Chapter 23

Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this fiction belong to JK Rowling, her heirs and her assignees, except for those who belong to me.

Author's Notes: Kudos to noybate for stepping in as beta for this story. This chapter has been Britpicked by the incomparable SlytherinsHeirx, but any mistakes are my own.

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Hermione?" Minerva called out as she stepped into the seemingly empty classroom.

"Hmmm?" Hermione answered from her seated position on the floor behind her desk as she looked over books left behind by her students. "What is it, Minerva?" Hermione looked up to see a quizzical expression on Minerva's face as she leaned over the desk.

"What on earth are you doing?" Minerva asked, staring at the younger witch, who was clad in blue jeans and trainers under her teaching robes.

"Oh," Hermione said. "I'm looking to see if any of these are in good enough shape to use next term. Some of them are ready for the dustbin." So saying, she tipped the book in her hand into the rubbish bin sitting next to her. Fortunately for her reputation as a bookworm, most of the books remained on the floor rather than in the bin. "What can I do for you?" She got up onto her feet, brushing dust off her robes and hands.

"I was hoping we could work on your Transfiguration training a little while this week," Minerva said. "But there's something you said that's been bothering me since before Neville's wedding last week."

"What did I say? Tea?" Hermione held up the teapot and tested it for weight. Satisfied, she set it down and cast a warming charm on the water inside.

"Not just now, thank you. What did you mean by 'spike her guns'?"

Hermione giggled. "Oh, that. It's a Muggle saying. The popular meaning is 'to spoil her plans'. Since I haven't seen anything in The Daily Prophet since Sunday, maybe it worked."

"Or maybe she's thinking of what to do next," Minerva said with a dour look. "Well, at least we have Severus' brain on hand to help mastermind anything else we might try. Right, then." She clapped her hands together and stood up. "Animagus training. Do you think you can concentrate properly now?"

"Of course."

* * *

"That's right," Minerva said as Hermione stood before a cheval mirror the Headmistress had Transfigured from a pocket mirror pulled from Hermione's handbag. "Keep concentrating on your magical core. That's where your inner animal will come from."

"Are those... whiskers?" Hermione whispered, leaning into her reflection. "Am I going to become a cat, like you?" she asked the older witch.

Minerva smiled. "There's nothing wrong with cats, dear. And this time you won't need to brew Polyjuice," she said teasingly.

Hermione snorted. "I'm never going to live that down, am I?" Her concentration broken, the whiskers vanished.

"Not while there's a professor at this school who remembers your second year." Minerva sniffed in remembrance. "Imagine brewing a restricted potion in a girls' bathroom."

"It seemed to be the best place to do so," Hermione said musingly. "After all, no one ever went into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom." She huffed. "Now it seems to have become a tourist attraction."

"Yes, well, it's hard to keep students out of there when Myrtle encourages them to come in. Thank Merlin none of the new students have been Parselmouths. I shudder to think about someone opening that Chamber again, even though the Basilisk is gone."

Hermione laughed. "Well, at least the fangs were good for destroying Horcruxes. Back to practicing, then?"

Minerva sighed and smiled. "Go right ahead, dear. Now, concentrate..."

* * *

"And I managed to manifest whiskers today," Hermione said excitedly to Severus as all the teachers sat down to supper. "I don't know what kind of animal I'll be, but at least it's a mammal."

"Don't American catfish have whiskers?" Severus asked drily.

Hermione made a face at him. "Don't rain on my parade, Severus. It's bad enough to imagine I might be a cat again."

Flitwick choked back a laugh as he drank his pumpkin juice cocktail. "I don't see why you wouldn't make a good cat," he said. "After all, you've already been halfway through it once."

"That's enough of that, Filius, thank you very much." Minerva admonished the small wizard as she watched her journeywoman get red in the face. "Can we talk about something else...like how nice the wedding was this past Saturday?"

"Indeed," Pomona Sprout said. "I rather liked that Birdie Tweeter. She wasn't rude or pushy like someone else we all know."

"And you liked the fact that you were mentioned in the article as to how Longbottom will be here as your apprentice next year," Severus said with a sneer.

"Well, of course I did," the dumpy little witch answered back. "Everyone likes to get their name mentioned once in a while. Present company excepted," she said in apology to Hermione. "We all know you would prefer to stay out of the papers and the limelight."

"Thank you, Pomona." Hermione sighed. "It'll be good to see Neville every day. Just don't work him too hard, okay?" She grinned at the rotund witch. "He does have a wife to go home to each night."

"Severus, are you planning to play in the Student-Alumni Quidditch game next week?" Rolanda Hooch asked, deftly changing the subject. "I understand both Mr Malfoys, Mr Potter, Miss Weasley, and four of the younger Mr Weasleys have already signed up."

"Which of the younger Weasleys have agreed to play, Rolanda?" Poppy asked. "I might need to make sure I have enough supplies on hand."

"I believe the whole family is planning to turn out for the game, but the players will be Ginny Weasley, Charlie, Bill, George, and Ron." She named four of the five surviving brothers and grinned. "It should be an interesting game. Severus?"

"I suppose I should." Severus smirked. "If only to keep the youngest Mr Weasley and Draco Malfoy from killing or severely hexing each other." He looked over at Hermione, who blushed beet red in the face.

"Excellent," Hooch said, clapping her hands once to signify approval. "As usual, you and Lucius Malfoy will coach the alumni while I coach the students. Oliver Wood has graciously volunteered to referee the match, and Lee Jordan will be here to do the announcing." She nodded as if everything were a done deal.

"I understand Mr Jordan has managed to get the Wizarding Wireless to broadcast the game," Minerva interjected. "That's quite a coup."

"Oh, yes." Hooch chortled. "He has one of the most popular shows on the Wireless, and broadcasting the game shows the confidence the WWN management has in him. I'm quite looking forward to it."

* * *

"Lucius, you're pouting."

"Nonsense, Severus. Malfoys don't pout."

"Well, you're doing a very good imitation of pouting then." Severus sounded amused at his friend's antics. He turned to watch the game in progress. "I thought we agreed that the younger men would play and we older men would deal with game strategy?"

"And maybe some creative hexes?"

"Lucius, don't make me hurt you."

* * *

Alumni Put Pressure on Students at Annual Game

by Zero Motley

Sports Reporter, Daily Prophet

Alumni of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry took on a team of the best student players from all of the school's houses for the fourth annual Student versus Alumni Quidditch game today. The game was broadcast by the Wizarding Wireless Network and announced by the popular wireless personality, and alumnus of the school, Lee Jordan (Gryffindor). The game was refereed by Oliver Wood (Gryffindor), Reserve Keeper for the Puddlemere United Quidditch Team.

The student team consisted of: William Abbott (Hufflepuff), Seeker; Arianna Brown (Gryffindor), Astoria Greengrass (Slytherin), and Michael Boot (Ravenclaw), Chasers; Devon McLaggen (Gryffindor) and Tristan ap Dai (Hufflepuff), Beaters; and Jerome Smythe (Slytherin), Keeper. They were coached by Rolanda Hooch, the Quidditch Coach and Flying instructor at Hogwarts.

Playing for the Alumni were: Harry Potter (Gryffindor), Seeker; Draco Malfoy (Slytherin), Ginevra Weasley (Gryffindor), and Randolph Burrow (Ravenclaw), Chasers; Gregory Goyle (Slytherin) and George Weasley (Gryffindor), Beaters; and Ronald Weasley (Gryffindor), Keeper. The alumni team was coached by Severus Snape, Professor of Potions and Head of Slytherin House, and Alumnus Lucius Malfoy.

The scoring was kept close by the expert playing of both teams. It was not until the Snitch was spotted that the match truly became exciting. Both Seekers dived and bobbed and weaved around the pitch, goading each other to truly daring feats of flying. They were neck and neck down the field in the end when young Mr Abbott managed to snare the wily Snitch by the tip of a wing, causing him to tumble to the ground...luckily only a few feet below his broom...with only a broken collar bone to show for injuries. The final score was: Students, 320 – Alumni, 170.

"It was a good, clean game." stated Oliver Wood, Gryffindor alumnus and Reserve Keeper for the Puddlemere United Quidditch Team. "Both sides kept their wands in their holsters, and no rules were flagrantly violated." While this reporter witnessed no hexes being thrown during the heat of the game, the student team seemed to be very much aware of Mr Lucius Malfoy on the opposing team's sidelines, twirling his wand while Professor Snape stood by, laughing.

"It was scary," Arianna Brown, Gryffindor Chaser, reported. "He never even so much as smiles in class and here he was, laughing. I didn't know what to make of it." Others on the student team reported the same thing: that Professor Snape is a dour man, and that it is unnatural for him to laugh. It is this reporter's considered opinion that perhaps Mr Lucius Malfoy hexed Professor Snape in order to cause apprehension among the student players.

Among the familiar faces this reporter spotted in the stands enjoying the game were: Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister for Magic; Mr and Mrs Arthur Weasley and their son, Percy Weasley, Junior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic; Fleur Weasley, wife of William Weasley...one of the reserve players in the game...and their lovely daughter, Victoire Weasley; newlyweds Neville Longbottom and Hannah Abbott-Longbottom and the groom's grandmother, Mrs Augusta Longbottom; and Miss Lavender Brown, the newest robes designer for Madam Malkin's (and recently seen in Diagon Alley on the arm of the youngest Mr Weasley). Also observed were Mrs Narcissa Malfoy and Hogwarts' newest professor, Miss Hermione Granger, in conversation with Mrs Malfoy's sister, Andromeda Black-Tonks, and her five year old grandson, Theodore Lupin.

An invitation to tea in the Great Hall after the game was extended to the players and their families by Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

* * *

"I didn't know your sister had planned to come today, Cissy. Thank you, Severus," Lucius said as he accepted a Firewhisky from Snape. "And you, you tosser, laughing your head off at me."

"You have to admit it was funny," Draco said. "From my viewpoint, it did look like you were ready to hex someone any minute. Although I don't think the students thought it funny at all."

"I'm rather glad she did," Narcissa said, answering her husband's question. "We haven't talked a lot in the last five years, and we both felt it was time to clear the air. Little Teddy is adorable."

"Thank you," Harry said, coming over to their corner of the room with his arm around Ginny's shoulders. "As his godfather, I'll take what credit I can for that."

Ginny nudged him in the ribs. "We'll take what credit we can," she said. "After all, Andromeda does let me take care of him from time to time, and he practically lives at Grimmauld Place whenever you have time off."

"Yes, well," Narcissa said. "I told my sister that I would like to see more of her and Teddy, and I wanted to try and put the past behind us. She seemed very open about that."

"One can only hope, my love," Lucius said. "But I am disappointed in you, Mr Potter," he said.

"How so?" Harry asked.

"You were this close to the Snitch and didn't catch it. Are you slowing down?"

"No. The kid was lighter than me and managed to get a wing before I did. Not bad as a flyer, actually. How old is he?"

"Third year, to my detriment," Severus said with a sneer. "And as much a dunderhead as anyone I have ever taught. Did Hermione tell you about this first-year from Wales?"

* * *

"I'm pleased you decided to stay for dinner, Molly."

"Oh, Minerva, as if I would pass on an invitation to dinner at Hogwarts."

Arthur looked askance at her. "I thought you liked cooking for us, Molly, my love."

"I do enjoy it, Arthur," she replied, "but there are times when I'd rather not, and Hogwarts elves make the best food. Ronald Bilius Weasley, there's no need to stuff your mouth so full. I've taught you better manners than that."

"Sorry, Mum," he said through a mouthful of food. "I just miss the cooking here. It's almost as good as yours."

"Good save," George muttered from beside him.

"What was that, George?" Molly asked, her ears as sharp as ever.

"Uh... I said... good cake," George said, taking a second slice. "Almost as good as what you and Angelina make." He winced as his wife nudged him in the ribs. "Oi, watch it."

"May I show them now, Minerva?" Hermione asked suddenly, practically bouncing in her seat.

"Of course, Hermione," Minerva said, stifling a laugh at her journeywoman's excitement. "Use the head table dais. You'll have more room."

"Okay." And with that, Hermione jumped out of her seat and onto the low platform that supported the head table. "Watch, everyone," she said, and Transformed.

"Blimey," Ron said, his mouth agape. "She's gorgeous."

"My word," Flitwick said, gasping in awe. "That's astounding."

"Overachieving as usual, Professor Granger," Severus said with a sneer while he raised his whisky glass to her success.

"Perfect." Minerva was pleased. "Now change back, Hermione. You don't want to be stuck in that form."

The leopard-spotted cat preened a few moments more before leaping onto the head table. She walked back and forth so that her finer points could be admired, then sat on her haunches and shifted back into the familiar form of Hermione. Sitting on the table with her legs dangling, she asked, "Did you really think it was perfect, Minerva?"

"I believe a trip to the Ministry is in order for Monday," Minerva said. "Wouldn't you say so, Kingsley?"

"Oh, definitely," he said in his deep voice. He raised his wine glass in a toast. "Congratulations, Professor Granger. That is a most beautiful form." The sentiment was echoed by all the diners in the hall.

A/N: Hermione's Animagus is a breed of cat called the Ocicat, so named because it resembles an ocelot. A result of intentional interbreeding between Abyssinian, Siamese and American Shorthair, it was recognized as a legitimate breed by the American Cat Fancier's Association in 1966 and appeared in Great Britain sometime during 1990-91, before being formally recognised as a breed by the GCCF in 2008. A picture of the breed and more information can be found here: http: //www.cfa.org/ breeds/ profiles/ ocicat.html (remember to remove the extra spaces). I chose the breed for Hermione's form because it's bred to be an intelligent, athletic, loyal, and social animal, and in my opinion, it's a beautiful cat.