Hermione was surprised to realize that even through the thick oak doors of the Headmaster's office she could hear the conversation taking place on the other side. She knew Professor Dumbledore was out there, having just left Hermione alone in his office seconds before, but she was unsure who the ascending footsteps making their way up the spiral staircase belonged to. That is, until Professor Dumbledore said seriously,

"Has Riddle ever demanded the presence of a member's familiar?"

"That's what you brought me up here at midnight to discuss?" Hermione could practically see Professor' Snape's sneer as he spoke the words, and gulped. This was not what she expected.

"Severus..." Dumbledore warned. A deep sigh, from she assumed Professor Snape, and he replied slowly,

"He has never allowed the presence of a familiar under any circumstances, no matter how unique or useful the familiar might be. He is entirely too paranoid that one's familiar could be an Animagus spy,"

This time is was Dumbledore that sighed.

"Thank goodness," footsteps began until she heard Professor Dumbledore speak again, "Severus, we are unfortunately not quite finished,"

The sound of a billowing cloak as Professor Snape whirled back around, probably fixing the Headmaster with a menacing glare. Hermione might have laughed at the thought if she weren't nervous enough to be sick any moment.

"We've had a serious problem," Dumbledore started, pausing to take a deep breath. "As you know, Harry, Hermione and Ronald have been taking Animagus classes with Minerva,"

"Is one of them hurt?" Snape asked, and Hermione was surprised to hear a touch of concern in his voice, hidden very cleverly under a cold drone, but there nonetheless.

"No, thank goodness for that small miracle. But it is still very serious, Severus. One of them is stuck in their Animagus forms,"

"That is not my area of expertise, Albus. You're much better off contacting Minerva and Filius," Professor Snape replied, sounding increasingly annoyed. Sure enough, she heard him move one foot before the Headmaster interrupted again.

"I have Severus. They have not been able to reverse it. It will take at least a month before Filius can come up with a charm to try, but he said that is being extremely optimistic. It's an anomaly, neither Minerva nor Filius have seen a case like this,"

"Spit it out, where do I fit in this?" Professor Snape snarled, clearly irritated and no longer disguising it with a cool and disinterested tone.

"Well this particular student has a very... Unique... Animagus form, and quite frankly, you're the only staff member who could possibly hope to control it,"

Hermione gulped again and her stomach rolled.

"I am NOT babysitting Potter," the ferocity in which he said this made Hermione shiver. Another pause.

"It's not ," Professor Dumbledore said firmly.

"Oh seriously, Weasley? What an idiot,"'

Dumbledore must have given Professor Snape a look because they both fell silent.

"Merlin's fucking beard," Professor Snape ground out after a long moment. Dumbledore took a deep breath and sounded like he was holding it. "What do you want me to do?" He asked warily. Dumbledore released his breath slowly.

"She's going to have to take on the role of your familiar. She can't be left alone for extended periods of time, she'll need supervision - NOT babysitting - you know Miss Granger, she is a model student and highly intelligent. She still possesses these same qualities even in her Animagus form, as I'm sure you know. However, you also know how difficult it is to adjust to being in your Animagus form, especially for prolonged periods of time without breaks. Miss Granger has never been in her form for longer than an hour or two. Therefore, she is most likely going to have difficulty maintaining control over her instincts. We'll have the kitchen accommodate her meals, and she'll be allowed to leave the castle to do her... Duties. I'll go to your quarters and you can direct me in adjusting the castle to fit her and your needs so you can share rooms. Before you argue Severus, there is no choice in the matter. Voldermort will not require her to attend meetings with you even if she is seen as your familiar around Hogwarts, so there is no danger there. Every member of staff already has a familiar, so you will be no different, merely delayed in finding a match, shall we say," Dumbledore finally finished talking, and Hermione could just imagine the venomous looks he was receiving from the surly Potions Master.

Hermione found herself shaking even more now as she waited for his response, her body scrunched together and tense as the silence dragged on. Seeing that he had no way out, he relented, but the reluctance was obvious.

"Just another stress you've seen fit to add on to my life," he grumbled angrily, to which Dumbledore replied cheerily,

"Well then, be thankful it wasn't Mr Potter!"

"What in the bloody hell is she? What the fuck can't Minerva, of all people, handle?" Professor Snape said now, more to himself than Dumbledore. At this, he burst through the door, and Hermione shrunk back even further at the sudden movement and loud sound as the heavy door slammed open. He scanned the room, his eyes fierce and alert, taking a few steps forward into the room, where his eyes dropped and he finally saw Hermione.

Severus thrust the door open with a mere wave of his hand and was greeted by what appeared to be an empty room. No large horse, swinging monkey, or flapping bird. Where was she, and more importantly, what was she? Severus took another step forward, his eyes scanning the room, looking at every detail to find her. Then with another few steps forward he rounded on the couch in front of Dumbledore's desk and his eyes fell to the floor, landing on a crouching, trembling lioness.

A fucking lion. His first reaction was not as he expected,

"Will you look at that, one of Minerva's cubs is actually living up to the household name," He made no effort to disguise the disgust in his voice, which served to hide his shock at the sight before him. At his words, the ears of the lioness pinned down even further and shifted slightly to the side in clear submission and fear. He stood, oblivious to Albus who had now moved to sit behind his desk, and continued staring at the trembling life form on the floor.

Her lean body was scrunched together, her shoulder blades touching and creating a deep hollow between them, her tail tucked between her legs which were pulled under her stomach and parted, bracing. Her chin practically touched the floor, the tuft of white hairs just brushing the crimson rug. Only a sliver of what were dark brown eyes looked up at him nervously. Another tremor shook through her body, which was covered in a sleek, deep honey colored coat. Her dark round ears were pinned flat to her head, showing the thick black line of hair that trailed across each one. The hair on her spine grew opposite the rest, making it appear darker. There was another line of hair on top of her neck, starting between her shoulder blades and ending just below her skull, that did the same thing. Her eyebrows were two oval spots of hair that also grew the opposite direction and were a shade darker than her normal coat. Under her eyes was shaded in a soft white, the only place she seemed to have white besides her chin, and he assumed, her stomach. His eyes drifted to her front paws, which were drawn under her chest, her cream colored claws digging into the rug and hard wood floor beneath. She trembled again.

He raised his eyes to Albus.

"I now fully understand the situation. Does she?" He inquired with a snarl, pointedly glaring back down at the girl in question. Dumbledore fixed him with a firm glare of his own before leaning forward and peering down at the lioness.

"Miss Granger, come on now. No one is going to hurt you," he said softly.

Severus refrained from snorting. As if that's what the girl was afraid of. She was far more concerned with the fact she would be missing classes, or worst, be expelled.

"How did this happen?" He was suddenly curious. Hermione cowered even more, if that was possible.

"It wasn't your fault Miss Granger, you know you're not in trouble," Albus glared at Severus again. He responded with an innocent raise of his brow. "It's an anomaly, Miss Granger, a pure, albeit rare, accident. It wasn't your fault, no one is blaming you, and no one is questioning your abilities as a witch," Dumbledore repeated, this time firmly, although his eyes twinkled sadly at the form below him.

This seemed to give Hermione the confidence she needed to draw her two front legs forward and to push her hind end up, rising from the floor in a fluid motion.

Severus's mouth began to drop, but he caught himself just in time, instead gritting his teeth firmly. Miss Granger avoided his eyes, looking cautiously up at the Headmaster, who was giving her a warm, reassuring smile. Albus began speaking to her, but the words were lost on Severus, who was too busy staring.

Holy bloody Merlin.

He had not anticipated the change in size that was brought on from the lioness standing up from her cowering pose.

She was huge.

He grimaced internally. Even in his own head it sounded offensive.

No she wasn't huge, she was tall, powerful, and, ok... Fucking huge.

He had never seen an Animagus form this big in his life. He'd seen predators, sure, but along the lines of dogs and foxes and house cats, never a full grown lion.

He was 6' and she came up to just under his hip bone, or so he projected, considering she was a few feet away. Even still standing nervously, her head low, tail between her legs, partially crouched, she had a presence about her that demanded attention, respect, and caution. He couldn't fathom what she looked like with her usual Gryffindor confidence.

He was in for it, especially considering she'd be fighting the primal instincts that came with the lioness.

Shaking his head, annoyed at himself for becoming distracted and... impressed.. by the form in front of him, Severus tuned back in to the one sided conversation.

"If you lose control, Professor Snape will not be hurt, I assure you, but if you feel like you are going to lose control, you need to leave the castle and get as far away as possible from the student body, unless you're in your private quarters with Professor Snape," he paused, and the lioness nodded her head, and he continued.

"Good. Now," he said, rumbling through a drawer, "We'll address this'" he held up a pink nylon collar with a rainbow colored tag dangling from it. Before he could continue, the lioness sat down, raising a paw at the Headmaster and shaking her head violently. Severus furrowed his brow and grabbed the collar roughly.

"For Circe's sake, Albus. She's not two," Albus's eyebrows shot up, confused, while Severus pulled out his wand and waved it at the offensive garment. It changed immediately, shifting into rolled black leather, the tag turning into a small gold nameplate. The lioness immediately relaxed, casting a grateful look up at him. Albus frowned, but didn't argue. Turning to him, Severus asked,

"The point of this?" He asked, redirecting the Headmaster's attention.

"Ah, yes. That collar has a tracking device that we will link you to Severus, so you can find her anywhere she goes in case she loses control. Also, the nameplate says that she's your familiar. I doubt any one will mess with her, given her form, but better safe than sorry. Plus, the collar will assure everyone that she is domesticated. We can't have students thinking there's a wild lioness on the loose," clapping his hands together, he cast both of them a big smile. "All that's left is to connect it, set up your rooms, and it's done!" He exclaimed.

Severus gave the Headmaster a malice filled snarl before turning to magic the collar on to the lioness. The collar bounced off her and settled in the air beside her. The lioness's... No, Miss Granger's... Eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Ah, good! It works! We don't want anyone using magic on you until we get you sorted out, so I cast a unique protection spell," Albus explained absently with a flick of his hand. At this, Severus scowled deeply, rage roiling inside. This made everything so much more difficult. He made sure to tell Albus just that with a venomous look.

Gathering up his self control, Severus stepped towards the lioness, no, Miss Granger, dammit, and he grabbed the collar out of the air, unbuckling it quickly before pausing briefly to regard her.

Miss Granger turned her neck towards him, raising her chin so he could easily slide the leather around her neck and secure it. Taking care to get the fit right so as not to cause problems, he looked into those deep eyes for the first time and was surprised, despite the fact he knew better, at the the brightness in them, the intelligence reflecting back at him. She nodded at him, apparently recognizing the unasked question regarding the fit of the collar. He released the smooth black leather, but before he stepped away realized there was no name on the nameplate - it merely said Familiar of Severus Snape, Hogwarts Potion Master. He straightened and turned towards Albus.

"Where is her name?" He inquired before casting a sympathetic look down at Miss Granger, who was shaking her head and trying not to look uncomfortable with the new weight around her neck. Now that he'd actually looked her in the eyes and seen her present, it was much easier to remember that this wasn't just an animal, it was a frankly quite intelligence student who, he could grudgingly admit, was a capable witch, and who was quite clearly at the moment struggling to hide her misery and embarrassment at the situation she found herself in.

Albus looked at him with a knowing smile that Severus really wanted to slap off.

"You'll have to name her, of course. We can't be calling her Miss Granger while everyone excluding you, Minerva and Fillius think she's left ill. Do think of something respectable, Severus. She is to be posing as your familiar, after all, so you're supposed to be fond of her,"

At this, Severus suppressed amusement. He could only imagine what Dumbledore would call her if the choice was his. Probably Pink Fluffy Bunny or some kind of obnoxious name of candy.

"Of course," Severus responded dryly instead.

"Once you do, you'll be able to magically engrave it on, then that will be the last bit of magic that it will allow. So do make sure your choice is final before engraving, Severus,"

He felt the anger rising again at being treated like an ignorant imbecile.

"Yes, Albus," he snarled, making his rising temper clear. "Now if we're done here, I'd like to leave and get the rooms arranged so I can go to bed, you've tested my patience enough tonight and I'm at my limit," he growled, his voice low and threatening. At this, Albus turned serious and rose.

"Very well, Severus. I'm pleased about how you've handled this thus far, we'll hurry it along," Severus's deep frown and glare did not relax, but he stepped back to allow the Headmaster to round his desk and approach Miss Granger. He held out a hand in Severus's direction. He knew what was required, and thrust his own hand forward, raising a lip in disgust as he did. Albus pricked his finger, and as a drop of blood oozed out, pressed it to the collar. The black leather glowed, casting off a white light, then returned to it's normal state, and Albus released his hand. Severus mumbled a healing charm under his breath and the blood and small cut disappeared.

"You know the spell?" Albus asked, using the desk beside him as a brace so he could stand back up straight. Severus sneered again and nodded once before briskly turning to walk out the door. He paused at the threshold and tilted his head back towards the room.

"Come along now, Miss Granger, I expect you to keep up,"

At that, he strode from the room, knowing that Albus was scowling at him, but he heard the sound of claws hitting the floor before the girl remember to sheath them, and then he was down the stairs and headed down the corridor towards the dungeons.

He made it to the first corner when the girl caught up. He was pleased to see she was not ambling casually, but that his pace was swift enough so that she was putting an effort in to keep up. Not much of an effort, he figured, frowning, but an effort nonetheless. Her forelegs reached out considerably before she set them down, her thick paws dispersing as they bore her weight. Glancing only for a moment he controlled his curiosity, knowing full well just how much of this lioness he'd be seeing, and the two made their way down to his private quarters in absolute silence.

Hermione found herself standing outside Professor Snape's private quarters much faster than she'd expected. She swallowed, extremely nervous once again, and desperately fought the urge to begin panting. It was her natural reaction, and her mouth was dry too, but she fought it and clamped her mouth shut. With a slight flick of his hand, the professor's door swung open, revealing his office. To the right were the stairs to his quarters, which was where he headed, and Hermione followed closely behind, although very careful not to get too close. The door swung open and Hermione found herself under the stern glare of Professor Snape as she stood at the threshold. He motioned for her to proceed. Taking a cautious step, she entered the room, then determined not to stop and gape in the middle of his doorway, took a few more until she was far enough away from the door for him to close it behind him and step up beside her.

He didn't say a word, merely stood at her side like a beacon of inflicting terror as her eyes darted across the room.

She could see in color still, thank goodness, so she was surprised to see a lack of Slytherin green. Instead, the room had cream colored walls, and dark, polished wood floors, balanced out by a navy area rug with an intricate pattern, which she saw did have some dark green in it, between a black leather couch and a black recliner, and under a small, low, dark wood table with a glass top. It looked surprisingly modern, but not surprisingly, minimalist. Beyond the center of the room where the furniture sat was a stone fireplace which was flanked by black bookshelves stocked completely full with tomes that Hermione itched desperately to open. There was a bookshelf on the right wall too, followed by a door. To the left was a half wall with a black countertop and an open doorway with no door, leading in to what she assumed was the kitchen.

Her gaze was drawn back to the right side of the room when a light brightened what looked like a hallway past the closed door at the end of the bookshelf. Professor Snape began walking in that direction, and she followed, aware as she did of the presence of Professor Dumbledore who was just walking into the quarters.

It was indeed a hallway, and Hermione flicked her ears forward curiously as she realized it was walled in by stone. They cast off a cool air which rippled softly through her coat as she walked briskly after her Professor, and she was so busy reveling in the coolness that was already making her feel much less sweaty, that she almost ran into the black cloaked form of Professor Snape.

Grinding immediately to a halt, she tensed, but he ignored her and pushed open a door on the left, which was the first one they'd come to.

"This room, Albus," he stated, raising his arm to motion the Headmaster through.

Professor Snape followed behind him, and then Hermione.

The room was clearly a guest bedroom, as it looked like it had not been touched. Ever. Oh sure, the house elves cleaned it, as there was no dust, but it was clear it had never been used. The bed was stripped of sheets, the walls were a rich emerald green to accommodate the Head of Slytherin House's worthy guest, Hermione thought with a roll of her eyes, and a dresser. That was it.

With a wave of his wand the room was immediately cleared of the limited furniture and Professor Dumbledore set to work. The first thing to appear was a large black door at the far end of the room in the left corner.

"Don't worry dear, it will open for you from either side by just your touch," the Headmaster stated absently, raising his wand to cast another change before halting abruptly. After a pause, he turned and gave Professor Snape an amused look.

"I've realized I don't quite know what to do to accommodate your guest," he admitted with a smile, his eyes twinkling. A growl came from the black clad Professor, who raised his wand and then glared at the Headmaster.

"Accommodate me and I'll do it," he grumbled, clearly wishing to get it over with so he could leave.

"Of course," the Headmaster replied, flicking his wrist. Hermione flattened her ears nervously against her head. He would probably give her the absolute bare minimum of comfort, if there was any comfort at all. She watched, amazed, as he surprised her and did the opposite.

A large round bed appeared to their left, startling her. It was tucked into the corner, which she realized would help her feel secure. Then she saw cushions line the floor under it, and realized pleasantly that she would very much enjoy crawling underneath into that dark space, almost like a den. Her attention was brought back to the center of the room as a tree seemed to erupt from no where, it's base wide, and then several thick limbs jut out at just the perfect height for her to climb up and lie on. A large, smooth rock appeared at the base of the tree, and then momentarily glowed a light blue, a cooling charm. In the far corner of the room a trickling waterfall fell into a pool. Ah, her fresh water. Just when she thought he was finished, and that he could do nothing else to offer her comfort, he then created a flat piece of stone that jutted out on the left wall about halfway up, which then flashed red. A heated rock. Her Professor had literally thought of everything.

He pocketed his wand and flashed the Headmaster a mock triumphant smile,

"She can stay in here forever for all I care," and then he was gone.

Dumbledore's face was surprised for just a split second before he grinned down at Hermione.

"Very well!" He said, rubbing his hands together. "Have a good night Miss Granger, I'll see you at breakfast!" And with that, he was gone too.

Severus made sure the Headmaster went straight out the door without another word before he sealed his wards, flicked the lights off, and entered his bedroom with a sigh. He warded this room as well, stripped off his clothes, pulled on a t-shirt, and got in bed, knowing that thanks to Albus bloody Dumbledore and that insufferable girl Granger that he was in for an even more miserable, trying life with even more burdens, and that he would not sleep.

Hermione explored her room for a while, eagerly lapping the cool water from the small spring until her mouth felt sufficiently moist, and she had stopped trembling nervously, and then pounced and climbed up the tree trunk in the center of the room and pulled herself deftly onto one of the outreaching limbs. She jumped about to and from the limbs, then tried out her heated rock, only for a second because she was not in the mood for heat, then cooled herself on the chilled rock before sighing and jumping up onto the comfortable round bed in the corner of the room. There was still a light on in the room, so thinking carefully, she experimentally pressed her paw against the wall and thought of darkness. She was granted her desire, and Hermione trembled once more, now alone with her thoughts as she realized she was all by herself, still an Animagus, a dangerous Animagus, that could not go to classes or hang with her friends, or study. She thought it through, calming herself with the realization that the world's most powerful wizard and multiple incredibly skilled teachers were researching to revert her back to normal, and with that last though, she took a deep breath, and exhaustion from the hectic day overtook her and she slipped into unconsciousness.

Hermione was awoken by the intense need to pee.

She groaned, turning to roll over in her bed to check the time on the clock on her night stand when her hyper alert lioness senses caught up and she realized where she was.

Dang.

She was stuck as a lioness, was Professor Snape's acting familiar, and was going to have to go pee outside.

Slipping out from under the blanket she was partially curled under, Hermione slid halfway to the floor, stretching as she did, before lowering her hind legs down and padding across the room to the door Dumbledore had made her. Pausing, she took a breath, then pressed her nose against the wood, sighing as it opened easily. The brisk morning air met her, the sun just barely peaking up over the horizon. It was early, and thankfully still mostly dark. Hermione wasted no time, bounding towards the edge of the forbidden forest to crouch behind a tree, thoroughly embarrassed at what she was doing. After she relieved herself, she raced back up to the door and pushed her way in, collapsing into a heap on the floor.

That had been an adrenaline rush, thanks to her overworked nerves and general paranoia, and never had she been more thankful that the Slytherin house was located near the lake, and as a result, the forbidden forest. Thinking about that, she realized that Dumbledore had put quite the spell on the door to magic her up out of the dungeons and to the earth's surface, and back down again, something she hadn't considered until now. Twitching her tail in amusement at the ease in which Dumbledore managed such feats, she found herself licking her paws and stomach clean of the dew from the grass, and then padding from her room and down the hallway into the living room.

She was surprised, and yet not, to see Professor Snape standing in the kitchen and leaning on the counter sipping a cup of... Coffee, she decided. A strong cup of black coffee. She quickly realized he must need it. He was in quite an undesirable position. She felt his eyes on her, and she looked up and him and gave him a respectful nod. He raised an eyebrow in acknowledgment, and regarded her with reserved curiosity that he must have thought she wouldn't notice.

She never would have, normally, but her senses and intuition were much keener in this form, not that she would ever tell him that and lose what she considered a slight upper hand. He wouldn't be a completely unreadable mask to her anymore.

Realizing that she was lost in thought, Hermione brought herself back to reality and thought about what to do with herself. Letting her lioness instincts give their input, she settled to curl up on the floor in front of the fire to await her instructions.

Severus was glad that his first glimpse of Miss Granger walking confidently in her lioness form was done without her looking at him. He was standing at the counter, drinking his black coffee, which he desperately needed, when she rounded the corner, her body swinging comfortably in a smooth walk, her tail swishing idly behind her. Seeing her like this, he forgot for a moment that she was a student, and saw her purely for the animal she displayed.

He would deny it to anyone, even to himself if he allowed himself to think such things again, but... She was beautiful.

Seeing her now, after a night of some rest and recalibration of his mind and emotions, she looked even more incredible, and he could see more of her now that she was standing confidently and in the light of the room.

She was lean, but not yet well muscled. Her coat was sleek, but he could see the subtle signs of a winter coat growing. They were in Scotland after all, where it snowed, and while a normal lion would not grow a winter coat, an Animagus could adjust accordingly to all weather it was presented with.

She looked so much bigger now.

Severus imagined her in top form, muscled, comfortable and aware of her body, and took a sip of coffee to ground himself. As much as he hated to admit it, lions had presence, and were awe inspiring to behold, even if they were Gryffindor's mascot. He, seeing the lioness now, knew he would receive no trouble from the Slytherins nor any of their Death Eater parents at his choice in familiar.

Swallowing the hot coffee, he reminded himself that this was a student, and that meant she was dangerous. She had never been in her Animagus form for this long, and it would be a battle for her to overcome the ever strengthening instincts that would subtly try to take over.

He watched as she bowed her head respectfully at him and he raised an eyebrow, taking another sip of coffee. He watched her, resignedly curious at what she would do - if she would quake under his stare, come sit at his feet like a dog and await instructions, -

Oh, there. She curled up on the floor in front of the fire, her face resting over one paw so that if she opened her eyes she would be able to see him. She blinked lazily, not looking at him, then her eyes closed, but he knew she would not sleep. She was respectfully giving him his privacy while making herself available for directions. If he had the capability to be pleased over something like this, he would have been, but he ignored that and turned, finishing his coffee and placing the cup in the sink.

Hermione heard him place the cup in the sink and make his way into the living room. One ear tracked his movements until he came to a stop and sat down in the recliner, facing her. She opened her eyes and lifted her head.

He looked down at her sternly.

"We'll be heading for breakfast shortly, but I want to cover some rules and expectations,"

At this, Hermione rose into a sitting position and regarded him intently. He continued,

"As my familiar, you will walk by my side without falling behind, going ahead, or running into me," he smirked, "Let's just say, you will... heel," Hermione couldn't help herself and rolled her eyes in response.

"You will walk confidently and will not cower, or behave nervously in any way. As my familiar, you are expected to be just as daunting and similarly aligned in personality as I am," he narrowed his eyes at her, as if in challenge.

She nodded firmly. She could do that. She was already feeling much more confident in herself, although she was nervous, but she knew she wouldn't show it like she did yesterday. That had been from shock, and was no longer in shock. Disbelief, yes, astonishment, yes, in for who knows what, yes, but not in shock.

"At breakfast, you will sit at my side, or lie down, without fidgeting. The house elves will give you your breakfast before we leave, since this is your first meal as your Animagus. It is unlikely you will control yourself. You will however, remain in control at breakfast. If you can't, you will make me aware, and we will leave. You will not be alone until you learn what to do when you lose control,"

"We'll be doing daily lessons in that regard, but I'll discuss that with you later. For now," he pulled something out of his pocket, "you will wear this as a precautionary measure,"

He enlarged what was in his hand and held it up. It was a leather harness, much like her collar, only flat, not rolled.

"This will allow me to grab you if I need to, giving me more control and leverage than your collar would. If a student is in danger, it will also muzzle you," seeing her shocked look, he elaborated, "It's just a two strap leather muzzle, nothing drastic," seeing her still shocked face, he sighed.

"Miss Granger, there is no doubt in my mind that you do not wish to harm anyone. The inconvenient reality is, that being an Animagus for prolonged periods of time, especially as a predator such as a lion, is dangerous. It is nothing personal, and no one knows it is you. You will be fine, and I will not let you harm anyone," he said.

Hermione relaxed, releasing her breath and the tension in her body, her short, rounded ears swiveling to return their attention on the Professor. She was so thankful he seemed to realize why she was nervous; Ron and Harry certainly never would have figured it out without her thorough explanation, and even then they'd look at her like she was crazy.

The Professor beckoned her to approach, and she did, standing slowly, padding her way over with her head low in respect. She stood in front of his legs and he moved forward to put the harness on her. The first part went over her head, and she figured he'd just buckle some other strap. She'd never used a harness before, she'd never had a dog, so she was surprised when he tapped her far leg. She turned to him, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and he grit his teeth,

"Lift your leg,"

She did, and she felt him lean into her, his hair dangling down and brushing against her neck as he directed her paw and leg through the harness until it was under her elbow, and she heard the snap of a buckle, then felt him adjusting it. He tightened it, then loosened it slightly, until it was snug but not restricting. Remembering him doing the same with the collar, she looked at him as he pulled back to observe her reaction and nodded. He tugged experimentally on it, and Hermione felt her body being pulled sideways, knocking her off balance. She tumbled into his legs before righting herself, and he gave her a satisfied smirk before releasing her.

Dignity bruised, Hermione walked away and turned around, standing before him and watching him.

"Now for your name," he said, and Hermione gulped.

"I'll be calling you Nyota,"

He directed his wand at Hermione's collar, and with a flash of light she assumed that the name was engraved on the nameplate.

"Now it's time for breakfast," he smirked.