Moon and Stone

"Good morning, students," Helga greeted them cheerfully as she walked into the laboratory the morning after a full moon. There were bags under her eyes from healing Salazar right after moonset, but she was the only one with a free period to take over while he was recuperating. They usually tried to keep at least one professor free at all times in case things needed taking care of, but usually Rowena or Godric took over these mornings so Helga and Salazar could both rest. She brushed a stray hair out of her eyes and resolved to work on the schedule first chance she got. "Professor Slytherin isn't feeling well this morning, so he asked me to take over. I believe you're brewing Clarifying Concoctions today?"

"Yes, Professor," several of the students chorused dutifully.

"We've studied the instructions," Sarah added. "I hope he feels better ssoon."

"I'm sure he will. Now, if you were attentive to them, I'm told, then you will all have picked sufficient fresh eyebright after breakfast this morning..."

One or two students hadn't; David, expecting something of the sort, had gathered a few extra portions to avoid delaying the class. Helga smiled approvingly at him, though she did warn the others not to count on such things and assigned those who had been negligent a little extra weeding as a reminder.

Salazar had turned out to be an excellent professor -- somewhat to his surprise, but Helga said loyally she knew he could do anything he wanted to -- so the students knew to get to work right away on the instructions he'd provided. Helga only needed to wander the classroom to answer occasional questions and prevent one student from poisoning them all by adding the liverwort before the spotted toadstools

"Professor Hufflepuff?" Sarah asked quietly as she paused over the girl's cauldron. "Will Professor Slytherin really be all right? Meghan said he was sick just last month, and I remember before that he had to cancel a study session because he said he got too wrapped up in a potion to break away. But...well...he just seems to be sick an awful lot..."

"...He is, rather often, I'm afraid. But he always does get well and doesn't seem too much the weaker for it." Helga smiled as reassuringly as she could. "He'll be back with you tomorrow or the day after, likely."

"You look tired yourself, Professor...."

"Well, I have trouble sleeping when he can't -- it's the Healer training, partly; it's hard to rest when I feel I should be doing something."

Sarah grinned. "Professor Slytherin said there are all sorts of Healing spells Parselmouths can do that other Healers can't. I think I might like to be a Healer...."

"There are quite a few -- one of the greatest Healers ever was a Parselmouth, and he developed a great many of them. He's the reason more Healing spells than others are in Greek instead of Latin, as well."

Sarah's eyes were wide and full of dreams as she took this in, so her partner carefully added powdered moth wings to their potion and started to stir counterclockwise. Then she spoke up thoughtfully, "You know, Professor Slytherin always seems to be out at the same time every month." She grinned a bit. "I'd start to think men had moon-times too!"

Meghan looked up at this and then turned intently back to her cauldron; Helga saw this and wondered if she should talk to the girl... "No, though you'll hear mutters about it when Professor Gryffindor is tending Lunar Nightshade, and no mistake. And now you'd best tend to your potion, Sarah -- I'd be happy to train you as a Healer, but attention's an important part of it!"

A guilty start, then a muttered, "Yes, Professor Hufflepuff," and Sarah bent back over her potion studiously.

Helga resumed wandering around the classroom, and the rest of the period passed in relative peace. Salazar had done himself proud; the students were remarkable for being in their first year of training.

After the period ended and she sent them away to study before lunch, Helga made another circuit of the classroom to make sure everything had been put away properly and no flammable ingredients left near the fire. She'd thought everyone had left, so when there was a quiet cough from the doorway, she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Professor," Meghan said quietly, looking down at the floor. Helga could still see enough of her eyes to know they were wide and a little frightened. "I -- I needed to talk to you. Please?"

Helga feared she knew what about, but she also knew better than to jump to conclusions -- at least obviously. "Of course, Meghan. You may come with me to my study if you like, as soon as I finish here." Which didn't take very long.

Meghan followed her silently, with her eyes still on the flagstones of the floor, and stood with her hands behind her back in the study until Helga invited her to sit. "What did you wish to discuss?" she prompted gently.

Meghan gulped a little, then took a deep breath. "Professor Hufflepuff," she began, sounding a bit desperate, and then paused as if at a loss for a moment before plunging onward. "I heard what Sarah said today. And... I had noticed too, only I thought perhaps I was imagining things -- it's not at the same time every time -- but when she mentioned it... it always has been at the one, so far." She swallowed again and didn't look up. "Every full moon. And even... I didn't think anything of it at first, but under the hissing, Professor Slytherin sounds like he's from... from home, maybe. And maybe I am being foolish...and I know you said not to be afraid, but... Professor Hufflepuff, Professor Slytherin's a werewolf, isn't he?"

Helga sighed quietly, but didn't know how to answer without answering. "Yes, he is," she said simply. "And you're right, he's the same Salazar you're thinking of. We weren't sure if you would make the connection or not. I'm very proud of you for coming to me instead of scaring all your fellow students."

"I d-didn't want to say anything," Meghan said softly, "if I didn't really know." She sounded very much shaken. "I hoped I was being stupid."

"No, you weren't being stupid. You were very clever." Helga sounded more resigned than praising, though. "How do you feel now that you know?"

"...Miserable." The word was almost inaudible. "I know you told us not to be scared, and I am." She sounded as if she might cry.

Helga sat down and drew the girl closer with an arm around her shoulders. "It's all right to be scared, Meghan, truly. After the stories you've heard, I'd be very surprised if you weren't! The important thing is to not let the fear control you, and think through it. You're scared because you've heard that werewolves are dangerous, even evil. You even heard that this werewolf killed his own wife. That would certainly scare ME! But you've been here through several full moons already. Have you seen or heard anything that would make you think a werewolf was around?"

"Only Professor Slytherin not being around," she admitted, still in a whisper. "...Did he?"

"If you mean, did he kill his wife, no, he didn't. He doesn't like to speak of it much, but I do know that they were attacked by a werewolf, and by the time Salazar was able to fend it off, he'd been bitten and she was dead." Helga closed her eyes and added softly, "And believe me, no one regrets her death more than he, even now."

If Meghan wondered why even a witch and wizard had gone out walking during the full moon, which she did (having grown up being told she should never, ever do that), she didn't say so. "Why..." She lifted her eyes from the floor, but only briefly. "Why don't we -- hear, or -- you said stone, before, didn't you?"

"Yes. Professor Gryffindor made him a special chamber that he goes to during the full moons. It's sealed up completely so none of us can get in or out with Professor Gryffindor's help. And even before that, he wandered as far from other people as he could get so he couldn't hurt anyone, even though it meant he was hurt and sometimes starving alone."

Meghan flinched slightly, then looked a little bewildered. "D-do you mean the transformation hurts?" she ventured uncertainly.

Helga blew out a breath, not sure how much she should reveal. She said slowly, "Yes, it hurts quite a bit. Uncontrolled physical transformations usually do. He has to miss classes for a day or two afterwards because he can't even get out of bed right now. And...well, when he's transformed, he has the mind of a werewolf, not a human, so he can hurt himself rather badly by trying to get out of the chamber." She smiled weakly. "It's a good thing he married a Healer, really."

"Oh." Meghan was still very pale. "But... he can't have just... lain out in the woods for a couple of days without moving..."

"No, which is why he was in quite bad shape when he arrived at Hogwarts. He'd do the best he could, but it was really a lot of luck that he didn't get attacked by anything before he could manage to drag himself to somewhere relatively safe."

There was also, of course, that the transformations were a good bit worse when there were humans near enough to sense, but that part of it Helga thought Salazar wouldn't want revealed, nor was it likely to reassure the girl at all.

"Oh." Meghan sat quietly, a little huddled, eyes downcast, for several long seconds. "I don't know if my parents would have sent me here," she said quietly, "if we'd known..."

"We can talk to your parents, if you think it's important for them to know for you to stay here. We just ask that...you don't advertise what you've learned to the other students. We'd prefer for it not to become public knowledge that we have a werewolf living here. Not so much for the students not to know, but...well, do you remember what your villagers were planning on doing to Salazar before he left?"

"...I wasn't born yet."

Helga blinked. Salazar had always said it was "long ago", but she hadn't realized quite how long he meant. "Ah. Well, from my understanding, they were planning on killing him because he wasn't human anymore. Even his own parents."

"...Probably. I...got the impression from mine that the magical families would rather the rest of us hadn't known at all."

"It's often more comfortable not to have to talk about these things," Helga said wryly. "And they probably were as saddened by it as anything. They thought that Salazar was dead, really, and a beast had taken his form." She sighed quietly. "But that's neither here nor there. The question is, do you still want to stay at Hogwarts? If you do, we'll do anything we can to convince your parents."

"I..." Meghan stopped to think about that. "I am scared," she said softly, "but... if you're sure it's safe.... I always have liked Professor Slytherin, so far, and it... you did say... it isn't fair to blame him." She swallowed. "And I still want to learn...."

"And we still want to teach you," Helga said warmly. "Both magic and things like how not to be scared." She paused for a moment in thought, then added slowly, "Would you like to go see Professor Slytherin now? He's in bed, but he should be awake and I'm sure he'd like to talk to you."

Meghan went nearly chalk-white, but bit her lips until they were pink again instead of lavender and folded her hands in her lap before saying, "Y-yes, please. I think I would. If you don't think he'd mind."

"No, I don't think he would. You just need to remember that he's very tired right now, so he might not look very good or be able to talk for long, but I think he'd like to talk to you for as long as he can." Helga stood and held her hand out for the girl. "Let's go find him."

Meghan's hand was cold, but she looked a little better by the time they reached Salazar -- which was, frankly, probably fortunate. Even so, when he saw that Helga was accompanied by a student, his eyes widened. "Good morning, Helga... and Meghan..."

Meghan lowered her eyes again. "Good morning, Professor Slytherin."

"I sssomehow doubt you're here becausse of a problem in Potionss," he said weakly

Helga stepped inside, tugged Meghan in, and closed the door behind them. "No. Meghan here was very clever and put together your illnesses. She wanted to come speak to you."

Salazar tilted his head back a little against the pillow and closed his eyes. "I thought ssshe might."

Meghan took a tentative step closer and really looked at him. He did look -- well, the injuries were no longer visible, but the exhaustion was patent and so, to a lesser degree, were the marks of pain. And something else that Helga recognized, but Meghan probably didn't, as resigned sorrow and a little fear of his own.

"You --" The girl visibly swallowed one comment and settled quietly for, "You are from near home. I thought you sounded like it."

"Yesssss," Salazar half-hissed tiredly. "Though...to me it hassssn't been 'home' for a...very long time." A sigh, then his eyes opened and fixed on her. "Are you sssscared?"

"...Yes, sir." She hesitated for a long moment, biting her lip, then added, "But maybe not quite as much as at first?"

He chuckled tiredly. "Well. At leasssst you're honesssst. I sssuppossse Helga already told you mosssst of the important thingssss, but...issss there anything you want to assssk me?"

"I don't know." She ventured a step closer and blurted out what she'd almost said in the first place: "You look dreadful." Then she turned bright red instead of pale.

Another chuckle, though this one was bitter. "I usssually do, though my wife doess the bessst ssshe can to patch me up again. It'sss better than it oncccce wassss. At leasssst now I know that there'ss no way I could harm anyone elssssse while the moon issss full."

Helga's mouth twisted slightly at the statement that this was better, but she remained silent.

Meghan flinched slightly at the part about knowing he couldn't harm anyone, but looked...a little reassured. "...Sarah would want to help."

"Believe me, there'sss no Parssseltongue cure for lyncanthropy, and the physsssical damage iss healed well enough by Professssor Hufflepuff. The ressst isss jussssst exhausssstion, and there'ssss no cure for that but resssst. Unfortunately." Salazar looked pained. "And...I know ssshe would help, but I would prefer if you didn't... sssshare thissss among the sssstudentssss. I don't want to sssscare anyone elssssse."

"Sarah could figure it out herself. I don't know she hasn't." Meghan shrugged slightly and put her hands behind her back. "I -- I will keep quiet if you want me to."

"If ssshe figuress it out, then ssshe doesss. I would jusssst prefer not to advertisssse it." He looked very pensive. "I won't hurt anyone. I jusssst like to have the chanccce to prove that."

"...I'll keep quiet," she repeated softly. "I...you aren't the way they said, in the stories."

Salazar winced slightly. "I ssssssshould hope not. I've heard enough of the ssstoriessss mysssself. Too many...."

Meghan flushed. "I'm sorry."

"It'ss not your fault. You weren't even born then. You had no way of knowing what wasss truth and what exaggeration. And...I would have been a danger there, had I sssstayed. It wasss besssst I left, for all."

Meghan looked at the floor again; it wasn't something she could argue, but it didn't really seem polite to agree either. "...I'm surprised you let me come."

"You were chossssen for study by Professsssor Hufflepuff. That meansss you belong here."

She darted a glance at Helga. "...Yes, sir."

"Perhaps it's time you head off to join your classmates, dear," Helga suggested. "You have studying to do, and Professor Slytherin needs his rest."

"Yes, Professor Hufflepuff." Meghan didn't seem as frightened by this point, but though she had probably tried to hide it there was still a sense of relief as she turned to go. But she did stop long enough to look at Salazar and say, "I hope you feel better soon."

He smiled weakly. "Thank you. I'll be back to classss ssssoon."

The girl nodded and left quickly. Helga closed the door behind her again, then crossed back over the room to sit on the side of the bed and take Salazar's hand gently. "That went well, I think."

"Ccccertainly better than it could have." The words were mild, but his hand clasped hers with all the strength he had.

Which still wasn't much, at this point, and that always made Helga's heart twist just a little. The fact that there weren't very many truly old werewolves wasn't only because they tended to run afoul of hunters. The transformation took a great deal of energy, and it seemed to sap Salazar's strength just a little more each time despite all their care.

Helga pushed those thoughts out of her head and shifted a little closer to her husband, resting her head against his. "I don't think she'll tell the other students, at least. I don't know if she was planning to tell her parents or not, but I did promise that if she wanted to stay, we'd do our best to convince her parents."

He laughed shakily. "Do you think sssshe doesss? Ssshe ssseemed...." He hesitated. "....Not quite ssso frightened as I had expected, I sssuppossse...."

"She said she wanted to stay, Salazar," she said softly. "She was...a little frightened, at first, but we talked for a while before we came to see you. I think she'll be fine, eventually."

"Ssshe ssstill looked pale." He paused and offered a tiny smile. "Then again, perhapssss I ssshouldn't talk about that jussst now...."

Helga laughed softly and brushed a strand of hair off his forehead, channeling a little more energy into him. "I never said she wasn't still a little scared, but I think she'll get over it in time. I pointed out that she hadn't even known there was a werewolf around except for your absences. That seemed to help a little. I think once she gets used to the idea and spends a few more full moons without anything happening, she'll be fine."

"I'm a little sssurprissed sshe'll even conssider...I can guesss what kind of sstoriess sshe'd have heard. Esspecially...there."

"The both of you said it was before she was even born. I...hadn't realized it had been that long. I thought you were only traveling for a few years before you found us." She kissed his forehead gently. "Now I see why you were so tired."

"And sso...ssshocked at your taking me in?" He pulled her a little closer and sighed. "I did sssay I wass older than I looked."

"I know. It still never quite registered until she said something." She cuddled against him. "I wish we'd found you sooner."

"I'm glad you found me at all."

"That much goes without saying, my darling."

"I thought it couldn't hurt to ssay onccce in a while." His eyes drifted shut again. "I'm sstill a bit sssurprissed Meghan doessn't... choosse to go look for a teacher nearer her home... but then, who would, when the other choicccce iss you...."

"Hmm. Thank you, love. And she'd have a hard time finding any other teacher who'd give her even half the knowledge we can. There's a reason people are choosing to send their children here, you know. You know how many inquiries we've had about next year's class already." She kissed his forehead again lightly. "And I'm sure she knows she couldn't find a better Potions teacher anywhere."

"I'm sssure there isss one. Whether sshe could find them..."

"Perhaps. But then whoever it is wouldn't also be equally skilled in Charms, Transfiguration, Runes, Herbology, et cetera."

Salazar was shaking with laughter by now. "Point taken, my love. And very true."

"Hmph. Don't make me argue with you. I think we're both too tired for that." She snuggled against him. "I don't want to teach class this afternoon."

He sighed and tucked her head under his chin, ignoring the fading cry of the wolf about letting another creature at his throat. "I am ssssorry about putting you through thisss each month..."

"No apologizing either."

"Yesss, well...."

"No apologizing without actually apologizing," she added with a little yawn. "Besides," she tilted her head up to look at him through half-veiled eyes, "you make it up to me the rest of the month."

"Mmmm. If you sssay sso."

"More than. Never doubt that." She kissed his lips lightly before tucking her head back against his neck.

"I ssshall try." He stroked her back lightly. "...Perhapsss we could imposse on Godric or Rowena to let you ressst...and ssstay with your ssselfissh hussband..."

"Mmmm. Would be nice. But they have classes too." She yawned, her eyes fluttering shut. "But I still have a little while before class..."

"There'ssss the one disssadvantage to thisss ssscheduling ssysssstem. With normal apprenticcccesssshipsss we could be more flexible. But not with ssso many...."

"Mmm. Maybe we should start looking for a new teacher or two to help out next year. It's only going to get harder when we double the number of students."

"That'ss true...."

"Mmm. I'll...talk to Godric and Rowena...in a little while..." Helga's voice trailed off into the even breathing of sleep. Salazar smiled tenderly and kissed her lightly, pulling the blanket over them both.

"Ssleep well, my love," he whispered, closing his own eyes. "And thank you."

*****