Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any Harry Potter related stuff, but apart from the Veela and werewolf attributes, Fiona is my own creation.
– Chapter One – When It All Begun –
Fiona turned around to look at Rebecca, her best friend at Beauxbatons Academy.
"So, Becca, what do you zink of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Fiona questioned at breakfast.
"Yeah, 'e is cool, I suppose, in an English way." The raven haired girl replied. "So-" The girl's speech was cut off as Fleur Delacour rose to speak to her students.
"I 'ave a very important announcement to make!" She announced to the audience of children. Utter silence reigned in the hall. "Tonight, for reasons which I cannot tell you, NO-ONE will be allowed out into zee Grounds for whatever cause!" She exclaimed. A buzz rang out among the students. "As you are not allowed out of your rooms at night anyway, I cannot see the problem, but I 'ave been instructed to tell you all zat no-one can go out into zee Grounds after 6:30 tonight." The Veela instructed her charges. Muttered conversations were erupting all around. "Zat is all I 'ave to say on zee matter. Anyone who goes outside, or tries to, if zey are caught zen zey will be punished most severely, per'aps even expelled. But if you go out and are not caught, a worse fate you may encounter." She sat down. "You may continue wiz you eating."
Rebecca turned to Fiona, her green eyes glinting.
"Fiona, I dare you to go outside tonight!" She insisted.
"But, you 'eard what Fleur – er, 'Eadmistress Delacour – said! Expelled or worse!" Fiona gasped.
"Oh, you needn't worry about zat Fiona!" Rebecca said patronizingly. "You know you are 'er favourite, she wouldn't ever expel you! Plus, you are a Veela, so she feels a connection with you. She's related to you on your father's side, so she couldn't expel a relative, non pas!" A frown creased Fiona's forehead. (non pas surely not)
"I'm not sure." The young girl said slowly. "What did she mean by 'a worse fate you may encounter?' I don't really want to risk it."
"Come on Fi!" Rebecca protested. "Zee teachers are probably 'aving a party and don't want us to intrude or somezing! You 'ave to go! I dare you!" She gave a puppy-dog look to Fiona. "I won't be your friend if you don't do zis. You will be a chicken, and I don't wish to be friends' wiz a coward!" Fiona looked really uncomfortable about the idea.
"Alright, I will go." She said jadedly. "I will do zis dare. But if I'm caught you will share zee blame." Fiona warned her friend.
"No way!" Rebecca protested.
"Yes way, or I won't go!" Fiona replied. "Ah, who cares? I'll do it." She stated. Under her breath the eleven year old muttered, "If I don't you'll never leave me alone again."
"Good." Rebecca nodded. "You 'ave great courage zen." Fiona smiled, but inwardly she was wishing she'd never been talked into doing such a thing.
At the end of classes, Rebecca plunked herself down on a chair. Fiona took the one beside her. Rebecca brushed a few strands of her straight black hair out of her view, and looked at the clock.
"It is almost 6:10. You 'ad better go, or zey won't let you out and you will be caught. Zen you won't do zee dare!" The girl commented.
"Okay zen. I'll go." Fiona said resignedly. "I'll see you later." She got up, waved, and then left the room. Once Fiona 'ad gone outside, she walked until she found a cave in the side of a hill.
Well, it wasn't exactly a cave; it was actually a room that had been built into the side of the hill, indistinguishable from the outside unless you knew exactly where the entrance was. The room had no door, just a large opening where a door had once been. The walls had crumbled away slightly, making the door twice as big as it should have been. Because of the lack of a door, hanging ivy had formed a curtain like screen over the entrance, which you just had to shift aside to enter the room. Moss, leaves, and forest litter covered the flagstones, and moss grew on the stone walls. So the little room looked like a cave, only wasn't. She'd decided to wait until about 7 o'clock, and then go out and see what the fuss was about.
The hours passed by, and finally Fiona emerged from her fortress to be bathed with the light of the blue full moon. The stars twinkled overhead, as if dancing to some indeterminable tune that only they knew. There seemed something sinister floating in the invisible music.
"Zere is nothing unusual out 'ere." Fiona mused. "I wonder why zey wanted us kept indoors?" No sooner had she finished her sentence than a howl echoed through the crisp night air. "Wh- what was that!" She exclaimed, forgetting there was no-one around to hear her call. "Is – is anyone zere?" She inquired. Staring out over the smooth green lawns infront of her, a rustling and snapping of twigs caught her attention. It was coming from the far side of the long stretch of grass, where bushes with red berries were planted along the borders. Large oak and hoop-pine trees were beyond that, stretching into a copse of trees and shrubs. Fiona had the distinct impression something was watching her.
Suddenly a terrifying cry split the air, and a large creature emerged from the bushes. It let out a terrible howl, and sprinted across the smooth expanse of grass. Fiona let out a piercing shriek and scurried backwards, trying desperately to get back to the hidden room under the hill. She parted the ivy vines and crept into the furtherest corner from the entrance. "Please, don't let it get me." She whispered, hoping she'd be hidden until the morning, when surely someone would search and find her. Rebecca would know where she was, if the searchers didn't know about the cave.
Fiona had no idea that the creature outside was a werewolf, let alone Professor Remus Lupin, because werewolves were banned in France. They were hunted down and exiled if even a rumor of their existence got out. And being in her first year Fiona hadn't even studied them in theory, and it was a theory subject not even usually taught at all. She'd heard about them, and knew of them, but not actually studied them in theory enough to recognize one.
Outside the cave, the werewolf was nosing about is the grass, and walking about, sniffing, trying to determine where its' prey had escaped too. From inside Fiona could see its' silhouette illuminated against the ivy. She held her breath as the shadow paused right outside the entrance. A slight breeze swirled outside, ruffling the vines which were her only screen of protection, flimsy as they were. They shifted just enough for Fiona to see the glint of long, sharp teeth. She shivered, and tried to edge even further away from the animal. Her foot brushed against a pebble, causing it to clatter on the stone flagstones.
Suddenly, with an eerie howl, the monster rushed into the stone room, tearing down the creeping ivy as if it'd never been there, and it now lay tattered on the ground.
Fiona screamed, a high, shrill scream that sent ripples of fear to the people who heard it over in the Castle. Fleur sat up, suddenly wide awake, a look of horror and trepidation on her face. The werewolf, once having barged into the room, leant over the helpless girl. Fiona was too paralyzed with fear to even think of escaping, and the werewolf was blocking the only exit anyway.
The huge creature leant over the child, who curled up and whimpered with fear, opened its' mouth, and –
Out on the far side of the Grounds, Peur S'Evanouir, the caretaker of the outdoor area of Beauxbatons loaded his double-barrel rifle, and went outside. He'd been awoken a few minutes earlier by a frantic owl-message from Fleur. He pointed his gun straight up in the air, and fired a shot.
Over in the little room, the shot reverberated around the small enclosed space. The werewolf, only millimeters from sinking its' teeth into Fiona's shin, flinched. Then it snarled, and loped off in search of the noise on the gunshot. Its' teeth had just grazed Fiona's ankle, only just drawing blood, no more than a scrape. Fiona cried out on pain, and scrunched her body into a ball, tears pouring down her little pale face. It may have been only a very minor wound, but a werewolf injury will hurt all the same.
The groundskeeper ran to the Castle as fast as he could, making inside only minutes before the werewolf was standing exactly where he had just been.
It was many hours later, just past dawn, when a haggard and gaunt Remus Lupin was carried up to the hospital wing, under an invisibility spell, to recuperate. Meanwhile, the Professors took a list of all students under their care, then went out scouring the Grounds for some sign of the person who had been outside that fateful night. But no-one know where to look, for the small, stone room was almost unbeknown of anyone except a few students and Fleur.
Up in her office, Fleur Delacour was reading through the names on the Rolls, ticking off each student on a list of everyone in the school. Her heart sank. Only one child was missing. Fiona.
No-one got a bigger shock than Rebecca Le Page, Fiona's best friend, when Fleur pelted into the room, demanding to know if she knew where Fiona was. Rebecca had been sitting unhappily in an armchair, wondering why Fiona hadn't returned, when her Headmistress and ran into the room, wild eyed, demanding to know if she knew anything about where Fiona had gotten to.
"Miss, she, we, I dared 'er to go outside last night." Rebecca stuttered. "She – she was going to wait in the hidden old room under the hill, to see why we weren't supposed to be out there. I – I pressured her into it Miss, I made her go. And she hasn't come back!" The girl started sobbing.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid thing to do!" Fleur cursed. "Go outside at night, when she was specifically told not to! Stupid, stupid, STUPID!" She cried, leaving the room as quickly as she'd arrived.
By herself, Fleur ran outside across the lawn, and down to the little room under the hill. All the students watched through the windows, wide-eyed, as their Headmistress emerged from the cave holding the unconscious body of Fiona, tears pouring down her face.
Fiona was brought up to the hospital wing at Beauxbatons, where she was placed on a hospital bed, still unconscious. Professor Dumbledore arrived, and shortly after that, Fiona's guardian Ann arrived, completely distraught. The French Minister for Magic also arrived, and declared that both Fiona and Remus were to be exiled, never again allowed in France. Remus was only allowed in under VERY strict circumstanced in the first place, because Hermione and Albus had 'pulled a few strings.' Remus and Fiona were both unconscious.
Remus awoke first, thankfully while only Fleur and Dumbledore were there.
"Remus," Fleur began, "we have something terrible to tell you." She stated, tears glittering in her eyes.
"What!" Remus exclaimed, sitting up straight with a jerk. "What's happened?" He asked. "I didn't…" All Fleur could do was nod.
"Oh gods." He muttered, sinking his head into his hands. "Oh no."
"Remus, I'm so terribly sorry." Dumbledore said. "What happened was a terrible, terrible thing, but it wasn't you fault." He emphasized. "It wasn't your fault, do you hear me." He repeated. Lupin just opened his mouth and pleaded one hoarse word.
"Who?"
"Fiona." Dumbledore replied. "A student, first-year, called Fiona, Fiona D' Neige. She's related to Hermione." Remus looked up, pain rippling across his face.
"No! No, … poor Hermione! Is she, is she, a-alive?" He asked. "I didn't …"
"No." Dumbledore replied. "She's basically fine." Remus let out his breath, which he hadn't even realized he'd been holding.
"How… bad is it?" He asked painfully.
"Actually, she just has a faint scrape on the outside of her left ankle. It's healing quite well, actually. Shouldn't leave more than a thin, almost invisible scar entwining her ankle." Remus nodded. Fleur rose.
"Well, Ann will be here soon, to see her adopted child. Remus, I suggest you leave and go to your quarters immediately. Don't let the students see you." She said rather icily. Remus staggered out of bed, and Dumbledore left with him, to help make sure he reached his rooms okay.
When Fiona woke up, the first thing she saw was Ann's face, looking down at her.
"Ann?" She said weakly. "What 'appened?" Fiona said faintly. "Where am I? What was that … thing?" She looked pale and listless. Ann burst into tears.
"It was a werewolf, oh my little Fiona, it was a werewolf!" She stuttered. Fiona looked shocked.
"A, a werewolf?" She said bewilderedly. "But, zat is, impossible!" She exclaimed. "Even I know zat zey are not allowed in France!"
"It, it was, Professor Lupin." Fleur said gently from a corner. "He, he couldn't 'elp 'imself, it was a blue full moon." Fiona's eyes widened.
"Non! Non, non, it could not be!" She protested. "Non non non! You 'ave made a mistake!" She cried out. "'E would never-" She began, but Fleur cut her off.
"Fiona, accept it. 'E's a werewolf. And now, you are a werewolf." She announced sadly.
"But, does that not mean I have to leave? Werewolves are not allowed in France!" She said in shock and horror. "So do I 'ave to leave?"
"I'm afraid so." Fleur stated simply. "I've arranged for you to go to Hogwarts, over in England."
"Okay." Fiona said quietly. Ann looked horrified.
"I'm so, so sorry, but you can only stay for two weeks. The Ministry is giving you an unusually long time to leave since you are but a child." Fleur revealed. "Ann will be going back with you."
Fiona simply nodded in acceptance, her silvery-white-blonde hair rippling with the motion.
"It, it will be okay." She told Ann. "I unnerstand." She looked directly at Fleur. "Can you give Professor Lupin a message for me?" Fleur nodded and Ann clenched her hands. "Tell 'im zat I do not 'ate 'im, or even dislike 'im, for what 'as 'appened. Tell 'im I say 'I 'ope 'e feels better soon, and zat it was not 'is fault.'" She finished. Both the adult ladies in the room felt tears prick at their eyes as one little girl made such a valiant effort to be a peace with the person who had so completely disrupted her life.
(A/N: Fiona's last name means 'of Snow,' or it can mean 'Snowflake.' The groundskeepers first name means 'fear' and his last name means 'fade out.' I chose that because he was so afraid of the werewolf, get still did what he had to do.)