretical knowledge of the subject, not practical. My talents lie in other areas. However, I do know where the best books and scrolls on the subject can be found. If you feel you might like to investigate the matter, I can arrange a pass to the Restricted Section, and perhaps authorisation to the Central Wizarding Library at the Ministry." Dumbledore smiled gently as the girl's face lit up with avid interest.

"Times are changing, my dear, and I feel the first stirrings of a great evil that will sweep the land and cause massive distress to all of the wizarding world. People of talent should make the most of their gifts and be prepared to step up and support the Light in the face of the coming Darkness. This is not an opportunity I would offer to many students but you, Minerva, show true promise. You come from a proud and glorious Line, the McGonagalls of Scotland. I feel the greatness of your ancestors lies within you, if you would dare to grasp it."

Minerva basked in the light of his praise and nodded slowly. She was talented at Transfiguration, aye, and a powerful witch in her own right! Wouldn't it be something to be able to turn into an animal at will? She knew her genealogy enough that she was aware there had been Animagi among her forebears; maybe she was likewise talented? Perhaps she would just take a quick glance through the available material, see if she thought it was a real possibility or merely just a pipedream. After all, there were a few books in the family library, too, written by her ancestors that might prove very useful to her.

Dumbledore's smile never lost its paternalistic edge as the girl stated her willingness to make the attempt but inside he felt something expand in satisfaction. Having an Animagus on his side would be a very, very useful thing indeed.

~*~

"All right then, Miss McGonagall, are you ready?"

"Yes, sir, I am," she said with confidence. She had studied relentlessly and practiced until she was exhausted. All the books, exercises and mental disciplines that her professor had set her in order to accomplish the transformation, were completed. She was excited and nervous, but she felt she could do this! Dumbledore needed her to achieve this, if she was to help him.

Professor Dumbledore had cleared the transfiguration room, sealing the door against intrusion and sound. He transfigured one of the student benches into a comfortable chintz-covered chair and sat down in it facing his protégé.

Minerva closed her eyes as she stood in the middle of the cleared space, reaching deep within her for the centre of her magic. As she grasped her core, she placed the image she had learned was her cat-form firmly in her mind, seeing all aspects of the animal: fur, teeth, eyes, ears, markings, size ... and concentrated melding into that form, being the tabby cat, feeling cat-like urges. She grinned in self-satisfaction as she felt her limbs and body contort and change; felt the whoosh of air as she became more compact and nearer to the floor.

The sound of clapping startled her, distracting her concentration. Narrowing her eyes, she shot a look in the direction of her teacher, a hiss escaping her lips. She reared back in amazement at the sound and tripped over her hind feet, trying to gain her balance. A chuckle from above her made her turn. Hissing again at the man as she regained her feet, she began to pad away, head held high whilst prancing on her hind feet, tail in the air ... she was sure she could feel it twitching behind her, but something was not quite right. Her hind legs were not operating correctly! What was wrong? She staggered a bit as she attempted to turn around and check out her legs to make sure they were correct.

The man was laughing outright! She glared at him again.

"Your tail, Minerva, you forgot your tail!" he gasped out.

She whipped her head around as her ears flew forward in surprise, but the move unsteadied her further. She fell into a twisted lump on her bum. Ignoring her chortling teacher, she lifted a leg and looked at her backside. Sure enough, no tail! She untangled herself with as much dignity as she could muster. Sitting primly in her spot, she determinedly looked past her teacher at the wall behind him, closed her eyes and concentrated on her tail. A familiar popping soon was heard - just like in the corridor all those years ago. She opened her eyes, stood up and sniffed once in her mentor's direction.

With nose and tail high in the air, in thorough disdain of the annoying man who was now laughing so hard that tears were flowing down his cheeks, she walked over to the side of the room with a window, and hopped up lightly onto the ledge. Perching upon a nice bright, warm, sunny spot, she turned her back on the room and began to wash herself in the sunlight, purring contentedly.

Finis