Harry Potter and the Order Of the Phoenix [58]
“Excellent work Mr. Malfoy,” said Professor McGonagall, looking quite shocked. “I have never seen a student so young be able to perform such an expert transformation so quickly. I think we can expect excellent things from you… maybe even our first Polymagus…”
“What’s a Polymagus?” Harry whispered to Hermione. She was looking pale, and even a little scared.
“What? Oh! A Polymagus… that’s a wizard that can transform into many different animals, or one combination of many different animals, not just one like an Animagus,” she whispered angrily back to Harry, whose mind was perplexed. “I can’t believe he’d be able to do something that I can’t!” How could Malfoy be able to do something so difficult? He had never shown any particular talent in any area, much less transfiguration.
“Now, onto practice! Mr. Malfoy has already taken this step, but on a different part of the body than I usually start with. I prefer to start with your fingers. For the next few days, we will try and perfect growing and shrinking them.
“To do this, you will have to concentrate hard. Look at your hands, remember them, memorize every detail: every wrinkle, scar, mark, and cut.” Harry looked at his hand, and tried to take in every bit of it. He started at the end of his wrists, and worked his way up to the tips of his fingernails.
“Now, close your eyes, and try to see your hands… only now with longer fingers. Concentrate hard….” Harry closed his eyes, and formed a picture of his hand in his head. He pictured his fingers longer than they were, this new longer-fingered hand of his looked very odd.
“Now, open your eyes!” said Professor McGonagall. Harry opened his eyes, and to his (and apparently Ron, and Hermione’s whose hands had done the same) shock, saw his fingers longer than they were by about two inches. Not as long as he had pictured them, but still quite long. Malfoy, however, looked lazily at his longer fingers. He appeared anxious to go beyond this basic step, and onto the more complicated stuff.
“Close your eyes everyone, and picture your hands as they are now. Morph the fingers in your mind, make them back to their original length. After you do, open your eyes.” Harry did this, and, sure, enough, when he opened his eyes, his fingers were back to their normal size. Malfoy gave a very fake expression of surprise, slapping his hands against his cheeks, and bugging his eyes out.
“Excellent everyone, excellent! Now, if my watch is correct, it is eight o’ clock, and time for you all to be in your common rooms. We will do this again tomorrow, same place, bright and early.” Harry, Ron, and Hermione all walked out together, talking excitedly.
“Oh, and, start thinking of what kind of animal you will transform into! It is the most important decision you will make as an Animagus!” said Professor McGonagall as they left. Malfoy slipped away from them quickly. Harry thought this odd, why wasn’t he making fun of he, Ron, and Hermione for being behind him? Harry shrugged it off, and saw it as a good sign.
“Wow, I can’t wait until we can actually become animals!” said Ron.
“It wasn’t as hard as I thought,” said Hermione excitedly. “We may be able to becomes Animagi sooner than I thought!”
“Yeah, well, Malfoy will be one before any of us at the rate he’s going anyway. With his ‘skill’ and all…” said Harry grumpily. He was not used to Malfoy being better than him.
Before they new it, they arrived at the Gryffindor common room, and went in. Since no one was around, and they were tired from their Animagus class, they all decided to go to sleep. As Harry got ready for bed, he started thinking of what animal he was going to transform into. He took out his Care of Magical Creatures Book, and looked through it. A bird maybe? A snake? A dragon even? The possibilities were endless.
Harry