The sun was long since gone. The moon was hidden, but she knew it was there. Lurking...spying on her from behind the mist and clouds of the cold and harmful night that had forsaken her deepest nightmares. She held her arms, rubbing them for the longing of warmth to touch them with it's gentle fingers. But it would never come. This was such an eternal cold. The darkness engulfed her like an unwanted blanket on a summer night. The wind slapped her face with the force of a rock and could have knocked her unconsious had she not the strength to hold her body's will against it. She pulled her cloak around her. She could see her breath forming in steam before her with every unsteady gasp.

It was as though she could SEE the cold right in front of her eyes as she took in every breath of it. The forest grew nearer and nearer, her steps became quickened and urgent. For some reason the forest was her only hope. As though life depended on her reaching it's vast hideaways. Closer and closer it became. Her breath was steadily growing deeper and deeper...And then...

She stopped right at the edge of the forest and stared into it, searching for something it seemed. Glancing through every leaf of every tree, quietly wondering what hid within. And then...she ran. She ran with all she had, faster and faster, the blur of trees and creatures clouded her vision as she hurried toward her destination. A howl shot her ears and she stopped. She was now in a clearing. She looked up at the moon. The orb shined upon her like a streetlamp a million feet high and bigger than any other light there. As she stared at it, her desire to touch it became emense. She raised her hand and let out a piercing cry that shattered the everlasting silence in the night and then...

Tru awoke in the middle of the night from the same nightmare she'd been having for months in a row. She was shaking in a cold sweat and curled up under the covers, shivering though it was quite warm under those covers. Her mind was overflowing with stress and sorrow. A tear fell to the pillow and absorbed itself from the thermal to the goosedown.

She turned over and gasped. She had forgotten that Malfoy was there with her. Her loathing for him didn't change as she stared at his sleeping form. What WAS he playing at? That manipulative little brownnoser. Everyone liked him for his fame and glory and the fact that he would be a dark wizard one day. But who's to say he wasn't one already? That fiend. That horrible horrible fiend.

She turned back over on her other side and sighed. What time was it? She looked out of the window and saw the sun's first rays rising over the peak of the mountains. The beauty of the lush grounds greeting her like a postcard in muggle mail. Tru smiled, for the first time in 24 hours. Hogwarts was indeed a wonderful place. She loved it dearly. But she knew this year wouldn't be the same as the past 5. She knew that this year along with the next would be torture..

Now that she was a...a...

She couldn't even bear to THINK of the accursed word that hovered in the back of her mind that now described WHAT she was. She loathed the fact that her father had to go through it. As well as the rest of her family. But even more, she loathed the fact her mother had left because of what they were.

She hated to think of her.

So much.

Tru withdrew her gaze from the window and sighed.

"Good morning." a voice from her left made her jump a mile in the air. Draco Malfoy was still laying down, but was facing her and looked as though he had just awoken from a LONG and restless sleep.

"Ugh...don't scare me like that. What do you want?" she said irritably laying back down on her own pillow. "I just wanted to wish you a good morning, is that a crime?"

"From you yes because you probably just want something from me. So what DO you want? A foot rub? Well I'm not giving you one so back-"

"Perhaps a hello and good morning back from you?"

Tru stared at him and sat up. Draco just stared back at her, an earnest look on his face. Tru raised an eyebrow and examined every feature about him, wondering if she should take this seriously or not..."Good...morning..." she said cautiously. Malfoy smiled. "That's more like it. Now would you please just let me talk to you? And could we do it without bickering please? I honestly do want to be nice to you and your friends."

"But why NOW? Why not when we met?" Tru asked him. Her mingled expressions remained painted and glued on her face as though she were born that way. Draco was beginning to feel very provoked and his face screwed up. "Do I need a REASON to just want to be nice to people? GOODNESS seems like everything people do is a crime to you!

And with that he turned over again.

No matter how hard you try this Draco...you're just gonna mess it up all over again...

Remus paced his office, staring occasionally out of the window with a saddening look in his tired eyes. Today was Halloween, normally one of Tru's favorite holidays. But today, he wasn't so sure she'd even acknowledge it. Knowing how things were now.

Observing the grounds, he noted how unusually frosty the grass had become. The sun had just carried itself over the mountains and was settled as though it was on the very tip of them, gleaming it's heavenly rays down upon the green forest. Remus sighed deeply and sunk into his armchair. "What am I to do?" He rubbed between his eyes and then his temples in thought. He was extremely tired.

A knock rang through the room, which woke him up entirely. "Come in." he said quietly. Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked in and closed the door, locking it soon after. "You wanted to see us Professor?" Harry said sitting down in front of him.

Remus registered the anxious and tired looks on their faces before standing and leaning up against his desk. The thoughts running through his mind were louder than a tiger's roar. The buzz seemed to leak out of his ears and he feared the whole world could hear it, and not just the children who sat before him, but also those who might walk by the room or those who may still be asleep. Sighing, he looked into the eyes of each student before him and folded his arms.

"I want you all to do me a big favor. And it's not for me, but for Tru. I want you guys to take her all of her assignments, I want you to visit her as much as you can but DO NOT bring up anything that's going on. Treat her as though she has a mere common cold while she is in the hospital wing. Don't say ANYTHING to remind her of her new founded...werewolfism...Just don't even mention it to her. UNLESS she talks about it TO you. Other than that, don't mention it to her. And tonight, bring her something please. Perhaps some "late" birthday gifts. Or books to get her mind off of things."

Remus finished and took a long let out of breath while observing their nods and remarks of agreement. This at least comforted him a little. They agreed to do what they could and left for breakfast.

Remus sat back in his chair and faced the window. He could just see the forest's edge and beyond. He only wished there was a way to spare her. If only...he thought...if only...