Here we go, chapter nine. Drop a comment, let me know what you think.


I wandered around in front of the Gryffindor dorms, waiting on the twins. It would be just like them to forget about the lightning storm. I had made sure they cast the charm every day, or they would have had to start over.

Just as I was about to give up and find a Gryffindor with the password, the twins barreled out the portrait hole with matching grins.

"Do I want to know?"

"Nah. Just wait until breakfast, and keep an eye on the little slimeball Malfoy."

"Alrighty, then Fred. Are you boys ready?"

With a nod, the three of us set out for the Room, as I had taken to calling it. The potion was brewing quietly in the corner, small bubbles popping as they reached the top.

George, who was the first in the room, ladled the brew into three small cups, passing them to us. We each added our mandrake leaf to our cups, a faint hiss rising. And then it was down the hatch.

Tipping my cup back swiftly, I shuddered as the flavor of burnt sweaty socks hit my tongue. But the taste was swiftly the last thing on my mind as my eyes widened.

My senses seemed to widen and deepen, and suddenly I could hear harsh breathing. It took me a moment to realize the breathing was mine. I turned to the boys to see they were both grinning madly.

"It's working!" Cheered George.

I quickly knelt down, wanting to try to transform. "Let's do it."

The twins nodded, joining me, and we each wrapped our focus up in the change.

If there was a moment where your concentration slipped during this first try you could get stuck halfway.

Closing my eyes, I concentrated. There was a tingly shiver that washed over me, and I opened my eyes. My vision was sharper, and my hearing heightened. I glanced down at my hands and started. Where once there was pale skin, there was tan fur. My nails had become claws, and as I looked around, I could tell I was much shorter.

I asked the Room for a mirror. The far wall rippled into a silver sheen. I stood before the mirror, admiring myself.

The spots in my fur, the fangs peeking out of my muzzle. It is then that I remembered the twins.

I turned to them, and instead of orange hair and teasing smiles, a laughing hyena, and a grinning coyote stood in their place. I laughed, but a deep rumbling purr came out instead. Transforming back, I sat up.

"We should go outside." I grinned.

The boys nodded as they focused on reversing the transformation. As soon as they were back in human form, we headed down to the grounds. I knew of a little bend around the forbidden forest where we wouldn't be seen.


Once we were out of sight from the castle, we ducked further into the trees, before pausing in a glade.

"Here's good," Fred commented.

We all knelt again, transforming. Again it was like a tingling sensation poured over me, and as soon as I was done I flexed my paws. I leaned into a long stretch, then turned to the twins, who were also shaking out their limbs.

My grin was feral, my fangs gleaming in the leaf dappled light. I leaped at George. How he managed a stunned look as a coyote, I don't know. We rolled across the forest floor, wrestling, and just as we paused for air, Fred pounced on us both.

His cackling laughter echoed slightly, but we didn't fear being caught.

The three of us wrestled and romped through the woods for hours before we noticed the sun going down in the distance. I tilted my head back towards the school, my heightened senses making it much easier to tell the direction. The boys gave me a look that begged for more time, but I shook my head. We had probably already missed dinner, and who knew what Harry, Ron, and Hermione had gotten into while we were gone.


It turned out things had happened while we were gone.

Hagrid's egg had hatched, and Malfoy had seen.

The little ferret was ever so smug whenever he saw them, and we spent a week trying to convince Hagrid to get rid of it.

"Just let him go," Harry urged. "Set him free."

"I can't," said Hagrid. "He's too little. He'd die."

The dragon, Norbert, as Hagrid named him, had grown three times in length in the week since his hatching. Smoke kept furling from his nostrils. Hagrid hadn't been keeping up with his gamekeeping duties because he was so busy with Norbert. There were empty brandy bottles and chicken feathers all over the floor.

Hagrid was finally convinced that Norbert couldn't stay, Malfoy would say something. Ron agreed to send his brother Charlie an owl, as Charlie worked with wild dragons.


I didn't allow myself to get dragged into feeding the beast or helping Hagrid with chores. That was a step too far in the direction of getting easily caught. Especially since Ron got himself bit.

Charlies answer came quick. He would take the dragon, but we would have to sneak him out. Several of Charlie's friends would arrive on brooms next week. We just had to smuggle him up to the astronomy tower at midnight on Saturday.

It was decided that Harry and Hermione would carry him up under the invisibility cloak. Ron couldn't carry anything with his hand swollen. By the next morning it was twice it's normal size. I insisted he go see Madam Pomfrey.

"She needs to know you've been bit, it looks like Norbert is poisonous."

We shuffled him down the corridor and stood out in the hallway until he was free to talk again. We were watching, suspicious, as Malfoy hurried past us, before reemerging with a book.

My exasperation level went through the roof when Ron moaned, "Charlie's letter is in the book Malfoy took, he's going to know we're getting rid of Norbert."

"Really? Why didn't you burn the thing?" But he couldn't answer as Madam Pomfrey kicked us out.


"It's too late to change the plan now. We haven't got time to send Charlie another letter. You've got the cloak, just be careful when you come back down to stay under it."

Harry nodded, and he and Hermione left me to go tell Hagrid the plan.


When I woke the morning after the dragon escapade, I glared at the hourglasses on the wall. Gryffindor had lost one hundred and fifty points overnight. No need to guess why.

"You got caught," I said flatly as I grabbed a muffin from the red and gold table.

"Leo..." Harry began.

I didn't look at them, continuing to set up my plate. "I don't want to know, leave me out of it. Did he leave?"

"Yeah, he got out before."

"Fine." And I left. I got up and walked away, taking another muffin with me. Idiots, the pair of them.