Amulet of time 1: The Age of The Founders

Chapter 11: The Art of Animagus

Tuesday morning found the four participating in their morning run. All were exhausted by the time they had completed their tasks, but their times had improved slightly. Before long they had reached the Great Hall and were heading to their own tables. As Harry sat down, Galatea turned away from her conversation with one of her female friends to greet him.

"Hello Harry, how was your run?"

"It was better than yesterday. The others seem to be especially worn out. I don't know if it's because I'm used to running away from my cousin that I'm fitter. We'll just have to wait and see."

"Running from your cousin?" she asked in bemusement.

"Long story, you don't want to know."

"So, are you looking forward to tonight?"

Harry looked at her warily. Did she know about the extra training? No-one else was supposed to know about it. If it got out to the rest of the school that the four were getting special treatment, there would be a lot of angry parents.

"What do you know about tonight?" Harry whispered back to her. Catching on, Galatea also lowered her voice.

"The Animagus lessons with Lady Hufflepuff. I know about them, because I'll be there too. My mother thought it would be a useful skill. It's the only one of your lessons I'll be partaking in, though. I think you may be able to get permission to bring Ardwick and Chris if you want."

Harry stared at her in stunned silence, before slowly nodding his head in consent.

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Later that day, in the first herbology lesson of the year, the group experienced their first confrontation with Horatio d'Escargot. He had been keeping a relatively low profile for the last few days, but he took Hufflepuff's inattention as a good chance to strike. Turning around in his seat, he glared at Hermione and Ginny, who were sitting in the seat behind him.

"So, I see you Mudbloods are weak at magic. Don't think I've forgotten about that little display in Transfiguration and no matter what that Ravenclaw woman says, I won't let it lie. One day, the world will be purged of filthy scum and on that day I will be watching."

Hermione and Ginny just stared at him in contempt. It was Hermione that answered his taunt.

"Really? That's nice."

Horatio turned enraged eyes on the young witch and lifted his hand. But Hermione was too quick. Before he could utter a spell she had her wand out and threw an impediment jinx on him. The two girls watched in satisfaction as he struggled to move. After a few minutes, the jinx was lifted and the angry boy turned back to the front, muttering about revenge.

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That evening, at seven o'clock, the four time travellers met at the entrance to the Gryffindor tower room with Galatea, Ardwick and Christabelle. A few minutes later, Lady Hufflepuff turned up and the group moved up to the room. Hufflepuff smiled at the students and began to explain what was going to happen.

"Right, everyone, we'll be starting with some background notes on the theory of the animagus transformation. You have to cover the theory before even attempting the transformation. It is a very complicated piece of magic and there are a lot of things that can go wrong. Once we have covered the background, which should take us to about nine o'clock, you will all decide whether you want to continue. If you do not believe you will be successful, I suggest you back out before we start the practical lessons. After the note taking, you will each perform a charm, one at a time, which will tell us what animal you will become. After that, you will be spending the next few weeks researching your animal. It is impossible to become the beast, if you do not understand the beast. Understand?"