A couple werewolves.  I will no longer say Harry Potter isn't mine, you should all know that by now.  It gets a bit darker in this chapter.

Oh, and no, sorry, Draco will not turn into a werewolf.  Noko didn't bite him under the full moon or near it, so she didn't pass lycanthropy on to him.

Wolf-Child

Draco and Harry both lunged for the door at the same time. Draco got there first and unlocked it, throwing it open. Noko was standing in front of the window. She turned to them and wagged her tail, barking excitedly.

Noko had changed under the moon's influence, but not enough to be called a full-fledged werewolf. Her bare human skin was now covered in fur, and she had a short muzzle, but other then that, she seemed normal enough.

The two boys hugged her in relief, then hugged each other, then did a group hug. Noko licked their faces and grinned, woofing happily.

"Harry, she's fine. A bit fuzzier, but not a blood-thirsty monster. Can we take her back to Hogwarts now?"

Harry smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I don't think Dumbledore would mind. Come on, let's go."

Draco picked up Noko. Harry watched quietly. Noko obviously meant a lot to Draco, but he didn't know why.

Draco let Harry lead the way out of the Shrieking Shack and past the Whomping Willow. When the branches started moving again, Noko's head shot up. Her nose quivered slightly as Draco stopped, letting her sense her surroundings. Whimpering slightly, she wiggled, a sign that she wanted to be put down. Draco obliged. Harry noticed they had fallen behind and trotted back to them. "What's up?"

"Noko senses something."

Harry looked around. "Draco, it's a full moon. There could be werewolves in the Forest..."  He trailed off as Draco grabbed his arm.

A wolf stalked out of the forest, head low and lips pulled back in a snarl. Noko whimpered and backed up until she bumped against Draco's legs. The wolf trotted right up to the boys and picked up Noko by her scruff. She wailed, and it shook her, hard. Noko shut up.

Harry glanced over at Draco. The blond boy was biting his lip, his fists tightly clenched, but didn't dare move. This wolf was a werewolf. It was a miracle it hadn't attacked them yet, and neither wanted it to.

The wolf turned and trotted off. Noko hung from its mouth quietly until she noticed that it was taking her away from Harry and Draco. She wailed again, struggling to break free. The wolf snarled as she kicked at it, shaking her violently, but that only seemed to encourage her.  The wolf finally dropped her and cuffed her with a paw. She was bowled over, head over tail, and didn't get up. The wolf turned its attention to Harry and Draco. It slunk towards them as if stalking prey.  Noko pulled herself to her feet, shook herself off, and lunged at the wolf. Her sharp teeth sunk into its tail moments before it leapt at the boys. With a snarl, the wolf turned on Noko, attacking with teeth and claws. Noko fought back the best she could.

Draco unfroze and drew his wand. "Stupefy!" he cried. The wolf toppled over, motionless. Harry scooped up Noko's beaten body.

"Come on, Draco, we have to get her to Madame Pomfrey!"

Draco kicked the wolf before chasing after Harry. Noko whimpered in Harry's arms, shuddering from the pain.

Another werewolf ran in front of them, and the boys stopped short. It turned to regard them with golden eyes, then turned its attention to Noko. The werewolf drew back, shocked, before carefully lifting Noko from Harry's arms and setting her on the ground. It started cleaning Noko, rocking her small body with every lick. It paused momentarily to signal to a large black dog with its tail. The dog ran off, and Harry collapsed gratefully next to the wolf. "Thanks, Moony. Will she be okay?"

Draco sat beside Harry warily, looking between the werewolf and his little girl. Moony glanced up at him and made a shrugging motion, before turning his attention back to Noko.

Madame Pomfrey, led by Sirius, came running out of the castle.

"Oh you poor little thing, how could you go out unsupervised on a full moon? Come on little one, the nerve of you two! Let me see her, Professor Lupin.  You two could have gotten her killed, or yourselves killed! Hush little puppy, don't cry, or you could have become a full werewolf, if you had been bitten!" Madame Pomfrey continued in this manner as she escorted them in. "Professors Lupin, Black, if you could find the beast that did this and dispose of him, I'd be much obliged."

YAY!  I can post a new chapter now!  WOOT!

~Crawler