Random Harry Potter One Shots

Hermione Granger

5. Hermione Granger

No one knew the effect that the Polyjuice Potion had on Hermione. Not even Dumbledore or Hermione herself could tell. The effect wasn't visible to the eye. Well, in some ways it was...

In Harry's second year, the three friends sat in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, making a Polyjuice Potion. Hermione was a clever girl and knew not to take risks, so generally read the small-print. But this time, she didn't. At the bottom of the page in the book, it read,

WARNING! Do NOT use animal hair under any circumstances, especially if the animal is an Animagus. This can result in you becoming an attraction for that particular animal. 

Millicent Bulstrode's cat was, you guessed it, and Animagus. 

But Hermione was too busy trying to explain the concept of the potion to Harry and Ron to focus. By the time she read it, it was too late...

In the holidays before their third year, when they went to Diagon Alley to shop for their school things, a large ginger cat landed on her head. Of course, everyone knows what happened after that. Hermione bought the cat- Crookshanks- and thought nothing of it. Why should she, anyway? It was just one cat, and a rather energetic cat at that. Why should she be bothered? 

The trouble really started in sixth year, although no one seemed to notice it- except Hermione. She had been walking down the street of Diagon Alley with Harry and Ron, heading to Borgin and Burkes, following Malfoy, when cats appeared all around them. Harry and Ron were both too occupied to notice, but Hermione did. She tried to silently shoo them away, but it didn't work. But she was lucky that time, because nothing happened. 

The next year, though, in the days following the Battle, she had taken to walking down Diagon Alley. One time, as she walked, cats appeared out of nowhere, swarming her and leaping on her. To Hermione, it felt like they were trying to bring her down and kill her. But then she was saved by a passing Auror and all she felt was a little flustered. 

Needless to say, she never walked down any part of Diagon Alley again alone. 

After that, countless attacks happened. She barely went out sometimes. And so she decided to get to the bottom of it.

Despite the fact that she had left Hogwarts the year before, she went back to the Library, her trusted companion. Madame Pince- who had become considerably less hostile after the Battle- helped and soon they found the problem. Of course, she got into a lot of trouble for making the potion, but overall, people were more concerned about the after-effects- namely, the attcking cats and the fact that there was no known cure.

They tried and tried. Some of the best Alchemists in the Wizarding World tried. No one suceeded. The Polyjuice Potion was a very old potion that had no cure and no need for  one, since the effects generally wore off in their own due time. If there was a cure for the Animagus problem, the maker of the potion hadn't told anyone.

It seemed like Hermione was stuck attracting cats forever.

~AliceTheHPGeek