Fa A Bhialainn Ann: Chapter 7

By Veralidaine

"Sirius, calm down--"

"I will NOT calm down, Prongs. No" --Fiona refrained from cringing at the use of language-- "way I'm gonna let this go! I wondered where he disappeared to, but I didn't know...That little..."

James sighed, holding his friends collar to keep him from running straight to the Slytherin commons and beating the pulp out of Snape. "Sirius, please stop. Just for a sec'. We'll think of something."

Lily gave him a pleading look, and Sirius stopped momentarily. Annelle sighed loudly and waltzed over, shooting Fi a sympathetic glance before smacking Sirius over the head with the roll of parchment she'd been doing her Transfiguration homework on. "Sirius, sweetie, you're going about this all wrong. You too, James. Think logically: What is the situation?"

Sirius opened his mouth to say something snide, but Annelle shot him a look and he closed it again, though resentfully. Annelle took a deep breath. "Look, guys, if we go over the facts, it will be MUCH easier to find a solution. Okay. Remus is currently under guard of the ministry, and to be tried...uh...tomorrow afternoon, I think."

Fi nodded. "Yes. That's what I was told."

"Right," Annelle said, serious for once. "He didn't do it. A big mean doggie did. What's the difference between when a big mean doggie bites someone and when a werewolf bites someone?"

James suddenly smiled. "Big mean doggies don't make you turn into a werewolf."

"Right," Annelle said. "Sprout's not going to get all fuzzy on us, so we can use that for evidence. Also, Fi heard the boys plotting, right?"

"Right," Fi said determinedly. Lucius, Aaron, and Severus might make her life miserable from now on, but she wasn't about to let them get away with this.

"Now," Annelle said thoughtfully. "Here's the tricky part. Yes, Sprout might be okay. Yes, Fi might testify against those maggots. But, where's our PHYSICAL evidence? We gotta have good, solid proof."

"The dog..." Fi murmured.

"Well, I guess," Annelle said, shrugging. "But I wasn't exactly sure where I was going with that anyway. How could you get the dog? I mean, it's off in the forest somewhere."

"The FORBIDDEN forest, I might add," James said. "It's called that for a reason, you know."

Lily made a sarcastic noise and shook her head. "James, don't be stupid. As if you've never gone into the forest."

James shrugged. "Yeah, but it's still a dangerous thing to do. And we're not sending just ANYONE."

Fi crossed her arms. "And what's THAT supposed to mean?"

James shrugged again. "I'm not insulting you. I just think that since Sirius, Peter, and I--"

"Huh?" Peter, who had been across the room working on his homework looked up. "James, I really don't think..."

"Scared, Peter?" Sirius challenged.

"Well, no, I--"

"I think you are," Sirius said.

"I'm not, it's just--"

"You're scared." Sirius grinned and perched on the arm of a nearby chair, giving the smaller boy a piercing stare. "I can tell."

"I'm not scared. This is STUPID!" Peter slammed his quill down on the table, crossing his arms.

"Why?" Sirius asked. "Why is it stupid to risk ourselves for a friend? Remus is important to us, isn't he? Don't you think he's worth it? Wouldn't he do the same for you? Hmm?"

Peter opened his mouth to say something, closed it, opened it again, then shook his head. "Fine. But that doesn't make it any less dangerous! I mean, that dog thing is probably running around in the middle of that huge forest, looking for a snack. First off, the forest's dangerous without the dog.

Second, the forest's REALLY dangerous now, WITH the dog. Third, how could we FIND the dog? I mean...It's fairly impossible, isn't it?"

"Nothing is impossible!" Sirius cried, striking a dramatic pose.

"Yes!" James agreed, with equal enthusiasm.

"Actually..." Fi was immediately shushed. Crossing her arms, she sighed. "Alright, alright. I'll be optimistic." She twirled a finger in the air idly. "Yay for us."

"Why're you put out?" Lily asked curiously.

Fi sighed again. "Look, if anyone's going to go look for this thing, it's me. I can protect myself."

Lily, who finally had been told of Fi's powers, nodded with understanding, while Sirius tried in vain to refrain from sniggering. "Uhm, Fi, uh...Wands don't always work, you know, and you're not exactly ATHLETIC, so I don't think...I mean to say that maybe James, Peter and I should--"

"She's a fae-speaker," Lily interrupted, crossing her arms. "She can call the faeries to help her if she has need. Can YOU do that, guys?"

James shrugged. "Uhm..."

"The answer is 'no.'" Lily said softly.

"'Kay." He looked sheepish.

Sirius was staring at Fiona, obviously somewhere between annoyance and amazement. "You can talk to faeries? Like, get them to do stuff for you? D'you have ANY idea how valuable that is?"

"If you're asking me to ransack the Slytherin commons, I already did."

"Really?" Sirius asked, leaping up from the chair. "Cool!" He frowned. "Why wasn't I invited? I would've liked to watch--"

"Shut up, Padfoot." James sighed loudly. "We've gotta figure out about the dog." He looked up at Fi. "So you really want to do this?"

"Yes," Fi said firmly.

James sighed again. "Okay. We'll speak for Remus' trial, but you still have to be there as well, to testify against Malfoy, Parkinson, and Snape."

Fi nodded. "Right."

Sirius nodded, apparently deep in thought. He grabbed Fi's sleeve as she and Lily headed for the portrait hole. "Hey, d'you want to take Peter as bait?" He grinned.

"Would you really do that to a friend?" Fi asked playfully. "I mean, would he do that to YOU?"

Sirius sighed, smiling slightly. "Nah. Peter, even though he's...well...PETER...Would never do something to put any of us in danger. He's not the type to betray people."

Fi offered a quick smile and followed Lily out of the portrait hole.

* * *

Holding her cloak tighty around her, Fi strode across the cold, dark grounds towards the forest. It frightened her to think about what she might meet inside the seemingly endless woods, but she merely shook her head to clear it and kept going.

Occasionally, a nighttime bird or insect would make a chirruping noise and Fi would jump, trying to stay on the path visible by the feebly dim light of her wand tip. Once, a large something ran across the path a few yards ahead. Fiona thought she heard hooves, but wasn't sure. Another time, she could have sworn something huge and hairy crunched through the forest somewhere to her right. Due to the darkness, though, she couldn't see it properly. She decided afterwards that she was rather glad, really.

About three hours later, she was starting to lose hope. After all, this WAS a huge forest, and only ONE dog, and only herself searching. What if she never found it? What if something found her first? What if

Remus was declaired guilty? She shuddered at the thought of him in Azkaban. Sixteen was far too young to be imprisoned.

Fi stopped suddenly, in the darkness, and listened. She had DEFINITELY heard something, and what REALLY frightened her was that it was behind her. As soon as she stopped moving, her pursuer stopped as well.

Very, very softly, Fi moved ahead, avoiding fallen twigs or leaves that might make noise. There went the sound again: t-tlot, t-tlot,t-tlot...something like that.

Moving off the path, Fi quietly slid through the dark brambles and bushes, hoping whatever was making that noise wouldn't follow. To her dismay, she heard the sound coming closer. Throwing all caution to

the winds, she broke into a run. The sound behind her quickened, and soon was gaining on her. Again.

Fi didn't claim to be an athelete, and it was tiresome to run, even though she feared whatever was chasing her. Who knew what it was, or what it was capable of? Still, it was so hard to keep running, and she was getting tired and out of breath...Panting, she darted to one side, only to nearly slam into a tree trunk. Lurching the other way, something caught on her foot and she fell forward, giving a small yelp. Cursing softly at herself, she waited for the monster that would inevitably find her, now that her little "eep" of surprise had given away her postition. But it wasn't a monster that came. As the creature stepped into a small patch of moonlight, Fi's jaw dropped.

The centaurette had long, straight, ebony-black hair and flashing gray eyes. Even in the dim moonlight, her ivory-colored skin shone brighter than even Fi's paleness. One black hoof pawed the ground in impatience. "What business have you here, human?"

Overcoming the shock of hearing the melodic voice issue from such a wild-looking creature, Fi swallowed.

"I, uhm, am looking for...something, and I...erm..."

Impatiently brushing the dark cascade of hair behind her shoulders, the centaurette threw her head back and gazed up at the sky. "Hmm. Venus." She looked back down at Fi. "What do you seek?"

"Emm...A really big, monstrous dog-thing. It--uh--ran into here last night, and I was just trying to--"

"Capture it?" Hollow laughter. "How very interesting."

"Interesting?" Fi asked, hoping she wasn't being too nosy.

"My foal was chased just the other day by a large, black dog."

"Y--your foal?" Fi hadn't meant for another question to come out, but it did.

"Yes. Luckily, Bane was able to protect her."

"Oh. Uhm...Well, that's...That's good. Yeah." Fi pulled her cloak tighter around her. "So...Have you seen the great brute since?"

Gray eyes shot an amused look at her. "No, I've not. I thought you might be the dog, so I decided to investigate. However, you don't run nearly fast enough."

Fi blushed. "Uhm...Okay. Well. Thanks, anyway."

She turned to go, but the centaurette called after her: "Human!"

Fi turned. "Uh...yes?"

"There is something odd about you."

Fi raised an eyebrow. "Mmm-kay...Bye."

"Not just yet."

Fiona turned again. "What do you want?"

"What is my name?"

'Great. Twenty Questions in the Forbidden Forest with a centaurette,' Fi thought. "No clue."

"Really, human, if you are what I THINK you are, you should know. Think."

Puzzled by this, Fi stared for a moment, then closed her eyes. 'Okay, names...Names, names, names. What the heck d'you name a centaur?' Then, suddenly, a little voice in the back of her head yelled, 'Demeter!'

"Demeter?" Fi guessed, shrugging.

The centaurette smiled mysteriously. "How VERY interesting. Correct."

Fi frowned. "Lucky guess, then."

"What's my foal's name?"

There was that little voice again. "Melea?"

"Correct again, human. My, my, my...I've never met one like you."

"What d'you mean?" Fi was definitely discomforted. What was this nutcase of a creature on about?

"You are strange to talk to..." Demeter said softly, daintily stepping closer on those black hooves.

"Your thoughts jumble with your words."

"What ARE you on about?" Fi finally burst out, tired of this odd game.

Demeter looked rather taken aback. "You mean you don't know? Human, you are not what you seem. I can hear your thoughts, and that is most irregular."

Fi stepped back. "You can...read my thoughts?"

Demeter shook her magnificent head. "Not quite...You are too reliant on speaking to humans. You have not allowed yourself to do otherwise. Elsewise I could." Demeter paused, as if hearing something no one else could. "Who is Remus?"

Fi's jaw dropped. "How...did you...?"

Demeter smiled, but suddenly stopped. "Oh, no..."

A feeling of dread overcame Fi. Turning, she saw something prowling towards her in the darkness. Red eyes, long fangs, and about five feet tall at the shoulder, the Grim came towards them. Demeter gavea loud cry and took off at a fast gallop. Fi followed, wondering vaguely where they were going, but concentrating more on the fanged, hungry monster behind her.

Soon, the sound of galloping ahead had died away, and Fi was running by herself, trying not to lose hope as the mad baying of the dog behind her grew ever closer. Panting, Fi grabbed her wand from her pocket.

"Point me."

The wand tip spun to the opposite direction of the way she was facing. If she continued running South, like this, she would eventually come upon the lake. Maybe then she could escape the thing and still keep it on the grounds so she could capture it...

What seemed like hours later, Fi felt like collapsing with exhaustion. The dog was drawing ever closer, and she couldn't run forever. When she was finally ready to give up, the trees began to thin, and the lake came into view. Given a little burst of energy at the sight of it, Fi ran forward and jumped in, scared that maybe the giant dog would be able to follow her. It didn't. It just barked and growled angrily from the shore, and Fiona dived down into the cool water, letting it flow through her hair and clothes, reassuring her. She came up for air and saw the dog pacing the shoreline, waiting for her to climb out.

Diving under again, she began swimming for the opposite end. There were rocks there--maybe she could hide there until she caught her breath. As she dove under, a wonderful feeling overcame her and she suddenly felt at peace. Not understanding quite what it meant, Fi kept swimming. She started, still underwater, as her cloak fell off, and then her robes slipped down as well. 'What the--?' An odd sensation overcame her, and she was suddenly able to swim with much more ease.

Coming up for air, she shook her head, looking around. There were the rocks. She swam to them and attempted to climb up, only to discover something truly disturbing.

She had flippers. Instead of hands.

Crawling up and onto the rocks as best she could, she looked down to see her reflection and nearly fainted. As if giant dangerous dogs, bizzarre centaurettes, and running for the past hour or so hadn't been enough, to look into the water and see a seal in the spot where her reflection belonged was too much. She gave a small cry, blinked, and looked again. There was the little gray seal--right where her human face should have been. She lifted one hand; the seal lifted a flipper.

Closing her eyes, she huddled into a little ball and shook her head wildly. There was that odd sensation again...When she looked, nothing but a naked girl showed in her reflection. How in the world had THAT happened? Had she imagined it?

"Oxygen deprivation..." Fi muttered. "Exhaustion. Those peppermint humbugs at dinner tonight...My God, I DIDN'T just turn into a seal and back again...That's mental..."

*"Was there anything unusual about your grandmother?"* Dumbledore had guessed...But still...

*"Ma said she died. That's what her Da told her."* What if she hadn't died? What if she HAD left? What if--

It was all a little too much. Fi closed her eyes. 'The task at hand. Yeah. The dog.'

Standing up, Fi toddled down the rock and onto the grass, wondering where she was going to get some clothes. She would capture the dog, save Remus, and everything would be okay again. Then she could ponder her own mental health. But right now, she needed clothes.

After all, she couldn't exactly feel brave naked.

***

"Here you are, Fae-speaker," Firebell said, dropping Fi's robes at her feet. "Why, may I ask, have you graced us all with your...emm... nudity?"

Fi glared. "I've had one hell of an evening. I don't need lecturing from a fire-pixy. Thanks for the robes. Bye."

Huffily, Firebell disappeared with a soft popping noise. Fi sighed, pulling on the robes. Now all she had to do was get the dog. She snorted. "Oh, yeah. That's ALL."

Emerging from her hiding place among the rocks, she saw it come bounding towards her, evil eyes glinting red in the dawn light. Closing her eyes, Fi called them. 'After spending the entire evening saving energy for this,' she thought, 'they'd better come.' And come they did.

The dog yelped as it was driven back into the chain and collar Fi had stolen from the hidden room in Slytherin house.

Fi stared as the fae disappeared, leaving only the dog, biting and clawing, but unable to reach her. As she stood there, taking in everything and turning over the past evening's events in her mind, it all became too much. Leaning on a nearby rock for support, she called Firebell.

"Yes, Fae-speaker?"

"Firebell, please go get Lily for me. She's...She's in the common room. Tell her I've...I've got the dog." Fiona closed her eyes and allowed her tired body to sink to the ground. And all was black.

***

Chapter 8

***

Fiona sat in the stands and glared as hard as she could at the boy standing next to the platform, speaking. Occasionally, and between lies, he would turn and offer a swift smirk in her direction. Fi, however, was a little too tired to care. She just glared harder, until it was actually painful.

The courtroom itself was not terribly welcoming. It was a large, stone room, with tiered seats, like in a stadium. At least a hundred witches and wizards sat in these seats, watching Lucius Malfoy speak. The jury was seated in a separate section, taking notes silently and obviously believing every word of the speech. Then, next to where Lucius stood at his podium, a large, stage-like platform stood, raised by about a foot.

On the platform was a horrible chair with long chains, snaking up the arms of its prisoner--at the moment, Remus Lupin. He watched with a horribly distant facial expression as Lucius told lie after lie to the jury, while they all listened intently. Lucius' father was also present, nodding vigorously at everything his son said.

"And once, a fellow Slytherin, Severus, was nearly eaten by the monster! Lupin is indeed capable of murder, and the fact that he's a werewolf doesn't excuse him!"

Fi was so outraged that she jumped up, but Lily grabbed the back of Fi's robes and pulled her back into her seat. Lily muttered, "Calm down; you'll have your say."

"That horrid little..."

Lily shushed her as Severus Snape stood to speak. He glanced nervously at Fi, then at Lucius and Aaron, who had already spoken, and then his dark eyes flitted back to Fi again. He sighed loudly, very obviously nervous. Then he cleared his throat. "I do admit that I was nearly attacked by the wer--Lupin, but I must also admit that I had gone after him, not the other way around."

"Of course you did, you ignorant--" Several ministry guards restrained Sirius, who had leapt up at this.

Nervously ignoring this, Severus continued. "I do think that Remus Lupin is a danger to the school, but I think that, perhaps..." --he looked doubtful-- "...Perhaps...Extra cautions could be taken to ensure that nothing of this caliber should occur ever again." He gave Fiona a short glance and stepped down.

"We will now call to the stands..." The judge paused. "Fiona McLellan, another student."

Remus looked up momentarily as Fi stood and walked down to the stands, her footsteps echoing in the silence of the room. The judge, she saw, had graying hair that was parted almost painfully straight and a stiff, straight mustache. He was intimidating, really, and Fiona swallowed roughly, steeling herself up to the task before her.

"I...was outside on the evening of the attack. I saw everything. Remus Lupin, though he is a werewolf, is kept in the safest, most secure places during his transformations, and would not, COULD not, hurt anyone. While awake one evening, at about three AM, I managed to overhear several boys plotting to release a dangerously vicious dog, framing Remus."

After the initial shock of hearing her strong accent, the crowd murmured softly at this news. The man at the stand pounded with a large gavel for silence. "These boys' names were...?"

Fi swallowed roughly again. "Lucius Malfoy," --gasps from the crowd-- "Aaron Parkinson," --more murmuring-- "and Severus Snape."

At this, Lucius' father stood and, looking indignant, yelled: "And we're going to take HER word for it?

Against everyone else who has testified? Bartemius--"

"But we have evidence!" Fi shrank back as everyone in the entire room turned to look at her.

"What evidence?" The man called Bartemius leaned forward slightly, apparently somewhat intrigued by this news.

"Emm...Well, I..." Fi looked at Lily and James, who both nodded encouragingly, and then at Sirius who, fighting the guards who were still restraining him, nodded vigorously. Annelle smiled at her. "I...Just a moment, please..."

She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the angry sputtering noise that Mr. Malfoy made. 'Come to me,' she thought frantically. 'Please...It's important...' She stopped her concentration as the audience gasped loudly. Opening her eyes, she saw the huge dog being dragged into the room by several rather large faeries. The dog stopped struggling for a moment, spotted Lucius, and immediately started growling and leaping at him. The Fae managed to keep the beast contained, but it certainly gave them a job.

Bartemius gave Fi an odd look before banging the gavel again. He finally had to shout, "QUIET!" before order was restored. He looked back at Fi again. "Miss McLellan, how did you--?"

Fi sighed deeply. "I'm a Fae-speaker..."

"See?" Mr. Malfoy said loudly. "See? You're going to take one of THEM for reliable, against MY son? I, who have done nothing but offer reliable service to the ministry? I, who have offered generous donations to MANY organizations, including St. Mungo's? And you're going to take this--girl's--word, instead of my SON'S?"

Fi couldn't help but think that Mr. Malfoy looked slightly deranged, yelling this to the public. But her slight fear of the many dignified, PURE-BLOODED wizards in the room wasn't going to stop her from continuing. "And there's more."

Now the room was silent again, aside from Mr. Malfoy, who now had joined Sirius in the back of the room, restrained by several strong ministry officials. Everyone was looking at her again, and Fi swallowed.

"Emm...Professor Sprout isn't a werewolf. If Remus had attacked her, she would be."

"You can't prove that!" Mr. Malfoy yelled. "You don't know until the full moon!"

"Actually, Orion, we can."

Fi jumped at the sound of Dumbledore's voice. Apparently, he had managed to attend without her noticing he'd arrived. Mr. Malfoy looked highly affronted. "What ARE you talking about, Albus?"

"We have developed different potions, methods, and spells to conclude whether one is indeed a werewolf.

For example, we have found that if the attack victim has a definite change in dental configuration approximately two days after the attack, then they are indeed a werewolf. It is true in all cases, if you take the time to do the required research." Dumbledore gave a quiet smile as Malfoy positively writhed in anger.

Fi gave an appreciative sigh as she was allowed to step down and return to her seat. Lily and James had their say (Sirius was still being restrained, so he wasn't able to testify), and then the jury was to make their decision. Fi waited tensely in her seat for the next twenty minutes, and finally the group of witches and wizards filed back into the room.

"All finding Remus Lupin guilty, please raise your wands now." One lone wizard brought his wand in the air. "All finding Remus Lupin innocent, please raise your wands." Everyone else in the jury raised their wands high into the air. The painfully well-groomed judge sighed. "Due to a request from Raksha and Akela Lupin, and from Albus Dumbledore, no further charges will be pressed against young Malfoy, Snape, and Parkinson other than the punishment their parents see as fitting. Dismissed."

Several guards took the huge dog as the faeries disappeared, grateful to be freed of their burden. Fi watched as the crowds in the room gradually dispersed, and she then glanced at the platform where Remus was. The chains slid limply off of his arms and Fi practically leapt over those in front of her to reach him and envelop him in a hug. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. "Thank you," he muttered.

"What?" she muttered back. "D'you think I'd let them take you for something you didn't do? I just wish I could have helped sooner..."

He lifted her chin up, making her meet his eyes, and she felt giddy. At that precise moment, Fi just KNEW he was going to kiss her--but he didn't. Unfortunately, Sirius hit Remus with the force of a small rocket, hugging him and shouting rather vulgar things about Lucius for the entire courtroom to hear.

Fi looked over to where Lily and James were standing nearby--they'd obviously seen the interrupted moment. Lily smiled and gave a little sympathetic shrug, while James smacked his head repeatedly with the palm of his hand, muttering "Padfoot you idiot..." prompting Fi to wonder just what it was with the two of them and romance.

Right now, though, she didn't care. As Remus found his parents, Fi sighed happily, all of the stress from the past weeks disappearing as easily as the Fae had.

***

"So you talk to faeries?"

Fi hesitated. "Yes..."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why didn't YOU tell ME you were a werewolf?"

Fi and Remus were seated on a bench near the ice-skating pond in Hogsmeade, enjoying the first snow of the year. The pond had frozen over, and preferring to watch rather than skate, Fi had seated herself nearby, laughing at Sirius' attempts to skate.

"Well, I was dangerous!" Remus muttered.

"So you couldn't have told me that? Rather than avoiding me all of a sudden? What was that about?" Remus shrugged blankly. Fi shook her head. "You seemed okay with being dangerous there for awhile, what inspired you to think otherwise?"

He just shrugged again, saw the look on her face, and sighed. "I just got to thinking about it, and..."

He trailed off, shrugging again. "I just don't think it's a good idea for...Well...I'm a danger to you, and even though...But I still...You know what I mean."

"Actually, I don't."

He gave her an exhasperated glance. "Must you ALWAYS make me say things outright?"

"Yes." She glanced at him, eyebrows raised. "I don't want to be given HINTS as to what you mean. Just SAY it." She settled back onto the bench, pursing her lips.

"Well," he sighed resignedly, "Severus was kind enough to point out the fact that I was a danger to you, and that your...emm...FAWNING... was just more reason why I ought to keep away from you. And he was not far from correct, I'm afraid..."

"Oh, don't be an IDIOT." Fi shook her head. "You're not dangerous to me! I mean, I went into the forbidden forest, captured a giant, angry dog, and encountered enough scary and very likely dangerous creatures to scare any normal person out of their skins, and yet I managed to keep my wits about me and even came to your trial and helped you there. If you think I can't handle your little problem, then you are GRAVELY mistaken."

He laughed disbelievingly. "Fi," he said, "I turn into a monster! I'm a danger to myself and everyone else around me! Just because you can talk to faeries and wander around in forests isn't going to change that!"

"Want to bet?"

"No."

"It was a rhetorical question," she muttered angrily.

Remus glared at his hands, not speaking. Fi pulled her cloak tighter around her, annoyed beyond anything else she'd felt. "D'you know, you're the only person outside of my own family that I ever cared about this much," she said softly. "D'you have any idea how important that is? To me?"

He ran a hand over his eyes. "This is exactly my point."

"You're being ridiculous!" she said hotly, standing up. "Don't you see? I DON'T CARE! I can defend myself! I've got the fae--they won't let me get hurt!" She sat down next to him and he looked at her wearily. She leaned in close to him. "I'm not afraid of you," she muttered. "Don't try to make me. It won't work."

He smiled softly and leaned his forehead against hers. "You are impossible, Fiona McLellan."

She grinned, knowing she'd won for the moment. "I know."

"Not many girls would want to even associate with someone like me."

"You still should have told me."

"I was afraid to," he muttered, leaning back again and watching Sirius trip over his own feet and go sprawling down on the ice, making Annelle laugh.

They both grinned as Sirius tried and failed to get up. Fi leaned over to get Remus' attention. "Am I really that scary?"

He sighed, took one of her small hands in his large ones, and looked her in the eye. "You've no idea..."

"What d'you mean?" she asked, somewhat nervously. WHY did he have that effect on her?

"I think," he said slowly, "you're the only girl who'll remain friends with me even though I turn into a fully-fledged monster once a month."

"Well, it's one of the biggest secrets of womankind, but," she lowered her voice to a joking whisper, "most women turn into fully-fledged monsters once a month, too. Myself included."

He laughed loudly. "Oh, now let's not be vulgar."

"You thought it was funny; admit it."

"I did not."

"Yes, you did."

"I did not!"

"Oh, yes you did; you laughed."

"That doesn't mean a thing..."

Fi grinned. At least he wasn't AS depressed anymore. Well, temporarily, anyway.

***

Settling down in her bed that evening, Fi climbed underneath the covers and fluffed her pillows, determined to get at least SOME sleep that evening, for a change. Lying there, however, she tossed and turned, unable to find sleep, as thoughts crowded into her mind that she had been unable to shake off since her trip into the woods...

What had that centaurette been on about, or was she merely insane? And as far as that went, was Fiona insane? She HAD seen herself as a seal...But only momentarily...But if she WAS hallucinating, why did she lose her clothes in the lake? They were snug-fitting earlier...And further more, if her lessons in science were correct, seals didn't EVER go in lakes--they were animals of the sea. So how in the world had SHE been able to survive the lake? She had to have been hallucinating...But the memory of the water rushing past her as she flew through the lake was quite strong, and unlike anything else she'd ever experienced.

Thinking about swimming in the lake, and the ease of flying through the water, even if it DID involve fins, was a lovely thought. She was disturbed to find that she even wished she could do it again. Firmly shaking her head to herself, she pulled the covers up higher, to her chin. She wasn't going to go wandering in the dead of night to go see if she could become a seal again. Who knew if she even could?

If she HADN'T, in fact, been hallucinating, then maybe she could only turn into a seal when she was in danger, or afraid. Possibly too exhausted to continue swimming in her present form.

Now, of course, she had peaked her own curiosity. Mentally slapping herself, she sat up, actually considering going down to the lake. Part of her was yelling that it was a silly thing to do; that it wasn't possible for her to change into a seal, no matter what she thought or wished. IT was stupid.

On the other hand, another part of her that was vastly unfamiliar was positively screaming its need to be in the water again, ocean or otherwise. This part of her was somewhat frightening in that it seemed very--wild--somehow. Wild and unafraid. And VERY strong.

Without even realizing she'd been walking, she found herself padding across the grounds, the grass under her feet frosted with snow from that afternoon. Somehow, that wild, untamed part of her soul just

KNEW that the lake wasn't frozen over; that it was there and safe and ready for her. And it was.

The water gently lapped at her bare feet, and she closed her eyes, thinking. Thinking about the sea, about Ireland, about the way the wind used to whip her face on those hot summer days when she'd swim freely out in the ocean, just enjoying the sun above and the soft sand below...Occasionally, from a long way off, she'd hear strange sounds that sounded oddly familiar. Thinking of it later, she supposed it was mer-song, though she wasn't sure. It made sense to her, somehow, though she didn't know why...

The images together--the sunny beach, the salty breeze, and the strange, haunting song of the sea--all melted together in a whirl of senses, and suddenly she felt oddly liberated, gliding through the waters.

Though she didn't know why she took comfort in it, she did, and soon enough nothing was wrong.

Everything, in fact, was wonderful.

The lake seemed so open to her, not just murky depths at the edge of the forest. Swimming through the dark kelp and water plants, she saw small silver fishes darting around as one, and occasionally a grindylow or two, though they never touched her, for some odd reason. Occasionally, something shiny would catch her attention, and she'd dive down to have a look. Usually, it turned out to be a coin of some sort, or perhaps a bit of jewelry, probably dropped by a first year on their traditional boat ride to the castle.

After coming up for air shortly, she dove down again and found, to her surprise, a mer-village. As it was dark, most of the mer-people were in their small huts, though a few still lingered outside, most likely guarding the village. They stared at her as she passed, looking curious. One of them said something in its screetchy language to the other, and Fi stopped short, flippers freezing mid-stroke.

She'd understood.

He'd said, "Odd--I have never seen a seal here before, have you?" to the other merman. She knew it somehow, though she was absolutely POSITIVE that she didn't know mermish.

Well, at least, a MOMENT ago she didn't know mermish, because now the other merman responded, and she understood him, too: "No, I have not. Where do you suppose it came from?"

"I do not know," the first one said. "Perhaps the school?"

"Why would a seal attend school?" said the other. "Think about it."

The first one shrugged, and they both turned to stare at Fi. "It gives me a headache."

"Yes, me too."

"Should we kill it?"

The other shrugged. "All right, then."

At this, Fi swam as fast as her little fins would carry her away from the mermen, who, unknown to her, were laughing rather loudly at this. Fearing for her life, she kept swimming, eventually coming to the rocks. Panting both from the swim and from lack of air, she clumsily climbed up and just sat for a moment, breathing hard. Closing her eyes, she thought about what it all meant. Maybe she'd use Annelle's method: State the obvious, find the solution.

First off, she WASN'T dreaming, OR hallucinating. She knew that now. So she could turn into a seal.

Well. That was certainly something odd. But, apparently it was true. As to the fact that suddenly and spontaneously, she could speak mermish, well that was confusing. Quite confusing, really. She decided she'd just have to talk to Dumbledore. After all, he already knew about the fae. And he would, of course, have all the answers. He always did. It was the unspoken rule of life at Hogwarts--Dumbledore had the solution. Period.

She closed her eyes, expecting the strange feeling that seemed normal during transformations, but to her surprise, nothing happened. 'Maybe I just didn't feel it...' she thought nervously, but then a glance at her reflection in the water below proved her wrong. There she was--gray and whiskery with large flippers for hands. She was still a seal. And try as she might, she couldn't change back.

Part 9

She closed her eyes again, trying to fight the nagging feeling in her little seal stomach that maybe she WOULDN'T be able to transform back into herself. 'Don't panic, don't panic...'

Looking to her left, she noticed a orange-ish glow coming from the east. Sunrise. That meant classes weren't far away. And she was a seal. Frantically, she closed her eyes again, hoping against hope that she would transform back again. Looking in the water once more, she still saw the little whiskery face looking right back at her. Yes, now was definitely the time to panic.

Climbing (well, waddling, really) down from the rocks, she landed on the soft grass with a soft sort of "flump" noise. Great--now her stomach hurt. Unfortunately, seal eyes weren't nearly as good as her human eyes above water, so it was difficult to make out the face of the person walking a few yards away, apparently just enjoying the frosty air. She recognized the walk--easy-going and yet cautious--this was Remus. She tried to yell, but all that came out of her throat was a rather ugly, raspy, barking noise.

It got his attention, though.

Curiously, he walked over to the rocks and briefly looked about for what had made the racket. The human and GIRL part of Fi wanted her to be embarrassed, but the more sensible part that was unrelated whatsoever to her giggly side took control. She waddled out from behind the rocks and Remus stared at her, confusion very apparent.

She wasn't sure what exactly prompted her to do so--maybe it was just the fact that she was panicking and beyond real reasoning, but she just kept thinking, 'It's me, Fiona! It's me!' over and over again inside her mind. Remus, who had been staring at her, still puzzled by the presence of a seal on the school grounds, put his hand to his forehead, as if suffering from a headache. After shaking his head for a moment, as if to clear it, he looked down at her incredulously. "Uhm...You're not...?"

She nodded vigorously and his jaw dropped. He quickly closed it. "Why are you...?" She barked once, sounding appropriately annoyed, and he shook his head. "Well, alright then. I'll assume you're stuck?"

She nodded again. "Well, I want you to think about yourself. Think about what makes you Fi--the HUMAN Fi. Keep thinking that, over and over. Picture yourself. Do it."

She drowned out his talk and did as he asked. A somewhat foggy perception of herself came into her mind --Long wavy hair, blue-gray eyes, round face...She felt the familiar transformation, but it was somewhat more difficult than she remembered. She continued--Born in Dublin, raised in a small cottage out in the country, the sea, the fae...She didn't even stop herself from thinking of them. They were, after all, a part of her.

She opened her eyes, raising her human hands to her face. The same somewhat rounded nose met her fingertips. She let out a sigh of relief at not finding whiskers. She looked up to thank Remus, but found that he was standing with his back to her, holding his cloak out behind him for her.

"Wha--? OH!" She grabbed the cloak and hid behind the rocks, terribly embarrassed. HOW could she have forgotten? She hadn't even NOTICED her clothes falling off when she transformed, though. It had seemed so...natural to her, somehow. "I'm...Uhm...SORRY, Remus, I just..."

"No, it's okay," he said to the tree in front of him. "When I come out of transformations, I have that problem. The only thing is..." he paused. "Can I turn around now? I can't carry on a conversation with a tree, you know."

Fi wrapped the cloak tightly about herself, gripping the insides to keep it closed. "Okay."

He turned around, still a bit red in the face, and wouldn't quite make eye contact. "The only thing is, Fi, that sort of thing only happens to you if you've got that power in your blood."

"What d'you mean?"

"Well," he said slowly, "I was bitten when I was small. The magic in that is in my blood; there's no cure. It's the same as if I had been born a werewolf, only not quite as strong, I think. If you're an Animagus, for example, you don't have the magic in your blood, persay...More like you've acquired the talent and magical maturity to transform. But it's not genetic. It doesn't get passed through bloodlines."

"So?"

"So," he said impatiently, as if she was missing a very obvious point (which she was), "I wasn't aware you had the ability to transform. I'd let it go with the business of speaking to fae, but now I'm not sure what to think."

Fi shrugged. "Well, I just discovered this the other night, when I went out to capture the dog. I got chased into the lake, and I just..." she shrugged again. "It just happened. I wasn't sure quite what to think, really. I had a pixy bring me my clothes, and then I called Lily once I'd captured the monster, and that was it. No one knew. I had to see if I had been hallucinating or something, though. I didn't know."

He thought for a moment. "Well, was anyone in your family...er...Non-human, in any way?"

Fi sighed. "I dunno, really. My gran is about as far back as I know. She died when my Ma was a little girl, and started the bloodline of fae-speakers."

"She died?"

"That's what my grandda told Ma. I'm not sure if it's true, really."

Remus paused to think again. After a few moments of silence, he looked up. "D'you suppose you could write to your mother and ask her about it? I've an idea, but I'm not sure if I'm right. I need more information to be positive."

Fi shrugged. "I s'pose."

"Well."

"How did you know how to make me human again?" she muttered, hugging the cloak tighter about her.

He sighed. "That's what all Animagis do. I wasn't sure it would work, but I figured there was a good chance."

"Well, thank you."

He nodded, looking embarrassed. "I guess we ought to get you back to your common room, so you can get... uhm...dressed." He turned red again and became very interested in a tree across the lake.

Fi half-smiled at this. "Right. I'll leave you to your walk, then."

"No," he muttered, still staring at the tree. "I can come with you, if you like. I know where the Slytherin commons are, thanks to Sirius.

She shrugged yet again. She seemed to be doing that a lot, lately. "Okay by me."

As they trudged towards the castle in silence, something occurred to her. "How did you understand me?"

Now it was his turn to shrug. "Well, that's part of what puzzles me. You supposedly only talk to fae, and I'm not a pixy, I assure you. Maybe...Well, if my guess is correct, you can communicate with other magical creatures. Not just fae. Have you tried, other than with me?"

She sighed. "I've so far given headaches to a centaurette and two mermen. I could understand mermish, though. And the centaurette now knows who you are, thanks to my thoughts." She ignored the sideways glance he gave her. "Please don't ask."

He nodded. "Okay, I won't. But you've talked to other magical creatures, correct?"

"Yes."

"Hm..." He fell silent again, thinking.

"Emm...Here's the commons."

"Oh." He snapped out of his thoughts. "Right. I--em--don't need the cloak back immediately. Hang onto it for a bit, okay?"

She nodded. "Right. Uh...Thanks for walking with me. Oh, and thanks for helping me, back there..."

"Uhm...Sure." He stood nervously for a moment. "Well. I'll see you at dinner, then. Owl your Mother, would you? Then we can get to the bottom of this."

She smiled. "Absolutely."

***

Clutching the letter firmly in her hand, Fi trudged up the staircase to the library, reading through it once more as she walked.

Dear Fi,

Ever so glad you're doing well in school. As a matter of fact, I just had a talk with Grandda about Gran. As it turns out, she didn't die. She left. That's all I could get out of him, I fear. As for my memory of her, all I can tell you is that a few days before she "died," I asked her why Grandda kept a sealskin in the attick. Your Uncle Killian and I had been playing in the attic the day before and found it. Why has all of this suddenly become so urgent?

Love,

Ma

Fiona folded the letter upon entering the library. Madam Pince gave her a slight glare as she passed, but said nothing. Remus was, as usual, waiting in the back of the library at their usual table, which was stacked with several thick, musty-looking books.

"What's all this, then?" Fi asked, sitting down opposite him.

"Have a look." He pushed a few towards her and she read their titles: "Magic of Ireland", "Celtic Legends", and "A Collection of Magical Creatures".

She raised an eyebrow. "What exactly do you think I am?"

"Well," he said, "have you gotten your mother's response yet?"

"Oh, yes," she said, pulling out the parchment and unfolding it.

He read through the note quickly. "Hm...Thought so..."

"What?"

He looked up from reading. "Well, if your grandmother left, and didn't necessarily DIE, then there may be more to my theory than I thought. And the sealskin makes it a dead giveaway."

"And...?" she prompted.

"Look..." he flipped through "Celtic Legends" until he came across the right page and then handed it to her. She looked down at the page and noticed a large picture of a seal. Like all pictures in the wizarding world, it moved. This particular one showed the seal slowly transforming into a woman, and shedding its skin.

"But I don't understand...I don't shed my skin, so why--?"

"Just read."

Obediently, she read the accompanying paragraphs:

Selkes

Perhaps one of the more interesting of magical creatures of Irish origin is the selke. Selkes are said to be the Irish version of mermaids, though there are several differences. Identical to the normal gray seals that are common inhabitants of the rocky shore, they come onto the beach and shed their skins to become women. After spending a day on land as a human, they take their skins and become seals once more.

If a man should find and steal the skin, though, the selke is required by magical law to marry him. Some time later, however, if the selke should find her skin, she can return to the sea once more.

If a selke has children with a human, the children are half-blooded and have the unusual ability of speaking to other magical creatures. The skill does take practice, though. As the generations of humans after the selke continue, the bloodline is passed only through females, leaving decendants abilities such as fae-speaking, mind-communication between magical creatures, and most rarely of all, the ability to become a seal.

Fiona pushed the book back at Remus, stunned. "You're saying...Gran was a selke?"

He nodded. "It makes sense, doesn't it?"

She didn't say anything, staring at the book. After a moment, she stood up and walked to a window. "What does it mean, though? I mean...I KNOW I'm a selke now, it makes sense. But...Now what?"

"Well," he said softly, allowing a small smile. "I'd suggest you write your mother and tell her. I'm sure she'll be quite interested."

Fi nodded again. After a moment: "And this doesn't...scare you or anything? I mean..."

He gave her a curious stare. "What d'you mean by that?"

She shrugged. "Well...It's just..." She glanced up at him. "I'm not human, Remus," she muttered.

"Yes, you are. You're just part selke. You're primarily human." He paused, then added, "Like me."

"But it's different--"

"Look," he said, leaning against the wall next to her. "I'm not in the least afraid of you. Nor would I abandon you for what you are. You can't help it any more than I can help what I am." He looked bitter for a moment, but when he glanced back at her all traces of it were gone. "You didn't abandon me for what I am, so how could I turn around and do that to you?"

She smiled appreciatively. "Thanks."

Smiling, he put his hands in his pockets and stared out the window. After a moment, he cleared his throat rather nervously. "Emm...There's a Hogsmeade weekend coming up, right before Christmas. I couldn't go last time because of...You know...So, I was wondering if you'd like to come with me." He glanced up at her.

"I'd be delighted," she said, grinning broadly.

He smiled slightly. "Great. Uhm...What d'you want for Christmas, anyway?"

Fi flushed. "Oh! You don't have to worry about that, I--"

"Yes, I do."

She shrugged. "I've not thought about it, really. Uhm..." She trailed off, shrugging again. "What about YOU?" He was about to protest, but she held up a hand. "If you're getting me something, I refuse to not get you a gift as well."

He sighed. "Oh, all right. Surprise me."

She smiled. "You do the same for me, then."

He rolled his eyes. "You are quite difficult, you know."

"Yep," she said proudly. "But so are you." She gathered up her books. "Well, thank you for helping me. I suppose I ought to go write Ma now, so she knows everything."

"Right. D'you still need tutoring? We do have that quiz on the Unforgivable Curses coming up, you know."

"Sure. Emm...After dinner tomorrow, then?"

"Right."

She left him gathering his books and headed for the Slytherin commons, exceptionally happy. She didn't have any nagging questions tumbling about in her brain anymore, AND she had a date to Hogsmeade, AND that date was Remus. Yes, Fi decided, setting her books down next to her trunk, life was good.

* * *