Secrets of the Animagi

Chapter 9 - Trials

Ron was lounging in the Common Room when Harry and Hermione arrived. "I was just about to look for you. Ready for lunch?"

"Tell us about Professor Browne's Muggle Studies lecture first," commanded Hermione.

"There wasn't a lecture. He asked all of us our thoughts about Muggles and how much contact we had with them. He said he wanted to know more about us first. I was afraid it was going to turn into a Young Death Eaters of Britain rally with Malfoy and Ursula there. But after Malfoy's first harangue, Professor Browne pulled a timer out of his robes. Said he had an appointment at noon and didn't want to be late."

"None of that rubbish like he gave us this morning?" asked Harry.

"Not really. Well, there was the assignment."

"Which was?" asked Hermione.

"A Muggle fashion show in two weeks, complete with music. You two, Juno and Ellen will be judging. Too bad you've been excused from class; he's taking us into Muggle Edinburgh next week to shop for clothes and something he called four-tee-fives. Stebbins and I are the only ones who didn't complain. Cho even offered to write a five-foot essay if she was excused. So, what about your assignments? He said something about you doing special research."

~~~~~~

Tuesday morning's class was Travelling Potions with Professor Figg. Professing to detest dungeons, she had relocated the laboratory to a sunlit classroom on the second floor of the castle. Harry thought it a pleasant change as he took notes on portable kettles and waterproof fires, even if the class was scheduled to last until noon. Also absent was Malfoy's constant litany of complaint; the professor had made it quite clear that there would be no whinging on her time. Some things about Mrs. Figg, Harry thought, hadn't changed since she'd left Surrey.

Harry had a difficult time remembering not to address her Mrs. Figg. His habit had drawn a few curious looks from classmates unaware that he and the professor had been neighbours for over a decade. He thought he'd even heard Malfoy snickering from across the room. Harry was thankful he would not be forced to partner with the Slytherin for as long as Professor Figg was in charge of the class. She professed a belief that the travelling wizards needed the ability to concoct potions independently. Of course, it also meant Harry and Ron would not be benefiting from Hermione's assistance during the practical portion of the course.

Harry heard Malfoy grumbling about "Muggle spawn" as he entered Greenhouse Four that afternoon. Having three years and four houses represented in the Special Studies Programme had posed a problem. It was virtually impossible to arrange course schedules to accommodate each student. As a result, Malfoy and Padma would be attending Herbology with the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindor fifth years. Padma was unperturbed; it was the first time she'd been assigned to the same class as her twin sister. Malfoy, on the other hand, was entirely out of his element. There would be no sympathetic ear for him in this class. All of the Hufflepuffs refused on principle to let him share their seed trays as they planted althea, wormwood and lungwort. It wasn't much better on the opposite side of the greenhouse where the Gryffindors were working. Padma and Neville had pretended not to notice when Seamus tripped Malfoy, sending his tray flying. In the end, Harry allowed Draco to have part of his space at the end of the potting bench. He was tired of seeing Malfoy stalking about the greenhouse, staring at the few students who would actually look him the eye.

"Be careful with that snarl, Malfoy. I've heard one good blow will cause expression like that to be permanently installed on your face," said Harry as he poked a row of holes in his tray of potting soil.

"Better a snarl than a scar," drawled the Slytherin, who was designing his tray so that the letter M would be plainly visible once the plants sprouted.

Malfoy was as bad as Snuffles when it came to marking territory. Professor Sprout had thought the habit charming in first year, enough to garner him top marks among his housemates. Last year, he had pruned a shrivelfig into the shape of a coiled snake. In spite of his efforts the honours had gone to Neville Longbottom. Neville didn't bother with artistic flourishes, but no one grew plants as large and as lush as he did.

~~~~~~

Wednesday brought with it a return to the Special Studies classroom where Professor Browne would be teaching Advanced Transfiguration and Charms. Harry, Ron and Hermione were the first students to arrive. They had left the Great Hall at Hermione's insistence, but even Harry was starting to tire of the main topic at the Gryffindor table: Quiddich.

"I will be so glad when the team roster is finalised," said Hermione. "Even Ginny and the Creeveys are caught up in it."

"That reminds me, I should have Colin take pictures for post tryout analysis," said Harry.

"Excellent idea! Thanks for bringing it up, Hermione," said Ron.

Harry was going to thank Hermione too, but she had put her head down on her desk with a piteous sigh. Maybe he would wait until she was feeling better.

Professor Browne entered the classroom at precisely nine o'clock carrying a large box. Harry could see assorted items sticking out of the top: an old boot, a plastic teacup, and a scarf. Professor Browne walked silently down the aisles, allowing each student to select a different item. Harry chose a tin mug painted with pink bunnies; Ron picked out a half-empty jar of paste. Hermione selected a spool of orange and purple ribbon.

Professor Browne finally spoke. "Now that each of you has an object, I would like you to do the following in order: enlargement, colour switching, avian transfiguration, swap its beak with the bird to either side of you, make it speak, restore it to its original form and banish it into the box on my desk. You have one hour."

Harry scribbled the sequence on a scrap of parchment. Hermione had already enlarged the spool of ribbon; Ron was still writing. Harry returned his quill and unused parchment to his satchel, muttering the Expansion Charm at the tin cup. He didn't even bother to draw his wand yet; he had performed the charm so many times over the summer. For colour switching, however, he needed his wand. It wasn't a spell he'd practised routinely. There was a squawk from his right. Hermione had already transfigured her spool of ribbon into a blue and gold macaw. A moment later, a chirp from in front signalled that Cho's paisley scarf was now a canary. He thought about the most logical bird for his spell, deciding on a mynah. It took two attempts, but in short order there was a raucous black bird perched on his desk. From the looks of it, Ron had chosen an owl, but would need a bit more time. Its colouring was strangely mottled. Upon closer inspection, the spots formed the logo from the paste jar. Harry could see Professor Browne making a mark on his clipboard.

Before Harry could decide which beak would look best on his bird, he saw it grow a macaw's. Hermione had performed her spell first. His would just have to wait. In the meantime, he could watch Hermione cast a Speaking Charm on the bird. Undoubtedly, her technique would be worth copying. Unfortunately for Hermione, the bird wasn't proving to be co-operative. It kept pecking at the pocket of her robe each time she tried to coax it into talking. Suddenly Harry understood what he would have to do with his own bird. Seeing that Ron's owl was now ready, Harry switched the macaw's beak on his bird with that of the owl. Professor Browne never said it couldn't be switched more than once. He then cast the Speaking charm on the now very bewildered bird. Taking a scone out of his pocket that he had saved from breakfast, he offered it a nibble before asking it to speak.

"More please," said the bird with a shrill whistle.

"Purebloods rule," squawked a bird from the end of the row. Malfoy's charm had also been successful.

Harry rewarded the bird and then switched beaks with Ron. He had to wait a moment while Hermione retrieved the mynah beak from Malfoy's parrot. It would have been too confusing for him to swap directly with Malfoy. There was nothing worse than a young wizard or witch inadvertently sprouting a beak. Task accomplished, Harry realised that he wouldn't be able to retransfigure the bird just yet. Ron would need it to perform his own switching spell, as he had no one sitting to his left. Harry waited patiently, watching Hermione transfigure her bird into a spool of blue and gold ribbon and then restore its colours to orange and purple . In short order, she had banished the spool to the box on the professor's desk. A few minutes later Harry's tin cup landed in the box with a clink. His Restoration Spell had been successful on the first try. It was followed in quick succession by Malfoy's boot and Ron's jar of paste. Stebbins was the last to finish. The moment his teacup landed in the box, Professor Browne called for the time.

"Five 'til ten sir," said Harry. He was starting to wonder if anyone else ever wore a watch.

"Excellent. Malfoy, Chang, Phelps, Potter and Granger, if you could please stay for a moment. The rest of you are dismissed."

As soon as the others had left the professor continued, "You five have been selected for Animagus Training based on your performance just now. You are, of course, free to decline. Professor McGonagall will arrive in a few moments to start the lessons. You will study with her twice a week in addition to regular classes with me." With that, the professor left the room.

Harry was surprised that he had been selected, considering it had taken two attempts to transfigure his object into a bird. On the other hand, he hadn't paid much attention to the other students. For all he knew no one had been perfect. He decided to ask Hermione her opinion.

"I think we all did pretty well, Harry. But I just don't know that I want to be an Animagus. Except for McGonagall, they seem to get into trouble regularly."

"It might be fun," Harry countered.

"It might be painful. We've never asked," Hermione said quietly. "If you don't mind, you're going to have to be on your own this time. See you at lunch?"

"Sure. I'll let you know how it goes."

Just as Hermione was leaving the room, Harry was shocked to see Professor McGonagall arrive wand in hand. She pointed her wand at Hermione and said, "Obliviate!"

Acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, the professor addressed Hermione, "I believe, Miss Granger, you were commenting on the lovely weather?"

"I guess I was. It is nice, isn't it? It should be lovely by the lake about now."

"I envy you. Have a good afternoon, then."

"Goodbye."

Professor McGonagall shut the door before speaking to the remaining students. "I must apologise for that display. I had no idea that Professor Browne would identify so many potential Animagi. I certainly didn't think he would have you meet me as a group. In any case, Animagus transformation is not to be taken lightly. Professor Dumbledore's directive is that you will be taught in secret. Not even your closest friends are to know of your ability, at least not this year. If there aren't any questions, we will begin immediately."

"So we will be illegal Animagi," said Cho.

"Of course not. Do you think I would condone such behaviour? I doubt any of you will meet the Ministry standards for a full-fledged Animagus this year, or even the next. Otherwise, the halls of Hogwarts would be crawling with Animagi."

"Will be able to chose our form?" asked Draco.

"That will be covered in my lecture. Everyone please put away your quills, parchment and wands. You will not need any of those things in this class. The first thing you should know about Animagi is that is not recommended for you to become a magical animal. For most Animagi, it is an impossible feat. Should you happen to be that talented, it would neither be practical, nor would it be safe for you to transform into creatures such as dragons or hippogriffs. I should also caution you against transforming into animals that would be out of place in Europe. Animagi normally seek to blend into the natural environment. Our first lessons will be short, and will progressively lengthen as you gain skill. Until I give permission, you should not attempt to transform unless you are in this room and under my supervision. Is that clear?"

Professor McGonagall refused to continue until she had the agreement of all her pupils. Cho and Ellen hesitated for a moment. They looked quite worried, as if they were afraid the professor was going to start another round of Memory Charms. Malfoy was the last to nod his assent. Probably thinking about turning into a dragon just for spite thought Harry.

"Very good. For your first lesson, I want to concentrate on animal you admire. When you are ready, I want you to change your skin, and just your skin, so that you begin to look like that animal. Ready? Begin."

A few minutes later, a scaly brown Malfoy was rolling on the floor, laughing. Harry felt distinctly uncomfortable. Embarrassed would have been more accurate. He hadn't concentrated hard enough. His right hand was covered in feathers, but the left had brown fur. He felt his face. It seemed to have scales like Malfoy's. Cho hadn't changed her skin at all, but her eyes were now yellow. Ellen had blue fur covering her arms.

"That's enough, Malfoy," snapped the professor. "Five points from Slytherin."

Malfoy grumbled something under his breath too low for Harry to hear properly. At least he had stopped laughing. Harry wondered how long his transformation would last, but he needn't have worried. Professor McGonagall had drawn her wand and was restoring everyone's appearances amidst flashes of blue light.

"That was a good attempt. We will try again on Friday. Potter, you will need to do some thinking before then." The professor pocketed her wand and left the room.

"Harry? Going to the lake?" Cho had fallen into step with Harry as he walked through the corridor.

"Yeah."

"That wasn't so bad," she said once they were outside and away from other students. "At least you weren't blue."

"Thanks. What were you aiming for?"

"A cat. My concentration must have slipped though. I keep on seeing Mrs. Norris' eyes."

Harry and Cho were nearing a large tree at the edge of lake. He could see Hermione sitting with her back against a trunk, reading from one of her many books.

"Hello, Harry. Where've you been?"

Harry remembered about the caution that the professor had given him. "I, uh, had to ask Professor Browne a question. My transfigurations seemed a bit slow. Where's Ron?"

"Haven't seen him. It's such a lovely day, I thought I'd sit out here for awhile."

Cho could barely suppress a giggle. Harry raised an eyebrow at her.

"Swallow a gnat, Cho?"

Cho cleared her throat, trying to sound convincing. "Just too many flying about, ugh. I think I'll go inside. See you tomorrow." She arose and returned to the castle. Harry could see her shoulders shuddering. Obviously, she had been unable to contain her laughter any longer.

Harry was doubly glad of Cho's exit a moment later. An enormous black dog came bounding up for the direction of the forest. It was carrying a small roll of parchment in its mouth. Harry took the slobbery note from the dog and scratched it between the ears. The dog panted happily and flopped onto the ground between Harry and Hermione. Harry read the note while Hermione busied herself by trying to protect her book. Snuffles had tried to snatch it out of her lap in hopes of getting more attention from her.

Dear Harry, Pardon my appearance. I don't want to raise alarms at the castle.
Professor Dumbledore has informed me that you have been selected
for the Special Studies Programme. Well done! I've heard Professor
Browne is a fine instructor. Sirius

Harry stared at the dog in disbelief. "A fine instructor? You've got to be joking."

Snuffles whined and rolled over on his back.

"There is no way I'm going to scratch your belly. And I still don't believe you. Professor Browne is hiding something."

Snuffles let out a sharp bark as a shadow fell over Harry.

"Enjoying the weather?"

Surprised, Harry looked up to see Professor Browne. He tucked the note discretely into his robes as he replied. "Er yes, nice."

Harry was dismayed when the professor proceeded to sit next to him. Snuffles, on the other hand, happily bounded over to the Special Studies professor.

"Nice dog. Yours?"

"No. He's just some mongrel from Hogsmeade. Be careful of your robes, he's an unrepentant drooler." Harry rose to his feet, pulling Hermione along. "If you'll excuse us, there's something we forgot in the castle."

~~~~~~

"So Snuffles isn't Professor Browne?" asked Ron as he spooned steak and kidney pie on to his plate.

"Not unless he has a time turner, which I doubt," replied Hermione, reaching for the potatoes. "I still think he's some sort of fraud, though. Can you believe, when Harry and I checked the library looking for you, his books were suddenly on display at Madam Pince's desk? It's almost as if he caught on to the fact that we were suspicious."

"Maybe we should bring Crookshanks to class," suggested Ron.

"I'd prefer more research to such a scene, thanks. Besides, Crookshanks is only good at detecting Animagi."

"Harry, what about your watch?"

"What about it? It wouldn't be able to tell us much either, not with Slytherins always in the room."

In the end, Harry and Ron had to admit that Hermione was right. There wasn't much else they could do except research for the time being. Not keen on spending all of his spare time in the library however, Harry wondered if Sirius would happen to know more about Professor Browne. He decided to send an owl as soon as the Quiddich trials were over.

~~~~~~

"Potential Seekers queue up here, Keepers over there," said Angelina.

The team trials had begun and everyone, even the group of returning players, was anxious. An unwise choice could cost them the Quiddich cup. Harry looked down at his clipboard. He would have twenty candidates to evaluate before the afternoon was over. Colin Creevy stood next to him, camera in hand. He had accepted the newly created position of team photographer. It wasn't the only change Angelina had made to the team. She, along with the Slytherin team captain, had also asked Madam Hooch for permission to select reserve players. Madam Hooch thought it a fair request; she loved Quiddich just as much of the students. In addition, more students practising with teams meant fewer in her flight classes.

Angelina directed the first two Keeper candidates to take their positions at opposing goal posts. Katie, Alicia, Fred and George would be attempting to score against each contestant. It had been decided at the team meeting that Bludgers would not be used, both to prevent injuries and to speed the trials along. Accordingly, Harry had procured two Quaffles and one Golden Snitch from Madam Hooch.

Next, the first two Seeker candidates mounted their brooms. Gordon Weasley looked more than a little unsteady on his Comet 260. The third year competing against him, however, looked competent enough. Satisfied that everyone was in position, Angelina released the Quaffles and Golden Snitch. Harry noted that Gordon was still hovering over the centre of the pitch. He wondered if the first year even knew what a Snitch even looked like. Sad really, to see a Weasley so unskilled. Meanwhile, the other candidate swooped about the pitch demonstrating several moves. Harry thought it bit showy, especially since the acobatics has distracted the conestant from seeing the Snitch Harry had already spotted twice. A few minutes later he saw a red card flash in the stands. Dean Thomas, deciding that he still preferred football, had agreed to be timekeeper for the trials. Angelina nodded to Dean and signalled for the next four candidates to mount their brooms.

The trials went on for another hour and a half. Only one potential Seeker, a sixth year named Ewan Smith, had caught the Golden Snitch, although four others had come within inches of doing so. Gordon Weasley had placed dead last. As for potential Keepers, Seamus Finnigan had been the star of the group, blocking all but two scoring attempts.

~~~~~~

Harry and his fellow judges had a hard time keeping straight faces during the Muggle Studies fashion show. The professor may have taken his students into the Muggle world, but he certainly hadn't advised them on proper clothing. Either that or they hadn't listened. Harry felt that even the professor was a bit behind the times, using a turntable instead of a CD player like his cousin Dudley owned. If he hadn't known about the grotty little second hand shop in Edinburgh that Ron had described, he would have sworn that the records had come from the professor's personal collection. After all, no self-respecting teenager in the Muggle world listened to Perry Como voluntarily.

Harry marked points off of Cho's score as she tripped down the runway in platform shoes to "Arriva Derci Roma". Where had she bought that polyester leisure suit? Ghastly. And Malfoy's combination of a dinner jacket and kilt with a studded leather collar and Birkenstocks? Disturbing, especially since he was sans shirt. It would be a long time before Harry got that image out of his head. Professor Trelawney had been partially accurate last week when she'd predicted he would be haunted by strange visions before attempting suicide. At least Ron looked reasonably normal. The only thing he'd purchased in Edinburgh was a pair of trainers. Otherwise, he was wearing one of the famous Weasley jumpers with a pair of corduroy trousers.

"Well judges? Would this group stand out in a crowd of Muggles?" Professor Browne asked expectantly, or maybe it was with sadistic glee. Harry couldn't tell.

"Would the Muggles happen to be pissed up?" muttered Juno.

"Pardon, Miss Grant?"

"Sorry professor. Perhaps it would be better if we gave each of them a slight makeover. Would you mind?"

"Not at all. Carry on."

The Muggle Studies students didn't know that Juno had been acting as a spy for the past two weeks. With the help of Cho and Padma's roommates, she had secretly previewed their outfits. Even without a suitable connection in the Slytherin house, she had correctly guessed Ursula's lack of good taste. She lost no time consulting with Hermione and Ellen during their free afternoons. Hermione, in turn, had warned Harry to bring suitable changes of clothing for Malfoy and Stebbins. He had sought out Justin Finch-Fletchley for help. He was known for his sartorial splendour, at least according to those who cared about clothing.

Ten minutes later, they were ready for the presentation. The girls and Stebbins had only taken five minutes to change. The other five had been spent persuading Malfoy that the collar had to go. With Juno and Hermione narrating in the hopes that a few of the fashion dos and don'ts would sink in, the Muggle Studies students paraded in front of their professor. Ellen guarded the turntable to make sure it wasn't used again. A wise choice, considering the selections included Yoko Ono and some rather uninspired poetry readings by members of the royal family. She had wanted to smash the records into tiny bits until Harry pointed out that Professor Browne looked a bit green. Apparently a few of them, particularly "Princess Margaret Reads from Leaves of Grass", were his treasured possessions.

~~~~~~

Time seemed to pass by quickly as the Special Studies students settled into a routine. Even Malfoy had eventually resigned himself to conform to the programme standards. It had been a bit shaky during Continental Culture when Professor Browne insisted that the students eat all of their vichyssoise as part of the lesson on table etiquette. However, a terse reminder from Ursula that his last complaint to his father had resulted in a cessation of parcels to the Slytherin House convinced him to comply.

After weeks of Special Studies essays, exhausting Animagus lessons and the usual death predictions for Professor Trelawney, Harry was more than ready for the Hogsmeade Weekend scheduled for the end of October. It meant that they would soon be travelling to the Continent. Sirius had agreed to meet him at the usual rendezvous point. Perhaps he would have helpful information regarding the elusive Professor Browne.