1Vanessa's emerald dress flowed behind her as her and Alex went through the turn. The dark blue eyes looked excited and content, the green ones were concentrating. Both were locked on each other's.
They reminded Sirius of Lilly and James.
Both were great at dancing.
Her long red hair, everything except her blue eyes was in accord with Lilly. And like his father, Alex was the spitting image of James Potter, well except for his eyes. And those weren't Lilly's they were his mum's eyes, but God he looked like James.
But it wasn't Lilly Evans or James Potter.
It was Vanessa Wood and Alex Potter.
And he wasn't the same child watching his two best friends dance like mad on the Great Hall floor.
Peter had always stuck to the wall near Remus and Sirius, since the two didn't dance much but could if asked. But Peter the boy wasn't there.
He had died with Lilly and James -no, he'd died on graduation day, if not before- Sirius and Remus had died with Lilly and James.
All because of Peter.
No, not Peter, Peter was the boy who played pranks with them, Peter was Wormtail. Wormtail was a Marauder.
No he was Pettigrew.
Pettigrew had ruined everything.
Lilly and James were long dead.
Harry never knew them or Sirius and Remus and Charlie and Alex never knew their grandparents.
Sirius had died that night.
Then died again in those twelve years of Azkaban.
And Remus.
Moony.
Left alone.
Howling and suffering under that horrible moon all alone, no Marauders to play and ease the pain with.
Alone.
The one thing they'd sworn never to do to him.
One man ruined all those lives.
Sirius could never understand why he did it.
And now.
History certainly was being a bitch.
A werewolf, her friends ready to become anigmagis for her. The ones who seemed the most desperate were reminding him of him and Prongs. But Maddy, however like Remus, was totally different in a few ways.
Not mentioning the obvious.
She had quite a temper.
Even when he was mad -with the exception of Sirius' little prank on Snape- he'd never really got mad, but even she took quite a bit to get angry.
Despite her relations to the Malfoy's Remus and him had grown somewhat fond of her.
He'd had to shove his face almost into the wall not to laugh when she'd called Jack Malfoy a completely retarded dumb ass the other day.
Oh but he was.
If only he was able to give first years passes to Hogsmeade.
She'd have fifty.
"Ok, now we've got all the ingredients." Sirius said slowly adding the ingredients to the concoctions their steaming cauldrons held.
He bit back memories of three fifteen year olds doing the very same thing years and years before to help their best friend.
"So you thought of the general species, like canine, feline." Remus said watching the cauldrons steam. He hadn't been with the Marauders when they turned into Anigmagus, he'd only seen them a week later at the full moon.
"Right" Sirius continued, "You need something personal." Vanessa and Alexis both had brought brushes and plucked a few strands from the brush teeth. Charlie and Amber just ripped a piece out, both wincing for a second.
It was December fifth. fourteen days 'till the next full moon.
After a bit of conning on their parts, Charlie, Amber, Vanessa, Maddy, and Alexis were let by their parents to stay home for Christmas Break. They'd stayed because they wanted to be with Maddy on the full moon as anigmagis.
Not that their parents knew anyways.
As Sirius and Remus instructed, they dropped the hairs in each individual's cauldron. There was a fizzing sound then popping as bubbles were emited onto the concoctions blue-purple surface. Hissing and crackling noises soon followed the other sounds then a mist was produced.
It wound around the room, no one could see an inch in front of them on any side, Then as if blown by a sudden gust of wind it started swirling 'round them. Then, after a great sound like rushing water, it whizzed past them and hovered, spinning, over their cauldrons. Suddenly in the mist black and gray animals sprouted forth and shown their selves to their people.
Vanessa had a tiger, Ambers was a fox, Alexis had a squirrel and Charlie's was the strangest type of dog-wolf thing she'd ever seen. It was pretty big, well, big for a puppy anyways. It had a dog/puppies body, but a wolf's tail, paws and ears it seemed.
"It's a grim." Amber said slowly peering at it, "Congratulations, Charlie, you can scare the shit outta everyone now." Charlie looked at it and grinned her mischievous/excited grin.
"Cool." She doubted a puppy-grim could scare anyone, but it was still cool. She didn't even know that Grims existed.
"I thought Grims were just in stories..." Alexis trailed off, looking creeped out that she would spend one night a month in the company of not only a wolf and tiger, but a Grim as well.
"No, "Vanessa started, "they're real, just they don't mean Death like everyone loves to think they do. They're actually almost on the Endangered Magical Species list cause wizards and witches kill them off for just that reason, something about killing a grim means good luck or some such nonsense."
Oh great Charlie couldn't help but thinking I get the coolest Anigmagus possible only to find out that stupid wizards and witches are killing them left and right.
"You'd better wait till tomorrow to try tackling the actual transformation." Sirius said checking his watch. 11 a.m. Professor Mc Gonnagal would kill them if the kept the children up longer, "First you gotta drink a cup full of the potion to enable your transforming ability. Then off to bed or Mc Gonnagal will scalp us."
After they downed a cup of the horrible tasting stuff, the four Gryffindors trudged, dead tired, up to the girl's dorm.
There was the full moon.
But why the hell was she not transformed?
Her keen nose smelled the scent of tantalizing cheese wafting towards her. Looking up at the moon once more she realized it was a ball of cheese hung over a waxing moon.
Thud.
What the hell was that! This wasn't a falling dream!
And why was the ground all soft and bouncing!
Maddy opened her eyes, squinting against the morning sun. A pair of emerald eyes loomed above her own, shocked she half leapt - half rolled away.
Thud
She hit the ground, blankets wrapped around her. After a few moments of kicking and struggling with the blankets from hell she got free. Rolling out of them and onto her hands and knees, she peered up, through her light brown hair, at Charlie, who looked torn between laughter and surprise.
"What the hell were you doin Charlie?" She said to Charlie who jumped off her bed and landed on the wooden floor on her feet next to Maddy and peered down at Maddy, a triumphant look on her face.
"Waking you up." Maddy rolled her eyes.
"Well I'm up. What the hell time is it?" She said pulling her hair into a ponytail.
"Cranky aren't we?" Charlie teased.
Maddy decided not to tell her about the cheese moon.
"It's 9:30. Today's when the rest of our little Gryffindor gang goes bye, bye but me, you, Vanessa, Alexis and Mike."
Recognition flooded Maddy's eyes and she jumped up, ran into the bathroom and came out a minute later dressed in jeans and a worn out shirt.
"That was fast enough." Charlie observed, raising an eyebrow and giving Maddy a crooked smile.
She could look so strangely like a young Sirius at times.
"And" Charlie continued in a whisper that sent chills up Maddy's back, "We got out anigmagis." Seeing Maddy's curious look she was trying, unsuccessfully, to hide she continued, "Vanessa got a tiger, Amber a fox, Alexis a squirrel, you know what a Grim is, right?" Maddy looked slightly confused.
"I thought they were just made up to scare people to death."
"So did I, but, according to Nessa, they're really rare, they're like on the Endangered Magical Creatures list cause wizards and witches love to kill them." Maddy laughed.
"You would get the Anigmagus that everyone's trying to kill, well, at least you get to scare everyone to death," Charlie just laughed.
They both raced downstairs and outside, Maddy winning so far by three steps. She stopped when she saw Vanessa, but Charlie didn't in time.
Charlie rammed into Maddy who was pushed into Vanessa.
In the events following all three girls fell down the stairs. They all stood up and Vanessa and Maddy glared at Charlie, both were covered by snow. Charlie backed towards the door, grinning angelically.
After giving each other looks both girls grabbed handfuls of snow and hurled them at Charlie. Charlie, in turn, leapt off the stairs and started grabbing and hurling snowballs. Mike, seeing the current snowball war, let out a whoop of delight and jumped off the steps and joined in, on Charlie's side.
By the time Professor Mc Gonnagal came out and made them quit and go up to their dorms and get changed and dried, they were soaked to the bones. They all trudged up the back way, so as to avoid Madame Pomfrey.
"What happened t'you?" Charlie looked up at Alex as she dried her drenched hair with a big midnight blue towel.
"Snow fight. Thought you left already." Alex mock pouted.
"I missed the fight. Anyways we leave in..." he paused to look at his watch, which as dangerously close to leaving this world, "Ten minutes. I gotta go." He paused to give Vanessa a good-bye, and, if Charlie or anyone else paused to look, they would have seen the kiss, but no one did.
"Well." Mike said flopping down on the couch next to Charlie and propping up his legs on a coffee table like table thing, "They're gone now." Charlie, now tying up her still wet, though not dripping wet, hair, looked at him.
"And you're gonna go to your dorm and cry." She joked.
He gave her a mock glare and laughed.
"If you don't wanna have an extra strong Tickling Charm, you'd better quit." They went on like that for a few minutes till Vanessa gave the four girls a look. They all got up to leave, saying they were going to find a new secret corridor or such.
Once they were out they headed towards the Teachers Corridor to learn to transform.
Charlie stood in the room and watched the other three transform. Both Amber (who was leaving that day due to a mess up on the first day leaving) and Vanessa did it with painless mastery but Alexis had a bit of trouble. They'd done the practicing three days already and this was Charlie's first try. As with all rare anigmagis, Charlie had to do extra bits of practicing.
Now it was her turn to join them in the animal world.
She looked at the big black and orange tiger with sapphire eyes that was Vanessa, the little squirrel with green eyes that was Alexis, and Amber, a red and golden fox with silver eyes, all staring up with anticipation, at Charlie.
She smiled at a new thought,
Wait till Maddy sees us. She thought happily.
She pictured every minute detail of the Grim and, after a few seconds, she turned into a black shaggy puppy. It had the eyes, ears, tail, and paws of a wolf, but the rest was a puppy whom was a little bigger than most puppies, but just as big as a werewolf pup, it's golden eyes were sparkling with light and her black tail wagged happily and she let out a quick bark that probably meant 'it worked.'
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Maddy walked down the long corridor, making sure not to go near the 3rd floor corridor.
The idea of her friends becoming anigmagis had yet to sink in.
It was all too crazy, but it felt great she had real friends.
Friends who were willing to do all that for her and expect nothing in return.
They'd been practicing transforming for a week already, Charlie and Vanessa had told her. She wondered how they were getting on with it.
She remembered, with a slight smile, the day they'd met. She, at first had been very wary of them. After all, she tried not to get too close to people, being that they moved so often and most friends would turn enemies in a heartbeat.
But they'd been different.
They hadn't let her try to keep distance in-between a new friendship, and now, in hindsight, she was glad she hadn't resisted. If she had, who knew what might have happened.
But even if she originally resisted, they'd work her into a friendship.
It was just the way they were.
And now they knew.
They knew what she was.
And they hadn't turned her away.
They wouldn't believe she was a monster. Even she was starting to doubt she was.
Her mum knew that they knew.
Oh God was she happy for Maddy.
She said she knew the girls were different from the moment she saw them. After all her mum had a thing about people's personality.
Maddy jumped as a hand grasping her arm drove the thoughts away. She knew the grip at once.
Charlie.
Sure enough, she turned around and the girl stood behind her, smiling happily.
"C'mon" she heard Charlie whisper and the next moment was being drug halfway down the hall. She stumbled and stood up properly and started running after Charlie.
Charlie led her around corners and halls, portraits and rooms flying by as they ran, now side by side in a tied race. She ran past the Dancing and Singing and Anigmagus Training classes, stopping as Charlie stopped in front of a new hall. She gave Charlie a look when she read the 'Teachers Hall,' sign but Charlie motioned her into a blue door that read Lupin & Sirius.
As she entered, slowly, she saw a gold and red fox sitting next to the wall, a happy look in her eyes. Suddenly she was knocked backwards by a great weight. A tiger with Vanessa's blue eyes stared into her face.
"Vanessa?" She said, the idea dawning on her.
The tiger grinned, a rather scary grin, and then she felt something fanning her face. She looked up and saw a black dog -puppy's- face and a tail wagging to beat hell.
"Charlie?" She thought the pup -Grim- nodded. Then a squirrel she knew was Alexis scampered up to her as the fox sat down next to it.
"Woah" she breathed as the tiger leapt, agily, off her and she sat up against the wall.
She couldn't even form the words for the right thanks.
Had she been girly she would have burst into tears, but she wasn't. She looked up at Sirius and Remus and her now transformed back friends.
"Woah" she continued. "Thanks."
Vanessa smiled, "anything for our friend."
"Anyways," Charlie said, smirking cheekily, "You're our best friend. No matter what, you're still stuck with us." Maddy laughed, feeling considerably lighter.
And happier.
The three girls, all under the same invisibility cloak, snuck out the big oak doors as Madame Pomfrey entered them.
Back from the Shrieking Shack.
The night was chilly, reminding them of the winter they'd already entered. Through a light haze of a passing cloud they saw the full moon's light pouring on the Whomping Willow and Charlie cursed the moon for her friend who couldn't.
She wondered what it was like knowing never in the rest of your life could you see a full moon out of human eyes. Wordlessly Charlie picked up a stick and did the same blind poking. She hit it and it froze.
"D'you think she's a wolf yet?" Alexis asked. They froze a minute as they heard a wolf howling.
"Yeah." Vanessa finished Charlie,
"We'd better change. Quick."
As if on key, all three shadows morphed into animals.
The squirrel, tiger, and grim all gathered into a semi circle.
Charlie it was Vanessa you first. Maybe wolfs recognize a dog better . Charlie nodded slightly.
They went through a door left slightly ajar and stopped, a bit alarmed.
There, looking straight at them and snarling was a wolf puppy, bigger than most wolf puppies, the size of the grim before it, it's fur light brown with white streaks through it and amber eyes.
Charlie went forward slowly, her paws making no noise on the wooden floor. The wolf lunged forward and just barely missed the dog's left shoulder.
The dog yelped and backed up a step but then stood its ground although the wolf started to advance on it.
Suddenly the wolf stopped.
It sniffed her slightly as the grim pup almost bowed down. Then recognition shown slightly in the wolfs eyes. The pup, Charlie, barked.
Play?
Amber eyes met golden and flashed a moment then the wolf barked and stretched down on it's fore legs, growling like a playful puppy, tail wagging. The grim puppy followed the wolf puppy, it's black wolf's tail wagging and soon the two were off, running, hopping, bounding around the room just playing.
After a flick of its tail, the tiger joined in, the squirrel, somewhat warily, joined in the game. And so they ran in the Shack. The two, grim puppy and wolf puppy, natural cousins, ran together at the front, followed closely by the tiger. The squirrel brought up the rear.
The door to the shack was opened and they played in the hallway of the Willow and wrestled with the wolf when it got impatient. Two hours before dawn they ran out of the Willow, away from Hogwarts and into the Forbidden Forest.
So this is what its like Charlie thought, ground flying beneath her paws as her and the wolf ran side by side.
The dog looked up at the moon and howled a mocking howl. A howl of curses and of despise, and also a howl of defiance. The wolf joined in and both voices, the dogs and the wolf's, haunted the night sky and showed defiance to the cursed moon.
The full moon.
Only when the dawn came did they notice how horribly exhausted they were, as well as their friend was. They brought Maddy into the bed, and the dog lay next to the wolf. And Vanessa, the tiger lay down on the couch, the squirrel choosing the spot it had last sat on, the rug.
A movement behind her awakened Charlie. She heard a quiet moaning and muffled whimpering. Slowly she opened her eyes and lifted her pup-head off her paws and looked next to her. Maddy was laying next to her on her stomach, half human, half werewolf, in the middle of her monthly painful re-transformation and somehow she was still asleep, or keeping her eyes closed so as not to see.
Charlie was a bit surprised by the change's effects, but she knew of the horrible pain she must've been suffering right then. She transformed into her human form and put her hand gingerly on her friend's shoulder to show her that she was not alone.
Even the thought had a warm feeling to it.
She took the blanket and covered her friend, doing this she noticed how little Maddy had injured her self during the night. She less scratches and only one big bite in her arm, her body still had evidence of the wolf, though, of course, just a lot less gruesome.
Maddy opened her eyes slowly, because of her killer headache, which happened to be turning into a migraine. She looked around, feeling only half awake, Charlie was sitting next to her on the bed, looking sleepy, and also half awake and on the couch a small beautiful white tiger lay sprawled out, a squirrel lay on the floor, also very asleep.
"What..." Maddy whispered, "What does that mean? I mean, the animals. She was obviously still half out of it. Charlie thought smiling slightly. "The tiger... And I can... I can remember last night... i remember what i did... Vaguely but still... And there had been a... dog..." She suddenly stopped and frowned. Then continued, obviously starting to remember why the animals were there.
"But I could have escaped, maybe bit you still in human form. You could have been given detention by a teacher who doesn't know." Maddy's head hurt even worse with the possibilities.
"Well, you're worth it," Charlie said simply, as if it was the best and only answer in the world, and lay next to Maddy, turning into a Grim pup and falling asleep again.
The sun was shining when Maddy woke up again. She guessed the sun was just rising as the tiny hole at the top on the wall showed the sky was still a myriad of colors; pink, purple, blue, and a brilliant red just seeping in. Madame Pomfrey hadn't came yet and wasn't going to come till the sun was fully in the sky. Earlier in the year se would have been there already but she was used to the girls being in she Shack with Maddy in the mornings and trusted them to see that she was ok and come and tell Madame Pomfrey when something was wrong. She, however, did not know that the girls were Anigmagi, only Sirius, Remus and Dumbledore knew that.
After a minute, she looked around again.
Now there were no animals in the room any more, but her friends, Vanessa, Charlie, and Alexis. The latter one was laying on the rug at the bed, Charlie slept quietly next to her on the cot, still curled up in a dog like position, although once and a while she would make a small whimper and Maddy didn't even want to know what she was dreaming. Vanessa was stretched out on the couch with a smile on her face and Maddy guessed she was dreaming of Alex.
After a while Vanessa woke up and stretched tiredly. She looked into Maddy's eyes.
"Good morning," she greeted. Maddy stared at them.
"How'd... how'd you get here?" she asked, sitting up.
"How d'you think?" Charlie groaned and sat up, looking exceptionally tired not soon after, Alexis sat up from her position on the rug.
"Bloody hard floor." She mumbled, glaring at the floor.
"Why'd you come?" Maddy asked slightly still out of it.
"Cause we didn't want you to be alone one more night." Charlie said, smiling.
"Last night... That was cool," Maddy said.
"You remember last night?" Vanessa asked raising an eyebrow. Maddy thought a minute. Then smiled.
"Yep, for the first time. I didn't feel as wild as usual, more like... Almost well, tame."
"Then it was worth it all." Alexis said, smiling.
"You sure its behind this knight?" Charlie turned and hissed at Alexis to keep her voice down.
"Yeah, remember earlier this year we saw it? And Vanessa found the new password too. All we gotta do is make sure it's the right password..."
"What are you two doing?"
Charlie and Alexis whipped around face to face with Tasia Black, a boy, and Kat Lupin. Kat was smiling slightly as she said this, her usual maddening 'I know something you don't' smile, or a smile in that range.
"Nothing at all." The look Alexis was giving her told Charlie that this was as lame and unbelievable as saying that the Marauders were innocent. Charlie gave her a look as if to say 'and you have a better idea?'
Alexis just rolled her eyes, but she was grinning.
"Yeah right Potter, like i believe you." Charlie smirked.
"You should know all about truth, Lupin, you're dad being one of the Marauders and all." Kat laughed,
"Well, if you're trying to get into the Slytherin common room, the path forks in the middle of the tunnel. I'll say this. The left one leads you to you're goal. The right one, well... it isn't so pleasant."
"Thanks Kat." They tried it out, sure enough, halfway down the path forked. But instead of goin further they went back.
Charlie left in a hurry, Alexis right behind her, to tell Vanessa.
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Maddy and Vanessa sat in the common room nervously. Charlie and Alexis had been gone half an hour already. Suddenly the picture burst open and two girls, a black haired and an auburn haired one fell in. Charlie and Alexis stood up and Charlie ran over to a couch next to Maddy and Vanessa and jumped onto it smiling from ear to ear.
"It worked."
The wind from an open window whipped around the girls' dorm. Charlie opened one eye and looked out of it. A thick blanket of snow covered the Hogwarts grounds and the Forbidden Forest, the lake was as gray as the sky it reflected and she could just make out Hagrid lugging back a huge Christmas tree. A voice soon interrupted any train of thought she had been on.
"Merry Christmas, Charlie!" said Vanessa, smiling. She was sitting cross-legged on the end of her bed, holding a big box in her hands, "Not opened your presents yet?"
Charlie opened both her eyes, sat up, yawned, stretched, and blinked twice at the tremendous pile of presents on her bed.
"Nope" she said after a minute, "but damn there's a lot."
"Yep" Vanessa said happily as she tore into her presents.
Alexis was gone, she'd been sick the night before and her presents had migrated to the Hospital Wing and Amber was at home with her parents.
What's missing from this picture? Charlie thought puzzled, then it finally hit her.
Maddy.
"Maddy. You awake?" She asked but only got a muffled groan.
She was.
Maddy sat up and picked up the nearest present from the rather smaller, Charlie noted bitterly, pile than the other girls.
"Well now i am," she said in between yawns. She stared at what was inside, head tilted to one side. Charlie looked and started laughing.
Dung bombs.
Apparently Alex had given them the same present, incase they found how to get into the Slytherin Common Room.
Wise move, Alex. She'd have to thank him when he got back.
Charlie picked up a rather heavy package. This one was a vibrant lime green, with a gold and blue ribbon. When she torn off the wrapping paper, Charlie discovered three books put together: A Seekers Guide, Quidditch through the Ages, and The Beater's Bible. There was a note with it, as well,
Charlie,
You have no idea how much it's killing your mum not to have you here with us. Well it's killing me, too. Can't believe Moony and Padfoot stayed there, also. Oh well.
I have a strong suspicion Alex and Adam chipped in and bought all of you dung bombs. Let's just say this: I'll be awaiting the next Hogwarts owl. Try not to get caught when you do anything, too. You don't need a hell of a lot of detentions.
Much love
-Dad
Charlie laughed; it was like her dad to send her Quidditch books. She also caught the 'when you do anything try not to get caught.'
Interesting wording, no? She thought opening another one.
"What's that?" Charlie asked, pointing at the box Maddy was holding. She laughed and opened the lid: it was full of wizarding sweets of all shapes and sizes, especially Chocolate Frogs, Cauldron Cakes and Blowing Gums.
"My mum always sends me these, we're both addicted to chocolate," she shrugged.
Yeah, it's the only things she can afford anyway.
Oh shut up, be glad. She's the only family member that would.
Well, yes...
"Anyways, these are your favorites, ain't they?" she asked Charlie, handing out a Frog.
Charlie nodded chewing on it.
Vanessa had gotten her own chocolate frogs as a annual present from her dad. They'd been her mum's favorite food when she was alive and, strangely, Oliver and his two daughters had developed a particular affinity for the Chocolate Frogs.
"Hey" Vanessa said, "did you get a weird metal box?" The other two nodded. They all looked in and started laughing.
It was a box of everything that they needed to pull pranks with.
The same note was in each box,
'I know i don't need to tell you this. But use these well.'
Charlie laughed, she knew who wrote that.
Sirius.
Christmas day was peaceful, the food was absolutely delicious, and Hagrid had decorated the Great Hall with deep-green holly branches. The suits of armors standing in each corner of the room were covered with bright Never-Melting snow, as white and pure as the one falling outside.
And it literally was falling.
Lunch was served on the golden plates and goblets used for the start-of-year and Halloween feasts, and neither the pumpkin juice or the food had ever seemed more delicious.
Charlie, Mike and Lavender -Alexis' twin sister who had also become their friend- had a 'race' to see who could eat more and eat faster.
Mike won.
Lavender was the first to quit, as her stomach was so full if she ate more she'd puke. Charlie quit just barely before Mike, for the same reason. He didn't look so great when he'd finished either, and he did get sick. He'd came back an hour later to Lavender's hounding, she'd all but told him he'd asked for it by eating so much at lunch.
"Ok. Ok Lavender. God," he finally burst out, "It was only a little indigestion I'll listen to you from now on. Although we'll still have races i wont eat a whole hell of a lot. Jeese." Seeing her scolding look he rolled his eyes at Charlie, who stifled laughter at the same time as Maddy, Alexis and Vanessa.
"I promise."
"Well you still..." Charlie doubled over in fits of laughter as he stuck his fingers in his ears and started humming a Christmas Carol, loudly that sounded distinctly like Deck the Halls and was next to singing it.
Lavender made a face at him and stuck her tongue out at him then went up stairs to her dorm. This only made the other five laugh harder.
Charlie sat cross-legged on her bed in the dorm three hours later staring at the cover of one of Adam's books she'd stolen from his trunk. It was some kind of advanced schoolbook for his year. She'd not been reading it; her books were boring enough, just looking at the pretty cool pictures inside. She was interrupted from a conversation with one of the pictures as to whether Moon Faeries existed (he thought they didn't, she thought they did) by Maddy coming in the room.
"Hey"
"Hi" she said and started to say something but tripped over a object on the floor, which turned out to be a small ball like thing Charlie'd never really paid that much attention to.
"Ouch." Maddy said as she lay face down on the floor. She pushed herself into a sitting position and scrunched up her nose kind of.
"You ok?" Charlie asked, trying not to laugh.
"Ouch" Maddy repeated rubbing her nose. "Well, i guess so. It ain't broken." She then said but stopped as a few of the boards had literally disappeared .
"What the hell happened?" Vanessa said, staring at the floor. She'd obviously just come up and was now, too, staring at the floor boards, or lack there of.
"I dunno" Charlie said "but it looks worth exploring." After a bit of an argument between the three, they leaned over the hole and peered in. They could see small lights that could only be candles from somewhere below. After the three shared a look Charlie jumped in first, followed by Vanessa then Maddy, who had been looking out for anyone.
The fall wasn't quite as long as it looked from the dorm and the floor was reasonably soft with silver, scarlet, yellow, and blue colors twisting in a marble like style on the top of a rug. In the middle of the twisting colors was the emblem of Hogwarts cast in stone.
"What is this place?" Vanessa whispered from behind Charlie, who only shook her head, equally baffled.
Maddy looked up and almost started.
Where the hole had been was now just huge high up walls.
This room was huge, indeed. Much higher than the Great Hall, the Entrance Hall, or the Hogwarts kitchens - or even higher than the Great Hall, the Entrance Hall, and the Hogwarts kitchens put together.
The walls were still cold and damp but with the many torches, they appeared to glow a reddish dark gray, darker and darker as you gazed up to the ceiling. The stones were old, and many were cracked and scratched in various places, indicating that a long time had passed since they'd been erected there.
The ceiling its self was, from what Maddy could see, the same way the floor's carpet was, only without the stone in the center. Like the walls, cracks reached into the center of it, showing it's age.
Wow Maddy thought staring upwards. Where are we?
Charlie caught Maddy's eye and looked up at the same time she did and her mouth fell open.
The room was huge !
After a minute of the three girls gaping at the ceiling and room, they walked on. The corridor was a wide one and had many rooms branching off of it. All in all there had to be at least a thousand hallways, passages and rooms in the place.
After going down a steep incline, they chose another corridor to the right, as further down their main hall was getting less light by the torches. The halls floor was a molding scarlet carpet and the three girls bare feet -as they hadn't had time to put on their shoes- padded silently over the carpet. The air was less thick here, but not very fresh, although it was slowly getting better.
Shadows passed over their faces at every torch they passed. Charlie gave Maddy a look, who simply shrugged slightly and after a minute Charlie decided. She changed easily into a grim pup.
After walking for what must've been an hour they came across many new corridors and halls branching off them. But a particularly well light room caught their attention. It's wooden door was all the way open and partially off one hinge.
They went in silently, as Charlie changed back into human form. The room was big and had stonewalls like that of the main corridors and the ones that followed its walls. Torches weren't here, but instead a never burning out chandelier hung from a iron chain, spider's webs covering it. The light cast a eerie light over the dusty and dim room. In its center was the weirdest looking thing Charlie'd ever seen.
It was a mirror; a long crack stretching from its upper right hand corner to it's lower left one, with a golden frame stood there. A fog was passing over the surface -it took Charlie a minute to realize the fog was in the mirror - it wasn't the Mirror of Erised, they knew that much. As the three girls walked closer the fog started to swirl faster and faster. And suddenly the picture seemed to emerge inside the fog.
A forest.
The Forbidden forest to be exact.
The fog came out and circled around the room spinning closer and closer till it caged them in and the girls shivered with sudden coldness.
Then all at once the fog pulled them into the Mirror and right into the Forbidden Forest.
Charlie landed on the snowy ground with a soft thud but the feeling was harder than the sound. Fresh cool crisp air hit her face and she gladly breathed it in then looked around.
They were in a clearing. Trees surrounded them in thick groups, bushes, now as barren as the tree branches, and also barren shrubs were entwined. Here and there was the occasional tuft of brown grass stuck out of the snowy blanket covering the ground.
As she looked up she saw Vanessa and Maddy, and like them started to stand up. She wrapped her arms around her, shivering as the cold air hit her.
"We're in the Forbidden Forest." She whispered. They looked about them, and, Charlie guessed, they were in the very center of it.
If only they knew the way back. Then they'd have it made.
They picked their way through the brush and trees, their feet making no noise on the snow, which had already made their bare feet numb and red. They each stopped once in a while, thinking they heard the cracking of twigs or something, but kept on going after a moment.
They were nearing the edge of the forest. They must've been gone for two hours by now for it was getting dark and the moon was rising over the Forbidden Forest's black tree tops. Their limbs were numb and it took everything to just keep walking and not to just lay down and stay there and it was a miracle hypothermia hadn't set in.
Then they all heard it, a definate noise of something rushing towards them.
"Run!" Vanessa yelled as they heard the noise get closer and they all took off running the ten yards to the trees edges. They could see the shadow of Hogwarts looming over it's huge land, and the thing was barely a yard behind them and getting faster and closer. Vanessa could hear its panting as if it was directly behind her, ready to pounce and maul her.
Suddenly the thing took a huge running leap when they were almost out of the Forest.
It landed on top of Vanessa, both flying out of the Forest.
Charlie and Maddy shared wild, and scared looks and ran forward as fast as they could, numbness going to a tingly-warm feeling, giving speed to their leaden limbs as they ran more and more, tripping on the roots of trees and spare bushes and such.
When they got to the edge of the Forest they heard a huge voice booming above the treetops from the direction of Hagrid's hut.
"Annubis! Back! Down! Leave 'em alone!" Charlie looked up as she landed on her knees, panting like a thirsty worn out dog, Maddy right next to her.
Half puzzled and half relieved, Maddy and Charlie watched the huge outline of Hagrid striding toward them, holding a lantern. In its glimmer, Maddy saw that the beast was a great sandy colored dog. It was running happily to it's master, tail wagging happily. Vanessa sat up on her elbows, and wiped away the dog's slobber covering her face, looking winded, froze and amused.
"What're yeh three doin' out 'ere?" His gruff voice said as he petted the huge dog on the head, "No matter. Come with me. Yeh'll catch yer death out, 'ere yeh will, in those clothes with no cloaks and why are yeh barefoot?" He seemed not to want to know right after he asked and turned 'round leading the girls back to his hut on the very edge of the Grounds and the Forest. After exchanging looks, the three girls followed Hagrid. He had them sit on a huge bed covered with a patchwork quilt, and wrap themselves in blankets, then he started making tea.
"I know yeh two, of course." He said to Charlie and Vanessa as he handed a smoking cup to each one. "Yeh're Harry's daughter. Yeh're brothers get into enough trouble," Charlie laughed and secretly agreed. "And yeh must be Oliver an' Ginny's kid. Shame what happened to 'em. Yeh got her eyes." Hagrid gave a broad smile. Then he spoke to Charlie again. "Yeh're dad was a great kid. Tell 'im I says hi when yeh see 'im." Charlie nodded and Hagrid took a minute to study Maddy.
"Madison Malfoy. The only descent Malfoy of the lotto 'em. I knew yer mum, yeh know. Very kind she was. Couldn't believe when she was seeing Malfoy. 'Course she didn't know." Maddy half smiled but didn't look too bothered by him talking about it.
"So" he continued. "What were yeh doin' outside so late?" The three looked between each other and Maddy spoke up.
"We were heading up to our Common Room but my friends' sister's cat got out. We had to go find it, and didn't have time to put shoes or cloaks on cause it happened so fast and we ran after it and it went into the Forest so we looked for it in the edge of the forest. That's when... er... Annubis found us. And just before that the cat ran back to Hogwarts."
Charlie raised a eyebrow and Vanessa gave Maddy a quizzical look. She just smiled. The girl could make up a story better than either of them. But then she had to before they found out about her.
"Well." Hagrid said, looking out the window. "I'd best be gettin yeh back teh yer Common Rooms. It's after hours. C'mon. And no more commin out after hours." With that he led them to Hogwarts and to the Gryffindor Common Room. Thankfully they were unfroze and didn't freeze on the way back.
They all flopped down on a couch when the Fat Lady swung shut.
"God that was weird." Charlie said finally after a minute's silence.
"Oh yeah. Way weird. I don't think we should go down there for a while. Too creepy." Vanessa said. Charlie silently agreed. It took a lot for them to think something wasn't worth going in to explore constantly.
This was one of them.
"Yeah" Charlie finally said "how bout you Maddy?" Maddy agreed in a tired voice. Looking at the clock Charlie couldn't believe her eyes. They'd been gone four hours. It was now one o'clock in the morning. After a minute the three friends stood up.
"Do we tell Alexis, when she gets out day after tomorrow?" Charlie asked. Vanessa shook her head.
"No she don't need to know."
The bed felt like heaven under Charlie's stiff back and she smiled. That night they'd had they're very first real adventure. And they'd came out of it ok. Quietly she closed the book that belonged to Adam and shoved it under her pillows to keep it safe. She'd sneak it back the day before everyone got back, maybe. He wouldn't miss it.
The friends made their way to the Great Hall, in a not so good mood.
Madame Pomfrey wouldn't let them see Alexis cause they could 'catch the flu.' Charlie'd remarked the flu was one of the lesser things she'd ever caught but Madame Pomfrey had remained resilient, and they'd had to leave, anyways; even Maddy's begging wouldn't work. And the kid was good at pleading.
The three girls sat down next to Mike, Lavender, Tasia, Kat and the boy they'd been with the other day sat down across from them.
"Madame Poppy wouldn't let you in?" Kat said, interpreting their frowns. Charlie shook her head and Maddy raised an eyebrow.
"She lets you call her Madame Poppy?" Kat nodded.
"Probably cause she's a Prefect." Mike whispered loud enough so only the three girls, who all had to stifle laughter, could hear. As dessert was appearing on the tables, the doors into the Great Hall opened. All talk ceased, and a very peculiar woman entered; she was very thin, and wore gigantic spectacles that made her eyes look enormous. She walked dreamily over to the Head Table and sat down.
"Who's that?" Charlie asked Kat, who had been staring at the woman and had, unceremoniously, dropped her fork with food on it half way to her mouth.
"Professor Trelawney. Wonder why she's down here. She always claims it clouds her 'inner eye'." She said, shaking her head, looking confused.
"Maybe she wanted to read Dumbledore's hand." Maddy said with a perfectly straight face. Charlie almost choked on her pumpkin juice and doubled over with laughter about the same time as Kat and Tasia did and Vanessa, Mike, Maddy, and Lavender soon followed.
Charlie was about to ask how she could keep a straight face so easy when she noticed the boy again.
"Who's he?" She said to Tasia.
"His names Ryan Jameson. He's in our year from a school in America called Pheonix Academy." The boy smiled, a smile that went to his tawny yellow colored eyes. He pushed a wisp of sandy hair out of his eyes and said hi.
Maddy frowned suddenly and stared up at the Head Table. Charlie and Vanessa frowned as they followed her eyes and saw what she was looking at.
Prof. Trelawney was whispering quickly to Dumbledore, who was frowning deeply. Suddenly him, Sirius, Prof. Trelawney, and Prof. Mc Gonnagal got up and left, Prof. Tamora and Johnny Michlie soon followed. Charlie looked questioningly up at Remus who was frowning. He caught her gaze and shook his head as if to say 'don't ask about it.'
"Wonder what that was all about?" Mike said, confused. Tasia just shook her head; the same bewildered look on her face. Ryan, however, seemed to be thinking deeply.
The kind of thinking Vanessa had been doing before they'd found out about Maddy.
"Ok this is it something is bloody going on and that prat Remus won't tell me!" Charlie whispered furiously to Alexis, Amber -they'd just told the events to them- Vanessa and Maddy, "I mean, Professor Trelawney, who never comes into the Great Hall does and suddenly Professors Tamora, Johnny, Sirius, Dumbledore and Lady Minerva" -a name Charlie'd picked up from Sirius and Remus and started using - "Up and leave, suddenly interested in the Divinations room, when we all know how skeptic they are. Something's going on."
"Well" Maddy said slowly "what ever it is has to be very serious then."
"Exactly! We should know though!" Amber said sighing. Maddy and Vanessa exchanged looks.
Amber and Charlie'd obviously misinterpreted her words.
Alexis was strangely silent.
They were used to Maddy being that quiet, but not Alexis. Ever since she'd came back from the Hospital Wing -a week into the break- she'd been like this, almost like shutting the three out. Although she'd hung around with Lavender for a few days, the twin had about as much of an idea as they did.
None.
Now they were in their third week after school resumed. Still the silent treatment. Charlie was getting worried. So were Amber, Vanessa, Maddy, Mike, and Lavender. But for some reason, Alexis didn't seem to know, or care for that matter. It was weird.
"Well," Amber whispered, "we'll have to find out on our own."
Two days later.
Zilch.
Nothing.
No clue as to what the bloody hell was going on or what was wrong with Alexis. It was all so confusing. Their second half of First Year wasn't supposed to be like this, they were supposed to be having fun; the five of them, pranking Slytherins, teachers, and generally making hell erupt inside Hogwarts.
But it wasn't like that.
The five friends, if they were still five friends, walked outside near Hagrid's hut. That was as far as Charlie was getting to the Forbidden Forest, unless she was made to. In that case, once was enough, which was quite a weird thing when dealing with the friends.
A thud against her back made Charlie stumble and when she turned around a very cold wet something hit her in the face.
A snowball.
After a minute Vanessa, Amber, and Maddy were getting pelted with snowballs as well.
The four girls shared the same, mischievous look and started picking up and hurling snowballs just as fast as they were being dished out. It was an all out snow war between Alex, Mike, Nick, Todd, and the four girls after a minute. Snowballs flew through the air back and forth almost non-stop.
In their happiness of the moment, all was forgotten; the mysterious secret, Alexis' weird behavior, and all things that was troubling them.
None of them noticed Alexis -who had been sitting on the ground with a half hearted smile- wipe her eye on her robe sleeve, get up and walk away.
The eight friends spent a good hour of the Saturday launched in the fight. After it was over, they declared a tie.
And a re-match.
"Its weird, Maddy." Charlie ripped another piece of paper into a strip, balling it up and throwing it into the fire from her corner by the girls' dorm stairs. Maddy was curled up in an armchair, trying to finish a book of hers in a vain attempt.
"What is?" She knew she didn't need to ask, but did anyways.
Vanessa, Amber and Lavender along with Alex, Nick and Aaron, a new Hufflepuff student who liked Lavender, had went to the Yule Ball, Alexis -who was still separating herself from the four girls- Charlie, Mike -who was conducting a kitchen raid- and Maddy hadn't gone.
"This whole thing with Alexis. She keeps ignoring us and giving us the slip ever since she came back from the Hospital Wing. Something's goin on and i can't figure it out. She won't tell me. It's like she doesn't want to be our friend any more. I just wish i knew." Maddy frowned and thought a minute before answering, choosing her words carefully.
"Just give her time. Let her decide if she wants us to be her friend and vice versa. After all we've only been here four months, not four years." This was the best she could figure to say, she could never figure out the fifth girl, her personality was far to difficult to come close to understanding. It was as if the girl was purposefully shutting her mind off from anything.
Neither of them noticed a muffled sob, nor heard footsteps leaving behind them as Alexis left the Gryffindor common room. They were too busy in their own thoughts to notice the secret passage out that the five had found on their second week there slide open then shut.
Alexis held her breath to stop a big sob from getting out as she sped to the Hufflepuff corridor. She had to be alone right then. Hopefully her cousin, Amarus, wasn't there.
Although he was a great help to her, she just needed some alone time.
Charlie, Maddy and Vanessa sat down next to Amber and Adam at breakfast. Kat, Tasia, Nick, Ryan, and Issy sat across from them talking animatedly, next to Tasia (across from Adam) Alexis sat, silently eating. The older friends had given up after many attempts (all in vain) to get her in a conversation.
"What's up?" Charlie asked Amber, as she was there before them.
"New kids, ones from a small wizarding school in Canada called Zaferam. And the other's Dumbledore's great, great, great, great granddaughter. She's from a small school in Scotland, transferred here." Now both Vanessa and Maddy looked interested.
"Dumbledore's great, great, great, great grand daughter?" Charlie asked weakly. She almost choked on the eggs; she hadn't realized Dumbledore was that old.
"She'll be in Gryffindor." Maddy said knowingly.
"How d'you know?" Kat asked as she joined their conversation. Maddy just smiled quizzically.
"Just do."
All talk ended abruptly as two girls walked in. Dumbledore beamed at them. Then he spoke.
"I'd like you to welcome two new students. Both in their first year." He stopped as the Sorting Hat was brought out yet again that year.
"Lady Minerva's" voice had a air of excitement as she called the first girls name.
"Dumbledore, Allistar."
A girl rather small stepped forward, her silver long hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she wore torn muggle jeans and a loose baseball jersey. Her sapphire eyes positively gleamed as she looked around the Great Hall before the Hat fell over her eyes.
"Well, well" the Hat whispered in her ear. She didn't even flinch, "Another Dumbledore eh? It's been a while. But worry not - well you don't seem to worry anyways - I know exactly where to put you."
The Hat shouted Gryffindor.
Allistar all but skipped to the table. She looked about as happy as she could get.
"Hey" she said giving them a questioning look at the seat next to Vanessa and Maddy. They said it was ok and she sat there. She turned to Maddy after they introduced their selves, including Alexis, and smiled knowingly.
"You're a Malfoy? Don't worry. I know you're different. Very different." Charlie and Vanessa thought they saw her wink. Maddy paled slightly and smiled weakly, but said nothing.
Then it was the next girls turn. "Fletcher, Jasline" Jasline wore plain Hogwarts robes. Her curly light brown almost blonde hair was cut short to the middle of her neck with longer tendrils of hair hanging lower than the rest. Her brown eyes were fixed on the Hat as if willing it to do something.
She was Mundungus Fletcher's -the biggest prankster before the Marauders- grandkid.
"Oh yes. Another Fletcher." The Hat whispered to her in a similar manner. She jumped slightly. "A prankster to I see, well then you'll do good in Gryffindor!"
She walked a bit quickly to the Gryffindor table then sat next to Charlie, looking relieved
The following three months were very 'interesting.'
Both Alli -as they called her- btw: its pronounced like the Ali in Muhammad Ali and Jasline were as good of pranksters as they were, and with the Prankster and Marauders Maps, the two invisibility cloaks, all the mischief tools they'd gotten, and a genuine talent of communicating with Peeves, they were invisible.
Almost as good as the Marauders in their days.
It was April; the Easter Ball was coming up and then Easter vacation. Charlie, Maddy, and Alli as well as Mike and Nick weren't going and none of the friends but Adam, Alex, and Alexis were leaving home.
Alexis.
Now there was a interesting topic.
Charlie was sure they were losing her. She'd barely warm back up to them for maybe a hour then leave them five times worse. She just wouldn't be their friend.
Charlie had no clue why.
Now she wasn't even sitting with the Gryffindors. She sat with her older cousin in Hufflepuff and his friends.
She'd even stopped -though gradually- visiting the Shrieking Shack. Now Alli and Jasline, who both knew about Maddy -Alli had figured it out the first full moon. (Though she hadn't said how) and told Jasline about it - took her place, as they were both Anigmagis, Jasline was a palomino horse and Alli was a griffin.
Between the six of them they kept the wolf in check pretty good. Now even better than before.
Charlie trudged into the Great Hall for breakfast. She'd stayed up extra late the night before reading and hadn't realized how late it really was until it was 3 a.m.
Thankfully since the next day was the Easter ball and then Easter vacation, they had the day off, which meant the possibility of sleeping in. Her alarm clock, however, had other ideas. Stupid thing wouldn't stop ringing until she got up. And she still was late to breakfast, but so would the other four be.
Maddy must've already been down there...
As she walked into the Great Hall she froze.
There was that git of a brother of Maddy's and Snape's girl stood there, probably taunting her.
After a second she snapped out of it and started walking quickly over to Maddy. Too bad the older friends weren't there. As Charlie got closer the one sided conversation boomed into her ears as Malfoy's voice.
"Your big, rich friends ain't here now, are they? You're not brave. You're pitiful. A pitiful traitor." Snape's girl smirked at his words and Maddy turned away slowly.
"You don't walk away when we're talking t'you." Snape spat, grabbing Maddy by the lower arm. Maddy let out a yelp of pain and jumped back, tears of pain springing to her eyes, "Pitiful little good for nothing wench." Snape spat -she said something else that made Charlie's blood boil- and looked about ready to punch Maddy, but not while Charlie could stop her.
Charlie was at Maddy's side in a minute. Five burns were starting on her arm, she realized as she looked up the Snape git wore silver rings on each finger to show off her wealth. Then she became aware that not only were Vanessa, Amber, and Alli next to her, looking rather ticked, but the boys were there too.
"Go to hell. Leave my friend alone." Charlie's voice was next to a growl. Snape was about to retort but Malfoy pointed at the seven behind the two girls and whispered some thing and the two Slytherins turned and retreated to the safety of their table.
"Chickens" Charlie heard Amber mutter and smiled. The four boys cast a confused look at Maddy, clutching her arm and biting her lip.
That has to hurt like hell. Charlie thought looking concerned at her friend, who just smiled sadly.
"Are you ok?" Vanessa asked, snapping Charlie from her thoughts.
"It's ok. I'm fine." But Charlie saw the traces of a tear on her face and how she was clutching her arm. But after seeing the determined look in Maddy's eyes, she decided not to say anything more.
Another rare moment.
Alexis had vaguely warmed up to them a bit. She had sat at the Gryffindor table, by the older friends at breakfast. Her face was now pale, as it had been getting lighter since she'd isolated herself and her eyes now held a bit of loneliness that never used to be there at all when she was with the four girls.
They now walked past the Whomping Willow -Sirius had said he carved his name in it once. Charlie wasn't going near enough to test his story's veracity without animal form- Vanessa was in the lead as usual, then Charlie Maddy, Amber, Alli and Jasline. Alexis brought up the back, a bit away from them.
Charlie watched the giant Squid's shape break the horizon and wave its tentacles lazily. As she watched a resolve formed in her. She had to find out what was with Alexis. They hadn't pressed her or anything in hopes to regain the once shared friendship, but there was no more waiting.
She simply had to find out what was with their friend.
She fell back to the side of the girl, "Alexis" she whispered fiercely, "We've gotta talk later, ok?" Whether Alexis consented or not, Charlie never would find out.
Charlie and Alexis swerved out of the way to avoid a slender cloaked figure, in turn, both falling down.
"Sorry!" they both said immediately as the other five girls turned to them.
"Alexis?" said a voice from beneath the cloak. Two hands reached up and threw back the hood, revealing a young woman with sparkling, brown eyes.
"Mum?" Alexis cried in shock, "What?" The woman held a finger to her lips.
"I had to speak to Dumbledore about something..." Her voice trailed off and she looked around, then her eyes widened and her words hastened, "I've got to go now. Whatever you do, please, be careful. I love you." With that, she hurried down the corridor and away from the seven girls, who shot puzzled looks at each other.
"What was that all about?" Charlie asked, confused. Alexis looked as confused as she did.
"I dunno. Weird." She said slowly.
They didn't notice the black-cloaked figure quickly disappearing into the Forest.
The next day they were in the Entrance Hall.
All seven girls, that is.
If the events of the previous day hadn't been weighing on their minds, it would be comfortable for them all to be reunited again. Charlie hadn't spoke to Alexis, she'd let it wait until later, for this was not the time.
They were all seated on the floor, as there was nothing really to do right then, and Charlie took the time to process everything.
There was something strange about what had happened the day before. Alexis' mum had seen something, something bad enough to put fear into her eyes.
Everything had been going weird since that day they'd seen Trelawney come down to the Great Hall.
She just wished she knew what.
They all looked up as one of the large doors opened. A man in a black cloak walked in, his blue eyes filled with concern. Alexis looked up, her countenance turning even more confused.
"Dad?" She said blankly but he frowned and silenced her.
"Alexis. I need to speak with Dumbledore, it's imperative." Alexis' eyes widened.
"Why?" Her voice had an edge of panic to it that hadn't previously been there and his frown deepened, as if he didn't really want to say.
"It's your mum. She didn't come home last night."