"Can I get you anything, dears?"

Hermione was sitting closest to the barmaid, so she spoke for them with a wooden smile plastered on her face. "No thank you, we're fine."

Madam Rosmerta gave Hermione a nod and did a poor job of concealing her glance toward Hermione's dark-haired friend. "Well, you just let me know if you do." The owner of the Three Broomsticks, bar and eatery in Hogsmeade, left their booth to tend to other patrons.

After fielding the unwanted intrusion, Hermione turned her attention back to her weekend companions. She, Harry, and Ron were sharing a table together at the popular student hang-out spot. Harry and Ron each had a half-drained tankard of butterbeer in front of them, but for once it didn't seem to be appreciably improving their moods. Harry was sharing a bench with Hermione, Ron sitting opposite them. The redhead looked particularly choked with resentment that the weekend was crashing and burning so gloriously. It made him look a bit constipated.

Harry was not much better. He'd been sullen since leaving the castle with the packed group of Hogwarts students. They hit the main street of Hogsmeade and students tentatively broke off and fanned out, the teachers took up positions without making it painfully obvious that was their aim, and the three friends had wandered off in a collective funk.

But it wasn't so contained to the three of them, Hermione had noticed. Everywhere she looked her fellow classmates were jumpy. There weren't enough smiles, or at least not any sincere ones. They were laughing, but for the most part it was poorly faked. And their eyes told the truth of it. They were nervous. They were watching their backs and glancing over their shoulders, fretful and fearful of hidden dangers.

Almost better there'd not been a Hogsmeade weekend than this sham of an outing. Though she imagined every jittery student to a person would insist that everything was dandy and they were having a good time. Denial was strange and prickly that way.

It wasn't so for her, Harry, and Ron, though.

Hermione looked toward Harry. It made her frown and her heart ache. He was slouched on the bench, the nail of one finger idly picking at the dinged and scratched butterbeer mug. His expression was stony and unhappy.

Hermione pressed her lips tightly together. She hated this farce, but what could they do? Dumbledore had his reasons, and she knew they were good ones, even if he had gone about it all wrong where it came to Harry's involvement. She'd just have to level her blame against Voldemort. That was a safe and good place to hate to her heart's bitter content.

She decided she was thirsty. When they'd first come in she'd not liked the idea of the taste of butterbeer (it was a cheerful drink, and she was far from being in a cheerful mood), but as they'd sat sulking in their booth for nearly an hour she was becoming all too aware of the long walk to Hogsmeade from Hogwarts.

Hermione moved to leave the booth and Harry spoke for the first time in several minutes. "Where you going?"

"To get a drink; I'm thirsty."

Harry slid his half-full glass over toward her in offering.

Hermione paused, glanced at him, then settled back beside him and took his mug. She sipped the sweet beverage and lingered on the observation that Harry's taste seemed to have been added to the butterbeer. Not unpleasant at all.

Harry, deprived of his glass to occupy his hands, stretched his arms out along the back of the bench. Hermione couldn't resist the opening and slid over closer, nestling under his arm and against his side. She took another sip of butterbeer, for a moment feeling as snug as she might have curled up in front of the hearth in the common room with a cup of hot cider to coax her to sleep.

Ron glanced up at them, looked just slightly sick, and took a big gulp of his own butterbeer as though taking out a personal vendetta against the world. "This stinks," he said when he'd placed his mug back on the table.

"Well and wholly," Harry returned and glanced around the Three Broomsticks at other Hogwarts students. Hermione's face was starting to ache from all the frowning she'd been doing. It was just so buggered up. This was supposed to a fun get-away from the homework and tests and lessons. She'd trade about anything to just see Harry crack a smile.

"Maybe we should get out of here," Ron suggested.

"Where did you want to go?" Harry inquired and with an open hand asked Hermione for the butterbeer. She handed it over and he took a drink.

"Anywhere… what about Zonko's? Could do with a good laugh."

Hermione felt a strange smile jerk at her mouth. How very typical that Ron would think a joke shop could fix something this heinously broken. But it was part of Ron's simple appeal. He could believe in things as easy as that. She wished she could at times.

Harry passed Hermione back the butterbeer stein. "Might as well.

"Hermione wanted to go to the bookstore while we were here. Care to just meet us at Zonko's when she's finished?"

Ron nodded. He wasn't about to say a word to that, lest he somehow snare himself into going along to the bookstore.

"Let's go, Hermione," Harry gave a gentle nudge at her side and she unfolded her legs and shuffled out of the booth. Harry followed. She took one last swallow of butterbeer, gave the mug to Harry so he could do the same, and with that he placed the cup on the table and trailed after her as she left the bar/restaurant.

The streets were alive with students putting on the act. Hermione almost preferred the gloom of their booth in the Three Broomsticks. At least there were no falsehoods to bear.

A few students caught sight of Harry, glanced at him… and hurriedly looked away, expressions instantaneously dour. They all but scurried from him. Hermione fumed to herself, toward them. As if Harry was the problem.

"Mione?" Harry said softly close to her ear.

Hermione turned from her flaring disgust at her classmates to look over her shoulder at Harry. "Yes?"

He met her eyes and she was suddenly alert. He had a light in his eyes, flickering behind the blue, that she'd come to know well. She could read what could almost be defined as mischief and liveliness in his gaze. "I have an idea…"

"Lead on, then," she whispered, already intrigued. "The bookstore will keep."

Harry nodded, for a split second she thought he might smile, then he took her hand and led her down the main road… in the opposite direction of the bookstore. Hermione hurried after him.

They wove and threaded between groups, pairs, and solo students in the street. It was made easier as a good deal of them tended to clear a path when they saw Harry coming. Harry didn't seem to care or pay them any heed. Hermione was glad for that much.

Periodically, Hermione caught sight of a teacher standing guard. Watching. It made her angry every time, and it was better if she just concentrated on Harry. He had something in mind, that was very clear. She couldn't imagine what, but the mystery of it was enough to displace some of her disquiet surrounding the entire Hogsmeade weekend just speculating where they might be going.

Hermione was still pondering their destination when, unexpectedly, Harry pulled her aside and they ducked into a narrow alley between two buildings. The distance between the two buildings was so sparse that there was barely room for them to squeeze in together. Harry put his back to one wall and drew Hermione in to stand opposite him, her back to the other building. They were only inches apart. Hermione's heart beat a little faster and it was warmer for their close proximity. She looked up into Harry's near face and a knot formed in her stomach. He was up to something, it was glittering bright in his eyes.

"Harry," she breathed in a whisper, "what—"

"Shh…" Harry turned his head to the side to listen. One of his hands came to rest on her waist and Hermione's whole body shivered.

Harry's perception shifted, his intensity of focus went beyond human. Hermione knew he was tapping into the jaguar. How she envied him that incredible gift. She tried so hard, but she was beginning to believe it was a talent inherent to Harry alone. But even in the face of jealousy, she could acknowledge how incredible it was just to watch Harry do it.

Harry cocked his head in a slightly different direction, his eyes were unfocused as he attended primarily to sound, and Hermione indulged in watching. When Harry 'touched the jaguar' as he called it, his presence changed. He might not shift from man to beast, but something in the sense of him did. He was suddenly just raw. It was a feeling like she was standing with greatness, unmatched ability, the unwavering feral honesty of the jungle predator.

She relaxed her rigid stance against the brick wall and it meant she was that much closer to touching Harry's body pinned so short a distance from hers.

Harry turned from his listening to focus once more on her. Hermione clamped her jaw tightly shut when something damnably akin to a whimper tried to fight its way up her throat. Harry had the look of the cat in his eyes.

"Let's go for a romp," Harry said in a low, silky voice. Merlin, that too still had traces of the jaguar.

"Huh?" she blinked and blushed when she realized she'd been watching his lips.

Harry leaned in just barely closer. "I won't bumble about like some half-wit to be their target in the hopes Voldemort's going to make a mistake. I want to have a bit of fun, Hermione… let's change."

Hermione's eyes opened wide and she looked into his eyes. "Are you serious?"

Harry gave a crooked, confident smile. "Yeah, I am. We're near to the woods," he ticked his head down the far end of the alley, which did indeed lead toward the woods that were thick around both Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. "We can give everyone the slip, that's not a problem."

No, she didn't expect it would be. The professors might have more advanced magic on their side, but Harry could hear with the ears of a hunter, see with the eyes of a keen predator. She'd put her faith in that above the teachers any day.

But sneak off when they were supposed to stay in the village?

Stay to be bait, proffered meat, enticing tidbits to tempt a dark wizard…

Hermione began to smile back at him. "Okay."

Harry grinned and then his hand was gone from her waist as he silently padded off toward the end of the alley, away from the main thoroughfare of Hogsmeade. Hermione glanced back once then followed him.

At the end of the two buildings that served as their hide-away Harry stopped and again the turning of his head, the razor-sharp concentration, the difference between Harry the wizard and Harry the animagus as he listened for signs of anyone nearby. Hermione crouched behind him and waited for his cue.

Satisfied they would slip away undetected, Harry reached back blindly for her hand and when she gave it to him he moved forward.

Together, as witch and wizard, they made a dash for the trees. They could have run faster without their hands locked together, but Hermione trusted Harry's assessment that for the moment detection wasn't a concern. The trees weren't far, and this felt far too good.

They broke apart to better navigate the trees when they reached the forest. Harry took the lead, dropped to the ground, and in a matter of seconds Hermione was running gleefully behind a sleek black jaguar.

Hermione couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled up.

Harry looked over his shoulder at her and Hermione tumbled purposefully into a patch of fallen leaves. She rolled, twisted, and righted herself only to have dead foliage stuck in her mane.

Harry walked toward her, panting mouth almost mimicking a human smile, and Hermione shook her head to try and knock loose some of the debris. She stretched her forelegs before her and twitched her tail.

Harry approached her, circled her to come at her from the side, and Hermione lowered her head close to the ground and watched him intently.

Harry pounced. With a leap and twist he was standing over her, legs braced on either side of her, and Hermione lifted her head to try and crane her neck to see Harry as he hovered above her. Harry gently butted her head with his, then took the back of her neck between his teeth in a gentle grip.

Hermione keened and flexed her paws, claws extending and piercing layers of dead leaves.

Harry snarled playfully against the nape of her neck, then released his bite-hold. Hermione twisted under him, lightning-quick, and swatted at him. Not to hurt, her claws were safely tucked away. Harry jumped back from her all the same, then darted right back in to tackle her. They went down together, Hermione on her side and Harry pinning her with the bulk of his weight. Harry buried his face in her mane and Hermione batted at his head with a furious tail-twitching to substitute where, as a human, she would have laughed.

They rose and chased one another through the forest. It was not the Forbidden Forest that ringed Hogwarts, which they'd come to know fairly well, so it was all the more exciting for its newness. They came across a stream where they drank then splashed after one another. Then they patrolled through the forest like sentries. They spotted a doe and her fawn and took off after them. The hunt was unimaginably thrilling. To have taken down a kill and tasted fresh blood might have been even sweeter, but Hermione broke them from the pursuit when the poor, terrified animals were within paw's reach. At that critical moment, Hermione had veered straight into Harry and with a roar/scream he'd gone down, Hermione with him, while their prey streaked away into the woods. Harry had given her a good tussle for that stunt. It was amazing.

They had never been the cats for so long. On their morning runs they had barely an hour before they had to go back. It was small doses.

Hermione had lost any notion of time for how long ago they'd left Hogsmeade.

Maybe they could stay cats forever. It felt so good to be strong, fast, sure… wild.

Hermione jerked from a doze and noticed the sky. It was the first indication she'd taken note of as to the length of time they'd been in the woods. It was getting late.

Hermione mewled lowly at Harry to rouse him. After their hunt and play-fight they'd found a sunny spot and, exhausted, sprawled in the grass and carpet of leaves for a nap. They both lay on their sides in the sun-warmed fallen leaves. Harry was stretched out beside her, one powerful black foreleg draped over her side, his head perched on her shoulder, his eyes closed. Harry huffed at her noise but didn't move to get up.

Hermione rolled up to lie with her elbows taking her weight. It jostled Harry and he had no choice but to wake. He lifted his head from her shoulder and moved forward to firmly plant his right paw on the far side of her body. It raked his body along hers, brought him to nearly lying on top of her.

Hermione shifted under him, craned her head back to try and look at him, and turned her tail aside.

Harry shifted higher over her, his right hind leg moved to the far side of her body to join his right forepaw, and for a moment he was covering her. He nipped at the back of her neck.

For a moment she let him, then, slippery as a fish, Hermione shimmied out from under him and turned to face him. Harry lay prim and proper, watching her with bright blue eyes.

Hermione stepped forward, bumped his forehead with hers, and she rubbed against him. He rubbed his head against her in return before she broke away and turned to leave.

Harry rose and followed.

They snuck back into Hogsmeade much as they'd left, through a narrow alleyway. Once again witch and wizard, they moved down the alley toward the main street, but just shy of emerging into the village proper they stopped. Harry turned to Hermione and for a moment it was electric. For a second, she was actually thinking he would do something… reckless. Like maybe kiss her.

Then he smiled and started picking leaves out of her hair. Hermione was atwitter at first and it took a moment to register what he was doing, but when she moved past her silly girlish notions she chuckled. Then she looked up at his hair and bit back a laugh. He had leaves and even a bit of twig in his hair.

So they picked each other clean in the dingy little alley, tugged and straightened their rumpled clothing, doing their best to make it seem that neither of them had just gone on a jaunt through the woods.

"There you two are!" a shrill voice startled them both from their task. Hermione looked sharply toward the voice and could feel herself pale when she saw McGonagall, looking fit to be tied, standing at the mouth of the alley with wand in hand.

"Where on earth have you two been?! Have you any idea how long the other professors and I have been looking for you? And just what do you think you are doing?" Her stare could have pierced a shielding charm. Suddenly she gasped and Hermione didn't have to be the brightest witch of her age to realize what McGonagall thought was going on. She and Harry were wedged in an alleyway alone, together, trying to make each other look presentable…

McGonagall turned a particularly worrisome shade of scarlet. "Of all the… to worry us all over this?! Get out here this instant!"

Harry gave Hermione a sheepish smile, shrugged, and was the first to slip out of the alley and back to the main road. Hermione emerged after him and saw the street filled with Hogwarts students. They'd already been gathered for the trek back to the castle (which had apparently been stalled while the entire adult population of Hogsmeade sought out Harry and Hermione). Now they were all staring openly at Harry and Hermione as they were pried from their little alley hide-away by an irate Professor McGonagall.

"You two…" McGonagall raged, outright fumed, and then was completely lost for words. It was almost painful to watch her grasp for something fitting to say to the pair of them. Hermione had to physically restrain herself from asking 'cat got your tongue?' because it would be cruel and McGonagall looked like she was fit to burst as it was. She was grasping fervently for a fitting reprimand.

But what could she say? In front of the other students, she couldn't very well give away that Harry had been their Judas goat for the weekend. Not when there were Slytherins in the cluster of students. She could certainly give them a tongue-lashing for their 'unseemly' behavior, but if no one actually saw them snogging and carrying on in an atrocious manner how far could she play the 'disgraceful behavior' card? Not enough to warrant her current fury, and she knew that.

In the end, she snapped, "The headmaster will hear of this, rest assured of that, Mister Potter and Miss Granger! Now go join the other students. We're late starting back already because of you two."

Harry and Hermione, putting on the show of appearing suitably cowed and abashed, melted into the mass of Hogwarts students. They were the target of stares, a few girl giggles, as well as pointed cold shoulders, but this time Hermione wasn't bothered by it.