Memory Lane (Shadow and Holly)

Holly looked up at the castle, smiling sadly.
"My last year of this." she said.

Shadow licked Holly's hand gently, trying to comfort her.

Holly grinned sadly and patted Shadow's wolf head.
"Let's go then," she said, and opened the door.

Shadow willingly followed her 'owner'.

"We better not run into any ghosts," Holly said, only half jokingly, as she climbed the staircase. She glanced behind to make sure 'her pet wolf' was following.

Shadow bounded up the stairs easily alongside Holly.

When they had reached the Gryffindor dormitory, Holly grinned sleepily.
"Everyone else's asleep, we have no problems."
It felt really strange to say that.

Shadow nodded and curled up at the foot of the only empty bed.

"Will you be okay sleeping on the floor?" Holly asked, suddenly remembering her manners, "Want a blanket? There's spares."

Shadow opened one eye and then closed it again.

"That's a no then," Holly answered herself, and fell into bed without even taking off her shoes. Well shoe. The other one had been left with the man, after she had hit him over the head with it.

Shadow slipped into a light doze.

It seemed like a few minutes, but a few hours later, Holly was awoken by several screams at once.
She sat up straight. "SHADOW?" she called.
"OHMYGOD HOLLY LOOK!"
Of course, it was simply the girls in the dorm, pointing at Shadow.
"ITS A STRAY DOG!"
"ITS A STRAY WOLF!"
"She's not a stray," Holly said, relieved that this was the disturbance, "She's mine."

Shadow was cowering under Holly's bed, and she crawled out cautiously.

"BUT YOU ARENT ALLOWED DOGS IN SCHOOL!"
Holly grinned. "She ain't a dog."
She tousled Shadow's wolfish head.

Shadow's tail thumped on the ground as she wagged it, mouth open in a wolfish smile.

"BUT ITS NOT ALLOWED!" insisted one of the girls.
"Go fix your face babe," Holly said yawning and standing up, "I have to go get ready."

Shadow put on her 'but I'm cute' face as she looked at the other girls.

"EW!" one of them yelled, as Holly left, "ITS STARING AT ME!"
"Don't look it in the eye," another suggested, "Its probably evil, considering it's Bristol's."

Shadow did something that almost no one knew a wolf could do. She began to cry.

The girls' mouths fell open.
"It's crying," one said incredulously, and she sat down in front of it, "Poor thing .... What's her name again?"
"I think Bristol called her Shadow."
"Shadow ... dont cry."

Shadow sniffed theatrically.

"I didnt know dogs could cry!" the girl said, nearly in tears herself.
"I told you," came Holly's impatient voice, "She's a- cry? What?"
Holly looked at Shadow, incredibly surprised.

Shadow gave Holly a look that meant 'tell you later'.

Holly nodded once to show she understood, and then cleared her throat.
"Uhhm, shouldnt you people be getting to breakfast?"
A few of the girls leapt up, and squealed, running to get ready.
"That's what I thought."
She grinned at Shadow.
"Coming?"