Chapter five

October 17, 1971

Andie scoured the books for the thousandth time in the past few hours. The sun was already setting, casting beautiful yellows and oranges across the sky. Nothing seemed interesting enough to read. Just like the last check, and the check before that. With a sigh, Andie went back to the window. She'd pushed the desk chair over to it to watch the students and teachers outside, as they moved around between classes. She plopped herself down in the chair. It had been hours since McGonagall had come to check up on her. She had been given some clothes from lost and found that had been there since the previous year.

Since then, Andie had gone to the bathroom, had a shower, and changed into warmer clothes. A long-sleeved shirt, and a pair of jeans. As the sun sank lower, the moon began to rise. Andie had started to light some of the lanterns around the room. They cast just enough light to be able to see comfortably. As she turned on the final lantern, the door opened, and someone was shoved inside. The door was then slammed shut. Andie froze, staring at the boy that had just been shoved in. He was bent over, groaning in pain. The only things she could make out of him, was the light brown hair, and his clothes. He wore a white shirt and a pair of black trousers, while his feet were bare. Andie took a tentative step forward.

"Uh, are you okay?" she asked.

A pained groan was the only answer she received. Andie reached out to touch his shoulder. The second her fingers touched him, he jerked away. He looked up at Andie. His pupils were large, only showing a ring of green around them.

"Ru-" he cut himself off, as a wave of excruciating pain overtook him.

He threw his head back, his body arching forward. Growls and screams came from his throat. Andie watched as the boy's face changed, while the moonlight touched him. Hair grew from his skin, and his skull morphed and twisted under his skin. His limbs grew bigger, ripping the clothes that were now too small for his ever-growing body. Claws grew from his fingers. Within moments, he had gone from humanoid to wolf-like. As the last of his clothes fell from his body, he took a step back and bowed forward. He took a few deep breaths, and Andie could've sworn she heard small whimpers coming from him. The boy was no longer a boy. Andie's eyes widened as she realized. She was in a room. Alone. With a werewolf. She didn't want to move. She tried to recall if she'd read anything on werewolves and how to survive them. Her mind came up empty. Andie's eyes darted to the door. If she could just make it there, she could escape. She took a step. It was then that the boy…no…the werewolf began to move.

It sniffed the air, then slowly turned to face her. Its jaw turned upwards into a snarl. Andie didn't have much time to react, as the beast lunged towards her. She dodged to the side, running around the desk. The werewolf leapt onto the desktop. Its claws digging into the wood, leaving large, jagged marks in it. The growling and snarling grew in intensity. The beast lunged again. Andie avoided the teeth, but not the claws. As they struck her upper arm. She gave a scream as her flesh was torn through her clothes. The werewolf jumped at her this time; front limbs outstretched. Andie dropped to the floor. The werewolf sailed right over her, landing at the door leading out. It quickly turned, licking its lips and pinning its ears backwards. Andie could see the creature bunching its muscles, preparing to attack again. She knew she couldn't avoid him forever. Before it could move again, someone ran to Andie's side. They threw a lantern at the werewolf's feet. It broke and erupted into a large flame. It stopped the werewolf just long enough for the person to grab Andie's arm and drag her into the now revealed tunnel behind the bookshelf. They barely had time to close the opening, before the werewolf slammed into the bookshelf. The two breathed heavily. Glad to be safe. Andie then started to laugh, as the adrenaline began to subside.

"I'm so sorry," the person said. "If we'd known you were in there, we never would've…Lumos."

A beam of light lit up the area. Andie was finally able to get a proper look at the person who saved her. A boy. No older than eleven. His hair, black in colour, was short but untidy. Despite wearing the school's robes, his tie was just dangling over his shoulders. Not tied as it should be. The red and gold of the tie told Andie he was a Gryffindor. Andie cleared her throat when she realized she was staring.

"Thanks…for saving me," she said. "Not so much for shoving a werewolf in my room."

The boy gave a nervous chuckle.

"Yeah…come on. I'll get you out of here. It's not safe in there tonight."

Andie nodded and followed the boy down the tunnel.

"I'm Sirius, by the way," he said.

"I'm Andrea. Uh…you can call me Andie if you want."

"Will do."

The rest of the walk was silent, until, finally, Sirius pushed the back of a painting. The two clambered out, a little shaky as the adrenaline left them. Sirius then pushed the painting back into place. No evidence they had ever been there.

"Oh, thank god," came a quiet voice from nearby.

Another young boy, with mousy brown hair. He was smaller than Sirius, but chubbier. He too wore Gryffindor robes, which he wore neatly. In the dim light, Andie could see the beads of sweat that ran down the boy's face.

"I'm so glad you're okay," he continued.

"More or less," Andie answered.

The boy tilted his head, slightly, trying to understand what she meant. His eyes then dropped to her arm. Panic set in on his face.

"Oh, no," he mumbled. "She got bit."

Sirius whirled on Andie. His eyes kept switching from her arm to her face, and back again.

"I didn't get bit," Andie snapped. "It's just a scratch."

"It looks too big to be a scratch," Sirius said. "Are you sure it's not a bite?"

"I'm sure."

Sirius hmmed.

"We'll have to wait for Remus to tell us what happened."

"Remus?" Andie questioned.

"You've…uh…already met him."

Sirius gave a quick glance back to the tunnel's painting.

"Oh."

"You should go back to your dorm. He's going to be in there all night."

"Heh," Andie half-laughed. "I don't actually have a dorm…" she trailed off.

"Wanna tell us?"

"I…don't know."

"We have time. We're not going anywhere till morning."

Andie wrung her hands, before giving in.

"Okay. I'll explain everything."

"Maybe we should let James listen too?" suggested the smaller boy.

Sirius nodded.

"Alright. Let's meet up with him first. And we need to get your arm under control."

Sirius led the way around a few corners, stopping at the door to the teacher's room.

"James?" Sirius called out to the boy that was pacing back and forth at the door.

The boy stopped. He faced the trio as they approached. The boy had untidy black hair, which stuck up in all directions. Andie resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she realized that he too was a Gryffindor.

"Oh, good," he said. "I was afraid you'd been killed."

"Sorry to disappoint," Andie joked.

The boy gave a small chuckle.

"Introductions," Sirius cut in. "This is James, and this is Peter." He indicated to the boys as he said their names. "Guys, this is Andie."

"Hi." Andy gave a small wave.

"Didn't think students had access to the room," James said. "How'd you get in?"

"Professor McGonagall let me in. I'm supposed to be staying here for a few days, at the very least."

"Is there a reason-"

"She doesn't have a dorm," Sirius explained. "In fact, she was just about to tell us why. Figured you'd want to listen to the tale as well."

"Ooo, a mystery student? Of course I wanna hear the story. Let's hear it."

The four sat down in the center of the hall, in a circle, as Andie began her story.