Chapter VI

Keller had to wait after dinner before she had to go to the Astronomy tower with other kids while tomorrow was going to be the weekend and some students were going to either lounge around the castle or have a go at Hogsmeade or whatever.

Hermione was wondering who her Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was and looked to Remus as he was putting some chicken on his plate, asking him who the DADA was.

"Oh that's going to be Miss Valerious that sitting by Dumbledore. She's good and has a way of making anyone feel welcome." He pointed to the staff table where on the right sat a woman with long black hair was talking with the headmaster. Her face looked almost familiar and she couldn't exactly point it out until the woman turned around and she saw herself looking at Keller's mother.

No way, that can't be! The woman, Valerious stare at her longer than she should have liked but then turn to answer a question that McGonagall was asking her. Hermione turn to Remus and asked about the other classes that were on their agenda, trying to shake awkward feeling she was sensing.

The professor, Valerious and Keller's mother could have passed off as each other strangely, so weird…

"Well Sprout is the Herbology teacher and you should be careful and watch out for some of the plants she has growing in the greenhouses. Binns is our history teacher whose a ghost by the way and who can bloody well bore you through class but stay awake because he'll give tests on the subject you fell asleep on."

"I know its like that for my friends whenever—" She stopped as she realized she was almost telling Remus how her friends fell asleep in Binns' class. "Our professor keeps talking on and on about the subject and not making sense to them. I think they thought the professor only did that just to give an excuse to waste time."

Remus looked unsure but agree with her on their friends both thinking their teachers having more air to blow to waste class time. "I guess so that we're the only few who write the notes down and are able to pass that class luckily."

Hermione nodded and they went to finish their meal and said goodbye to Keller and Sirius as they went to the Astronomy tower together, Keller being quiet and not listening to Sirius chattering but following beside him. Remus and Hermione went to where the staircases were and he had to go to the Heads' room on the next few floor.

"Well I'll see you tomorrow then. Goodnight Remus."

He waved to her, "Goodnight Sonja." He and Hermione parted and she went to the Fat Lady and said the password and headed up to her room. She sat on her bed, thinking about the last few hours, how she and Remus got through the classes together, the way he held her hands in his back in Divination and stared into his blue eyes. A slight intense shiver went down her spine as she recalled what she had seen.

She had seen his memories all right. She saw where he gotten bitten when he was little, the fear and shame of becoming a lycan once a month, having to go through the torture and pain of transforming and craving the taste of flesh, the nightmare and horror of it all.

Remus was sitting in a dark corner of the room, watching the moonlight shine slowly in. He thought that if he could avoid it then maybe he wouldn't change and be safe. But that had been a vain attempt; even with the moonlight not shining on him just yet he could already feel the change happening.

I wish I hadn't gone out that night, then none of this happened. The horrid memory of running in the woods, late after dark, his heart beating fast as the wolf chased after him and tripping on a stray branch then feeling it razor-sharp teeth embedded his flesh. As if a painful reminder, the moon reached to him, touching him, washing him with the cold light and the last thoughts he could think of was why this had to happen to him before the wolf took over him.

Poor Remus…She tried to not imagine that for what he must go through had to lead up to the life he had. If only she could tell him she knew how he felt.

But you can't you know because that would be like telling him his future and fate and then how would you explain knowing his lycanthrope nature?

She sighed as a part of her mind was right on that and she was still new to her hybrid nature by which she wasn't sure of unless Keller told her more or trust roughly on her instincts but she prefer to have Keller being the safer choice of the two.

And speaking of the devil…

"By the bloody Elder's Ass!"Hermione sat up in startle, expecting something other than this from her cousin, seeing the door thrown open and then Keller storming in, fuming and looking ready to bitch or bite someone's head off if one or the two mattered.

She tossed her bag on her bed hard, almost making it shake the frame but walked around the room, throwing her fists and ranting to herself. Hermione wasn't sure why but she could hear the word 'snogging' and guess who her anger was directed to.

"…One minute I'm minding my own damn business, listening to Miss Sinistra explaining what I had to do with that telescope with him as no goddamn help as he was too busy flirting with this blond floozy. I was like 'good, let him flirt with that girl whatever and don't let him bother me'.

"I was doing fine with it and than I looked over my shoulders to adjust the knobs for the right position for Venus and then I see him and that skank making out in the middle of the bloody class and not caring if anyone saw! And you know what he saw me looking and did it on purpose just to get me pissed! Well it fucking work for thinking 'how to annoy Keller Corvin by being your bloody stupid, flirty self!'"

She hits her fist against the brick wall, leaving in a deep dent as she pulled it back, some crumbling debris while marching her way to the bed.

"If I see him or that tramp swiping spit again, I'll do something that will make the battle of the Alps look like that was mere child's play!" She said stomping around, trying to calm down and Hermione rolled her eyes and then went to inspect the damage while her cousin flop down on her bed.

"Reparo," And the wall looked as good as it was before she turn to her, "Honestly Keller, don't let yourself get all peeve over what Sirius does…" Keller, sitting on her bed, reading her book and trying to find her iPod player to listen to some music, didn't hear what she said as she kept saying to herself, 'Damn arrogant bloody asshole, son-of-a-bitch Black…'

"It's not going to do you any good to try that Kell, anything electronic won't work here inside these grounds. It's in Hogwarts: A History and I read that book a million times to know."

Keller found her iPod and had her wand point at it and then pressed play and music started beating instantly and she put her headphones on.

She knew she was trying to ignore the world around her and close it off like she sometime did whenever she felt moody or upset. She had seen it a few times when she was in her state of mind, on inventing a weapon or thinking of her past when she spent the last few days back at that apartment.

The music was blaring loud inside her head as she tried to speak with her through the mind connection.

Please put those away before someone comes in and sees them. Keller ignored her and flip the next page to her comic book and continue reading, or at least pretend as Keller's thoughts came barging in to her in waves of hot white anger. Keller! Put those away now this instant!

Fine I'll put them away if you bloody SHUT UP! Keller pressed 'stop' and placed both the book and iPod back in her bag and looked towards her cousin with a look that had a scary expression that would rival even her mother's once fearful Death Dealer face when she looked ready to bust a few with her Berettas. It could be said the same with her as the saying goes, 'like mother like daughter'.

Hermione sighed, knowing she was going to have to find a way to easy the tension before her cousin's patience run thin and there would be an issue to deal with. She ask when they should get going for their 'night' feeding, turning Keller's thoughts away from Sirius on something that was vital to them on their part.

"I think we can go to the forest after I check how Orion is doing." Hermione looked confused and question who she could possibly know in one day but remember the Threstal foal Keller found and guess it must be its' name. She didn't want to dare possibly mention that Sirius middle name was 'Orion', knowing she might have another bitch fit, maybe even worse than the last one and she doubt a broken wall would be the least of their worries.

"…So I think with Hagrid's help we'll do all right." She said and then turned to look at her with an expression of concern. "You ok? You haven't been feeling out of it have you?"

Hermione shook her head, not understanding what she was saying. "What do you mean?"

"Well ever since your first transformation, I wanted to see how you were handling it, any sudden moment where you're feeling angry or being scared that caused you to change: like your eyes to jet-black or having talons extend and sharpened from your fingertips. My dad did it a lot a few times and I saw how it worked and wonder if it was happening for you yet."

Hermione hadn't really thought about that, not since that night. It seem so long ago now but she did remembered the two voices, Sonja's and Lucian's speaking to her, to look at the moonlight and accept her blood. Was the full moon the only way to trigger it or was there more to it.

She looked to Keller, "No, not that I think I do because I'm usual more calm and rational and because well my first transformation was because of the full moon I think. How about you, how did you transform, did you have the full moon to change—"

"No I'm afraid there was no moon that triggered my transformation and I'm not entirely sure if that will always work. Lycans have been doing it without the moon for more than centuries before you or me were born. My mother once told me, 'The moon no longer held her sway on the lycans' meaning you can transform, with or without the full moon. Mine was completely different, you could say…"

She walked across the room to where the window was and stare outside at the night and catching a glimpse of the first few stars appearing in the sky.

Staring at a night like the one that happened about five years ago…

"My change, my metamorphosis happened when all I could think was seeing 'them' kill my parents, my father's corpse riddle with bullets and my mother…"

Judging from her body language and what she glimpsed of her expression, she seriously didn't want to talk about it. Too painful to her to speak of what happened.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to…" She said but Keller did anyway, in a soft voice, as if making a confession and only to allow Hermione hear what she was about to say as if afraid someone else would hear it even if she said in a silent whisper.

"They came to our house, the Death Dealers. They had cut the power and the alarm system we had set up around the perimeter but my parents were always were on high alert even when we thought things were safe and nobody knew where we were and must've sense them coming in before I did.

I felt something was wrong and thought I should've stayed in my room, hide under the bed or someplace where I couldn't be found but I'm sure they would have later anyway and killed me. But I went downstairs, being careful to be not heard, telling myself that no one was really here other than mom and dad and were probably doing a routine check or something and I trip on one of the steps and fell onto the ground and the first thing I saw was my father staring at me.

Keller was breathing harder, it seem to choke her as the next words came out, "I saw his chest covered in bullet holes and there was so much blood pooling around him, on me as I moved backwards but still staring at him…his eyes glazed over, seeing no more love and compassion showing, just horror and pain.

"I was staring at him for so long, not believing what I was seeing and then screamed, I shouldn't have but I did, it alert my mother right away along with the other Death Dealers. She race out of the room she and the other were shooting and grab me and taking me away from my dad's body."

"All I could hear was myself screaming, 'Daddy! Dad!' My mother was too concern over my own safety when she should have kept her eyes open on the other dealer for any firing shots. She was the best Death Dealer any vampire had ever known but she had changed thanks to dad and me and had wanted to see that no harm ever came to us. She lost my dad; her husband but she wouldn't lose me. She would rather die fighting to protect me from them.

"I heard two-three bullets shot, they caught her in the chest, she stumble and fell and let go of me as I roll away while she struggle to hide and shield me and tried to squeeze off a few more shots. She protect me while the Dealer got her and…"

Keller winced and looked down at her hand and saw that it had changed, black skin and sharp talons appear, covered in her blood and turning around to stare at Hermione with jet-black eyes.

"The death of my father and mother trigger my transformation, waking up the dormant beast that had laid within but this was different, it wasn't anything I ever had known to become. All I knew was that I wanted was two things in that horrifying moment, after watching my own mother died before my eyes: blood and vengeance." She closed her eyes and opened them to where they were hazel once more but the claws remained.

"I got my vengeance but the taste of blood still linger and remains to this day in me, knowing it was saying that I was to hunt and kill for my own salvation. My own damn salvation."

Hermione went over and touched her shoulder, "It's okay Keller, I'm so sorry to hear that happen to you…" Keller was half listening to what she saying before she told Hermione to give her some space and went outside to the common room for a moment and then look towards the girls' room then at the fire inside the fireplace.

"If only you knew what really happened Mione…if you did, then you would hate me as much as I hate myself."

It was after curfew and once the people were asleep inside the castle, they headed to the grounds to meet by Hagrid's hut; he was to take Keller to the Threstal stall and later to the forest to feed with Hermione.

"'Ell glad you're he're 'Eller. Little 'rion has been 'rying for yo' yo' 'now. He was too 'fraid of Tenebrus and the other thre'stal before yo' 'ere 'here." He then saw Hermione standing behind and looked with a bit of concerned over at Keller.

"Don't worry my cousin is here with me for you know with Dumbledore permission to go to the Forbidden Forest for, you know." She mentioned to see if the half-giant had been told and it seem he was as he nodded.

"Oh 'ight 'hen, after you tak'in care of 'rion, we go to the 'orest 'hen…" He took them to the far end where a large barn with a paddock was and open it and Hermione and Keller step in and enter, heading to where the last stall was and the small Threstal was lying in the hay, resting until it saw Keller and went to greet her.

"Hey Orion, how are you doing boy? You seem to be doing much better last time I checked. Yes, of course I miss you too, yes I did!" She laughed as it circled around her, nuzzling his head and neighing happy and she scratching his head.

"'Ell he 'ooked al'right but seem he had been al'ost beat'en and 'ike you said didn't have much to 'at." Hagrid said as he stepped towards them, looking down from being so big and tall. "I'm guessing the poor 'ing lost its' mum while in an 'ccident or got sep'arate 'rom his 'erd." Hagrid put one finger to pat Orion's head gently so as to not smoosh him who looked nervously at him. "Ain't yo' adorable, yes yo' are!"

Hagrid looked to Keller. "He seem to really 'ike yo'. I 'ope you raise it 'ell. If there's any'ing you ne'ed, let me 'now." He went to check the others and Keller turn to Hermione as she finished petting Orion. "He's very nice. And smart with how much he knew about Threstal and how to raise them when he helped me."

Hermione nodded. "I know, because he'll become a professor in my third year as the new Care of Magical Creatures."

"Shh!" Keller said, looking behind to see if Hagrid had heard what she said but was busy with one of the Threstal, Tenebrus, not paying attention to the two girls. She gave Hermione a look. And you'd told me to be careful of what I said.

Well it was an accident, I mean I at first didn't think Hagrid would become a professor myself but then when I see the way he looks and care for them, I can tell he rather enjoys it. More than anything else in this world…

She scratched Orion behind the ears and watched as Keller conjured a bucket filled with some weird red liquid that had white milky swirls. Hermione stared at it, questioning what the weird liquid was. "What is that?"

"Blood milk. Threstal's milk mixed with animal's blood: ferrets, weasels, pigs, cows you get what I'm saying or do I have to say the whole list down," Hermione shook her head as Keller said, "Blood milk is used to feed him as he's not ready for solid food yet but when he is, he'll be able to eat animal flesh." Hermione look plainly grossed out while Keller simply shrugged it off and scoop the stuff with a ladle and placed it in a muggle-like baby bottle and held it out to Orion.

Orion nip the plastic nipple top and started to drink it while Keller went to stroke his back, "Good boy Orion, that's it. Make yourself nice and strong…"

She asked Hermione to fetch a bucket of water and some brushes and with the wave of her wand summon a bucket filled with water and soap with two scrubs and rags.

Keller rolled her sleeves up to her elbows and set to work on cleaning him up. The water was turn into a murky reddish brown as dry mud and blood was washed away revealing a beautiful ebony coat, black shining hooves and midnight wings. She was gentle on them as the one that had seem broken and that she knew how it felt when you scrubbed across one's own leathery wings.

When she finished, setting the bucket and brushes aside and about to grab a towel to dry him up, Orion shook up like a wet dog, spraying Hermione and Keller with water.

"Orion!" They laughed, ducking for cover before Orion finish, his tail giving off one last shake and moved and rubbed himself against Keller. "Great looks like I used my own robe as a drying towel!" And laughed again. Hagrid hearing the commotion went to see how they were doing.

"Ell, 'rion looks 'ood and clean." He said petting Orion's head again and turning to them. "I 'ink I better start 'aking yo to the fo'rest now, 'fore anyone sees yo. Don't 'ant to have to 'plain why I'm doing this or have Dumbledore to. He's too 'ood of a 'an for 'hat."

"Of course Hagrid, we don't want to cause any trouble for him either." They followed him to the back to his hut, while he grabbed his crossbow, 'in case of any danger' and Fang coming beside him as they exit it and headed to the forest. The girls left their robes and wore only their undershirt and jeans. Hagrid seem to not know much as too why they were going to the forest and knowing that they would have to tell someone of their nature it would be him first after Dumbledore.

"Hy'brids you 'ay, ne'ver 'eard of 'hem or met one." Hagrid said as he continued to walk as they told them their secret. "Act'ually I'm a halfling me self. Me mum was a giant'ess while me dad was a wi'zard. Dad died when I was se'cond year and me mum died long, long time ago after she left us when I was 'round three."

"I'm sorry to hear that Hagrid." Keller said sincerely, "We lost both our families too, not by accident either." Hermione could see that now Keller was on an understanding path with Hagrid and found another like them to relate to in being different.

Same with Remus too, but he wasn't to know that, Hermione thought sadly. Hagrid led them to where a clearing was.

"'Ow 'member 'hat Dumb'ledore 'old 'ou. No cen'aurs or uni'orns." The girls nodded and they began to transform.

At first Hermione thought it would be hard but then she felt the change come onto her again as if the moon was shining down on them like before.

Her bone shifted and changed and rearranged back into position, her skin turn darker and her body tissue changed to give muscle in her limbs making them firm and strong, almost unbreakable like steel. Hermione could feel the claws extended, her teeth lengthen and her senses heighten as they reached their peak.

Jet-black eyes open and saw Hagrid staring at them with wide eyes shock, his mouth hanging open. Fang hide behind him as Keller let out an inhuman growl that sounded cross between a wolf's howl and the screech of an enraged vampire bat.

Her wings snapped out of her back like before now only bigger and flexing as they stretched after being confided behind the robes all day. Hagrid looked at the two in astonishment.

"Miss 'Eller, Miss Sonja, is 'hat 'ally yo?" Hermione nodded and tried her best to speak but all she got was grunts and growls. She looked towards Keller for help and she nodded and said in a hoarse voice, "Yes it's us. Don't be afraid. This is just our form when we transform. Please don't be scared." Hagrid looked at them from one to the other before taking a deep breath and said, "All right but I have two quest'ions. What's it like to fly, you know with 'ings of course."

Keller smiled, not showing her fangs knowing it might frighten him even more. "It's like you can go as high to the heavens and see the whole place from high up. You would think you were bigger than everyone's else." This was to be true in later time when he would borrow Sirius' motorcycle years from now but believed in what she said.

"'Kay, and can I touch them, your 'ings?" She nodded and turned her back around, allowing him full view of them as he stroke one and ran his finger down, connecting to her veins and talon tips.

"They're bloody 'eautiful, reminds me of dragons' wings of course a lot bigger you know. I like dragons a lot." Keller turn back around and he looked to them both as he said, "Now 'ere should be lots of 'air game around so I sug'gest you be careful with the other magical creatures and I should pro'bably warn Aragog so not to get mess up with him." He said out loud although maybe he shouldn't have but Hermione knew from Harry and Ron's experience that they had once met the acromantula and his rather large family. They best stay clear of them then.

"'eet me back in this spot in about an 'our or so after you 'eed and don't kill them, just take small sips kay?" They nodded and Hermione ran while Keller flew as they got away from Hagrid and into the heart of the forest.

Hermione never felt so much alive as she ran, dodging the branches and vines and smelling the scent of the night while Keller flew above her like a shadow of darkness. It was almost like all this time she had been so locked away inside herself that all she needed to do was unleashed the beast and she was free and born for the night.

Now you know how I feel! Keller did a back flip in the air before flying lower, closer to where Hermione was but still flying at immense speed. Small creature started and moved away from them or hid in the shadow, but they were small game and they needed something big and full of blood. Hermione instantly smell something wonderful that made her mouth water as she quicken her pace and saw in front of her a herd of deer close together.

Time for dinner! Keller knock one of them down with her feet before it had the chance to escape while Hermione pounce like a lioness over its' prey. She pressed her lips against its' neck, her fangs sliding out and bit deep while feeling the deer's fear quicken its' blood to gush into her mouth.

It tasted different than the clones' blood she was use to by now but she thought since this was an actually breathing mammal, it was easier to feel life and taste the sweet elixir than anything she ever imagine.

Keller seem to think so too as she pull back, her lips red and the blood dripping down her chin and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Hermione pulled back too but the deer's blood wasn't enough. She wanted more and had to resist gouging the beast again until it was sucked dry.

Relax, there's plenty of fair game as Hagrid said and we mustn't be glutton over it as you could probably kill without knowing and still won't be satisfy. Trust me on this.

Keller was right but the taste of live blood lingered and course through her body and she couldn't help to want more as they split off in different direction, searching and hunting for more prey. Hermione caught two more deer, a rabbit and a warthog. She was reluctant to let them go, feeling their tiny hearts beating inside her grasp, just minutes away from dying but she couldn't take something as small and weak like them, she maybe something other than a human but she didn't have the heart of a monster, neither did Keller but she didn't know much about her as she would have liked beside what she told of what happened to her parents.

Pretty soon, she probably would but Keller look to be the one keeping her secrets guarded than to reveal what they were. Whatever it was, she would respect her privacy but had to wonder about her until the times was right.

She and Keller went back, racing against one another to see who was the fastest and Keller won, wings down. I want a rematch next time!

Well bring it on then Mione! I can't wait to see your face fall again and again as I win! Keller land to the ground, her body transforming back to its' normal guise while her wings laid flat against her back and Hermione reach her side, in her normal form as well and follow Hagrid back to the ground. They grabbed their robes and covered themselves as best as they could, no detection of twigs or dirt clutching to them after they cast a cleaning spell but knowing a good morning shower would do the trick for most of their hard work and sweat.

They were saying goodnight to Hagrid, promising to see him again soon as they made their way inside the castle towards the staircases undetected.

When they got to the stairs however, Keller removed her robe and hand it to Hermione and wrap her arms around her and getting the picture, she wrap tight around her neck as Keller flew to the top of the stairs to the Gryffindor and stood in front of the painting while folding the wings to look like a cloak and having the talon tips hold together like a clamp. Hermione said the password, waking the fat lady from her slumber but was too tired and groggy to see who said it.

"Just get in before I shut the bloody door in your face…" She said still sleepy as Hermione and Keller crept in and went up the stairs to their room.

The four two other girls, Serena Alice and the McQueen twins were still fast asleep by the time they got in and change out of their clothes into pjs that the girls lend them.

We're going to have to get some clothes pretty soon cousin. I don't think I'll have an explanation to Serena as to why half her clothes are ripped in the back.

She and Serena were sharing clothes while Hermione shared with Alice and the McQueen sisters with their size and weight. She knew they would have to get their own stuff pretty soon and with the little money she had with her and with some paid by Dumbledore, it would have to be some second hand stuff they knew, but second hand was better than none or no clothes.

Tomorrow is Saturday, we'll convince Dumbledore to let us go shopping in Hogsmeade tomorrow.

Keller nodded as she yawned sleepily and buried herself under the covers of her bed.

"Hermione…" She whispered, knowing the other girls were too induce in sleep to hear her speak her cousin's true name. Hermione looked up and saw Keller gazing at her with her hazel eyes. "Do you think will be ever…to go back?"

She blinked. She was unsure herself but didn't want to upset her cousin with doubt or worry. Dumbledore was going to do everything in his power to get them to go back, she was certain for sure as he was a very powerful wizard who could do anything. She nodded. "Sure, we'll go back. Dumbledore will find a way I'm certain."

"You sure?" Hermione gave her a warm smile. "Positive, he'll find a way and we will be home in no time."

Home, yeah home where her parents were gone and then filled with a lifetime ahead of misery and loneness, was that what she wanted, and Keller? But they couldn't stay here; they had to go back to their time before they made any changes. She turn on her side and said goodnight and pull the curtains around her and Keller did the same.

Both were still awake and couldn't get to sleep, thinking unsure of their situation and how much they would really want to go back where no one was really waiting for them except broken hearts and losses. Soon they were able to close their eyes and fall into a dreamless sleep.