SILVER LINING

CHAPTER 15-THE TRAP

"What are we going to use for the trap?" Harry mused.

"Well," Hermione said thoughtfully, folding Professor Lupin's letter up and stuffing it into her robe pocket. "Hagrid might have some old crates we can probably modify."

"Sounds like a plan," I grinned.

"Let's head to Hagrid's after Potions," Hermione suggested.

After breakfast, we headed to Potions.

The class went by fast and we headed onto the grounds and toward Hagrid's hut.

We knocked on the door.

Hagrid opened the door and beamed out at us.

"'Arry! 'Ermione! Stephanie!" he said. "What can I do fer yeh?"

"Do you have old crates?" Harry asked.

"Sure. What do yeh need with old crates?" Hagrid asked frowning.

We looked at each other. We were going to have to explain this to him.

"Can we come in?" Hermione asked.

"Sure,"

Hagrid held open the door for us and we entered the hut. Fang, Hagrid's enormous boarhound, was curled up on a chair. He raised his head when we entered and growled at me.

"Fang," Hagrid scolded. "Why are yeh growling at Stephanie?"

Hermione and Harry glanced at me.

"All dogs growl at me," I whispered to them. "It doesn't matter if you're and Advair or Lycantor."

They nodded.

"Sit," Hagrid said.

We sat down.

"So, what do yeh need those crates for?"

Harry launched into the entire story from beginning to end.

When he was done, Hagrid's face was pale.

"Blimey," Hagrid mused. "That's why Fang growled at you."

He looked at me.

"So Hermione drugged you to attack Goyle because she was distraught over Ron?" Hagrid continued slowly. "That doesn't sound like 'Ermione."

Hermione looked guilty all over again.

"I know. I apologized to Stephanie, but I understand if she doesn't trust me right away anymore,"

I looked at her.

I realized that I was being stupid. Here the three of us are going to battle an evil creature. We had pulled together. I think it was time I forgave her.

"I forgive you," I said sighing. "Right now, we've got to worry about stopping the Silver Lining before it kills again."

Hermione had tears in her dark brown eyes.

"When is Professor Lupin supposed to arrive?" Harry asked quickly, wanting to change the subject.

"Not sure," Hermione said as she shook her head, the tears vanishing. "Probably today."

"Professor Lupin?" Hagrid asked looking bewildered.

"He's going to help us," I explained. "The Silver Lining fears Malox werewolves. He'll be there to protect us."

Hagrid nodded.

Fang suddenly came over to me and clamped his jaws on the sleeve of my robe and began pulling at it.

"Fang!" Hagrid scolded, as he reached over and tried to pull Fang off my robe. But Fang held on.

"FANG!" Harry yelled as he too tried to pull off Fang.

Fang still held on. Hermione was watching fearfully.

A tearing sound began. Fang ripped off my right sleeve to my robe. Fang was snarling and then clamped his jaws on my arm.

"GET HIM OFF!" I screamed.

Both Harry and Hagrid both tried to get Fang off. Finally, after several tries, Fang loosened his grip.

Blood began streaking down my arm. I cradled it against my body. Fang went into the corner and began whining.

"I'm so sorry, Stephanie," Hagrid said looking upset and pale. "I don' know wha' came over 'im."

"It's okay," I said in a voice of forced calm. "We'll come back for the crates later."

Hermione and Harry helped me out of Hagrid's hut and back into the castle.

We went up to Madam Pomfrey who wrapped a white bandage around the four puncture wounds in my arm just below the elbow.

On the bandage was a special salve that would heal the punctures. She fastened it with a metal clasp.

Once I was set, we left the hospital wing.

"Why on earth would Fang attack you like that?" Hermione mused as we headed to the rest of our classes.

"I don't know," I said slowly. "Normally dogs would just growl at me. They don't normally go to attack."

"Just to play safe, Harry and I will go get the crates after dinner," Hermione said.

The evening approached fast.

When dinner time arrived, Harry and Hermione headed back out to Hagrid's for the crates.

They set them outside on the grounds near the castle. Professor Lupin arrived that evening as well.

Dumbledore just told everyone that Lupin was visiting. No one asked and questions which we were grateful for.

After dinner, we snuck outside to start working on the traps.

We bonded the crates together to form a long tunnel. They were large enough to fit a Hippogriff inside.

"Okay," Harry whispered. "Now that that is set, what do we do about the bait?"

Professor Lupin scratched his head.

"I'm not sure," he said slowly. "We could ask Hagrid to get us a dead Ocylix."

"That might work yes," I said.

So Professor Lupin headed over to Hagrid's hut and after a few moments, he came back with the Ocylix. Ocylix's were much like a muggle skunk...but were red and yellow. They emitted a strong scent of ammonia when frightened.

He placed the Ocylix inside the crates at the very back. We then waited behind bushes. Harry had his Invisibility cloak handy incase someone decides to come out and see what all the commotion was about.

Professor Lupin changed into the wolf. A full moon hung in the midnight sky. Several stars twinkled merrily.

The wolf sat on his haunches beside Hermione patiently. Hermione went to turn her head to ask Professor Lupin something. Her nose and the wolfs nose came within inches of each other.

"Sorry," she said blushing.

The wolf just licked her nose and then turned its attention back to the crates.

I didn't change.

We held our breaths.

Suddenly, a dark shape loomed in the distance.

"It's here," Hermione whispered suddenly sounding apprehensive. A long cord was tied to the crate's sliding door. Once the Silver Lining enters the crate, Hermione would pull the cord, shutting it inside the crate.

"Don't worry," Harry said reassuringly. "Nothing's going to happen."

I didn't say anything. This thing was certainly powerful. It was going to take a miracle for this plan to work without a hitch.

The Silver Lining was getting closer. Finally, it landed.

It sniffed the air, obviously smelling the rotten meat from the Ocylix. We sank further down behind the bushes.

It came toward the crates...and entered them.

Once it was completely inside, Hermione pulled the string...the sliding door slid closed sealing it inside.

"We did it!" Harry cried happily.

We jumped up from behind the bushes and began laughing and hugging.

"Go get Dumbledore," Hermione said.

Harry threw on the cloak and hurried back into the castle. The Silver Lining was snarling and trying to unfurl its wings, but it couldn't. We had it trapped good this time.

A few moments later, Harry arrived with Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape.

They majicked the crates into the air and we all headed back inside. Lupin took off in the Forbidden Forest.

Professor Dumbledore set the crates down in his office.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Professor McGonagall asked warily. "We've all seen how dangerous this thing is."

"I'm going to administer a Reflex Charm," Dumbledore said. "It will speed up the transformation so we can see just who is the Silver Lining."

He waved his wand at the Silver Lining.

A jet of blue shot out from the tip of his wand and hit the Silver Lining directly in the side.

After a few seconds, all the fur, wings, and teeth disappeared.

In it, was Gina Ross' nude form.

Harry turned his eyes away bashfully. Dumbledore quickly majicked Gina a blanket and she pulled it in through the crate holes. She quickly wrapped it around her.

Feeling it was safe to look again, I jabbed Harry in the ribs.

Gina didn't look over the age of 16...the day that this all started from.

I grabbed Harry's arm in surprise. Hermione also had a look of surprise on her face.

"Miss Edwards," Professor Dumbledore said calmly. "You were the Silver Lining all along."

"Yeah," Gina replied.

Her voice sounded rough and bark-like.

"Please tell us what happened...the truth now," Dumbledore continued.

"Well, I vanished as you all know. The truth was I had gone to Transylvania. My parents worked there. So I left the school faking a disappearance because I needed to talk to them. I was bitten by some kind of animal. Before I knew it, I was changing into this animal. It was the Silver Lining. I was responsible for all those murders...and the murder's this year," Gina replied.

Was I imaging it or did her eyes seem blank?

"I came back this year to finish what I started," Gina continued. Her hair was long, knotted and unkept. "I wanted to rid the world of Advair, Lycantor, Verit and Malox werewolves. All those I killed were those species. That's why there's so little of each now."

"You wanted to be the supreme species," Dumbledore said quietly.

Gina nodded.

"My main target was her," Gina said gesturing to me. "But I had accidentally kidnaped her."

She gestured to Hermione. "I picked the wrong girl. I was going to kill her anyway."

Hermione shrank beside Professor McGonagall.

"Only she escaped." Gina frowned.

"Well," Dumbledore said quietly. "At least we know what to do with you know."

He turned to Professor McGonagall.

"Would you be so kind as to get Remus for us?" Dumbledore said calmly.

Professor McGonagall nodded and left the office.

"He's in the forest," Hermione squeaked. "What's going to happen?"

"We're going to deal with Gina," Professor Dumbledore explained patiently.

Hermione and I looked at each other. A bit of fear crept into me, but I knew Dumbledore would never hurt someone. He'd rather they be punished then killed as a resort.

I was standing beside Professor Snape.

Professor Snape turned to me.

"Miss Ross? What we don't understand is what happened to Mr. Goyle?" he asked.

His tone was calm and clear...something I knew Harry and Hermione have never heard in him before.

"Miss Edwards just confessed that," Professor Dumbledore said patiently. "What made you think Miss Ross had anything to do with it?"

"Because we found proof on Goyle's body," Professor Snape explained.

I looked at Professor Dumbledore. He was watching Snape with a calm expression. However, Hermione and Harry had pale faces.

"Please explain," Dumbledore said in that calm tone.

"Since Goyle's stomach was extracted through a hole," Professor Snape continued. I flinched. Images still floated in my head. I felt bile rising in my throat. "I realized that the Silver Lining doesn't kill that way...neither does a Vert, Malox or Lycantor werewolf. Only Advair's are known for that. Plus, a bit of evidence fell off of the killers wrist."

Professor Snape held up a small plastic baggie. In it was a bloody piece of metal...like a charm.

Reflexively, my hand went to my left wrist. I was indeed missing a charm off of the bracelet that my mom had given me. I had completely forgotten about it and the fact that the jewelry stays on the wolf when a person changes...except rings.

I swallowed.

"And how do you know that it is Miss Ross'?" Dumbledore asked.

Professor Snape grabbed my wrist and held it up exposing the charm bracelet.

"Plus, on the back of the charm, there are initials...SR," Snape continued still holding onto my wrist.

"That could be anyone's initials," Dumbledore said. "Severus, I really wish you wouldn't go accusing students without ample proof. SR could mean Samantha Rollins, or even Scott Rogers."

Snape let go of my wrist.

"I'm sorry, Headmaster," Snape said quietly, but every once and a while he glanced at me with a curious and accusing expression. He had basically guessed it was me...but it was a right guess...creepy.

Shortly, Professor McGonagall arrived with the black wolf trotting alongside her.

The minute Gina saw this, she began going crazy in the crate.

"I'm afraid there's only one way to deal with this," Dumbledore said regretfully. "If she is sent to Azkaban, she could very well escape again."

Dumbledore turned his eyes onto the black wolf.

"Go a head Remus,"

The black wolf went over to the crate and stuck his snout through the hole. Gina was yelling at the top of her lungs.

Remus parted his jaws and clamped them down briefly onto Gina's hand. He let go and pulled his snout out of the hole and came over to me, sitting on his haunches on my feet.

Gina had four puncture wounds on her hand that had begun bleeding.

Gina's yells suddenly subsided and she fell silent. Then, she fell to her side...dead.

"Remus' bite broke down her cells," Dumbledore said. "It was rather painless and fast."

Professor Dumbledore waved his wand and the crate vanished with Gina inside it.

"I sent her somewhere where her body could never be recovered again," he explained.

"I think we've all had a rough and exhausting night," Dumbledore continued. "Time for bed all of you."

Professor Snape left, still eyeing me. Professor McGonagall gave my shoulder a squeeze before she too, left. I turned to Dumbledore.

"It was really my fault, Professor," Hermione said quietly. "I drugged Stephanie. She didn't know what she was doing when she changed. I was just so upset over Ron I was quick to blame the first person I didn't like."

Professor Dumbledore put a hand on my shoulder and Hermione's.

"I'll understand if you want to expel me," Hermione said even quieter.

Professor Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

"I'm not going to expel you," he said. "What you did was inexcusable though. I understand where your heart was at the time. But please, think before acting next time."

Hermione nodded meekly.

Hermione left, then Harry.

"Stephanie," Dumbledore said kindly. "Just be careful around Professor Snape. Don't give him anymore reasons to suspect you. I will definitely have a talk with him soon."

I nodded and smiled.

Relief flooded over me. I was just glad that this was all over with. I gave Dumbledore a quick hug, much to his shock, but he shyly patted me on my back. I released him and hurried after Hermione and Harry.