SILVER LINING

CHAPTER TWELVE-ANOTHER CLUE

The next morning, we talked to Dumbledore on Hallie's condition. She was progressing well. She should be allowed to return to school in a few days. Eagerly, while eating breakfast, I sent an owl to my parents telling them about Hallie.

Harry and I headed out to the courtyard to sit in front of the stone water fountain. I sat on the stone bench. The air was crisp, but not cold. A cool burst of air blew my hair back and ruffled the skirt hem.

Harry was sitting beside me.

"I think it's really great of your family to take Hallie in," Harry said softly.

"Yeah," I said affectionately. "Especially since Robin and Ellie just love human kids."

Harry looked at me startled for a moment. I burst out laughing.

"No! Not that way!" I laughed. "No, they adore human kids. And oddly, whenever we went out, kids seemed to be taken with them."

Harry relaxed a bit.

I looked at him, pretending to be hurt.

"You honestly thought Robin and Ellie loved to eat human kids? I told you that we're not like that. We're the peaceful species,"

Harry looked flustered.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I'm not used to meeting 'nice' werewolves."

"And now you're stereotyping?" I teased.

He started getting upset now.

I laughed again.

"Relax! I'm just having some fun with you!"

He relaxed again.

"Where are Robin and Ellie?"

"They're at school...a special school," I explained. "Werewolf school."

Harry looked genuinely interested.

"Werewolf school?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Yeah," I said. "I know it sounds corny and predictable, but it's a special school in the United States that teaches those that either were bitten, born with or 'inherited' the curse. They teach about the changes, when they occur and what to expect. Robin and Ellie are younger than me. They're actually about Hallie's age. When you saw them in the picture, they had changed for the first time, but it went haywire. So Mum and Dad sent them to Loup Garou Academy in California."

Harry was looking at me quizzically.

"That's French for 'werewolf'. Loup Garou means that in French," I explained. "None of the Muggle humans know it exists."

Harry nodded.

"You know when I saw Sam I got a bit jealous," he said blushing slightly.

I looked at him, the wind blowing my hair around my face.

"And why would you get jealous of my cousin?" I asked grinning.

"I thought it was an old boyfriend or something," he said blushing further.

I leaned close.

"Nope," I grinned. "You have nothing to worry about."

I gave him a quick kiss and then turned my attention back to the other students happily talking and walking on the grounds.

Suddenly, I realized something.

"Hey," I said sitting upright. "Why did Professor Lupin meet us and take us to the hospital?"

Harry leaned forward.

"I dunno," he mused.

"Anyone of the teachers could've taken us no?" I continued. "But why a Malox werewolf?"

Harry shrugged.

"I just remembered reading something in a werewolf book in the library," I said. "Come on."

He and I hurried back into the castle and up to the library.

I found a book called "Werewolves: The Unknown Made Known". I flipped through it until I found the section.

"Here," I said as Harry sat beside me and leaned forward to read the book better.

There was a section on Silver Linings and Malox werewolves.

It read:

Silver Linings and Malox werewolves are actually enemies. Silver's can't stand the Malox werewolves because one scratch or bite from a Malox will destroy a Silver Lining. Their blood can't handle the Malox's blood because of the DNA and there's something in the Malox blood called a 'trifiene'. This element breaks down the silver from a bullet or any silver object. That's why silver doesn't work as much with Malox werewolves. Titanium is the only thing that can destroy a Malox. Once injected into a Silver Lining, the trifiene acts as acid and it also breaks down the Silver Lining's cells. Now it's harmless to a Malox, but if a Malox bites someone, it is passed on. Sort of like human white blood cells that attack infection. Without this element, a Malox werewolf could not survive.

Harry raised his eyes to mine.

"So Dumbledore anticipated the Silver Lining showing up at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries? With witches and wizards all around? Doesn't that seem a bit off?"

"No," I said. "The Silver Lining would show up to finish Hallie off because she survived the attack! It wants to kill her and because she survived, it will certainly try it again. With Lupin there, it won't be able to because it fears him."

Realization dawned on his face now.

"We've got to go back to St. Mungo's," he said urgently.

I nodded.

We left the library and hurried to Professor Dumbledore's office to tell him what we found out and that we know why he sent Lupin.

"Ah," Dumbledore said smiling after we finished telling him. "Yes I fear that the Silver Lining will try and finish the job with Hallie. That's why I want your parents there, Stephanie, and Professor Lupin. I doubt very much it will try anything with three werewolves standing guard. I will alert St. Mungo's at once. You two will be allowed to visit."

We nodded and waited.

Later on, Professor McGonagall sent us back to London on the Hogwarts Express where once again we met up with Professor Lupin.

"Back again huh?" he asked his lip twitching. "Come on."

He led us to St. Mungo's and up to Hallie's ward.

Harry and I were much relieved to see that she was off the Groven. Most of her internal injuries have healed already. She was bright and alert when we entered.

"Hey!" she cried happily opening her arms for a hug.

Harry hugged her first, then I did.

"This is Professor Lupin," I said gesturing to Professor Lupin, who was sitting beside her bed in a chair. "He's a werewolf also."

He looked startled.

"It's okay," I reassured Professor Lupin. "She knows about me. So she won't say anything about you don't worry."

"Absolutely not," Hallie said.

She had her color back and seemed more livelier.

Professor Lupin nodded.

Shortly after that, my parents arrived.

"Mum? Dad? This is Hallie," I introduced.

Mum squealed when she saw Hallie and just threw her arms around her and gave her a big hug.

"They're like me," I said meaningfully to Hallie.

Dad automatically seemed to have taken a shine to Hallie.

Hallie just grinned.

"Wow," she said happily. "I'm so pleased to meet so many werewolves."

She added the last word quietly in a hushed whisper.

"Nothing scares you huh?" Harry said beaming at Hallie.

"Nope," she said shaking her head furiously.

Professor Lupin conjured up chairs and we all took a seat beside the bed.

I introduced my parents to Professor Lupin. Once that was all settled, Mum turned to me.

"How on earth did you realize that the Silver Lining would come back for her?"

"I just remembered the passage I read in a book," I said. "I showed it to Harry and then remembered that Silver Lining's fear Malox werewolves so naturally, it would fear Professor Lupin. Dumbledore sent him as a sort of 'bodyguard'."

Mum nodded.

"Plus, Silver's are extremely territorial," Professor Lupin added. "Unfortunately, Hallie's got the Silver's scent on it...so it would pick up the scent where ever she was and finish the job."

"It's not going to kill me is it?" Hallie asked frightened.

"No dear," Mum said kindly. "We're not going to let it come within 3 feet of you."

"Dumbledore must've realized this way before we did and that's why he had you guys take Hallie in," Harry said without realizing it.

"Take me in? I have my own Mum and Dad," Hallie said looking confused.

Harry sank into his chair guiltily.

"Hallie? I'm afraid that your parents aren't going to be able to take care of you anymore," I said gently.

"Why?" she asked as tears formed in her eyes. She was looking from me, to my parents, to Professor Lupin and finally to Harry.

"The Silver Lining attacked them," Dad said quietly.

"Nooo!" Hallie wailed as she burst into tears.

Mum wrapped her arms around Hallie and hugged her. She sobbed into Mum's shoulder. Dad rubbed her back affectionately.

I looked at Harry.

"I'm sorry," He apologized looking just as upset as Hallie.

"It's okay," I said softly.

Once Hallie settled down, Mum and Dad explained to her that she'd be staying with us. That seemed to cheer her up...slightly.

Nighttime rolled around. The rest of the patients in this ward had been moved to another one because Dumbledore had explained to the Healer's about what was going on.

So, Mum, Dad and I changed.

HARRY.

Stephanie, Mr and Mrs. Ross changed. The three gray and cream wolves all sat on the chairs on their haunches with their tails wrapped around their hind legs. Professor Lupin changed next. I looked outside. It was a full moon.

Hallie and I were surrounded by wolves. The gray and cream Advair's and the black wolf with haunting blue eyes which was Professor Lupin.

The four wolves remained seated on their chairs.

"I'm surrounded," I said jokingly to Hallie.

She giggled. The wolf that was Mr. Ross jumped down off the chair and jumped onto the bed next to Hallie.

This wolf was much larger than the other two. He weighed a good 200 pounds and had more cream than gray. The wolf that was Mrs. Ross was smaller but seemed to have more agility and she had more gray with few flecks of cream. Stephanie just panted.

Hallie rubbed the wolf's neck as he licked her face.

"These are silly," she giggled.

I watched Professor Lupin's ears. They were flicking back and forth and I knew he sensed something.

"What is it?" I asked him.

That's when the top lip of his snout pulled back, exposing white canines and incisors and he let out a warning growl. He was looking toward Hallie.

Hallie's face drained of all color.

"Why's he's growling at me?" she asked fearfully.

Then, something crashed through the window, knocking Hallie off the bed completely. She landed on her stomach, face down on the floor. She didn't get up.

It was the Silver Lining. It stood on the bed and snarled. Professor Lupin snarled and then charged at the Silver Lining. The Silver Lining jumped into the air and over the wolves on the chairs.

The black wolf crashed into Hallie's bed.

The rest of the wolves sprang into action. I grabbed Hallie and scooted into a corner, holding her against me.

I held her across my lap, her head resting against my shoulder. From the force from the Silver Lining crashing through the window and knocking her out of the bed, she hit her head on the floor.

I held her tightly against me and watched as all four wolves charged at the Silver Lining.

One of the Advair's managed to clamp their jaws on the Silver Lining's neck. Then, two of them did. Professor Lupin also managed to scratch the Silver Lining's snout with one of his paws. The Silver Lining howled. It clamped its jaws on Professor Lupin's leg and bit down. I hear a whelp come from the black wolf and then shook the three Advair's from its neck... One wolf went crashing into the empty patient bed, another one crashed into the wall and the third, landed on its side and skidded all the way into my legs in front of me.

Professor Lupin arched his head around and tried to snap at the Silver Lining but once again, it extended its wings and took flight, sailing cleanly out of the window. But this time, because Professor Lupin scratched it, it was much weaker and there were a lot of cuts.

Once the Silver Lining was gone, all the wolves came galloping over to me.

They began licking Hallie's face.

She finally came around.

"What happened?" she demanded looking around at the four wolves that surrounded her and I.

"Professor Lupin managed to scratch the Silver Lining. It's definitely weak now," I replied letting her off my lap and she now sat beside me.

I saw Professor Lupin. He began limping toward us, holding up his right front leg and paw.

Blood matted the fur on his leg.

"Oh no," I said.

The other three wolves allowed Professor Lupin to come close to me. I tore a piece of my robe and reached for Professor Lupin's leg.

He allowed me to tie the makeshift bandage around his leg.

"Will he be okay?" Hallie asked worriedly.

"Absolutely," I said reassuringly.

Professor Lupin just curled up against me and rested his head on my thighs. The other wolves curled up against me and Hallie and fell asleep.

Hallie dozed off, leaning against my shoulder.

I gently reached forward and stroked one of the Advair's on the head.

Pretty soon, I too dozed off.

In the morning, I awoke to find Stephanie, Mr and Mrs. Ross and Professor Lupin already changed back into their human selves...all fully clothed thank God.

"Hey, sleepy head," Stephanie grinned as she crouched down in front of me. Hallie was still sleeping.

"Morning," I said yawning. "At least this time you're all fully clothed after you changed. I didn't need any frightening images."

Stephanie grinned.

"I know," she said. "We all brought a spare change and changed behind separate curtains just before you awoke."

Stephanie woke up next and Mr and Mrs. Ross helped her back into bed.

"We finally wounded the Silver Lining," Mr. Ross said relieved.

"Yeah, but it's still not stopped," Professor Lupin replied tightening his robe around him.

"We'll get it another time," Mr. Ross said firmly.

I had hoped this wouldn't continue.