"Ill go first," Kurt said as they moved the last desk against the wall. "Do you think we should find a bigger room? Just in case?"

"Unless one of us turns into a dinosaur, I think my classroom will be big enough," Blaine remarked. "I wish youd let me use magic to move this stuff."

"My dad cant," Kurt said sternly. "Magic is a privilege you shouldnt use for petty things that can be–"

"Done by hand," Blaine finished. He smiled and kissed his husband on the cheek. "I know, I know. And I love your Squib dad. He runs the best Quidditch shop in England."

"Okay, Ill just–"

"Are you sure you want to go first?"

"Blaine Anderson, I am the head Transfiguration professor at the greatest Wizarding school in the United Kingdom," Kurt said, tilting his chin up as he stepped into the middle of the room. "If either of us are going to complete our Animagus transformation first, its going to be me."

"All right, all right, Professor," Blaine plopped down on a desk and waved his hand towards Kurt. "Show me what youve got."

Kurt took his place in the center in the room, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Theyd been preparing and learning and practicing for this moment since their own Hogwarts days. At sixteen, theyd decided to start the process, and finally at nineteen, two years post-graduation and now back as professors in Transfiguration and Charms, they thought they were ready.

For several minutes, Kurt stood still in the middle of the room, eyes shut and shoulders relaxed. It took a lot of focus and energy to get through the first transformation. Finally, Kurts body started to shift. He started shrinking, limbs sucking back in towards his torso and after a moment a sleek otter was staring up at Blaine.

"Huh," Blaine said in surprise. "I always thought youd be some type of cat, like your Patronus."

Kurt stood up on his hind legs and pawed at Blaines waist.

"Oh, dont give me that look. Youre still positively adorable, my little otter husband," Blaine sat down in front of him and looked him over. There wasnt anything particularly different from any other otter that Blaine could see at first. He looked Kurt all over and finally looked at the top of his head. "Aw, your little forehead hairs are coiffed. You are so cute right now. Im so glad I married you."

A second later, and with a faint pop, Kurt was in front of him, slightly disheveled and smiling.

"I did it! I can– but an otter? Really?"

Blaine nodded and helped Kurt up. "But a cute otter. You can go sunbathe on the lake without anyone bugging you. My turn now!"

Blaine took his place as Kurt sat on the desk. He shut his eyes, breathed deeply and focused on everything theyd been practicing since sixteen. Find your inner most self, the most solid memory of who you are. It was only a temporary part of the transformation, just to help them into the form the first few times.

They hadnt talked about their memories for this one, not like they had when theyd learned to do the Patronus Charm. Blaine knew his in and out. Kurts warmth against him, the sharp angles of his jaw, and the absolute solidness in his chest that meant what they had was love. That Kurt was his all.

Suddenly, he felt smaller, like his feet were growing closer to his head. He blinked open and was surprised to see little hairy, webbed feet where his shoes had been.

"Oh my– Blaine! Youre an otter, too?"

Blaine tilted his head as Kurts hand rubbed his cheek.

"Oh, wow, what are the odds, huh? And, oh my gosh, youve got little dark patches over your eyes that are pointy like your eyebrows."

Blaine frowned and growled at Kurt. He wasnt fond of his triangle eyebrows.

"Shush, youre adorable."

A moment later, Blaine was sitting on the floor panting, but back in human form.

"Wow, thats exhausting," he said as Kurt settled down beside him. "How long until its easier?"

"Depends on us as individuals and how much practice we put in," Kurt said as he looped his arm through Blaines. "My guess is a few weeks."

"Well be just in time for the nice weather," Blaine deduced. "We can sunbathe on the lake and hold hands just like real otters do!"

"They dont do that," Kurt said. He stood up and stretched. "Thatd be so silly."

"But they do," Blaine insisted. "They hold hands while theyre sleeping so they dont drift away from each other."

Kurt frowned, but let Blaine continue to explain it. It made sense, but still seemed absurd to him. They each took another go at transforming and then headed down to the kitchens for an afternoon snack.

Ron squinted across the sloping lawn down to the lake. There was an enormous crowd of older students all gathered together and pointing way out towards the center. It was too bright to catch whatever was of interest, so he nudged Harry and Hermione.

"Whats that all about?"

Harry squinted towards the lake, too, then shrugged. "Its the first nice day since September. Maybe theyre thinking about taking a swim."

"Or the giant squid is putting on a show," Ron invented wildly.

"Or you two should actually read Hogwarts, A History," Hermione snapped. She gave both of them a filthy look and huffed. "It happens every spring, around mid-April."

"What happens?" Harry asked as Ron started hopping along down the lawn.

"The otters," Hermione said patiently. "Every year for over a decade, two otters appear on the lake when spring starts. They float way out in the middle where nobody can reach them and hold hands. Of course, nobody seems to realize otters hold hands when they sleep, to keep them from drifting away from each other, so thats normal. But then they just disappear. Theres been a lot of speculation about where they go during the rest of the year."

By the time Harry and Hermione reached the lake, most of the school was sitting along the shoreline, waving and laughing at the pair of otters fifty yards out. Even from there, Harry could see their joined hands as they peacefully floated in circles.

"Its just otters," Ron groaned. "How boring. Lets go visit Hagrid or something."

Harry nodded as Hermione smiled at the otters in the distance. "Yeah, maybe we can get him to tell us more about the stone. Hermione? Come on, were going to Hagrids!"

Hermione paused for another moment, still smiling as the otters suddenly moved, stretching and then diving straight down into the lake. The rest of the students cheered and gasped, but the otters didnt resurface.

On the far edge of the lake, tucked away behind a large bush, Professors Hummel-Anderson transformed back into their human forms.

"Shall we go break them up and tell them were a myth again?" Kurt asked, planting a firm kiss on Blaines mouth.

"Mmm, stay here," Blaine mumbled. And he tugged Kurt down behind the bush with him. "Well crush their dreams later."