The Truth Beneath The Rose
Blinded to see
The cruelty of the beast
Here is the darkest side of me
(Forgive me my sins)
The veil of my dreams
Deceived all I have seen
Forgive me for what I have been
(Forgive me my sins)
Jenny
5/2/11
12:42 a.m.
The fighting was bitter and intense. I pulled out all the stops, staying by Draco's side and taking careful aim with my weapons, they had to last for awhile yet. I was unwilling to retrieve weapons that I had already thrown; it would leave my back turned to the fighting. Suddenly, I felt hot, and when I looked down, I saw that I was swimming back into visibility. I shot the wizard Draco was dueling with and touched his shoulder as he started jinxing another one. "Draco, the charm, it's gone!" I shouted next to him, covering his back and my front as he swore.
"Can you renew it yourself?" He shouted back, and we both ducked as his opponent shot higher than we could dodge. I hesitated, then reached in my sleeve and retrieved the wand. It still felt hot in my hand, but I was unsure. Luna had passed on Ollivander's message about the emotions I had been feeling intensifying the magic…would it still work? The Death Eater gaped at me stupidly as he saw the wand in my hand, giving Draco time to start his offensive as I hesitated still. I took a deep breath and rapped my arm sharply, trying to feel angry. My arm wavered, then returned back to normal.
"Jenny, are you holding a wand?" Hermione's voice came from nowhere, making me flinch and tense.
"Damn it, Hermione, don't do that! It's great to…hear you again. Yes, that is a wand. I would explain-"
"But we don't have time." Harry's voice came from nowhere as well, and I ducked again with Draco, trying to think ahead. "I need to swap wands with Draco right now." I frowned, not understanding, but held open my hand, sticking my own wand back in my sleeve. I flinched when someone took my hand and it vanished under a wet like material only to return to visibility with a wand in my fingers. I stretched that arm out around Draco's and shoved it in his wand hand, plucking out his own.
"Just trade, Harry needs it for some reason, I have no idea why, just do it!" I said in his ear, and without even stopping, he continued hexing with the new wand.
"Thanks!" I heard Ron say, passing us, and then Draco and I continued fighting, moving forward, back towards the steps, keeping anymore Death Eaters from entering the castle. Suddenly, I saw the moon breaking through the clouds, and I could only stand and watch, horrified, as it started to light the grounds.
"Lupin, no, Lupin," I breathed as Draco shoved me back into the shadow of the doors. "Draco, I have to go, I have to!" I punched his back as he flung an arm out to keep me where I was, even though he knew I could get away.
"Jenny, listen, if you go out there, you won't have any weapon except for your teeth and claws. Anyone might try to attack you-" He broke off as a howl pierced the night, and I listened hard. It didn't sound like Lupin at all, it wasn't deep enough.
"That's not Lupin." I said sharply, my hand tightening on the doorframe I was gripping in a sudden fear. "He has a werewolf on his side," I breathed stupidly, watching the moonlit field, trying to think. Instantly, I started taking off guns, ammo and sliding out knives, making a pile.
"Jenny, Jenny, listen to me, Jenny, think," Draco pressed constantly, still jinxing people, but I ignored him until I was only in a jumpsuit.
"Draco," I interrupted him, "I love you so much, it hurts." I said, then kissed the back of his head and ducked under his arm, making it down three steps before I froze in the moonlight. The cold needles pierced my skin, filling my bloodstream. The cold rebounded from my brain and with a pop and the shredding of the jumpsuit, I was a wolf. With a snarl, I leapt off the steps and bounded onto the grounds, slashing Death Eaters as I passed them, trying to do it in front of as many Order wizards and students as possible, then purposely not attacking them, trying to convey the message that I was on their side.
I could smell Lupin, he had transformed, but I could also smell the disgusting, hulking scent of another wolf. I darted towards them, especially because I could smell the blood of both, my pelt turning the color of pearls in the moonlight as I streaked as fast as I could go. Finally, I found them in a ball, clawing and biting each other. I waited until they broke apart before leaping over Lupin and bringing down my claws on the enemy werewolf's head, slashing the tip of his ear off. The other wolf roared and bucked, sending me flying upwards as Lupin attacked it. I landed on top of the fight between them and was sent spinning out of the fight as one of them kicked out.
The wolf slashed strongly and caught Lupin in the shoulder, making him trip and fall. Just as the wolf raised its paw for a death blow, I bowled him over, biting deeply into his neck and scratching his back at the same time. We rolled over and over, him thrashing on top as I bit down harder until I hit bone, the wolf screeching and kicking until he rolled forwards and threw me off, sending me flying over a small hill. Seconds later, the wolf landed on me, biting and snarling. As soon as his teeth connected with my skin, I screeched. I couldn't remember what it felt like from the last time it had happened, and it hurt. After a stunned moment, I wiggled out of his hold and swiped hugely at his face, my claws snagging slightly as I went deep through his muzzle. Trying not to think about Lupin, I launched myself at the wolf again. We tumbled past Lupin once more, and though I tried to sneak a glance at him, we went by to quickly. The enemy wolf slashed down hard and barely nicked my back leg, but with a tearing noise, he ripped out some of my coat, then some skin. Panting, I scrambled back to my feet to see the wolf bounding towards the rest of the fighting.
That was odd. If he was wild, he would have tried to kill me before running away…which meant he was going for innocents—With a howl, I pushed myself to run faster than ever before, a silvery blond bullet across the grounds, wizards shouting in fear and surprise as I darted past them, until I caught up to the enemy wolf. He had cornered two girls, who were firing hexes at him with no effect. Skidding to a stop, I seized his tail in my jaws and bit down until I felt my teeth breaking bones. The wolf roared and whirled around, his claws slicing through the air. I dove low, almost sliding on my front, and cut deep into his belly, making him fall on top of me, biting and kicking, until we were in a ball again. I could hear the girls screaming and hexing, but all of their spells bounced off us. "Oh my god!" I heard other voices yell, and the sounds of the fight dimmed around us as wizards turned to watch. Finally, I hooked my claws into his pelt and threw him away, snapping and breaking trees in half as he flew. "Oh Merlin, oh Merlin, oh Merlin," one of the girls whimpered continuously as I glanced at them for only a moment. Then I turned and jumped as the other wolf jumped at me, and we reengaged the fight.
"JENNY!" Someone bellowed, but I ignored it, yelping and then howling in pain when the other wolf slashed my side. Furious, I snapped at him and bit down hard on his tail again, until I felt it come off. Spitting blood out of my mouth, we continued to slice little bits out of each other, rolling through duels we were oblivious to. Shouts and flashes of light barely registered in my head as we fought viciously. In a move that unbalanced me, the wolf knocked me over, and then stepped hard on my chest, snapping at my face as I slashed at its neck, trying to get him off. With one paw, he held my head down to the side, and leaned down to bite my neck when I stiffened. Brian was running towards our fight, shouting something I couldn't hear, raising a gun. The wolf on me seemed to chuckle, then launched itself at him, and Brian shout of pain was strangled as I forced myself to get up. The wolf turned to look at me with triumph in his eyes.
Brian was dead, his face still full of shock. I couldn't pull my eyes off of his body. It was my fault that he was kidnapped, forced into the wizarding world, forced to fight. His death was my fault. I could still remember those innocent days in the over-air conditioned karate studio. He had taught me to incorporate kick-boxing moves into my karate, which had saved my life on more than one occasion—The wolf flew into me, sending us both rolling over the grounds again. My brain unexpectedly started working again, and hot rage and grief flashed down my spine, sending adrenaline flying in my blood stream. With new found strength, I pinned the enemy wolf and without hesitation, reached down and bit out his throat.
Only when I was sure that it was dead, I limped as fast as I could back over to Lupin. He was where I left him, trying to push himself up on a rock. I darted over and nudged him up with my muzzle in his ribs, supporting him until he managed it on his own. Then I frantically sniffed over the huge six claw marks trailing completely over his shoulder. Lupin lightly butted my head away, and for a second, are noses touched, sending a strange flash down my nerves, turning my world green for a second. My head felt strangely echo-y, like someone was tapping on a microphone lightly but continuously in my head.
What the hell was that? I started as I heard Lupin's voice in my head, and he flinched at the same time, making him wince and lick his shoulder quickly.
Lupin?I felt extremely foolish asking my head, but I did, and his head snapped up to look at me.
Jenny, was that you? Lupin looked at me, his eyes wide, and I nodded slowly. Merlin's beard… He thought slowly, and it sounded like he was trying to think.
I don't know who it was, but the wolf for Voldemort definitely knew who he was, he was attacking Order members only, and- I broke off as I remembered Brian. Instead of crying, my ears flattened all the way down to my head, which suddenly bowed.
And? Lupin sounded worried.
Brian saw him attacking me and ran over. He was k-killed in the fight. I closed my eyes. Lupin licked my forehead after a moment.
I'm sorry. Was all he said, and we sat there for a moment before I remembered that the war was still raging.
You're hurt, are you alright? Lupin took a cautious step forward, and I bowed my head to catch his torso again as his shoulder trembled and then collapsed under the weight of his bulk. Come on, we have to get you back in the castle. I moved to his right side, letting him lean on me in between steps. Occasionally, he would sink down as I fiercely fought off Death Eaters in our path and if they were dueling in front of us, then continued helping Lupin back inside. It wasn't safe anymore, but it was safer than on the grounds. I could hear what sounded like Giants fighting as I slowly helped Lupin up the steps. It seemed with each step I had to stop to kill more Death Eaters that sent hexes at us, swarming us.