Do I really need to say it again? No I don't own Harry Potter.

Hope you are hanging on! ;)

Chapter Eighty-two

The Howl of The Werewolf

Taylor watched as the Head Boy walked down the hallway with Madame Pomfrey and Moody until they turned the corner and disappeared from sight. Turning she raced up the other hallway, to a set of stairs and up. Running as fast as her legs would carry her she made it to the Fat Lady in record time. Calling the password as she approached, she didn't slow down as she tore in through the portal. She took the stairs two at a time and shoved open the door to the seventh year boy's dormitories and made it to her brother's trunk before she even acknowledged Neville who was standing there staring at her. Dropping to her knees she yanked the cover up, "Accio Map!" Catching the piece of parchment, she grabbed the cloak.

"Neville, tell Harry I'll see him in the morning."

"In the morning but…" Neville called but it was too late as the door swung shut behind the witch.

Taylor only waited until she was out of sight on an empty stairway before she threw the cloak over her. She couldn't be seen, by anyone! The cloak slowed her down some but not much as she kept to less used stairs and corridors. When she reached the Entrance Hall she slowed to a walk and slipped across it as quietly as she could. She was in luck and an auror was just opening the main door to go out and she slipped through with him and then headed off around the side of the castle. The sun had set and it was growing dark as she paused to check the Map. She knew Moody was out here someplace and he could see her through the invisibility cloak. Putting up a silencing charm she activated the Map and then asked where Moody was. The red dot that showed up showed the old auror just coming out from under the Whomping Willow.

Hiding behind a low stone wall she waited until the auror and nurse passed before she slipped across the grounds to the huge tree and grabbing the stick that Moody had just used she pushed the knot immobilizing the tree, quickly sliding down into the tunnel. She pulled off the cloak and lit her wand, hurrying along the tunnel, wondering for the first time if the wards would be back in place or if the tunnel would be un-warded all night.

She went all the way until she could just make out the trap door and then she stopped, as doubt suddenly assailed her. What if Greg caught her scent before he transformed and opened the trap door? What if her scent made the werewolf go crazy and Greg hurt himself even more?

An agonized yell froze her thoughts as well as her body. It was the Hufflepuff's voice. Another louder one followed, drawn out. It echoed down the tunnel. She heard something smash and then there was a thump. It sounded like it was right on the trap door itself. Silence, then the howl of a werewolf, followed by the sound of wood splintering as snarls ripped through the air.

Taylor stood perfectly still for a long, long time listening to the beast above her snarling and howling. Finally she sat down in the tunnel and pulling the Map out checked it. She was off the Map as she expected, but she still checked the grounds carefully. One of the reasons she had come was to make sure no one got near the werewolf to try to set him free or hurt him. She knew the Slytherins had something to do with the last werewolf and if they tried something then, they might try something again.

She hadn't been sitting all that long when the snarling turned deeper and the werewolf started to claw at the trap door. She could hear its nails digging into the wood, and then it howled as the hairs on her neck and arms raised. She hardly dared to draw a breath as she froze in place and listened. What if the trap door gave way? Would she be able to fight off the werewolf knowing it was Greg? More than likely, even if she did fight, she'd never make it all the way through the tunnel before the werewolf reached her. Fighting in a small space like this wouldn't be easy. As suddenly as it started the werewolf left the trapdoor and moved onto something else.

Forcing herself to move, Taylor checked the Map once more, noting the only person who wasn't in the castle was Hagrid who was in his house by the Forbidden Forest along with Fang, his dog.

The sounds of destruction became a little less pronounced and she thought the werewolf must have headed up to the second floor.

Looking around she wondered what James Potter would say if he knew she was here. She knew he would have been in the tunnel many times, and thought about her dad as the stag rushing through the tunnel with Padfoot and Moony. The smile fell from her face. She wasn't here to go on some grand adventure. She was here to make sure nothing bad happened to the Hufflepuff. If Voldemort knew who she was then he probably knew about Greg and the fact that he was a werewolf. She didn't really know what kinds of wards protected the Shrieking Shack. She knew there had to be at least some or else Fred and George Weasley would have been able to find a way in. She had faith in Dumbledore and knew he would have wanted to protect Moony all those years ago, from getting out as much as anyone getting in and being hurt. So that just left the tunnel she was in as the only way into the supposedly haunted house above her.

Sighing she glanced at her watch and checked the Map again. She had just finished when a thump from above made her jump, as a loud deep snarl came from just the other side of the trapdoor and then the werewolf started scratching at it again. It sounded like it was tearing pieces of wood away with each swipe of its paws. A howl and then the sound of something splintering.

The darkness, pushed back by only the dim light of her wand tip, stretched on forever. It reminded her powerfully of a time when there was only darkness, the howls and snarling from above not so different from the screams she had heard. More than once she had made up her mind that she was going to leave, only to get halfway up and then sit back down again. She kept an eye on her watch knowing that if Pomfrey found her down here there would be hell to pay. When her brother caught up with her there would be anyway.

Time played tricks on her, sometimes hurrying along, and other times barely moving at all. The werewolf came back to the trap door repeatedly. Its snarls seemed to get more vicious if possible, sometimes it even sounded like it was biting at the door.

Listen, glance at her watch and check the Map. Listen, glance at her watch and check the Map. As the night stretched on and on.

Taylor knew the sun came up at six twenty-five, so she had decided she would leave shortly after six. It took only about ten minutes to go through the tunnel so that should leave her enough time. She really couldn't explain why she felt she needed to stay so late. It was a vague feeling like she was somehow breaking her promise not to leave him if she left any earlier.

At five fifty she got stiffly to her feet, groaning as pins and needles assaulted her legs and she stumbled sideways bumping into the wall causing a few loose pebbles to fall.

A howl ripped through the air making Taylor actually point her wand up at the trap door as her heart came up in her throat, before taking up a wild beat. Snarling the werewolf attacked the trap door with a vengeance. Pointing her lit wand up she actually saw the door shudder under the barrage. Waiting an eternity, the wild snarls slowly died away. Then she heard a thump and all was still.

A noise behind her made Taylor wheel, wand at the ready. Then she heard it again, the muted sound of voices getting clearer. She glanced at her watch and realized as her stomach plummeted to somewhere near her feet, that time had done it again, had somehow sped up and it was six twenty-five. Knowing what she would find, she looked at the Map and saw a dot disappear off the edge of the Map and right behind it one labeled Madame Pomfrey. She was trapped.

She had two choices. Risk opening the trap door, though she was almost certain that the werewolf was once again in human form. Still, she'd run the risk of getting stuck up there if they put up wards when they left, plus she'd run a greater risk of getting caught. If Moody was with Pomfrey she was sunk anyway. Or she could just hide beneath the cloak here and follow the nurse out with Greg, if by some miracle the old auror hadn't come.

Swinging the cloak over her, she quickly vanished all the traces that she had been here and then extinguished her wand to wait in the complete dark huddled against the wall. She could hear Madame Pomfrey's voice and then a deeper one but she couldn't be sure… Then slowly she recognized it, Professor Shacklebolt's deep voice. She could barely believe her luck then she heard what they were saying.

"… Potter doesn't know?" Pomfrey's voice.

"No. Moody and I both asked. The boy was nearly beside himself." Shacklebolt's deep voice.

"What do you think happened? Surely not You-Know-Who!" Pomfrey's voice was close now and before the auror answered the two came into sight, wands lit, held up high.

"Right now we can't rule anything out." His voice was deeply concerned.

Taylor's heart was pounding. What had happened up at the castle? Had there been some kind of attack? She had been so focused on the grounds she hadn't thought to look inside the castle. It was all she could do not to pull off the cloak and ask what had happened.

The nurse and auror walked past her and the tall auror waved his wand at the trap door and it opened and they both disappeared up through it. Taylor crept closer trying to hear if they said any more.

"Oh dear! Well at least he's unconscious. Here I'll bandage that up before we move him." A pause, "Look at the place. The poor boy had a hard go of it. I always thought poor Remus was wild. Look at the marks on the trap door! Merlin! We'll need to reinforce that if we ever have to use the Shrieking Shack again."

"Do you want to put another bandage on him there before I move him?" Shacklebolt's deep voice asked solemnly.

"Yes I'd better. There that should hold him until we get him back to the Hospital. Here I'll cover him up. Poor boy is likely to catch a cold. I'll give him some pepper-up potion when he wakes up, that should help. Poor boy, he's had a difficult enough night without him finding out what else has happened. I'll probably need to sedate him. Oh dear…"

Taylor could hear them moving about and then Madame Pomfrey came down the stairs followed by a stretcher with the Hufflepuff and then Shacklebolt descended into the tunnel closing and sealing the trap door behind him.

She backed up carefully and let the three go by. She had to bite her bottom lip to keep from making a sound as a deathly pale Head Boy floated by on the stretcher. Fearing what she was going to find out when she reached the castle, as well as finding out how badly hurt the Hufflepuff was, she trudged along behind them.

It didn't seem to take any time to reach the other end of the tunnel and she was nearly blinded as her eyes met bright sunlight after the extended stay in the darkness of the tunnel. She was able to slip out of the tunnel before the Whomping Willow came to life and she hurried along, following as close as she dared to the nurse and auror. She caught the odd glimpse of the Hufflepuff but not enough to really see how bad he looked out in the light.

In through the castle doors and up through the school to the Hospital Wing, she waged an internal battle of where she should go first. The resounding silence of the castle helped her. It was only just after sunrise on a Sunday morning, her brother would still be asleep along with everyone else. She'd go to the Hospital and find out how the Hufflepuff was, and maybe she'd get lucky and hear what else had happened so when she did see her brother she'd be ready.

Moving silently she followed the nurse into the Hospital ward, Shacklebolt had bid the nurse goodbye at the door. She halted as Pomfrey floated the stretcher behind a screen. She suddenly remembered something that Lupin had said, and her face turned red. The Hufflepuff would be naked. Waiting until the nurse headed for her office she inched around the screen. The Hufflepuff's face was pale and exhausted, a bandage was wrapped around his left arm and his pajama clad right leg lay on top of the covers, also heavily bandaged. Taylor sighed, relieved, she didn't really know what she had been expecting, maybe something worse from all the snarling that had gone on above her. Wounds, she knew, would heal and rest would cure his exhaustion. He was safe, that's all that really mattered to her.

She knew the nurse would be back any second so she sat on the bed beside his, careful not to make it look like someone was sitting there, and waited. Pomfrey carried a tray with some potions on it and set it down on the nightstand before pulling her wand from her smock and carefully running it over the sleeping wizard, she administered two different potions.

"There we go Hunter. This one will help heal those wounds in no time, and this one will help you get some much needed sleep." The nurse spoke as she worked before bustling off again taking the tray of potions with her.

Taylor slipped off the bed and knelt beside the sleeping wizard. Glancing around she pulled the invisibility cloak off her head and kissed him on the cheek, brushing his dark hair off his brow. "You made it Hufflepuff. I promise it will be easier after this. I promised you I wouldn't go away. I'm here. I'll see you when you wake up." She kissed him again on the cheek before pulling the cloak back up over her head and then she picked up his hand and held it for a while.

At eight o'clock, as the school clock chimed, she stood, whispering that she'd be back and headed for the Gryffindor common room. She met no one and she didn't really expect to, though she kept to less traveled stairs and corridors. The Fat Lady was snoozing in her painting when she arrived and the painting merely swung open at the sound of the password. Straightening, she saw her brother, Ron, Hermione and Ginny all sitting on the sofas by the fireplace. They were all staring at her with blank expressions when she remembered she was still hidden beneath the cloak.

"Morning guys," Taylor said as she pulled the invisibility cloak off. She knew something big must have happened in order to have them all up at this time on a Sunday morning.

"Taylor!" Her brother's strangled voice called as he jumped up and crushed her against him.

"Oh thank Merlin!"

"Where the Bloody Hell have you been?"

"Do you have any idea how much trouble you are in?"

Taylor couldn't breathe, let alone answer, as her brother's arms held her in a bone crushing hug, then he grabbed her by the shoulders and held her at arms length. "Where the hell have you been?"

Taylor looked from one angry face to the other and it dawned on her. Nothing bad had happened, she had just gone missing. "I went to the Shrieking Shack."

"You what!" Harry yelled and Taylor was fairly sure a guy's voice wasn't supposed to hit that high of a note.

"Bloody Hell! Are you insane?" Ron roared.

"What in Merlin's name were you thinking?" Hermione gasped.

"Taylor, are you mental?" Ginny snapped.

"Look guys, I didn't go in the Shrieking Shack! I just stayed in the tunnel beneath…" Taylor's voice trailed off at the murderous looks on not just her brother's face but the others as well.

"Oh well, that's just fine then! Not Bloody well likely! What would have happened if werewolf Hunter had of gotten through that trap door? Did you even stop to think?" Ron bellowed.

"Taylor, I'm so mad at you right now… What did we have last night? Huh?" Harry's voice shook as he glared at her.

"Uhm…"

"We had a research session with Shacklebolt! I had to show up there, after searching frantically for you, and tell them that I had no idea where you were! The castle was searched! McGonagall had every auror and teacher searching!"

Taylor could feel the blood draining from her face, "I… I didn't look at the school. I just kept watch on the grounds…"

"The castle was sealed Taylor! Sealed so that no one could come or go until first light! What if… Merlin, I can't believe you did something so stupid!" Harry yelled as he shook her shoulders that he was still holding in a death grip.

"It wasn't stupid!" Taylor snapped back firmly as her temper started to rise. "I went there to make sure no one tried to hurt Greg!"

"Yeah because a blood thirsty werewolf can't look after itself!" Ron said acidly.

"The Slytherins let that other werewolf loose on the grounds…"

Hermione cut in, "We can't prove that!"

Taylor ignored her friend, "…last full moon! What's to say they won't try something again? Plus by now Voldemort knows Greg means something to me, as well as the fact that he's a werewolf! I couldn't leave him there unprotected!"

"He's a werewolf! I think he can look after himself!" Harry snapped.

"Dammit Harry!" Taylor twisted and broke his hold on her shoulders. "There are ways of killing a werewolf! I nearly killed the one that attacked Greg in the first place!"

Harry glared at his sister for a long moment. "You left without telling me, again! Bloody hell Taylor when are you going to stop and think! Do you have any idea how much trouble you are in?"

"I did what I thought…"

"You mean you did what you wanted to as usual!" Harry yelled cutting her off. His voice was deadly when he continued, "Did the Hufflepuff ask you to go?"

"No! Absolutely not! He wouldn't have let me go! He'll be mad when he finds out!" Taylor cried in disbelief that her brother would think Greg would ever want her to do what she did.

"Good! Maybe he'll be half as pissed off as I am! Now let's go! I need to take you to McGonagall. She can punish you while I figure out what I'm going to do to you!" Harry ground out. "Give me that cloak and the Map, because believe me, you won't be needing them for awhile!"

With an aggravated sigh, Taylor took off her brother's invisibility cloak and handed it to him, along with the Marauder's Map. She could see a muscle twitching in his jaw and knew he was furious. She had been on the brink of saying something about his high handed attitude with her about punishment but had decided against it. Probably a wise move on her part as his hand grabbed her by the upper arm and he led her out of the portal and towards the Head Mistress' office. Ron, Hermione and Ginny all following silently in their wake, equally grim expressions on their faces.

Harry gave the password when they reached the stone gargoyle and silently led his sister up the stairs, only pausing to knock on the oak door. A call to enter was heard almost immediately and he led his sister into the Head Mistress' office.

"Miss Porter!" McGonagall gasped from behind her desk before her face became stern as well as her voice. "Where, may I ask, have you been all night?"

An hour later Taylor felt every bit of her exhaustion, and hunger as well, as she exited the revolving staircase. The Head Mistress had demanded to know where she was all night and Taylor had told her. She supposed she should feel lucky that corporal punishment was no longer handed out at Hogwarts, though she had two weeks of detentions to look forward to. To be served with Moody! Maybe corporal punishment wasn't quite dead after all! She was glad that her brother and the others hadn't stuck around down here after McGonagall had dismissed them.

Sighing Taylor set out for the Hospital Wing. She doubted that the Hufflepuff would be awake yet but still she wanted to check in on him. Plus if he were still asleep he wouldn't yell at her also. McGonagall had been under the same opinion as her brother, that a werewolf didn't need protection and had set about explaining that to her.

Hermione had stopped at the bottom of the revolving stairs as she chewed on her bottom lip, a habit she had picked up from Taylor. "What do you think Professor McGonagall is going to do to Taylor?"

"I don't know but it won't be enough," Harry grumbled angrily. He was still fuming over what his sister had done.

"Harry you can't seriously be thinking of actually punishing her are you?" Hermione asked looking over at her best friend.

"What do you want me to do Hermione?" Harry exclaimed throwing up his arms in frustration. "Even you have to admit this is one of her more bone headed stunts! Honestly, protecting a werewolf!"

"Harry! Keep your voice down!" Hermione snapped as she glanced around and then put up a silencing charm. "What I think is that Taylor, right or wrong, believes she did the right thing. Harry, it couldn't have been easy to sit in the tunnel all night listening to that werewolf. Not after what we went through."

Harry looked over at the bushy haired witch. She rarely ever mentioned their capture by the Death Eaters. He could see now though the flicker of fear that came and then went as quickly. "She didn't have to stay or even go for that matter," but there was no heat in his words.

Hermione just shrugged.

"Let's go see Greg. We can let Pomfrey know Taylor's back too so that she doesn't tell the Hufflepuff that Taylor is missing. I'd hate to see Pomfrey have to tie him down." Ginny said in an even voice. She was going to hold her judgment on what Taylor did until she had a chance to talk to the other witch some more. Plus she was a little irked by how Harry had acted. She didn't want to do anything that would jeopardize her friendship with Taylor just because her boyfriend had shown a level of emotion towards the other witch that was way beyond friendship. Again.

"You think the git will be pissed off at Taylor?" Ron asked. "Hey! Ouch! What do you have to hit me for? Hunter thinks we're gits too!" Ron defended as he rubbed his arm.

Hermione gave him an eerily Mrs. Weasley like look before saying. "I don't understand why you two have to constantly nitpick at one another!" The resulting conversation lasted until they reached the Hospital Wing doors.

When the four of them entered the Hospital ward they saw Madame Pomfrey talking to the Hufflepuff's father and his uncle. They could tell the conversation was a serious one from the grave expressions on all their faces.

"I don't want you saying anything to Mr. Hunter to upset him. He needs his rest. The unfortunate news can wait." Madame Pomfrey said briskly as she glanced at the four Gryffindors.

"Unfortunate news?" Hermione asked as she studied the three adults for a second before saying, "Taylor's been found, she's fine."

"Oh! Thank Merlin! Well that is good news." Madame Pomfrey said somewhat relieved. "Mr. Hunter is awake. I'm sure he'd like to see you all."

Hermione couldn't help but notice the fact that the two wizards seemed even less relieved then the nurse. She had a feeling that something wasn't quite right. Walking with the others she was nearly to the screen when Harry muttered quietly.

"I wish I had a pair of Fred and George's extendable ears. If those three aren't talking about Taylor's disappearance then what are they talking about?"

"Don't know," Hermione whispered back as she stepped around the screen to see the Head Boy lying in a bed, looking exhausted but wide awake.

"Hi guys!" The Hufflepuff greeted with a tired smile. "Where is Taylor?"

Hermione sent a warning glance at Harry before saying, "She had to go see Professor McGonagall. I'm sure she will be along in a while. So how are you feeling?"

The Head Boy could tell that the four Gryffindors weren't telling him something, the same way he'd been able to tell that his father was worried and not telling him something. He kept the conversation with the four light, joking a little about being hungry when he saw Ginny looking at his bandaged appendages. He felt like himself again and with the full moon gone, so were the strong senses. Though at the moment he would have liked to have his acute hearing back so he could tell what his father, uncle and Pomfrey were talking about.

He was glad that the two witches were there, as they kept the conversation going. The two Gryffindor wizards weren't as talkative and he began to get the distinct impression that they were both angry with his witch. He was a little surprised too that the nurse hadn't been back to shoo the four Gryffindors away as was usually her way, especially when she had insisted earlier that he needed his rest.

His eyes were starting to grow very heavy when he heard the voice he'd been waiting for. He couldn't quite make out what she was saying but he heard the nurse saying that she could only stay for a short while. A few seconds later his witch walked around the screen.

"Hey! You are awake! I didn't think you would be." He noticed that her voice was light and happy, but she glanced at Potter and Weasley a little warily before she approached him.

"Yeah, though I doubt I will be for much longer. Why were you up at the Head Mistress' office so early this morning?" alarms suddenly went off in his head and he was wide awake as he watched his witch glance towards the others and stay on Potter for a few extra seconds before looking down at the floor. He didn't miss Potter's jaw setting or the way he glared at his witch.

"Taylor, what is going on?"

Taylor closed her eyes. She could try to lie, but like the Hufflepuff had told her so many times before, she was a terrible liar. "I… I have two weeks of detention." Maybe if he knew she was already in trouble he wouldn't be quite so mad.

"What for?" the Hufflepuff demanded and he had a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach.

Taylor glanced up at her brother but instantly regretted it. His face was set and she knew if she didn't tell, he would. "I…" she wondered if she'd ever learn to not do things to piss people off, "I followed you out to the tunnel last night…"

"You did what…?" the Hufflepuff's voice was totally disbelieving.

She doubted that he'd get her reasoning either but she thought she'd try, "I wanted to make sure that no one hurt you…"

"Of all the…! What the hell were you thinking! Are you insane?" The Head Boy's voice was starting to rise and Taylor put up a silencing charm out of habit.

"My sanity has been questioned by a number of people this morning." Taylor said sarcastically.

"I wonder why? Bloody Hell Taylor! Do you see these bandages? They are from when the werewolf tried to chew its own leg off! Do you know what would have happened if it had somehow escaped?" The Head Boy felt his stomach roll unpleasantly as frightening images flashed past his mind eye. He could have killed his witch in a heartbeat and he'd not even know he did it.

"Yes I do! I was there when you were attacked, thank you very much!" Taylor had seen the look in the Hufflepuff's eyes go from complete disbelief to disgust and revulsion.

"Do you have a death wish? Or is it a twisted desire to become a monster! Merlin witch! I can't believe you!"

Taylor opened her mouth but no words came out. She didn't know what to say.

"Just go Taylor! Before I get out of this bed and throttle you!" the raw rage in his voice made her back up a step.

Turning, she kept her eyes down. She didn't think she could stand it if she saw the satisfaction in her brother's eyes at that moment. Stepping around the screen she walked swiftly across to the Hospital doors, not even glancing at the nurse or the Hufflepuff's relatives. Once outside she broke into a run. She heard her name called but she didn't stop, racing up stairs and down corridors, needing to be alone.

She knew her brother had the Map and would be able to find her, so she kept moving, up staircases and then down, heading down one corridor and then doubling back on the next.

With her feet moving at a brisk pace she thought about the mess she had gotten herself into once again. She didn't know if her brother was looking for her but she didn't run into him and at ten minutes to twelve she stopped at the kitchens and after tickling the pear in the painting, she asked the house elves for a couple of sandwiches and a glass of pumpkin juice before she headed up to the Defense classroom to meet Moody for her first detention.

A/N Oh dear... poor Taylor she is in trouble again! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, sorry to kind of leave you hanging again but this sequence of events is rather large! Sorry can't say any more don't want to give anything away!

Thank you to those who reviewed! And Favorited and Alerted this story! Plus if you have read this far then you deserve a big cyber cookie! Thank you to my wonderful beta barbc! Well until next time, cytpotter.