Listen To Your Heart

Chapter Six-A Surprise In The Woods

Gillian.

I stood, completely hurt. I didn't know what Sam's problem was. I began feeling even worse. I let my bag drop and sank onto the couch. I turned sideways on it and drew my legs up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. I pressed my face into my thighs and began sobbing all over again.

REMUS.

I was just about to put my foot into the classroom, when Sam came storming past me, almost knocking me into Lily.

"Hey," I said playfully. "Knock me over why don't you?"

Sam just slid into his seat and took out his supplies.

"Where's Gillian?" Lily asked curiously.

"Back in the common room," Sam muttered.

"Is everything alright?" I asked.

"Just peachy," Sam replied, but I caught a hint of sarcasm in it.

"I'd best go check on her," I said to Lily, James, Sirius and Peter. "Tell Professor Anders I'll be back shortly."

I handed Lily my bag.

"Sure Remus," Sam replied keeping his eyes on his parchment. "She'd just loooove you coming to check on her."

I froze.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I demanded.

Sam finally raised his eyes to mine.

"It means I know how you feel about her you ass," he replied smugly. "And I can see the way she looks at you too. I'm not blind."

Lily, James, Sirius and Peter took their seats.

"We're best friends," I said.

"Right," Sam said smirking and returned his eyes onto his parchment.

I turned and jogged down the corridor.

I gave the Fat Lady the password, "Hydrolucis" and entered the common room. Gillian was on the couch with her legs drawn up to her chest.

"Hey," I said softly and kindly as I approached her. I sat down on the couch and her feet were touching my thighs. "What's wrong?"

"Sam," Gillian replied raising her eyes to meet mine. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"What about Sam?" I asked curiously.

GILLIAN.

I told him what he had said. Remus frowned thoughtfully.

"Well," he said slowly. "It sounds to me like Sam loves you."

"He loves me? Funny way of showing it," I snorted.

"I picked up on it," Remus said. "I see the way he looks at you. Oh. My. God."

A look of realization had come across his face.

"What is it?" I asked sniffling.

Remus hesitated before answering. "Oh, I've just noticed that it's a bit of jealousy going on. He started on me before I came to find you. Look, just give it time."

He leaned forward so that our faces were inches apart.

I smiled gratefully and leaned forward, kissing him on the cheek.

"Thanks," I said appreciatively. "Let's go to class."

I picked up my bag and swung it onto my shoulder.

Remus and I began walking back to class.

I entered the classroom and took a seat next to Sirius. Behind us were James and Lily and Remus and Peter. Behind them were Peter and a fellow Gryffindor named Roselyn Rourke.

Professor Anders began teaching the lesson. Through James and Lily I felt Sam's eyes burning into me.

After class, we headed back to the common room.

Sam avoided me like the plague and it was killing me. Lily finally pulled him aside and I saw her having a heated discussion with him.

Peter and I began playing a game of Wizards Chess on the floor.

"How are you feeling?" Peter squeaked out.

"Like my heart was run over," I replied swallowing.

Peter nodded sympathetically.

James and Sirius were seeing who could make the loudest fart noises until Sirius let one out that was so loud he fell off the couch backwards.

Peter burst out laughing. I had to admit, it was hilarious and I soon joined in. Remus looked up from the book he was reading on the couch and shook his head with amusement and disbelief.

Sirius climbed back onto the couch and the contest resumed.

"You two are absolutely retarded," I laughed.

"Yep!" James agreed grinning.

"Tonight's the full moon," Remus said as his tone becoming serious.

"Duh," Sirius replied rolling his eyes. "We know all about it. Trust me-we don't forget."

Once Lily was done talking with Sam, he quickly left the common room.

"What's going on?" I demanded looking in the direction Sam had gone and then looking at Lily.

"I can't tell you just yet," Lily said softly. "But trust me, he's not angry at anyone—especially you Gillian. He's not mad at you. He's angry with himself."

"What for?" James asked curiously.

"Eh, that's the part I can't tell you just yet," Lily said gently as she went over and put her arm around James.

Remus and I caught each others gaze before I returned my eyes onto the game Peter and I were playing.

That night, Remus, James, Sirius, Peter and Sam had headed off to the Shrieking Shack for Remus to change.

Lily and I stayed in the common room working on our homework.

REMUS.

Once inside the shack, I changed: my ears grew and tapered into points, my back lengthened and narrowed; my hands and feet changed into paws with deadly black nails curling under where my fingernails and toenails were; my eyes changed into an amber/jaundice color and my nose and mouth stretched forward into a snout. White canines and incisors slid down under purple lips. Thick gray and white fur grew all over my body. Before long, my human form was gone and all that remained was the wolf.

----The Wolf.

The stag stood squarely on all fours. His antlers curled upward and outward. He was a light tan color with a bit of white on his tuft tail. He had large, expressive eyes and small, but well proportioned ears. His hooves were shiny and black.

The two dogs got into a game of 'tag' until the stag lowered his head down and nipped at the Border Collie and black dog. That ended the game.

I yawned and stretched, stretching out my front legs and flexing my claws.

We left the shack, careful to keep to the shadows. We somehow made our way back to the Hogwarts grounds. There were faint lights on up at the castle. As we entered the Forbidden Forest, my ears suddenly picked up on something. It sounded like a girl sobbing.

From the dogs' body language, I knew they had heard it too. I lowered my snout to the ground and sniffed. I picked up a female scent. I began trotting, keeping my nose to the ground. My paws crunched over dead leaves and twigs. The two dogs and stag were right behind me.

Suddenly, the scent led me to a young girl, dressed in a dirty nightgown and nothing else. Her shoulder length dark brown hair had twigs and leaves sticking out of it and she had dirt smudged on her cheeks.

Immediately, the two dogs galloped over to her. She raised her eyes and reached for the black dog. The stag wandered over to her as well and laid down beside her, tucking his long legs underneath him. I sat on my haunches in front of the girl and wrapped my tail around my hind leg. The black dog barked and began licking at the girls face. She had a terrified expression on her face when she saw me, but the Border Collie began trying to lick her face as well. My eyes suddenly landed to an object around her neck. When she turned toward the stag, I picked up a name necklace.

Eleanor.

I saw the Border Collie studying her as well and he met my eyes.

One ear flopped over as he then took off back toward the castle.

I got up and slowly approached her.

She screamed and frantically scooted closer to the stag and black dog. I stopped and tilted my head. She was scared of me.

I flicked an ear back and heard Professor Dumbledore's and Professor McGonagall's voices approaching as well as Sam's.

The black dog gently and lightly clamped his jaws around the girl's wrist and began leading her out of the Forbidden Forest. The stag stayed close to the forest line, hidden somewhat in the darkness.

"Good Lord!" Professor McGonagall cried as she crouched down in front of the girl. The black dog released the girls' wrist and we all crowded around Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall. I sat on my haunches at Dumbledore's feet. The black dog and Border Collie stayed next to the girl.

Dumbledore glanced down at me and placed a gentle hand on top of my head.

"Good work," he said quietly. "This is the missing Muggle child."

"How can that be?" McGonagall asked amazed. "How on earth did she get so far from home?"

"I don't know," Professor Dumbledore said. "But I suggest we take her back to the castle. She can probably tell us what happened in detail once she's gotten cleaned up and everything."

"Muggles aren't supposed to know about this," McGonagall said fearfully. "We can't risk it."

"Do you imply we leave her out here in the woods?" Dumbledore asked.

McGonagall bit her bottom lip.

"We can use the Memory Charm on her later," Dumbledore continued. "But it's too dangerous to leave her out here. She'd have no food, water or anything. You have to admit it would be inhuman."

She sighed.

"You're right, Albus," she said. "I just hope you know what you're doing."

Professor McGonagall began leading the girl back to the castle. Her eyes were wide when she spied the castle. The two dogs playfully licked Dumbledore's hand before heading back into the woods. I nudged him too before following them.

As I entered the woods, the stag and the dogs were galloping back toward the Shrieking Shack. Suddenly, someone jumped out from behind a bush and draped a large burlap sack over me. I began snarling and trying to fight when something heavy and solid came crashing down on top of my head. Blackness swallowed me up.

GILLIAN.

A few minutes later, I heard the common room opening. Lily and I looked up. It was Professor McGonagall. She had a grave expression on her face.

"Please come with me you two," she said.

Lily and I looked at each other and got up.

We followed McGonagall out of the common room and she led us to Professor Dumbledore's office.

Sitting in there were James, Sam, Peter and Sirius…but no Remus, and a girl about 15.

"Have a seat," Professor Dumbledore said kindly as he conjured up two more comfortable looking poufs.

"What's going on?" I demanded looking from James, to Sam and then to Peter and Sirius.

Lily couldn't take her eyes off the girl.

"Firstly," Dumbledore said. "This is Eleanor. She's the missing girl."

Lily and I's jaws dropped.

"Secondly, she's not really a Muggle. She just told me that her father's a wizard but if they had said that to the press, you can imagine the uproar and our secret would be out. She said all she remembers is a large, thin terrifying looking man Apparated into her room, grabbed her and then she woke up in some kind of dungeon."

"Wow," Lily said. "The poor girl!"

The girl hugged herself and looked scared.

"But that's not what's concerning me unfortunately. She's safe now that's the main thing. What I'm worried about is these four," he gestured to Sam, Sirius, Peter and James, "Say Remus never returned to the Shrieking Shack with them."

"What?" I exploded jumping up, startling the girl.

"When we got back to the Shack, and changed back, he wasn't with us," Peter squeaked out.

"Where is he?" I demanded.

"We don't know," James said going pale. "I hope he's not hurt."

"You've got to find him!" I cried.

Professor Dumbledore held up his hand.

"Please calm down, Miss Ross," he said gently. "We're going to check the Forest and see what we can find. I'm sure he's perfectly fine."

I still had an awful feeling.

"Minerva, please take care of Eleanor for me? Owl her parents letting her know where she was found and get her some fresh clothes and have her wait here in my office. We're going to take look outside,"

McGonagall nodded as Professor Dumbledore, Sam, Sirius, James, Peter, Lily and I all left the office and headed out onto the grounds.

We began searching the forest.

"I found his paw prints," Sirius called bending over a dirt path. We all hurried over to him and bent over.

Sure enough, large, deep paw prints were visible, but they just seemed to vanish.

"They just seem to vanish! That's impossible," Lily said nervously scanning the forest.

"Not unless something happened," Dumbledore said gravely. "Like he was…snatched."

"You mean someone took him?" Sirius asked looking up at him. "Why?"

"I don't know," Dumbledore said shaking his head. "But that would explain the sudden stop in his tracks. Someone grabbed him."

I felt my stomach heaving and I bent over a bush and vomited.

"I think its time we headed back," Dumbledore said quietly.

We slowly made our way back to the castle.

I couldn't believe what was happening. Sam still avoided my eyes and gazes which added to my worse feeling.

Sirius came over and put his arm around my shoulders as we walked.

"Don't worry," he said softly and quietly. "I'm sure Moony is just fine."

I gave him a half hearted smile as we entered the castle.

THE WOLF.

I slowly opened my eyes and blinked a few times, clearing my vision. I was lying on some soft hay somewhere that looked like a dungeon. I slowly and shakily rose to my feet, but I could feel my legs shaking violently, causing me to fall back down again. I pulled my legs into standing position again and was able to stand on all fours. I went to take a step forward, but something held me back around my neck. I turned my head around and saw that I was collared and a chain ran from the collar to the cobble stoned walls.

There was no way for me to get food or anything around there.

Suddenly, someone entered the dungeon dressed in a long black robe. The hood was pulled up, covering the eyes and face.

"At last," a cold, unemotional voice hissed. "We have the infamous werewolf of their group."

My ears pricked up at the sound of the voice. It sounded so much like….

"Let him starve," the voice continued cruelly. "The war is beginning! There will be no stopping us now!"