Chapter Text
Despite the slumbering occupants, Hogwats still seemed to buzz with anticipation about the fact that the three tournament champions would be selected in just a few days.
Except for a faint light barely visible under a seldom opened door.
“Shh! It’ll be bad enough if that rat Peeves finds us!”
“Quit worrying, this part of this school is too boring for him to even bother. You have the books?”
“Yeah” There was a faint thump of something being placed on one of the desks. “This better be worth it, I had to lie my head off to get Pince to even let me hold these, much less leave the library with them!”
“Trust me, this is completely foolproof. There’s a reason the hat put me in Ravenclaw, after all.”
“A Claw that was held back a year…”
“Shut it! Now to find the spell.”
For several seconds, only rapidly turning pages could be heard, until… “Ha! Here it is. Sneaky to put the incantation in one with the wand motion is in another.”
“Ah you sure this is going to work? This is supposed to make us animagi?”
“Again, yes. Now be quiet and let me focus.” A low chant was begun along with waves, flicks and twists of a wand.
“Merlin, you’re slurring half that spell, are you even trying to pro…why are those books twitching like-”
In a lower hall, one of the paintings cracked open an eye. "Did someone say something?" He glanced around and shrugged when he saw he was the only one awake.
“Ah, another day, another round of educating students.” Albus Dumbledore yawned, scratching an itch on his stomach while a sleepy chirp greeted him.
“Good morning, Fawks. Ready to greet the morning?”
Insead, he was met by loud squawks and screeches. “Fawks??” He turned just in time to see the phoenix fall off his perch and roll on the floor,holding his stomach with both wings. “Fawks! What is so funny this early in the morning?”
Still squawking, Fawks barely managed to lift a wing and point straight at him.
Dumbledore frowned in confusion. “What? Don’t tell me I have a bowtruckle in my beard again .” He sighed and turned towards a mirror on the wall. “....”
That was when the whole school reverberated with several hundred screams.
Dumbledore sighed as he looked out over the great hall, then his hands; black with, when his sleeves fell back, thick grey hair covering his forearms. For the second time he tapped his face, now the rounded muzzle of a billy goat. He then reached up to the two stubby horns keeping his hat tilted back some. 'I enjoy irony, but this is a bit much.' He thought.
“Albus!” McGonagall, now a grey and black tabby, whispered in alarm. Her hat rested crooked due to the two feline ears sticking from the top of her head. “What’s happened!? We…we’re all-!”
“I’m afraid so, Minerva.” He replied, glancing over to the white-haired meerkat Flitwick had become, a badger Pomona Sprout, and an even more sullen looking Snape, now a rat snake with what looked like a stringy black mop on his head.
They weren’t the only ones, either.
“Ow! Ow!” Both of them looked over at the fifteen foot tall kodiak bear Hagrid had become, repeatedly pinching himself.
“Hagrid, it’s not a dream.” McGonagall spoke up.
‘I-I know, Professor, but I can barely wrap my head around…this!” He held up the two massive paws to her.
“It’s definitely something of a shock to the system.” Dumbledore replied, looking back at the students. All of them were chattering in shock, confusion, and even a bit of outrage as every single person in Hogwarts was now a humanoid animal of some kind.
"How am I going to explain this to-eep! Hannah!"
"I can't help it, your tail's so fluffy!"
"Gran's never going to let me hear the end of this...*ribbit*"
"When my father hears about-"
"No one gives a toss, Malfoy!"
The headmaster gave them a few moments before letting off a noisemaker spell to get their attention. ”Students! I know this is a very alarming and confusing situation, but I ask that you all please calm down.”
“Calm??” A stork Karkaroff yelped, flapping his arms/wings. “Look at us, Dumbledore!”
“I know, Karkaroff, but we have no idea how this occurred, nor what caused it in the first place. All we can do right now is go on as normal and hopefully it will either wear off, or we can undo it.”
While Dumbledore did his best to calm things down, McGonagall’s ears twitched at the various remarks her now feline hearing picked up, several were understandably worried about how their families would react. A few, however were quite curious about their new forms and some considered them, and others adorable (she would deny any claims that she agreed)
But one conversation managed to grab her full attention.
“Ron, I thought you said Harry would be out in a few minutes.” A calico Hermione said to the weasel across from her, his fur as red as his hair.
“I did too!” He replied. “From the way he sounded, I thought something didn’t agree with him from last night.”
“Maybe we should tell Professor McGonagall…”
A look at that section of the table confirmed it. She turned to inform Albus, but paused. Something, deep inside, said ‘why are you going to him when Gryffindor is your house? These are your students.’ She wasn’t sure why, but she let out a low ‘fftt’ noise before turning away.
“For all we know, he’s on his way to the hall now.” Ron glanced over to the doors. “Got her hands full right now with all this.”
“While not an inaccurate claim, Mr. Weasley…” Making them and every student nearby jump. “Mr. Potter is still a Gryffindor, and I could not help overing your conversation”
“Professor! How…” Hermione started before remembering. “Oh…right, cat hearing.”
“Quite, now perhaps you can direct me to where he is.
“Why does this feel familiar?” Ron asked as they stood outside the boys' lavatory.
Hermione rolled her eyes and knocked. “Harry?"
“Go away.” Came the response. It might’ve been from the door, but his voice was deeper than normal.
“Mr. Potter, I assure you, this has affected everyone here.”
“Yeah, mate. It can’t be that bad.”
“Easy for you to say. I look like a drunk transfiguration project!”
“We are all in the same situation, Mr. Potter.” McGonagall replied. “But everyone is too focused on their own transformations to pay much attention to yours. And if any of them do decide to hassle you about it, they will answer to me. I look out for my lions, Mr. Potter. And I expect them to behave properly in return.”
There was a dull scoff from inside. “You’ll have to excuse me if I have trouble believing that, Professor.” Harry muttered. “The aftermath of the hundred and fifty points ring a bell? Or the bloody ‘Heir of Slytherin’ rumors?”
“He kind of has a point, Professor..” Ron piped up.
“Ron!” Hermione slapped his arm.
“Well, he does!”
“Still!”
“He does, Miss Granger.” McGonagall sighed. “I admit I was not at my best that late, but it was no excuse for the way you were treated afterwards. Hagrid had explained what happened not long after, but Dumbledore pointed out that any alteration or reversal of my decision would be on record, leading to severe legal trouble for Hagrid….and the fact you refused to explain why the three of you were out that night tells me you valued protecting Hagrid more than getting out of an undeserved punishment, for which I am very proud of you…though I do apologize for accusing you of trying to prank Longbottom. And for not telling the other houses it was not your duty to win the house cup on their behalf.”
“Bunch of gits.” Ron muttered, before getting a light elbow.
“As for the rumors in your second year, you can thank the headmaster for that, claiming that any attempts to squash rumors would only make them worse, despite it being as simple as pointing out your choice of company.”
There was silence for a second before a reply came through the door. “Would have been nice to know at least the teachers believed me.”
“While I understand why you were reluctant to come to me after First year, had I been aware of the distress it was causing I would have made an earnest effort to reassure you.”
No response. After a moment, Ron knocked on the door. “Harry?” He stepped back when the door cracked open. “What’d you get turned intoooobloody hell!”
“Dear Merlin!” McGonagall blinked.
Hermione’s eyes widened. “Meow…”