TOY SOLDIERS
CHAPTER FOUR-THE NIGHT VISITOR
As Lily, Remus and I were leaving the bathroom, Sirius and James came running up to us.
"This was stuck to Chloe," Sirius said looking upset and pale. He handed me a blood stained piece of paper.
Remus reached out and grabbed it from Sirius. He unfolded the paper and showed it to me.
It said:
THAT WILL BE YOU IF YOU DON'T COOPERATE
LOOKS LIKE NO MORE FLYING FOR CHLOE
"That is just sick," James replied looking disgusted.
"Was this the first letter?" Sirius asked.
"No," I muttered. "There was two more before it. One stating that I would be getting a present and the first saying that whoever is doing this wants me."
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Sirius asked angrily.
"I did. I told Lily and then Remus," I said.
"I meant the lines of the Headmaster," Sirius replied.
I hesitated. Before I could reply, Remus did.
"I didn't think it was necessary just yet," Remus stepped in. "I think we should try and handle this ourselves. It we see it getting out of hand, we will go to the Headmaster."
Thanks Remus, I thought relieved.
Sirius and James looked at each other.
"If you think so," Sirius said shrugging. "We just want to know who's harassing our friend."
With that, he swung an arm around my shoulders.
"We're going to stick by you like glue," James said also putting his arm around my shoulders.
"My poor owl," I said sadly.
"You can have mine," Remus said suddenly. "His name is Sir."
James and Sirius snorted loudly and began giggling. "Sir?"
Remus glared at them.
"And what might I ask are your owl names? Muffin and Fifi?"
"Actually mine is named Foo Foo," Sirius grinned.
"And mine is Pookie Poo," James added.
"But seriously, you can have my owl," Remus added turning serious again. He looked at me.
"Thanks, but I wouldn't want to take him away from you," I said softly. "That's really nice of you."
I began walking down the corridor with Lily and James.
REMUS.
I watched Hillary walk down the corridor with James and Lily.
Sirius stayed with me also watching them.
"Listen, you'd better hope that this thing doesn't get out of control," Sirius said. "Or whoever this is might actually succeed in possibly hurting Hillary."
"I know," I said. "Trust me that has me terrified at the thought. Why would someone do this to her?"
"I don't know, Moony," Sirius said shaking his head. "But we can't let her out of our sight for anything."
"Right," I agreed.
"Well around midnight you change remember? James, Peter and I will be right beside you. Just meet us by the witch with the hump,"
He followed James, Lily and Hillary down the corridor.
I soon followed.
Hillary was still pretty shaken up about Chloe so Lily stayed with her all day trying to cheer her up. I really had meant for her to take Sir. I wanted her to have him but I guess she felt a little strange about taking someone else's owl.
We began discussing who might be harassing, or more like stalking Hillary. It could be anyone in any house. That's what terrified me more. Not having any control over anything.
I knew James and Sirius were just as worried. Peter too.
After classes, we stayed in the common room. Peter oddly wasn't with us.
Hillary stayed up while Lily headed off to bed. She stayed with us in the common room.
Midnight rolled around. Hillary had dozed off on the couch. She was lying on her side with one arm draped over her side and the other one stretched out over the edge of the couch.
Her hair had fallen over her face slightly and fluttered with each breath.
"Let's go," James said meaningfully.
"I'm not going to leave her here alone," I said looking down at her. "I'm changing here."
"Moony, how would James get out as a stag? He's not one of Santa's reindeer. He can't fly out," Sirius said.
"I'm not leaving her here alone. I have a bad feeling," I replied firmly.
But then, I felt the familiar pain shoot across my abdomen. I cried out and dropped to my hands and knees, staring at the carpet.
Gray and white fur began sprouting all over me. My chest expanded straining the material of the robe and uniform until it split in two and fell off in halves. My legs bent into haunches and my back lengthened. My ears grew and tapered off into points; my nose and jaw pulled forward into a snout. White canines and incisors slid down under purple lips. A red tongue lolled out and rested between the bottom canines. My eyes changed into a jaundice color. A tail also grew. I was a wolf now.
Sirius changed into the big black dog. James turned into the stag.
I shook my wolf body and went over to Hillary sleeping peacefully on the couch. I sat on my haunches beside her head and just watched her sleep. Sirius sat down beside me and looked at me. The stag's antlers reached a good foot and a half curling outwards. He left the common room, his hooves clopping on the floor. Sirius gently placed a big black paw on Hillary's shoulder.
HILLARY.
I felt something furry touching my neck and a weight on my shoulder. I opened my eyes. A big black dog sat and a gray wolf sat beside it.
I sat up abruptly before I realized it was Remus and Sirius.
"You guys scared me," I said feeling my heart return to normal beating. "Where's James?"
I looked around.
The wolf and the dog looked toward the Gryffindor portrait entrance. I realized they were trying to tell me he left.
"Ah," I said wisely. "I don't think Rodney would like to see a stag walking around. It might actually cause him to change his underwear for once."
Rodney was the caretaker of the school and grounds. He was a bit creepy. Most of the students were terrified of him.
"Why aren't you outside?" I asked looking from the big black dog to the gray wolf.
Sirius barked and wagged his tail.
I reached out to scratch Sirius' ear. He closed his eyes blissfully as if enjoying.
"You really are weird," I laughed.
The gray wolf was watching me intently. The black dog yipped and chased his own tail in circles. I was laughing. Sirius was a nut.
When he stopped, he was slightly dizzy and walked awkwardly.
"Served you right," I grinned.
Just then, the portrait hole opened and someone dressed in a black hooded cape entered. The hood was pulled up hiding the face and eyes. That's when the gray wolf shown signs of life.
The wolf's head snapped toward the figure in the cape. The ears were pinned sideways and he rolled up the top lip of his snout exposing the white canines and incisors. He began snarling viciously.
Sirius was also growling and was standing with all four legs spread out, head lowered and every hair on his neck was standing upright. Teeth bared full blown.
"Who are you?" I asked. "Are you a Gryffindor?"
The figure didn't answer. Instead it began walking toward me.
I slowly stood up. Both the black dog and the wolf remained in front of me. I've never seen them so angry or charged up. Something was definitely wrong here.
"Hey. Who are you?" I demanded feeling a bit of fear now.
The figure continued to walk toward me. The figure was about one foot from me when the wolf leaped toward it. The figure backhanded the wolf. The wolf crashed into one of the bookcases and didn't get up.
Remus, I thought as fear gripped me.
Now, Sirius stood in front of me growling. Clear saliva dripped from his bottom jaw.
Sirius' big brown eyes were filled with rage. Sirius also jumped toward the figure. Again the figure backhanded him. He landed with a painful whelp against the wall. I heard a sickening crack as I realized one of his front legs broke from the force.
"Hey…" I said as the full blown terror began rising in me now.
The figure grabbed my shoulders.
I screamed as the figure pulled out a silver knife.
REMUS.
My eyes were closed and I heard Hillary screaming through my unconsciousness. Feeling renewed energy, my eyes snapped open and I got to all four legs. I charged the figure from behind and clamped my jaws around one of the calf's of his legs. I wanted to kill this person…or thing.
I bit down hard too all the while snarling menacingly. Sirius was limping toward me but he was growling even though his left front leg was bent unnaturally.
That made me even angrier.
When he reached me, he clamped his jaws on the other legs calf.
The figure shoved Hillary so hard that she cracked the back of her head on the bookcase and fell on her back on the floor. She wasn't moving.
The figure tried to fight us off, but we held our ground.
I heard the sound of hooves galloping toward us. The next thing we knew, James burst into the room and lowered his head, charging full speed toward the figure. We let go of the legs just as the antlers plowed into the figure and pinned him against the wall. The figure vanished in mist.
I went over to Hillary and stood over her. I lowered my black wolf nose and began urgently sniffing at her. I let out a whine. Sirius limped over and curled up against Hillary. James was the first to change back, then Sirius.
Finally I did.
"Oh man," Sirius moaned. "My arm. Whoever that was did a number on my arm. It felt like I was being hit by a Mack truck."
I was hovering above Hillary now. I slipped my arm under her head like a pillow.
A red stain was on the sleeve of my robe. Normally, I stay changed as wolf until the sun comes up but this time I didn't.
"Shit," Sirius said as he and James came over. "Is she okay?"
"I don't know," I said trying to keep my voice steady. "She hit her head pretty hard."
"What's going on?" a voice said from the girls' dorm.
We looked up. Lily.
"What happened here?" Lily demanded as she rushed over. "Where's Peter?"
Sirius, James and I looked at each other. We had completely forgotten about Peter.
"I don't know. He wasn't with us when we changed," James replied.
"Sirius, go to Madam Elkin for that arm," Lily suggested. "James go with him. We'll find Peter later. Right now we have to make sure Hillary is okay."
James and Sirius left.
Lily came over and crouched down beside me.
"What exactly happened here?" she asked gently.
"Someone dressed in a black cape came in. There was something about him that I didn't like. I sensed something in-human. I think Sirius did too. I charged the figure first. He backhanded me and I was knocked unconscious. Then Sirius charged. He was also knocked backward. All I heard next was her screaming. I woke up and charged again. We bit him on the leg, me and Sirius. Then James charged in. He shoved her into the bookcase," I said.
"She'll be fine," Lily said reassuringly putting a hand on my arm.
I looked at her and hoped she was right.
HILLARY.
I moaned.
"She's coming to," a male voice said from somewhere above me.
I groggily opened my eyes. I blinked and then everything came into focus.
Remus was hovering above me with his arm under my head for support. Lily, James, Sirius, Madam Elkin and Headmaster Troy all peered down at me also.
"What happened?" I asked trying to get up but Lily gently pushed me back down.
"Someone shoved you into the bookcase," Remus said looking down at me. "You hit your head pretty hard."
"You've also got a small wound on the back of your head," Madam Elkin said. "Take this. It will heal it."
She gently tipped a goblet of frothing liquid to my lips. I drank some. It tasted like fruit punch but it was the Re-mending Potion. She was the school nurse.
A few moments later, I felt the wound heal. I slowly sat up. Lily threw her arms around me and Remus got to his feet.
"Sirius explained everything to me," Headmaster Troy said. "They are going to keep a close eye on you incase this figure that appeared tonight was the one sending you the letters."
"He had a silver knife," I replied as a bit of my memory came back.
Headmaster Troy nodded. "All the same…you are not to go anywhere alone. Not even the bathroom. Lily will escort you in and out. I'm not trying to sound like you're a baby, but this is serious. Someone got into the Gryffindor tower that wasn't supposed to,"
I shakily sat on the couch. I began slowly remembering what happened as Headmaster Troy left.
"You'll be okay," Madam Elkin said. "Just take it easy for a while."
She left too.
"Sirius, your leg," I said turning to him.
"Madam Elkin mended it," Sirius said softly.
"Remus," I said looking at him standing beside James.
"I'm fine," he said.
"Who was that?" I asked rubbing the bridge of my nose.
"We don't know," James replied. "But we don't think it was a human being."
"Why not?" Lily asked sitting beside me on the couch and she kept her arm around me.
"For one thing, when I charged it, pinning it against the wall with my antlers, it disappeared into a mist," James replied gravely.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Sirius demanded.
"Yeah. Thanks to you three," I grinned and got up and gave Sirius a hug first.
Sirius hugged me back and then I turned to Remus. I opened my arms to give him a hug but he shook his head.
"I was just protecting one of my friends. It was nothing really,"
Feeling stunned, I turned to James and hugged him next.
At that moment, Peter came into the common room.
He looked at us.
"What happened? You all look like you've seen Sirius naked,"
"Where were you?" Sirius demanded.
"I was down in the kitchen getting a late snack," Peter said looking scared. "Why what happened?"
"Hillary was attacked," Lily said as I sat back down beside her on the couch.
I was a little hurt that Remus didn't want to hug me.
"Is she okay?" Peter asked looking worried.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I said softly.
"We all need to get some sleep," James said.
Remus quickly headed off to the boys' dorm followed by Sirius and then Peter after he gave me a quick hug.
Lily and I headed to the girls'.
"What's with Remus?" I asked climbing into bed.
"I don't know. That was odd for him not to hug you," Lily mused. "Maybe he was just still shaken up about what happened."
"Yeah. That's probably it," I said. "Night."
"Night,"
The light was turned off. I stared into the darkness deep in thought before I finally fell asleep around 2 AM.