The Lioness and the Wolf
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Harry Potter Universe.
Chapter 9: Fruit Moon
"Wake up" two pillows came flying at my face.
"I'm woke" I grumbled as a rolled over.
"Good, get up, get dressed, make me a good luck banner" Sienna said.
"Oi, some of us are trying to sleep" Victoria said sleepily from her bed.
"So go bad to sleep you hag, you'll need all the beauty sleep you could get" Sienna said.
"What?"
Uh oh better get these two away from each other before they start a fight like last year.
"Woo, Quidditch tryouts, let's go!" I cheered as I sat up straight. Sienna rolled her eyes while Victoria glared from her bed. Mindy and Shanice were still out cold.
I got dressed. I was decked in red and gold from head to toe.
I had a large poster that said "Sienna for Seeker". I was going to magick it to hang in the air by itself so I wouldn't be holding it up all morning.
It was uber early, the sun had yet to full rise, and there were only a few people in the great hall. I was still a bit sleepy so I spent most of breakfast trying not to fall face first into my oatmeal.
We met up with Lysander at the table. Hugo was making every one tryout even if they were on the team last year. Lysander didn't seem nervous.
Down at the pitch there were many people who showed up. Seven people for chaser, only four for seeker, there were five for beaters and no one for keeper since Hugo had that position. I wasn't the only one in the stands either.
"Oh, Lily" Jamie Wright and Natalie Brooks waved towards me and came and sat down right next to me. They're both in Ravenclaw.
"Hi Jamie, Natalie" I said fighting an eye roll. I do not like them at all. "What are you two doing at Gryffindor's tryout?"
"Oh" Jamie said blushing and getting shy all of a sudden. "We just wanted to…"
"Check out Hugo. Jamie has a crush" Natalie said.
"Hey you weren't supposed to tell anyone" Jamie said. She was beyond blushing now.
"It doesn't matter, everyone is going to find out when the two of you start dating" Natalie said. She flipped her hair over the shoulder all nonchalantly.
"He might not even like me"
"He'd be stupid not too"
"What do you think Lily? He's your cousin"
My cousin, who I still remember when he used to pick and eat worms in nana's back yard, I don't think about him and girls ever.
"I really have no clue. Hugo and I aren't close. You should ask Rose. She might be here in the stands somewhere" I said. Yeah let them go find Rose.
"Well I guess I can ask her later" Jamie said and she flipped her hair in a perfect imitation of Natalie.
It's going to be a long morning. Chaser tryouts went first. I cheered for Lysander as he mounted his broom. I noticed Jamie and Natalie were doing a lot of cheering too.
Lysander made it back on the team and so did Deryl McDonald and…I did a double take. Was that Lucy? No way since when did she play Quidditch? I remember once when she was seven she said she'd never touch a broomstick they were for servants and slackers. Whoa I guess getting dumped put a new personality into her. Go Lucy.
I cheered for the new chasers and Lysander waved at me.
"So what's going on between you and Lysander?" Natalie asked when I stopped cheering.
I frowned. Was she serious? "We're friends."
"I told you she's dating the other twin" Jamie said.
"I'm not dating anyone" I said.
"Sure you're not" Natalie said flipping her hair again. I had to move out of the way so I wouldn't get hit by it. My hand automatically went to my wand. "Let's go Jamie, I think we've seen enough."
The two girls stormed off. I frowned at their retreating figures nearly missing the shout for beater try outs.
I went back to focusing on the team. Cailen Creevery and Malcolm Grant became the new beaters neither of last year's beaters making in the cut.
Seeker tryouts were next.
"GO SIENNA" I shouted.
"You didn't shout that loud for me" Lysander said as he sat down next to me.
"Nat and her shadow decided to keep me company for the first half of tryouts so I wasn't as cheery as I would've normally been" I said. I gave him a hug as congrats on making it to the team.
"Ravenclaw girls, I wonder what they were doing here" Lysander mused.
"Checking out the guys on our team" I said.
Seeker tryouts lasted twice as long as all the others combined. I have no idea why it was only four people trying out. But then again seven people trying out for three positions would be easier than four for one.
Sienna had some competition by the name of Toby McLaggen. He was quick, I'll give him that but then again but that might have just been his broom. He was riding a Lightning Strike, the latest international broom all major Quidditch players were riding. Sienna had a better eye though, Hugo has to see that.
"Did you notice the first Hogsmeade notice went up?" Lysander asked distracting me from the feinting attempt Sienna was doing.
"Already?" I asked. It was only the second week of school.
"First weekend in October" Lysander said.
"I can't wait. Can you believe it, only two weeks into school and already and I'm knee deep in homework?"
"I'm a bit behind in homework as well. I'll catch up before Hogsmeade though" he said. There was something off in his voice but I wasn't really paying attention because Hugo just named Sienna as his seeker.
I jumped up and down hugged Lysander and then went down to the pitch and hugged Sienna too. We spent the rest of the day celebrating.
That night at dinner while Sienna was gushing about her new team I glanced up to the enchanted ceiling and realized it was a full moon out tonight. I looked over at the Ravenclaw table. Lorcan wasn't anywhere in site. Lorcan didn't say whether or not he was going to use the shack or an abandoned classroom. I would've asked Lysander but he looked busy in a conversation with Hugo. So I left them two to it.
I snuck over to the Slytherin table.
"I know you have the map let me borrow it for five seconds" I whispered to Al.
"Five seconds" he repeated.
"That's all I need, promise" I said.
"Okay."
I followed Al to the Slytherin common room.
"I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good" it's a lie but it's the words not the intent that matters.
I searched the map it took more than five seconds but I don't think Al minded.
"Why don't you just take it" Al suggested.
"No thanks I got what I wanted" I said. I saw Lorcan head into a room on the third floor. I went that way. I don't have any classes on that floor nor do I know anyone who does. I wonder why that floor gets skipped. I followed the path Lorcan took. I ended up in a big room with nothing in it. Well almost nothing in it. There was a trap door on the ground. I opened it up. There were candles on the ground below. I guess I was in the right place. I jumped down. The ground was soft and it cushioned my blow. It was a neat trick. It almost reminded me of jumping on a bed like I used to when I was little. I wonder if my dad will put cushioning charms on my bedroom floor. Whatever, that's not important right now.
I walked over to a door and went inside.
There was a loud gasp, "Lily?", and then a scream.
Lorcan was halfway through the transformation. I did not look pretty.
He was standing there stark naked but his skin looked like it was crawling over itself pulling apart. Good thing I didn't really eat dinner or else it would be coming up.
"GO" he gasped as he fell on the floor.
I rushed forward to help automatically.
"NO!" Fur sprouted on his legs and there were some sharp sounding snaps. "Please" a whisper, but it almost sounded like him.
"I'll just go by the door" I said.
I sat in front of the door and put my head down and closed my eyes trying not to imagine what he was going through. When discussed werewolves in third year Professor Goldstein never mentioned how painful it all looked and seemed.
'Don't think about it' I told myself. I closed my eyes and drowned out the moaning and screaming and ripping and cracking by imagining myself back in Africa watching the animals roam freely. I thought about the cute little monkeys. I swear I'm going to get one someday.
Something soft nudged my knees.
I opened my eyes. "Aww" I patted his snout. He was a cute wolf, a blondish color. I didn't think wolves could be blonde I thought they were either white, black or grey but Lorcan's fur was a light yellow goldish color.
He snapped at my hand. Wasn't he still supposed to be aware because of the potion? I flicked his nose. "No biting" I said.
He snorted but didn't object when I started petting him again. It was almost like having a pet. Daddy wouldn't let me get a crup when I saw one at the pet shop. I thought that was totally unfair. Speaking of pets I haven't spent any quality time with Ames or Athena since.
"I wonder what this room was used for before" I muttered as I ran my fingers through Lorcan's fur. "It's pretty big, and I bet that door over there leads to another room."
The room we were in was big. There was a large bed against the wall blocking a second door. Other than the bed there was a small dresser and nothing else. I think the teachers could've added a little more personality to the room.
Lorcan snapped at me again. I was busy thinking about renovations. I like to make things over.
"What?" I asked rolling my eyes. I hadn't expected him to respond.
His teeth latched on to the sleeve of my robe. He tugged. "What?" I asked again. Too bad werewolves can't communicate with their minds like they do in the books.
He let go of my sleeve, glared at me then looked at the bed, he looked at me again and then the bed.
"You want me to go to bed?" I asked.
He nodded.
"I guess I can lie down. I was planning on spending the night. This big is big enough for two" I said. I walked over to the bed and felt the cushions, comfy. I stripped down to my shirt; I was not going to sleep in my robes that would just be uncomfortable.
I got on the bed and moved to the middle. I patted the bed; Lorcan just looked at me from the floor where he sat.
"Get up here. I promise I won't bite if you don't" I said. He still just glared at me. I guess he thought it wasn't funny.
"You sleep on the floor and I'll sleep on the floor too" I said.
That's what did it. He jumped up on the bed. He stayed watching me as a mumbled about useless things and petted his fur all night. When I started to drift to sleep he was still away watching me with aware eyes. I didn't find it creepy at all. It was like he was watching out for me, protecting me.