A/N: Yes, I am alive! Sorry this chapter took so long! My computer broke and I had to rewrite everything. To everyone who reviewed, favorited, or alerted, thank you muy mucho! Sorry I don't have all your names this chapter; as compensation you all win a bonus 42 Jackie points plus the trillion you already got for being awesome! Remember; that's an exclusive 42 Jackie points that no one else will ever get EVAR.
Disclaimer: If I was J.K. Rowling, I definitely wouldn't be posting fan fiction. All I own is Addison, her mom, and any other character you don't recognize from the series. Everything else belongs to the brilliant J.K. Rowling.
November
The date was November 13. Not much had happened in the last month but perhaps I should fill you in. Classes were the same – disastrous. Not a potions class had passed where I hadn't done something stupid and ended up melting something, causing an explosion, filling the dungeon with noxious gas, or something of the like. On the bright side, I finally managed to transfigure my teacup into an only slightly disfigured rat. Too bad we aren't working on that anymore. I was actually kind of good at astronomy for a change. I guess spending years staring at a moon chart had its perks after all. The song I was supposed to write for music was never written. Being an artist keeps looking better and better. Besides, I don't think I have the 'out there' personality that most musicians have. Myron and all of his friends definitely do. I can see them making it big one day.
Anyway, Quidditch tryouts were held in late September. I didn't try out. I can barely walk on the ground without almost dying; flying on a broomstick hundreds of feet in the air just didn't seem like a very good idea. James, Sirius, and Peter did try out however. Peter didn't make it, but James was made seeker (for the second year in a row apparently) and Sirius was made a beater (his first year on the team). James was positively elated to have his best mate on the team with him. Remus didn't try out even though all of his friends did and a part of me wondered why. He was still tutoring me but it wasn't very often that we got together anymore. He has such a bond with his friends. As for my roommates, nothing's changed.
And that brings me to the 13th of November; the last full moon of the month. The last day of the full moon was always the worst. According to Werewolves: Myths and Legends, it was a million times more painful because, 'The wolf has three days of potential feeding time a month. If during the first two days the wolf does not feed, it is said the wolf becomes impatient and that hunger takes control over the wolf's instincts and will stop at nothing to obtain a meal, even if it means forcing themselves out of the body harboring the wolf in a more gruesome manner than necessary and ravishing themselves because their own blood will satisfy their hunger even if sacrificing their health. In some cases, like The Tale of Mingan the Skinny (see page 314), the wolf's hunger can get so intense that it will actually kill itself. If the wolf has fed during the last two days of transforming, the third day of cycle would be a relatively calm one circumstances considered.'
I haven't fed during a full moon as far as I know of, so the transformation would as bad as it usually was, but I would rather endure a day of agony than commit murder. The part about Mingan the Skinny seemed a bit frightening, but death seemed like it would be kind of peaceful…
I walked alone to the hospital wing for the third day in a row. Madam Pomfrey was busy dealing with a kid who had all the bones in his foot removed when I arrived and Remus Lupin was standing awkwardly beside the bed she was fussing around as if waiting for something. His eyes snapped up to reach my own and an inquisitive look crossed his face for a moment before being covered up by ... resolution was it?
Madam Pomfrey gave the boy one more potion and turned to look at Remus.
"Can you walk there by yourself again Remus?"
"Sure," he said quietly and left, but I never heard the door open or close (and believe me, I would hear it what with it still being a full moon and me having extra sharp hearing and vision on those days- the only plus of lycanthropy aside from the extra strength.).
Then Madam Pomfrey noticed me. She looked worried for a split second but carried on with what she wanted to say anyway.
"You know the way well enough don't you?"
"I hope so."
"Hope better."
She turned back to her patient and after waiting for a moment to see if she had anything else to say, I exited the hospital wing trying desperately to remember the way. It occurred to me while I was walking that both Madam Pomfrey and Remus were acting very strange.
I was about a quarter of the way there and the corridors were silent. I turned a corner and from the other end of the hall I heard someone whisper, "There she is!" followed by some snickers that were instantly hushed as I came closer to where they were hiding.
Feeling very self-conscious and suddenly nervous I crossed my arms over my chest and bowed my head. I had to go this way. ...Or I least I thought I did. The full moon was an hour away; I didn't have time to make a detour, so I continued down the corridor, walking a bit slower than my usual pace.
Suddenly someone yelled, "Petrificus Totalus!" The spell flew towards me and I was frozen to the spot.
Peeves the Poltergeist then floated through the wall opposite me. (I met Peeves in October. He threw pudding at me while I was walking to charms. I know, of all the things he could have thrown, pudding? I suppose it was better than the chair he threw at some poor Hufflepuff, or the bright green paint he poured over a second year. It probably tasted better too.)
Whoever it was that had jinxed me was apparently afraid of Peeves and took off running. Unfortunately for them, this only encouraged Peeves and he chased after them yelling, "Ickle students afraid of Peevesie?"
Well that solved that problem but I was still frozen.
I had to get to the dungeon or else there'd be a werewolf roaming the school and killing everything in sight and then, there was no question about it, I'd be expelled from Hogwarts and then arrested by the ministry and either sentenced to Azkaban or a werewolf isolation camp - neither of which would be pleasant. What was the counter curse for Petrificus Totalus?
A frantic shout disrupted my frantic train of thoughts.
"Addison!" shouted the voice that could only belong to Remus. He ran over to me and pulled out his wand. "Ennervate!" he yelled hastily. That's the counter curse! My body quickly unfroze itself and I wriggled my fingers to get rid of that awful stiff feeling. "The full moon is less than an hour away!" Remus continued hurriedly. "We have to go!"
My eyes widened. Remus started pulling me along after him somewhere. I could only follow along limply. My mind could only grasp one thing. He knew. I didn't know what was happening, but he knew what I was, and that in itself was a thought so scary that it inhabited every fiber of my being. I was in a shock. HE KNEW! I didn't know what to do with myself, I forgot how to speak. My eyes could see but nothing was real, nothing mattered. Remus Lupin knew what I was. He knew what kind of a terrible monster I was. I only realized that I had no idea where I was or how I got there when the moonlight streamed in through a crack in one of the boarded up windows of the room I was suddenly in and the wolf demanded exit from my body, and the wolf was no gentle beast.
-X-
The 14th of November was an unusual day. I never found out where it was that I ended up changing the night before as I woke up in the hospital wing. The last day of the cycle was terrible for a reason. Madam Pomfrey flat out refused to tell me where I had been the night before. She claimed it was 'unimportant'. Perhaps it was, but I still like to know where I've been. She excused me by lunchtime though.
I sat down at the table in the Great Hall and out of habit, looked to see who Sirius was sitting (sometimes snogging) with today. I almost forgot to mention, Sirius recently began his reign of terror as the womanizer of Hogwarts. Marlene was the first victim. She couldn't stop bragging about it (at the top of her lungs so everyone could hear) after it happened. She was heartbroken when he made out some Ravenclaw a week later. Ever since then, he's been a 'different bird every day' kind of guy.
Today, Sirius appeared to have no date. Right next to him was Remus Lupin but I didn't dare look at him. I took a bite from a chicken sandwich, and then put it back down as my stomach churned uneasily. Though I probably should, I never had much of an appetite the day after the last full moon. I could never stomach the food. Thoughts of Mingan the Skinny then hit me. Sure, I wouldn't mind death but was I ready for it? Of course not! I picked up the sandwich again and right as I was about to force myself to take another bite, a tussled-looking gray barn owl swooped in through one of the windows at the top of the Great Hall and down to where I was sitting all alone. On a normal day, no owl would visit me ever, especially not during lunch when the owl post doesn't arrive, but today was not a usual day. I noticed that many of the students sitting around me were staring so I quickly put down my sandwich, closed my mouth, and reached to grab the letter the owl had so I could make it leave as soon as I possibly could. However, the owl had no letter with him. I was about to shoo him away when I noticed a tiny, folded up scrap of parchment tied to his leg.
I untied it carefully and stared dazedly at the tiny parcel. I had never received a letter before, except of course my Hogwarts letters, but this for some reason seemed much more exciting. Maybe it was because I hadn't expected it or maybe it was because no one could stop me from reading it for a change.
I unfolded the parchment slowly. Words scrawled obviously in haste covered most of the parcel.
Dear Addison,
I can't write much right now. They're always watching. I only have a few moments until the guard switch is done. They've been distracted lately and I may be able to escape. I'm going to find you when I do.
It didn't say who it was from. More than a little confused, I read the letter over. I received more questions than answers. Who is it from? Who are 'they'? Why are there guards? What are they escaping from? Why do they want to find me?
After a moment of contemplating, I looked for the owl. Surely the owl would be able to bring a letter back to the person who sent it, but the owl was gone.
I walked out of the Great Hall re-reading the letter again for what felt like the thirtieth time. My sandwich remained untouched on my plate.
Classes went by kind of normally. In Music, Professor G announced that we'd be having a small concert/party thing over Christmas that was just for friends and that we should start preparing what we'd be performing. Myron and his friends were ecstatic at the prospect of getting to share music with other students. They really are passionate. They were even talking about forming a band. I on the other hand was not all that excited. Knowing me, I'd find a way to make a fool out of myself or trip over something and nearly kill myself, but that was about all that was somewhat interesting during classes.
I went down to dinner late like I usually do so I wouldn't have to stare at everyone else enjoying the company of their friends when I had none and knew I could never have any. They would never understand. They would be afraid, but so am I.
I pushed my food around my plate with my fork, still lacking an appetite. Then, in the theme of today, something unusual happened. A tiny note found its way over to my plate. Two notes in one day, definitely a new record. It said,
Addison,
We need to talk. Meet me in the common room.
Just like the letter I received this morning, it was unsigned. But unlike that letter, I had a fair guess of who this one was from.
I finished playing with my food rather quickly after I read the note.
-X-
A/N: Cliffhanger! Ha ha ha! Oh, I'm evil.
I had a poem this chapter, I swear I did! It was about a cactus that can't move because it doesn't have the necessary muscles needed to walk nor the appendages to house said muscles so it got jealous of all the other things that can move even though I don't think cacti can feel emotions. Unless they can. In which case, That. Is. SO. COOL. But, it got lost when my computer broke and I don't feel like rewriting it so lucky you!
I'm sure you're all wondering who the mysterious letter number 1 is from. I'm not answering :) Nor will I answer the following questions: Who wrote mysterious note number 2? (Is it not obvious?) What does this mysterious person want to talk about? (again, obvious.) How did Remus find out about Addison? Why is Addison so bad at magic? Who hexed her in the hallway? Why is Jackie so SuperAmazingAwesomeFoxyHot and modest? When will she ever update again? What the hell is a Hufflepuff?
Well I might answer some of those actually… How was your day today?
P.S. Any Starkid references you might notice in any chapter are completely, 100% intentional. Also, if you haven't reviewed and you're feeling pretty spunky or you have reviewed and you just like talking to me, go ahead! Review! But only if you want to. Or if you just like the word spunky. (I like it too.) Remember, I'm not trying to force you into anything and I reply to every single review! Unless I forget to which I sometimes do but hey- honesty is the best policy! I'm just a human! Don't judge me!
P.S.S. If I ever forget (or have forgotten) to reply to your review, I'm so sorry! Feel free to scream at me!
P.S.S.S. James was a seeker I swear! Go look in your copy of Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone. If it says otherwise, please speak to my consultant the Honey Badger (he's not very polite sometimes, sorry).
