Creature Comforts (h.p.)

14

"Well, Harry. You've changed quite a bit," madam Pomfrey commented. Hermione snorted.

"Understatement of the year."

They registered their inheritances with Poppy, making her swear not to tell Dumbledore. It was well past midnight so the nurse gave them yet more slips of paper excusing them from punishment for being out of bed past curfew. She watched sadly as they put their glamours up, wishing they didn't have to. Harry saw this look and reassured her.

"It won't be like this for long." She was mildly worried by this proclamation but trusted the boy's confidence enough to set the concern aside. The duo left toward the Gryffindor tower. Hermione sighed.

"I wish you didn't have to look like that," she whispered.

"I know, it sucks. But I only need a week or two. We need to know if we're being monitored or watched because I want rid of it all as soon as possible. Then we can-"

"And just what, are you doing out of bed at one in the morning, Potter?" A voice Harry loathed spat. They looked up to see Snape glaring at them, his upper lip curling in distaste.

Harry bit back a remark and produced the paper. Snape grew angry at this stolen opportunity.

"Already managed to injure yourself, Potter? I must have underestimated your idiocy." Hermione snarled, shocking all of them including herself. Her animal instincts were still running on high after the close call.

"None of your business, Snape," she spat. Harry grew alarmed as her canines were longer than usual. Fur was growing on her hands again. He rubbed her shoulder and immediately Hermione calmed down, slumping into him. Snape stood before them, alarmed. Harry glowered at him.

"One word of this to bumblewhore and I'll tear you limb from limb, Snivellus," he growled. His terrifying tongue darted out and pushed his glasses up his nose. Snape paled.

"Get your stray under control." The usual bite in his voice was gone.

"I mean it. Don't you dare tell Dumbledore. Or we'll all be dead." Snape looked like he wanted to ask a question, but he opted instead to leave swiftly as Hermione hissed.

When they got back, Ron was waiting in the common room. Or he had been, but he was fast asleep sprawled on the sofa.

"You should wake him," Hermione whispered. Harry shook his head.

"I want to put intruder detector charms on my bed - you should too just in case - and it'll be harder with him there." Hermione nodded and hugged him tightly, heading up the girl's dorm steps.

Harry was in the shower the next morning when the intruder charms went off. His vision suddenly changed to a birds-eye view of his bed, where he watched as Ron went through his bedsheets, looking for something. When he finished, he went to rifle through Harry's trunk. Harry could breathe easy knowing that everything of importance was in the little pouch currently sat on his pile of school robes. He didn't let it out of his sight, ever. He went down into the common room early - Ron was pretending to sleep - and found Hermione sitting alone, looking anxious. He sat down next to her and Hermione didn't hesitate to throw her arms around him.

"I came early and Parvati - i think she's under the imperius curse - she went through my trunk when I wasn't there. And I got a message from my parents with the feather you gave me, their old house has been raided - thank god they have different names now-" she mumbled for a while about her parents while Harry petted her hair sympathetically.

"If they do get tracked down, which is unlikely, they have ways of getting to us. The feathers, remember? They aren't completely defenceless. The wards we put up should keep out ill-wishers, too. They're as safe as it gets, Hermione." Harry felt something in his pocket heat up and pulled out the veela feather Luna gave him. In its surface he saw Luna, smiling serenely. sShe was in the hall, she showed, spinning the feather to give them a view of the room. That put a smile on Hermione's face. They spotted a couple of bewildered expressions in the view, wondering what on earth Luna was doing.

When the view came back to Luna, Harry pointed to himself and Hermione, then held up five fingers. Luna got the message and the feather went blank once more.

"C'mon, we're going to breakfast," Harry said, getting up. The two walked down to breakfast, Hermione scowling.

"These glamours really itch. I can feel my other ears itching but I can't scratch it," she grumbled. Harry scoffed.

"Try having wings. I always feel the need to open them but I can't, because they're not there," he groaned, feeling that very urge right then.

When they entered the hall they went to sit with Luna, who smiled at them.

"How was your hunt?" she asked. "I could see you fidgeting across the hall." Hermione blushed.

"i really should keep it more under control, it just caught me by surprise," she reasoned.

Ginny waved at them as she sat with some of the Gryffindor girls in her year. Neville came to sit with them at the Ravenclaw table. They chatted happily until Ron spotted them, his nostrils flaring slightly. He stomped over, slamming his bag down with unnecessary force.

"Why're we sitting with the Ravenclaws?" Ron's voice was strained, like he was trying to restrain himself. Harry was unimpressed.

"Well, you didn't have to join us if you didn't want to," he said as politely as he could. Ron laughed, but it was cold.

"Good one, mate."