Paws

"Paws"

We were sitting outside in the courtyard of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There was a stone fountain behind us. We were sitting on the stone benches in front of it looking through our textbooks, The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5 for any spell on how to change a piece of clothing into gold. The sun was shining brightly, reflecting off the windows of the many turrets of the castle. I glanced up at the sky. A perfect blue color, with white fluffy clouds. I shielded my eyes and then returned my eyes onto the girl on my left. Her bushy dark brown hair fluttered in the gentle summer breeze that came up.

"What about it, Hermione? Find anything?" I asked.

"Nope. Nothing, Lucy," said Hermione.

I then turned to the two boys on my right. One had short, untidy black hair, green eyes that were behind a pair of thin black rimmed glasses, and a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead.

"Harry?"

"Nothing here, Lucy," said Harry.

The other boy has short, light auburn hair and blue eyes.

"Blimey, Lucy. I reckon this is going to be impossible," said Ron.

"I'm beginning to agree," Hermione said.

"Hey. It was a good idea," I offered.

"Yeah. That would've been hilarious if I could change Dudley into gold with his clothes still on," said Harry, laughing.

"Ugh. Don't give me any nightmares about Dudley and him attire-less." I moaned.

Hermione, Ron and Harry laughed again.

But then, my happy mood vanished. My thoughts shifted to the secret I haven't told the three of them yet. I was a Wolf Animagus. I could change into a wolf whenever I needed to. I was afraid to tell them, due to the fear I had about loosing them as best friends. I had told my best friends at Averix Magic Academy, my old magic school, and they turned around and treated me like some kind of disease. Now, I was exceptionally careful not to blurt out what I really was. I was also thinking about the Shrinking potion I overdid in class yesterday. The potion turned a sickly green, and overflowed the cauldron, shrinking the table and cauldron with it. Professor Snape had given me detention, along with poor Neville Longbottom. I was terrible at Potions class, but good at Transfiguration. Hermione offered to help me in Potions. I stared at the skirt part of my jumper. It had the Hogwarts crest on it on the right breast pocket area. I was so deep in thought, that when Hermione gently prodded me, I jumped a mile, causing my textbook to slide off my lap and land open-faced down on the grass. I bent down to get it, but Harry beat me to it. He bent down and picked it up, closing it for me also. He handed it to me.

"Thanks. I'm such a klutz," I said placing it back on my lap.

"Are you OK? You had this glazed look on your face," said Ron, tilting his head slightly so that his light auburn hair caught the sunlight.

The three of them were now watching me intently and worriedly.

I swallowed.

[Should I tell them and risk it? Maybe they'll understand. What if they don't? Then what? I'll loose three best friends all over again.]

"I was thinking about the Shrinking potion I overdid yesterday," I lied.

"Neville's potion looked more like vomit than a potion," said Ron.

"Ron!" Hermione said, reprovingly.

"Well it did!" said Ron defensively.

Harry was watching me still.

"That's not all that's on your mind...is it?"

Before I could reply, a cold, unemotional voice rose up.

"Hey! Potter! You still hanging around those two Mudbloods?"

We looked up. Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle were approaching us with their usual sneers.

"Shove off, Malfoy," said Harry angrily. "Or else...."

"Or else what? I just want to have some fun with her," said Malfoy, pulling out his wand and aiming it at me.

In a flash, Harry, Ron and Hermione had pulled their wands out and held it in a threatening position toward Malfoy.

"I'd put that away if I were you," Hermione growled.

Draco's cold blue eyes moved onto me.

"Well well. The Mudblood is actually pretty,"

I smiled sarcastically.

"Gee. Thanks so much. You know, one of these days your head is going to be so big, they're going to have to raise the doorframes,"

I raised a hand mockingly to my mouth.

"Or is that how your mother is?"

Draco's expression turned ugly and he blushed.

"Don't you insult my mother,"

"How about this scenario...bend over. Let me see if my foot fits up there," I said, smirking.

Draco shoved me. I fell backwards into Ron and Hermione, knocking them over also.

[At the same time, Harry points his wand at Draco, and says, "Densuego!" and Draco said, "Furnunculus!"]

Draco, Crabbe and Goyle had leaped sideways, avoiding the dark green jet of light that came from the end of Harry's wand. Unfortunately, Harry's response wasn't faster. The jet of yellow, which came from Draco's wand, hit him square on the shoulder. He cried out, lowered his wand, and put his left hand on top of the boils, which were growing on his right shoulder. Ron and Hermione rushed to help him. I stood, my eyes narrowed at Draco, Crabbe and Goyle, who were standing by, chortling. My hands were balled into fists at my side. I felt anger boiling in my chest. I had to risk exposing what I really was. I dropped to my hands and knees, staring at the green grass. My fingers dug into the soft dirt as I saw my hands and feet changing into paws. My ears grew into triangular shaped wolf ears; my nose and mouth pulled forward into a snout, with white canines and incisors that slid down under purple lips; gray and white fur sprouted all over my body. My legs bent into haunches. A tail grew at my rear. My eyes changed into a jaundice color. I was a wolf now.

I flattened my ears out sideways, pulled back the top lip exposing my white canines and incisors and snarled at Draco, Crabbe and Goyle. My head was low and my front paws spread slightly.

The courtyard was filled with an awkward silence. Harry, Ron and Hermione were standing with shocked and terrified expressions. Draco, Crabbe and Goyle backed away slowly, then took of running toward the castle. I sneezed and sat on my haunches, wrapping my tail around my hind leg. I slowly raised my eyes up to Harry, Hermione and Ron. Hermione was wearing a kind of smug expression.

"A Wolf Animagus! They're even rarer than a regular Animagus!" cried Harry, as he and Ron looked at Hermione.

"Yes. Extremely rare," Hermione dropped to her knees in front of me. I just kept my eyes on my front paws now, my ears still flat sideways.

"I read about only two Wolf Animagus' in the world in Medieval Magic: A History. They were prosecuted because they were thought to be practicing 'wolf craft',"

"Wolf craft?" asked Ron.

"Yes. The people believed wolves were evil...the devil. Anybody associated with wolves were 'frolicking' with the devil and punished. Wolf Animagus' were given potions to stop the transformation. That's why Lucy isn't good in Potions! Over the generations, Wolf Animagus' were taught to fear them. Those that were Wolf Animagus' died after taking the potion, because it was too strong. After a while, they never took them, whether it was for medical or otherwise. She just can't handle all the ingredients that go into the potion. She has that fear that it will be given to her. That's why she was afraid to tell us,"

Harry dropped to his knees beside Hermione.

"She was afraid we'd turn her in or something," said Harry.

His tone was soft, not at all what I expected. I truly expected harsh, cruel tones.

"Bloody hell. Now wonder she was terrified," Ron breathed, shaking his head. "Look at what happened to her kind before."

I changed back into my human form. I folded my arms over the front of my jumper.

"You know," I said, quietly.

"We know. Don't worry. Your secret's safe with us. We won't tell." Said Harry, reassuringly.

"Yup," Ron grinned.

"Absolutely," said Hermione in a soft but firm tone.

I grinned.

I really had the best friends in the world.

Hermione checked her watch.

"Time to go to Potions,"

I moaned.

They laughed as we headed toward the castle across the grounds.