Chapter 10

“I can’t believe this!!!!”

That was the sound that echoes through the great hall the following Monday morning.

At the Gryffindor table Harry and Holly had just read the daily proffit and were not happy about it as you can tell.

“How dare what excuse for a swear toad dropping do this,” said Hollly fuming. ”How did she get them to pass this ridiculous rule.”

“I don’t know,” replied Hermione heaviloy.

 ”Well now we know how we ended up with her. Fudge forced her on us,” said Ron bitterly.

On the front page of the dialy proffit there was a huge picture of Umbridge wo was smiling in such a toad like way that it made Harry and Holly want to puke. Umderneath this horrible picture was a notice that said that Umbridge ha dbeen appointed as Hogwarts High Inquizitor. This gave her the power to inspect the other teachers and if she did not like what she saw then she could put the teachers on probation or even have them sacked. If this happened and Dumbledore couldn’t find a suitable replacement then the Ministry would step in and choose a teacher for him.

“What are we going to do?” asked Foaly. “It’s not like we can go up to her and say ‘hay you mind quitting and leaving the country so we don’t have to look at you’ We’d be dead before we finished the first few words.”

“There is no way under or over the earth that I’m going to follow any of these Ministry of Magic rules,” said Holly simply calming down a little bit.

“Well I supose that we should go and get ready for the classes today,” said Hermione trying to draw attention away from Umbridge who was attracting quite a few glares from the Gryffindor table and even a few from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.

They Headed out to the grounds for Herbology and after that trooped back for Transfiguration.

“Well,” said Ron as they reached the entrance hall and continued up the stairs. “Umbridge wasn’t in Herbology, I wonder what’ll happen if she’s in Magonigal’s class.” A grin spread accross his face as he walked.

“I would like to see that,” commented Holly as they reached the classroom and lined up with the other Gryffindors and unfortunately for them the Slytherins.

The door opened and Magonigal came out. She ushered them inside and they took their seats. They looked to the front and glares crossed their faces faster then you could say ‘D’arvit’. Sitting behind the desk that belonged to the transfiguration teacher was Umbridge who was holding a clipboard and was wearing one of those foolish smiles of hers.

“Umbridge won’t know what hit her,” muttered Ron to Harry and Holly who were glaring the fiercest.

The two didn’t make any sign that they had heard him other then to encline their heads slightly in his direction.

“Right,” said Magonigal after the class had settled into it’s seats.  “Today I have something very special that I want you all to do.”

There was a murmur of interest that rippled around the room. People were turning to give their friends excited looks.

“When I call your names you will come up in pairs and take the potion” She indecated a box that was sitting on her desk. “You will drink it and for the rest of this lesson you will turn into your Animagus form. If you wish to be an Animagus then come and see me after the class. Professor Umbridge will take a not of what you turn into and the markings that you have.”

That did it. The whole class was looking farward to this. “Everyone stand up and go to the back of the classroom,” Magonigal instructed as she took out her wand. Everone did as they were told and knied up against the back wall. Magonigal waved her wand and the desks and chairs flew to the side of the room out of the way.

“Ronan Garrowson and Hermione Granger.” Hermione and Foaly looked at each other and walked farward. They took the potion she gave them which was a golden brown. They took the tops off the crystal files and drank the potion. For a moment nothing happened and then there was a blinding flash of golden light. When everone had last looked there were two students and now where Foaly had been standing there was a pure brown horse. His eyes were the same colour they had always been and his main and tail were a light brown . He tossed his head so that the mane rippled in the air.

Hermione on the other hand had turned into an amazing golden eagle. She spread her wings and flew around the classroom. Everyone cheered and clapped at her flying skills except of course for the Slytherins.

“Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown.” The two girls stepped farward and took the potion. The same thing happened to them except Parvati became a pure brown rabbit with pure white paws and tale and Lavender became a ginger cat with brown stripes on it’s head and body.

“Ronnald Weasley and Pansy Parkingson.”

Ron and the Slytherin girl stepped forward. After the flash of light Ron had become a red fox with a silver tipped tale and Pansy had become a hummingbird.

The transformations went on for a while untill there were only six people left. Harry, Holly, Artemis, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle.

“Crab, Goyle.” Magonigal called. The two hulking boys stepped farward and took the potion. Suprisingly the two of them turned into lizards. One was green and the other was a yellow colour. They were rather large lixards though around three feet long with thin bodies and it appeared sharp teeth.

“Fowl, Malfoy.”

Artemis and Draco walked over to Magonigal and they took the potion. Artemis turned into a large dark wolf with ice blue eyes and a golden tinge to his tale. Draco on the other hand turned into a snake (DUN-DUN-DUN) He was long and black. His eyes had turned a bright yellow and his pupils had become slits like Voldemort’s. He uncoiled and becan to sligher across the floor.

“Potter, Short.”

Holly adn Harry stepped forward. Everyone in the room had stopped. They were all wanting to see just what the great Harry Potter was going to turn into. Holly and Harry took the potion and drank it.

There was complete silence in the room and then came the flash of light. When people found themselves able to see they turned and stared.

Where there had bren a black haired, green eyes student there stood a magnificent Phionix. It had piercing green eyes that seemed to search through your mind and pick out your happiest memories and bring them to the surface.

Next to the pheonix stood another pheonix. It was almost the exact same as the first except it had bright hazel eyes instead of green ones. The two birds spread their wings and took off. They circled around the room and proformed complicated arobatic moves like summersalts and dives with the greatest of eeze. Just then the bell rang. Everyone that was in the air landed and immediately turned back into humans. Those who had already been on the ground changed too. As fast as they could Harry and Holly grabbed their schol bags and ran out of the classroom.

Gryffindor Commonroom, later that night.

Everyone in the school, EVERYONE, was discussing what had happened in Magonigal’s classroom. Everyone was completely awed that Harry Potter could turn into a pheonix and even more suprised that Holly could do the exact same thing. The two spent the rest of the day in Harry’s and Ron’s dorm room thinking over what had happened.

“Harry,” Holly said after a while of silence.

“Yeah,” Harry replied.

“I was thinking, you told me, Artemis and Foaly that your dad and his friends could turn into animals and they formed a little group?”

“Yeah,” replied Harry.

“Well what if we did the same,” said Holly. “Think about it. We could train ourselves to transform just like they did and become the new merauders.”

Slowly a grin made it’s way onto Harry’s face and he nodded.

“If we did that,” he began.

“Umbridge wouldn’t know what hit her,” Holly finished for him.

The two of them exchanged devious grins and walked over to the door.

Just then there was a knock and Artemis, Foaly, Hermione and Ron walked in. They looked at Harry and Holly’s faces and groaned.

2What are you two planning this time?” said Foaly.

“Oh, nothing,” said Holly loftily.

“Just planning on reinstating the Merauders,” said Harry.

The four newcommers stared at them and two identical grins crossed Ron and Foaly’s faces.

“Exelent,” said Ron. “Umbridge won’t know what hit her.”

“This is going to be so much fun,” said Foaly.

“I’m not sure you four,” said Hermione tentitively.

“If we went through with this then we could get in a lot of trouble,” added Artemis.

“You worry too much,” said Fred who had come up behind them making them all jump and turn to face him.

“I like this idea,” said Gorge who had come up behind Fred. “You’ll have Umbridge so confused she won’t know which way is up, and with the two of us on your side you’ll never get caught.” he added as an afterthought.

“Hold it,” said Harry. “You two want to be Merauders?”

“You bet and we have something to show you,” said Gorge. He and Fred came all the way into the room and closed the door, locked it and turned to face the other six people in the room.

“Ever since Fifth year when we took that potion we’ve wanted to become animagi. Well we’ve done it.”

The other sic just stared at the two of them.

“You gotta be joking,” said Ron finally.

“No, sorry little bro but for once we’re dead serious,” said Fred.

With that the two of them turned with a swich of their cloaks and a moment later there was one huge siberian white tiger standing where Fred once did and a normal coloured Tiger standing where Gorge had been seconds before.

“Oh,” began Hermione and Artemis.

“My,” continued Ron and Foaly.

“God,” finished Harry and Holly.

The two tigers turned back into Fred and Gorge who were grinning broadly.

“Well,” said Fred. “Are we in?”

“Are yoiu mental?” asked Harry incredulously. “Of course you’re in. We could really use your help. We need to learn how to turn into our animal forms.”

“You’ll also need to contact Sirius,2 added Hermione after looking around to make sure that they weren’t being overheard.

“Is it settled then?” asked Holly. “Are we going to do this or not? Everyone in favour say aye.”

“Aye,” said everyone in the room even Artemis and Holly.

“They eyes have it then,” said Holly. “The Merauders are back.”

“Right,” said Fred in a buisnes like tone. “The first thing you need to do before turning into your animal is imagine yourself as the animal. Feel your bodies move like the animal in question.”

“It helps if you close your eyes,” added Gorge as an after thought. The six fifth years did as they were told and closed their eyes.

“It’ll take a few tries to get even a hand to transform so don’t be dissappointed,” said Fred.

Suddenly Harry and Holly began to shrink. They turned Red and Gold and their arms became wings. In front of the six dumbfounded students there were two pheinixes. Perfectly done. The two swan like birds looked at each other and they took off from the ground. They circled around the room once and then one of them landed on Fred’s shoulder and the other landed on Gorge’s. 

The two pheonix’s took off again and settled on the ground where they had been standing.

Suddenly theybegan to grow. Their feathers dissappeared and soon there were two completely non-pheonix people standing there.

“How in the name of Merlin’s baggy left-”

“Fred,” exclaimed Hermione. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence.

“Sorry, but you can’t blame us,” said Fred. “No one’s ever done that before.” He turned to Holly and Harry. “How did you do it?”

“We just did what you told us to do and sorta thought of the transformation and it happened,” said Holly who was looking just as confused as the others, Harry included.

“Well,” said Gorge after a moment. “Let’s all try it again.” Everyone closed their eyes and imagined themselves as their animal. All except for Holly who let her mind wonder to the umicorn that she had ridden the first day of term. Harry let his mind wonder too and he thought of his father’s stag form.

When everyone opened their eyes they got an even larger shock. Where Harry had been standing there was a magnificent stag. It wooked down at it’self clearly just as shocked as the others.

Where Holly had been standing there was a unicorn. It was no ordinary unicorn though. It’s main had a tinge of auburn as did it’s tale. It’s body also had a slight blueish glow to it. Needless to say that everyone in the room was very, very, very, shocked. The two animals turned back into humans and stared at the others hoping for an explanation.

“How in the name of Merlin’s pants are you doing that,2 exclaimed Gorge before Hermione could shut him up.

“I don’t know,” they replied in umison.

“I was just thinking of my dad’s stag form and then I was a stag,” said Harry.

“And I was thinking of the unicorn that I had ridden the first day of term and then, I was one,” said Holly.

“Try thinking of another animal,” said Fred eagerly. 2Try to turn into let’s say a big bear-like dog.”

Harry grinned at the reference to Sirius and he and Holly thought about it.

Seconds later two huge dogs were standing in the room. One was black with bright green eyes and the other was an auburn colour with hazel eyes.. A few more seconds and Harry and Holly were back grinning from ear to ear.

“Brilliant,” exclaimed Ron, Foaly, Fred and Gorge together.

“You two are amazing,” said Fred who was also grinning like a maniac. “If you two can do that then Umbridge won’t know who you are if she sees you in another form. Just don’t use the pheonic around her and you should be alright.”

“We better write to Sirius and tell him about this,” said Hermione.

“Are you mental,” said Ron. “We can’t tell anyone about Harry and Holly being able to turn into loads of animals. They’d be taken to St Mungos before you could say elf and then they’d find out about Holly not being human and then what?”

“I agree with Ron on this one,” said Harry. “But, I think we at least should tell Sirius about it.”

“We can’t put something that important in a letter,2 said Hermione shocked. “What if it’s intercepted. What are you going to do if you-know-who finds out about this. You’ll lose an advantage that’ll be very useful.”

“Alright, alright,” Harry said throwing his hands up in the air. “I won’t tell him abouit it.”

“Good,” said Hermione. “Now if you don’t mind I’m going to bed.”

With that she turned, umlocked the door and left.

“Wait Hermione,” said Harry. “We need to choose our names.”

Hermione came back into the room and said. “Fine, I’m an eagle so I’ll be staff.”

“I like it,” said Harry and Holly together.

“I’ll just use Foaly,” said Foaly.

“Since you two are tigers,” said Harry turning to Fred and Gorge. “Why dosn’t Fred be mane and Gorge be strypes.”

“Fine with us,” they replied in umison.

“I’ll be trickster,” said Ron. “I’m a fox and they’re suposed to be really crafty so-” He let the end of the sentence hang in the air for a moment.

“What about arctic for Artemis,2 said Hermione. “He takes the form of an arctic wolf after all.”

“Good idea Hermione,” said Holly. “That ok with you Arty?”

“You many times do I have to tell you not to call me that,” Artemis said as the others in the room snickered.  “That name is fine with me.”

“That just leaves us,” said Harry and indecated himself and Holly.

“This one is going to be hard,” said Ron. “Since you can change animals we won’t know what to call you.”

“Well,” said Artemis, thinking. “Since there original forms are pheonices then I supose that we chould base our decision on that. If we don’t then people could get suspicious.”

“Good idea Artemis,” said Holly.

“Well since she likes Flying,” began Foaly and Ron snorted “What about Windrider?”

“I like the sound of that,” said Harry. “I supose that since Falkes is taken by Dumbledore’s pheonix-”

“Wow, hold up,” said Holly. “Dumbledore has a pheonic?”

“Yeah,” replied Ron. “He keeps it in his office.”

“I think Harry should be Emeraldeye,” said Holly.

“That’s cool,” said Harry.

“So it’s settloed?” asked Artemis. “The Merauders names are, Windrider, Emeraldeyes, Trickster, Foaly, Mane, Stripes, Staff and Arctic.”

“Now that that’s decided I really think it’s time for bed,” said Hermione.

With that she and Holly walked out of the boy’s dorm room and headed for bed.

Some other stories by Arya:

• Animagus choosus
• Moonlight Ritual

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