Reading


It's been a few weeks since I found Annabelle petrified in the fifth floor corridor. I was–once again–sitting in the Room of Requirement. The Room seemed to be the only place I couldn't hear the quiet hisses from the walls of the castle.

Ever since that day in the corridor the basilisk seemed to be following me everywhere saying the same things over and over. Blood…Kin…Mistress…Masters Mate… and it was that last one that really freaked me out. I could only imagine it believed me to be any type of "kin" because it heard me speaking to Basil in parseltongue.

It worries me that the basilisk may have told Riddle it heard me speaking parseltongue. Maybe not me but it heard somebody speaking parseltongue, and I knew Riddle would be smart enough to figure out that it was most likely me who was the one speaking. Who else would it have been? I was the one who found Annabelle and it was only us two in the corridor.

Whenever we were in potions class I was always partnered up with Riddle, but we always spent the class in silence. I would have thought he would keep asking me questions but apparently not. It's likely he wants to ask me questions, but he doesn't want anyone else to overhear.

I shook myself out of my thoughts to find the potion I brewed has finally cooled down. Picking up a vial sitting next to the cauldron I poured the potion into the vial until it was filled to the brim.

I rolled the potion filled vial between my fingers and took a deep breath Lets get this over with. Knocking back the potion I didn't even have time to gag before my body sagged to the floor and the view of my surrounding changed.

Vision start

It was dark, and the only thing to be heard was the crunching of dried leaves and twigs beneath my paws. Although it was dark I could easily make out the surrounding forest. The farther I tried to look the harder it was to make out any details.

As I ran through the forest I could smell water. The smell made me realize how thirsty I was and I changed course towards the direction of the water.

I suddenly broke through the trees and found myself in a clearing with a large pond in the middle. Walking slowly to the pond my tongue leisurely licked my muzzle. I felt sharp teeth underneath my tongue.

Reaching the edge of the water I brought my gaze up to the sky and saw a full moon shining back at me. The last thing I heard was the howl of a wolf before everything went dark.

Vision end

The ringing howl was echoing in my mind as I woke up. I blearily opened my eyes and found my cheek pressed against the wood floor of the RoR.

I pushed myself off the floor with a groan and made my way over to the couch. The Room vanished the table holding the potion I had created as I sank into the couch with a grateful groan.

I uttered a loud sigh before leaning forward over the parchment I had set out previously to finishing the potion. Taking out a quill I hurriedly wrote down everything I remembered from my vision before I could forget it.

Four legged

Fur

Paws

Sharp teeth

Good eyesight/ hearing/ smell

Runs pretty fast

I picked up the list and started paving in the middle of the room. From the characteristics I could gather it was some form of dog or large cat, but I just couldn't figure out which, I blamed it on how tired I was.

I stopped my pacing and stared blankly at the floor in thought, trying and failing to figure out what animal could have been in my vision.

My brows furrowed and I looked over the list then back at the floor. Then back to the list. Then the floor.

Staring up at me from the floor was the black wolf representing the Morrickson family. As the clues started coming together in my head I compared what I knew about wolves to the list.

Four legs? Check.

Fur? Check.

Paws? Check.

Sharp teeth? Check.

I asked the room for information on wolves. The books on the bookshelves changed, all the titles focusing on the subject of wolves. I skimmed the titles until I found one on the senses of a wolf. I plucked it from the shelf and a wooden chair appeared behind me. I sat in the chair and flipped to the first chapter of the book.

A wolf has very keen eyesight, with excellent peripheral vision. A wolf will notice movement immediately, no matter how slight, but they are unable to focus on the details of the objects they spot. Should the object be farther away their vision will be worse.

Good eyesight? Check.

A wolfs hearing is sharp and can hear from 6-10 miles away, depending on their surroundings. Their ears are sensitive to lower frequency sounds, something undetectable to a human.

Good hearing? Check.

A wolf can smell their prey as far as a mile and a half away. Their smell is vital for not only itself, but for its pack. It can be used to smell their prey, or as communication within the pack. They can use their sense of smell to find out what might be an enemy or prey and if they are ill or dying.

Good sense of smell? Check.

Finished with the book I returned it to its shelf. What I read was enough information for me to know that my Animagus was a wolf.

Now that I knew my animagus was a wolf I frowned. Why a wolf and not an eagle, like my patronus?

"What are you doing up at this hour?"

I looked behind me and i was unsurprised to see Salazar. "I'm finding my animagus." I said it as if it was obvious and he should have already known.

"I see. And what are you?" he asked me.

"I'm a wolf."

"You don't sound very happy about it" he pointed out.

"No I am!" I quickly replied, "It's just that I don't know why it's different from my patronus is all."

"Well ones animagus won't necessarily be the same as their patronus. It is more likely that they will be the same yes, but they don't have to be. It could be that your eagle represents one part of your personality and the wolf represents the other."

I nodded at his words, "I suppose that would make sense"

"Besides, it's possible for your patronus to change" I nodded again.

"Should you not be asleep?"

Now I sighed as I trudged my way to the couch and dropped onto it, "I wish I could Sal. But ever since the Chamber has been opened that damn basilisk has been following me!"

"Why would my Anastasia be following you?"

"I'm pretty sure she heard me speaking parseltongue with Basil when I found Annabelle's body."

"I suppose that would be a good reason for her to want to be near you. She's probably lonely after all of these years, and the first person she's had contact with isn't the most friendly sort."

I looked over at Salazar, "are you trying to tell me to go and talk to her? You're crazy! Every time I hear her talking she goes on about how were kin and calls me her masters mate. Considering you aren't talking to her she's obviously talking about Riddle. And so you know what that means?! It means she thinks I'm a mate for Tom Riddle!"

"What's wrong with that?" Salazar's made his voice sound innocent.

"Umm hello? Voldemort? Future dark lord? Is using the basilisk to kill the muggleborns? Does any of this ring a bell?" The last question sounded a little exasperated.

"Yes I know all of that, I remember. But Daniella if you did become his 'mate' then you might change the future" he pointed out.

"No. He's too deep in this Voldemort stuff. If anything he would make me, like, his dark lady or something. Besides, the fact that I have no desire to date anyone kind of puts a damper on that plan. Add on the fact Riddle can't even love would make that plan a disaster."

"How would you know he can't love?"

"Well for one he was conceived under a love potion, and another is that he's never been shown any kind of love so he wouldn't know what it was if it hit him across the face."

Salazar gave a small sigh, "Alright I can see your point. But are you going to do nothing about the situation?"

"I don't know what to do Sal. The only time I ever see him is in potions, and maybe when we're passing through the halls, but he never talks to me. And I'm not too keen on talking to him myself!" I admitted, "He might start questioning me about something I either can't answer, or won't look him in the eye if I can which would make him think I'm lying."

"Why can you not look him in the eye?" Salazar asked me.

"Because I don't know occlumency. When I went to Gringotts it showed I was a natural Occlumens and I can feel when someone enters my mind, but I don't know how to stop them from getting in in the first place." I was really starting to become distressed.

"Calm down little snake." Salazar's voice helped slowly calm me down, "I can help you learn occlumency if you wish."

I shot up off the couch and scrambled to stand in front of him, "Really?!" I squealed.

"Yes. I can help you to make your shields, but because I can't use magic I won't be able to really test them."

I didn't care if he could test them, just that he would teach me. I drew him into a tight hug repeatedly saying "Thank you" before he was finally able to pry me off he smoothed down his robes, "If you wish for me to teach you, you will refrain from doing that again."

I was quick to agree.