Thunderbolt and Lightning

Author note: Extrachapter for reaching 100k views.

Enjoy the chapter

End of author note.

The final week before their trip home has arrived. With the exception of potions and transfiguration, the final lectures before the holidays were rather loose. The ceiling of the Great Hall appeared to be snowing and was already adorned with flying Christmas balls. There was a deep blanket of snow covering the castle grounds. The students built numerous snowmen and engaged in snow battles. Mr. Filch was on the verge of tears as he witnessed the drenched and filthy students re-enter the hallways without making any attempt to clean themselves up. Even the party led by Hermione, Atlas, and Ethan received criticism after they returned from a snowball fight.

In order to watch the group more closely in a different setting, Atlas suggested they spend some time outside. For now, he only knew that one of them improved the learning of those around them, and Amy was aware of the Room of Requirement. Atlas didn't really know how to separate them without appearing suspicious. He had spent more time chatting with Leona than Amy or Ethan, so he saw a possibility to maybe separate her from the group for a short study session on a specialized combat topic, but his main concern was that he didn't know how to separate Amy from Ethan. Amy seemed to have a small crush on Ethan and was especially clingy to him, which just increased the difficulty. So his new strategy was to suggest a number of group exercises so he could understand more about the boon the hero had.

The experiment demonstrated that the boon even affected physical activity, but to a far lesser extent. They were ice skating on a frozen lake when he came to this conclusion. Although no one in the group could skate, they were all very encouraging and each offered some advice that should help Atlas spend more time on his feet than on his backside. Hermione also attempted to assist him, but she wasn't too skilled and was content to avoid falling herself. Ethan offered to stay and continue to train them, but Leona persuaded them to move on. The party opted to drive a few circles by themselves, leaving him and Hermione on their own. It was then that he became aware of how the boon was affecting him. His progress immediately felt like it had stagnated when the group left.

He had used the opportunity and asked Ethan if he could teach him more, but he pointed out that they wouldn't have the time for it as they would leave the next day in the morning, and he still needed to finish packing. He still offered to teach him, and Hermione too if she wanted, if the lake was still safe to skate on after the holidays or maybe next year.

Atlas accepted that but knew he would probably have to search for another opportunity.

On that day, Atlas was taken aback to discover that Amy had not revealed his relationship with Hermione to their mutual friends, Ethan and Leona. It was only after an incident where Atlas instinctively grabbed Hermione and pulled her down with him when he fell that the truth came out. Despite the initial discomfort from the fall, Atlas and Hermione stayed on the ice, chatting and laughing before sharing a kiss. Coincidentally, Ethan and Leona drove by at that very moment and caught them in the act. Leona appeared pleasantly surprised and eager for more details, but Ethan's reaction was a confusing mix of emotions that Atlas struggled to decipher. As Leona began questioning them, Ethan finally regained his composure.

Atlas wasn't sure what he should think about it, but if he had to guess, then Ethan was probably interested in Hermione and was quite unpleased to see her with him. He didn't know what to do with this information, but it still caused him to want to keep Hermione away from him. He knew that it wasn't really practical, as the hero's boon boosted Hermione and him far too much to give up on it just because he was overprotective. He knew that Hermione wouldn't leave him for Ethan unless he was the hero, and his boon influenced her to do that, so that wasn't really the problem. His problem was that he realized that he immediately started to see Ethan as a competitor, which might negatively influence his hero hunt.

Luckily Leonas enthusiasm eased the mood, and it seemed as if nothing had changed… for now.

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On their final day, after lunch, Hermione and Atlas retreated to the Room of Requirement for a special date. While they had previously used the room solely for training, Hermione surprised Atlas by transforming it into a serene forest clearing, complete with a small, crystal-clear stream and a tranquil lake. As the artificial sun set and its reflection danced on the lake's surface, they marveled at the room's ability to create such a stunning environment. Although their conversation wasn't as romantic as they had planned, with them fixated on the room's features, they still enjoyed the idea of using the space as a date spot. Atlas couldn't help but imagine all the possibilities.

Unbeknownst to Atlas, Hermione had planned the date to help calm his nerves about the evening ahead. It was the 22nd of December 1991, the last full moon of the year, and Atlas was set to attempt the animagus transformation.

As the date wore on, Hermione noticed Atlas growing increasingly anxious, and she knew exactly why. The animagus transformation was no easy feat, and the stakes were high. She could see the worry etched on his face, and she tried her best to ease his fears with words of encouragement.

"It's normal to be nervous, Atlas," she said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "But I know you can do this. You've been preparing for months, and you're more than ready for it."

Despite her assurances, she could still sense his unease. It wasn't just the difficulty of the transformation that was weighing on him, though; it was also the uncertainty of what he would become. She had heard stories of animagi who had transformed into creatures they didn't expect or want to be, and she knew that possibility was a source of dread for him.

Hermione felt a flicker of fear herself at the thought of something going wrong, but she pushed it aside. She knew that Professor McGonagall was an expert in the field, and she trusted her to fix any mistakes Atlas might make.

As the sun began to set and the moon started to rise, Hermione accompanied Atlas to the Transfiguration classroom, where Professor McGonagall was waiting for him.

"Good evening, Ms. Granger and Mr. Graf," greeted Professor McGonagall with a warm smile. "You're here quite early, as expected. I hope you haven't been too nervous, because you don't have to be. I only let people attempt the transfiguration when I believe they will definitely succeed, so be assured you have the necessary skill for the transformation, as long as you don't get distracted."

Hermione smiled at Atlas, trying to reassure him with her eyes. "You've got this, Atlas. Just focus and believe in yourself," she whispered before leaving him with Professor McGonagall.

"I already prepared the vial with the potion you need to take later on, but we will only add the last few ingredients after we arrive at our destination for today," continued Professor McGonagall. She signaled for Atlas to follow her, and together they left the castle grounds, attracting a few curious stares from passing students.

As they stepped outside the gates of Hogwarts, Atlas noticed a group of Slytherins giving him smug looks. He could tell they thought he was in trouble and being punished by Professor McGonagall. He shrugged it off and focused on the task at hand.

Professor McGonagall then offered her left arm, covered in a dark green robe with many runic symbols on it, to Atlas. As he took her hand, he expected to immediately apparate, but she stopped and looked at him, asking if it was his first time apparating. Atlas nodded, and she gave him a helpful piece of advice: "Hold your breath."

It felt like being pressed through a thin pipe that was getting tighter and tighter, and it even became difficult to hold his breath. Just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore, they arrived on a coast with large waves, a clear night sky with many stars, and a fantastic view of the full moon.

The expected motion sickness didn't come, and McGonagall commented him. "Good, you managed to keep your breath. That keeps the motion sickness away. Now can you add your hair and the mandrake leaf?" She said this in a happy mood as they looked at the clear moon and sky.

She took out the vial with an orange liquid. He quickly plucked one of his hairs and added it to the vial. The orange liquid turned silver, but after he added the mandrake leaf, the liquid turned sluggish and violet.

"Professor, I read in a book that the vial shouldn't be tinkered with or disturbed in any way. Is it okay if we apparate with it to the next location." Asked Atlas.

"No, we can't apparate, but we don't need to. We will stay here. The Muggle's weather service predicted a heavy storm in about an hour at this location, so we don't need to. Just put the vial in the bag for now. Do you want to go over the process of the transfiguration one last time?" explained Professor McGonagall.

Atlas did as he was told, and they discussed the process one last time, but it only took them a couple of minutes. After they stared at each other quietly for a few minutes, Atlas asked her about the Animagus forms she knew of.

Professor McGonagall's smile widened as she reminisced about her past experiences with Animagus forms. "It's fascinating how one's innermost traits can manifest in their Animagus form," she said, her voice carrying a hint of wonder. "For example, my form is that of a tabby cat, which is reflective of my intelligence and independence."

She paused for a moment, as if lost in thought, before continuing. "I once had a student who could transform into a giant tuna. It was quite a spectacle to see a marine animal as an Animagus form. I suspect that his love for the ocean was inherited in his transformation, as his muggle-father was a fisherman and sometimes took him with him to the ocean."

Her expression turned serious as she recalled the dangers of Animagus transformations. "I remember the first time he transformed on land. It was fortunate that I was there to assist him, as he naturally performed the transformation without water. He could have died without water within the ten minutes he needed to figure out how to transform back."

Atlas listened intently, his curiosity piqued by the professor's stories. He wondered what his own Animagus form would be, and if it would reflect his own traits and personality. He just hoped he wouldn't transform into a marine animal. Even a bug like Reeta Skeeter would be better than a fish, unless he would be transported into a waterworld.

Atlas could see that the usual stern professor was in quite a good mood and more talkative than usual, but soon the sky darkened and dark clouds formed, covering the bright moon.

As the clouds thickened and the first lightning appeared, McGonagall's demeanor became more serious. "It's time, Mr. Graf," she said, pulling out her wand. "Cast the charm and drink the potion, and we will begin the transformation process."

Atlas cast the spell that he had studied countless times in the last few weeks while pointing the wand at his heart. "Amato Animo Animato Animagus," he said, then opened the vial with the violet liquid and gulped it down in one go. At first, nothing happened, but then he slowly began to shrink more and more. Professor McGonagall was watching him, her wand ready to help him at any moment, but he could see from her expression that everything was as it should be. The first transformation always took a bit longer, and he questioned himself about how long he would continue to shrink as he was only half the size of Professor McGonagall now. He saw how his wand fused with his hand, and for a moment, it looked like he had an additional wooden finger.

He shrank further, only to McGonagall's knee height, as he saw that his skin took on a weird green shade. He became increasingly worried as he expected some kind of fur or scales to grow, but so far his skin had only turned green and his arms looked like someone had dried them in the desert for a few months. His wand-finger slowly fused with the hand, but the rest of his fingers grew longer and longer.

The shrinking finally stopped, as he was barely able to look over Professor McGonagall's shoes. His hands already formed long, thin claws, and he realized that his elbows had disappeared and his arms were just long, curved green limbs that turned into claws. To his surprise, he could still move the arm as if there was an elbow, or, to be more accurate, he had full control of his arm and could move it like a snake moved her body if he wanted to.

He didn't immediately recognize into what he had turned, but from Professor McGonagall's gigantic surprised face, he could see that his transformation wasn't ordinary.