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Harry and Hermione had planned to retrieve their belongings from Gryffindor tower the next morning during class. They briefly endured glares, hoots, and cat-calls from the braver (stupider) students at breakfast. Harry noticed that Seamus was among the hecklers, and that Ron was taking the opportunity for a good laugh. That bloody git, thought Harry.

As soon as breakfast appeared on the table he and Hermione heaped their plates with fried eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, baked beans, toast, and chips, and they marched right out of the main hall carrying their plates, looking for somewhere more private to eat. They found a very dusty unused classroom full of cobwebs down a corridor they had never seen before, on the second floor in the East Wing of the castle.

The classroom looked like it hadn't been used in a century. Old cracked blackboards were full of strange symbols that even Hermione didn't recognise. But exploration could wait. The hungry young wizards ate their breakfast in peace. Hermione had piled her plate high with meat Harry noticed, who had come in with a much lighter plate than she had.

He grinned as he watched her tail wave happily while she ate. Hermione looked up and saw Harry grinning at her, but he had such a soft look in his iridescent green eyes that she knew he was happy because she was happy--which just made her feel even more elated.

After breakfast, Hermione was sorely tempted to have some fun in the empty classroom, but thought that their time would be better spent getting their things and settling into their private rooms. They found Parvati in the Gryffindor common room, who had just been let out of the hospital wing after having her horse's tail absorbed back into her human behind in the wee hours of the morning.

Parvati smiled shyly at Hermione, and looked longingly at her furry tail. Hermione beamed back at Parvati and ran to give her a big hug.

"Oh THANK you Parvati! I can't believe you did that for me. Why aren't you in trouble?"

"Because McGonagall gave me 150 points for sticking up for you instead," said Parvati, grinning. Harry and Hermione gasped. Parvati continued, "But don't get too excited, she docked Lavender and her friends 50 points each, so it's a wash."

"Well it sounds brilliant to me!" Harry said, grinning back at Parvati. "You're definitely a REAL Gryffindor."

"I agree!" said Hermione firmly.

Parvati blushed and looked down at her feet. She lifted her eyes back up and looked at Harry's. She'd never noticed how green they were before. Then she looked at Hermione's tail again, and got a little tingle in her tummy.

"Hermione...?" Parvati began, with a pleading look. Her face turned redder as she continued, "Can... can I touch your tail? It's so gorgeous."

Hermione's face turned red too, and she smiled back sweetly.

"Of course you can Parvati. Here..." Hermione turned around so Parvati could get a good look. Harry watched with a bemused expression. He noticed how pretty Parvati's big limpid eyes and glistening black hair were. And he noticed how happy Parvati made Hermione feel, which he found extremely pleasing.

Parvati stroked Hermione's soft furry tail gently. Hermione began to purr. Parvati squealed with delight,

"OH! You purr too? That's sooooo cute."

Hermione giggled. Harry came up beside Parvati.

"Here," Harry said, "She likes it when you do this..." He rubbed a knuckle at the base of Hermione's furry cat ear while Parvati kept stroking Hermione's tail.

Hermione felt a little weak at the knees, and she tingled a bit between her thighs as she arched her back slightly and purred even louder. Harry stopped rubbing behind her ear.

"Are you alright with this Hermione?" he asked with concern.

"Oh, yes Harry," she replied happily. "...Keep doing that. Parvati, you can pet me under my other ear while you're stroking my tail if you want to."

Parvati was all too happy to oblige. Hermione's tabby fur was so silky. Hermione was definitely dampening her panties now as Parvati and Harry continued to stroke and rub her most sensitive spots besides her private bits. Parvati was positively gleeful as Hermione arched her back and rubbed the side of her face against Parvati's covered breasts, purring rapidly.

Harry was thrilled too. He snuck his hands under Hermione's blazer to cup her breasts. He squeezed them gently and he playfully tugged her hard nipples while Parvati continued petting Hermione's tail with one hand. Her other hand was now stroking the fuzzy nape of Hermione's neck under her bushy golden brown hair.

Hermione couldn't help herself and began to meow loudly. She put one of her own hands down inside the front of her skirt and under her panties to finger herself. Thirty seconds later her ears flattened back and she yowled as the ripples of pleasure surged with intensity. Hermione felt herself explode into bliss and she fell to her knees. Parvati and Harry gently lay Hermione on the woolly rug in front of the unlit common room fireplace and sat down beside her as she cooled off.

Hermione needed to change her panties before she packed her trunk, so she decided just to put all fresh clothes on. But she wanted Harry to come up with her just in case. She used wingardium leviosa to levitate him up the stairwell to the second year girls' dormitory.

"You can come up too Parvati," beckoned Hermione. Parvati squeaked with joy and skipped up the stairs after them.

Hermione could tell that Parvati really liked her--and Harry too. Parvati deserved a proper look under nicer circumstances than the previous night. Hermione slowly took her blazer off and undid her tie. Then she undid her skirt and let it drop to the floor. Next, Hermione peeled her wet panties gradually down her thighs, then her calves, before dropping them around her ankles and stepping out of them. Finally, Hermione unbuttoned her blouse, and let it slide off her arms.

She stood in front of Parvati and Harry completely naked and slowly turned in place so Parvati could see all of her. Then Hermione deliberately bent over with her naked bottom sticking out towards the other girl and flashed an eyeful of her hairless slit at Parvati. She pulled a fresh pair of panties out of her trunk and stood up straight again.

Parvati gave a little moan. Hermione was beautiful. She badly wanted to touch her some more but she had to be getting to her next class soon--she had already missed her first one. Hermione could tell that Parvati needed more, and she wanted more too. She knew Harry wouldn't mind.

"Come by our private chambers after class..." Hermione said invitingly. Parvati just gulped and nodded with a little smile and fled the dorm before she changed her mind about going to class.

~o0o~

Harry and Hermione levitated their packed trunks down the corridors until they came to their private quarters. They were stunned to find Fred and George grinning and waiting outside of their door.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" asked Hermione.

"Yes..." said George with an air of nonchalance.

"...we've brought a housewarming gift," Fred continued.

"It's a wrench giving this to you..."

"...but you and Hermione need it more than we do," finished Fred as he passed Harry an old bit of parchment.

~o0o~

"Who do you think Peter Pettigrew is?" Harry asked Hermione. They had been poring over the amazing map which Fred and George had given them, and seen someone named Peter Pettigrew in the second year boys' dorm every time they took a break from unpacking. Harry and Hermione were using the map to avoid Ron in case he went back to the dorm between classes. They went back up to Gryffindor tower for the last of their things, but there was nobody to be seen.

It was noon by the time Harry and Hermione finished moving into their private quarters, and they were famished. This time they strode with even more confidence into the Great Hall to collect their lunch. They ignored the jeers and mocking meows. But Ron was scowling angrily at Hermione.

As she made to walk by Ron he grabbed her arm and she gasped in shock. Harry whirled around to see what was going on.

"YOU ATE SCABBERS," Ron yelled, and many students began laughing at the outburst. "He's gone. All you left was a piece of his tail, see..." Ron shoved a grubby open hand at Hermione. Sure enough, there on his dirty hand was the tip of a rat tail, cut cleanly as if by a surgical blade.

"You idiot Ronald..." Hermione sniffed disdainfully, "That tail has been cut by a very sharp knife or razor. You might want to ask your friend Seamus if he's been mutilating any more animals lately," she hissed angrily and yanked her arm away from a gob-smacked Ronald.

"Come on Harry, he's not worth beating up," Hermione said as she tugged on Harry's sleeve.

Harry agreed. Ron couldn't help being an idiot. But Hermione's words had the desired effect. Ron turned very pale, got up, and fled the Great Hall before lunch even arrived on his plate.

Harry and Hermione ate under a willow tree by the lake and watched some geese fly across the clouds.

"Harry," Hermione began, after she had finished eating, "That piece of Scabbers' tail, it's not rat, it's a human in rat form!"

Harry dropped his fork and stared at her with a confunded expression.

"What? But that's barmy. How do you know that Hermione?"

"Because... Because I can smell it..." Hermione replied with a perplexed look. "I... I've just realised that I can smell all sorts of things that I couldn't before, and tell the difference between them. And that was not a normal rat tail Harry."

Harry considered what Hermione was saying and put 2 and 2 together. They had seen Peter Pettigrew on the map when he had been in Gryffindor tower, someone they knew was not a Hogwarts student. Then they had seen a rat tail that wasn't rat but human, and that fake rat had been Ron's pet. Scabbers was Peter Pettigrew. Hermione and Harry reached the same conclusion simultaneously. They stared wide-eyed at each other, mouths agape, stunned by the revelation.

After lunch, they didn't really have anything better to do but wonder who Peter Pettigrew was, and if he had anything to do with the Heir of Slytherin. They decided to go and chat to Hagrid and see what he thought. They hadn't had a chance to see him since Hermione's change anyway.

When they got to Hagrid's hut, they saw him handing a very disgruntled Ron a squealing Scabbers.

"You'll want to take better care o' yer pets Ron." They overheard Hagrid saying. "An' I reckon you should apologise to Hermione for sayin' tha' she ate 'im..."

Ron just scowled and stalked off.

"Oh, Hello Harry, Hermione... Good ter see you up and about. It's a lovely day," Hagrid said, sniffing the cool Scottish breeze. "And that is a beautiful tail I must say Hermione."

Hermione half-smiled and teared slightly. Hagrid sensed he had hit a sore spot.

"What's wrong Hermione?"

"Lavender Brown said Hermione was an animal and that she belonged in your menagerie." Harry said quickly, to get it out of the way.

Hagrid looked outraged, as if he might storm up to the castle to have a word with Miss Brown himself. But Hagrid was much better at controlling himself than people gave him credit for. He just sat there and angrily commiserated with Hermione and Harry.

"Blimey Hermione, I never woulda' thought any Gryffindors could be so cruel. An' Harry, I dunno how you put up with everyone thinking you're the Heir o' Slytherin. I woulda' hexed 'em all by now."

"Don't think I haven't considered it," Harry retorted. "Anyway, we've actually come to see you about something more important. Who is Peter Pettigrew and why is he Ron's pet rat?"

~o0o~

The Headmaster was stunned. Peter Pettigrew, alive, and somewhere on the Hogwarts grounds. He had to be caught immediately. If he was alive, that meant an innocent man sat in Azkaban. Ronald Weasley had been brought to Dumbledore's office, but Scabbers had already escaped again, and was nowhere to be found.

Harry was angry and bitter. Hagrid and Dumbledore had explained to him that Peter Pettigrew was a friend of his father's, long believed to be dead. And that he had obviously framed a man called Sirius Black--another friend of his father's--for selling out his parents to Voldemort and murdering a dozen or more muggles.

That rat had been in Ron's hands, he thought furiously, and Hermione really could have caught and eaten that little traitor if Harry had asked her to.

When they looked on the map again, Peter Pettigrew had evidently departed Hogwarts, for he was nowhere to be seen.

~o0o~

Harry and Hermione were sitting in their little study, feeling anxious and going over and over everything they knew. It was mid afternoon and classes would be finished for the day in an hour. Hermione remembered that Professor McGonagall had left several more vials of the potion and said to use it as needed through the weekend in case of extreme upset.

This didn't really qualify as "extreme," but Hermione reasoned that the professor had meant them to use it up by the end of the weekend. Half a minute later, they had stopped obsessing over Peter Pettigrew and the Heir of Slytherin.

Which was good, because an hour later Parvati was knocking on their door.