The next few days Rolanda barely left her dorm room. She would close her curtain around her and stay in her bed for hours. Everyone simply assumed that she was not feeling well, or that she wanted privacy to read up on Quidditch.

They were partly right. Rolanda did read up on Quidditch and practiced flying, but every chance that she got she would study something else. She read up on every Transfiguration book she could get her hold on. It was a risky business, Transfiguration, but she felt like it was worth it. If she could improve her sight with it, she had to try. She knew that if she would get caught she might be in serious trouble, maybe even expelled from Hogwarts. Her plan was to learn as much as possible to Transfigure into a bird of prey. Personally she fancied an eagle, but she would do with whatever she could. If she could understand how to notice things, or just notice them quicker, maybe it would help her as a human.

And besides, being an Animagi would be grand.

****

"Rolanda? Are you in there?" Kristie's voice prodded gently.

"Damnit!" Rolanda said, stuffing the book under her pillow. "I was this close…"

"Rolanda? Are you all right? You missed breakfast this morning!"

"I'm fine", Rolanda said, opening the curtain. But she didn't seem all right. Her eyes had dark circles around them, her hair was a mess and it seemed as though she did not get any sleep in ages.

"Rolanda!" Kristie exclaimed after seeing her.

"I said I was fine!" Rolanda snapped.

"Well you don't look fine! I bet it's that retched Professor James! She's been working you too hard! And with your Quidditch practices… I'm surprised you've kept sane thus far!" Kristie said, crossing her arms.

Rolanda sighed. "Look Kristie, I'm under a lot of stress now, all right? I have some work to do… I'll see you later, we'll get together." Kristie nodded, though it was evident that she did not approve.

"All right." She said leaving. Rolanda closed her curtain and returned to her book. She was trying unsuccessfully for the past three days to make herself an Animagi, but she had a feeling this was it. She will have all the time in the world to make up with Kristie AFTER she wins the finals. She leafed through the pages to the one she wanted and held her breath.

"It's now or never", she whispered. She took her wand out with a shaky hand and aimed it at herself. She closed her eyes and muttered the words she knew by heart by now. And she waited.

Nothing seemed to happen, and then-

Rolanda gasped as she felt the changes. It was as though her skin was crawling. She tried to scratch at it, but found feathers. She closed her eyes and felt herself shrinking and shrinking… Until she stopped. Then she felt her lips harden and explode outwards. It took everything to stop her from screaming. She felt her toes melting together and sharpening at the edges. When she felt that she wasn't changing anymore she risked opening her eyes and a shrill bird cry escaped her beak.

Everything was brighter, sharper. It was as though she was blind her entire life and all of a sudden could see! She felt the adrenaline course through her body and she hopped out of her bed towards the window. She saw everything miles away! She could see a slight movement in the bushes, with a bit of concentration she realized it was a boy in her house sneaking out. She could make out the color of his shoes and saw the sway of his cloak. It was marvelous! Her eyes- they were incredible!

'Oh how I wish I could have this in a Quidditch game!' she thought to herself. She looked out the window and tested her long wings. Once she approved she flapped them a few times to see how it feels. Satisfied, she pushed herself off the edge with her feet and began her decent downwards.

'Just like in Quidditch!' She thought ecstatic. 'Only much cooler!'

A moment before she would hit the ground, she opened her wings, catching a thermal and swooshing up and up and up! The sky was infinite! The sky was heaven! It was where she belonged! Of this she was positive. She was having so much fun she didn't notice that the sky was beginning to darken. When she finally did notice it, she reluctantly swooped down and landed on the windowsill. She checked that no one was there before changing back. She felt so excited she wanted to tell Kristie, so that she could be an Animagi with her and they could both fly! She snorted as she remembered Professor James warning them that Transfiguration was a tricky business. How tricky could it be if a seventh year figured it out in a matter of days? Beneath the excitement a new emotion started to bubble. Fear. She felt that something was off. The room looked exactly the same as she left it, her broom was sticking out of her closet, people's clothes were discarded around the floor and there was a tiny ant walking under Darleen's trunk…

"Huh?" She said surprised. A sudden thought crawled through her body, numbing her mind.

"No, it can't be!" She said out loud, panic controlling her voice. She ran to the bathroom mirror and screamed at the vision that faced her.

-END PART 3-

What do you think? It'll end in like a chapter or so, thank you all that reviewed my story!

I have been told that people here appreciate the small notes that I leave at the end, so here's another one:

Leave a review or you won't know how this ends!!! MWAHAHAHAHA! I will only write the next and possibly last chapter if I get at the very least 3 reviews. You have been warned!

-Ivy-