A/N: I wanted to add more to this, something along the lines of Sirius being worried about Marlene the next day, but not really being able to give a reason for his concern without revealing all of the secrets surrounding himself and his group of friends. I may eventually republish this separately and add that bit onto the end, but right now, I don't know how I'd want to approach that. Enjoy!

Harry Potter Halloween Collection Prompts: (color) Blood red; (word) Scream

Protector

Marlene crept quietly out of the castle. She was determined to find out what James, Sirius, and Peter were getting up to this time. She had seen them sneaking out of the common room earlier, when they'd thought everyone else was already asleep. She'd been tucked away in a corner of the room, hiding herself as best she could as she waited for them. She was tired of them getting into trouble all the time and losing points for Gryffindor. She would discover what was going on and put a stop to it herself. She'd heard one of them saying something about the forest, and so she was certain she'd find them somewhere out here.

A blood red full moon brightened the landscape, giving the grounds of Hogwarts a very eerie look. She shivered and pulled her cloak more tightly around her, even though it wasn't the chill of the November night that was getting to her. She heard a howl in the distance. It probably wasn't smart to be wandering around in the middle of the night. Hopefully she'd be able to find them quickly and get back into bed, where it was safe.

Making her way across the grounds toward the lake, Marlene looked around, hoping for any sign of the three troublemakers. She saw movement off to her right. Turning in that direction, she saw something advancing on her, like a hunter stalking its prey. She froze. It was in the shadow of a tree, so she couldn't see exactly what it was. Marlene's pulse quickened when it stepped into the light.

A werewolf.

Oh, how stupid she'd been. How stupid they'd all been, to be out on a night like this. She'd been foolish enough to think that any werewolves in the area would stay in the Forbidden Forest. This one must have caught her scent and considered itself lucky to have found such an easy target. As much as they annoyed her, she hoped the three boys hadn't come across this monster. She reached into her pocket for her wand, only to realize she'd left it in her room.

Marlene started to back away slowly, afraid that any sudden movements would cause it to strike. She stumbled and fell backwards when she heard a low growl. It hadn't come from the werewolf. A large black dog suddenly jumped out of the shadows. Certain that they were both going to attack her, Marlene covered her head with her arms, a scream escaping her lips.

Marlene was surprised when she didn't feel claws and teeth piercing her flesh. She dared to peek around her arms and was surprised by the scene before her. The werewolf was indeed trying to attack her, but the black dog was holding it back, lunging and baring its teeth at the werewolf whenever it tried to advance on her. The dog looked back at her, its grey eyes pleading with her. Get out of here, it seemed to be saying. I'll hold him off.

Marlene quickly scrambled to her feet and ran as fast as she could back up to the castle, not daring to look behind her. She could hear the dog and the werewolf fighting behind her. She only stopped once she was safely back inside again. She slumped against the door, not caring if Filch came by and caught her out of bed. Detention was better than death. Trying to catch her breath and calm her racing heart, Marlene silently thanked the black dog for saving her from a terrible fate.