As soon as she stepped down off of the train, Harry took her hand and pulled her into a hug. "I've got exciting news if Ron hasn't already written to you."

"No one wrote to me. I thought you would have."

Harry's cheeks turned red. "I'm sorry. Hermione told me you were staying with Sirius."

"We didn't see much of him actually," Ginny said. "He mostly stayed up in his room. He didn't even come out for Christmas dinner. Remus had to take his meal up to him."

Harry sighed. So Sirius was probably depressed over Christmas.

"What did you have to tell me?" Ginny asked, trying to sound bright.

Harry looked around at the crowd of people and said, "Not here. Come on." Still holding her hand, he lead her off the platform and into the edge of the forest. If he could get some privacy he could show her, and then they could catch the last carriage back to the castle. It would be a few minutes before the first carriages took off anyhow.

"Wait, let me get my wand out," Ginny said as he lead her deeper into the trees so that they could no longer see or hear students or Hagrid's booming voice. They didn't have to travel far because the trees were dense and the deep snow muffled every sound, leaving them feeling like they were not even there themselves.

"Ok, don't be scared," Harry warned her, "don't scream or anything. It's just me." He didn't give her a chance to question what he'd said, and transformed on the spot. Perhaps he should have given himself more room, because when he had transformed, his nose was almost touching hers.

She looked at him in surprise. "This is what you were working on, translating the books and doing arithmancy."

Harry grunted and she smiled. "Hold on, I can't understand you like this." She tucked her wand away, and if Harry had thought he had surprised her with his transformation, she gave him an equal surprise as she transformed into a wild gray spotted cat with very pointy ears. Being much smaller than him in their animagus forms, she looked up at him and said, "That's better."

It was odd, Harry thought, because he could hear her growl, but he understood what she was saying.

"You- you're like me," he said in awe, and watched in wonder as she seemed to understand.

"Mum taught me. I think she expected me to turn into a wolf like her."

"When? Does Ron know?"

"She said she thought Ron might get in trouble with an ability like this if she taught him so young, and the same with the twins. It took me a couple of years to learn, and I finally got it last year. I'm registered."

Harry stared at her and then transformed back, and she transformed as well. They looked into each other's eyes for a long moment.

"What?" she asked quietly of the attention he was giving her, and Harry felt rather like Ron at that moment, as Ron had stared at Hermione after she had proved she was a decent Quidditch player. Harry felt like everything he knew about Ginny had just been shattered, and he only liked her more for what he had found out.

"It's just... McGonagall said I was the only one at school that could do it. I never thought... it's nice to have someone else."

She smiled and took his hand. "Come on, we're going to miss the carriages."

As they made their way back to the edge of the forest and the noisy students, and Hagrid's booming voice, Harry asked quietly, "What are you?"

"A lynx."

He smiled. "I'm an ursid. Two kinds of bear in one."

"Maybe your'e a metamorphmagus then."

"I don't know. I haven't been able to turn into anything else. What makes you think that I am."

"Because you're a hybird bear. I thought that you might be able to turn into both of the types that your hybrid form is from. That would be useful, wouldn't it? It looks like you're part polar bear... that would be good to blend in in winter."

"My dad said he thought I was polar and grizzly. There aren't really polar bears in Britain though. People would know I'm out of place."

"It's the white fure that matters. If you could lay down in a bank of snow, no one would ever see you."

He hadn't thought of it that way before, but what she was saying made sense, and suddenly being a pizzly... an ursid, was looking a lot better than it had before. He'd have to read about metamorphmaguses and see what the books said.

On the ride back to the castle they were lucky enough to have their own carriage, and Harry told Ginny about his Christmas, about Hermione surprising Ron, and about Draco, Hermione, and Ron wanting to learn to transform, as well as about his adventure into the Entrance Hall as a bear and scaring the Hufflepuff girls.

"It's very hard to transform," Ginny said. There are usually only a handful of students that come out of Hogwarts able to do it. Usually it's the adults that learn how, and even then there aren't many. I think there are thirty registered right now."

"And me," Harry said. "I can't register."

"I know. It makes me wonder how many unregistered there are out there. I would rather not register, but it's a three month Azkaban sentence for anyone who doesn't register within a month of learning."

"It is?"

She nodded, and Harry realized that his father was right to tell him he couldn't transform in front of other people. He only had a week or two until it would have been a month, and he didn't fancy a stint in Azkaban for failing to register his animagus form with the Ministry.

"Are you going to tell Ron then?"

"Bill and Charlie know. Mum tried to teach them but they're both rubbish at Transfiguration. Dad can't do it either. The last person in our family who could before me and mum was a great great aunt. She was a butterfly. I wouldn't mind Ron knowing since he's going to try to learn."

"Who's going to tell him?" Harry asked with a grin, and she shook her head. "Go ahead."

When they made the common room and Ginny went to put her things away, Harry sat next to Ron and said, "That Ginny, she's a lynx."

Ron leapt out of his chair and looked like he was going to pound Harry, but Harry laughed then and threw his hands up in the air as a mock defense.

"Really, she's a lynx," Harry said, unable to stop laughing, and Ron's angry look faded to confusion.

"You're making no sense."

Harry motioned for Ron to move closer and Harry said, "She's an animagus. She just showed me."

"She is not. She would have told me."

"She showed me. She said she was registered and everything."

Ron, feeling deflated now after Harry's prank, fell back into his seat on the couch and said, "Well I hope so. Can't have her going to Azkaban."

"Have you tried yet?" Harry asked Ron.

"Hermione did the calculations and the next good day to try is in the middle of January. Professor McGonagall gave us a lecture in her office about the different forms, including the one you used, and the dangers and all of that. Hermione's got over a dozen books up in her room about how to do it."

"Is that a no then?"

"I tried," Ron said, sounding down. "I've been trying the different forms, but nothing yet."

"Well," Harry said, "keep trying. Ginny said most of animaguses don't manage until they're out of school, and even then there's not that many out there."

"You and Ginny did it, and I think if Hermione doesn't manage she's going to have a meltdown."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "She might. But she doesn't have to be good at everything. She's good at so many things, if she doesn't manage this it'll be ok."

"Even Quidditch," Ron said, and Harry nodded. "Do you know what she's doing right now? She's asking Angelina if she can be put on the team as a backup Chaser." Ron pointed across the room and Harry watched interested at the exchange, though he couldn't hear any of the words.

"Cheer up Ron, if she gets on the team, she'll be on your side."

As Harry went to bed that night, he felt good with the way Christmas break had gone and about Ginny being able to transform into a linx, and though the cravings for dirt were there, his was almost able to ignore them completely. He had a plan that he wanted to run by Ginny in the morning, and he hoped she'd agree.

* * *

Harry felt like this was going to be a very good day. Ginny had agreed to his plan, and he looked forward to it all night. Because they could both transform, Harry felt like they would be safe in their animal forms if they went out into the Forbidden Forest. He really wanted to explore (though he planned on staying well away from the nest of giant spiders), and it would give him and Ginny some alone time. He couldn't think of a better way to spend the evening (or to earn detention if they got caught by chance, though he didn't think they would). His plan was to skip dinner, and meet Ginny outside. They were aloud out before curfew so long as they didn't stray too far from the castle, so no one would question either of them about stepping outside during dinner hour.

Harry had a hard time paying attention during his classes, and got a sharp look from his father during potions just before dinner for daydreaming during his lecture. Finally it was dinner time, and Harry hurried to the Great Hall with his bag before many people had made it to dinner, and filled it with rolls and fruit. Then he walked out and out to the castle's front steps where Ginny was waiting for him. Her last class of the day had been Herbology, so she just didn't come in when it was finished.

"I got dinner," Harry said with a grin. "We can eat on the way down and then get the backpack on the way back."

"Eat on the way down to where?"

Harry and Ginny turned to find Draco at the top of the steps, shivering because he didn't have his coat on.

"Er..."

"Come on, you can tell me if you're going out for a romantic night... but don't come to me for help when your lips freeze together."

"Ha ha," Harry said. "It's not exactly a romantic getaway." Though to be honest with himself, he was hoping it would be.

"Where are you sneaking off to then?"

Harry looked around. It was almost dark and all of the stragglers from Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology had already gone inside for dinner.

"Show him," Harry said, and Ginny transformed there on the steps, and then back again.

"You too?" Draco asked, and she nodded.

"She did it before me," Harry said. "We thought we'd be safe in our animal forms, and warm, and we just wanted to go explore."

Draco looked up to the sky at the moon to confirm that it wasn't full, and then looked around as Harry had done to be sure they were alone. They were still close enough to the castle doors that no one could see them out any windows.

"I want to go."

"But-" Harry started, but he stopped when Draco held a hand up and then transformed, shrinking into a white fox slightly smaller than Ginny's lynx form. He stared up at them and at Harry's open mouth.

"When did you do that?" Harry asked, but Draco didn't say anything, he only walked down the snowy steps and turned to look back to see if they would follow. They did in their human form, and when they were halfway to Hagrid's hut, Draco turned back into himself again.

"I'd like dinner too," he said. Harry had already given Ginny a roll and an apple and pulled out the same for himself.

"Here," he handed Draco the bag and he began eating his dinner there in the darkness.

"How far are we going then? Hogsmead?"

"I don't know. We were just going to walk around and see if there was anything interesting to see."

"I read that while the school was being built, the founders and other teachers used to live in cabins not too far into the forest," Ginny said. "I wonder if they're still there."

"Well, let's go look." Harry grinned and transformed, and Ginny did too, dropping the rest of her apple on the ground. They waited for Draco to quickly finish his food and then he transformed too.

"When did you learn?" Harry asked Draco as they started off for the edge of the forest.

"The day after you did. I think the ability to change easily must be inherited, because there have been a lot of Malfoys who could transform. I had a book on it from the Manor, but I never read it until the night you came waltzing in as an ugly bear."

"That must have been a sight," Ginny commented, and Draco laughed, though it sounded funny, like sharp little yips and jabbers.

"What was funny was Granger comming down the stairs and telling a bear to sit, and seeing it sit like a dog."

"How many people have been animaguses in your family?" Harry asked.

"My grandfather and grandmother, and several second and third cousins."

"My mum," Ginny said, and Draco didn't respond. While he liked Ron and Ginny now, it was against Malfoy tradition to associate with the Weasleys even though they were second cousins twice removed.

"But not your mother or father?" Harry asked.

"Father thought it was beneath him, and no one in mother's family has ever transformed, so she didn't think it would be proper to try to do it."

They made the edge of the forest, and Harry thought that he quite liked being out at night in the snow when all the world seemed clean and peaceful. While it was cold out, it felt to Harry as though he was wearing a very thick coat or was covered in a warm blanket.

"Are you cold?" he asked Ginny, but she told him she wasn't.

"Where are these cabins supposed to be?" Draco asked, and Harry stuck his nose up in the air and sniffed.

"Like that's going to help," Draco scoffed. "No one's been in those cabins for hundreds of years. There's nothing to smell."

"Maybe this way," Ginny said, and she lead them off around the edge of the wood and slowly deeper into it, Harry being sure he was aware of the smells of other animals or large insects that might be lurking nearby. They never did find the cabins during their night out, but they did find an interesting clearing with rocks in equidistant piles all around, and a small cave that Draco could squeeze into, but Ginny could not. With no watch it was hard to keep track of how long they were out, but Harry felt refreshed having come out here with his friends and roaming freely with no rules or responsibilities.

"Wow, it's late," Ginny said when they finally took human form again, once again back at the top of the steps leading to the Entrance Hall. She had pulled Harry's hand up to look at his watch, and it was just after midnight.

"At least I don't have far to go," Draco said with a smirk, seeming in a good mood. "You could sneak down to your father's quarters."

"Not with Ginny," Harry said, "and besides, I think he'd notice that I wasn't there before curfew."

"Have fun going up through the castle then," Draco whispered as he pushed the door to the semi-dark Entrance Hall open gently and peered inside. When he saw no one, he went inside, and Harry and Ginny followed. They had just split off from each other when Harry was surprised to hear Ron's voice.

"Have fun did you?"

The three of them froze, and searched around in the dim light to see Ron behind a suit of armor.

"Ron," Ginny said. "Have you been waiting all night?"

"I saw the three of you out a window. It would have been nice if you had asked your best friend to go." Ron crossed his arms and Harry wasn't sure what to say.

"We just wanted to go explore, and we thought that in our animal form we would be ok out there."

"Right, Ron can't transform so we'll just leave him behind from now on."

"Don't be like that Ron," Ginny said gently, but there was nothing for it. Harry and Ginny could tell that they'd hurt Ron's feelings.

"Don't be like what Ginny, stupid old Ron?"

"Shh," Draco said, because Ron had raised his voice, but it was too late, because they heard hurried footsteps and Professor McGonagall appeared at the top of the stairs. Harry expected her to start dressing them down with harsh words, because it would have been obvious to anyone that they'd just come in from outside because of the water on the floor, but that wasn't what happened.

"Mr. Potter, there you are. Have you seen Severus?"

Harry looked at Ron, who still looked angry, and then to Ginny.

"Maam?"

"Your father Mr. Potter. Have you seen him?"

"Not since Potions before dinner. What's going on?"

"He informed the Headmaster he was going to a meeting and hasn't returned. That was seven hours ago."

"Seven?" Harry knew that his father was still spying on Voldemort from within the ranks, but he had never seen him rush off to a meeting before. He hadn't even been aware that one had been called, though he thought to himself, maybe if he had been at dinner, his father would have told him.

"He's almost never gone that long and when he is he finds a way to check in."

The Headmaster came around a corner then and started comming down the stairs, his traveling cloak on. Harry was certain he'd seen them there, but he made no move to question why they were all awake and out of bed so late.

"Minerva, I've contacted the order. I'm going to search the permiter in case he was injured and couldn't make it back to the castle. I'm waiting for a firecall from Grimmuald Place, if you could please go up to my office and wait for that. Also, Kinglsy and Nymphadora are on their way here to search the grounds."

"Sir," Harry said, and Dumbledore came up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Do not worry yourself Harry. It would be best if you went to bed so you are not late for classes tomorrow."

"Sir," he said again. "We were just out on the grounds. We didn't see him."

Dumbledore paused and stared at him and appeared to be cataloging this information for later. "What part of the grounds?"

"The edge of the forest mostly, from Hagrid's cabin back towards the Quidditch pitch, and then back to the front steps of the castle."

The aging man's eyes swept the hall and found Ginny, Draco, and Ron.

"Not me sir," Ron said. Harry thought Ron would have added something like, 'I'm not part of the group anymore,' but refrained because of the seriousness of the situation.

"Very well. Minerva, see to it that they make it to their common rooms."

"I want to help," Harry said. "I can look," but Dumbledore was in a hurry and was already to the great oak front doors.

"The offer is appreciated," McGonagall said, "but as the Headmaster has said, you are to go back to your common rooms and to bed. Mr. Malfoy, if you would please?"

"Yes maam," he said.

"I will check with the other Prefects that you are there," she said, and watched until he had gone down the steps into the dungeons.

"Come along," she said, and Harry, Ron, and Ginny followed her up through the castle.

"I expect you to stay in the common room until an appropriate hour of the morning," she warned them, and then left them at the entrance to go to the Headmasters office to wait for the firecall.

Inside the otherwise empty common room, Ron and Ginny stared at Harry.

"You didn't even get in trouble," Ron said.

"We really didn't mean to leave you out," Ginny said to him quietly. "Harry and I were going to go out for just a bit and then Draco saw us and said he was comming too, and showed us he could transform. We hadn't planned it as group activity."

"But you did plan to sneak off into the forest with your boyfriend. If mum found out-"

"But she's not going to," Ginny said, giving her brother a warning look. "It's not ok for you to try to get me in trouble just because you got your feelings hurt. I told you I was sorry already and that it wasn't intentional." She was going to say more, but paused as Harry walked right between the two of them and kept going without a word.

"Harry?" Ginny called to him, but he continued up the stairs to the boy's dormitory silently.

"I'll be with him," Ron said hotly, "you go to bed," and then he was gone too, up the staircase after Harry.

Harry was lying on top of his covers in the dark when Ron came in a moment later. He shut the door quietly so he wouldn't wake the other boys and sat down on the edge of his own bed.

"I'm sure he's fine," Ron said in a whisper.

"Yeah," whispered Harry, though he didn't believe a word that was being said, "I'm sure he'll be fine."