Fathers, Godfathers, and Godsons...Oh My

Chapter 17

Draco and Hermione both gave each other nervous looks, walking quickly into Professor McGonagall’s classroom and taking a seat next to one another. It was still a few minutes before class, nothing need be brought with them except their hopes today. Today was the start of, hopefully, their animagus training. It just remained to be tested if they possessed the gift or not. Pansy walked in furtively, relaxing when she spotted Draco and hurrying over.

Others came in nervously, mostly seventh years or those that were highly advanced in their
Transfiguration classes, like Pansy. Draco leaned over, “Any idea what she’s going to do?”

“It’s simple.” They all turned to a laid back Hufflepuff. “She’ll line us all up and chant a revealing spell over our heads. It shows what animal, if any, we can change into. If we glow, we have potential but animagus training will be difficult and if nothing happens...well...”

Pansy raised an eyebrow, “Well, what?”

“Then we have a free period. Personally, I hope I’m an eagle.”

Pansy rolled her eyes, “Why?”

“Sharp talons, flying, fast and sure in the air without needing a broom.”

Holding up a hand, “I see.”

“Plus, perfect eyesight.” He eyed her with a quirk of his eyebrow and Pansy blushed while Draco glared. He didn’t like him. He was not letting that pervert anywhere near his sister.

The silent bell rang and Minerva entered from the back, “Good afternoon, class. Today’s meeting will be fairly brief. I will be assessing your capability and we will be moving from there. As many of you are not yet mature, you may have to return for retesting next year...often this test does not show potential until your majority. Now, I’d like the class to stand up and form a line, that works best.” She waited until they all moved and walked to the front of the line, “Now, I will use the incantation aperîre mûtâbilis figûra (reveal changeable form) and that should tell me all I need to know.”

She went down the line slowly, waiting two to three minutes with each student for a sign of something. No one changed. Even bird boy didn’t get his wish and most left in disgust. But it was to be expected. Only a handful of animagus wizards existed at one time. She would have been shocked if she’d found six out of the forty here. Now she was down to her special three, the older students leaving in a huff. She expected them to be animagus. Not because of their intelligence, but that those that could change themselves usually had the gift to change objects. She nodded tightly to Pansy and performed the chant. Within seconds she started to glow softly, and Minerva fleetingly saw in the light a stunning red firefox, before it was gone. Nodding, “I will see you Thursday, Miss Parkinson.”

Pansy was positively ecstatic and stepped back, eagerly waiting the outcome. Minerva stepped in front of Hermione, the Gryffindor had her eyes squeezed tightly shut. Nearly a minute passed before she started to glow softly, then more surely. In the light a golden treecat before the light faded, “Thursday, Miss Granger.”

Hermione jumped for joy, hugging Pansy tightly before both turned to wait for Draco. He looked more than sad, silently resigned. No one passed this test before they turned thirteen. Minerva gave him a reassuring smile and Draco closed his eyes. He didn’t want to know. But he didn’t stop the professor from chanting above his head, the words spoken and the silence deafening. But it wasn’t for reasons that he could imagine. He immediately glowed, the light spiraling around him. What confounded Minerva was she couldn’t tell what animal he would be. It was too bright for her to see clearly.

Then all at once the light was gone, not faded so much as extinguished. She shook her head to clear it, even as the other occupants of the room were speechless. Clearing her throat, “Thursday, Mr. Dumbledore.”

Draco’s eyes snapped open in shock and he stared at the Transfiguration teacher, “Thurs-...I am...I’m in?” Hermione grinned and pulled Draco into a hug, ignoring his babbling before dragging him out of the room. And silently filing what had happened to the back of her mind for later pondering.

***

Remus Lupin was having a bad week. It had started on Monday, his level 6 class giving him subtle glares and not so subtle ones as well. The Granger girl was in that class. She was a feisty one and the others seemed to look to her for guidance. She was cold as ice and volunteered for nothing. Only moving when called upon and never excelling, doing only what was instructed.

But Tuesday, oh that had been even worse. Level 3A had all been horrible, none of them trusting him, obviously following Draco, Pansy, and Harry’s lead. But then his Level one had been just as bad, a group of Ravenclaw girls giving him death stares. By the last class on Thursday it was plain to see he’d made a mistake with Draco as all of his students were giving him problems, even the years in between not directly affiliated with any of them. But it seemed to be a trickle effect. The four of them were the ring leaders of the school and they influenced the rest. Sighing, he massaged his temple. He’d have to do something, and not just to ensure that he continued to receive his potions...but that he would survive the year.

And so he tracked after the boy, and discovered him talking to the least likely of people, “Oh, Severus it was great! I’m going to train to be an animagus!”

“Do quiet down, Draco, I’m in the midst of something delicate.”

A snort drifted from the classroom behind the door, “Sev, come on, you can make wolf’s bane in your sleep but a wit-sharpening potion requires your complete concentration?”

Severus rolled his eyes, picking up his godson under his arms and sitting him down. The boy had the nerve to giggle at him, “Stay put, you imp, I’m almost done.”

Draco rolled his eyes and swung his feet on his stool, leaning back on the work bench while holding Viola in his hands and watching Severus toil over his potion, “Godfather?”

“Hmm?”

“Why did you become a potion’s master...to ensnare the mind and bewitch the senses?”

Remus quietly laughed at the sarcastic tone, a clear mimic of Severus. The dark man looked back with a small smile and turned off the fire. Sitting down across from Draco, “Well, it did have its allure. But no, I did it for revenge...” Lupin froze, “...I was not treated favorably in school, and I swore one day, I would do better, be better than all of them...”

Frowning, “With potions or...” His finger brushed against his godfather’s sleeve. Yes, he knew about the dark mark there, adorned since before he’d left Hogwarts as a student. But he knew he was safe with his Godfather, even from Voldemort.

Nodding, “I made a lot of bad choices based on my anger. I still do, in point of fact...”

“That’s why you hate him. He was one of the ones that...humiliated you...”

“One of the worst, I’m afraid. But no, it’s not that.”

Frowning in puzzlement, “Then what?”

“I trusted him, once. He was a friend...and he betrayed me for Potter...”

Severus growled the name and Draco flinched. He hated when his godfather did that. But Snape took out the sting of his anger, running a hand over his hair to ease his instinctual fear of anger. Lupin fled from the door and out of the dungeons as fast as possible. He’d never understood why Severus had turned so nasty and cynical towards the end of school...until now.

I took a bit of artistic license with that one but it all fits in with my devious plans later.