It hit him like lightning when Hermione showed him a city guide to the town in Austria where she planned to go skiing on the Christmas holidays with her family. The map on the city guide gave him the idea he needed. The marauder’s map was the perfect tool to identify and find hidden people in Hogwarts. He hoped that Fred and George already had the map, but he wasn’t exactly sure about that. He also wasn’t really sure if the map would work on Voldemort, as he thought it was highly suspicious if the twins already had the map and could see Voldemort running around in Hogwarts but didn’t tell anyone about it. He also realized that the twins hadn’t told anyone about Peter Pettigrew. Even if they didn’t know who he was, they should have asked questions if an unknown name appeared in Ron's bed every night. The map also didn’t show Voldemort’s name next to Harry's, even though a part of Voldemort’s soul was in him. The more he thought about it, the more he remembered why he thought the map wasn’t as important as he thought, but it was still worth a shot.
He quickly formed the plan to try to search their dorm when the twins had Quidditch training. To be absolutely sure that he wouldn’t get caught, he would have to do it while the whole house was away on a Quidditch game or their dorm had a class, but he wasn’t sure if they took the map with them to classes, and he thought it would be difficult to explain why he wouldn’t go to the Quidditch game. So, he thought a regular training session would be enough, and he just had to observe the entrance to their dorm to see if anyone was left in there.
Four days after the match against Syltherin, he held the map in his hand. The twins thought it was clever to hide the map with a sticking charm under the drawer bottom, and it turned into quite a surprise for Atlas when the whole bedside table flew in his direction when he used the accio charm to get the map, but in the end he didn’t get caught, and with a quick reverte, the bedside table returned to its old position. He even left them a note, that said that they would get the map back at the end of the year.
He wasn’t sure if he should be surprised that he didn’t see Voldemort’s name next to Quirinius Quirrell’s. That vanished the only method he could think of to test if he was Voldemort without asking Harry to give Quirrell a surprise hug. The problem was that Atlas didn’t know yet if he wanted Voldemort dead or if he could use him.
The next few weeks were quite uneventful. To Atlas and Hermione’s surprise, far fewer people knew about them than they initially thought, and only the Gryffindors actually cared about that. Even Amy seemed surprised when she saw Hermione and Atlas holding hands before going into the library, but she happily told them that she would keep it a secret from the others. It wasn’t really important to keep it a secret after he accepted Hermione as his girlfriend, but he thought that the less attention he got, the better it was for him, so he was thankful for it. He and Hermione agreed that they would not change their schedule too much, but even with their old habits, they spent over half of the day together, so nothing much changed for them except a few kisses here and there and more intimate talks on their ways between classes. Atlas still thought it would be a nice idea to have somewhat more romantic dates on Sundays. So he scouted the castle grounds for suitable spots, but as they weren’t allowed to leave the castle and the more romantic places were almost always occupied by other couples, it was a bit difficult. But with the marauder’s map in his possession, he now knew all the secret passages that led outside of Hogwarts. Using one of these secret routes, they sneaked out of the castle and indulged in a moonlit picnic by the lake. Convincing Hermione was a bit of a challenge, as she was hesitant about breaking the rules. But with a little persuasion, she relented, as she wanted a romantic date and couldn't come up with a better idea.
Brushing Hermione’s hair became one of his favorite activities, and he was surprised by the intimate feelings that could be exchanged by such a mundane and simple gesture. He promised himself to thank his father for sharing his stories, as they shaped his relationship in such positive ways that it was a much better experience than his last relationship, which was much less romantic. That didn’t mean he didn’t love Lily; he just regretted not sharing similar moments with her. He also realized that their relationship only came to be because they were the only people of their generation and found support in each other’s company.
The depressing thing is that he realized that he had begun to imagine a future with Hermione. A future that required him to either abandon his mission or find a way for her soul to travel with him. But none the less, he could imagine a future with her, something he couldn’t with Lily, as they both lost hope in the end.
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“Mr. Graf, I have to admit that I’m impressed. I never thought you would continue to advance at such a rapid pace. In regards to Transfiguration, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that you would be able to pass your O.W.L.s already. As a reward, I have a choice for you. A choice I don’t give many students as they don’t have the necessary talent and drive to advance their studies to the necessary degree. The first choice is that I teach you about human transfiguration, perhaps the most difficult discipline in transfiguration. The other choice is one many students ask for, but only a few selected are ever granted permission by me. The second option is that I teach you how to become an animagus." said Professor McGonagall with a proud smile to Atlas after he managed to transfigure the desk into a pig and back.
The sudden praise surprised Atlas. In the last few weeks, Professor McGonagall always held back with praises and always told him not to start to slack. He also had to think about what he wanted to learn before he realized that it was strange that he even had to choose. "Professor, what do you mean, I have to choose? It sounds like you will only teach me one thing and not both,” asked Atlas, a bit confused.
“That is right, Mr. Graf. I will not teach you both. The reason for that is simple. We don’t have the time. I will only be able to teach you until your Christmas holidays, as I have to prepare the exams after the new year. In general, these special classes were only prepared for a single year. After that, I will only fulfill a counseling role like I do for my other students. The headmaster and I agree that being too dependent on someone’s teaching will hinder the path to true greatness as a wizard in any field. While it is only the second time someone has managed to get into these extracurricular classes in their first year, it is expected that after half a year of personal guidance, you will be able to start your own research and do your own experiments without the risk of killing yourself or those around you. While this practice will initially slow you down, you will be able to become a real master if you continue your effort.” explained Professor McGonagall.
Atlas nodded. He understood the concept and agreed that it would be a good strategy for anyone else, but he didn’t intend to stay long enough in this world to become a real master at the subject and only wanted the knowledge that was available to him.
“I understand, Professor. Before I decide what I pick, can you answer me a few questions? As far as I know, human transfiguration can also change someone into an animal, so what is the actual difference between that and an animagus? And the second question is, if I can transfigure other people, do they need to be willing to be transformed, or can it be resisted?” Atlas asked, as he was unsure what he should pick.
“Human transfiguration can achieve a lot more than turning people into animals. But if you turn someone else or yourself into an animal via human transfiguration, the target will also only have the intelligence and behavior of the animal. Some even lose their sense of self while transformed. But it is seldom used in combat as it can be blocked with a simple shield spell. I assume that was the question you initially wanted to ask, wasn’t it? The animagus transformation, on the other hand, can only affect yourself. Your form will also be fixed after the first transformation, but after that, you are able to change between your human form and animagus form at will. The form becomes part of your identity, and while you will be able to retain your consciousness in your animal form, you will also be influenced by your animalistic instincts. Unless you spent an incredibly long time in your animagus form, these instincts can be easily suppressed, so you don’t really need to worry about that. The animagus transformation is also one of the few things you will be able to do without a wand. Even the necessity of magic is severely discussed, as magical wards also can’t stop the transformation. Like I said, it will become a part of yourself, so I want you to be aware of it as it can’t be undone.” explained Professor McGonagall in great detail.
Atlas was shocked by the last part. It might mean that his animagus form would be something he might be able to use in other worlds. If the form was a part of his identity, then it was possible for it to work, and that magic might not necessarily be necessary, which would mean it could be used in all worlds. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, but his priority to become an animagus jumped through the roof. On the other hand, it also made the form he would get much more important. “Is it possible to influence the form of the animagus form?" He asked hopeful, ready to even risk letting the hero grow if he could get a powerful transformation by investing more time into studying it.
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“Yes, it is possible.” Professor McGonagall answered with a rare hint of teasing, “That is, if you want to be turned into a vampire." The old Roman animagi studied animagus transformations in depth, to find a way to defeat the Germanic shamans in the woods. They thought that turning into bats would be a good way to navigate undetected through the woods, so they created a ritual that gave the user the ability to transform into a bat. It also gives the user incredibly strength and speed, but it will also cause the user to have a never-ending thirst for blood and permanently take away their ability to use magic. It also takes away their ability to naturally reproduce. All in all, the demerits are so great that it was forbidden by the first Roman emperor after multiple legions were destroyed at the Germanic border because the vampires started to target people regardless of affiliation in battle. A few African wizards also tried to influence the transformation, but all of these attempts could be classified as failures unless you say it is a success if you don’t lose your animal instincts even when you return to your human form.”
For a short moment, great speed and strength sounded tempting, but the demerits were indeed too great. So it all depended on luck. And while luck could be influenced with the luck potion, the potion was so difficult to brew that Atlas wasn’t sure he would be able to brew it successfully on his first attempt. To add to that, the potion took six months to brew, and all the ingredients were incredibly expensive. The ingredients were so expensive that you could probably buy a car with that money, and a finished potion would go for the prize of a small plot of land. The costs were the main reason he didn’t immediately start brewing the potion after he set up his workshop in the room of requirements, even though he had the recipe.
“I still want you to teach me how to become an animagus.” Atlas finally answered and earned himself another smile from the old witch.
“Great, but I have to inform you that you will have to register yourself as an animagus in the ministry. As a teacher, I won’t support my students breaking the law after all.“
Hermione was a bit sad that they wouldn’t be able to kiss because he had to have a mandrake leave in his mouth from one full moon to another, but the possibility to tease him, that he would probably become some fluffy animal she could carry around at any time, cheered her up. She even began to rank her favorite transformations for him, which scared him a bit as she told him stories about how she would dress him up if he transformed into a seeotter. He knew that she was only half serious, but he insisted that he wouldn’t become her pet.
Atlas spent the next week gathering all the knowledge he could find regarding the animagus transformation. He even suspected that the animagus transformation would affect his soul in some way, as it would be a possible explanation that the transformation didn’t require a wand and that it could be said to be part of yourself. To his disappointment, the library wasn’t really helpful in that regard. The books regarding animagi were already few, but the books regarding the soul were something like Qilins. At least the useful ones were. There were plenty of books that discussed souls on a philosophical level, but none had any concrete knowledge. He wasn’t sure if Dumbledore had removed the books, but Ms. Pince didn’t even say he needed permission, so he was more inclined to believe that in this universe, souls were a poorly researched topic. He couldn’t blame them, as his old world had nothing regarding the topic, besides some religious gibberish.
As the week slowly passed and his endeavor was fruitless, he began to accept that he wouldn’t be able to influence his transformation and that he would need Dumbledore’s or Voldemort’s input on souls if he wanted to make any progress in that regard.
As this wasn’t something that he could accomplish in a short time, he started to intensify his search for the hero. So far, he's tried to do most of the search by himself, but he realized he wasn’t getting any closer to the hero's identity by only relying on his own observations. While asking a few people about their Defence against the Dark Arts lessons was a good approach, it may have been on a small scale. So he decided that he would ask around to see who other people thought was the most talented in their house and year. Most people were quite eager when he told them that he wanted to create a ranking, and to prevent them from picking themselves they had to choose other people. He started with his own house and realized that apparently his roommates and first year Gryffindors thought he was the most talented. While it surprised him a bit, after thinking about it for a bit, he thought it was reasonable, as he got special attention in transfiguration and potions and aced these classes and herbology. While his accomplishments in Defence against the Dark Arts were also not small, he held back a lot there. The same went for charms class. He sucked at astronomy and the history of magic, but no one cared about these classes. Surprisingly, the follow up was Harry Potter, and only then Hermione. The reasoning was that most people thought Harry had to be special because he defeated the Dark Lord. Their vote had nothing to do with his academic progress, even though it was much better than average.
When he expanded his list to older students, he noted that Percy Weasley was seen as the most talented Gryffindor still in Hogwarts, and many guessed he would become the next Head Boy. He also noted the top three students of every other year, but most names belong to people he didn’t know or had only seen one or two times in the commonroom. As his attempts to rank students by their talent went from a rumor to a surprisingly hot topic, some students even tried to bribe him, which he naturally accepted graciously as only the data he got was important to him, but he refrained from falsifying his ranking so much that it would be unbelievable. He didn’t want to tarnish his image any more than such a pointless ranking already did, but having a few more knuts and sickles wouldn’t hurt.
It was much more difficult to get information about other houses, especially the higher years, but he still managed to form a more or less accurate list for Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. The only noteworthy person in Hufflepuff was Cedric Digory, who seems to be quite popular and talented. As he was chosen as the Hogwarts champion in the Triwizard Tournament, it was not really a surprise for Atlas. The only inaccuracy he noted was the second-year Ravenclaws. They all told him that Leona was the most talented in their year, but Atlas thought that Ethan was more talented than her, even if he was much more introverted than her. He thought that maybe Leona's tendencies to show off were the reason she was chosen as the most talented in their year. When Atlas asked them directly, they said that Ethan, Leona, and Amy were about the same level. The Slytherins told him to piss off, and after his third rejection, he didn’t want to waste more effort unless his other leads were dead ends. Surprisingly, a few days later, they released their own list, made by a Slytherin. Even though he didn’t know how accurate their list was, as even his own was quite rigged, it saved him a lot of work, but besides Malfoy, Daphne Greengrass, and Pansy Parkinson, all the other names of the top three were unknown to him.
The first thing he did with the lists was stalk the people with the marauder’s map. Especially breaking the rules and wandering around at night could be an indicator, or if he saw someone go into the room of requirements, as this was a sure-fire way to identify the hero. He also stalked Quirrell a lot and noted that he met with quite a few students outside of their class. Most of them were Slytherins, but surprisingly, a few people from his watchlist were also invited. When he asked Leona about it, she just shrugged her shoulders and explained that he just wanted to know if she already knew what kind of career she wanted to go with. It was a bit unusual to ask someone in the second year these kinds of questions, but not something that could be called unnatural for a teacher.
Despite his lack of results in his search, he made great progress in his training in the room of requirements. He even managed to get his first win against the weaker multiple training puppets. That fight had shown him that transfiguration could indeed be incredibly useful in a fight. He used the avifors to turn some training tools into birds before using engorgio a few times to make the birds gigantic. After using opucno to set the birds on the puppets, he could use his dust explosion to eliminate two of the puppets and managed to defeat the last one in a fair fight. The Wiggenweld potions he brewed spared him from at least three visits to the infirmary, but Hermione became increasingly suspicious when he sometimes winced in pain when she hugged him, and she found the remedies of some bruises on his body.
Sometimes he could blame Quirrells' classes for his injuries, as they got increasingly insane, but he suspected that he wouldn’t get away with it for much longer. In one lesson, Quirrell wanted them to battle a sixth-grade student who got detention for slacking off too much, and other times he wanted them to fight one against three or four without any limitations. Even though he liked those classes, he was glad that Quirrell’s request to use the Quidditch field for large-scale wargames was declined by Dumbledore.
The Christmas holidays were approaching, and Atlas began to make plans with Hermione to meet up after she came back from her skiing holidays. Atlas was quite nervous at the prospect of introducing Hermione to his parents, as he hadn’t told them about her so far. He would have told his father, but he was still a bit angry at his mother and knew if he gave her enough time to prepare to tease him, his holidays would be hell on earth, so he decided to only tell them about it when he arrived home.
The holidays were only a week away now, and Professor McGonagall had already prepared everything for the animagus potion, only missing the mandrake leaf in his mouth. She also promised to accompany him to a place where there was a thunderstorm so he could complete his transformation on the same day without spending weeks waiting for it. The reason for that was that she wanted to be present when he transformed and didn’t want to waste all the effort they had already put in by missing a thunderstorm and having to restart the whole procedure.
On Atlas way back from what was probably his last personal lesson with Professor McGonagall he looked at the marauder`s map out of habit. What he saw shocked him to the bone. His whole world seemed to collapse when he saw that Hermione`s name vanished at the seventh floor, indicating that she entered the room of requirement.