Chapter Three – Knowing the Signs

The whole team, minus Alexia who was studying, and Kylee, who was visiting Madam Pomfrey, was gathered in the locker room the next day prior to practice. Lucas and Kylee mutually agreed that it was probably best if they told the others about Alexia's condition.

"I can't believe it," Brad said, a rather skeptical look on his face.

"Look, the signs add up. My parents…" He paused, looking at each of them. "They were really interested in the Dark Arts. I know the signs of a lycanthropy when I see it." Luc bowed his head. Though he was from a long line of pure-blooded wizards, he wasn't really fond of his parentage. At least it gave him an advantage when it came to studying certain subjects. "She's been acting distant, hasn't been concentrating… Kylee caught her last night coming out of the restricted section of the library. Plus, she wasn't in her dorm last night."

Ryan's eyes were wide. "And last night, the moon…"

"It was full," Lucas confirmed, nodding. The room was silent for a while as the rest of them took this in. It really did seem suspicious.

"But what about last month? And the month before?" Brad stood up, brow furrowing. "She was fine. A little loopy now and then, but that's just how she is."

"There are werewolves in the woods," Cory said, also standing. "At least, that's one of the rumors flying around the school. She could have gone in."

"The one night of the month the moon is full," Brad retorted. "Night being the key word. Do you really think anyone in her right mind would do that? Besides, most werewolf attacks end in death. It isn't in their nature to leave survivors."

Which, as far as Lucas was concerned, was either very lucky for Alexia, or very unlucky. "She does want to be a healer. It's possible she went in looking for a way to help them."

No one said anything for a while. They all just sort of looked at each other, giving random significant glances every now and then. One of Alexia's passions was studying the Dark Arts… Not to hurt others, but to help them. It was definitely in her character to venture into the Forbidden Forest looking for werewolves to aid. A long time passed before Brad spoke again. "I see I'm the only one that's not convinced."

Green, who hadn't yet spoken, approached the others. "I'm not entirely convinced myself. It's got too many holes. But the fact is, we should probably be careful. There's ways to alleviate the symptoms, but there isn't any cure."

"Maybe that's what she was doing in the library," Ryan said. "Looking for something she could do."

"There's books about werewolves outside the restricted section," Brad pointed out.

"Not ones that deal with countercurses and Dark potions," Luc returned. "She had permission to be in there, which means the teachers know. They're trying to hide it, so they're letting her try and help herself. I think it makes perfect sense."

Finally, Brad conceded. "Alright. What do we do then?"

"Nothing," Ryan said instantly.

Cory shook his head. "We really have to think about this. Do we want a werewolf on the team? I mean, if someone finds out…"

Thunderstruck, Ryan looked at him. "…We know Alexia. She's not a bad person."

"But werewolves are dangerous," Cory stated. The rest of them nodded. "Maybe not Alexia… You know, when she's not running around the forest… But just being associated with one could…"

"She's coming," Brad interrupted, looking out the window. She was still a ways off, heading down the hill that led to the pitch. "…She does look rather tired."

Ryan approached the window, before turning to the others. "Look. We're not completely certain yet, right? It might just be a coincidence. We'll just wait until next month. If she's gone again, then we'll know."

When Alexia entered the locker room, she was greeted by five abnormally happy faces. She blinked. "I'm here a half hour late, and I didn't miss any practice. You're slipping, Brad."

"…Just happy about our impending win tomorrow," he chuckled, ushering everyone outside.

---

The game against Hufflepuff was, as expected, quite easy. There was barely any point to it, though it was actually a fun game. Halfway through, the Slytherins relaxed, and quit being their normal, competitive selves. Green, of course, continued scoring, and Lucas continued batting the Bludgers at whomever happened to be in the way, but Kylee actually had a nice conversation with the Hufflepuff seeker as she searched for the Snitch, and Cory talked on and off with the other team's Chasers as he stopped all their shots.

About an hour into the game, when Slytherin was ahead two-hundred-sixty points to thirty, Kylee finally spotted the Snitch and went tearing after it. Though the other Seeker was right on her tail for nearly the whole time, she was able to get the little winged ball without overexerting herself. Consequently, Slytherin got their first victory of the year, and it had been a thoroughly enjoyable game. Everyone was almost sorry to see it end.

"They weren't so bad," Lucas grudgingly admitted on his way back toward Hogwarts after the game. Green grunted in reply, as the rest of the team went their separate ways.

"Mudbloods," he muttered, looking back toward the Hufflepuff practice still going on above the pitch.

Lucas shrugged. He wondered, however, if his dislike of the House was his own, or a prejudice created by his family. "They are. Most of 'em anyway. Thing is, I'm starting to wonder if maybe—"

"You're from a line of Purebloods, Luc," Green said. "Doesn't it make you mad that they let them into the school? Doesn't it get to you how… ignorant to magic the rest of their family is? They're Common, Luc. One step above Muggles. And… I don't mind Muggles so much, but it's when they send their kids to Hogwarts…"

Luc kneeled to re-lace his boot. "…So if one of these Mudbloods married a witch or a wizard, wouldn't that make their kid Pureblooded?"

"…Not… really," he said, though he didn't sound entirely convinced that his argument was valid. "Quarterbloods, then. And there's no way to get that dirty blood out of their line. There just isn't."

"Hm," Lucas offered thoughtfully. And they walked the rest of the way back to the castle in silence. Upon reaching the entrance hall, Green headed down to the dorm, and Lucas turned and headed for the library.

"Mudbloods," he wondered to himself, pulling the hood off his head. It was a term that was beginning to have less and less meaning to him. The more he thought about it, the more he wondered how one born with the ability to produce magic could be said to have dirty blood. Sorcery was a state of being. An energy present in the very blood of a human being that could be channeled and used. Though not inherently magical, people were able to harness the energy of creatures like Phoenixes and Unicorns through use of wands.

It was confusing.

Even so, Lucas had little use for the Hufflepuffs. Most of them were overly trusting and friendly. Not all, though; a lot were known for their dedication, their sense of duty, and fairness. Some, Lucas thought to himself, were dedicated enough to be Slytherins, except for the fact that they were Muggle-born.

He leaned on a banister, looking down into the library at a group of fifth year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws studying for their O.W.L.s. Ravenclaw tended to have a large share of Pure-blooded wizards, too, though there were a few Muggle-borns. The difference between Slytherin and Ravenclaw was that none of the Ravenclaws seemed to mind a Mudblood in their midst. That would drive some people – like Green – absolutely crazy.

Still, they seemed happier for it.

He headed toward the back of the library, just outside the entrance to the restricted section, where the books on Dark Arts were stored. There weren't any books on werewolves checked out – he knew, as he'd checked them all out at least once before - but that didn't really mean anything. If Alexia had permission to be in the library's restricted section…

Well, there could potentially be a lot more books in there.

He pulled one of the older volumes out of the shelf and started flipping through it, walking toward the front desk as he did so. It was time to do a little research of his own.

"Alright, Lucas?"

He looked up toward the familiar voice, noticing he'd walked right past Alexia. He tried to snap the book shut and hide it as quickly as he could without looking like he was trying to hide it. Still, Alexia frowned.

"…Doing more research?" she asked. It was casual… Was it too casual? Did she suspect that they knew?

"Yeah, just a little," he responded, leaning back on a cart of to-be-shelved books. "You know, for our tests and stuff later in the year."

"…Right. I don't mean this to be rude or anything, but… You're pretty well-read on your Dark Arts. Any reason you're checking out a first year book?" She tried to peer around his sleeve to see the book's title, and Lucas earnestly hoped it was well-hidden. The first-year materials tag, however, was clearly visible on the spine.

He arched his eyebrows. "Are you kidding? I like to re-read the basics every once in a while. Everyone should." He looked down at the books she was holding, noting one with graying leather that bore the restricted tag. When she saw he was looking at it, her smile faded.

She turned the books so that neither the titles nor the tags were visible. "I have to get going," she said loftily, hurrying off before Lucas could question her. Unfortunately, it seemed as if she'd already checked them out, as she hurried right past the desk and out of the library. He eyed the book in his hand, turning it over once or twice, before flipping to chapter three.

"Fidgety, restless, avoidant," he muttered, pointing to each of the items on the pre-chapter summary in turn.

---

Viridian Green should have been in a good mood. They'd won their game against Hufflepuff as they knew they would, and they'd even made up the points they'd lost in the game against Gryffindor. He'd only gone to his dorm long enough to change into more comfortable clothes. As classes were over for the day, he was just wearing a sweatshirt and jeans, instead of the black robes he usually had to wear.

After changing, he headed for the grounds, and was taking a walk among the greenhouses. There weren't a lot of people around, except for those unlucky enough to still have a class this late, though he was able to avoid those people by detouring around the main herbology house.

Lucas had given him a lot to think about. Plus, there was Alexia to worry about. If she was a werewolf – and all the signs seemed to point in that direction – she was a danger to the team, and to the rest of the school. What if she forgot one day? What if she transformed in the middle of the school?

He leaned up against a young willow tree, pulling an apple out of a pocket in his cloak. He tossed it in the air a couple times before taking a bite… In the distance, the herbology class was letting out. There was a sudden rush of voices heading off toward the castle.

"One problem after another this year," he muttered to himself, tossing the apple again. This time, it fell to the ground. Slightly miffed at losing his snack, he kicked it. It rolled a few feet before coming to a stop at someone else's feet. Green looked up at her.

"I say you walk past the greenhouse," she explained.

He noticed the Ravenclaw patch on her robe, and the blue and bronze scarf that was currently dangling over her shoulder. She wasn't attractive, really. Her brown hair was sort of wind-blown, and she was wearing large glasses that rested on a bit of a crooked nose that looked to have been broken at least once. The thick lenses were magnifying her brown eyes, making them look quite out-of-proportion to her face, and she was wiry to a point of being undernourished. She was, however, quite familiar.

"You're the Ravenclaw keeper," he said. At least he knew why she'd followed him.

She smiled. "Glad you recognize me. What're you doin' out here alone?"

"What are you doing following me?" He returned.

She rolled her eyes. "I was at the game earlier. I just came to compliment you. Those were some nice shots."

Slightly mollified, he said, "It was just Hufflepuff."

She shrugged, looking up at the sky. "It's gonna snow. I'm heading back to the castle. You want to walk with me?"

He considered saying 'no,' and that he'd come outside to think for a reason. That he didn't want company, and he certainly didn't want to hold a conversation with a rival Quidditch player. However, when he looked at her again, her eyes were actually kind of pretty. And maybe she was more slender than she was wiry. He found himself pushing off the tree to follow her.

"So, you were at the game today?" He tried to remember her name, but couldn't seem to recall it.

"Yes. I'm Anna Emerson, by the way. And you're…"

"Viridian Green. Everyone just calls me Green, though." They walked on in silence for a while. "So, what were you doing? Spying on us?"

"The whole school was there," she said, chuckling a little. "I guess you could say we were watching what you guys were doing. And I can guarantee we'll bring it up in practice tomorrow."

He laughed. "Fair enough, I guess. Anything to prepare for the game, right?"

"Top secret. Sorry." Her voice was serious, but she was smiling a bit. "I don't think we'll have much of a problem beating Hufflepuff. Don't know whether to be proud of that fact or not."

Green shrugged. He really didn't want to go back to a conversation about the oversaturation of Mudbloods on the Hufflepuff team.

It seemed like no time at all passed as they headed back to the castle. They actually had a lot in common… Both had a love of Quidditch, of course, and they even rooted for the same professional team – the Kestrels. She was a sixth year just like him, liked the same books, and hated the same classes…

They stood in the entrance hall for a while, chatting about the last World Cup and whether they'd be able to ever afford to go themselves, and what kinds of brooms they used for their matches, and then Anna had to go.

"Hey," Green said as Anna turned away. She looked over her shoulder. He smiled. "Hogsmeade next week… I haven't been in a while. Do you want to go?"

She grinned. "I'd love to," she responded. As she sidestepped off toward the Ravenclaw dorms, she looked over her shoulder a bit too long… And nearly crashed into a troop of First-years.

So she was a bit clumsy. Green could live with that.

---

The next weekend couldn't come quickly enough. Between studying for a Potions exam and Quidditch practice, time seemed to have slowed to a crawl. Finally, though, the week was over, and The Day, as Green had taken to calling it all week, finally arrived. He hurried off from an early morning team meeting amid the jeers and catcalls from the others… Green had fallen for someone? No one could believe it. Though he told them all that Anna was just a friend, by the end of the week, even he knew it was a date.

He and Ryan were the only two on the team going to Hogsmeade, but Ryan pretty much had his own agenda. Brad and Alexia were staying behind to work with Kylee – who wasn't old enough to go – on catching the Snitch. Cory had already seen Hogsmeade quite enough in his seven years at Hogwarts, and didn't really feel like going again. Lucas said something about going to the library to look up some stuff.

That all meant that Green would be walking to Hogsmeade alone with Anna, which suited him just fine. After he cleaned up and got changed into what he hoped were presentable clothes, he waited in the entrance hall for her. As the other students streamed out, he thought for a moment that he'd missed her… However, it wasn't long at all before she came down the stairs. Though she still wasn't exactly pretty, she'd combed her hair, and she wasn't wearing her glasses. When she saw him, she waved.

"You look different today," he commented as she skipped off the last step and onto the landing. It was what he was supposed to say, after all; at least, it sounded right to him. In any case, it made her blush a bit, and that had to have been a good sign. He considered offering his arm, then thought better of it, and just asked, "Are you ready?"

She nodded, and they joined the line of students waiting to leave.