Chapter 8: The Truth

No one knew what really happened to Laura, but according to Madame Pomfrey, she would able to make a full recovery within two weeks. Karen and her brothers were there everyday, by Laura's side, hoping she would wake up that day. A few times when no one was there, Drake would come in the hospital wing in secret crying a little bit in front of her, but quickly snuck out if he saw someone coming.

Hermione was sent a letter from Zack asking her not to tell Karen about him hiding in the forest and not to tell Karen that he believe that the reason Laura was close to death was because of her protecting the White Lion. Laura finally woke up a week after she was brought in with no memory of what happen after she run in the forest after Hermione.

"Are you sure you don't remember?" Karen asked her daughter, but Laura shook her head lightly, "I wish I could, mom, my head is till aching from whatever happened to me." Laura said in a whisper.

Madame Pomfrey came in looking at Karen with a glare, "Professor, that poor child needs rest, she's been through enough already without you questioning her every ten minutes." Karen lightly laughed and Laura fell back to sleep because she haven't regain all her strength yet.

The next day Hermione, Ron, and Harry came into the Hospital wing when Laura drinking a little pumpkin juice. "How are you feeling, Laura?" Ron asked first as they sat down beside her. "Okay, I wish I could walk around a bit though."

Madame Pomfrey heard her, "Oh no, you still need bed rest for at least six more days, young lady, with all the blood lost and the amount a potions and spells we've been using to get you better."

Laura lightly laughed, yet when she did laugh, her side flared in pain, "I wish I could remember what happened to me, it's driving me nuts that all I can remember is running into the forest looking for you," She said as looked at a large scar on her left arm, then she chuckle a bit, "I was probably useless if you carry me out the forest, Hermione, huh?"

Hermione shook her head, "No I don't ever remember who saved me, a wizard brought me to a cave, and then he left, and found you." Laura was shock a bit, now she was really wishing she could remember what happened. "Zack found me?" Laura whispered, if Zack found me, I must have been in bad shape.

"Hermione, please don't tell my mom about the wizard, if she find out about him before I find the truth about him, she'll hunt him down and kill him." Laura said with a serious tone in her voice. Hermione nodded her head in agreement, and then Madame Pomfrey looked at them, "Ok, It's almost time for dinner, you three better head down and let Miss. Eaglehorn rest." The three of them waved good night to their friend as Laura drank a dreamless sleep potion and lied back down a fell asleep.

Hermione returned to the girls' dormitory when she spotted a barn owl standing on the edge of Laura's bed. The owl looked at Hermione and lifted his leg to her. Hermione took the letter from the owl and the owl flew out of the open window. The letter was addressed to her, not to Laura like she though. She open the letter and all it said was, 'Meet me in the room of requirements, I would like to talk to you. You can sneak down with Laura's cloak that's hidden under her pillow. Don't worry, she will not mind.'

Hermione did look under Laura's pillow and there was an invisibility cloak under it. She begins wonder why someone wants to talk to her, unless it was someone from another house. Then she quickly puts on the cloak and disappears out of Gryffindor Tower.

"Young Cub, waken from you're dreamless sleep, I wish to talk to you" Nayo called from the darkness of her sleep. Then the land of her guardian's world appears from the darkness and the mountain was they play around when she was little appears from the darkness as the young Indian's hut appeared in front of her. Laura slowed walked toward the hut where the young Indian sat in front of the fire.

"Ah, Young Cub, I was wondering how long I was going to call you till that potion you took wore off." Nayo said with a smile on his face and nodded his head to the stump next to him. Laura took at seat and sighed lightly. "Young Cub, does something trouble you?" Nayo asked, but Laura just lightly nods.

"Well, if it's about why you can't remember that great fight and rescue, it's because you hit your head real hard when you ran into the cave as the Death eater cast those spells in the dark." Nayo said as if he was there too.

Laura looked at Nayo in anger, "How is it you know about that and I don't?" Nayo laughed lightly and nods he's head to a great white lion who came beside them. "Because you're animal spirit told me." The lion place his great head on Laura's lap as she patted him on the head.

Then a flood of memories entered her head from when she becoming into Ghost, to her venting her anger at Grayclaw, to the fight between her and the two Death eaters, and finally to when she changed back into her human form in the darkness of the cave while the death eater cast seven spells in the darkness with five of them hitting her. "That was what happened?" Laura asked the great white lion and the lion nodded his head purring at her.

"You saved that girl's life, Young cub, now do you believe it time to tell someone your secret besides young Shadowclaw?" Nayo said to her, but Laura shook her head.

"Young Cub, you were chosen to become the white lion because it was told that you would bring together two lands to unite together to fight against the darkness." Nayo began to say to Laura, "and yet you called yourself 'Ghost' in the white lion form because you wish to remain one and you know you can't be one forever." Laura looked down to the ground.

"Nayo, I've got a question for you?" Laura said, and Nayo looked at her for second when Laura's eyes met his and shook his head.

"You're not as weak as you think because of what you, you're stronger because of who you, A brave and courageous young cub with kindness in your heart and a dream of something better."

Hermione made it down to the Room of Requirement, and enter the room slowly. Inside the room looked like it was a training room, and someone was in there throwing some punches at a punching bag. The boy had long black hair tied back in to a pony tail like the wizard she met in the forest that day. "Excuse me?" She said to the boy as he made one final punch.

The boy turned around and looked at Hermione, then she realized who he was, "Oh it you, that evil American…"

"Now, wait one second, Hermione." Drake said to her. Hermione was shock, he didn't call her a mudblood like he always does when he's around Draco Malfoy or in potions. "How do you know my name and why don't you call me…"

"Please don't say that, I hate hearing people you muggle-borns that and Laura told me." He said as two chairs appeared in the middle. "Please have a seat, Hermione, I just want to talk to you for a few minutes." He said with a gentle voice.

Hermione took a seat in the one chair and Drake sat down in the one across from her. "So, how are you feeling from what happen to you?" Drake asked but Hermione didn't answer.

Drake sighed lightly, "I wrote to Laura, the day before the attack, that I over heard Draco said something about that attack and trying to get someone, but when I heard from Professor Eaglehorn that the Death eaters got you instead and Laura went after you after I report to both of them. I got a little scared about both of you."

"So you're spying on Malfoy?" She said, and Drake nodded his head. "And find out if he knows any of the death eaters Voldemort sent to America and reveal who they are." Drake said lightly.

"Then the man out in the forest is your father?" Hermione asked and Drake nodded his head to that too. Hermione thought about something, she knew Laura didn't want to talk about it, but maybe Drake was willing to. "Can you please explain to me why you've call Laura a half-blood in class?"

Drake sighed, "I knew you were going to ask that, well, if I tell you, do you promise not to tell anyone?" Hermione nodded her head lightly and Drake sighed again, "It's because of her father, her real father."

"Was her father a muggle?" Hermione asked but drake shook his head.

"No, her real father was a wizard, but in the magical community in America, if you're an Indian or a normal America, you're always watched and protected by that side and friends with the other, yet her father, who was of my father's tribe, fell in love with Professor Eaglehorn."

"So you're an Indian, and Laura's half-Indian?" Hermione said not believing his story.

"Yes, when we were first years at Salem, many of the kids realized Laura was half-Indian and began to tease her, calling her half-blood or half-breed. Many of them jinxed and cursed her, and then one day, someone perform one of the unforgivable curses on her." Hermione gasped when he said that.

"Which of the Unforgivable curses was preformed on her?" Hermione asked, Drake lightly sighed and shook his head. "It was the Cruciatus Curse that's why Laura was scared out of her wits after Defense Class that day and Professor Eaglehorn knew she was scared of that curse…"

"What happened to the person who beside did that to her?" Hermione then asked.

"He was expelled and was to going to be sent to Azkaban prison, but he escaped before anyone could get him and destroy his wand." Drake said, "We better leave before anybody notices that we're both gone." Hermione picked up Laura's invisibility cloak, then Drake looked at her, "Can I ask you one more favor, please don't tell anyone I'm just acting like a jerk to everyone that's not in Slytherin so I can fool Draco, that can ruin my mission if he finds out."

Hermione nodded her head and she quickly disappears out of the room back up to Gryffindor Tower before the clocks tolled midnight.

End notes: Yup, Laura is the white lion and she's half-Indian. The next chapter is going to be interesting when Drake and Laura decides to show the trio a memory that would reveal why Laura didn't want anyone know about her being what she is.