By: Sweet 16 Movie Buff!
----------------------------------------------------
The wolf's eyes were larger than those of others, the pupils different from its species resting above a queer snout. When he moved, Jillian could see the tuft tail.
Werewolf.
Jillian took a step back, her breathing coming in sharp gasps. She felt paralyzed. Her mind was blank like a gray misty sea. As she scrambled to think, her mind was slow and groggy as if she had just woken abruptly from a dream. The werewolf prowled to the left, eyes intent on Jillian.
Quickly she shuffled away, her back colliding with the trunk of a massive, gnarled oak. The sharp knob of a knot in her back, seemed the antidote to her mindlessness, sending her brain into a flurry of activity. He prowled closer.
"Impedimenta!" she shouted, pointing her wand at the werewolf.
He flew away from her through the air, landing in a thicket of tangled thorns. Snarling, the wolf thrashed and lurched, snapping at twisting thorns.
Jillian ran, blindly crashing through the forest, branches snatching at her robes and cutting at her skin. She sucked in the cold air as she ran and stumbled. The cold burned her nose; it set her throat on fire as the cold rubbed it raw. Her feet ached. Her legs were become liquid and jelly-like. Her knees buckled with every step until her step finally gave way when a stray root beneath the blanket of mist twisted about her ankle.
She was in a rather large clearing, but still a canopy of leaves blocked out any moonlight that might penetrate. Her ball of light still hovered above her palm; its shifting rays illuminating weakly.
There was a snarl to her left and she glanced up sharply to see the werewolf approaching from amongst the trees. His muted brown fur was ruffled and a thin shallow scratch swiped across his snout. His eyes glowed lamp-like in her light, glinting with anger and malice. He paced back and forth in front of her, watching her struggle to loosen her foot from the root's immobile hold. She collapsed amongst the other roots, gasping and exhausted.
Jillian braced herself, taking shaky breaths and resting her head on a root. She watched as the wolf situated his stance, descending lower for the pounce, his flanks twitching with anticipation, ready for the kill . . .
A large black dog leapt across Jillian like a sudden breeze, landing before her, baring his teeth at the wolf.
The werewolf seemed to hesitate at the appearance of the black dog, but when his eyes flicked over Jillian, who had returned to struggling free of the tree roots, his resolve seemed to strengthen and he growled in reply.
The dog and the werewolf circled one another, snarling, challenging, sizing the other up before the battle. An eerie silence before the storm. Jillian did not dare breath for fear of drawing attention to herself. Not that she could with the heavy knot in her throat. A part of her mind, the logical part, told her to run, told her she had to flee, but she didn't. She couldn't.
The lankier wolf leapt first, the black dog rising to meet him, teeth clamping in the thick ruff around his neck and sending him thudding to the ground. It was a terrible fray, black and brown fur twisted around one another, a flash of white tooth or claw or fang was seen occasion but soon buried in the hide of the opponent.
A flash of brown fur leapt across the distance toward Jillian but the black dog knocked him away. The wolf skidded across the ground. The werewolf growling his frustration, lunged back at the dog, his teeth burying deep into the dog's soft underbelly. They tumbled; the dog yelping and whining as the werewolf snapped his body from side to side like a rag doll.
With a howl of triumph, the werewolf tossed the dog across the clearing, not caring that he rolled and was struggling to his feet, his hind legs, clumsy and striving to stand. The werewolf turned to her.
"Stupefy!" she screamed but the spell went wide over his shoulder.
He growled and leapt through the air. Screaming, Jillian dove out of the way as he crashed into the tree and was on her feet, her wand at the ready.
As she opened her mouth to shout 'Petrificus totalus' at the unsteady wolf, a stag tore through the clearing, flailing his hooves. His fore-hoof gave a deafening crack as it contacted with the side of the werewolf's head. The wolf staggered away and ran into the brush, yelping, followed in close pursuit by the stag. Jillian watched them flee, the crash of brush was growing fainter. Then, something soft and wet tipped her fingers.
It was the black dog, looking haggard and weary. He tipped her fingers again with his nose and, with a growl of annoyance, took the hem of her robes in his teeth and began to drag her away, urging her to follow him.
"Okay, okay," she murmured as she stuffed her wand down her blouse, "Lead on."
The black dog released her robes and slowly trotted out of the clearing into the trees. He walked with a slight limp, favoring his right forepaw. At times, Jillian noticed the dog would pause as if to gather himself, while swaying dangerously. She offered him no help. There was something not quite right with this dog, something too human in his manner that made her hesitate and keep a respectful distance.
The trees had thinned considerably when he stopped again, tiny beams of moonlight trickled down upon the unsteady ground lighting their way with it's silvery-blue glow. He swayed and leaned heavily on his wounded paw as he collapsed.
The black dog was human before he even hit the ground.
"Oh my giddy aunt," she breathed. Her light spell blinked out, her shock cloaking all form of thought, but there was no longer any need for it. She dropped to his side and rolled him onto his back. The striking features . . . the mane of black hair that fell across his eyes elegantly . . .
The black dog was Sirius.
----------------------------------------------------
THANK YOU TO ALL MY REVIEWERSbenny – My Mystery Reviewer! Right? Oh, I'm getting so confused, but then again it might be that I had pure chocolate for breakfast so who knows?
blagh – I'm glad that I'm going to finish this story, I like it to, though not meaning to toot my horn or anything. I figured that going about and writing it all first was a more considerate way to update than long inconsistent gaps like I was doing before.
Ristine – Thank you so much! I appreciate your review.
Kirie Himuro – Yeah, I was having trouble deciding whether or not to have Sirius call Gillian a Mudblood, but the reason he does is explained in the very last chapter, so hopefully that gives you some incentive to read the rest of it. I really, really did like your fic; I am SO reading the rest of it. I'm also glad that you've noticed the spelling and grammar, but I hate to say it, there will be more cliffhangers to come so I apologize ahead of time.
Moon Burst – I promise to read more of your fics, since you say you don't get a lot of reviews. I don't see why though, there really unique and well written. And, big Sirius fan girl, just to let you know, I have plans of how to get into the books and save Sirius before he dies, care to join me in my exploits?
ginnyharry – I'm so happy you like it, please read on and your question (will Sirius and Jillian get together) may yet be answered.
Whimsical Butterfly – That's such a pretty pen name, it's cool. The Butterfly Effect was that movie with Ashton Kutcher and he has the ability to go back in time and correct things that went wrong, yet always seeming to make them even worse. I personally LOATHE Kutcher except when he's playing Kelso, so I really didn't see it, just heard that it bombed big time in theatres.
----------------------------------------------------
A NOTE TO ALL MY REVIEWERSI'm posting two chapters today because I'm going on vacation all next week and won't have time to update there. I HOPE that this might hold you off until I get back.
However, when I do get back, I've got a flashback written that spans over three chapters and some Sirius and Jillian interaction after that.
Please, read on and give me your honest opinion. Thank you all so much for reviewing, I can't thank you enough though because they mean so much to me. (I'm sorry, that was really, REALLY mushy)