"I know you're a werewolf."

There's a feeling that you get when your world falls from under you in the split of a second. Your stomach simultaneously rips itself in half, jumping up to clog your throat and dropping down out of your body. Your heart stops then kick starts back up eight times faster. Your tongue swells and your mouth dries. Your palms get clammy.

I guess it's the adrenaline because the moment she said that, I wanted to run. I wanted to run away from the people who would stare and yell and mock and insult and hurt because they knew that I had a monster inside of me. They didn't see me as Ariel anymore. They saw me as a werewolf.

They saw me as a giant, hulking, bloody beast that ripped out throats of children and stalked the pitch black night. I was no longer a fifteen year old girl. I wasn't even a human being anymore.

I've had people cower and shy away from me. Like any moment I was going to transform and attack them. It made me want to cry.

I couldn't let Hermione know that she was right, that she could now turn away and leave me, alone and… ashamed I guess.

I didn't realize how strong I could be until I hitched a smile on my face, unclenched my hands, and calmed my breath.

It took enormous effort to let out a small laugh as if I was amused with the whole accusation, "I'm not a werewolf."

Her eyes hardened and narrowed, glaring, "Cut the crap, Ariel. I know, okay? I've seen the signs, however peculiar they might be."

I felt my own smile, even though it was fake, drop and I glared at her right back, still fighting to change her mind to anything else but the truth.

"And what exactly were the nonexistent signs, huh?" She was calling a bluff. She had an inkling of the truth and calling to see if I would admit it. She didn't have proof. She couldn't. Yet knowing Hermione…

"At first, I thought you were just talented. Your reflexes were perfect, your speed with running and aim during the snowball fight gave a clue and when you played against Ginny, they were astounding. But that was just an observation then. Anyone could have good reflexes.

"Then you got sick. Since I had a professor who was a werewolf, I've been keeping track of when the full moons are- out of curiosity and habit. You started feeling off the week before the moon, right? And then, the night of, you don't re-appear in the dormitories after your meeting with McGonagall. Odd but I thought it was just coinciedence. People get sick all the time. But the next morning you come back looking a bit sleepless with a headache and bruises. The excuse you gave for the potion seemed plausible but not enough to stop me from getting the feeling that something was up."

She was pacing by now, glancing at me every few rounds. I felt fainter and fainter- Hermione was just more than observant and for someone with no "Inner Eye", she was damn near physic.

"I looked into Veelas. There was nothing about certain reactions to potions unless your full Veela. I was going to confront you about it before the letter came. You know the one. From Remus Lupin? Guess what- he was our old professor. The werewolf. Why would you be getting a letter from him? If I hadn't seen the bruises, or known about the nonexistent reactions to the potion for the excuse you gave, I wouldn't have known. But now I do.

"Once I looked at who sent the letter, it all clicked in place. The drawing of the moon on the scrap of paper you taped to my forehead the morning of the snowball fight. The reflexes. The sickness near the full moon. The nightmares. The bruises and headache the day after. Even though the bruises aren't normal, it made sense in some scientific way- the encounter of werewolf venom and Veela blood. The theory could hold if need be to fit the accusation. It all fits."

She stopped pacing to turn and stare at me. Her glare had disappeared and now all she looked is sad.

"Why didn't you tell me? Or all of us for that matter. We're your friends, Ariel. We wouldn't have judged you."

For some reason, even though I knew she was spot on, I felt the need to fight. I couldn't deal with my friends knowing and then treating me differently. I loved them too much to handle that.

"I don't know what you're talking about or what your problem is. I'm not a werewolf. Whatever you think you know, whatever your reasons are, are complete crap and absolutely superficial. You're reading between lines that don't exist." My hands clenched again, trying to stop the shaking. Hermione just shook her head, eyes squeezing shut.

"Stop lying, Ariel. I know what you are and soon Ginny and Harry and Ron and the Twins will know too-" I sucked in a breath "They deserve to know and I can't sit there while they are ignorant."

"It's not your secret to tell!" I yelled, eyes stinging with tears of anger and frustration, "It's mine! You have no right to tell them when it doesn't concern you!"

"Of course it concerns me! What if you're out doing a late-night food run or prank with the Twins and change and hurt them! They may not be my best friends but I'll still protect them- and they deserve to know."

I glared at her, angry at her for figuring it out so easily, so soon and not giving me an option to keep my own secret to myself.

"I'd never hurt any of my friends- I'm scared enough to be with them as it is." As if a drain being pulled, all the anger was gone and I felt empty. Tired. And oh-so alone. "Please, Hermione. Don't tell them. I will but just give me time. I can't do it this soon."

"You have until the next full moon. The sooner they know, the sooner they'll be out of danger." And then she was gone. My knees gave out a minute later and I couldn't take a deep enough breath. What was she going to do? What would they say? I wanted to break down- rip out my heart so I wouldn't feel the pain of being abandoned again. Except I couldn't do that; I couldn't break down since I'm not one to crash at the first sign of difficulty.

But honestly? I was scared. Terrified. I was terrified of the future and I couldn't do anything about it so I just sat there, distantly noting how the stone was chilling against my bare knees. The library was quiet.

Taking a deep breath that hurt my lungs, I straightened up my spine. Taking it one step at a time, I took another deep breath and raised my chin. Slowly, but surely, I got up from the floor and made my way carefully out of the library. Who knows how long I'd been sitting there, but I saw a distinct light coming from behind the hills.

I'd been sitting there all night. Silently, I made my way to the Gryffindor Common Room and snuck inside. There was no one there but that didn't seem so odd. The way up to the girls bedrooms was quiet and still- it was like I was the only one alive in the world until I made my way into the 5th years bedrooms and the sound of sleeping reached my ears.

My mind miles away from my body, I slowly dressed down for bed and climbed into the cool sheets.

I had three weeks. Actually, 20 days 13 hours, and 45 seconds. And it was ticking away too fast.

For the next few days before Easter Break, I could hardly look at Hermione- or any of my friends for that matter.

My stomach was constantly in knots and I swear they knew already- which was dumb. Hermione was being unfair with this time limit but I knew she wouldn't break it. I couldn't sleep at all either. There were constantly pale bags underneath my eyes from staying awake all night, staring at the ceiling, my mind running rampant with worry.

I wasn't eating much either- which only added to the weirdness that I was now emitting.

I got curious stares from the Twins and Ginny and had built up a new nervous habit of twirling my new ring around my thumb. I took refuge in the Room of Requirement, imagining a place to just be alone.

It did a pretty good job of that too. There was a hammock and the ever constant sound of crickets and a stream, bubbling somewhere that did wonders for my sanity.

How could I ever face my friends, if they knew I was a monster? Would they be angry with me? Never speak to me again? My heart constricted painfully until my breath went shallow and I had to force myself to take bigger breaths.

I couldn't do this. I couldn't take being abandoned again…

A few days later, when I had two weeks left before Hermione told every one, spring break started. I'd been invited earlier to spend it with the Weasley's so I spent the morning packing up my bags. I was trying hard to be normal, to ignore my aching insides and felt like I was doing a pretty good job of it even though it wasn't easy to convince myself that everything wasn't crashing down around my ears.

Ginny was talking animatedly about how fun this spring break was going to be while I "uh-hummed" and nodded at the correct times.

"Now, you'll have to get Fred and George to show you their gnome cannon. Mum doesn't know anything about it so keep it hush-hush. And then there's the ghoul in the attic that I'm warning you about now." Ginny said as she sat on her bags to get the clothes to fit better.

"Uh-hum." I replied. My gaze had shifted to the distant hills outside the window and I felt a dull pang in my heart, from the want to be alone.

"I'm also planning to become a stripper and marry Draco Malfoy. We're gonna have 26 kids and I will name each one after a letter in the alphabet."

"Uh-hu- wait, what?" My eyes shot over to Ginny in confusion. She was standing now, in front of her bag with her arms crossed over her chest. Crap- defensive position, a narrowing in the eyes, eyebrow cocked. She had questions.

"What's going on, Ariel?" Ginny asked, eyes softening.

I shook my head, "Nothing."

Ginny rolled her eyes, obviously not believing it. "Seriously." She said.

"Nothing! I swear, I'm absolutely peachy!" Trying to make a quick escape, I grabbed my bag and dragged it over to the open door.

"Ariel, you can talk to m-" Ginny began but I was already down the stairwell and towards the crowded common room below. I heard from up here Fred and George's riotous laughter and tried valiantly to stick a smile on my face, grinding down my sense of hopelessness with pure desperation. I couldn't handle any more questions.

"Ariel! You're finally ready! Is Ginny almost done? We'll miss the train if we wait any longer!" George cried, catching sight of me on the stairs. He bounded up to me and ripped the suitcase from my hand.

"Don't worry," he said, "I'll carry it for you."

"I-" Sighing, I just shook my head; you have to pick your arguments with the Twins. Hearing clumping behind me, I knew Ginny was on her way down so I quickly got out of the way. Fred was standing over by a pile of bright orange luggage that I assumed were his and George's. I sidled over to him.

"Hey Fred."

"Hey Ace. You excited for spring break?" he had his trademark smile on but there was something about his eyes that didn't quite fit. Sure they sparkled in the normal Twin way but there was a coldness underneath that was calculating, taking in all of me and trying to make some kind of deduction. He was also trying to figure out what was wrong.

Quickly, I strengthened my smile and force my face and body language into something that did not scream "Stress." The calculating undercurrent to his eyes, faded a little bit but not enough for comfort.

"I'm super excited! I hear your moms cooking is to-die-for." I turned away, making the appearance that I was looking for something or someone. Anything so Fred couldn't see my eyes any know that I was lying.

"I hope you'll like staying at the Burrow." Was all he said. He sounded, what? Let-down?

Crap, I was infecting everyone with my bad mood. I had to try harder- I could at least enjoy the time that I had now with my friends before everything went to Hell. Maybe it would help in the long run. Having more memories to cherish.

Maybe it would make them hate me less- if they knew that I was an actual good person.

…Or maybe, maybe I was just getting my hopes up.