Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Summer Holidays

At the weekend, they went to Diagon Alley. After Harry and Molly went into Gringott's, Harry popped into the Apothecary to top up his supplies, as well as collecting a small amount of a few other ingredients as well. After their previous adventures with brewing "illicit" potions, Harry didn't want to have to raid Snape's private stores again, despite the fact that it was Hermione who had done the actual raiding the previous time, for the Polyjuice Potion. Ron, who saw what he was doing, gave him the thumbs up and mouthed "Better get some of everything", to which Harry replied with a quick nod.

The next stop was Madame Malkin's Robes For All Occasions. Last year at the Yule Ball, Fred and George had ripped their Robes. Molly was furious, but somehow thought it would be better not to ask how that incident occurred. Fred and George brought some of Harry's winnings with them, and, true to their word, the first thing they did was to buy Ron some dress robes. When Harry saw them, he gave a low whistle of approval.

"I think somehow, those are a little more like what Ron should be wearing, don't you think so, Harry?" George said. Harry grunted in the affirmative, looking at his list he saw that he would be requiring two sets of dress robes this year. Molly looked at the list sadly. Harry couldn't speak. He felt his heart wrenched in a thousand directions at once. The Weasleys had been so kind to him over the years, and his other best friend, Hermione, too. There is nothing Harry would have liked better than to divide his inheritance with them, or even better, to have saved the Philosopher's Stone so they had all the money they'd ever need. However he knew, in his heart, that there was no way they would never accept his money. They were too proud. They had made a poor family, but they had made it out of love and they knew that that love was enough. Harry gazed at Molly, in her casual robes. Her face was flushed with the heat of the day, and in her eyes wore a million different concerns, but Harry knew that none of them mattered to her. As he looked at her and thought about Malfoy. He had everything he could possibly want in his life. He wanted for nothing, his parents, although more likely his mother, sent him parcels from home regularly, he had goodness knows how many house elves. But Harry didn't think he had love. He had occasionally seen a flicker of pride in the father, Lucius Malfoy, an utterly disagreeable man with a slow, casual air, and a belittling manner, but he had never seen love. Harry knew out of the two families, whose he would prefer to be in, and he was in their company right now. He did all he could think of to do under the circumstances; he put a hand on Molly's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze, and gave a slow smile. Molly returned it gracefully, and Harry knew that, she appreciated the sentiment.

At Flourish and Blotts, they all split up, looking for various books that were on their school lists. Harry had already started reading the book Hermione had sent him, and several interesting spells sprung immediately to mind. However he also thought about doing a little light casual reading, just for the fun of it, and found himself in the fiction section, which was right next to the books on transfiguration. Surprisingly, a lot of the books were Muggle works of fiction, and many of them were brand new, only out that year. This would be a good place to get a birthday present for Hermione, and maybe even Mr Weasley. Then Harry thought he saw something...

Two hours later, Harry found Molly having a highly animated conversation with Mr Blotts, looking more cheerful that he had seen her all day. They were laughing heartily and he seemed to have a little colour in his cheeks, as if something she had said had made him blush. Harry smiled to himself and went up to them. Molly appeared to have made all their purchases and was standing to one side to allow customers to make theirs. Harry put his own collection on the counter for Mr Blotts to tally up. Whilst he was waiting, he turned to Molly.

"I'm sorry I was so long, Mrs Weasley. You weren't waiting for me again were you? I was just looking in the fiction section and a few things, um, caught my eye."

"Don't worry dear, Hermione was the same. She spent a while in here when I took her to Diagon Alley to meet her parents before she went off to visit Viktor Krum. Although I didn't expect you to be so much of an avid reader."

"I'm not. Well, at least I used not to be such a one for reading. However, after I came to Hogwarts, I just got so bored during the Summer Holidays that I took it up to pass the time. I have my tastes like any other, but I am afraid it is all Muggle fiction. I had no idea there was Wizard Fiction as well! But having said that, from what you've said already, I imagine Hermione does, eh!" He laughed. A small smile cracked across Molly's face. It was wonderful to see him laugh. Since the Triwizard tournament, she knew that those smiles and laughs had been too few and far between. Maybe things are getting back to normal, she thought.

"Where is everyone, by the way?" Harry added as he paid. It was a lot less than he imagined, but didn't comment on the fact.

"They left about half an hour ago. They said they were going to Florian Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour and that they'd meet you there."

"Thank you Mrs Weasley. Are you coming?"

"No thank you Harry, dear. I'll just stand here for a while and talk with Dunstable," she said, indicating Mr Blotts. "I think that's everything you all need, so you can find me here when you are all ready to go."

"Alright then. See you later!" he said, smiling as he left.

*******

The rest of the Summer Holidays passed for Harry in a wonderful blur of Quidditch, reading, meditation (which Harry found was a wonderful way to think about things without everyone worrying about him, to relax, and even kept his nightmares to a minimum), and general mischief with the terrible twins.

He only had one Voldemort dream, and he wrote about it to Dumbledore and to Sirius. He had woken up with his Scar burning, and had immediately reached for his glasses and picked up the quill and parchment, which he kept by his bedside for just such an occasion. He sent the letter for Sirius with Hedwig, and he borrowed Pigwidgeon to write to Dumbledore, leaving the window open, because he felt quite hot. He knew Ron would understand when he told him. Pigwidgeon would be back in a few days, if not sooner, and so he would be available then to send a letter to... to whomever Ron wished to send an owl to. He smiled a little at this thought.

"About time too," he said to himself as he put his glasses back on the bedside table, turned over and went back to sleep.

On-Board The Hogwarts' Express

Life, as usual for the 1^st of September, was exceedingly hectic in the Weasley household. Harry was woken up at 5am, all set and ready to get ready to go, having already packed his things the previous night, until Molly kindly pointed out that he had forgotten half of his schoolbooks! Molly, as usual, was running around, squawking like a headless chicken, and Ginny had blushed almost to purple when she bumped into Harry with a glass of orange juice, spilling it all over him in her mad rush not to be last in the bathroom. This Harry as usual had pretended to ignore, giving Ginny a conciliatory "Good Morning" and a friendly wink, which threatened to make her cheeks explode with embarrassment. (As Ron had pointed out to Harry on numerous occasions since he had known Ginny ; She was extraordinarily prone to have spectacular accidents whilst he was around. The fact that he had saved her life at the end of his second year (her first year) at Hogwarts didn't help matters much!). To cap off her embarrassment, she was wearing her brand new pink, fluffy rabbit slippers which Molly had bought for her at a baby-clothes shop in Diagon Alley, to save money, and which Arthur had put an engorgement charm on so that they fit her. Although thinking it was exceedingly cute, Harry thought better of mentioning it to Ginny who at this point looked as if she would faint if anything further happened to her and so he simply ushered her by and said

"See you in a few minutes".

After washing his face in the kitchen sink and having several criticisms thrown at him by the mirror nearby he shrugged and went back up to Ron's room to finish getting ready. After he'd finished dressing, he was sitting about waiting for Ron to be ready and he was idly smoothing his scar, a slow smile playing across his face.

"What's the matter with you?" Ron asked him. Harry raised an eyebrow at him. "Ginny? Say no more! What did she do this time?"

"You did say "say no more"." Harry retorted in good humour and Ron chuckled appreciatively.

"RON! FRED! GEORGE! GINNY! HARRY! IT'S TIME TO GO!" Molly called up to them authoritatively. Arthur was busy with the trunks, which Molly had insisted were packed last night, but of course everyone always forgot something! This time, however, amazingly enough, all of the Forgottens were collected when they woke up. "I shall have to remember this one," Molly chuckled to herself. "Pack the night before!"

Despite it being a Friday, the roads were pleasantly clear and the Weasley clan arrived at King's Cross station at 10.30. A whole half-hour for a certain pair of Year Seven Redheads to wreak all kinds of havoc on the poor, unsuspecting workers of this London railway station. "HA! Would you care to bet on that?" Molly said sternly, to no one in particular. "Come on everyone, straight onto platform Nine and Three Quarters. Anything you might want to do can wait until you are safely packed onto the train. And no Fred, don't you even THINK about using that mischief line on me again because I am going to beat you to the punch. I love you all, and I am going to miss you terribly!" At this she pulled ALL of the Weasleys (even Arthur) and Harry into an enormous seven-way bear hug. After she let them go, Harry gazed at Molly for a moment, questioningly. "I may be small my dear, but I am a mother. We have almost super-human abilities!" she chuckled. She in turn stared back at him lovingly and she absently brushed aside a lock of hair that had slipped inside his glasses. "You will be careful this year Harry wont you?" she asked, pleading, a tear in her eye.

"Of course," he replied, smiling. "You know me!"

"Please Harry. Please promise me."

"I promise."

"And also promise that you'll..."

"I promise to keep an eye out for all of my friends, especially those two!" he smiled, indicating Fred and George, who had just set off a small crate-full of Filibuster fireworks, that they had somehow got past their ever-suffering mother, in their compartment of the train. "After all we mothers do have almost super-human abilities!" Molly chuckled appreciatively. "And you take care of Mr. Weasley too, and yourself!" Molly nodded at this and brought Harry in for another bone-crunching hug. As she stood back to stand beside Arthur, Harry noticed a fifth year girl already decked out in her Gryffindor attire, a gleaming gold prefect's badge proudly adorning her robes. She was slightly darker than Harry remembered her but there was no mistaking those large brown eyes and mass of shoulder-blade length bushy brown hair. When she smiled at him he couldn't help smiling back.

"Hi Hermione!" They embraced warmly, and, in keeping with the new custom, they kissed on the cheek. "How are you? Can I give you a hand with your stuff into the train? It's still quite early so our compartment was empty. Ron's already gone and bagsied it!"

"That would be wonderful thanks. I can't believe all the books we have this year!"

"Well..."

"Don't even try it!"

"I know I was just teasing! Actually I've got quite a few myself. I even got out a couple of extras myself this year. Actually I've been meaning to tell Ron about this but I wanted to wait till we were all together!"

"What's this all about?" she asked, her curiosity aroused.

"You'll soon find out."

They heaved Hermione's trunk onto the train into their compartment and Harry raised an eyebrow at what Hermione could possibly have packed in there.

"It's hardly my fault! I of course need something to read whilst you and Ron are playing chess and exploding snap, and when you aren't all about trying to get us killed!" Harry looked a little alarmed until Hermione nudged him playfully, putting his mind at ease. "Then of course I needed new dress robes, and new dresses. After all I can't go on wearing what I wore last year can I?"

"I don't know. I thought you looked stunning!" Harry observed calmly. Hermione blushed scarlet before continuing.

"Then of course there is all my regular clothes, cauldron, stationary, make-up,"

"MAKE-UP!" Harry almost choked.

"A girl has to look her best you know."

"Hermione I-don't-know-your-middle-name Granger! You do NOT need to wear that rubbish. You look perfectly lovely without it!"

Hermione was starting to look like Ginny so Harry thought he'd better cool it before SHE exploded too.

"That's very kind of you to say Harry, but I do in fact where a little most times." She replied, Harry not missing a single note in her voice.

"Anyway, where do you want your trunk? Our usual place?"

"That'd be great. By the way, where's Ron?"

"Probably using the facilities." Harry said diplomatically.

"Probably fallen down the plug-hole, more like it!" Hermione chuckled, which Harry joined in.

"Really, I can't leave you two for a minute can I!" came a voice from behind them, laughing just as heartily.

"Ron!" Hermione squealed, and before he could dive out of the way, Hermione had launched herself at him and taken him in a bear-hug that Molly would have been proud of. 'Help!' he mouthed to Harry, who thinking quickly as always came out with

"Oh leave the poor boy alone Hermione. You can't have him all to yourself all the time! Besides we're just about ready to go and I think Mr and Mrs Weasley want to wave goodbye."

"Good point," she said laughingly and ran to the window.

"Thanks, I think!" Ron muttered in Harry's ear.

"Any time."

"We are going to have a wonderful year this year! I can just feel it." Hermione sighed, as they sat down after the train had pulled out of sight of the platform. Ron imperceptibly raised an eyebrow.

"So how was your Summer Hermione?" Harry asked. "How was it visiting a Quidditch star?"

"Oh I had a wonderful time. His family is lovely. He even has a little brother you know. Of course I didn't get to visit Durmstrang. Nobody does outside of the school calendar, and besides, I'm not sure he knows where it is. That was a real pity, I would have really enjoyed that. Seeing another school in action would have been wonderful. I wonder if Hogwarts is ever going to bring back the student exchanges?"

"You mean we could exchange with another student who was worse than Malfoy? No thank you!" Ron laughed, and Hermione and Harry both joined in.

"Really. I hope it isn't a cash-exchange based on intelligence Weasley because your entire family wouldn't get two sickles to rub together for it. And you most certainly could do with all the help you could get as far as that is concerned," he sneered, glancing up and down at Ron in a derisive manner. "And a far as a few other things are concerned as well!"

All three of them turned to the door, although of course they knew before they looked up, by the sickly drawl who it must have been. Sure enough, there, shadowing the window frame, entouraged by two totem-poles of muscle, were the cold grey eyes, the pale skin, and the slick blond hair of Draco Malfoy.

"Shut up ferret-face!" Ron replied with a snark. "Or is Bouncing Billy running out of insults."

"Nice comeback freckle-face. How long did it take you to come up with that one?"

"Not as long as it's taken you to find some intelligent lackeys. And I see you are still looking!"

"My, my! Aren't we feisty today?" Malfoy replied, eyes narrowing.

"Nope just me."

"You mean you don't need the Mudblood and Scarface to fight your battles anymore."

"Nope." Harry and Hermione were looking on, exceedingly amused.

"Well I am impressed. You are actually showing some spunk and initiative. I really had not expected that. I look forward to more of these little encounters in the future. Crabbe, Goyle, come!"

And with that he turned and left, his two hulking sidekicks skulking off after him.

"That," Hermione breathed excitedly. "Was absolutely beautiful!"

"Pure genius!" Harry agreed

"What on Earth happened to you?"

"I don't know," Ron pondered, quite amused. "It's like, do you remember on the train back from Hogwarts at the end of last year?"

"Yeah," they both put in.

"Well I was remembering them laying there on the ground with all those grim tentacles spouting out of their noses. And I remembered the conversation that lead up to it. And then I remembered all of our other encounters, and what did you notice about all of the encounters we've ever had with those three idiots?"

Both Harry and Hermione looked blankly at him.

"Put it this way. What did I say to him just now, and then link that with something that he said to me?"

"You called him ferret face," pondered Hermione

"Then Malfoy asked you how long,,, and then you said "not as long as it had taken him to find decent lackeys!" didn't you?" Harry put in.

"Oh yeah! And then Malfoy said that you didn't need the... that you didn't need me and Harry to fight your battles for you". Hermione continued, slightly flushed at his use of language. Mudblood is a disgusting and profoundly offensive term used to describe those of entirely Muggle parentage. As much as she refused to give in to the low wit of such a comment, it still grated at her. Harry and Ron each took a hand in both of theirs and gave them a gentle squeeze. "Thanks!" she replied quietly.

"Anyway enough of that poncy git! The point is, over the summer I realised something. As I said, all Crabbe and Goyle are, are lackeys. You remember how he treated us when we posed as them to find out whether or not Malfoy was The Heir. He has no love or respect for either of them. They are not friends. And although I said I don't need you to fight my battles for me, the fact is I have you. We love and respect each other and we are the best of friends, even if we act like insensitive jerks sometimes." At this all three blushed as they remembered their third year when Ron thought that Hermione's cat, Crookshanks had eaten his rat Scabbers and then last year when Ron was jealous at Harry for being selected for the Triwizard tournament.

"Yeah, well nothing like that this year. Agreed?" Harry said, putting a closed fist forward onto the table.

"Agreed!" the other two piped up, putting their outstretched hands on top of his fist, feeling somewhat like the Three Musketeers.

"All for one," Hermione started

"And one for all!" both Ron and Harry finished.

"How do YOU know the Three Musketeers?" asked Harry with a laugh.

"My Mad Muggle Mags of course!" Ron said, laughing as well.

"Of course!" Harry groaned rolling his eyes.

"Anyway, Hermione, you were telling us about your holiday with Krum! How is Little Vikky?" Harry smiled

"Ron, don't call him Vikky. As I was saying, his family is lovely, and they have a nice old-fashioned house, but that wasn't the best part of the holiday. "

"Really!" Ron and Harry both raised an eyebrow.

"I got an owl from someone who is very dear to us all!"

"Who?" said Ron.

"What was it about?" Harry put in, just as curious.

"I can't tell you. It's a surprise! But you will find out very soon!"

"When?" they both yelled in exasperation.

"Well, part of it you will probably find out tonight, the rest you will find out by the end of next week. I hear that Dumbledore is the ONLY one who knows about it! Not even the other teacher's and Governors do so there's no way Malfoy can go off like he did last year!"

"Hermione!" they both Groaned.

"Anyway Harry," Hermione continued, unperturbed. "What was so important that you went out and bought extra books from Flourish and Blotts AND that you couldn't tell one or the other of us about it, but that we had to be here together to discuss it?"

"Well," Harry leaned in conspiratorially. "This probably wasn't the best year to start thinking about it, what with our OWLs coming up, but then again, with all that has been happening recently this would be the perfect time, and the perfect reason for doing so!"

"What on earth are you talking about?" This time it was Hermione's turn to groan.

"Yeah come on Harry, spit it out!"

"Well, put it this way, what did it take certain friends of ourselves the best part of three years to work out?"

"Don't be vague Harry, get to the point!"

"Well put it this way, what do the names Moony, Padfoot and Prongs mean to you?"

"NO WAY!" they both yelled.

"Harry!" Hermione said weakly. "You can't be serious."

"I am deadly serious. Wrap your peepholes around these!" At this he pulled out ten different books, each a good three inches thick.

The History Of Animagi

The Adoration Of The Animagi

How To Become An Animagus (part 1)

How To Become An Animagus (part 2)

How To Become An Animagus (part 3)

How To Find Your Inner Animagus

How To Become An Omnimagus (part 1)

How To Become An Omnimagus (part 2)

How To Become An Omnimagus (part 3)

How To Become An Omnimagus (part 4)

When they finally looked up at Harry, they both saw him looking expectantly at them.

"I am NOT becoming a Werewolf!" Ron said, attempting to lighten the mood a little. No one said anything for another ten minutes.

Finally Hermione, looking a little perturbed asked a seemingly obvious question.

"Why did you get all the books on Animagi if your real aim was to become a Omnimagus?"

"Well from what little I could gather from the first two books on Omnimagi, although you are able to transform into any shape, your most powerful form is that which is truest to yourself, normally an animal, which is otherwise known as your inner Animagus. Whilst I was reading up on that I figured I might as well learn to become an Animagus first, and well, I thought that the history behind it might be rather interesting. Besides the whole thing could give me enormous relief from the Muggles!" he laughed.

"I can't get over it!" Ron guffawed. "Harry finding history interesting! I think you've been spending too much time around Hermione these last four years!" Both Hermione and Harry looked at each other with raised eyebrows, nodded and hit him. Or more exactly Harry, sitting next to Ron, smacked him around the back of the head, and Hermione, sitting opposite, kicked him in the shin. "Ouch! Hey Harry! I needed those!"

"Why freckle-face? You haven't got enough to rub two ferrets together!" Harry said, trying not to laugh at his own uncanny impersonation of Malfoy. Ron, on the other hand, lost control and threw himself onto the floor of the train in hysterical fits of laughter, and it wasn't long before Harry and Hermione had joined him.

"Harry! We're as bad as your dad and his friends! All we need now is a Werewolf, or a Vampire, or a lesser spotted Mermaid in our circle and we'd be perfect!" Hermione observed, still laughing uncontrollably.

"Yeah! Think about it Harry! "The Marauders, The Next Generation!"

"Or even better," Harry put in, not wanting to be left out. "The New Age Marauders!"

"YEAH!" everyone yelled, laughing even harder.

"Are you young Wiccas going to buy something or do I have to run you over, so as I can get to the poor starving dears in the next compartment?" asked the lunch-cart lady about to do her return rounds. Harry, glancing at his watch realised they must be about half way there by now and so it must be gone three, and despite his now customary Weasley "We're-going-to-miss-you-all-very-much-don't-you-dare-get-into-any-trouble-whilst-you're-there-and-we-love-you" going-back-to-Hogwarts breakfast, he was still very hungry.

"Yes please!" he said, standing up slowly and helping Ron and Hermione back up to their feet, still giggling before going to find his money bag.

"Oh hello Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, Miss Granger! Would you like your usual?

"Yes please!"

"Righty-ho! I am afraid it has gone up a little since last time. We've been having a lot of trouble with You-Know-Who recently and well... Anyway, it's going to be another six sickles."

"Hmmm," Harry growled. "I've only got another two. Ron, Hermione, could you guys help me with the difference?"

"Sure!"

"Um Hermione, could you put up three please?" Ron asked sheepishly. Hermione nodded sympathetically, proffered Harry the difference and soon the lunch-cart was trundling on its way.

"BLOODY VOLDEMORT!" Harry growled even harder. "Now do you see why we've got to do this? Three sickles for a chocolate frog? It's extortion!" Ron suppressed a smile. Hermione on the other hand was thinking again.

"Harry, you do know that with all that you've done they are proud of you already. HE is proud of you already. You don't have to do this."

"No Hermione," he sighed. "I DO have to do this. It's my fault he's back. It's my fault he's killing wizards all over the place rather than just Muggles - although I hate that just as much. I have to stop him and do anything in my power to stop him. But you are right in one small way. One of us doesn't have to do this. Or to be more precise, two of us don't have to do this. If you like I will put a memory charm on you and you wont ever know we had this conversation."

There was another pause, during which Harry and Ron had broken out the chess set. Harry had lost his third straight match before Hermione said sternly

"Give me books three on Omnimagi and on Animagi!"

Another two hours passed, and Harry after several defeats interspersed with the occasional stalemate was finally poised for checkmate when Hermione burst out.

"Give me a quill now and two pieces of parchment." Then after scribbling what looked like two identical notes, "Ron, Harry, let out Pigwidgeon and Hedwig!" The two stared at each other. "NOW!" Hermione yelled. She was NOT in a mood to be messed with. Harry observed her momentarily as he was unlocking Hedwig's cage. Her left hand, which she was using to hold the paper whilst she was writing, was shaking violently. The corner of her mouth was twitching and her eyes were now stark and wild. "Tie this to her leg!" she commanded. Harry glanced at the letter and saw that it was addressed to "Mr. Remus Lupin". Glancing at the note she had already given to Ron, who was now trying frantically to calm Pig down enough to actually tie the letter to his leg, he could see that it was addressed to a "Mr Sefton Snuffles".

"Sefton?" he asked, somewhat amused.

"It was my grandfather's name. I thought it went quite well."

Ron finally managed to tie the letter to Pig. Hermione opened the window for their compartment. After saying goodbye to each of the owls and all three being affectionately nipped, Hedwig and Pigwidgeon flew out of the train window and went their respective ways.

After another ten minutes of silence, Harry couldn't take it anymore.

"So, should I use Ron's wand to blow myself up?" Hermione smiled gently at the reference to a story told many times over in the last few days of their second year at Hogwarts.

"No Harry, a memory charm won't be necessary."

"So you're in?"

"ARE YOU KIDDING?" she squealed again. "This is going to be MARVELOUS! I've always wanted to do this! I could never decide though what I wanted to be. This way I can be WHATEVER I want to be!"

"And what about you Ron? Do I need to pull a memory charm on you?"

"You're off your bloody rocker, mate! If you think I'm about to miss out on Hermione breaking goodness knows how many rules because she wants to rather than because she has to, maybe you'd already had too many grapefruits!" Harry grimaced at the thought of his last six weeks on what he had quietly dubbed "Dudley's Death Diet".

"You're right I think I probably have!"

"And speaking of Moony and Padfoot," Hermione put in. "You do realise we ARE going to have to break several school rules. You know that we won't be able to register if you really do want to do this to help the ministry rather than just follow in the footsteps of your father."

"And this doesn't bother you?"

"It does, a little."

"Are you okay with it?" Ron was the one who asked surprisingly enough.

"Definitely. The pros far outweigh the cons. As an Omnimagus you can't be harmed with such spells as the Unforgivable Curses when taking the form of an inanimate object. Although you retain your soul, you lose emotion and physical feeling. You can quite literally disappear into thin air. You can survive in a vacuum, you can literally do anything."

"Then why hasn't Voldemort thought about it?" Harry asked. Ron still grimaced slightly but he was just about getting used to it by now. It was the idea of all the power he could have now, rather than just simply who he was.

"Chances are he already has, and maybe even is," she replied darkly. "Well come on. We've still got half an hour left. You two go and get changed so we can get reading." For once Ron didn't complain. This would be so cool! This would be better than lifting the QA Cup as the youngest ever Captain of the Chudley Cannons! It was worth reading through ten times the amount they had to if he could transmogrify into something. Preferably a giant spider-killing machine but he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

"I'll have to read it all thoroughly but becoming an Animagus looks relatively easy. I don't know why it took the Marauders so long to do it."

"Probably the drag-factor of Wormtail!" Ron said sardonically. Harry nodded in agreement.

"On the other hand, being an Omnimagus looks a lot more complex. But I still think we can do it by the end of the year."

"WHAT?" This time it was Harry's and Ron's turns to squeal. "Is that it!"

"Yep! It's not going to be easy but..."

"If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well!" they all intoned laughing.

"We will have to learn about becoming Omnimagi at the same time as becoming Animagi, and at the same time as homework and Quidditch of course. It's going to be the hardest thing you've ever done Ron." Hermione said seriously.

"If I can face a giant spider I can face this!" said Ron only feigning indignancy. He inwardly appreciated her concern.

"I have already completed each of our charts to determine our Inner Animagi. I suggest we do it over dinner. If anyone gets curious I can just say that it's a chart that my Muggle neighbours made up based upon magazine personality polls."

"Cool," said Harry and Ron, wondering what on earth she was talking about and deciding that ignorance was bliss.

Across the darkened skyline, as the train started to slow down, an ancient castle glistened merrily in the distance, lights flickering over the horizon presenting a welcome view. Harry breathed a heavy sigh of relief as he heard words cross Hermione's lips that he had been waiting for all Summer long;

"We're here!"