Summary: Oliver and company finally escaped, but not without harm. How will the fight with the demon wolves affect them? Especially Beth, who has now killed intelligent creatures?

Disclaimer: HP is Rowling's, basic ideas are the grapevine's (though I don't think that's much in here yet, if at all), everyone and everything else is ours or brief references to our friends.

K: Nope, it's not done yet!

Chapter 20

Angst

Beth opened her eyes and looked around—where was she? She didn't understand why she was here. She should be in the Common Room, or the room she shared with Angelina, Alicia, and Katie.

"Beth?" Oliver spoke up.

"Where are we?'

"Hagrid's hut."

"What are we doing here? Weren't we at the Shrieking Shack? I'm confused."

"The Shrieking Shack? Don't ye remember?"

"Remember what?"

"The wolves?'

"The wolves?" Beth frowned, her brow furrowing. She remembered standing in front of the Shrieking Shack, wondering where Jusea and the twins were. And then...tracking, down the slope, into the woods...there was fire and lightning, fangs...wolves, the wolves. Spitting lightning, fur of flame—no, bodies on fire. And the serpent, roiling into the cavern, that dark cavern full of burning eyes—a burnt corpse, black and smelling of ozone and burned flesh, burnt fur—

and Oliver—Oliver standing there, then falling to the ground in a graceful heap, the smoking hole of Beth's fireball.

Beth stared at nothingness, her hazel eyes glassy and empty. She started shaking uncontrollably. "Beth?" Oliver grabbed his sister. "Hagrid, help!"

The giant man crossed the space from the fireplace to the bed quickly. "Hold 'er. Fred, George, get Madam Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore. Quickly."

Oliver wrapped his arms around Beth. "Beth, it's okay. It's all right. Ah'm here."

Beth blinked and looked up at him. "Oliver? But Ah killed ye. Ah killed Oliver."

"No, Beth, Ah'm here. It's all right."

"But Ah killed ye. Ah saw it."

"Beth, no, it's okay." Jusea crawled over to the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It was a wolf."

"A wolf? But, the wolves, they—" Beth shook her head, bowing it, clapping her hands over her ears. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Ah killed them. Ah killed them, and Ah killed Oliver."

The door opened, admitting Professor Dumbledore. He stepped aside, and Madam Pomfrey entered. She ran to the bedside. "Move aside."

Oliver fell back as the efficient healer took over. He stared at his sister, closed in on herself, crying, as Madam Pomfrey unstoppered a smoking vial and held the girl, putting the vial near her nose.

It was some minutes later when Beth straightened. "Are you all right?" Madam Pomfrey asked. Beth nodded.

"Are you sure, Beth?" Dumbledore said.

"Aye, sir. Ah'm fine."

"Then please meet me at my office, all of you." Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey left Hagrid's hut.

"But, Headmaster…" Madam Pomfrey's voice faded as they walked away.

"Are ye sure ye're up to this, Beth?" Oliver asked.

Beth blinked at the foot of the giant bed, then she looked up and smiled weakly at him. "Aye," she said.

"Because if not—"

"Ah'm all right, Oliver. Really." They followed the others from the hut, and Beth leaned against Oliver as they walked towards the castle. "It was awful, though. Ah thought Ah'd really killed ye."

He placed an arm around her shoulders. "It's all right, Beth. Ah'm here."

They reached Dumbledore's office sooner than Oliver expected, where five armchairs sat in front of the Headmaster's desk. Oliver led Beth to the first chair, and he sat down next to her. Jusea sat on the other side, and the twins took the last two chairs.

"Beth, how are you doing?" Jusea asked.

"Ah'm all right," Beth said.

"Good. Um, Oliver? How about you?"

"Ah—Good. Ye?"

"I-I-um, I-I'm good, thanks."

"That's good. Ah mean...well...how are ye?"

"You just asked me...but I'm fine. And you?"

"Good. Fine, good. So...ye were pretty fast back there."

"Me?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, thanks. I practice at home, but I wished I had practiced more."

"It was a shock to m-us."

"What was?"

"Well, we thought you were dead."

"Dead?"

"Yes. The queen told us and Ah-we were mad and sad...very, very upset. Ah mean..."

"Oh. Well...I'm not?"

"Ah'm glad."

"Are you?"

"Of course. That would...well, be horrible..."

"That's kind of like when you..."

"Yes?" Then from behind Jusea, Oliver heard the twins laughing. It was then that Oliver realized how close he was to her. He sat up just as Professor Dumbledore came in.

Dumbledore sat behind his desk. "So, how are you all feeling?"

The twins, laughing, answered. "Fine."

Jusea opened her mouth as if to speak but then closed it and nodded. "Ah'm all right," Oliver said. Beth nodded, smiling slightly.

"Please describe the creatures and tell me everything that happened." After the five told Dumbledore and answered his questions, he reached into one of the drawers of his desk and pulled out a book. Opening it, he showed them a picture of a few grey wolves, one standing in the foreground with burning green eyes, the others in the background howling, lightning streaking from their mouths to the sky. Oliver nodded, unwilling to speak; the picture was a little too realistic. At least, for once, it wasn't a moving picture.

Dumbledore closed the book and set it aside. He folded his hands on the desk. "I am impressed. What you confronted were demon wolves."

"Oh, that's right. Stormclaw mentioned that," Jusea said.

"Yes. As you know, they are very intelligent creatures, and it seems you saw most of their powers: lightning breath and shapeshifting. They are also capable of telepathy among their own kind. No, they could not have read your minds," he added at the looks on the students' faces. Oliver sighed with relief; of course, the wolves had still managed to hit his worst fears.

"I understand how hard it must have been. Those few encounters between demon wolves and wizards do not turn out so well. Your fortune in escaping relatively unscathed was in part, I think, due to the good fortune of your having an elemental user in the group." Dumbledore nodded to Beth; she turned away. He frowned slightly, but the expression passed before Oliver was certain he'd seen it. "Now, Madam Pomfrey is outside waiting to escort you to the Infirmary. Don't worry about your classes; your teachers have been informed of the circumstances. I want you to stay at the Infirmary until Madam Pomfrey deems you are fit to go. Despite the slightness of your wounds, they still need tending, and I know the worst wounds are not physical."

The twins nodded, and they headed for the door. Beth rose without a word and left. Oliver sighed and followed. Behind him, he heard Jusea speak. "Thank you, Professor Dumbledore."

"Thank you, Jusea."

Jusea caught up to Oliver. "Beth, are you really okay?"

"Sure," the girl said quietly. But she didn't sound sure.

Jusea and Oliver sat across from each other in the Great Hall, eating a very late lunch. The Great Hall was almost empty, since it was a Monday and most students were in class. Fred and George sat down next to them.

"Good afternoon, lovely lady."

"And our good captain."

"We have come to request your presence at an occasion of great state, pomp, and honor."

"What's it for?" Jusea asked.

"Us." Fred smiled.

"After all, the five of us did save the day," George said.

Oliver glared at them. "After almost destroying it," Fred added meekly.

"That's okay. You guys didn't mean to do it," Jusea said.

"But they still did," Oliver said. The twins smiled apologetically.

"It's okay, though. We are okay."

Oliver snorted.

"Okay, the party's in five minutes," George said. He and Fred ran off.

"Oh, my goodness. We have to get going. If we missed the party, that would be just horrible." Jusea jumped up.

"Do we have to?"

"We can't just not go. We were invited, and it wouldn't be polite."

Oliver sighed and got up. "Fine."