Chapter 36

Wandless Magic

The clouds shifted across the night sky, revealing the round, yellow moon. Katie watched, half in fascination, half in apprehension, as Lupin's human form transformed. She saw Pettigrew snatch up Lupin's wand and cast a spell on Ron. Crookshanks soon followed. Pettigrew transformed before Harry could stop him; meanwhile, Sirius and Lupin were tearing at each other with their claws. Katie knew that this would be the time when Harry told Sirius of Pettigrew's transformation. As he did, Katie realized that she was supposed to stay where she was instead of going with Sirius. She watched as Harry and Hermione left the spot. She stood there alone except for the lifeless body of Snape. She could hear Lupin's mad howls and the yelping of Sirius from a distance. Harry would be going to him now, and his other form would be casting the patronus. After a few seconds, she heard Harry's cry. She knew now that Snape would be waking soon.

Silence filled the forest; not even Lupin's howls were heard. Snape sat up suddenly, making Katie jump. Fortunately, he did not notice her due to his disorientation. He stood and began to walk towards the lake. Katie followed as quietly as possible. The odd thing was, she could not hear her own feet making even the tiniest bit of noise as they hit the ground. When they got to the lake, Snape bent down over the three bodies examining each in turn. He spent the most time on Sirius, glaring down at his enemy's still form. Katie heard a faint rustling from a clump of trees that surrounded the lake. She turned her head to see Lupin creeping into the clearing very slowly. He sniffed the air, swivled his head in each direction, and walked almost silently towards Snape. As he moved, his speed increased sharply, yet his footfalls grew no louder. He opened his mouth, ready to sink his teeth into the human crouching only feet in front of him.

"LOOK OUT!" She was too late; she knew it, but she had been unable to find her voice until this point. Snape turned ot look at her and saw Lupin. He scrambled to his feet just as Lupin's jaws snapped. Katie heard the sound of teeth hitting teeth and knew that he had just missed Snape. Without even considering it, she ran into the clearing heading straight for Lupin. The werewolf opened his mouth in a snarl as he turned towards her.

"Stupify!" Katie pointed her wand directly into Lupin's opened mouth. She knew it had worked when she saw the jet of light blast from her wand's tip. Lupin fell backward onto the ground, yet something was wrong, very wrong. His form was convulsing violently as if he were in terrible agony.

"What happened?" Katie asked Snape in a panicked voice.

"You shot the spell into his mouth," he answered disbelievingly, "You've stunned his organs rather than his exterior." Horro flooded through Katie as she realized what this meant. He would die.

"NO!"

She lept on top of the writhing wolf. Throwing her wand aside, she placed her hands on the wolf's chest. She began to speak in a strange nad ancient tongue, one that she had never heard before. As she spoke, her voice rising and falling passionately as though she were performing a dramatic piece, she ran her hands over his fur in circular patterns, as though she were giving a massage. Her hands reached every part of Lupin's body as she continued speaking. Slowly, Lupin's movements haulted. He eventually was still. Before he could attack again, Katie placed her fingertips to his temples to put him into a temporary sleep. She then stood, feeling exhausted. She looked at Snape only to see that he was staring at her. She did not know how to describe his expression, but she believed that, on a person who showed more emotion, the eyes would be wide and the mouth would be opened.

"What?" she asked, somewhat defensively. She had saved his life and Lupin's after all.

"You are a Sorceress," he said simply.

"Well yeah, I know that," Katie said impatiently, "This is a school of socery afterall."

"No it is not. It is a school of witchcraft and wizardry."

"They're the same thing though! In the books, the terms are used interchangeably."

"The books are incorrect then," Snape said, "First, there are no Sorcerors, only Sorceresses, but there are both witches and wizards."

"Then why is it called the Sorceror's Stone?" Katie asked confusedly.

'Because men have long dreamed to possess the power of a Sorceress. When the stone was forged, many saw this as a step in that direction for men. Thus, they called it the Sorceror's Stone, even though the name is technically incorrect."

"What is a Sorceress then?" Katie asked.

"You must speak with the headmaster about this. I have to get these two to the hospital wing and this one sent off to Azkaban. I will escort you to the Headmaster's office when this is taken care of. For now, I would like you to wait in your apartment for me. I shall be back later tonight to take you to the office. Go now, while no one from the Ministry is here. Go."

Katie picked up her wand from the ground. She walked briskly to the castle, her mind abuzz with questions.