Chapter 3

The pain she felt was familiar but impossible to get used to. It coursed through her entire body and it became her world it was at this moment that she would have lost control. Leaving the best lin charge but thanks to the wolfbane she could remaining herself. She still felt it awaken from its month slumber. She did not know if it was something that her mind made up to process what was happening to her or if there was another being inside her. No book about werewolf's spoke about it and she never had the opportunity to ask another werewolf about it.

When she was aware of the world again she was panting on the floor in a wolf's body. Went up on all fours and she realized that she never had seen herself as a wolf. She felt her curiosity battle with worry as she looked towards the mirror examine and was shocked at her appearance.

She was a normal-sized wolf with grey fur. The scales that she usually hid with her clothes and makeup were on full display. The effect of the scales and the lack of fur on those parts made her look ill. It felt weird that she felt uncomfortable with being a weird looking wolf werewolf. Her eye was still the same as they had been when she was human. Her discomfort was soon almost swept away with an almost irresistible urge to howl but she did manage to resist from doing it. Until she remembered that she was alone and no one would hear her. she then let out a howl. It felt great as she let out a great howl and with the urge to howl subsiding the urge to kill came more clearly but thanks to the potion those urges did not take a mind of their own. She felt restless but the door was locked and there was nothing for her to do so she decided to sleep.

She went to the bed and jumped into it there was no need for her to even attempt to take a blanked as the fur she had made her warm. She tried to sleep even if she knew that it was almost impossible as the beast ensured she would stay up for a long time.

She thought of things she would ask for when she returned to the castle. Something that she would not experience this boredom of being a wolf and uncertainty of when she would transform. she finally decided to ask for the door to her cabin be opened so that she could take a run and a clock so that she wold can tell the time. After a long time she finally drifted off to sleep.

She awoke to the familiar mind-numbing pain of transforming back. She was silent for a moment before her body gave her back control and she screamed rolling over and falling outside the bed. At the same time, she could feel the beast return to its slumber.

Then as it resided she felt the sickness and fatigue wash over her and she had just the strength to get back into her bed before she collapsed. She welcomed the pain and the fatigue as it reminded her that she had not bitten anyone last night. She fell asleep again.

She woke up when her door opened and in came Headmistress McGonagall and Madam Pomphrey as well as her sister walking behind them. She rose unsteadily to her feet and before she realized she was naked and took the blanket as cover. She looked at them for any signs of what they were thinking. Their expressions were natural McGonagall said " my apologies to disturb you but Madam Pomfrey which to have the cheek up as soon as possible " she had a vague memory of the mention of a check-up. She was instructed to sit on a chair and Madam Pomfrey started to prod and examine her. She did not flinch at the sight of her patches of green snake scale as the nature of Hogwarts she probably saw them as mundane. The same could be said of her scars as she had a simply noted them and passed on. The first scar on her right leg had been made by Greyback as he turned her into a werewolf. The other was a mystery it was placed on her back and had a spiral pattered and she could not remember how she had gotten it. The only time there was even a hint of disturbance was when she lastly examed her left arm. It was really disturbing to River herself. The arm was still even when she was human covered in wolf fear except for a couple of patches of green scales. But the truly disturbing fact was her left hand as it was a mix of a hand and a paw, the combination was such that it did not impede her hand movement too much and was the reason she always wore gloves. When she was done she stepped back and with a relieved smile. Madam Pomfrey nodded at the headmistress which returned the nod. Her sister stepped forwards and she and Madam Pomfrey started to talk about different methods that they could use to hide her scales in her face and the best way to remove the heir from her left arm. Everything was too far over Rivers' head and she started to tune out and she almost fell asleep.

Her daydreaming was cut short as her sister said "let me borrow your hand" as she started replying a familiar cold feeling slipped through her arm as her sister drew her wand along it and her heir on her arm fell loose. Then she applied the gel that mimics her skin color and covered her scales and her grey skin on her left arm. Lastly, she trimmed her claws and with an anti-growing charm to ensure that they would not grow until the charm was broken at the next full moon.

She looked in the mirror and satisfied that her arm was free from fur and looked almost normal. She felt a wave of fatigue wash over her and struggled a bit not falling over and past out. She tied to hide it but failed as both women looked at her concerned. "it looks like we have pushed you a bit far you need to get some rest." Her sister came over and put an arm on her shoulder and said " I will come back later and then we can talk more " Madam Pomfrey said in a calm voice, "here is your dreamless potion" she devoured it and fell asleep a fast as the other women had helped her back to her bed. She did not even hear the door closing.

She awoke several hours later still feeling ill. She saw that someone had left breakfast for her and made her way to the table .thinking it would be cold but to her surprise, it was still was still warm. She forced herself to and eat. There where breed and carrots and orange juice. Everything looked delicious and she felt the familiar longing for their taste.

She wondered what she was going to do now. She could go back to sleep but it would do little to improve her condition as it would take time. She could read a book but she knew she would have a hard time understanding anything. She had always hated being sick and this was worse in the sense that you knew that it would all happen again next month. She could not help to remember one of the things that her captors had discovered was a potion that speeds up the recovery time and dampens nausea and fatigue after a transformation.

Unfortunately that and the rest of their research had all gone missing with the remnants of the scientist. She wanted that potion very bad right now even if it had been developed on the back of her and people like her as they experimented their way forward.

She went back to sleep to be awakened sometime later by a knock she hefted herself up and took on her clothes and gloves. It was her sister. She smiled as the smaller girl went inside. Then she notices that she was limping slightly. "What happened," she said in a more aggressive voice then she had intended. Her sister tried to look innocent but for once she did deem to fail and River could see how tired she was. "well someone took a prank a little too far and a classmate and I got a free ticket to the hospital wing and professor Flitwick is furious". She looked at her with suspicion "what are you not telling me and why are you so tired we have not even been here a week" she sighted "do not remind me. I am losing my touch if even you can see through me. I was in the crossfire of two pranks and the result will take some time to heal. my biggest headache Is keeping Slytherin from retaliating or the conflict would keep escalating. We will just have to sit and take it." well anyway how are you feeling? " "good I was thinking of eating lunch " her sister frowned " But is after five " "oh" she had lost track of time which usually happened after a transformation. "well I broth you something as it though that this might happen " she took outbreed water and butter. "you are the best" she ate when her sister spoke of how her brief time as head girl had been and River was happy that she was not in that position.

Then it was her turn to tell her sister of what had transpired since she had started. " Well, it good that you can make a friend. Your old crew is giving you the cold shoulder huh. " River nodded feeling sadness at the mention of them".. well," her sister said after they were done talking I would love to say longer but duty awaits she nodded and she headed outside. The next day she started to feel a bit better and when Slughorn came to get her she was able to walk to the clearing by herself. She addressed her request and got a okay for the clock and a decline on having the door opened. As it was one of the security aspects that was unfortunately mandatory. When she returned the students slowly got used to her somewhat People still stared but it was less intently and to Rosies great relief they were a lot less . She ate alone again and then headed to her first lesson was Defense. she met up with Rosie outside the classroom and they headed inside. Their assignment was Boggart,. River thought they were fascinating creatures able to mimic people's worst fears. Something weird happened when it was her turn. The boggart did not manifest a form but was an unformed mass trying to shift into something but could not access that part of her memory. The atmosphere was not completely calm but it was tolerable this lasted two weeks until one morning as they headed to their lesson in Herbology when they heard a strange sound like windchimes with some sort of strange melody. They headed carefully to where the sound. When they there was already a lot of people gathered there. On the same place that the message of the chamber of secrets has opened were a completely new massage We will not forget we will not forgive. No more Slytherin. Underneath the message were Snakes that had been lit a flame and they were in agony. Above the message there was a symbol. it was the Hogwarts crest but instead of a Slytherin crest there was a miniature of the same crest. The professors came shortly after River and Rosie had arrived and asked anyone if they had seen the culprits and when no one came forwards they dismissed everyone back to their classes. They had silent conservation using sign-language during the class which were one of the advantages as professor sprout did not know that they were not talking about their plant. Rosie had noticed a suspicious Hufflepuff and thought that he was probably the culprit. As She had noted his emotions compared to the others as well as gotten some snippets from his mind. Still, no one had gotten hurt and they had no real proof so both decided that they were not going to say anything. Still, the message made River feel hollow inside as it made clear that this was not the end for them and it implied that they wanted revenge. The general census over the next couple of days was that many supported it as most people had suffered at the hands of Slytherin and the fact that many did it out of fear did not seem to matter to them. All they saw was the evil acts and many did not even hesitate to state their opinions aloud. The teachers were unable to stop it. The newspaper had a field day interviewing people and even had a picture of the massage on the front page. Something told River that things were just beginning to get ugly.