Millie

I waited patiently in the Hufflepuff common room. I was forced to turn myself invisible early because Ned Heyna had fallen asleep in the common room and I had been told he was a light sleeper.

Finally, I heard some tapping coming from outside. I began to open the door when Heyna suddenly growled. I froze.

"Tonight. The match has already been lit but tonight the fuse will be lighted," he mumbled.

I realized that he was sleep talking so I began to ease the door open but stopped again when I heard what he said next.

"Tonight Marowski, Whitehurst, and Ludiker will change their lives for good. Tonight their lives will change all because of a little mischief. They are now boarding the roller coaster and in a few hours, there is no getting off."

I gasped silently but then shook it off. Roller coaster? What's the worst that could happen?

I slipped out.

"Z? Ludiker?"

"Right here, Mil," Zander's voice came from a few feet to my right.

"I can't see you. Where exactly are you?"

Footsteps came towards me. I reached out my hand and it came in contact with someone's shoulder. An invisible hand grasped mine.

"C'mon. We're wasting time," Matt's voice came from next to invisible Zander.

We silently walked through the halls of Hogwarts.

Should I tell them about what Heyna said? No. They'd probably just laugh. But then again it sounds very dangerous. But he was sleep talking. If I see the slightest sign of danger then I'll tell them.

Suddenly I was yanked into a room beside us. At first, I thought we had been caught but then Zander's voice broke the silence.

"C'mon. Out the window," He whispered.

"Why?" Matt and I said in unison.

"Because how else are we going to get out? The front door where teachers crowd the halls? I don't think so. I'll go first."

"Wait!" I whispered harshly. "That's at least a fifty-foot drop from the window to the ground!"

"Relax," Zander whispered calmly, "I'll just use the spell I used when I was chasing after the one cloaked figure."

"Zander," Matt's voice came out of the darkness next to me, "Who was the cloaked figure? Did you see it's face? Did it tell you it's name?"

"N-no. Anyway, I'll go first, you guys can follow and I'll use the spell to catch you."

"Zander, wait!" I whispered.

"What now?"

"How are you going to catch us if you can't see us?"

"Oh, right. Keep talking so I can find you."

"Um, okay. Are you sure this is safe? Sneaking out of Hogwarts and all?"

Zander's invisible hand lightly brushed my arm. I reached forward and grabbed it. He felt up my arm until he could feel the top of my head then lightly tapped it with his wand and whispered a spell. I felt a cool trickle go down my body as I became visible.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we could get killed."

"Maybe. Matt, where are you?"

"Right here."

Slowly Matt became visible as well. And then Zander made himself visible.

Without another word, Zander walked to the window and hoisted himself out. A few moments later we heard a gush of wind.

"Alright, I'm ready," Zander called up to us.

"Ladies first," Matt whispered, nudging me towards the window.

"Fine."

I took a running start towards the window and gracefull slung myself out and then dropped. Zander caught me with a gush of wind. Matt followed.

"When I said you could go first I didn't mean show me up."

I shrugged the trotted after Zander who had already started walking towards the Forbidden Forest.

When we got under the trees Matt and I stopped.

"What spell are we going to do first?" Matt asked.

Zander gave us a funny look without even stopping.

"Not here. It's too close to the castle. Further in."

We trekked after Zander in the light of the full moon for what was at least half an hour but with all Matt's complaining and my lack of sleep, it felt like hours. I actually think I fell asleep as I walked so I bumped into Zander when he stopped in a clearing.

"This should be good. I don't know the forbidden forest so well but I've heard of the creatures that lurk in it. Let's keep our guard up," Zander said, "Let's try practicing our Patronus spell first."

Zander showed us how to do it. It was harder then he said it would be. Matt was having problems getting more than a small cloud of blue to emit from his wand. Zander couldn't even seem to do that which surprised me after we discovered the gift were he could perform any kind of magic. I was doing well enough but I was no farther than Matt except once in a while I swore I could see a toe or tail or something.

"I don't understand!" Matt said finally after an annoying attempt at making a Patronus. "I'm doing everything you told me to, Whitehurst!"

Zander glanced over at him in annoyance.

"At least you're getting something. Honestly! I'm doing everything exactly as the book said and yet I can't get anything!"

I paused to look over at them.

"What happy memory are you guys thinking about? Maybe it's not strong enough."

Matt glowered down at his wand.

"I'm thinking about when Gryffindor won the house cup last year."

Zander shrugged.

"My first dad."

"Hm, maybe those aren't your happiest memory," I said, "Matt, do you have a happier memory?"

"Let me think." He stared at the ground for a minute then his eyes brightened. He raised his wand. "Expecto Patronum!" A beautiful Patronus burst out of his wand taking shape of a mountain hare.

Zander and I let out exclamations of surprise and delight at the beautiful creature. When we asked him what his happy memory thought was he wouldn't tell us.

"A rabbit? Seriously?"

"What about you, Z?" I asked Zander. "Maybe there's a thought happier than your dad. Do you even remember your dad? There's probably sadness in the thought as well."

Zander considered this then nodded slowly. He raised his wand. "Expecto Patronum!" A burst of blue light emitted from his wand but then after a moment, it disappeared. "Merlin's beard! Why can't I make a simple spell that even Matt can do?!"

Matt's Patronus disappeared and he glared over at Zander.

"Sorry," Zander apologized.

Matt turned back to his magic and Zander moved away from us and tried practicing some other spells. I continued trying to do the spell but after a bit, I gave up and joined Zander in practicing other spells.

"Hey, Z," I said after a bit.

"Hm," Zander responded, only half paying attention as he turned a twig into a spider.

"Do you know what an Animagus is?"

"Yep," he said as he turned a leaf into a small hat.

"Can I tell you something?"

"Sure," he said, still only half paying attention as he turned a rock into a bottle and bottled a bit of moonlight.

"I'm-."

A howl interrupted our conversation.

Matt's Patronus disappeared.

"Wh-what was that?" He asked.

With dread, I looked up at the moon. It was full.

The word caught in my throat and instead a little squeak came out.

"What?"

"Werewolf," Zander interpreted. "Back to the castle. Go, go, go!"

We began dashing through the woods. Branches and thorns caught at my robes and scratched my arms and face but I just kept going. After five minutes of following one another, I tripped over a root. Matt was behind me so he stopped to help me and called Zander. Zander turned around and ran back to us.

"Is she okay?"

"I'm fine," I answered.

"Well, I'm not!" Matt growled. "Admit it, we're lost!"

"Okay, okay, we're lost," Zander admitted.

"This is great! Just great!" Matt yelled at Zander, "We're lost in a forest with a werewolf that could possibly jump out at any second and kill us! This is all your fault! How could you be so stupid!"

"I didn't see you keeping direction or checking if it was a full moon!" Zander yelled back.

"Don't try blaming this on me! It was your idea! I just came along to practice spells! If we all die it's your fault, Whitehurst!"

Matt violently pushed Zander backward into a tree. Zander's eyes flickered with anger.

"Alright! If we're playing the blame game here! Why did you abandon me in the middle of our first year? I thought we were going to be friends! Where were you when I got rejected by the other Slytherins because I stood up for Gryffindor! Where were you when I picked up a freakin rose that sucked my blood? Where were you when I needed to talk to someone about the girl who was stuck in my freakin brain and talking to me? Where were you when I got knocked out and slept for months! Who's been the one trying to strengthen our friendship? Who, Ludiker, who?"

"I didn't want to become an outcast like you, Whitehurst!"

"An outcast, Mudblood?! An outcast?! You know nothing about being an outcast!" Zander jabbed Matt with his finger with every word.

"What did you call me?!"

"Guys! Knock it off! This isn't helping anything!" I said stepping between them.

We both didn't quite register what Zander said about a rose sucking his blood or anything.

Zander opened his mouth to say something when we heard a growl. I broke out in a cold sweat.

"That was close," Matt whispered.

"Run!" Zander commanded, grabbing my wrist and began to practically drag me behind him.

We ran but we weren't sure if we were running in the right direction. It felt like we were running for hours when Zander finally slowed to a stop and gasped: "I think we lost it".

Matt and I stopped as well and breathed hard.

Matt straightened himself up after he caught his breath and looked Zander.

"Whitehurst, you've really messed-."

He never finished the sentence because suddenly something lept out of the trees on top of him! I screamed! Zander yanked his wand out of his robes and stunned it. It was a werewolf! Zander pushed the large creature off of Matt.

"Are you okay?!" Zander asked Matt.

"It-bit-my-my leg!" Matt gasped.

"Millie, help me! We have to get away from her before the werewolf come around!" Zander pulled one of Matt's arms over his shoulder and I knelt down and did the same."You're gonna have to help us, buddy. Walk best you can." Zander did a spell that shot a little light out of his wand that he said would direct us back to the castle. Matt tried to run with us but we mostly had to drag him.

After some time we heard a howl from close by.

"It's up!" Zander's voice was high and panicked.

I stopped suddenly.

"There's only one thing we can do," I stated, my voice sure.

"What are you talking about?" Zander demanded.

"I can fend off the werewolf while you get Matt back to the school."

Z looked at me incredulously. 

"How?"

I took a deep breath as if I was about to dive into a swimming pool and my body began to change.

My back hunched over and my nose elongated into a snout. Fur began to grow all over me and in a few moments, I was a wolf.

Zander and Matt's eyes were as big as donuts.

I quickly turned back into myself.

"That's how."

"You-you're an-," Matt whispered in awe.

"Animagus."

"But- but how?" Zander sputtered.

"Long story. Now get Matt back to Hogwarts. I'll be along shortly."

I was about to turn back into a wolf but on impulse, I leaned forward and pecked a kiss on Zander's lips.

He looked stunned as I felt.

I turned around and turned back into a wolf and caught the smell of a werewolf and began to follow it.