A/N: As you may or may not have noticed, in the last chapter I used direct quotes from the book. Don't flame, it's just so I can keep the realism of the books. Occasionally I'll insert actual dialogue from either the movies or the books, but mostly it's just my own stuff - I suppose this is an A/N/Disclaimer mashup. Again, no flames on Katrina's ability to hex the Slytherin captain; it's just her temprament. I could have as easily have written a whole story on a completely normal witch who does absolutely nothing with her life and dies of old-age; but that would be boring. R&R, if thou pleasest.

The Prisoner of Azkaban

"So, how was Egypt?" Katrina Lupine sat across from her two best friends, Fred and George Weasley, outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor.

"Well, we almost managed to lock Percy in a pyramid. Mum stopped us though." Fred looked thoroughly disappointed. "He was just getting so snobbish about his stupid girlfriend, Penelope, and the fact he's been made Head Boy. Plus the fact that our grades are slipping-"

"To be honest, Kat, I don't know what we would do without you." George looked sheepish.

"Yeah, watch out. One day I might wise up and leave the two of you to drown." All three of them knew that would never happen.

They sat silent for a minute, until the crowd around the parlor dispersed. Fred leaned forward. "Okay, Kat, what's bothering you?"

She rubbed her hand behind her neck. "Okay, so something's been wrong during my morphs over the summer. The wolf just feels..I don't know, uncontrolled or something, and I'm really worried I'm going to end up hurting someone. I almost attacked a Muggle; I only just changed back in time. He gave me a very strange look, as I was covered in leaves and dirt, but he didn't see me in wolf form." She smiled weakly.

"Does anyone know?" Both of the twins looked concerned.

"No; not even my parents. I didn't want this to jeopardize my chances of coming to Hogwarts this year."

George frowned. "Well, maybe one of the Hogwarts teachers will know more."

Crookshanks, a fat orange cat with a rather squashed face jumped up onto Katrina's lap. She smiled at the ugly tom, who settled down and purred as the dark-haired girl stroked his back, lost in her own insecure thoughts.

Katrina sat across from Fred and George, talking avidly about the professional Quidditch season. The Holyhead Harpies, the only all-witch team, had had a very good year, and she enjoyed teasing the twins about it, as they had been skeptical on the subject of an all-girls team rising to success. But suddenly she fell silent.

She glanced out the window. Tendrils of ice cracked their way across the window, and the sky outside had gone completely dark.

"What's going o-" began George, but he was interrupted by himself.

Katrina let out a squeak of fear, and tried to draw her wand at the thing hovering in front of them. If there was such a thing as a demon, this was it. A three-meter high humanoid covered by a long, ripped cloth. Its body was visibly decaying and its breath rattled through a hole in its mouth.

She felt like she would never be happy again, and her wand dropped with a clatter to the floor. Katrina was frozen with terror.

It watched them for a few moments, and thankfully moved on.

When they were able to move, they turned to each other.

"What the bloody hell was that?"

"So, is Harry okay?"

"Yeah, Ron said he was fine. The new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher saved him, or something."

They were walking down the hallway, past a suit of armor and narrowly missing walking through the Fat Friar.

"Hey, Kat, why don't you ask Lupin?" Fred asked.

"Huh?"

"Lupin, you know, the new teacher. Maybe he'd know something about Animagi."

"Alright, I'll try it."

"Excuse me, Professor Lupin?" Katrina asked meekly, trying to get the teacher's attention before he disappeared into his office.

"Yes - Katrina, isn't it?" He turned around to give her his regard. He was pale, and although quite young, had premature age lines and streaks of grey in his lank brown hair.

She swallowed. "Sir, I'm unsure if Dumbledore told you, but-"

"Ah, yes, of course. You're the natural Animagus he was talking about. Yes, he said you might need my help sooner or later this year."

Katrina frowned. "Why? How did he know?"

"Well, Professor Dumbledore is a very perceptive man. The way his mind works is unknown to the majority of the world, but let it rest that he has an uncanny way of predicting what will happen."

She let it go, but filed the fact away into her mind for later.

"So, Katrina, what seems to be the problem?"

"It would seem that, well, in the past few months that I'm... losing control of my, um, animal form. It's been, er, difficult to - control it and, I'm worried that I might hurt someone, or lose human dominance and go completely feral." She was uncomfortable talking about it with anyone other than Fred or George, but felt it had to be done.

His brow furrowed in thought. "That is strange. Perhaps - perhaps. I wonder..." He seemed lost in thought. He remained silent for a few minutes, and she found herself wondering if he had forgotten her, when he looked up.

"It's a long shot, but it may just work. Katrina, are you aware of the Patronus Charm?"

"Yes, but Charms were never my strongest point. I'm really better at Transfiguration-"

"That's not important. You know what it is - have you ever cast it?"

"Well, no-"

"Okay then. Do you have a class to get to now?"

"In about ten minutes, I have to be at Potions-"

"Can you come to my office at ten a.m. tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, I think so-"

"Good, I'll see you then. You might want to do some research on the Patronus before then." With that, he left the room, leaving Katrina standing there wondering what had just happened.