Mya's return to Hogwarts was just how she imagined it to be. One day filled with an endless amount of welcome backs followed by a great big return party in the Gryffindor common room. Then she was greeted with the cruel return of school and everybody else she really didn't care about.
"How do I still have homework I'm behind on?" Mya groaned, holding a stack of books she had just checked out of the library.
"You're lucky you got so many extensions," Ron chuckled, only holding one book in his hand.
"I was attacked by a werewolf," Mya rolled her eyes, navigating around a pack of first years whispering to themselves as they walked down the stairs. "I think that grants me as many extensions as I want."
"Someone's cranky today," Ron mumbled under his breath. "It is that time of the mon-"
"If you finish that sentence, I swear on my life Ronald," Mya narrowed her eyes at him.
"Sorry," Ron raised his free hand in self defense. "I just mean, the full moon's tonight. Not the other thing. I've learned from Ginny not to bring up the other thing."
"Smart boy to listen to your sister," Mya told him. "And yes, the full moon is tonight but I will be fine and everything going to be fine."
"Alright, everything's going to be fine," Ron nodded his head. "Well except for all those papers you have to write."
Mya let out a sigh, pouting as they walked over to the great hall. "Maybe I can guilt Hermione into doing some for me?"
"Fat chance with that," Ron chuckled.
"I know, but one can hope," Mya said.
"Look, it's the wolf girl," Mya stopped in her tracks, slowly turning her head to look over at the smirking Pansy. "Oh look, the wolf girl knows commands."
A little growl came from the back of Mya's throat, which only seemed to make the smug smirk on Pansy's lips grow. "Don't you know not to mess with a werewolf on a full moon?"
"Is that a threat? What are you going to do, bite me?" Pansy narrowed her eyes across the table.
"Pansy, I'd never bite you," Mya adjusted the stack of books resting on her hip like a baby. "I have way more respect for myself than to even touch you. I might catch a disease."
"You bitch!" Pansy stood up quickly from her seat, grabbing her wand off the table.
"Easy now," Ron tugged on Mya's arm. He slowly started to pull her away, leaning closer to her ear when Mya wouldn't budge. "Come on, you don't want to do this, not today."
Mya ripped her arm out of his grasp, rounding on him as they continued to walk down the aisle. "Since when did you become the sensible one?"
"When I'm around you, I find that I have to be," Ron rolled his eyes.
They took their seats at the Gryffindor table across from Harry and Hermione. Mya dropped her stack of books on the table with a loud thud, causing the plates around them to move.
"What was that about?" Harry asked.
"I had to check out about a billion books to finish my papers," Mya reached for the pitcher of water, grabbing her goblet to fill it up.
"I think he meant with Pansy," Hermione took a peek over at the Slytherin table. "She looks particularly angry today."
"Probably because Mya threatened to eat her," Ron was already piling food onto his plate, while eating a turkey leg.
"I did not," Mya rolled her eyes. "She's just a bitch."
"Did you get the potion from Snape yet?" Hermione asked her.
"No, that's after lunch, and classes, oh and completing a ten inch paper on wandless spells for Charms," Mya slammed her head onto the table with a groan. "How am I supposed to pass my classes under these circumstances?!"
"You should really create a schedule for that," Hermione told her. "I could help you come up with one."
"Or," Mya lifted her head up, resting her chin on the table. "You could possibly write it for me. I mean, I'm going to be very exhausted after going through the transformation tonight. I mean, I already am feeling like shit." She let out a long exaggerated sigh. "But then I wouldn't learn so I should probably just do it while I'm half dead in the hospital wing tomorrow. You know, after I do the paper for potions."
Hermione rolled her eyes, she could clearly tell what was going on. "I'm not writing your paper. I'll do the intro and mark the pages in the book that I used, but that's it."
Mya sat up quickly clapping her hands together. "Thank you!"
Hermione pressed her lips together and hummed.
Lea entered the hall, she looked around before she spotted Mya. She headed over to the table, sitting down with her back facing the table.
"Boy's are stupid," Lea groaned.
"You're just realizing this?" Mya giggled, reaching for a muffin. "What's the problem I thought you and Draco were alright."
Ron scoffed. "Well her first problem was dating Malfoy."
Lea leaned back a bit, narrowing her eyes. "You mind your own business. And yes, everything was going great and now... I don't know, he's just been ignoring me this past week."
"Well, we do have three tests on Friday, probably just all that," Mya picked up her goblet of water, lifting the cup up and taking a sip of it.
Hermione caught a glimpse of the amethyst ring placed on her right hand. "That's such a pretty ring, where did you get it?"
Mya almost choked on water. She placed the goblet back on the table, her cheeks heating up. "Um, it was a birthday gift from... Fred."
"Fred got you a promise ring?" Lea furrowed her brows. "I thought you said those were so cheesy and just meant you'd break up or he cheats." Lea gasped, turning to face Mya more. "Did Fred cheat?"
Ron snorted. "Yeah, fat chance with that with how whipped he is. Kinda revolting."
"Love is not revolting, Ron," Hermione huffed. "It's very sweet what they have. I mean, it's very confusing, because I can never tell if you guys are dating or not."
"Look, I'm not dating him, and it's not a promise ring because I do stand by that promise rings are stupid and do mean that the relationship is doomed," Mya said, a bit frustrated. She stood up, picking up her stack of books. "Lea, can you come with me to Snape's office? I need to pick up the wolfsbane potion."
"Yeah sure," Lea stood up from her seat.
"Here," Mya dumped some books into her arms. "There, now we can both have an arm day."
Lea let out a little laugh. As they were about to walk away, Lea took a glance over at Harry. He was looking very intensely at his food.
She quickly started to walk after that, falling in step with Mya.
Lea had not been able to forgive Harry for what he had done to Draco. Frankly, most of the school was a little upset by what he did. Probably because he was suspended from quidditch again.
But Lea's came purely out of the fact that she had told him several times to mind his own business and not go after Draco. Lea could handle him, alone. She knew Draco and she knew what she had to do in order to protect Draco from everything. She could handle everything on her own and she didn't need anyone's help in the matter.
"So, a ring," Lea tried to casually say.
"Yes, a ring," Mya sighed. "It's nothing special, just my birthstone. And it was for my birthday."
"I see," Lea said. They took the stairs located by the hall down into the dungeon. "I mean, a ring says a lot though."
"L-Like what?" Mya asked, nervously.
"Like that he loves you, and wants to marry you and have your babies," Lea teased her nudging her arm while giggling.
Mya's face got as red as the Weasley's hair. "No, no. No babies, ever. Never, ever, ever. I am not pushing a watermelon out of a very small hole."
"You didn't deny the marriage thing," Lea gasped. "You want to marry Fred. You want to marry Fred. You want to-"
"Shut up," Mya snapped at her "You're becoming annoying and I'm already annoyed with the full moon and Pansy."
"Alright, I'm sorry," Lea stopped her laughing, growing serious.
"No, I'm sorry for snapping," Mya took a deep breath. "Today's just been... a lot. And it's very hot down here."
"Mya, we're in the dungeon... it's a freezer down here," Lea gave her an odd look. "Maybe you should see Madam Pomfrey."
"No, I have so much to do before I go there after dinner," Mya said. She stopped at the door to Snape's office. For some reason, he still kept an office down here to do potions. Even if he was the new DA teacher. She adjusted the books in her arm before opening the door.
Snape was standing in the middle of the room pouring something into a large vial. "There you are, Halliwell, I was beginning to think we were going to have a werewolf running around on the grounds tonight, looking for a meal."
"A slightly prejudice comment is exactly what I needed today, professor," Mya rolled her eyes.
Snape's narrowed eyes snapped up at her. "I need not remind you how important it is to drink all of this before the full moon tonight."
"I know, or I might need that meal. Maybe I'll go Snape hunting," Mya joked.
"Mya," Lea nudged her arm, trying really hard to suppress a laugh.
"You should be more grateful, Halliwell, or I might as well start calling you by your father's surname," Snape held the bottle firmly in his hand.
"I'd be just fine with that, my father's a great man," Mya took a step towards his desk. "Now, can you please just give me the bottle so I can leave your unpleasant sight?"
Snape trusted the bottle at her. Mya took it from him, shoving it into her bag before turning around. Lea followed her out of the office.
"I hate him," Mya hissed.
"I think we all do," Lea told her, they came to a stop outside the Slytherin common room. "I think you should take a bubble bath or something to help you relax before tonight."
"No, what I need to do is finish all my homework," Mya sighed, lowering her arms. "Drop them back on."
Lea placed the books she was holding for Mya back in her friend's arms. "Hey if you want, I have my essay for the Transfigurations essay you missed. Got an O, you can use it to help."
"I would very much appreciate that," Mya smiled a bit. "Can you give it to me at dinner?"
"Yeah, sure," Lea told her. "See you then."
"See ya," Mya adjusted the books in her arms before walking down the hall.
Lea turned around to the flat stone wall. "Salazar."
The wall shifted into a door once she spoke the password. She pushed it open to the green and silver common room. There was no one in here at the moment due to classes and lunch. But she had a free period and needed to work on her assignments due this week.
However, like always, she got distracted by the large glass window that gave a perfect view of under the black lake. She always felt so privileged to get to see such an amazing view as this one. The sparking light that reflected from the sun above, and the see of fishes that swam by. It was truly a magical school.
Arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her in close to their chest. "What are you looking at?"
"The fish," Lea relaxed back into Draco's body. "They're so free, they just live their life the way they want to."
"Are you telling me you feel trapped?" Draco furrowed his brows.
"No," Lea rolled her eyes. "I just think it's a nice life they get to live in the lake."
"Yeah, until the giant squid eats them," Draco pointed out the one flaw.
"Yeah, there's that," Lea pouted. "Poor fishies."
"Don't worry about the fishes, love," Draco kissed the crevis of her neck. "My room is empty, and I have much better things planned for us than you crying over another dead animal."
"I do not cry that much," Lea protested. She took his hands off of her before turning around a hitting him in the chest. "And you are not getting anything out of me when you've been ignoring me all week."
Draco's eyes widened. "I've not been ignoring you. I've just been busy with the cabinet and all the other crap we have to do to be students here."
Lea gave him a look, her arms crossing over her chest. "Oh yeah, then why haven't you talked to me all week?"
"You've been with Mya all week!" Draco threw an arm up in the air. "I didn't want to interrupt your time with her. I mean, you two have practically been attached at the hip since she's been back."
"Well of course I have, but that doesn't mean I don't want you there," Lea said. "She is my best friend, and you've never talked to her."
"That's because she's weird and I don't like her," Draco told her. "She's your friend, not mine."
"She's my best friend, with means she's going to be in my life forever. Which means you have to be at least civil with her," Lea told him.
"Fine, I will talk to her," Draco groaned in frustration. "Can we have sex now before everyone comes back?"
Lea's jaw dropped. "I can not believe you!" She started to walk away towards her room.
"I'm sorry, I meant I love you!" Draco followed after her.
***
Halfway through dinner, Mya had to leave the hall due to the setting sun. The plan was for her to be in the shrinking shack before the sunset to give her enough time to drink the potion and settle in for the night. She met Madam Pomfrey at the entrance, and the two walked across the hall and to the whomping willow tree.
Pomfrey pointed her wand at the tree, causing it to still. "Now, I shall meet you in the shack tomorrow at sunrise to bring you clothes and then we shall go to the hospital wing to get you checked out."
"Thank you, Madam," Mya smiled at her, hugging her arms around her midsection.
"Good luck tonight, Mya," Pomfrey smiled back.
Mya nodded her head before she headed towards the entrance. She crouched down so that she could slide down to the path. It was dark and humid inside of the tunnel, and even from this great distance, she could hear the wind blowing from the shack.
Once she reached the latter, she climbed up it before pushing the door open and hosting herself onto the floor above.
She clapped her hands together as she stood up, trying to get the dust off of her. But quite frankly, dust was the least of her worries in this place.
She walked over to the wall, running her fingers against the scratch marks on there. Her father's scratch marks. Once, this place used to be his hiding spot for when the full moon came. And now it was her's. A house perfectly designed to keep a werewolf inside, just probably not suggested for anyone to actually live in here.
She hurried up the stairs, reaching the bedroom at the top. The sheets on the bed had been mostly eaten by moths, but the wolf wouldn't care about that.
She took a seat on the edge of the bed, opened the bottle to the potion, and chugged it down.
"That's fucking disgusting," She gaged. "Oh, shit. I think I'd rather just take being a full wolf."
She placed the bottle on the floor before falling back onto the bed.
Since being in Saint Mungo's and with all she's had to go through these past couple of months, Mya had learned how hard waiting with nothing to do was.
And the wait was pretty long, longer than it should have been the more she thought about it.
It was pitch black outside now, the light from the moon being the only thing allowing her to see. She raised her wrist up to her eyes, looking at her watch. It was almost a quarter till twelve, she should have transformed by now.
She stood up from the bed, thinking maybe she needed to actually look at the moon in order for this to work.
Placing her hands on the windowsill, she shifted her eyes up to the full moon.
"Something is not right," Mya mumbled to herself.
There was no explanation her mind could come up with. The potion she took didn't stop her from transforming, merely made it easier on her when she did. And the moon was at its apex, she could hear the wolfs howling in the distance. But she was still very much a human right now.
She went back to the bed, taking a seat on it. Trying to come up with anything that would help her with what was going on.
"I took the potion, it's a full moon, and I'm not a wolf," Mya listed off the current problem. "What else is there..."
There must have been something she missed. Maybe she was dreaming? Maybe she was already in wolf form and she didn't know it?
She tried both things out though. She pinched her eyes shut and opened them, to find herself still awake. And when she looked into the broken shard of glass on the floor, she could still see the reflection of her human self in it.
"What am I missing?" Mya was growing frustrated, she didn't like not knowing what was going on.
She laid back on the bed, her arms flopped out to the side. Something... there must be something... anything to...
Realization hit her harder than one of the branches on the whomping willow.
"Fuck me."
The full moon wasn't the only thing she had missed this month.