Hello, readers! Having a good April? I know it's only been five days, but doesn't hurt to ask, right? I think I updated relatively quickly this time! Unless I imagined it, which is completely possible. ANYWAY, have fun reading :).

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

I woke up to the smell of peppermint and cranberries. The crackling of the fire intensified the scents, overpowering my sleepiness. A giant smile grew on my face as I realized what was happening.

"Christmas! Apollo, wake up!"

I swung my legs over my bed as fast as humanly possible and put on my slippers. "Lo, wake up. I've got your present."

I moved to the end of my bed, removed my own wrapped gifts from my trunk, and pulled out Apollo's present from my things. I already knew what my boxes held, so it was pointless to rush with opening them. I got the same thing from my parents every year. A book about plants. That's what you get when you combine a biologist with a librarian, I guess. Not that I'm ungrateful. I love reading them. It's just that Apollo's gift was more important presently.

I splurged a little on his gift. In all fairness, he got me a birthday present when we'd agreed wouldn't do birthdays this year. I got him three bags of his favorite treats: shrivelfigs. Plus, I knitted him footies so his paws wouldn't get too cold in the snow. I know that he's made to hunt in winter, but I still worry about him.

With his things in my hands, I turned to his bed with a smile, hoping to see him swishing his tail like every other Christmas morning we'd spent together. Except, he wasn't there. My smile fell.

"Apollo? Where'd you go?" I said to an empty room. "This isn't funny, you know. It's Christmas, not April Fool's."

I moved the blankets on his cushion around, hoping for something I knew wasn't there. In a dire attempt to find Apollo, I transformed my ears into the pointy orange ears of my fox alter ego. They pivoted on my head, twitching whenever a new sound was picked up. The east wind against the leaves outside, a mouse squeaking under the floorboards. Nothing fox-like. I shook the ears away.

I began to grow sick with worry. My stomach twisted into knots at the thought of my boy cold and alone somewhere, calling out to me. I had to try something else. This time, I changed my nose into a muzzle. If I couldn't hear him, I could at least get his scent.

I took in a big whiff of the blankets. I immediately picked up Apollo's scent. It lead down the stairs. I knew I had to follow it before it blended in with the other smells of the castle. I already could feel it getting weaker, the peppermint overtook my senses again. I shook my head, my muzzle disappeared. I couldn't walk around with one part of me foxy while the rest of me was normal. Tracking came second to secrecy. Technically, no one was supposed to know I was an Animagus. I'd kept it a secret from everyone in my life for, well, ever. Although, the heavy thought of transforming fully weighed on my mind. It might be my only option; Apollo needed me, and I couldn't give up until I'd tried everything.

I pursed my lips as I ran out of the common room. I checked the corridor for any passersby, then morphed my nose again. A quick sniff told me I was headed in the right direction. I scurried down the stairs with my nose still muzzled. I took a chance that most people would be in their common rooms if they stayed at school over the holiday. A cold breeze wafted Apollo's scent into my button nose. It lead me into the kitchens.

I tiptoed past a group of Hufflepuffs on the way out of their common room. They laughed and were merry in tune with the day, presumably going out to play in the snow. They wore their house colors around their necks and on their heads. My stomach churned uncomfortably. I wanted to be with a group of friends, blissfully unaware of danger. I hadn't been able to sit, entirely peaceful, in the castle since the beginning of the year. I forgot what the manifestation of safeness felt like in my chest. I watched them intently until they frolicked out of my view.

A new smell snapped my head back to my task. It stank of wet fur. Bound to be Apollo. Who else could it be? I followed the trail to a group of barrels stacked on top of one another. It wasn't the Hufflepuff barrels; I knew which ones those were. These were slightly rotted and reeked of mildew. I inhaled the woody wetness, then sneezed from the pollutant smell. The force from the whiplash turned my nose humanly again. I rubbed it as the itch lingered.

Once my sinuses cleared, I furthered my investigation. The barrel scratched my fingertips. I recoiled as a splinter broke my skin. These barrels didn't want me near them, apparently. That only heightened my interest in them. They were oddly placed, the only group on the farther side of the corridor. They could have held something at one point, but they were long tossed aside. Why weren't they in with the rubbish? That's when I saw a small hole in the side of one. It was perfectly sized for a lean fox to wiggle through.

Slowly, I kneeled down to put the opening at eye level. I squeezed my hand inside, but I couldn't reach in farther than forearm. I patted the ground with my palm awkwardly. It was cold as stone. In fact, it was stone. I felt the crevices of the rocks plastered together. I pulled my hand out quickly. I had a few options.

I could turn back and hope Apollo came back to the common room. More commonly known as the coward's way out. I quickly shooed that one from my brain. What do I look like? A scaredy cat? Not I, sir, not I.

The second option was to wait. Painstakingly. While something, probably something exciting, was going on right underneath my nose. Not to mention Apollo might have been in trouble. How horrible would it be to wait here for my fox when he needed me all along? And I was right there, just waiting, like a pathetic damsel in distress. Well, I am indeed no damsel. And I am never in distress. I handle myself, by myself.

The third and final option was for me to break the rules. My particular rules. The rules that kept me in check. Honestly, I didn't see any other way. It had to be this. Even though the consequences made me want to cry right then and there, I had to do it. So I took a deep breath. The world around me faded away. The only thing someone would see if they passed by, would be my foxy tail weaving out of view and into the unknown.

Oh. My. Merlin.

Jordan transformed completely. Tsk, tsk. She could get expelled for that! Apollo better have a good reason for getting her into so much trouble...

I realize this is a bit of a filler chapter, BUT it's only because the next one is going to be all action. So, yeah. Look forward to that.

Time for the question of doom:

What do you think happened to Apollo? Did he run away, get stolen, what? Leave me your thoughts in a review! I always read AND reply!

As always, my crumpets, thank you for reading/favoriting/following/reviewing. It makes my evenings. Until next time!