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┄┄ .•* 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟏 *•. ┄┄

𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂 𝒏𝒐 𝒈𝒐

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The next morning, Hermione finally got Harry to tell her (not that she didn't know already) about the letter Sirius had sent him and his reply (stating that the pain his scar was probably a headache or something and there was no need to worry).

"Like Sirius is gonna buy your crap," Hermione snorted.

"Worth a shot," said Harry. "He's not going back to Azkaban because of me."

"He won't," Hermione said simply.

That weekend, Hermione had just gone back from one of her fly sessions while the pitch was still available; she had arrived in her dorm room to find James Potter sitting on her bed.

"Not doing a great job at ignoring me," she said bluntly, throwing her broom in her trunk.

"We're sorry, Mia," James told her standing up. "It's just there are some things you can't know yet."

"Like the fact that you know my mother?" she asked.

"Yes," said James simply. "I really can't say anything more, not yet at least."

"I didn't ask you too. You could've told me that instead of ignoring me for days," said Hermione bitterly, a scowl on her face. Hermione scowled.

"We won't anymore," said James pleadingly, which made Hermione's scowl vanish and a sweet sickly smile graced her face. 

"Great, cause I need a favor!" Hermione said grinning. James blankly looked at her.

"What?"

"Can you fetch me the ingredients for the Animagus potion? The dew, and the chrysalis, and the Mandrake leaf?" Hermione pleaded.

"I'm dead," James answered with a frown.

"But you were sitting on my bed just now!" Hermione scowled, "Try to get something from another place and bring it here."

"Yes Ma'am!" He said mock saluting and vanishing. Moments later he had returned holding onto a plate with a delicious-looking chocolate cake slice in it. "Peace offering?"

"I already forgave both of you, but I'll gladly take the cake!" Hermione grinned snatching the plate away and taking a bite from the cake, moaning at the flavor. 

"So. . . . can you get me the ingredients?" She asked again.

"Sure thing, Mia." 

The next second he had vanished. 

Hermione had just finished eating her cake when James returned with a basket with mandrake leaves, dew, and Death's-head Hawk Moth chrysalis in it. Hermione grinned and thanked him—he vanished after that. She placed the basket into her trunk and took three leaves out of the twelve existent—James had said they were bound to make mistakes at least one time. She was saving them to give to the guys the next week, Monday, on the full moon.

That day Hermione dragged Harry and Ron to the seventh floor opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, after dinner. Both boys were looking thoroughly confused as Hermione started walking in front of the wall muttering something. Yet, they were even more confused and shock as a door appeared out of nowhere, stretching through the stone wall. Hermione grinned and pushed it open to reveal what looked like their common room but smaller.

She walked inside but frowned when she saw that they weren't moving. So, she grabbed their arms and pulled them in closing the door after them.

"Wha—What?" they stammered.

"Welcome to the Room of Requirement or Come-and-Go room." Hermione grinned. "This room appears to those in need, it's one of Hogwart's many secrets."

"How'd you find it?" Ron asked her baffled and she shrugged.

"Doesn't matter. What does matter is that I need to tell you something and you need to sit down!" She said plopping herself on a couch. Both boys sat down waiting for Hermione to continue. "Everything is ready for the Animagus project!" she told them. "I already have all the ingredients now all we need to do is start!"

"What do you mean, start?" Harry asked.

"I mean, that it's a complex process. Firstly we have to stick a Mandrake leaf in our mouth for a whole month without spitting or swallowing it. Full moon to Full moon. Hence why I chose today." 

Both boys grimaced at the taught of having a leaf in their mouths for a month.

"What next?" Ron asked.

"We take the leaves off on a full moon while the moon is visible and the leaf it's within the range of its rays. Then we put it in a vial, add a strand of our hair, a teaspoon of dew, and one Death's-head Hawk Moth chrysalis. We then put it in a dark place and wait for a lightning storm. Until that time we have to recite the incantation Amato Amimo Animato Animagus every day at sunrise and sunset pointing our wands at our hearts. When there's a lightning storm we meet here, recite the incantation one last time, and take our potions after they have been activated by the lightning."

"That's it?" Harry asked, "I mean, it's hard but I thought it was. . . . I dunno. . . .harder?"

"It isn't. But we do need to be really focused otherwise we could get stuck forever as an animal or half-animal," Hermione said and their faces scrunched up. She then took out the leaves and handed one to each of them, "Ready?"

"Ready," both of them said promptly. The next half an hour was spent trying to find a position for the leaf until Harry discovered they have a side with "hair" that sticks to the walls of the mouth. They all put the leaves safely tucked under their tongues and went to the Gryffindor Tower to sleep.

To their surprise—except Hermione, that is—, a week later, Professor Moody had announced that he would be putting the Imperius Curse on each of them in turn, to demonstrate its power and to see whether they could resist its effects.

"Isn't that illegal, Professor?" asked Parvati with a frown.

"Dumbledore wants you taught what it feels like," said Moody, his magical eye swiveling onto Parvarti and fixing her with an eerie, unblinking stare. "If you'd rather learn the hard way—when someone's putting it on you so they can control you completely—fine by me. You're excused. Off you go."

He pointed one gnarled finger toward the door. Parvarti just bit her lip and recoiled in her sit. Moody began to beckon students forward in turn and put the Imperius Curse upon them.  

Dean hopped three times around the room, singing the national anthem. Lavender Brown imitated a squirrel. Neville performed a series of quite astonishing gymnastics he would certainly not have been capable of in his normal state. Not one of them seemed to be able to fight off the curse, and each of them recovered only when Moody had removed it.

"Potter," Moody growled, "you next."

Harry moved forward into the middle of the classroom, into the space that Moody had cleared of desks. Moody raised his wand, pointed it at Harry, and said, "Imperio!"

The next thing Harry felt was considerable pain. He had both jumped and tried to prevent himself from jumping—the result was that he'd smashed headlong into the desk, knocking it over, and, by the feeling in his legs, fractured both his kneecaps.

"Now, that's more like it!" growled Moody's voice.

"Look at that, you lot . . . Potter fought! He fought it, and he damn near beat it! We'll try that again, Potter, and the rest of you, pay attention—watch his eyes, that's where you see it—very good, Potter, very good indeed! They'll have trouble controlling you! Weasley, you're up," Moody growled.

Ron went slightly pink and made his way to the front of the class. He wasn't able to fight the curse, though. When it looked like he was doing he ended up doing a backflip and land in splits ripping his pants along with it. Hermione had to bite her lip to prevent herself from laughing as Ron got out of his trance and noticed the tear on his trousers. Luckily for him, Hermione was in a good mood and repaired the trousers with a flick of his wand.

"Miss. . . . Granger. Come on up," Fake Moody said and Hermione gulped at the tone in his voice. It sounded odd. For the first time since he had been here, Moody, who wasn't Moody, did not sound like Moody.

Hermione stood up and confidently walked to the front of the class. Moody pointed his wand at her and said, "Imperio!"

The feeling wasn't as wonderful as in the books. Hermione felt the floating sensation but every thought and worry were still with her, only in the back of her head. It was as if she had momentarily detached herself from them. She couldn't say she was relaxed but she wasn't stressed either, she was numb.

And then she heard Fake Moody's voice echoing in her head: Tell me who you are

Hermione opened her mouth to say something but she couldn't. She could not tell him who she was. Not because she was fighting the curse, but because her mind or subconscious apparently didn't know who she was either. Hermione started feeling as if someone was banging an inner door inside her mind, trying to get out. Like the answers were just about to pour out but they couldn't. The door was locked, and she didn't know where the key was.

From her daze-like state, Hermione could feel the tears pouring out of her eyes, her vision disfigured; the pain was becoming unbearable, it was as if thousands of bricks were being dropped on her head over and over again; her breathing had become hard, ragged. All of it because of a simple question, Who are you?

Mia, calm down, a voice was heard from the back of her mind easing the pain she was in.

That stern voice that reminded her so much of someone was what made her break out of her daze. Her hands were clenched, probably creating half-moon wounds in the palm of her hand and the fogginess in her brain vanished. She was left facing a scowling Moody. Hermione wiped the tears away and without a word walked out of the class with her bag and slammed the door shut.

She walked through the corridors, her mind racing and aching. 

All of her thoughts revolving around one single thought. 

Who are you? 

As she started to hyperventilate, blood pounding in her ears, she let her back hit a wall and slide down onto the ground and try to control her breathing. Her heart thudded in her chest, her breathing was shallow as she gasped for air. Her head was aching, it felt as if her brain was pounding against the walls of her skull. Suddenly she felt someone grabbing her shoulders but she didn't even understand who, that is until the familiar voice echoed in her head again.

"Mia, baby, you need to calm down," the woman said in a low voice, "Calm down, baby. Breath, Mia. Come on. . . . In. . . . Out. . . . In. . . . Out. . . . That's it, good. . . ." 

Hermione felt herself calm down as her breathing started to even and her blurry eyesight started to focus. She looked up to see a beautiful woman. She couldn't be older than her early twenties. Her hair was blonde but full of curls—just like hers, she noticed—, she had hazel eyes and a smile that looked so familiar. The woman looked at Hermione with a smile, cupping her cheek, she kissed her forehead and said, "You'll know who you are soon Mia." 

And just like that, she had vanished.

Hermione didn't know what to think. She felt dazed and lost. Who was that woman? She knew she was dead. That was for sure, it was the only explanation for the vanishing. 

Hermione got up, shaking slightly, she wiped away her tears and made sure her uniform was in check, and started making her way to the common room. Once she got there, the room was empty—as everyone was either in class or outside—, Hermione took a seat in the far corner of the room, in one of the couches. She put on some random cassette with her Walkman and started reading her magazine. And, just like every time something happened Hermione brushed it off again. She didn't know who she was, but according to the woman she would soon know, so why would she worry about it?

It had been an hour or so until her friends came back. Harry and Ron hurried next to her, obliviously to Hermione, who only looked up when Harry tapped her shoulder. She took out her headphones and put down her Magazine.

"What was that?" Ron asked her.

"What?"

"What do you mean "what"?" Harry asked. "You stormed out of class!"

"You never did that before, except in Divination."

"I wasn't going to stay there while Moody was making my brain into a pulp," Hermione scoffed getting up so she could be alone. Harry and Ron's eyes bulged out and they reached for her wrists. Harry caught her first and steered her back onto the couch.

"What do you mean, Mione?" Ron asked worriedly.

"I mean, Moody imperio'd me and next thing I know it's like bricks are falling onto my head, breaking my skull time and time again," Hermione said biting her bottom lip, and taking a deep breath when she felt her heart start to race again.

"He WHAT!?" both her friends roared causing some students to steer their heads over to her. Two of which actually went up to them.

"What's happened?" Fred Weasley asked the three, George on his tail.

"Nothin—"

"Moody tortured Hermione," Ron and Harry grumbled at the same time causing the twins to gape.

"He WHAT?!" they shouted.

"Why don't you say it louder, will ya?" Hermione scoffed and got up walking out of the common room. She had only walked past the stairs when she felt someone grab her hand and pull her around.

"Jeez," Hermione muttered, trying to look unaffected as she looked up at Fred.

"Are you alright?" Fred asked looking into her eyes, the usual sky-blue of his eyes turning deep ocean-blue and swirling with emotion, which caused Hermione to gulp.

"Sure thing, sugar," Hermione said casually trying to get away from him but the hold on her hand just got tighter.

"No, you're not," Fred said and pulled her into a hug. 

Hermione was taken aback at first but ended up wrapping her arms around his torso and laying her head on his chest. Without even knowing she had started to cry and oh, how she hated to cry. But at that moment she didn't care. Apparently, neither did Fred. He only held her tighter against him and let her cry into his sweater while he rubbed her hair. "I'm here for you, Mione."

Hermione bit her lip, preventing a sob from escaping as she nodded against his chest, clinging onto him.

After a while, Hermione had calmed down and untangled herself from his arms rubbing her eyes with her hands. "Gosh, I'm such a mess," she muttered, looking down at his sweater and frowning after seeing it drenched in tears. "I've ruined your sweater. . . ."

"Nevermind that, Mione," Fred smiled at her putting a stray lock of her hair behind her ear, "Will you be alright?"

"Yeah, it's a minor headache. Besides, I'm Hermione Granger," she snorted trying to sound casual and Fred chuckled. "Now let's go and pretend this never happened!" she said cheerily and made her way back to the common room with Fred behind her. When she entered Ron and Harry were acting awkward, so, she just told them she was fine and whacked them in the head. But let's just say that their respect for Moody vanished in a day.

All the fourth years had noticed a definite increase in the amount of work they were required to do this term. They had been getting lectures about their incoming O.W.L.s in their fifth year, too. Hermione, Harry, and Ron had surprisingly been getting along with their Mandrake leaves, and despite not being able to taste any food they had gone almost three weeks with them in their mouths—mostly due to their findings, well Harry's; the leaf would be stuck to the walls of their mouth if in contact with the rougher surface. At this rate, they would be Animagi before Christmas.

On the 19th of October, the three of them met up in the Room of Requirement. This time Hermione asked the room for windows and with her bag, with the ingredients, the three of them entered. They sat in a circle, vials in hand. Hermione went first. She took the leaf out of her mouth in the range of the moon's ray and placed it in the vial, she then added one strand of her (precious) hair, a teaspoon of dew, and chrysalis of Death's-head Hawk Moth. She then placed it on a dark cupboard the room had provided. Harry went next and repeated the process, Ron following after him.

A week or so later, when they arrived in the entrance hall, they found themselves unable to proceed owing to the large crowd of students congregated there, all milling around a large sign that had been erected at the foot of the marble staircase. Ron, the tallest of the three, stood on tiptoe to see over the heads in front of them and read the sign aloud to the other two:

TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT
The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving at 6 o'clock on Friday the 30th of October. Lessons will end half an hour early—

"Brilliant!" said Harry. "It's Potions last thing on Friday! Snape won't have time to poison us all!"

Students will return their bags and books to their dormitories and assemble in front of the castle to greet our guests before the Welcoming Feast.

"Only a week away!" said Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff, emerging from the crowd, his eyes gleaming. "I wonder if Cedric knows? Think I'll go and tell him. . . ."

"Cedric?" said Ron blankly as Ernie hurried off.

"Diggory," said Harry. "He must be entering the tournament."

"That idiot, Hogwarts champion?" said Ron as they pushed their way through the chattering crowd toward the staircase.

"He's not an idiot, you moron," said Hermione laughing.

"You only like him because he's handsome," said Ron scathingly.

"Well, he is." Hermione shrugged with a smirk.

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