Kayla's big secret, werewolf Lupin, a firebolt, and a couple goodbyes.

~Oh, I'm not Miss. Rowling, sadly, she's famous and I'm not.

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"Kayla, you forgot your –"

"Forget it Anthony! I'll have to do without it!" I called back to him as I ran out of the Gryffindor common room, sprinting for the front doors.

"Wolvesbane." I heard him whisper as I fled past him.

Yeah wolvesbane might help, but, oh well I had no time. My transformation was all ready beginning. Merlin's beard I hate it when I forget about full moons.

Yes, I'm a werewolf for your information, but, no one knows I mean accept for Anthony.

With no time to run to the whomping willow, I stopped only ten feet away from the swaying tree and began transforming completely. My arms felt like they were ripping in half as the rough skin and gray hair slowly replaced my normally pale skin. My stomach felt like it was twisting and turning and churning all of what resided in it as it grew smaller. My shirt was torn off all ready and the complete upper half of my body was gray, covered in hair and forming to a werewolf shape. My spine bent forward the slightest bit as the back of my neck formed strong muscle and grew longer. A snout grew from my nose and mouth and I felt myself getting taller as my legs transformed ripping the jeans that once fit my human form. My brain was last to transform, and after that, I remember nothing.

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

The one thing I was very happy at myself for was knowing to go to the shrieking shack whether I had taken my wolvesbane or not.

I opened my eyes, blinking them rapidly to release the blurriness that resided in them. I felt the chill come through the cracks of the house and through the windows. My body became covered in goose-bumps and I wrapped my arms around myself and got up from the floor. The one thing I hate about transformations, you're naked when you go back to your normal self. Poppy told me to keep extra clothing in the shrieking shack, but I never remembered, so she always laid a hospital robe in one of the rooms before I headed out for the night.

The white robe was set on the old dusty couch. I grabbed it viciously and threw it on. Even though alone, I felt completely exposed and awkward. I tied the robe and ran through the tunnel of the shack and looked cautiously out of the hole under the whomping willow. Dammit, I hate that I can't carry my wand with me. Here we go. I ran out of the tree, dodging braches left and right from the whomping willow's blows. One of the smaller limbs nicked my ankle but I was able to run the rest of the way from its reach.

I turned around and face the tree. "I hate you." Its branches began to shake like it had heard my comment or something so I turned and ran at full speed towards the castle.

It was 6:30am, the castle doors were open as usual, and classes hadn't started yet as usual. I didn't need to go to Poppy either as usual. I ran past the hospital wing and gave her a thumbs up to tell her that my night went fine and ran towards Gryffindor tower.

Most werewolves would need some sleep after a long night out, but not me. I absolutely hate skipping classes. So to make up for the loss of sleep I just skip dinner and go to bed right after classes. I just wish Hermione wasn't so nosey, she constantly questions me about my tiredness or whatever. I just like to go to bed early is all. Obviously she doesn't fall for that.

"Fortuna Major" I whispered to the Fat Lady.

"Oh hi dear! Have a nice night out?" She asked me.

"It could've been better." I gave her my answer in a chuckled tone.

She gave a light hum. "Well go on in dear." She opened up and I climbed through only to meet my nose with the one's of a certain George Weasley.

"Sorry." We both chimed at the same time.

He stared at me for a moment, looked down and then up. "Why are you in a –"

"Bye!" I shouted in him and his twins faces and pushed past them both, racing up the stairs and into my dormitory.

I turned the knob quietly, not wanting to wake my piers, and waltzed over across the room and into the loo. After a half hour shower of washing my hair repeatedly and scrubbing my self with a bar of soap I got rid of the dog smell and felt clean again. Sometimes I just love showers.

I stepped out of the loo in my Gryffindor robes, drying my hair with my towel.

"You know, I never saw you go to bed last night." Hermione suddenly spoke. "You weren't in it when I went to sleep at midnight."

"Decided to stay out late." I mumbled, still rubbing my hair in the towel.

"Since when do you stay out late?" Hermione asked.

"Since Anthony and I were finishing up our essays in the library." I answered her and threw the towel on the floor of the loo. I wonder why Snape was our teacher the other day anyway. Maybe Professor Lupin was having post-moon symptoms."Now if you'll excuse me, I'm starved and going to breakfast. Come with?"

"No, I'm eating with Harry and Ron this morning. Thanks for the offer though." She told me.

"All right then." I grabbed my school satchel and walked out of the dormitory without a bye or see you later and walked down to the common room.

I wonder what Fred and George were up to so early this morning.

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"Now before I collect your essays on the werewolf I'll give you all a chance to go over it to make sure you got your facts right." Professor Snape grumbled to our class. "Who can tell me the only way a werewolf will remember themselves in human form?"

I tried not to raise my hand. Answering too many questions would render it obvious. Hermione's hand shot up in the air and, as usual, Professor Snape ignored her. Anthony's hand was next to come up.

"Ah, Mr. Draken, you know the answer?" Snape asked him.

"Yes sir. The potion, wolvesbane, renders a werewolves mind to stay in human-mode and allows it to remember themselves." Anthony answered.

"Very good, as usual, Mr. Draken." Snape whispered, mainly to himself, but gave a nod as to tell Anthony he was correct.

I stared at the pictures of the process of a werewolf's transformation that were placed on the board. The last picture was wrong, I'm sure on purpose. The brain is the last thing to lose human form, not the snout; duh.

"Miss. Cloud!" Professor Snape yelled my name. My head shot up and I looked to him. "Since you seem so interested in the board, can you tell me what's wrong with the placement of the pictures of a werewolf's transformation?"

I cleared my throat. "Yes I can. The last phase of the transformation is not the changing of the nose into a snout, but rather the wiring of the brain from human form to thinking like a werewolf."

Professor Snape crouched in front of my desk and glared at me for a moment. "You may have gotten that right, but you need to pay attention in my class." He spat.

He stood up and began pacing the room again.

"This isn't even your class." I mumbled as his cape turned the corner of my desk.

"Someone's grumpy this morning." Anthony whispered.

I reached over and smacked his elbow as a, 'shut up, I know.'

"What's the most significant change of a werewolf?" Snape asked, yet another question

He's probably just going to fail us all, why does he even bother?

"The eyes." I whispered into my hand that was now propping my head on the desk.

"What was that, Miss. Cloud?" Professor Snape asked me.

"The eyes." I repeated.

"Sometimes I wonder how you know so much." He muttered with a deep glare in my direction.

I rolled my eyes. So funny, Snape.

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

"Oh, not again Miranda, I told you I hate taking care of mandrakes." I complained as my best friend, Miranda Nelinne, dragged me off to the greenhouses.

She had this fascination with Herbology class and mandrakes. Don't ask why, because I have no idea.

"Aww, you shouldn't hate the mandrakes, they're just little plants." Miranda said, happily skipping while she held my wrist, making me follow.

"Evil plants." I muttered.

She gasped. "How could you say that? They're so adorable!"

"They're wrinkly and look like old dried up prunes."

"Oh, they do not."

I sighed and began to walk at Miranda's pace to the greenhouses where I would spend dreaded hours repotting mandrakes for Madame Sprout. I could be sleeping, but I was too nice to say no to Miranda. I mean, she is my best mate.

After two long, excruciating hours of repotting mandrakes, I finally got to leave the dreaded greenhouse. One: I hate earmuffs, two: a mandrake almost bit me, and three: I'm so tired I may not even make it to the common room. Talk about a tiring day!

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I got an early morning edition of the Daily Prophet one morning from my owl, Aragorn.

"Thanks buddy." I muttered to the bird, too focused on the headline to give him a treat. This forced him to peck at my hand and fly away, very angered with me.

Lunar Lunatic

By: Rita Skeeter.

Word from an inside source has told me an interesting fact on a certain professor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Complete lunatic, I don't know what Dumbledore was thinking when hiring him for the job." States Severus Snape, current Potions professor at Hogwarts School.

According to him, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year at Hogwarts, Remus John Lupin, is a werewolf; an out of control one at that.

Said, lunatic, by Severus Snape, is heard to possibly be leaving the job of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Which begs the question, was he sacked by Albus Dumbledore?

I couldn't read anymore. How could Snape say that? I knew there was a reason I would hate him so much.

"What's wrong? You look horribly mad." Anthony asked me, studying the red now forming in my face.

"Snape tol-" Oh wait, Anthony doesn't know about Lupin. Oh well, he would now. "Just read the prophet. I have to go ask Professor Lupin something."

I ran out of the great hall, leaving all my things with Anthony. It was the last day of school anyway, it's not like I cared about losing a couple text books if Anthony forgets them there.

I climbed my way up the stairs to the Defense room. The door was open so I didn't bother to knock. Professor Lupin wasn't in the classroom itself but I heard some music from a record playing up in his office.

"Professor Lupin?" I called as I made my way to the top and looked in his office. Everything was packed up and we was looking at a piece of parchment on his desk. "Oh you have been sacked, haven't you?"

He chuckled. "No I haven't been sacked, just deciding to leave."

"But you can't go; you're our only good defense teacher. I think I actually learned something this year! Much more than I did from Lockhart or Quirrel anyway." I shuddered at the sound of Quirrel's name.

"I'm pretty sure parents wouldn't agree with someone like me teaching their children. It would be, a hazard, you could say." He explained and turned around to face me.

"I'm sure no one will care, I certainly don't, and none of the kids that were reading the prophet this morning seemed to mind. Well, their faces weren't shocked or anything, so I'm guessing that's a good sign." I told him, hoping he would decide to stay. I didn't want another Defense professor and Lupin could actually teach us something.

"Of course you don't mind." Lupin said with another little chuckle. "I just know the parents will mind."

I sighed before I was interrupted by someone knocking on the door behind me. I turned and no one was in the way yet.

"Hello Harry." Lupin greeted. He pointed to the parchment behind him as Harry appeared in the way. "I could see you coming."

Both of them smiled.

"Hiya Harry." I greeted with a smile. I turned back to professor Lupin. "Well, goodbye professor."

"Goodbye Kayla." He said, as I left his office and left the classroom.

Wow, another new Defense professor next year. That job really is jinxed.

I walked back into the great hall only to see everyone gathered around a certain section of one of the tables. I looked curiously over there. Anthony wasn't in the crowd, he was still sitting where I left him, reading the Prophet.

"What are they all on about?" I asked as I sat next to him.

"I dunno." Anthony muttered, his eyes still scanning the Prophet. "Oh, wait, what?"

I rolled my eyes. "Them." I pointed. "What are they on about?"

Anthony studied the group of kids, mainly containing Harry Potter's immediate friends and other random fans.

"Let's check it out." He said, grabbing his stuff and shoving the Prophet in his bag. I grabbed my satchel and we walked over to the other table. "So, professor Lupin's a werewolf?"

"Yep." I whispered. I stood next to Ron. "Hey Ronnie."

He smirked as he looked up at me. "Must you insist on calling me that?"

I smiled. "Yes. Now what's all this about?"

"Harry got a firebolt!" The Weasley twins said at the same time.

That always freaked me out.

"So you opened his package?" I asked them.

"No." Fred answered.

"Ron did." George finished for him.

"Did not!" Ron protested. "You guys made me. There is a difference."

The twins rolled their eyes.

After Harry had grabbed the firebolt and ran outside with it, taking it off for a flight, Anthony and I decided to spend the rest of our time together in the quidditch pitch. I liked the quidditch pitch, despite the fact that I suck at quidditch and have balance issues; the pitch has a nice clear view of the sky.

"I'll miss you this summer, Kayla." Anthony whispered as the moon rose up and the stars began to appear in the dark sky.

"I'll miss you too, Ant." I whispered back, keeping my eye on the sky, watching the stars appear one by one and the moon come more visible to my eye. Thankfully only a waning gibbous.

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Questions? Comments? Review boxes are your friends!

~Again, all credit to the character, Miranda Nelinne, belongs to my dear friend, as she is known on my leaky, MissHermione.

~And yes, I AM fully aware that Harry really receives the firebolt at Christmas time, but, I liked the way they made him receive it in the movie better.