Antares: Thank you again for that delightful critique. It's nice to get reviews from different people.
A/N: I do encourage people to critique me, how else am I to better my writing? Enjoy! Speaking of critiques…the last part of this chapter was proofread or anything, so it may be a bit rough. Gomen na sai, more then likely I'll re-upload it later with corrections. And do let me know if my little HTML experimenting is any good…I'm not too sure really
Disclaimer: I wonder if I just have one in the first chapter if it counts for all the story…anyhow, don't own any of J.K. Rowling's creations, but the McKay family is mine! Can't Fight the Moonlight is a title of some random song that they play too much at work. Honestly, I think Celine Dion sings it, but I assure you it isn't mine.
Chapter Four
Can't Fight the Moonlight
Avalon didn't say much during supper. But she and Lilly occasionally shared whispers back and forth. A wave of snickers flowed across the room as Lucious entered; a black and blue bruise covered most of his face. A few pats and encouraging remarks reached Avalon; she responded with a grin.
Supper was uneventful otherwise and soon the tired students returned to their rooms. Peter and Sirius were re-enacting the fight and behind them, Lilly and James were walking hand-in-hand. Behind the group, Avalon walked slowly, deep in thought. The full moon poured into the hallway and as she entered the pool of light, she stopped. The group continued on before realizing she was no longer with them.
"Avalon?" James turned and watched her, "Are you alright?"
She stood there, motionless, staring at the moon. No one said anything but remained silent, watching her. The raven-haired girl pulled her eyes away from the white light and seemed to force herself to start walking again. Her eyes seemed unfocused as she passed them and slowly went up the stairs. They all exchanged confused looks and followed after her. Lilly rushed ahead of them and caught up with Avalon first.
"What happened back there?" she asked.
Avalon furrowed her eyebrows, "The moon was calling me."
Lilly shook her head, "What do you mean? I thought you said Remus didn't bite you."
"He didn't, but-" Avalon looked down at her hands. "I want to run through the forest, feel the earth beneath my hands."
Lilly watched Avalon's face as her eyes remained unfocused. A battle was taking place and she briefly wondered if this was how Remus struggled too. A sharp gasp brought Lilly back to the present. Avalon was shaking now and, to Lilly's horror, her hands were starting to change.
Voices from down the stairs warned the girl that the boys were coming up. She grabbed Avalon's hands and held them tightly.
"Avalon. Listen to me. You can't change here. Tell the wolf that it can run as much as it likes but not yet." Lilly continued holding the hands firmly, "Look at me. Not yet. Come with me back the tower and wait until everyone has gone to bed. Then go to Remus, let the wolf run then."
Avalon took in a deep, shaky breath and exhaled slowly, "I'm okay now…"
Lilly let go of her hands, relieved to see that they were normal once more. The boys had reached them and were watching Avalon with concerned looks.
"What's going on Lilly?" asked James, clearly bewildered. "Avalon?"
"Nothing for you all to worry about," replied Avalon.
"And yet I still do," retorted James, "We all do."
Avalon's expression softened and she smiled. "It's good to know I have such caring friends. Really though, I'll be fine now." With that, she turned and continued up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower.
Lilly gave them a pleading look not to pursue the issue any further. They didn't and silently followed her upstairs. Afterwards, their conversations consisted mostly of classes and Quidditch. As for Avalon, she claimed a large, soft chair near the fire and became immersed in a book. A few hours later, she pulled her eyes away from the pages and noticed the waning embers of the fire. The common room was empty.
Moments later, a book lay open on an empty chair. A dark figure pulled a cloak tighter around her body and moved out into the dark hallways.
Remus lapped at the cool water. He would have been at the shack but there were students in his path and he couldn't fight the moon much longer. Now the werewolf was deep inside the Forbidden forest but it wasn't the first time he had been here and more then likely it wouldn't be the last. The wolf sniffed the air, searching for signs of prey. Nothing reached his sensitive nose though.
The night was cool but he didn't feel it. For the wolf it was warm still. The pale moon flooded the forest in pools of light. The sorrowful moon. Remus looked up at it and howled long and mournfully. So many nights before, silence would follow his cry and Remus found himself feeling even more alone.
This time, however, his howl was answered. The wolf's ears perked forward, searching for the source of the reply. He whined softly, almost as though urging the other to cry out once more. He wanted to find the new companion. Only the normal night sounds of crickets and other nocturnal creatures filled the darkness ensued. The wolf continued listening, swiveling his ears in every direction.
He heard nothing more and loneliness set in once again. The werewolf looked down at the undisturbed pond; a dark, gray wolf looked back at him, eyes unmoving. He closed his eyes and sighed inwardly as the wolf pushed them to their feet. The hunter was hungry and was eager to find fresh meat.
White flashed past him and the wolf jumped to the side. Baring his teeth and growling fiercely at the intruding creature, he pressed his body low to the ground. Fur bristled and the he glared at the intruding white creature. A white wolf was sitting casually across the clearing from him. Panting slightly, it almost seemed as though she were laughing at him. The wolf relaxed slightly, but didn't drop his guard yet. Remus wondered if that was a shrug she made before getting up and approaching the pond.
Remus scooted away from her as she passed him again. He cautiously watched her as she bent down to drink from the pond. The gray wolf started to drop his guard a little more. The white wolf shook her body and stretched, ending the stretch with a wide yawn. He tensed slightly once more when she turned to face him and jumped when she let out an estranged bark that sounded like she was attempting to howl at the same time. She dropped her shoulder and head towards the ground and waved her tail in the air.
All caution was thrown to the wind. The wolf realized right away that the she-wolf wanted to play, not fight! Then they were running, playing a makeshift game of tag. For the first time in his life, Remus didn't struggled to control the wolf. For the first time in his life, he wanted to run with the wolf, to feel the dirt beneath his paws. The wolf and Remus became one mind and there was no struggle for control.
Hours passed, and yet the wolves seemed to not tire from their ongoing game. Yet even magical creatures like the werewolf tire eventually. Remus laid across the cool ground, tongue lolling as he struggled to catch his breath. White did the same across from him, sending him a wolf-grin. He looked up to the sky and noted that dawn would soon be upon them. Finally he would know the identity of the white wolf.
Remus swatted the thought away. He wasn't sure where it came from, but the back of his mind had been wondering from the start just who this white wolf was. Everything inside his mind screamed 'Avalon' but this wolf seemed like this wasn't her first transformation. The mysterious wolf yawned and slowly stretched, her posture taking on a relaxed form. Sleep was coming upon both of them quickly, but the werewolf's mind couldn't stop wondering about it all. Darkness enveloped them and sleep quieted his mind.
The Gryffindor stirred in his sleep and his pale back warmed under the rising sun. With a groan, he attempted to push away a sharp rock that was nearly impaling him in the side. Realizing the rock was refusing to move, the light brown hair boy slowly turned over and shielded his eyes from the increasing light. He was human again, and in a flash, the night's events returned to him. Immediately he was wide-awake and was sitting up, looking for the other werewolf. He discovered himself alone though; his new companion was gone. To his surprise, a pile of clean, un-shredded clothing laid nearby. The nude boy welcomed the cover as it was always hard to getting back to his dorm when he had little to no clothing left after a transformation.
He pulled on the clothing and made his way back up to the castle. Remus was constantly on the look out for signs of the white wolf, but to no avail. The forest grew thick as he moved out of the meadow. Whatever warmth he had gained from the sun was now lost the dark shade, but the werewolf didn't notice too much. Perhaps the wolf had actually been just a normal wolf and not a 'were' as he had assumed. He found the thought to be a bit of a stretch though, as he remembered the intelligence he saw in those eyes. Remus just had to wonder now who she was and gave every reason why it wouldn't have been Avalon.
By the time Remus had reached the common room, most everyone was down at breakfast. He quickly threw on a clean-smelling uniform and rushed down to breakfast. He slowed his-self a bit before entering the great hall; he didn't want to appear in a rush. Yet he couldn't help but feel a little excited about the turn of events. Grinning faces greeted him at the Gryffindor table. Returning his own grin, the pale boy took his regular seat.
"Are you feeling any better today Moony?" inquired Sirius while also trying to chug some orange juice.
When Remus didn't reply, Sirius put the cup down and looked over at his friend. "Remus? Are you alright?"
Remus was looking at the empty seat next to him. "Where's Avalon? Is she alright?" He looked up at Sirius.
Sirius ran a hand through his dark, in which he was determined to grow out now, and shrugged. "Haven't seen her since last night…"
Just as Remus was really about to start worrying, he felt a warm presence joining him on the bench. Turning back around, he was about to greet Avalon with a warm smile, but found himself frowning instead. She looked really pale and tired.
"Avalon? What happened? You look…" He didn't want to say 'awful', it sounded rather rude, but what else could he say?
She picked her head up from the empty plate and looked at him, "Like crap, I know…I don't feel much better either. It must have been something I ate last night." She grimaced. "I think there was fish in that…I'm not sure what it was, last night. I can't eat fish. 'M not allergic or anything, the stuff just doesn't agree with me."
Avalon rubbed her face with her hands, "By the time I realized what was wrong and got to Madam Kalt, half the night was already gone. I somehow manage to keep that potion down that she gave me, but I wasn't able to get much sleep afterwards."
"If you're feeling that horrible, why did you even come down to breakfast?" asked James, now joining the conversation.
She raised her eyebrows and gave a small grin, "After spending the night vomiting my guts out, I've found myself rather famished." She paused and watched as everyone glanced awkwardly at each other. "And now that I've thoroughly disgusted all of you, would someone please pass the eggs and bacon?"
Breakfast continued on, though somewhat subdued after the unnecessary details. Remus caught a few curious glances towards him from the other three boys. He couldn't blame them really; usually the day (and sometimes the next) after the full moon, he would be up in the infirmary regaining his energy. He wondered momentarily if perhaps, when he accepted the wolf's presence last night, he saved more of his energy. Before he could muse on the idea any longer, though, Lilly pulled all of their attention to an article in the Daily Prophet.
"It says here that there was another attack on the muggles by that group of dark wizards that's been running about, causing trouble…
At around midnight Tuesday night (last night), a group of muggles traveling home from a gathering of sorts, were attacked by a handful of dark wizards. Three of the muggles were killed before the Ministry of Magic arrived on the scene. The dark wizards proved to be powerful and deadly as the Ministry suffered its own casualties. Romulus McKay, a renowned wizard in the field of defensive magic, was lost in the battle while helping one of the wounded muggles."
Lilly continued on, but with a weaker voice. No one said anything as she finished the article. Remus turned and looked at Avalon. Her face was expressionless, not even a hint of shock or sadness. Or maybe this was shock. He softly took her hands and squeezed it gently.
"Romulus McKay, my father. He didn't like muggles; would often complain about them and their strange ways. But he was very compassionate about helping others. He wasn't necessarily nice, but he rarely turned his back on those who needed aid. Looks like maybe he wrong this time and should have kept his back turned on those who couldn't kill him with a single word." Her voice sounded strained, as though holding back anger rather then sorrow.
"Avalon…" Remus wanted to say something comforting but she didn't want that right now. Jerking her hand away, she promptly stood up to leave.
"I'm fine. Now if you'll please excuse me," the words were sharp off her tongue as she headed out of the hall.
Avalon felt numb to the world. She didn't feel anything and wondered why that was so. Logic insisted she should be crying and weeping, but she wasn't. Just past the main doors, a gentle hand touched her shoulder.
"At last Avalon reveals herself through the mists," the Headmaster smiled warmly at her, yet his eyes were gravely serious.
"Headmaster…I…" Professor Dumbledore hushed her and motioned for her to follow him.
Neither said anything until reaching the entryway to the Headmaster's office, "Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake." Avalon raised an eyebrow but remained silent as they traveled up the tall staircase. "I'm so sorry we were unable to find you last night to inform you of this tragedy, Ms. McKay. It grieves me that you should find out this way and one can only hope that you will not lose that glow of life that constantly surrounds you."
"Life cannot be lost, Professor, only stolen or passed on to others. It is endlessly spinning in circles, rejuvenating itself." Albus looked at the girl as they entered into his warm office. The wisdom she spoke was beyond her time but as he studied her, it almost appeared as if she said nothing. Yet clearly there was more to her then maybe either of them realized.