The Half Blood Princess

Chapter 24: Happy Discovery

Months after Talia’s mother visited, leading to her confronting Professor Snape and an unscheduled Death Eater meeting, Talia stood with the rest of Dumbledor’s Army when suddenly the temperature dropped and the ground looked a lot closer than it had before. “Guys! What’s happened to me?!” Talia tried to ask. However, the other DA members just looked at her incredulously and as if they were afraid of her. “Lia?” Hermione asked tentatively as she approached where Talia had previously stood. Talia tried to speak to Hermione except, the only sound that came out of her mouth were small roars, as if something had affected her voice box. “Someone grab a mirror quickly!” Harry ordered as he almost broke out into a grin. “Have you, by any chance, followed the instructions to become an animagus?” Hermione questioned as she knelt down to what was now Talia’s eye level. When Ginny placed a long mirror in front of Talia, it became clear that her attempt to become an animagus had worked. Walking around in her new found form, she made a mental note to speak with her grandmother about her unusual form, for the time being she took the time to enjoy how the others were now running their hands through what she could assume was her fur. “My word, Lia! You’ve transformed into a Lioness” Ginny exclaimed once she had set the mirror down. “I’ve heard that’s one of the rarest forms!” Seamus Finnegan piped up from somewhere in the back of the crowd. “You’ll have to confirm with your grandmother, but I think that Seamus is right.” Hermione agreed, watching Talia sceptically. About 20 minutes passed before Talia returned to her normal state. “Well if that's going to continue, we're going to have to figure out ways to communicate” Talia groaned as she rolled her shoulders once she was back to her full height. “How are you going to hide that from Lord Voldemort?” Harry questioned as he grabbed a chair for Talia to sit on. “Yeah, it's not exactly like your average house cat” Ron piped up despite previously having been quiet. “I'll keep it him from him, Professor Snape and I have been working on my Occlumency and Legitimency so that Lord Voldemort can not enter my mind. I've gotten quite good at it actually, to the point that Professor Snape hasn't been able to enter my mind and has only seen what I want him to see” Talia smiled mischievously with a twinkle in her eyes. “Uch, Lia!” Ginny chuckled as she shook her head, understanding immediately. “What? I had to give him something that would distract him. That mans mind is virtually impenetrable” Talia chuckled in response. “Ew! Lia! You didn't?!” Hermione exclaimed, finally catching on. “Oh please, it's not like I projected an image he wasn't already trying to imagine” Talia shrugged before attempting to turn back into her animagus form once again.