SILVER LINING
CHAPTER SEVEN-HERMIONE'S SECRET
"What do you mean, 'I've made a horrible mistake'?" I demanded watching her.
"I mean I totally blamed Goyle for Ron's death!" Stephanie said looking upset and pale. "And all he did was want to get me flowers!"
I relaxed. She was totally upset about the news of Goyle.
"I mean I wanted him to pay, but I never wanted him to be killed!" Stephanie said as tears formed. "I can't believe how mean I was to him!"
Stephanie leaned closer to me.
"What's got me worried is that I don't remember what happened last night," she whispered, her eyes wide with fear.
I looked at Hermione.
"Anything?" I asked feeling a bit panicked myself.
She shook her head.
"Harry," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "What if I attacked..."
Her voice trailed off as she couldn't finish the sentence.
I shook my head.
"No," I said firmly. "I seriously doubt it. It was probably the second creature."
She nodded, but still seemed unconvinced.
Hermione looked upset as well.
Throughout the day, Stephanie just sat slumped in her chair, not really concentrating on her work.
Hermione seemed shocked still but was able to concentrate on her work. I was more worried about how Stephanie was feeling right now.
Even when Professor Snape deducted 10 points from Gryffindor because Stephanie forgot to add the Lorjil wing to the potion, Hermione was still upbeat.
Totally odd behavior for her.
Stephanie noticed it too and she exploded on Hermione when we were walking across one of the open bridges. The cold air blew in and our breaths came out in puffs of steam.
"How can you be so upbeat when Goyle was killed?" Stephanie snarled angrily as she got right into Hermione's face. "You almost seem happy!"
"I'm just upset okay? This is how I deal with it," Hermione replied.
"How can being happy help you deal? Goyle was innocent...I made a mistake by blaming him. I feel worse than you," Stephanie snapped as she shoved Hermione slightly.
Hermione was momentarily stunned before she regained her posture.
A blast of cold air shot through one of the windows blowing Stephanie's hair around her face. She had a look of utmost disgust in her expression.
I had to admit, I sided with Stephanie. Hermione's behavior just seemed...not her. She never acted upbeat when someone was killed whether it be a Gryffindor...or Slytherin.
"Don't shove me," Hermione said in a threatening tone.
My ears perked up and I slowly looked at her. Now I know this wasn't her. She never acted this way. Something was wrong.
"Hermione," I said shocked.
Guilt flooded Hermione's face immediately.
"I'm so sorry," she said as tears began forming in her dark brown eyes. "I'm just so scared. I don't know what's going on here."
Now that was the old Hermione.
I sighed.
"I'm going to the library. I'll meet you two there in half an hour? I've got some reading to do,"
Yep. That was the old Hermione we all knew and loved.
Stephanie and I nodded.
Hermione hurried down the rest of the bridge.
Stephanie went over to the window and crossed her arms on the sill. She rested her chin on her arm. The cold air blew her hair around her face. I stood next to her and also leaned against the sill.
STEPHANIE.
Harry was standing close to me on my left side. I was aware of just how close he was. Our shoulders were touching.
I exhaled loudly sending a small cloud of steam up to the sky from my mouth.
"I'm just scared myself," I admitted quietly. "Because I don't know where I was last night or anything."
"I know it wasn't you," Harry said softly leaning into me. "I just know it."
My hair fell over the side of my face. I made no attempt to brush it back because of the cold wind.
"Do you have any idea as to what might be doing the killings?" Harry asked.
I thought.
"Well, we're all familiar with the Lycantor's, Malox's and Verit's right?"
Harry nodded.
"Neither one of those species of wolf have been known to tear someone to pieces. Their main line of attack is the throat. My species only attacks for food...not pleasure. Whatever this thing is kills for pleasure only," I said. "And I really have no idea other than a species of wolf that died out almost 90 years ago."
Harry seemed attentive even more now.
"What?"
I turned to look at him.
"The species of wolf was thought the be the most evil, vile and nasty species. It made the Lycantors look like puppies," I continued. "Even the Lycantors feared this one. They walked on all fours but when they stood up they reached a height of 12 feet. They weighed about 300 pounds and were silver in color. Their snouts were short, but powerful and they have been known to run on all fours at the speed of 30 miles an hour."
"Geeze," Harry said, his emerald green eyes wide behind his glasses.
"They were called the Silver Linings," I said. "Their only two functions in life was to kill...and mate. That was it. They were hunted and killed because they were going from village to village killing innocent people. Man finally wiped them out about 1915. That's when the Advair's appeared. But we stuck to hunting mainly for food and we never harmed an innocent. We're loyal, caring, and basically a solitary kind."
Harry nodded, taking all of this in.
"So you think it is a Silver Lining doing these killings?" he asked quietly moving his face close to mine.
"I don't think so," I said slowly. "Remember they died out...but I really don't know. It is possible that one of their kind survived. How I don't know either."
Harry and I stared at each other for a moment before he cleared his throat.
"Well, I trust you with my life," he said.
I smiled.
He smiled back. Then, he came closer to me and tilted his head slightly. His lips barely touched mine when Hermione came running up the bridge.
"I've got it!" she cried, her words echoing down the entire bridge.
Harry and I jumped apart.
Hermione studied us for a moment, skeptically.
"What do you have?" I asked.
Hermione's eyes never left Harry.
"Huh? Oh!" she said finally peeling her eyes off of Harry.
She was carrying a book called "Werewolves: The A-Z Guide". She opened it to the middle section and showed us.
It showed a wolf standing bipedal but it looked an awful like...
"Advair's," I said raising my eyes to hers. "Do you think my kind is responsible for killing the students?"
"No! Look below," Hermione said gesturing to another picture below it.
It was a wolf walking on all fours, but the odd thing was, it had adapted wings like a dragon.
"Oh my God," I said wide-eyed. "I don't believe it."
"What is it?" Harry asked, looking from my face to the picture.
"It's the Silver Lining...but I've never known them to have wings like a dragon," I said quietly. "This is all new to me."
"Did you read the passage?" Hermione asked excitedly. "Read it."
I lowered my eyes to the written portion below the picture. It read:
Silver Lining: The most adaptable of the werewolf species. This is a recent picture known of the last one of its kind. They supposedly disappeared in 1915, but one actually survived...a female. She is able to walk on ceilings and walls due to special pads on the paws. No one has been able to identify who the female is, but it is a female human. She vanished in 1915, but has not been heard from since. The human who is a Silver Lining would be agile, cunning and easily aggravated. He or she might be violent as a wolf but when human, he or she could be quiet, non-social or the opposite. It is very hard to tell with Silver Linings because they are so discreet and silent that a person could very well be one and also be your best friend.
To destroy a Silver Lining, only a combination of silver and platinum would do the trick...or fire. Their fur is very sensitive to extreme temperatures such as heat or cold.
Extreme caution should be used around the suspected Silver Lining. If she knows you've found her out, she will turn on you and attack. Silver Linings do not want their secret exposed for fear of annihilation.
I looked up at Hermione.
"So it is a Silver Lining we're dealing with then," I said slowly.
Hermione nodded.
"These are the worst kind of wolf species around. We really have to watch everyone closely," she said.
"Namely the girls," I continued.
"I say we go back to the common room," Harry said.
We headed to the common room.
Harry, Hermione and I sat in front of the fireplace, just deep in thought. We carefully scrutinized every girl in our house as well as the other houses. It was a hard job, but we really needed to find out who the Silver Lining was.
So far, everyone seemed to be acting normally. It might take us some time before we really know.
But we weren't going to give up.
About an hour later, a bright flash of light went across my eyes. I cried out and grabbed Harry's arm.
I was seeing through someone's eyes, but they weren't human. I was walking down the corridor sniffing the air. I must've picked up a scent because I suddenly turned toward an empty classroom. I entered it. I looked around and saw a cupboard/closet toward the back. I approached it and thrusted my hand through the wood. Then, the body of a boy topped out...a boy in Slytherin robes.
The flash vanished and my body jumped as if a live wire was touching it.
"Stephanie? What happened?" Hermione demanded looking concerned.
Harry was watching me also. His emerald green eyes were locked on mine.
I swallowed, feeling sick to my stomach. I clamped a hand over my mouth and fled from the common room all the way to the girls' bathroom.
HARRY.
Stephanie flew from the common room with a hand clamped over her mouth. Hermione and I looked at each other worriedly before we too followed her.
Ignoring Hermione's protests, I entered the girls bathroom. Stephanie was standing over a sink with her hair fallen over her face. I could see she was shaking badly.
"Steph? What's wrong?" I asked concerned as Hermione and I approached.
She didn't answer right away.
"Stephanie?" Hermione prodded gently.
Stephanie looked at us. There were tears and absolute fear in her honey brown eyes.
"I-I just had a vison," she choked out. "I saw myself walking down a corridor then turned toward an empty classroom. I spied a cupboard/closet at the back and approached it. I thrusted my hand through the wood and then a boys body fell out."
Hermione gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.
"A boy in Slytherin robes," Stephanie continued looking even paler. "It was Goyle."
"What are you saying? You saw yourself kill him?" Hermione asked looking at Stephanie.
"No," Stephanie said taking a deep, but shaky breath. "I saw through the eyes of what I was...I killed him when I changed."
"But how can that be?" I asked. "You said you didn't remember anything that happened that night."
"I know! But obviously I had this vision for a reason!" Stephanie said. "It had to be me!"
She was shaking violently now. I took a step forward and put my hands on her shoulders.
"We don't know that for sure okay? You might've just had a vision seeing through the real killers eyes,"
"They weren't human, Harry," Stephanie whispered.
"Hey," I said suddenly. "Suppose someone slipped a Grugenol into your water?"
At that, Hermione's head snapped toward me.
"A Grugenol?" she asked. "That's a type of mushroom that when ground up and added to a liquid, it acts like a narcotic."
"Why would you think that?" Stephanie asked looking intrigued and a bit more hopeful.
"For two reasons," I began. "A: because someone obviously wanted Goyle to pay for what happened to Ron, and B: because you said you always remember where you are and what you're doing when you've changed. I doubt very much that gift would go on hiatus now."
Stephanie's eyes widened.
"So what are you thinking? Someone drugged me so I wouldn't remember what I did when I changed so Goyle would pay for what happened to Ron, even though he clearly wasn't responsible for what happened? We've already established that he was picking me some flowers,"
I nodded.
"Then that person would also be to blame for Goyle's death including me because I had changed and actually killed him,"
"If you had no idea what you were doing, then it wouldn't be your fault," I said reasonably.
"But who would do such a thing?" Stephanie said shaking her head.
At that moment, Hermione cleared her throat.
"Me,"
STEPHANIE.
Harry and I looked at Hermione in shock and disbelief.
"You drugged Stephanie?" Harry asked shocked.
Hermione nodded as tears began forming in her eyes.
"I was so hurt over Ron that I wasn't thinking straight. I had no idea Goyle was picking flowers when I did it," Hermione said as her voice broke with emotion. "The Grugenol also acts like a behavior drug so she would act more aggressive than normal plus not remember anything when she woke up."
Harry was still speechless.
"You made me kill someone I cared about," I said as the shock vanished and anger replaced it. "Plus, I've ruined my kind's reputation...WE NEVER HURT INNOCENTS! Now, what I'm worried about is when I change, would I hurt another innocent? HOW COULD YOU?"
Hermione only sobbed harder.
"I'm so sorry! I wish I could take it back!" she sobbed burying her face into her hands.
"Well, you can't," I snapped. I felt a lump rising in my throat as well. My voice was starting to crack also. "I trusted you...looks like I was wrong."
With that, I began heading out of the common room.
