Unofficial Portkey Archive

"So you believe that they are ready, Minerva?" Professor Dumbledore asked serenely from the large fireplace.

"Yes, I am very sure of this. Their progress has been astounding and I believe they are ready to take on the full responsibilities of being true Animagi." Minerva McGonagall smiled proudly as she finished.

It was about an hour before Professor McGonagall would be expecting the Four Heirs to be coming to her classroom for another lesson. After going through several papers and thinking deeply about her next course of action, she had called Albus through the fireplace and he had immediately responded. Though she trusted her instinct, to know that the Headmaster fully supported her made her decision even more solid.

They were now in the middle of a soggy March and the end of the Heirs' training was looming rapidly around the corner. Professor McGonagall had been working steadily with the Heirs on practicing and fine tuning their Animagus abilities. She had finally come to the conclusion that she had taught them all she could and it was now time for them to make the full transformations. By that night, the Four Heirs would successfully be turning into their Animagus shapes.

Breaking into her thoughts, Professor Dumbledore began to speak again. "Well, Minerva, I trust your judgment completely so if you believe the Heirs are ready, I believe they are ready. I must say, I would thoroughly enjoy seeing them transform for the first time."

"Then why don't you come, Albus?" she responded, smiling.

"Ah," he shook his head, his white beard waving through the flames, creating a comical sight, "I would love to, really, but I have important business to attend to here at Hogwarts. Students are starting to become out of hand and I believe the split I feared so much will be happening very soon. The War is finally, almost fully upon us now."

Dumbledore's voice grew solemn and his eyes serious. "Be watchful, Minerva, many things will be taking place now at a rapid pace. It is no longer fun and games. From now on, everything that takes place will set how things happen in the Final Battle. There shall be a divide here at Hogwarts and one at Illustris as well. I just hope the Heirs are strong enough to endure it all."

"They are, Albus," Professor McGonagall said firmly. "I have complete faith in them. No matter what happens, they shall survive in the end."

Dumbledore nodded. "I am glad I am not the only one who sees it that way. But now I must go. Please inform me of what takes place tonight. The Animagus training is one of the most exciting of all, especially since they are magical creatures."

Minerva smiled again. "Goodbye, Albus."

"Goodbye."

And with a whirl of green flames, he was gone. Minerva straightened herself before changing quickly into her own Animagus form of a tabby cat with unique markings around the eyes. Her classroom was several floors away and it was much faster to get there on four legs.

Darting into the classroom, she quickly changed back into her normal self and sat at her desk. Taking her wand out of her robes, McGonagall quickly removed the desks from the classroom, excluding four, which she transfigured into exact replicas of the animals each Heir would be turning in to. Naturally, the Dragon she scaled to being much smaller then the size she was thinking Draco would turn in to.

Freezing them in place, she positioned the animal models over by the far wall. She then waited patiently for the Heirs, who would be arriving in a few minutes.

Surprisingly, Draco and Ginny arrived first, holding hands and talking quietly to each other. Ginny started laughing about something until she noticed Professor McGonagall staring at them in amusement.

"Oh, hello, Professor," she said softly.

She then noticed the animal models and her eyes got wide.

"Oh! What are those for, Professor?"

"You'll know just as soon as Mister Potter and Miss Granger grace us with their presence."

Draco snickered as he tossed his bag on the floor and stuck his wand in the pocket of his pants. Ginny just began muttering under her breath about "immature boys" as she continued to study the Chinese Fox that she would eventually be turning into herself.

Moments later, Harry and Hermione rushed into the classroom, apologizing profusely about being late. Something about Crookshanks getting out of the Tower and running three floors up. Professor McGonagall wouldn't have believed the story if both students hadn't been sporting several ugly red scratches on their arms.

"Ah, seems as if Crookshanks was not in a happy mood. If I trusted my Healing abilities, I would take care of those but surely, Mister Potter, I thought you would have more sense then that?"

Blushing bright red at her implications, Harry quickly closed his eyes and a few seconds later, his scratches vanished. Touching Hermione lightly on the shoulder, he repeated the same process with her.

Nodding her approval, Minerva smiled slightly. "Very good. Now please try and remember that more often, Harry. I won't always be there to remind you."

Harry nodded and cast a sheepish glance at Hermione, who was sending him a mock glare. She laughed under her breath though and quickly hugged him, tapping softly into his mind with her abilities and letting him feel that she wasn't angry with him.

"All right you two lovebirds, stop flirting. There's work to be done!" Draco snapped in mock anger.

Rolling his eyes, Harry responded in the same tone. "You have nothing to say, Malfoy, look at you over there, holding Ginny."

Draco chuckled, shaking his head. Sighing, McGonagall brought their attention back to her.

"Enough. Today's lesson shall be shorter because the rest of it will be continued tonight, after dark. I have finally decided the four of you are ready so you will all make your full Animagus transformations out on the grounds. Because of the size of some of you," her eyes drifted to Hermione and Draco, "that is why it shall be done out there. Night time is best as well because it seems we have some spies along the border of Illustris and the last thing we need is for Voldemort to find out exactly which animals the Heirs can become."

As she paused, Hermione excitedly blurted out, "Are you serious, Professor? We're finally going to be able to transform?"

Giving her young pupil a stern look, but traces of amusement twinkling in her eyes, she said, "Yes, Miss Granger, that is what I said. I kindly ask you not to interrupt me again though. I understand you are excited, but please calm down for a little while longer."

Looking slightly abashed, Hermione bent her head and nodded. Harry nudged her shoulder and winked at her, with hopes to cheer her up. It worked because Hermione smiled and continued to listen to Professor McGonagall.

"As I was saying, you will transform tonight. But until then, I conjured up a model for each of you of the animal you will be changing into. I want you to study your model carefully, so you know exactly what to picture when you transform tonight. Remember, that is a key part to being an Animagus, being able to picture clearly the animal you will become. Study them for a little and then you are dismissed until tonight."

Professor McGonagall directed them to their models and watched as each Heir intently studied their animals, taking in everything about the creature. Hermione even slipped out some parchment and a quill and began to jot notes on it. Harry did the same but started to draw the Phoenix before tapping the drawing with his wand and watching it come to life before him. Draco seemed to be committing his to memory while Ginny stared sourly at her Fox, muttering.

"Stupid Fox," she hissed under her breath, "nothing special, just a fox."

"I wouldn't say that, Gin," Draco said quietly as he moved over next to her.

She whirled around to glare at her boyfriend. "Oh, of course you would say something like that. Try to make me feel better when you'll be turning into a Dragon!"

Draco sighed deeply and shook his head, a stray piece of blonde hair falling in his eyes.

"No, Gin, no. Chinese Foxes are very special. I know being a Death Omen seems horrible but remember, anyone who sees a Chinese Fox and believes it's a real one are the ones who are subjected to the curse. It has more to do with a person's mind then anything. Remember that, it could be very useful."

Ginny stared at him, still not completely convinced. Crossing her arms over her chest, she sighed and looked away from him.

"I guess," she whispered. "Maybe it won't be that bad after all. Chinese Foxes do have special powers."

"See, there you go," Draco said lightly. "Not that bad at all. Besides, you'll be able to sneak around much better than I will."

Ginny giggled, looking over at his fairly large Dragon model.

Meanwhile, Hermione was looking over Harry's shoulder, studying his very accurate drawing of the Phoenix.

"Wow, Harry, you really are a good drawer. Ron was right. Do you think you could draw the Unicorn for me? I would love to study it more like that!"

Harry blushed. "Of course. Just give me a minute."

Pulling out another piece of parchment, Harry quickly began to draw the Unicorn, stopping every now and then to look at it better. Hermione watched with fascination as he drew a perfect Unicorn and then tapped it with is wand. The picture Unicorn tossed it's head and trotted in a circle.

"Ohh, thank you, Harry!" She gave him a big kiss, catching him off guard.

Grinning, Harry said, "I should draw for you more often if that's the kind of response I'll get."

Hermione winked. "I would not object, that's for sure."

Harry's green eyes went wide. "Are you flirting with me, Miss Granger?"

Giving him a cheeky smile, Hermione leaned forward and whispered in his ear. "You know I'll do more than that."

"Hermione!" Harry shouted, sounding scandalized but liking what she was saying.

She laughed and grabbed his arm. "Come on, Harry. I think we're done here."

Leading him over to their bags, Hermione glanced at Professor McGonagall, who was once again seated at her desk going over some paperwork.

"Professor? When do you want to meet us tonight, and where?"

Looking up over her glasses, McGonagall responded. "Ah yes, I forgot to mention that. Meet me at midnight at the front entrance to the castle. And please, don't be late."

She then watched as the Four Heirs left her classroom and she pursed her lips into a thin smile.

"Yes, they will be ready."

………………….

Hermione sat in the Common Room before the fire, tapping her leg impatiently on the floor, and reading yet another book on Animagus transformations. She was also studying Harry's drawing of the Unicorn, chewing her lip and waiting for the clock to say five minutes until midnight.

It seemed that because she wanted the lesson to approach quickly, time was crawling even slower and making her completely frustrated. Her eyes darted around to the rest of the Heirs, wondering if they were as anxious as her.

Probably not, she thought with disappointment.

Harry was leaning on the couch she was sitting on, a book on Defensive spells in his lap. Every now and then though, he would pull his sketch book out and start drawing in it, obviously bored. Ginny was curled up in one of the armchairs, taking a nap before the most likely long lesson they would endure that night. Draco was sprawled in the chair next to Ginny's, a long piece of parchment before him, writing a letter out to someone.

Hermione glanced at the clock again, seeing that they still had fifteen minutes. Growling angrily under her breath, she bent her head and attempted to read some more. Harry looked up at her and grinned.

"Someone's annoyed," he said.

"I just want this lesson to happen already!" she replied hotly. "I've been looking forward to being an Animagus since the beginning and now it just seems to be taking forever until that happens."

"Calm down, Granger," Draco drawled out, not looking up. "You'll get your chance soon. I think you can wait a few more minutes. Who knew you could be so impatient?"

"Hmph!" Hermione made a noise in her throat and just fixed her gaze on the clock, willing it to move faster.

Harry continued to laugh silently at her, though he secretly agreed with his girlfriend. The thought of becoming an Animagus and following in the footsteps of his father and Sirius made him ready to burst with happiness. He knew it would make him feel closer to them, sharing in something the Marauders had kept so hidden from everyone. He smiled as he fiddled with his quill, realizing he could think of Sirius without the familiar pang in his chest. He knew he had Hermione to thank for that.

Harry looked up at her again, thinking of saying something to her about it, when suddenly she leapt from her seat. Her book crashed to the floor but she took no notice as a huge smile graced her face.

"It's time! Get up, Ginny! Come on everyone, we have to go meet McGonagall!"

She marched out of the portrait entrance, leaving Harry and Draco gaping after her. Shaking his head, Draco turned to Harry.

"That's some girlfriend you have there, Potter. Better go catch up with her before she chews us out for being late. I'll get Gin up."

Harry nodded and raced out behind Hermione. When he reached the Entrance Hall, he found her already with McGonagall, talking animatedly with her favorite Professor. McGonagall looked up and saw Harry staring at them from the stairs.

"Ah, Mister Potter. Come join us please. Hermione and I were just discussing some of the finer points of Animagus transformations."

Harry walked down next to them and noticed Hermione had paused in her rambling. Professor McGonagall was staring at him and then finally said what was on her mind.

"So, Harry, how do you feel about this? You'll be changing into a Phoenix. Must be pretty exciting for you."

Harry smiled kind of shyly. "Yes, Professor. Phoenixes are one of my favorite magical creatures so it's quite something to know I'll be changing into one. I also feel like I'm kind of living like my dad and Sirius."

Professor McGonagall nodded, her eyes misting a bit. "Both were admirable men. It is wonderful to see you carrying around characteristics of them within you. I know how proud they would be of you right now, Harry."

Harry felt his own eyes watering and quickly looked away. "Thanks, Professor."

Hermione reached over and entwined their fingers together. Harry gave her a loving look before they were interrupted by Draco and Ginny arriving.

"Good, you are all here now," Professor McGonagall said. "Please follow me."

She opened the large oak doors of Illustris and swept out onto the grounds, the Heirs following closely behind her. The only source of light for them was the moon and a few twinkling stars. The darkness of the sky was deep and stretched eerily out all around them.

"Professor? Should we light our wands?" Ginny asked quietly.

"No, Miss Weasley. We need to stay undercover. We'll be staying away from the forest since that seems to be where much of the spy activity is taking place. But, no lights. I believe the moon is bright enough tonight though."

She led them pretty far forward, stopping when they were a good distance from the castle, which glowed behind them. The area they were in was fairly large, with only a few trees dotting the grassy landscape. A few softly rolling hills rose around them, the dark mounds disappearing in the night. It was a perfect area for the Animagus transformations to take place.

"Ok you four," Professor McGonagall started, "it's time for you to fully become Animagi. I really have no other instructions for you other then concentrate, think clearly of each of your animals, and then just imagine yourself becoming that animal. The transformation shall take place from there. To turn back into yourselves, just imagine the opposite effect. Do you all understand?"

The Four Heirs nodded seriously, not having any questions.

"All right, you shall go one at a time. Miss Granger, you first."

Hermione's brown eyes widened but a smile lit her face as she stepped forward next to Professor McGonagall. Receiving an encouraging smile from Harry, she closed her eyes and cleared her thoughts, trying to imagine perfectly the image of a Unicorn. Once that was in her mind, Hermione started to think about herself changing into the magical creature. Very slowly, a tingling sensation spread over her skin and she felt the weirdest sensation forming in the pit of her stomach.

Several minutes later a gasp was admitted from everyone as right before their eyes Hermione transformed into a beautiful, shining Unicorn. The cloven hoofs were bright gold and her coat was brilliantly white. The Unicorn turned fully toward them, brown eyes blinking widely at them. The tall, golden horn sparkled in the faint moonlight, making her look radiant.

Harry stepped forward unsurely. "Hermione?"

With a quick bow, the Unicorn stepped forward and nuzzled his cheek. Professor McGonagall smiled happily and clapped her hands.

"Wonderful, Miss Granger! You have successfully transformed! Please stay like that for a while and become accustomed to your changes. I want you all to be in your transformed states together because that will surely happen at some point during the battle."

Hermione in her Unicorn form nodded her head and trotted off to the side, moving in circles and swishing her tail. Harry shook his head in disbelief, finding it odd to see his girlfriend like that.

He was interrupted from looking at her as McGonagall called Draco forward.

"Your turn, Mister Malfoy. Do the same as Hermione did and I'm sure all will go well. I ask that you please move slightly away from us though as I'm sure none of us would care to find a Dragon on top of us." She smirked a little at her own comment.

Draco raised an eyebrow but obediently took several steps away from the group. Hermione had stopped her four-legged pacing and watched the blonde Slytherin with interest. Ginny had her fingers crossed and was biting her lip in anticipation, hoping all would go well for her boyfriend.

Draco did as Hermione had done, closing his eyes and thinking of the Dragon he would become clearly. Several seconds later, the three remaining people stood in awe as a great Dragon appeared before them, crouched on it's sturdy legs, surveying them all with mild amusement in it's gray eyes.

Draco had turned into quite an impressive Dragon. He was very large, reminding Harry much of the Hungarian Horntail he had fought in his fourth year. His scales were a sort of metallic black which shimmered in the faint light and he had a long, thin tall that on the tip was covered in fine spikes. As they watched, the Dragon form of Draco opened his mouth, almost as if he wanted to speak.

Professor McGonagall's eyes went wide in shock. "NO! Don't, Mister Malfoy! You'd burn us to a crisp if you try and make any sound!"

The Dragon's long jaw snapped shut and he gave them a guilty look. Ginny was sniggering behind her hand and Draco shot her a deadly look, which looked worse coming from a Dragon. She stopped immediately and smiled as innocently as she could.

"Good job as well, Draco," Professor McGonagall said finally. "Please go over by Hermione and wait for the next two to change. And please, don't crush anyone."

He slowly made his way over to the very still Unicorn, the ground shaking slightly under his large feet.

"Come on, Ginny, let's see you try now."

Ginny stepped away from Harry and sighed deeply. Time to turn into a Fox, she thought bitterly.

Repeating the process of Hermione and Draco, Ginny felt her skin tingling and burning a bit before it subsided and she opened her eyes. The world seemed much larger suddenly.

Harry laughed and smiled at the very cute form of the Chinese Fox staring back at him now. Ginny's fox shape had brilliant red fur and curious brown eyes, very much like a normal fox. She was quite small, which would be a big help in sneaking around on the battlefield.

"Good, Miss Weasley, good. Just stay there for a second and once Harry has changed, I shall give you all further instructions. Now, if you will, Mister Potter." McGonagall nodded to him.

As Harry closed his eyes and concentrated, he felt a strong surge of energy ripple through his body. He tensed for a second at the strange feeling and as he did, something gentle touched his mind and he relaxed. He thought of the graceful Phoenix in full flight, the piercing song of hope filling him as if a Phoenix was right in front of him, singing it.

Professor McGonagall and the transformed Heirs watched in wonder as Harry was surrounded by a golden light and vanished from their sight. The beautiful notes of Phoenix Song filled their ears as they looked up to see a brilliantly colored Phoenix flying above their heads. The bird descended and landed on the grass in front of them all, stretching it's wings and staring at them with bright unusually green eyes. Professor McGonagall noted that the feathers on the Phoenix's forehead were ruffled subtly to be shaped like a lightening bolt.

At least it's barely noticeable, she thought with relief.

"Excellent, Harry!" she praised.

She looked proudly around at the four Animagus Heirs. All them were looking at her, waiting for her next instructions. McGonagall wished she could have more light to see the Heirs clearer but she couldn't risk it. Clearing her throat, she finally spoke to them.

"Since you have all successfully transformed, all I really want you to do is get used to being this way. You will have to work off of each other in battle and remember that any of you could change at any point so be aware of each other at all times. So use the area and get used to moving as the magical animals you have become."

Harry took off first, flying up above and disappearing into the night sky. Hermione tossed her head and cantered off, eyes upward as if she could see Harry flying over her. Ginny sneaked off into the tall grass, moving as silently as a ghost. Draco soared up into the sky as well, watching carefully to make sure he didn't have a sudden run-in with Harry.

Draco noticed his senses were incredibly sharpened now, including his eye sight, which allowed him to see fairly well in the darkness. His eyes drifted over to the large forest, where he caught movement happening over the trees far in the distance. Squinting, Draco flew a little further toward the forest, trying to decipher the shape he saw. It looked almost like……

No, he thought, it can't be. Well, maybe it could. They're too far away for us to feel.

Draco noticed how the night was getting deeper, almost unnaturally black, the stars starting to disappear from sight. Realizing he had to tell McGonagall what he was seeing, Draco dived downward, his large Dragon body colliding with the earth, causing the ground to shudder violently.

"Mister Malfoy! Please don't make your presence so known!" McGonagall shouted angrily.

She was glaring furiously at him, hands on her hips. Draco shifted and was about to transform back and tell her what he had seen over the forest when a shock of red caught his eyes. Glancing over, he watched in horror as Ginny, still in her Chinese Fox form, collapsed and started convulsing on the grass.

Roaring in fury, he swept back into the air and over to her. Transforming before he touched the ground, Draco fell in a crumbled heap by Ginny. Standing quickly, he winced, realizing what he had done wasn't the smartest idea. All bruises were forgotten though as he knelt by the shaking fox and gently picked her up.

Ginny's paws clawed at his arms in desperation but he paid now attention as he raced back to McGonagall, who's jaw dropped in surprise.

"Oh my! She must be having a vision. Put her down, Draco, put her down."

Hermione and Harry suddenly appeared, both changing back as they came beside Draco.

"Oh God!" Hermione cried out, at a loss at how to help Ginny.

"Calm down, Miss Granger. She'll snap out of it soon." Professor McGonagall looked worried though.

Several agonizing minutes passed as Ginny continued to shake and tremble. All the while, the sky continued to darken around them.

Suddenly Ginny stopped shaking and she lay on the grass, panting. McGonagall drew her wand and shook her head sadly.

"I didn't want to do this but she won't be able to transform when she's that weak already. One day, she'll get used to the visions effects on her, but for now…."

She lightly tapped her wand to Ginny's forehead and muttered an incantation. Very slowly, Ginny transformed into her normal self. She was still unconscious though.

"Ennervate," McGonagall whispered.

Ginny's eyes snapped open and she sat up quickly, startling them all. Draco placed his hands on her shoulders but she fought him.

"Let go! Let go of me, Draco!" she yelled fiercely.

He backed away from her, looking hurt.

"Calm down, Miss Weasley," McGonagall said firmly. "Now, what did you see?"

Ginny wrapped her arms around her legs and rocked back and forth, chewing her lip nervously. Her brown eyes were glazed over and her voiced sounded distinctly higher as she related her vision to the other four.

"I saw the lake by Hogwarts. Ron was standing there, looking out at it. It was night time. Another figure appeared, I think it was Luna. They spoke but I couldn't hear any of their words. Suddenly, Luna drew her wand on Ron. He tried to run but she stunned him. Then, she wrapped him in cords and dragged him into the Forbidden Forest."

She stopped and the others looked at her in horror. Not noticing their reaction, she continued. "Then the vision switched. I saw hundreds of Dementors flying over a large forest. Voldemort summoned them. They were headed toward a castle."

Her head tilted up and her gaze pierced into McGonagall's, who couldn't help but shiver at the cold look she was receiving.

"They're almost here."

............................

Author's Note: Ooo, I know so many of you are going to upset about the cliffhanger but the next chapter will be out soon! I must remind you, the story is going to be much darker and full of more action from now on. Like Dumbledore said, "It is no longer fun and games." Everything that has happened in the story so far has been leading up to this. This is the start of the climax so there's some pretty interesting chapters coming up. I'll still add fluff and humor here and there to lighten it but, the Final War is beginning in my story.
I hope you liked how I did the Animagus training, I don't know really how the transformations take place but I took my best guess. The whole thing about Harry being a good drawer is just a little something I added, I just thought it'd be interesting and kinda cute, lol. So, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! There is a lot coming up. You'll see more about Ginny's visions and that cliffhanger will be taken care of. Also, remember that there is still a divide to take place. Some are holding some secrets.
I promise to have chapter 30 up soon! Remember to look for it!
Big thanks to all my frequent reviewers! You guys are awesome!
PhoenixFirebolt