Revelation

REVELATION

CHAPTER TEN-THE BEAST

Harry and I looked at each other, our jaws dropped.

We could not believe what we were seeing.

Immediately, Professor McGonagall rushed forward and pulled off her robe, covering Professor Solaris with it.

Professor Snape pushed Harry and I back and rushed into the room as well.

"Let's get her to Madam Pomfrey," Professor Dumbledore said.

Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape helped Solaris to the hospital wing.

Professor Dumbledore turned to us.

"My God. I can't believe it," I breathed.

"I know," Harry said.

"I would like you two to return to your common room," Professor Dumbledore said gently but there was firmness to his tone.

"How is Amy doing?" Harry asked.

"Miss Davis is doing well. She should be able to return to school by the end of the year," Professor Dumbledore said. "She has minor internal injuries but it's nothing Madam Pomfrey can't handle."

I sighed relieved.

Harry and I trudged back up to the common room.

Lavender met us.

"What's happened? We heard there was a commotion in the library," she asked looking from me to Harry.

"Yeah. This creature attacked us and Amy is seriously hurt," I replied plopping down on the chair in front of the fireplace.

"Oh my God," Lavender breathed. "What sort of creature?"

"A Voweklin," I replied.

Lavender was silent for a moment.

"They don't exist," she replied.

"We read it in a book," I said as if the thought of a book could be wrong was scandalous.

"What was the title?" Lavender asked frowning.

I frowned also deep in thought.

"Modern Myths and Legends of the 10^th Century and More," I replied.

Lavender smiled. "Right. The author wrote that book as a joke. None of those creatures in there really exist. They were just from the author's imagination,"

"How do you know?" Harry asked tilting his head.

"Because the author was my great-great grandfather," Lavender said softly. "I've got to run. I'll see you two at dinner."

Harry said beside me and looked at me.

"If it's not a Voweklin, then what is it?" he mused.

A thought occurred to me. Something that was so simple and yet I had overlooked it before.

"Something worse and horrible," I replied. "Something we overlooked and dismissed."

Harry waited patiently.

"A werewolf,"

"Are you sure?" Harry asked.

"Absolutely,"

Just then, Alex appeared over Harry's shoulders.

I stiffened. Harry saw my expression and turned around.

"Alex. Hey," he said falsely cheerily.

"Hi," he said rubbing his forehead. "Have you seen my medicine?"

Harry and I looked at each other.

"Medicine? What for? Aspirin? Or do you need a potion every night?" I asked with a touch of anger and suspicion.

"Huh? No. I don't need a potion every night," Alex said confused.

"Then why do you need medicine?" Harry demanded his eyes narrowed behind his black-rimmed glasses.

"I have epilepsy," he said. "I have seizures every once and a while but for some reason they've been frequent this month."

Realization dawned on me.

"Harry! That's why he doesn't remember anything except the full moon! He was having a seizure!" I said excitedly.

"But what about finding him with blood all over his clothes?" Harry asked.

Alex sauntered over to us and sat down.

"When I came to, I was lying across the body. I didn't remember getting there, but I remembered having the seizure," Alex replied looking upset. "I know people think I'm some kind of monster now."

"Why were you out at that hour?" I asked. "As for the monster, Professor Solaris was the culprit."

"I sometimes can't sleep. I go to Professor Snape for a sleep potion to help me sleep. What do you mean 'Professor Solaris was the culprit?'"

"She is a werewolf," I replied.

"Are you sure?"

"Very. We saw her with our own eyes as well as Professors Snape, McGonagall and Dumbledore," Harry replied.

Alex let out a low whistle. "Wow, what are they going to do for her?"

"I don't know. Knowing Professor Dumbledore, they'll find something to do for her," Harry said firmly.

"I hope so. Have you seen a little orange bottle?"

Harry shook his head.

"I hope I can find it soon or else the seizure might be worse than what they've been," Alex said with a touch of worry and fear in his voice.

"I'm sure you will. Why don't you ask around? They're all in the Great Hall now for breakfast," I said.

"Speaking of breakfast, I'm starved!" Harry said.

The three of us headed down to the Great Hall.

When we got there, Ginny looked up at us.

"I'm sorry Harry. I didn't mean what I said," Ginny said looking upset and guilty.

"Don't worry about it okay? I understand how you feel," Harry said kindly.

We all sat down and began to hungrily eat.

Ginny eyed Alex warily.

"Don't worry. He's not the culprit," I said to her. "Professor Solaris is."

Ginny's eyes widened like the size of galleons.

"Really? What happened?" she asked eagerly.

Harry and I looked at each other.

"We'd best let Professor Dumbledore explain everything. We don't want to go spreading this around before he has a chance to explain," I said slowly. "But I can tell you that the reason Alex has no memory except the full moon is because he has epilepsy."

Ginny's eyed widened even more.

"Wow,"

"I can't find my medicine. I need it," Alex said.

"I remember seeing it. You left it in Professor Solaris' classroom," Ginny said. "We found it there after our class ended. It had your name on it."

Alex looked relieved. "I have that class later on. Who will be filling in for Professor Solaris?"

"I don't know. Her class may be canceled," I said shrugging.

Harry and I headed to all of our classes. There was talk as to what happened with Professor Solaris.

Only Harry and I knew the truth and Alex. I only hoped he wouldn't blab it around school without Dumbledore telling anyone first.

Then he would know we told someone.

Alex reassured us that he wouldn't tell anyone.

And I seemed to have a break for a bit from the ghosts but I knew it wouldn't be long before something else would happen.

We took our break and then went to our last classes. Then, headed for dinner.

Once dinner was over, Alex said he really should go to the classroom and get his medicine before anything else.

He left the common room.

_________**************___________*******************___________________

In the hospital wing, Professor Solaris looked out the window at the gleaming full moon.

They had tied her magically down to the bed to try and prevent her from changing, but it was not going to work.

She felt the familiar pain searing through her body.

Her body twitched as if touched with live wires. Her nose and jaws thrusted forward pulled into a snout. Gleaming white canines and incisors slid down under purple lips.

Black, shiny fur grew all over her. Her legs bent into haunches and her back lengthened. Her ears grew and tapered themselves off into points. Thin fur grew from the tips of the ears. Her eyes changed into rubies. The magical bondage that held her down to the bed was no more. She was stronger and dropped to all fours off the cot. Her hands and feet changed. They stretched and thick, black nails grew where her fingernails and toenails would've been. Powerful muscles rippled beneath the shiny black fur. Professor Solaris was no more. Instead, stood a powerful and hungry wolf.

The wolf stretched luxuriously, flexing its claws and then galloped toward the door to the hospital wing. It crashed through and entered the corridor. It loped for several feet, sniffing the air enthusiastically, hoping for a familiar scent...of human.

It stopped. It had a scent. A boy.

It eagerly trotted further down the corridor and a light drool began dripping from the bottom of its jaw.

The boy was down on the first floor. The wolf carefully trotted down the stairs and turned onto the corridor where it could smell the boy more profusely.

The boy entered the classroom. The wolf carefully and tenderly approached. Each paw-like hand made no sound. The wolf breathed steadily as its eyes gleamed eagerly.

It slowly entered the classroom, slightly bumping one of the chairs with its hindquarters.

"Hello?" the boy asked in a nervous voice.

The wolf was well out of sight, hidden among all the tables and chairs.

The boy shrugged and continued to search the classroom. The wolf was stalking him gracefully.

At one point, the boy found what he was looking for. The wolf crouched into position, ready to pounce.

At once, the wolf pounced on the boy knocking him onto his back. The wolf pulled back its lips exposing the white canines and incisors. It clamped its jaws around the boys' neck and felt the rush of warm blood.

HERMIONE

I was getting nervous. Alex had not returned from the room. I turned to Harry.

"I'm getting worried. Alex should be here by now," I said frowning.

"Why don't we go and look for him?" Harry suggested. "He is new here. Maybe he got lost or something."

I nodded.

Harry and I left the common room and began walking down the corridor. It was a half an hour before the curfew was put into effect and would be enforced.

When we reached the classroom, I noticed bloody paw prints leading from the classroom out into the corridor. I grabbed Harry's arm.

We cautiously entered the classroom. We found Alex.

He was dead. His throat had been torn.

I wheeled out of the classroom with Harry beside me.

"I thought Professor Solaris was magically bound to that cot!" I gasped feeling nausea roll over me.

"Me too. Apparently, she broke free. I think it'd be best to return to the common room," Harry said seriously.

"Good idea," I said.

We began cautiously making our way back to the common room. We heard a low growl behind us. Not looking back, we took off down the corridor and heard the creature right behind us.

We could hear it thundering down the hall after us. Harry and I made a sharp turn to the right down another corridor. The wolf turned, but skidded. It regained traction and continued after us.

"We've got to get it back into the hospital wing and magically binded again!" I shouted as we could hear the wolf's jaws snapping at the back of our heels.

We turned another corridor, this time the wolf didn't skid.

We reached the hospital wing.

Madam Pomfrey was just about to enter it.

"WAIT! IT'S BEHIND US!" we cried.

She looked terrified and took a step back away from the hospital wing door.

We entered the hospital wing. The wolf right behind us, but not paying attention to Madam Pomfrey. It entered the wing. Madam Pomfrey closed the hospital wing door.

We began slowly backing up as the wolf loped closer to us. Its head was low and the lips were pulled back exposing the teeth. The ears were pinned flat out sideways and its ruby eyes were locked on us.

"What do we do now?" Harry asked in a whisper.

Behind the wolf, Madam Pomfrey was pulling out her wand slowly.

Apparently, the wolf didn't take notice.

She aimed the wand at the back of the wolf.

"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" Madam Pomfrey yelled.

A jet of white shot out from the end of Madam Pomfrey's wand and hit the wolf in the back.

It froze immediately and fell to its side.

Harry and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Go get Professor Dumbledore," Madam Pomfrey said to Harry.

Harry nodded and took off.

Madam Pomfrey and I carefully lifted the stunned wolf onto one of the cots and waited until Professor Dumbledore to arrive.

A few minutes later, Professor Dumbledore arrived, along with Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape.

"What on earth...?" Professor McGonagall said looking completely shocked.

"She managed to break free of the magical binding," Harry said. "She attacked Alex in the library."

"Oh dear," Professor McGonagall said putting a hand to her mouth.

"We will bind her again, this time using the Laterit Charm. It's much stronger. Meant for giants," Professor Dumbledore said.

Professor Dumbledore took out his wand and aimed it at the body of the wolf.

"LATERIT!"

A jet of red shot out from the tip of his wand and hit the wolf.

"Now, all we have to do is wait until morning until we can question Professor Solaris more," Professor Dumbledore said.

"You two best be getting back to the common room and going to sleep," Professor McGonagall said.

Harry and I nodded and trudged back to the common room.

"I do hope this is the end?"

I sighed.