The Cupboard Series 4: The Fourth School

Chapter 35

The half-circle of adults that jumped to their feet the second that Harry and Hermione walked into the large sitting room of Potter Haven froze the two teens as they entered. Harry's eyes darted from Remus to Sirius to Minerva and finally to Tonks. All of them gave off an air of expectation, although there was some difference between Minerva's slightly apprehensive look and Tonks' glee that almost had the metamorph bouncing where she stood.

"Uh, hi," Harry said.

"Hey, Pup," Sirius replied.

"It there something going on?" Harry asked.

"Indeed, Mister Potter," Minerva said, causing Harry's eyebrows to rise at the use of his surname, something Minerva only did when she was feeling particularly formal or particularly nervous.

"You do know what date it is, don't you?" Remus asked.

"May twenty-six," Hermione answered promptly.

Harry's mind darted about, trying to work out why the date was especially important. Suddenly, he had it.

"The potion! It's been two months!" he exclaimed. "Is it ready?"

"The potion is ready," Minerva confirmed. "The real question is: are you?"

"I think so," Harry replied. "I've been learning everything that I could about mongooses for the past two months. I've even been studying that skeleton that Sirius got me so that I know exactly how its body works. I think that you could ask me just about anything about mongooses and I'd be able to tell you."

"What do you think, Tonks?" Remus asked.

"Can't fault his metamorpth skills, they're nearly as good as mine now," she replied, eyeing her student carefully. "And we've done a few simple animal parts that have all worked fine."

"And I believe that your human transfiguration is at an appropriate level," Minerva added.

"Then I can take it? I can transform into a mongoose?" Harry asked excitedly.

"Yeah, Pup," Sirius grinned. "We thought that we'd do it in here so that you've got a bit of extra room to move around."

"Now," Minerva said, her tone indicating that she was entering lecture mode. "This potion is only designed to transform you into your animagus form for a short period of time, usually about ten minutes. And it can only be taken once. It's your job to concentrate on the transformation, both from human to animal and from animal to human. Not to mention to get a feel for how the animal moves and what its senses are like and what it feels like to have your body in that shape. After this, it'll be wholly up to you to train your body to transform. The potion will aid your ability after this, but it cannot do the transformation for you."

Harry nodded solemnly, taking in the information that he already knew.

"And it'll take Harry at least three months before he can transform completely by himself?" Hermione clarified.

"Generally, it takes between three and six months," Sirius nodded, "but with Harry's metamorph skills, we're betting on closer to the three month mark."

"So, can I take it?" Harry asked eagerly.

"And I can stay, right?" Hermione asked. "To see you transform?"

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Harry told her with a squeeze of her hand.

He crossed the room then and took the vial that Remus held out for him. The potion inside was a turquoise so bright that it was almost glowing.