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7th year Head Girl and Boy Common Room~~~
Klaus was sitting alone in the head girl and boy dormitory when Caroline emerged from behind the portrait.
“Klaus! Klaus!! I figured it out!!” Caroline exclaimed as the portrait door swung open. Klaus waited to answer her until she fully entered their shared head girl and boy dormitory
“And what exactly have you figured out this time, love?” Klaus replied, glancing up from his sketchbook for a brief moment to watch the portrait swing closed.
It was December and Hogwarts was abuzz with enthusiasm for the break the next week. Not being an overly social person, Klaus was looking forward to a quiet castle, his fellow classmates having gone home for the holidays and he could finally enjoy the quiet. All had gone according to his plan, before she walked in shouting.
Caroline sped over to the couch and sat next to him. She grabbed both his hands in hers causing the sketchbook to fall to his lap, before sharing her exciting news. “I found something that would help you with your transformations. You would obviously still have to take the wolfsbane potion in the week leading up to the full moon. And well, it wouldn't be exactly with your transformations but it would help you stay more conscious when you’re in your wolf form.”
“Okay...what is it?” he said warily.
“Do you remember when you told me that in order for you to stay grounded and in control, you have to focus on something?”
At his nod she continued, “How would you like some company during full moons to help you stay focused?”, unable to keep the wide smile off her face, “It has been done before. I’m not sure why I didn’t think of it sooner but I thought of it now and I think it could work.!It's common knowledge that the Marauders became animagi to assist their frie-”
“Slow down, love. First of all, that is not common knowledge-” he said, wanting to cut her off before she got ahead of herself.
“What? Yes it is.” she interjected.
“-second of all,” he continued as if she hadn’t interrupted, “you would have to register as an animagi, which means that the Ministry would keep a constant eye on you. Are you sure you want that?”
“Well, I was planning on working around that particular rule. The Marauders did, so I know that I can do it too. ”
“You” he said looking at her in total disbelief “You, Little Miss Rule Follower, Head Girl, Teachers Pet, and overall good person- is going to do something illegal. Not only is it breaking a long-standing rule, but a law, and one of the biggest ones in the Ministry.”
She paused for a second, “Yeah” A flash of nervousness crossed her face, she had hoped that he didn't see it, but one look into his eyes confirmed that he did.
“Sweetheart, not only is this incredibly out of your comfort zone, it is very dangerous. I could hurt you or you could hurt yourself. There are too many variables that play into this. I cannot allow you to do this.”
At his words Caroline felt a bubble of rage boil in her stomach and with flushed cheeks she stood up, towering over him. “What do you mean, you aren’t allowing me to do this.” she shouted with clenched fists and a scowl on her face. “I can do whatever I want and what I want is to help you and make sure that you have some company out there!”
All the fight suddenly left her as she sat back down, giving in to the impulse to reveal her true motives.
She looked down at her hands saying softly “At least I would be doing something and not sitting in the shack waiting for you to return. Hoping that you weren’t hurt too badly or freaking out and questioning if you were even alive,” she looked up at him, “constantly wondering if you were racing through the woods having fun or if you were stranded in some clearing fatally wounded. I mean it’s the Forbidden Forest for Merlin’s sake. It’s dangerous!” she ran her fingers through her hair trying to calm down.
“Hey, hey, look at me,” he said, cupping her face between his hands. He pressed a kiss to her forehead murmuring “I’m right here”
He pulled away slightly to look her in the eyes, “Nothing bad is going to happen to me, okay? Nothing.”
She nodded, leaning into his hand. She brushed a kiss to his right palm before speaking up, “I know, but still. If it makes you feel better, I’ll register once we get out of Hogwarts.”
He sighed, “I’m not going to win am I”
She grinned, “Nope”
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Klaus and Caroline made a plan to meet at the library after their classes ended to begin their research on how to become an animagi. Then head to their usual spot under the willow tree at the edge of the forest to read and take notes.
Caroline transferred to Hogwarts from Ilvermorny in her third year and had stumbled across the willow tree during her exploration of the school grounds. Even though she made some friends that she loved, she often preferred to sit under the willow tree with a book or her homework. The tree was on the edge of the Forbidden Forest which made most people steer clear of it, so she found it odd to see Klaus sitting under her tree.
At first they didn't get along, constantly fighting about whose tree it was, but they reached an eventual compromise and decided to share the tree. Once they agreed on the arrangement, they realized that they had more than a few things in common, and were best friends until it became something more. In sixth year, Klaus surprised Caroline by asking her to the Halloween Masquerade Ball and they had been dating ever since. As for his little canine secret, Caroline had found out about five months into their friendship. Since then, she had been: covering for him in class, getting him chocolate, ensuring he got his wolfsbane potions, and generally taking care of him pre and post transformation.
When they entered the library, Caroline made a beeline to the front desk showing Madam Pince a note and receiving something in return. She swiftly shoved it into her robes before he could see what it was.
She walked back to Klaus, “Ok, we can go now”
“Go where, we are already at the library”
“You’ll see” she took his hand and pulled him toward the gold gate at the back of the library.
“You got permission to go into the restricted section” he said in disbelief.
She shrugged, smiling cheekily, “What like it's hard,”
He rolled his eyes remembering the day she forced him to watch all the muggle “chick flicks.”
She unlocked the gate and went to the aisle where she had found the information on animagi and the Marauders first. “Start looking for books on the history of animagi, how to become one, etcetera.”
He rolled his eyes, saluted her, and started looking on one end while she started on the other.
She watched him for a moment with a smile. Even though he was against her becoming an animagi he was still her best friend and wanted to support her. Caroline knew that deep down, Klaus getting involved would help him feel better about the unsafe thing she was attempting .
His voice snapped her out of her thoughts, “Well, are you going to help too? This was your idea after all,” he said with that one-sided grin that she loved.
She shook her head to clear her thoughts and turned to the shelves to start her search.
They emerged from the library a couple of hours later with all their homework done and a small stack of books they pilfered from the restricted section.
They went to the willow tree and searched through the plethora of books to find the information they needed. After a few hours, they found a few but long steps required to become an animagus.
The first step requires knowing your patronus.
Most Hogwarts students learned about patronuses and how to cast them in fifth year. Caroline had taken it upon herself to independently study patronuses and how to cast them during a bit of light reading in her fourth year. When deciding that she was going to learn how to cast one, she also decided that she was going to get Klaus to join her. She was happy when it didn’t take a lot to convince him but what she didn’t know was that he would do anything she asked him to do.
Over the span of a few months, Klaus and Caroline were able to perfect the spell with some assistance from Professor Saltzman. Finally, Caroline’s patronus revealed itself as a lynx and Klaus’s was a wolf, unsurprisingly.
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Fifth year - Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom
The day had finally come for 5th years to have their lesson on patronuses and how to cast them. Due to their independent studying, Klaus and Caroline sat in the back of the classroom doing other work and talking with each other.
After a month of learning, it was test day and the classroom was filled with everyone getting in some last minute practice.
Klaus and Caroline were sitting in a corner chatting with a few friends while waiting for their names to be called. When her name was finally called, Klaus gave Caroline a quick hug and wished her good luck.
Caroline walked up to the front of the classroom to begin her test, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath as she was transported to her happiest memory.
It was a rare sunny winter day in March and the snow crunched under their boots as they walked arm in arm toward the forest.
Once they reached their tree, Caroline pulled out a blanket and spread it out under the branches while Klaus took the hot chocolate from the picnic basket. Being the prepared person that she is, she made sure that the blanket was spelled with a heating and cushioning charm so they didn’t get cold while sitting outside.
It was a simple, calm day with no one around. They were able to spend the day with just the two of them, having a conversation about everything and nothing. It was a special day for her, because it was the day that she realized that she was in love with him. She had read (perhaps too many) romance books and always expected that the moment she realized she was in love with someone would be the result of a grand gesture or moment. Klaus was not just her leading man, he was her best friend. With him, it was a simple everyday moment that created such a deeply resonating feeling within her.
“Expecto Patronum!” she casted with a smile. Out of her wand burst a beautiful, wispy silver-blue lynx sprinting across the room and spiraling through the air. She got a hundred percent and a proud smile from Professor Saltzman. She looked at him with a small satisfied smile and hurried back to Klaus and friends.
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The second step was to have a mandrake leaf in your mouth for a month. Fortunately for Caroline, Christmas break was approaching soon.
Third step was a bit more complicated and required some potion-making skill. Caroline had to find a small crystal phial to put the potion in. She then needed to put the leaf, a strand of her own hair and the chrysalis of a Death’s-head Hawk Moth into the phial.
After the potion is complete, the mixture has to be stored in a dark corner until an electric storm appears. The dark corner ended up being a nook hidden in Caroline’s closet. She’s a student with nosy house elves, so her hiding places were limited.
According to her small stack of parchment containing the notes from their research, Caroline had to point her wand to her heart and chant the incantation “Amato Animo Animato Animagus”. She did this at every sunrise and sunset while waiting for the next storm. When lightning appears, her notes said the potion will turn blood-red to signify its completion.
Conveniently, the storm arrived a week later, so Caroline didn’t hesitate to notify Klaus via patronus that the potion was ready and to meet her at the Shack.
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Klaus was sitting in the owlery writing a letter to Henrik when a lynx leapt into the room with its big paws and went straight to Klaus. When it opened its mouth, an urgent voice flowed out “It’s ready. Meet me at the shack asap.” Klaus was running out the door before the lynx had even faded into the air
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She took the potion and ran to the Whomping Willow, poked the knot on the trunk, and slid down the secret tunnel to the Shrieking Shack.
Caroline burst through the door separating the tunnel and the building and collapsed on the floor. Caroline chanted the incantation and drank every last drop of the potion. Because her patronus was a lynx, she conjured an image of a lynx in her mind and focused on it. Caroline was kneeling down on the ground taking shaky breaths when she felt a familiar hand on her shoulder.
Caroline quickly passed her wand to Klaus for safekeeping. Because it was the middle of the month, Klaus wasn’t transforming and was instead keeping watch so that he could call for help if need be. They had talked about it before, and agreed he would take it from her at the start, lest she forgot about it later and it broke during the transformation. Caroline put a brave face on while preparing for the long and arduous process, but Klaus knew that she was secretly worried something would go wrong. After all, there is a reason why the process was outlawed.
Klaus knelt down in front of her, cupping her cheeks in his hands.
“Deep breaths love. In and out, come on, do it with me” he said softly. They leaned their foreheads against each other and took several slow breaths together. Caroline’s face was scrunched in concentration, when suddenly she felt a softer, second heartbeat rising within her.
Keeping calm, she kept focusing on the image of the lynx circling in her mind and gradually her clothes melded with the fur sprouting from her skin. She groaned softly under her breath as strange tingling feelings erupted in her, signalling the transformation progressing. Caroline could feel Klaus hugging her changing body to his chest, running his hand along her blonde tresses and fur. She grounded herself in the feeling of his strong body pressed against her.
After what felt like forever but was in reality about an hour, a tan lynx with dark accents and blue eyes stood where Caroline once knelt. Klaus slowly backed away from her, likely giving her space to adjust- before calling out to her in a hushed tone. “Caroline?”
Caroline opened her eyes and instantly felt that her senses were 10x sharper. She could see the grooves and indents in the floor and walls, hear the galloping of the centaurs outside in the forest but most of all she could hear the pounding of Klaus’s heart as it beat against his chest in fear that something had gone wrong.
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“Caroline?” Klaus whispered again, softly.
Caroline shook herself out of her daze and softly padded toward him on shaky legs. He slowly and carefully stuck his hand out and she ran her head under it. He stood there in awe of her. As if he couldn’t believe that this was happening. He had full confidence in her from the beginning that she could do it but it was another thing to be standing there with her transformed nuzzling his hand.
He knelt down again, opening his arms and Caroline walked into them, resting her head on his shoulder. Tears of relief rolled down his face and onto the fur of her neck. He was relieved that she managed to accomplish such a daunting task without any complications. The lynx stepped back slightly and licked his tears away. He gave a small chuckle, “I am so proud of you sweetheart. I knew you could do it and here you are.”
It was still surreal to him that she had gone through such an intense and personal ordeal, just so she could be with him during this part of his life.
For years, Klaus kept distance from Caroline while he transformed for fear of hurting her. In the midst of his worrying, he hadn’t realized that the distance made her feel excluded from this part of his life. She truly wanted to be with him in every part of his life including his life as a werewolf.
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For the rest of the night, Caroline had only planned on learning and feeling her way through her new lynx form. Caroline and Klaus walked outside in the middle of the night so that she could be reintroduced to the forest and the outside world. She ran around in the snow, zigzagging through the trees.
As Klaus leaned against a tree with a big smile on his face, watching her have fun. After a few hours, Klaus called her back and she came trotting up to him and rubbed her head against his stomach.
They walked back into the shack together and Caroline managed to transform back smoothly while keeping the image of her human body in mind.
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Soon enough a full moon arrives and both of them walk to the Shrieking Shack to prepare for their first run together. Thankfully, it was the weekend before anyone got back so none of their fellow students were around. On the way there Carolines mind was filled with constant worry that they had forgotten something.
“Did you bring the wolfsbane?”
“Yes, love”
“Did you bring the food and blankets? As well as the bag to keep our wands in?”
“Yes sweetheart, we have everything.”
“Are you sure?? Because I feel like we forgot something,” She worried about her bottom lip, going through her mental list again and again. “What about the chocolate? I know you don’t need them, but there's no denying that it makes you feel better and more relaxed after the transformation”
Klaus stopped them, wrapping an arm around her waist bringing her closer to him. He lifted his hand up, gently cupping her cheek. He pulled her bottom lip from between her teeth with his thumb and gave it a soft kiss. “Yes, my love, we have everything. Focus on staying calm and the transformation tonight.”
She smiled, nodding softly.Caroline knew that she was worrying too much but couldn't help but feel a little annoyed at the fact that he knows her so well. She also knew that she should trust him because of his years of experience. She just didn’t love that she was being the dramatic one. She reached up and gave him a small peck before hooking her arm with his and continuing their trek through the snow.
Upon arriving, a simple wave of a wand enlarged the shrunken bed that they had hidden in the Shack years ago because someone couldn't stand the idea of him sleeping on the ground every full moon.
Then, Klaus drank the last cup of wolfsbane for the month and stripped down to his underwear. Klaus, being a born-werewolf, had a smooth transformation from years of routine every month which meant that he could fight off the urge to transform immediately.
Caroline had been practising every day for the past week to make sure that her transformation was perfect, but ultimately, it was a skill gained over time. Upon seeing her eventually shift forms safely, he finally allowed himself to feel the approaching full moon.
Soon, both their animal forms stood in the Shack. Klaus drinking wolfsbane helped him maintain more of his human conscience when he was in his wolf form.
As a werewolf, he towered over her. The tip of her pointed ears reached his jaw when he stood tall on his four legs. Wanting to start their run, Caroline looked back at him, and then dashed out the door and into the night.
The night was cold, but they were too caught up in the immense feelings of joy from finally being able to run together to mind the weather.
Klaus entered a clearing full of moonbeams that shone down on the soft snow. After circling the area and checking for any signs of danger, he turned back around to find that Caroline wasn’t there. He looked around and only saw the fluffy white snow and trees. He pointed his nose into the sky to try and catch a scent but all he could feel was the cold, crisp air blowing against his wet nose.
Klaus was so engrossed in trying to find her that he didn’t notice the creature slowly extending her front paws to quietly creep toward him like a thief in the night. She pounced on the unsuspecting wolf.
Klaus crashed into the ground due to the unexpected weight and scrambled around to get onto his feet again. Still not knowing what had attacked him he growled loudly.
Even though Caroline quickly acclimated to most of her newly enhanced senses, she was still extremely responsive, especially when it comes to sound. His low growl was like a shock to her fragile system, causing her to whimper softly and paw at the tufts of fur that sprouted from the tips of her ears.
Realizing who it was, Klaus was instantly filled with a mixture of relief, regret, and pride. He was relieved that she was okay, worried that something was wrong and proud that she had grasped her new form so quickly and was able to sneak up on him.
He walked over to her and nudged her head slightly. When she looked up, he tilted his head as if to ask “Are you okay?” She nodded as she stood up again. Caroline reached up and lightly rubbed her head against his neck, purring at the feeling of their fur brushing together. He licked her head, relieved that she wasn’t too upset. Caroline rolled her shoulders at the foreign feeling and darted into the forest.
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Caroline woke to soft warm rays of sun shining on her face. She was laying on the bed with her head on Klaus’s shoulder, her arm slung across his chest and her legs tangled with his. She looked around the room and remembered what happened the night before.
They had shifted and ran through the Forbidden Forest for hours before arriving back at the shack. Klaus had transformed back first and instantly passed out on the floor, exhausted. Caroline slowly transformed back to the tank and shorts from before she switched forms. She waved her wand to put a pair of boxers on Klaus before levitating his human body onto the bed and covered him with a blanket. She quickly casted a warming bubble to surround the bed and slipped under the blanket, cuddling close to Klaus’ sleeping form. Which brought them back to the morning after.
Klaus woke up with his back on his usual bed and Caroline curled around him. He leaned down and kissed her hairline softly, notifying her that he was awake.
“Hey” she said softly.
“Hello, love” he replied with a small smile on his face. “How did you sleep?”
“Wonderful. Last night was amazing but I felt so worn out by the end.” she whispered. ”Did you have fun last night?”
“Oh sweetheart, I had a fantastic time. Running in the forest with you is my favorite thing in the world now. Well, one of them” he said with a smirk, giving another kiss to the top of her head.
Caroline smiled widely, happy that her idea was a success and the night and process had gone according to plan.
Klaus and Caroline continued to transform in the Shack each month until they graduated when Klaus proposed to Caroline. After graduation, they got a house in the countryside with a barn stocked with everything they could need for their special night. It was also convenient that their house was located next to a large forest for them to run and be free. She didn’t end up registering as an animagi with the ministry after graduation but it was okay, Klaus was the only person to know along with their kids, Eva and Henry, and it would stay that way for the rest of their lives.