Title: Harry Potter: Neko's Mate

Summary: Hermione's Polyjuice mishap in Second Year causes her to become a Neko! While visiting Hermione in the Hospital Wing, Harry discovers he's a Metamorphmagus. But that is not the only new discoveries for Harry and Hermione. What happens when they discover people they thought were friends and mentors have betrayed them? What will that mean for the future? And what does it mean to be a Neko's Mate?

Rating: M
Warnings: Harems, Betrothals, Metamorphmagus!Gender-Bender!Harry, Cat-Girl!Hermione, Sexual Situations Involving Underage Characters (12+), Incest, Fem-Slash, Harry Is Not A Horcrux, Gabrielle is Harry's Age, Manipulative!GreaterGood!Dumbledore, Ancient and Noble Houses, Lords and Ladies, Severe Character Bashing – Dumbledore, some Weasleys, and others; other warnings labeled individually in chapters.

Ships: Harry/Hermione/Harem (Padma, Parvati, Daphne, Tracey, Gabrielle, Eventually Tonks. This is final. I will NOT be adding any more.)

Disclaimer: J.K Rowling owns the characters and the world of Harry Potter. I do not. I just like to play in her sandbox. No copyright infringement intended.

Author's Note: Harry is not a Horcrux in this story, however he will keep the Parseltongue ability, due to other reasons.

This story is also on Archive of Our Own under my author-name there, FurySerenity.

Warning! There will be semi-frequent sequences in this story depicting nudity and sexual situations involving underage characters, ages 12 and up. Any of the girls listed with Harry in the "Relationships" could have relationships with the other girls listed. There will be no Slash, and Harry will be the only male in these relationships. If you do not like that, turn away!

Chapters involving descriptive nudity and sexual situations will have warnings at the start of the chapter. For example: this chapter has mildly descriptive nudity.

Chapter 1
Cat-Girls and Metamorphs

Saturday, December 26th, 1992 – Early Evening

Second Year Harry Potter was currently sitting on a bench outside the Hospital Wing. He was waiting for Madam Pomfrey, the Hogwarts School Nurse to come out and see him. He had been waiting for about half-an-hour now.

Nearly an hour ago, he and his friend, Ron Weasley, had returned to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, after a Polyjuice Potion adventure into the Slytherin Common Room. Their friend, Hermione Granger, who had originally planned to join them on their adventure, had told them she wanted to stay in the bathroom. After their adventure, they had discovered exactly why she had remained behind. Hermione had a mishap with the Polyjuice Potion. The hair she thought belonged to a girl, actually belonged to a cat! She looked like an odd mix between a young girl and a cat, complete with a furry face, yellow cat's eyes, cat's ears and a tail, and possibly other features that were hidden by her clothes.

Harry wanted to take Hermione to the Hospital Wing, but Ron had originally argued against it...

"We returned to normal after an hour, didn't we?" Ron asked. "Who says she won't return to normal soon? If we take her to the Hospital Wing, we could get in trouble!"

"Animal hair isn't meant to be mixed with Polyjuice Potion, Ron!" Harry argued. "Who knows what could happen to her, if we don't get her to Madam Pomfrey. I'm taking her, Ron. You can come with me, or... go away and let me do it without you."

Ron had left the bathroom, abandoning both Harry and Hermione. So it had been up to Harry to take Hermione to the Hospital Wing. When Madam Pomfrey had seen Hermione, she had automatically told Hermione to sit down on one of the hospital beds. Then she booted Harry out of the Hospital Wing, almost literally!

"Harry!" Ron's voice called out loudly.

Harry turned to look down the corridor and saw Ron walking toward him.

"There you are, mate!" Ron said, when he neared Harry, "Been looking all over for you. What are you still doing here?"

"I'm waiting until Madam Pomfrey allows me in to see Hermione," Harry said.

"Harry, she'll be fine!" Ron scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Madam Pomfrey looked quite worried about her, Ron," Harry said.

"That's just what Madam Pomfrey does," Ron said, waving his hand dismissively. "Come on, Harry. Let's go play chess. You can see Hermione later."

"No, thank you, Ron," Harry said.

"Come on, Harry," Ron repeated, "You have to be bored out here!"

"So what if I am?" Harry said, "I'm waiting here because I care about Hermione. She's my friend."

"You're also my friend, Harry," Ron said.

"And you're also Hermione's friend, Ron," Harry countered. "You should be sitting here with me. You should have helped me bring Hermione here. But if you care more about your stupid chess than Hermione's health, then go."

Ron huffed. "Guess I'll go find someone else to play with."

Ron turned and headed back down the corridor. Harry glared at his friend's back. He knew that Ron and Hermione didn't get along all the time, but he thought Ron would be more concerned about Hermione.

Suddenly, the doors of the Hospital Wing opened, and Harry hurried to his feet and turned to them. Madam Pomfrey was standing there.

"I heard raised voices," she said. "I suppose that was you, Mr. Potter?"

"Yeah," Harry said, "Me and – never mind. How is Hermione? Can I see her please?"

"Normally, I would have said no," Madam Pomfrey said, "But she is asking for you. Come on in, Mr. Potter."

Harry smiled and walked into the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey led him over to a bed, and partially opened the blue curtain surrounding a bed. Harry stepped inside the curtain, and Madam Pomfrey followed him, and closed the curtain behind her. Hermione was sitting up in the bed, wearing a light-blue hospital gown instead of the outfit she had been in. She still had cat's ears, and a fluffy tail that was waving around rather wildly, as if it had a mind of its own. Her eyes were still yellow and resembled that of a cat. Her face was furry, but not as bad as it had been.

"How are you, Hermione?" Harry asked.

Hermione's yellow eyes became full of tears. Harry frowned at his friend's reaction, and sat down in the chair near her. He took her closest hand in both of his, and he found that her fingernails were longer and sharper than usual.

"When will she return to her normal appearance?" Harry asked, looking at Madam Pomfrey.

Hermione sniffled loudly, and Harry turned back to her. She frowned as she looked at him.

"I'm afraid Miss Granger may never return completely to her normal appearance, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey said.

"What?" Harry asked, "You can't cure her?"

"Miss Granger explained to me the details behind what made her this way," Madam Pomfrey said. "Experimentation with Polyjuice Potion gone wrong. There is a reason feline hair is not suggested in Polyjuice Potion, Mr. Potter. It has a high chance of turning the drinker into a Neko."

"A – what?" Harry asked, confused.

"It is a Japanese term," Hermione said, "In feminine terms, it means I'm a Cat-Girl."

"Fortunately much of the fur on Miss Granger's face and body will return to normal, perhaps even in the next couple of days," Madam Pomfrey said. "She'll recover that attractively healthy peach color. However, her eyes will remain the same. And her teeth... I was able to fix her buck-teeth. However, her fangs..."

Hermione opened her mouth, and Harry saw two fangs on the upper row of her teeth which were slightly longer than the rest of her teeth.

"... will remain," Madam Pomfrey continued. "Her ears and tail will also remain. There are other features she has that are more private for Miss Granger."

"He can know, Madam Pomfrey," Hermione said.

"Are you sure, Miss Granger?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Are you afraid of me, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"No, Hermione!" Harry exclaimed. "I'm your friend. This will take a bit of time to get used to. But I'm not going to hate you or fear you because you look like this. No matter what it has done to you."

"Harry can know," Hermione said, "But I want to be the one to tell him. Or rather... show him..."

"Very well," Madam Pomfrey said, with a deep sigh.

Hermione began to untie the belt around her gown. When she opened the top, Harry looked away.

"Harry," Hermione said, quietly, "You can look. I'm giving you permission."

Harry felt his cheeks heating up as he turned back toward Hermione. In addition to her normal budding breasts, Harry noticed that Hermione had four pairs of nipples on her stomach, spaced out between her chest and belly button.

"Madam Pomfrey doesn't know whether they'll be... fully functional like my regular breasts will be," Hermione said, smiling softly, when Harry blushed at the word 'breasts'. "But she doesn't want to remove them, just in case."

Hermione closed her gown again.

"Is there... any other changes?" Harry asked.

"My tongue feels different," Hermione said.

She stuck out her tongue which made Harry chuckle.

"It looks the same to me," he said.

"I am still doing my research, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey said. "I've never experienced anything like this before. I will try to give more information when it becomes available to me. But, so far, the rest of her body features and functions are completely normal."

"How long will she be here?" Harry asked.

"Unfortunately, I will have to speak to Professors Dumbledore and/or McGonagall about that," Madam Pomfrey said. "Then we'll decide what Miss Granger's immediate future will be."

"Can I talk to her for a while?" Harry asked. "In private?"

"For a little while, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey said. "Miss Granger, I will be nearby if you need anything."

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Hermione said.

Madam Pomfrey nodded, then left the enclosed area.

"Are you okay, Hermione?" Harry asked, "I mean – how are you feeling?"

"This will take some time to get used to," Hermione said. "At least I won't be furry much longer. My yellow eyes look like contacts, and my fangs aren't so bad. These extra nipples are weird."

"Your ears and tail?" Harry asked.

Hermione giggled. "This might surprise you, but I could learn to love those features."

"Really?" Harry asked.

Hermione grinned. "Rub behind my ear."

Harry raised his eyebrows. Hermione rolled her eyes, took his hand and and placed it at her nearest cat ear. He pet her ear and began to rub behind it, as if he was doing it to an actual cat. She let out a sound that resembled a deep purr.

"You're purring!" Harry exclaimed.

Hermione giggled. "Oh yeah. Forgot to mention that. That is one of my new talents. I purr when I'm happy or excited. It happened earlier when – well – stroke my tail now."

The tip of Hermione's tail moved toward Harry. He gently grasped his hand around her tail and began to stroke it. Hermione closed her eyes and purred loudly. Her body began to squirm in obvious pleasure.

"Feels so good!" she moaned.

Harry chuckled. Hermione pouted slightly when Harry let go of her tail a moment later, so he rubbed her ear again, making her purr again.

"You're so cute when you purr," Harry said.

"You think I'm cute?" Hermione asked; her frown was something Harry didn't expect. "Looking like this? Harry, don't make fun of me."

"I'm not!" Harry insisted, "I'd never make fun of you, Hermione. I know there will probably be a lot of people who will make fun of you for looking like this. But I will never do that. Ever. You're beautiful, Hermione. Why would I make fun of you?"

"I thought that since I'm now a Cat-Girl, possibly for the rest of my life," Hermione said, "that a chance of having a – you know – love life in my future was doomed."

"Not at all, Hermione," Harry said, "You're beautiful."

Hermione smiled. "I'd kiss you for that, but it would be awkward with my furry face."

"Really?" Harry asked, "You'd kiss me?"

"Yes," Hermione said, "I promise to kiss you once my face looks -"

Harry leaned toward her and gently pressed his lips to hers. Hermione gasped against his lips, then purred and returned his kiss. They kissed for a few more moments, before Harry backed away.

"Wow," Harry said, grinning.

"Yeah," Hermione said, with an equal grin, "Wow."

"I hope that was okay," Harry said, "I didn't want to wait to kiss you."

"You know," Hermione said, "My Daddy said I shouldn't kiss a boy unless they're my boyfriend. I want to be able to kiss you more."

"So if I ask you to be my girlfriend?" Harry asked.

"Then that would mean you're my boyfriend, and we can kiss more," Hermione said. "Are you asking?"

"Hermione, will you be my girlfriend?" Harry asked.

"Yes, Harry, I'll be your girlfriend," Hermione said, grinning.

"Brilliant," Harry said, smiling, "Can I kiss you again?"

Hermione giggled and nodded. Her tail moved toward his hand. "If you promise to play with my tail while you do."

Harry grasped her tail gently in his hand and stroked it softly, making Hermione shiver in pleasure. He leaned toward her again and kissed her softly. Hermione purred as she returned his kiss. They kissed for half-a-minute, as Harry continued to stroke her tail. When Hermione moaned against his lips, Harry backed away.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked, "Did I hurt you?"

"That wasn't a sound of pain, Harry," Hermione said, "It was – I – let's just say I really like it when you do that."

"I promise to do that much more in the future then," Harry said, "I like it when you purr. I swear, I'm not making fun of you."

"I believe you," Hermione said, smiling; "Harry? Why didn't Ron come in with you?

"We had an argument earlier," Harry said, "Well, actually we had two. The first was before I brought you here. I told Ron we needed to bring you here, and Ron was being selfish and thought we'd get in trouble if we did. He said you would have gone back to normal soon anyway."

"Madam Pomfrey said it would have been worse if I hadn't come when I did," Hermione said.

"So Ron would have been wrong," Harry said. "When I told him I was bringing you here, I also told him either to come with me or go away. He left the bathroom. Then as I was waiting for Madam Pomfrey to let me back in here, Ron came back. He said he was looking for me, as if he didn't think I'd have stayed here. He told me to go with him and play chess. I told him I was waiting to see how you were. Ron told me to go with him and come back later. I told him he should stay here and wait with me, because that is what a friend should do. He left to go find someone else to play chess with."

Hermione scoffed and her cat ears flattened. She was obviously annoyed or even angry.

"I've been toeing the line lately when it comes to him," Hermione said. "About whether or not I want to be friends with him. He's so mean sometimes. I've put up with him because he's your friend. But, if he is thinking about chess when I'm in here dealing with this, then... I can't be friends with him anymore."

"I'm about to make that same decision too," Harry said. "Especially since you're my girlfriend now. Nobody gets to be mean to you, just because you look like this. If Ron's our friend, he'll be nice to you. However, if he makes fun of you, or does anything to upset you, I swear to God, I'll punch him in the jaw!"

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Sorry, Hermione," Harry muttered. "Maybe I won't punch him. But he'd deserve it."

"No, Harry, its not that!" Hermione said, "Your hair, Harry!"

Hermione grabbed a mirror from her bedside table and showed him his reflection. Harry's eyes widened as he saw that his hair was turning several colors. Ten seconds later, it returned to normal.

"What was that, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"I – I'm not sure," Hermione said. "Madam Pomfrey!"

Moments later, the nurse entered the curtains.

"Are you alright, Miss Granger?" she asked.

"It's Harry," Hermione said, "His hair – it was turning all sorts of colors!"

Madam Pomfrey stared at Harry for a moment. "Mr. Potter? What were you feeling when your hair turned colors?"

"I was... angry," Harry said. "Angry about what a friend did."

"More angry than usual?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"He was upset because he thought Ron Weasley might make fun of me," Hermione said, "He – um – Harry's my boyfriend, and he said if Ron made fun of me, he'd – well, he was angry, let's put it that way."

"He's your boyfriend, Miss Granger?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Hermione said, blushing.

"You should have told me this earlier," Madam Pomfrey said.

"It just happened, ma'am," Hermione said, "A couple minutes ago. Why is that so important?"

"I'll explain it shortly," Madam Pomfrey said. "I need to send a note to Professor McGonagall. She may be able to explain better what happened to Mr. Potter just now. Sit still, both of you. I'll be right back."

She once again left the enclosed area. Harry turned back to Hermione.

"How can me being your boyfriend be any of Madam Pomfrey's business?" Harry asked.

"I guess we'll find out soon," Hermione said. "I'm more concerned with what happened to your hair. That was a bit strange. Kind of funny now, but it was quite alarming at first."

"Yeah," Harry agreed, with a nod, "Maybe it is side-effects of the Polyjuice Potion?"

"Maybe," Hermione said, biting her lip; suddenly, she hissed like cat, "Oww."

"You alright?" Harry asked, concerned.

"My fangs," Hermione said, pouting, "I bit my lip."

Harry couldn't help it. He giggled. Hermione glared at him before being reduced to giggles too. They only stopped when Madam Pomfrey returned.

"What is so funny, you two?" she asked.

"I bit my lip," Hermione said, "with my new fangs."

"She hissed when she did," Harry said. Then grinned at Hermione, "It was kind of cute."

Hermione giggled. Madam Pomfrey sighed in exasperation and shook her head.

"Professor McGonagall should be here shortly," she said.

"Alright," Hermione said. "Now why is Harry being my boyfriend so important to you?"

"It has to do with some of the information I know about," Madam Pomfrey said. "I wasn't going to mention it to you for some time, but unfortunately... well, since you say Mr. Potter is your boyfriend."

"He is," Hermione said, smiling at Harry.

"I assume you find Mr. Potter attractive?" Madam Pomfrey said.

"Yes, ma'am," Hermione said.

"I've been thinking about your future behavior now that you're partially a cat, Miss Granger," Madam Pomfrey said, "Your reactions to your ears and tail being touched – purring, and, if I may say so, reactions of pleasure – are all behavior characteristics of cats. One important characteristic in female cats and felines of all kinds is what happens when they're in heat."

"Ooh!" Hermione said, in realization, "I think I see what you mean."

"I believe that once a month," Madam Pomfrey said, "Instead of your feminine cycles, you'll experience being in heat. Have you started your cycles, Miss Granger?"

"Yes," Hermione said, "They usually take place last week of the month. So, sometime next week."

"Oh, my," Madam Pomfrey said. "So soon. Mr. Potter, I assume you are attracted to Miss Granger?"

"Um... yes, ma'am," Harry said, "I guess I am. Why?"

"There is a very good possibility, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey said, "That during the last week of each month from now on, when Hermione is in heat, you'll feel sexually attracted to her. Do you get my meaning?"

"She means you might feel a strong desire to have sex with me, Harry," Hermione said.

Harry blushed and his eyes widened.

"And you'll feel the same thing, Miss Granger," Madam Pomfrey said. "Your feline pheromones will attract your mate – forgive the term, I know this is a new relationship – and you'll be just as attracted to him in the same way."

"S-so," Harry stammered, "This means that next week, I – we..."

Harry blushed again; he couldn't finish his sentence.

"It is quite possible, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey said. "Miss Granger, while the fur on your body and face will be removed within the next couple of days, I think it would be best if you stay until I discover how you behave whilst in heat. That way, I can know if you and Mr. Potter will be able to cope with all future scenarios on your own."

"Alright," Hermione said.

"Have you been given The Talk, Mr. Potter?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"No, ma'am," Harry said, "Not yet."

"Well, I hope you won't mind me giving it to you," Madam Pomfrey said. "We'll talk about that in the next few days."

Harry nodded shyly. He looked back at Hermione, who smiled softly. Because her face was furry, he didn't know if she was blushing.

"Poppy?" Professor McGonagall's voice rang out, "You wish to see me?"

Madam Pomfrey exited the curtains. Harry and Hermione could hear their discussion still.

"Yes, Minerva," Madam Pomfrey said, "I was planning on asking either you or Albus or both of you to come down here to speak with me concerning one of my new patients. We'll discuss that further soon. But there is something slightly more urgent that I need your opinion on. Mr. Potter? Would you please come out here?"

Harry squeezed Hermione's hand, released it, then walked through the curtains.

"A few minutes ago," Madam Pomfrey said, "Mr. Potter experienced a few moments of what appears to be heightened anger. When he experienced this, apparently his hair turned an array of different colors."

McGonagall raised her eyebrows as she looked at Harry, as if she had never seen him before.

"I, of course, had a theory almost immediately as to what it was," Madam Pomfrey said, "But as it is a part of your field, I thought you might be able to explain it better."

"Poppy, if you are indeed correct," McGonagall said, "Well, I think we would have seen this much earlier, don't you?"

"I would have thought so; however... " Madam Pomfrey said, then turned to Harry, "You've been raised by Muggle guardians since your parents' deaths, is that correct, Mr. Potter?"

"Yes, ma'am," Harry sad.

"Have you ever been to St. Mungo's, the wizarding hospital in London?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"No, ma'am," Harry said.

Madam Pomfrey sighed. "As much as he's been in here the past year and few months, I should have done this much earlier. Stand still, Mr. Potter."

She removed her wand from her robes, and waved it around in Harry's direction. She then sighed heavily.

"Twenty-five percent," Madam Pomfrey said.

"Good Merlin!" McGonagall exclaimed, "A quarter? He's shown strong magic in his classes, and he's only a quarter?"

"It appears so," Madam Pomfrey said.

"Can he withstand one-hundred percent?" McGonagall asked.

"Perhaps if done in intervals," Madam Pomfrey said.

"Er... what is going on?" Harry asked.

"Mr. Potter," McGonagall said, "As is required by British law, parents must place bindings on their child's magical core on or around their first birthday. This is so the child does not harm themselves, their parents, or others during their childhood due to their accidental magic. Usually, the bindings are placed at quarter-percent when they're one year old, then between the ages of six and eleven, the bindings are gradually removed in intervals. With Muggleborn children, it is different of course. They're more prone to powerful bursts of accidental magic.

"Mr. Potter, it appears your magical core remains at twenty-five percent. Three-quarters of your magical core is still bound. Most students in your case would have not been able to perform very much magic at twenty-five percent, and yet you've been above average since you've been here. When all of the bindings are removed... well, I'm not even sure what could happen."

"Why weren't these bindings removed when I first arrived here?" Harry asked.

"I do not know," Madam Pomfrey said. "I should have caught onto that the first time you were in here, and definitely during the following cases. I'll have to ponder this."

"The reason we're bringing this up, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said, "is because that change in hair-color is a small portion in a large set of abilities. Abilities used by Metamorphmagi, or, in singular, Metamorphmagus. You, Mr. Potter, are apparently a Metamorphmagus. Tell us, Mr. Potter. Have you ever been able to change your appearance before in any way?"

"Only once when I was younger," Harry said. "My Aunt cut my hair, and I hated how it turned out. It went back to normal during the night."

"That is a Metamorphmagus talent," McGonagall said, "One of many. Your bindings on your magical core appear to have also bound your Metamorph talents, barely letting them show to even a minimal level. It is possible you've done more before and simply don't remember it, or didn't recognize it. But because your talents are limited, you wouldn't control them, and therefore it might have seemed like accidental magic to you. Come see me tomorrow, Mr. Potter. I will give you a short, private lesson in Metamorphmagi and what new talents you can expect, and perhaps additional training over the rest of Christmas Break to hone those talents. We would begin this evening, but I believe you'll be spending the rest of the evening here in the Hospital Wing."

"I will?" Harry asked, looking at Madam Pomfrey.

"I am going to take a binding off your magical core," Madam Pomfrey said. "It will raise to fifty-percent. A week from today, I will remove another quarter. If I feel more can be removed after that, I will decrease it to five-percent at a time. Simply put, Mr. Potter. Given that you're already above average in magical power, removing one-hundred percent of the bindings may not be beneficial to your health for a couple of years, maybe longer. But yes, I would prefer if you stayed over night, so that I may keep on eye on you during the transition."

"Alright," Harry said.

"Take the bed next to Miss Granger, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey said, "Change into a hospital gown. I will be with you shortly. I need to explain Miss Granger's current situation to Professor McGonagall."

"What has Miss Granger gotten herself into?" McGonagall asked.

"Come with me, Minerva," Madam Pomfrey said, "Scoot on, Mr. Potter."

Madam Pomfrey led McGonagall to Hermione's bed. Before the curtains closed, Harry heard McGonagall gasp in surprise. Unfortunately, when they closed, he could not hear the discussion inside the curtains.

Harry walked over to the bed next to Hermione's and found a hospital gown laying on it. He closed the curtains around the bed, then started removing his clothes. Soon, he put the hospital gown on then relaxed on the bed.

Harry had so many questions running through his mind. What exactly was a Metamorphmagus, and what talents did he have aside from changing his hair? Why were the bindings around his magical core never removed? Madam Pomfrey seemed very confused about why she had never detected the bindings. Something seemed fishy about that in Harry's mind.

Then there were the thoughts concerning Hermione. She was his girlfriend now. He had a girlfriend! Sure she would look a bit different from now on, and act different too, but Harry did not fear or hate her because of it. He actually thought her whole cat behavior was cute! He loved the purring sounds she made when he played with her tale and ear. He found her beautiful. He hadn't really thought about her beauty and looks until now. Was it because she had let him see her breasts, no matter how small they were at the moment? Was it because she was a cat? Or was he just now seeing her in a new light? Harry wasn't sure.

His mind then went to the whole topic of sex. Hermione would be 'in heat' during the last week of every month. Apparently he would have to have sex with her, because he was her 'mate'. Would anyone else be affected by her being in heat? Was he going to have to fight off boys coming on to her during the last week of every month? He would if he had to. He would protect his girlfriend from harm, including physical, magical, and insults. He wouldn't let anyone insult her for being who she was now.

Even Ron. Harry sighed at that thought. He couldn't believe Ron had been so careless toward Hermione's well-being. He was supposed to be her friend. Why wasn't he worried for her? He was more interested in playing chess, than knowing how his friend was doing. Friend. Harry wondered if his friendship with Ron would survive Hermione's transformation. Then there was the fact that he and Hermione were now a couple – would Ron get jealous about that? The logical answer was 'yes'. Ron had been jealous about a lot of things in the brief time Harry knew him.

The more Harry thought about it, the more he knew that his friendship with Ron might be dwindling down to nothing as each moment passed.

I have twenty chapters so far of this story written. I will post a chapter every few days. If you wish to read further, you may find it on Archive of Our Own (Ao3) under the same title, under the author's name FurySerenity.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

For those of you curious about my stories "Rose Lily Potter" and "Vanishing Cabinet of Time", they will be updated within the next month or so. I know I said Spring, I meant sometime in April.