Call On Me

Chapter Nineteen-Mistaken Identity

REMUS.

Caitlin had her face pressed into my bare chest. She pulled the blanket around us tighter.

Her hair brushed against my chin.

"Caitlin, please tell me what happened," I prodded gently. "Did I hurt you?"

"No," Caitlin said quietly.

She raised her head and stared up into my face. I watched her with concern.

"Just before…you know," she said. "I had a vision…I saw Sam all over again."

"Oh," I said softly and gently. "That's normal. I'm not going to be rushing you okay? I thought you did rather well."

She smiled and snuggled up against me. I pulled the blanket around me more as well.

"This is nice," she said staring at the fire. "Too bad we can't stay here all night."

"I think we'd traumatize the first years," I said deadpan. "They wouldn't be able to come through here without getting visions of their teachers."

Caitlin chuckled.

"I think we should just get dressed," Caitlin said.

So we pulled on our clothes again and continued to sit in front of the fireplace. Caitlin snuggled up against me again and I wrapped my arms around her as well.

The portrait opened. I looked up. It was Kelly.

All the color drained from her face and she froze.

"Oh," Kelly said freezing. "I'm sorry."

"Come on," Caitlin said as we pulled apart. "Come tell us what's happened with your Dad so far."

"It's okay," Kelly said suddenly. "I'll come back later."

With that, she turned and left.

Caitlin looked at me.

"That was odd," she said slowly.

"Yeah," I said frowning. "But then again, she did this earlier. I had to gently pry the information out of her."

Caitlin was still looking puzzled, then realization dawned on her face.

"I think we should go shower," she said suddenly.

"Why?" I asked.

She looked at me as if to say "Give me a break". I cottoned on and we headed into the dorms and picked up fresh clothes and headed off to the separate shower rooms.

CAITLIN.

I stripped down and stepped into the shower stall, letting the hot water roll over me. I sighed contently and let the water wet my hair. I began thinking of Remus. He moved so gently and lovingly. I was actually happy that I was pretty much able to go through the whole thing especially after Sam.

Not to mention how wonderful it had been. I felt myself smiling. Just then, the door opened and Kelly stepped in.

"Kelly!" I cried shocked as I grabbed a towel, wrapping it around me and fastening it above my chest. "What on earth are you doing here? You scared me!"

But Kelly had the strangest look on her face. The water was still pouring down, drenching Kelly in her robe and uniform. I crouched down in front of her and gently took her shoulders.

"Kelly? What's wrong?" I demanded as my hair stuck to my bare shoulders.

Kelly didn't reply instead she raised her hand and plunged a long carving knife into my shoulder.

Kelly turned and fled, soaking wet.

I landed on my hands and knees as the tiled floor began getting ruby from my own blood. The knife was still lodged in my shoulder.

"HELP!" I screamed.

REMUS.

I just finished showering and pulled on a pair of black slacks and a red button down shirt and black shoes when I heard Caitlin screaming in the girl's shower room.

I tore down the hall and burst into the shower, not caring.

Caitlin was sitting on the floor with her back pressed against the wall, the water running down her face and towel covered body…but there was a knife embedded in her shoulder.

"Oh my God," I cried as I shut off the water and crouched down in front of her. "What happened?"

"K-Kelly," Caitlin stammered cringing. "She stabbed me."

Fear and panic began spreading through me.

I picked her up, slipping one hand under her back and the other under her legs. Her legs dangled over my arm. She pressed her cheek against my chest as I hurried out of the shower room with her in my arms.

"SOMEONE HELP!" I yelled.

Severus came out of his office and spied us.

"Miss Andrews?" Severus said with an alarmed expression.

"Take her to Madam Elkin," I said handing Caitlin to him.

He took her gently as she began slipping in and out of consciousness. Her head rested against Severus' shoulder.

"What happened?" he demanded uncertainly.

"JUST TAKE HER DAMMIT!" I shouted at him.

He turned and hurried off.

Some of Caitlin's blood had gotten onto my shirt as I tore down the corridor and into the library.

Kelly was writing on parchment at table next to the window. I stormed right up to her.

"Professor Lupin? What's wrong?" she asked concerned.

"You stabbed Professor Andrews," I said breathing heavily. "WHY?"

Kelly looked confused.

"What are you talking about?"

"YOU WENT INTO THE SHOWER ROOM AND STABBED PROFESSOR ANDREWS," I continued. "WHY DID YOU DO IT?"

"Professor Lupin, what's all the yelling about?" Madam Pince asked frowning as she came over to us.

"Professor Andrews had just been stabbed," I said my voice shaking violently. "She said that Miss Smith stabbed her."

Madam Pince looked at me.

"Professor Lupin, Kelly's been here the whole time,"

I stared at her in disbelief. I could not believe what I was hearing.

"Caitlin told me she saw Kelly come into the shower and stab her in the shoulder," I said looking from Madam Pince to Kelly.

"I was here the whole time, Professor," Kelly said looking concerned. "After I walked in on you and Professor Andrews in front of the fire, I came back here to the library. I've been studying all this time."

I didn't know what to believe…or for that matter, think.

I turned and headed out of the library and off to the hospital wing.

I entered the hospital wing. Caitlin was lying on a cot. Madam Elkin had removed the knife and a large, white bandage was on her shoulder. Her eyes were closed though and her head was turned away from me.

"How is she?" I demanded automatically.

"She'll be fine," Madam Elkin said softly. "The blade missed vital veins. I put a Lutov salve on her wound to start the healing process. She needs rest and she should be fine by tomorrow."

She put a hand on my shoulder before she left the hospital wing. Danielle was still laying on the cot several away from Caitlin's.

Darkness came. A full moon cast a silvery white color into the hospital wing through the window. The familiar pang shot across my abdomen and I cried out, dropping to my hands and knees and began changing.

KELLY.

I had wanted to see if Professor Andrews was alright. It was true…I had been studying in the library the whole time. Perhaps she saw someone that looked like me?

I entered the hospital wing. It was dark inside except the silver light from the full moon outside.

I spied Danielle lying on the cot sound asleep, but twitching every so often. She was sweating and probably had a really high fever. I came around a curtain drawn and froze in my tracks.

A beautiful male wolf was sitting on his haunches on Professor Andrews' cot. The minute I had appeared, I heard it snarling. The ears were pinned flat sideways and the top lip of his snout was pulled back, exposing white canines and incisors.

I slowly backed up, stepping into the silver moonlight that cast across the floor of the hospital wing. Suddenly, the wolf stopped snarling and the ears perked up.

"Easy boy," I said unsteadily and nervously. "I just wanted to see if Professor Andrews was okay."

I slowly began taking steps toward the cot, keeping my eyes on the wolf the entire time.

But he made no attempt to move toward me or show any signs of aggression again.

I took a seat next to the cot. The wolf tucked his hind legs underneath him and slowly laid down, stretching his front forelegs out so they dangled over the edge of the cot. His tail wrapped around his hind legs and he just watched me.

"I'm so sorry, Professor Andrews," I said quietly. "I had no idea that this happened to you."

The wolf just whined and rested his head on Professor Andrews' thigh.

CAITLIN.

I groggily opened my eyes feeling a slight pressure on my thigh. I blinked several times and realized I was in the hospital wing.

I saw Remus in wolf form curled up against me and Kelly sitting beside me in a chair.

I immediately sat upright and searing pain shot through my shoulder. Remus immediately woke up himself and watched me.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded wide-eyed. "You stabbed me!"

"No!" Kelly said looking upset. "I was in the library the whole time! Ask Madam Pince!"

"I saw you though!" I argued. "Clear as day!"

"Please Professor Andrews! I would never attack a teacher!" Kelly said as tears began forming in her eyes. "Why would I do such a thing?"

"Because you have crush on Remus," I said narrowing my eyes. "Jealousy?"

Kelly's tears began streaming down her cheeks.

"I would never intentionally hurt someone," she said quietly.

"Get her out of here," I snapped to the wolf.

But the wolf remained.

"Get her out of here," I repeated.

The wolf remained and went into a submissive position.

"What's wrong with you?" I snarled angrily. "SHE STABBED ME!"

At that, the wolf sprang to life. It jumped on me, knocking me onto my back on the cot and it stood over me, pinning my shoulders against the cot with its front paws. It snarled warningly at me; the ears pinned flat sideways and the top lip was pulled back exposing white canines and incisors.

It continued to growl. I stared up into the wolfs amber/jaundice eyes. I knew Remus was trying to tell me something, but I couldn't understand it.

"Okay," I said quietly. "Okay."

The wolf immediately got off me and tucked his hindquarters into the sitting position at the foot of my cot and watched me.

I turned to Kelly.

"You swear you were in the library the entire time?" I asked slowly.

Kelly nodded as tears slid down her cheeks.

"I would never, ever hurt someone…especially a teacher. And yeah I have a crush on Professor Lupin…but I would never think of hurting you. You're sort of my friend besides my teacher," she said quietly.

I sighed.

"I'm sorry. But I don't understand what happened," I said quietly. "I distinctly saw you."

Just then, a flash went off before my eyes. I saw myself back in the shower room:

I was standing under the shower enjoying the hot water. I saw myself smiling. Just then, the door opened and Kelly stepped in.

But when I blinked, I realized it wasn't Kelly…but Danielle.

The flash vanished and my body twitched. I was breathing heavily as I looked at the wolf and Kelly.

"Oh my God," I said shakily.

"What is it?" Kelly asked.

"It wasn't you," I whispered dropping my voice below a whisper. "It was Danielle."

Kelly's eyes widened.

"How can that be?" she whispered also.

"I'm not sure," I whispered back. "But I'm sorry about everything. Stop crying okay?"

Kelly nodded and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and brightened. The wolf turned his head and began licking Kelly's face.

She giggled and wiped the sticky saliva off of her cheeks.

"You really should be heading back to the common room," I said, in a normal tone now. "It's late."

Kelly nodded and stood up. The wolf got up on all fours and jumped down off the bed.

"He's probably going to walk you back," I said as my lip twitched.

"I won't tell anyone about him…I promise," Kelly said earnestly.

The wolf stood directly beside Kelly as she stood there.

"Thanks," I said gratefully.

Kelly began heading out of the hospital wing with the wolf walking slowly beside her.

Once they had left, I turned over on my side and shut my eyes, wondering how on earth Danielle managed to leave the hospital wing even though she was really sick…and if anyone saw her leaving.

The next morning, I awoke to warm sunshine on my face. I yawned and stretched. Remus was already sitting beside my cot in human form.

"Morning," he said.

"Morning," I said as I sat up.

He looked at me.

"How is your shoulder?"

"It's feeling much better," I said.

"I heard what you said last night," he said looking grave. "But how on earth did she do it? And you said you saw Kelly, but then you saw Danielle."

I nodded.

"I don't know how to explain it," I said looking over at Danielle on the cot. "But the second time it was her. No mistaking about it."

Remus looked serious and grave.

"When Danielle gets better, we're going to have to have a talk with her,"

I nodded and suddenly, a wave of nausea rolled over me. I leaned over the edge of the cot and vomited.

Remus quickly ran and got Madam Elkin, who came in and checked me over.

"Well," Madam Elkin said. "Her shoulders healed nicely. I'm sure she can go back to class now…just don't do anything strenuous or exerting."

"Why?" Remus asked curiously.

Madam Elkin broke into a grin.

"She's pregnant,"