Hidden Wings - Part I

Exams

Although the Quidditch Cup had let many forget, the exams were right around the corner.

Mioha's first exam was Transfiguration on a Monday morning.
She had to turn a teapot into a tortoise, which was a very simple task for Mioha.

Charms went pretty well too, although she had to cast a Cheering Charm on Hermione, since the Gryffindor was the only student who knew about her wandless magic. A little problem was,  that Mioha's charm was too strong, so Hermione ended up walking around the school with a bright smile on her face for the rest of the day.

Hagrid's exam was the easiest.
Keeping a Flobberworm alive for an hour.
They weren't interesting to watch, only saying: "Food, mine, mine", over and over.

For Potions she had to brew a Confusing Concoction, which was hard enough without Professor Snape breathing down their necks.

Mioha got a cramp in her hand after the exam in History of Magic, having to write about witch hunts, and her head hurt badly after she had deciphered the meanings of different runes in Study of Ancient Runes.

Astronomy was her worst, she decided, while Herbology and Defence Against the Dark Arts was a piece of cake for her.

On Thursday afternoon, after all exams were over, Mioha sat outside with Hermione, Harry and Ron, enjoying the sun's warmth on their faces.

"Is that Mr. Fudge?", Hermione suddenly broke the comfortable silence and pointed at a figure walking up to the entrance of the castle.
The minister saw them and approached them, sweating heavily in his suit under the summer sun.

"Harry", he greeted Harry and nodded at the others.
"Finished with your exams?"

"Yes, sir", said Harry stiffly, staring at the executioner behind the minister.

Mr. Fudge got out a handkerchief and dried his sweaty forehead.
"Well, I must be off. Good day to you."

"Good day", Hermione replied, then turned to the other three and said quietly, when Mr. Fudge and the executioner were gone: "We need to see Hagrid before Buckbeak's execution."

"But we are not allowed to leave the castle in the evening", Harry said.

Hermione looked at him sternly.
"You have an Invisibility cloak, don't you?"

Harry nodded sheepishly.

"I can't come with you", Mioha said apologetically.

"Why?", Ron asked irritatedly.
"Buckbeak will die tonight, Jess."

Because there is a full moon tonight, Mioha thought and said aloud: "I still have a detention left with Professor Snape. Because I crashed into Draco a few months ago, today is my last detention."

"So that was why Malfoy had a red forehead when we came back from Hogsmeade!", Ron cackled loudly.
"I thought he had run into a wall!"

Mioha grinned.
"Nope, just me."
She got serious again.
"I'll go down to Hagrid tomorrow, but I have to go now, I'm sorry guys."

"Wait", Hermione said, eyeing her suspiciously, "you still have detention for something that happened months ago?"

Mioha grew hot, then stammered: "You guys know how Professor Snape is. Please tell Hagrid, I am sorry about Buckbeak."

Standing up quickly, Mioha left her friends and entered the cool castle.
Hermione was quicker in her head than she had thought.

Mioha went into the forest room at dusk, escorted by Professor Flitwick this time.
She sat, as always, down into the grass, crossing her legs, and took out a book she had brought.

Professor Flitwick seemed to be grading exams, if she assumed correctly, and he was very absorbed by his work.
Mioha didn't have a watch, but as she felt the pull of the full moon getting stronger, she knew Buckbeak's death was nearing.

At some point, she couldn't focus on the words anymore, and ended up simply staring at the pages, white and black blurring together. Poor Buckbeak, she thought sadly.
She had started to like the hippogriff a lot.

The full moon was about to rise and Professor Lupin was still nowhere in sight.
Mioha shot a worried glance at Professor Flitwick, who seemed to be thinking the same thing. He kept casting the Tempus charm, frowning at the digits.
Muttering something to himself, he let his parchment vanish and hopped off his chair.

"Ms. Mioha", he addressed her, "I will need to check where Professor Lupin is, I shall be right back."

Mumbling nervously, he nimbly walked out of the room, the door closing behind him with a soft click.

Now she was alone.

And with every second that passed, she got more anxious.

Buckbeak's execution must be over now, she thought jittery and jumped up, trying to relieve some of the tension by walking around in the forest.
She even stretched out her wings and glided just below the ceiling, flying in a large circle over and over again.

Suddenly, a sharp pain flashed through her body and Mioha almost plummeted to the ground.

The moon had risen.

Barely making it to the bottom, she collapsed in pain, as her skin and bones started stretching in several directions, as if somebody had put searing hooks into her skin that were now yanked around.
Mioha bit her lower lip until she drew blood, her whimpers getting louder until she thought it couldn't get any worse. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she curled up into a ball, feeling how her body grew in size and strength.

And then it stopped.

Gasping for air, she opened her eyes.
Like the times before, her senses were stronger now, and Mioha carefully pushed herself off the ground, now a Silverwing standing on all fours.

Her thoughts raced in her head.

Professor Lupin must have transformed by now.

She could only hope, that he had taken the Wolfsbane.

Just as she finished the thought, Mioha's sensitive ears flicked forward, picking up a faint howl.

A werewolf's howl.

Mioha froze.
Although anybody else wouldn't have heard anything besides a howling wolf, Mioha understood it perfectly.

"Kill!", it yowled.

Panic blocked all rational thoughts, and without thinking, Mioha bolted forward, racing to the door.
She jumped out of the forest and crashed straight through the wooden door, leaving it in shatters hanging in the doorway.
Taking long strides, Mioha's hooves thundered through the Labyrinth, carrying her as fast as she could. If anybody would have stepped in her way now, they would have been flattened like by an express.

After skidding around corners several times and almost crashing into walls, Mioha saw a faint light ahead. The sidedoor leading outside was open, and she saw two figures standing in the moonlight, casting long shadows onto the floor.

It was Professor Flitwick, talking to Professor Sprout with a worried expression.

Both teachers turned in shock, as they saw a galloping Silverwing shooting down the hallway.

Pressing her wings close to her side, Mioha pushed herself forward and jumped, soaring straight over the two Professors' heads and into the moonlit night.