Werewolves at Hogwarts

Chapter 3

Packing his clean and pressed uniforms, Remus put them into a cardboard box and apparated to London, arriving at the security company's offices at mid morning. The receptionist smiled at him when he asked if Jones was in.

"Sorry John, he said I wasn't allowed to let you in. I don't know what you did to him but he is singing much lower today, no more bullying and bluster. If you came by, I was to give you this." Annabelle giggled as he blinked at the figure on the cheque, it was much larger than he had expected. "It's your severance pay and he insisted that it was all there, every cent you were owed."

"Generous of him," John muttered in disgust. "No reference, I suppose?"

"Actually, there is. Here, and if you need to give a name, give them Joshua Sweeney's name rather than Sidney Jones'. That way you will get a good verbal reference as well," she said leaning forward confidingly, "Lockwood's is hiring guards for their mobile branch. You go there and I'll bet they snap you up. You have a good reputation John and I for one will miss you."

He blinked at her sincerity and smiled as he tucked the cheque into his pocket. Getting taken on at Lockwood would indeed be a good thing but he wanted a couple of days to himself. Maybe the Ministry of Magic would not notice that an insignificant werewolf had lost his temper and snarled at an equally insignificant Muggle but knowing his luck, it was a forlorn hope. At least they couldn't sterilise him - too late for that - but they could certainly deport him to the Orkneys and the Isle of Cardoul was the setting of some of his worst nightmares.

The centre of London was hot and fume laden and John was just as glad to apparate home, stopping off at the local branch of his bank to deposit the cheque into his account. At least with ten thousand pounds in hand he could pay his land taxes in advance and have a cushion between him and the world. Much more cheerful, he made his way home and looked around his garden, deciding a bit of work would not hurt it at all. As he straightened he realised he had an audience and froze for a moment.

"Yes?"

"Are you Remus John Lupin?"

"Yes," Remus agreed warily. If this was Ministry then they would know exactly who he was so it was useless to deny it.

"You used to work for Forman's Security Services?"

"Yes."

"Humm."

They stared at each other for a few seconds, neither willing to give up the advantage. Finally the man cleared his throat and glanced around the property with an assessing eye. "I represent Parkinson's Development Company and we are interested in purchasing the properties around this area for the purpose of redevelopment. We were informed that you were leaving the area."

Lupin assimilated the speech in seconds, wondering where it was going. "No."

The man paused. "No?"

"No."

"No, you didn't lose your job? No, you aren't moving on? No, you aren't selling?"

"That's right." 'Admit nothing,' a little voice screamed.

"The offer is lucrative and only available for a limited time. You know how hard it is for people of your kind to get work, even in... security positions. Here is my card, call me if you should change your mind."

Remus took the card and glanced at it briefly reading the name Herman Parker before he turned his back and went inside, shutting the door after him. Sighing deeply, he shivered all over, drank some water to ease his throat and gave the card a closer look. It looked back, suddenly coming to life.

"Bloody hell, they're wizards!" he exclaimed in disgust. If wizards were interested in his land then he didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of surviving against them. Why him? Why now? It would only take a word in the wrong ears and he could lose everything he had ever worked for, again!

Sighing, he made his dinner then sat down to listen to some music. One of his few indulgences was Muggle music. It was supposed to sooth the savage beast, and it certainly worked on him. He had a state-of-the-art sound system that reproduced the notes with the clarity and fidelity that did not offend his werewolf ears. He was singing along quietly with Madame Butterfly when an alien noise intruded. Glancing around wildly, he noticed a shadow at his window and carefully picked up his wand before he opened it. A large brown owl let itself in, settled on a chair back and held out its leg impatiently.

Remus gave it a piece of bacon in lieu of an owl treat and a drink of water in a pie dish, as it was obvious the bird was not leaving without a reply. Untying the green ribbon, he noted the letter's seal and blinked as he unrolled the parchment.

Dearest Remus

I find myself in need and ask if it is possible that you might come to Hogwarts and teach Defence Against the Dark Arts once again?

I had confirmation from Laura Brucitos of Durmstrang that she would be ready, willing and able to join us this year but at the last moment she owled me with the ecstatic news that she was to be married and therefore was not prepared to leave Bulgaria at this time.

Since Alastor died we have been unable to fill the post successfully. I am offering an open-ended contract to you, immediate start and no less than three years in duration with options to extend if both parties are agreeable, with the blessings of the school board this time. The Board of Governors has undertaken to make sure your status as a werewolf is not an issue with the parents and students, endorsing your appointment with the full weight of their authority. We are entering a new era of interspecies cooperation and Hogwarts plans to take full advantage of the changes by availing itself of your expertise in raising and training werewolves.

I realise that coming back to Hogwarts may hold some bad memories for you but I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive us all for the past problems and embrace this new openness of mind the school board has shown.

On a lighter note, we are also introducing a new Herbology Professor, Phillip Mosley, one of Filius' many grandchildren so you will not be starting the school year as the only new professor in the faculty.

Morina has been asked to wait a full twenty-four hours for your reply if you need it and I do hope you will agree to join us. There will be tickets waiting for you at the station if you choose to avail yourself of them.

Awaiting your decision

Sincerely

Albus Dumbledore.

Dropping his chin onto his chest, Remus chewed his lip as the stereo played on unheeded. So many decisions, too many coincidences! Lose his job, offered another? Someone makes an offer for his house just before he is asked to move to Hogwarts for the next three years, and the offer from a Wizarding firm. If he was the paranoid type, he would wonder who was watching his fortunes and why? Forcing him to choose between shift changes and losing his job could easily have been an arranged coincidence but by whom? Not Albus, it just wasn't his style. Would Parkinson's Development Company make such a request? He now suspected Elicha Parkinson was the owner, a branch of the Parkinson Family, notorious in Dark Circles for their ability to lick arse and kick servants.

Still, the house was a place to live, nothing more. Selling it was no problem as long as he got a very good price for it and managed to hold onto the money. Large amounts of money attracted unwanted Ministry attention and that was not a desirable result. Teaching at as prestigious a school as Hogwarts was a degree of protection from Ministry attention. No, the real problem in accepting the Hogwarts position was Severus Snape, Potions Master, former war comrade, and ex lover. Severus was as much a part of Hogwarts as the stones on which it stood and if Remus took the position, then he would have to face Severus. He didn't know if he could handle the rejection again. Once was quite enough!

Sighing deeply, Remus went in search of parchment to write his refusal of the Hogwarts position. He would go along to Lockhart's first thing in the morning.

~~*~~

Augustus Murphy glared at his old colleague as he sipped his tea. "Why should I help you destroy the werewolf packs? I am a bloody werewolf thanks to the criminal stupidity of the department. Do you think I want to participate in my own destruction?"

"I would think not, but look at it this way, wouldn't you like to have a say in how your new clan is run? Wouldn't you like to rule the werewolves, even those who are classed as tame?"

Murphy studied the man before him with narrowed eyes, finding the enhanced senses of a werewolf useful in discovering that the man was not lying, or at least his scent said he believed in what he was saying. "Explain."

"Werewolves are pack animals, they are ruled by one man and they have managed to formulate laws by which they live. They have Law Makers and Lore Givers who put these rules into music that can be howled at full moon. We know this by using veritaserum and some, er, interesting charms on one of the werewolf leaders we discovered and coaxed to talk to us. If you were in a position to influence the massed packs and clans, wouldn't that be a nice sort of compensation for being bitten in the line of duty?"

"You want me to be the King of the werewolves? Perhaps it would help," the man mused stroking his beard thoughtfully. "Okay, tell me what you want?"

~~*~~

Remus shared his breakfast with the owl, still staring at his reply, which remained a blank parchment beside his plate. He had really enjoyed teaching the last time he had tried it and he had always loved to study and learn. His time at Hogwarts as a student had been some of the best years of his life. On the other hand, his time with Severus had been very strange indeed. Should he allow the time Severus had totally forgotten to rule his decision now? Or should he take the chance that Severus would ignore his presence instead of making a scene?

Before he could make a coherent decision, there was a knock on the front door, a very unusual sound indeed. Rising cautiously, Remus peered out the front window but his visitor was hidden by the edge of the porch. Shaking his head, Remus opened the door then frowned when he saw his caller was Herman Parker. He smiled inquiringly at the taller man.

"Have you made the decision?" the agent asked flatly.

"You haven't made me a concrete offer."

"We are prepared to go as high as fifty thousand pounds."

"Forget it, the place is worth at least a hundred thousand," Remus scoffed.

The man smiled again. "Oh, there is a bonus offer too. Take the money and we let you keep it. Refuse and the Ministry will need to speak to you."

Remus shook his head in disgust and began to shut the door. His visitor snarled and slammed a fist into the panel taking Remus by surprise. The door flew back and Parker surged inside, grabbing Lupin by the front of his shirt and slamming him into the nearest wall. A wand under Remus' chin gouged the skin as the man smirked down at him. "And they said you would be a tough nut to crack? Hah, you're a pussy!"

Remus brought his knee up hard into the man's groin then grabbed his wand hand. The man's triumph slid away as Remus put pressure on his fingers, moving his arm away from his throat. A twist and a flick and the man fell to his knees as his arm was lifted high and his wand snapped with one hand. "So you are without your wand and stuck here with an angry werewolf who does not appreciate being threatened in his own home. Now what are you going to do?"

"Listen, you can have seventy five thousand, no problem. I can cut the cheque in a second, as long as you don't break my arm so I can still write," Herman Parker began pleading, all threats of Ministry intervention forgotten.

"And if you don't make it one hundred thousand, then I will definitely break your arm and then go after your boss too. You see, I will have nothing left to lose."

After a second of contemplation, his visitor nodded grudging agreement and Remus let his grip ease a little but did not let go as the chequebook was carefully pulled out and the requisite cheque drawn up. Parker almost baulked when Remus plunged the quill point into his arm and made him write the cheque in his own blood. It was the best way to make sure a document was honoured that Remus knew of, even though the smell was - enticing! Inspecting the cheque carefully he frogmarched his captive over to the sturdy wooden kitchen chairs. It only took a second to cast ropes around Herman to keep him in place while Remus took the cheque and decided his best chance of cashing it would be to go to Gringott's directly.

He didn't often go into Diagon Alley and he wondered how he could go as inconspicuously as possible. A hooded robe and some suede boots would be good enough to get him into the Leaky Cauldron. As long as he kept his head down and did not offend anyone even unwittingly, he could make it to the front door of Gringott's. Once in the door, the goblins would not throw him out if they smelled money on him and the cheque had an unmistakable scent. Plan made, he carefully gathered everything he wanted to keep into a pile, wrote a quick note to the Headmaster and sent the owl on its way then shrank what he wanted to take with him into a very small bundle. The deeds, which he actually kept in a spell warded box in his wardrobe, were carefully placed in his inner robes pocket under an obscuring spell. If Parker knew they were in the house he would have fought much harder Remus supposed.

Taking out the Muggle key ring he used, he slipped the keys off and tossed them at the Herman Parker's feet. Thinking carefully, he smiled and cast a charm over a knife, pointing it at Parker's heart. "Okay," he murmured softly in Parker's ear, "I am going to cash the cheque. If all goes well then the knife will cut the ropes and you can pick up the deeds at Gringott's tomorrow. I will owl them in. If there are any problems with the transaction, then the knife will cut out your heart. Now, is there anything you would like to tell me about this cheque before I give it to the goblins?"

"No, I swear! I was authorised to negotiate the best deal I was able. We can even pick up the transfer fees, if you like."

Remus nodded and smiled as he apparated directly to the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron so as to waste no time. Everything he had done to Parker was an offence under the Werewolf Protection Act and if the Ministry caught him now, he expected that transportation would be the best alternative. At worst, he would be executed and his carcass broken up for potions ingredients.

The bar of the Leaky Cauldron was open but there were no patrons so Remus was permitted to slip through with little hindrance. One drunken fellow did stumble into his path and almost fall at his feet. Remus grabbed the old fellow and steadied him as grimy hands clutched his robes and a blast of whiskey laden thanks gusted over him. Easing himself free, Remus murmured a farewell to the old drunk and made his way out to the yard to activate the gateway. He pulled his hood close around his face and hurried down Diagon Alley toward the imposing Gringott's building. At the door, he paused to let himself catch his breath then pushed through as if he had every right to be there. A guard goblin looked up and wrinkled its nose as he moved further into the lofty space, a teller signalling imperiously for him to approach.

"What do you want?" the small, snarly creature demanded rudely and sniffed as Remus presented the cheque. "A lot of Muggle pounds," it commented then looked again, "signed in blood too, very potent. Wait here." The goblin slid down from its chair and disappeared through a tiny door in the rear wall.

"You have the deed?" another voice said near his knees a few seconds later and Remus jumped as he looked down.

"I do. I was also assured that the Development Company would pay any transfer fees owing."

"Where does it say that?" the goblin demanded huffily.

"In my head," Remus insisted softly. "You may look, if you are brave enough?"

For a second he thought the goblin might take up his challenge but then it nodded and beckoned him to follow. "The exchange rate on Muggle money is good, almost one for one this morning because of the dragon pox crisis. I can offer you ninety seven thousand six hundred galleons at the going rate. For the fee of one hundred galleons I can reactivate the Lupin account for your convenience."

Considering for a moment, Remus drew out his Muggle passbook and passed it over too. "Can you convert this money to galleons too; perhaps leave a couple of thousand pounds in Muggle money, just in case? Add the galleons to my account, please?"

"You want a credit card on that account and a drawing facility at the Hogsmeade branch?"

"Yes please, that would be very convenient."

The oddly cooperative goblin had his finances sorted out and the contracts ready for his signature within a few minutes; he even offered tea, a gesture that took Remus entirely by surprise. He was even more astonished when the goblin offered to invest some of his galleons through the bank's corporate investment service, at a genuinely nominal fee. Smelling a rat, Remus frowned thoughtfully. "Why are you being so generous and helpful?" he asked softly with his usual forthright manner.

The goblin pressed his fingers together and smiled, a rather horrible sight but it seemed sincere as it tapped its teeth thoughtfully. "There is a wind, or should I say a faint breeze of change in the Wizarding world. The radical and the extreme conservative factions of society are beginning to lose their influence. More conciliatory policies are slowly taking their place. Even as we speak the legislation to reclassify non-humans into slaves or animals is being eroded away and losing its strength. As a non-human species we goblins are lucky in that we have a certain amount of influence, we hold the cash and have the numbers after all. However, a lot of other species through no fault of their own, werewolves, mer-people, veela, vampires, Skelkies and the like are treated worse than animals. Now you, a well-known and well-respected war hero werewolf, have been invited to teach at Hogwarts with full approval of the Board. The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is even inviting werewolf students to openly attend this time."

Remus felt his ears perk up at that titbit of information, not something the Headmaster had mentioned in his letter but it did make sense. He nodded slowly, wondering what else he was going to be surprised with this year, but the goblin was speaking again and he returned his attention to the small creature, listening intently.

"Oh yes, we heard about the Board's decision last week. Times are definitely changing and we goblins are ordered to encourage the changes wherever we can."

"Why are you telling me this?" Remus was moved to ask, his finely honed sense of self- preservation telling him something nasty was about to happen as he had too much information but the goblin merely smiled again.

"You are a leader of your community, even if you do not choose to use it, Remus John Lupin. We think you will come into your own in the next few months and we always back the winning side."

Enlightened self-interest was something Remus understood, having encountered it so often, and he nodded slowly, "very well, thank you for all your help and I hope to do business with you again in the future."

It wasn't until Remus checked into a Muggle hotel room near the station that he found the crumpled, dirty note in his robes pocket and grinned when he thought about Gorum, the werewolf disguised as a drunk. He was a little simple, getting more so if he was excited, but a loyal and true friend for many years. How Gorum ever managed to pick his pockets, or managed to slip things into his pockets, always fascinated him. Even Dung hadn't been that good! Taking it out and smoothing it flat, he frowned at the badly penned missive until he had the sense of it.

Moony

They be bad things planned for us kind. Someone is makin' werewolf skin cloaks agin, and not the Minstry. You be lookin' ova you shoulde.

Gorum

Frowning again as he made ready for bed, Remus tried to recall all the current rumours and gossip he could about non-human species relations and the wizarding world. Unfortunately he had been out of the mainstream for so long, not much gossip touched him. Cursing his own ignorance, he finally dropped off to sleep.

~~*~~

"Did he attack you as planned?"

"N-no Sir, he just...."

"Fool! You had him just where we wanted him and you let him get the better of you without him leaving even a mark. You blundering idiot! Even the stupid Aurors cannot falsify pensieved memories and the Ministry is being forced to hold trials for people, even non-humans, with evidence! Damn it! And he has already deposited the money at Gringott's. How could you let him write the cheque in blood, you imbecile?"

Herman Parker mumbled indistinctly then mewled pitifully as his employer demanded he speak up. "He didn't write the cheque, I did. He threatened to Turn me!"

"No he fucking-well did not! It's all in the Pensieve, every last second of your very much less than stellar encounter with the Dark be-damned werewolf. You were outsmarted by nothing more than a dumb animal, so what does that make you? And what is worse, the Aurors did not receive warning that an incident was taking place because...." the man in the shadows paused in his tirade to draw a long suffering breath, and then roared, "there WAS NO INCIDENT! There was just a contract being signed and witnessed and the cheque, willingly written in blood, was cashed then the deed was owled to the office as agreed. It was a flawless transaction, you moron, flawless!

"I'm sorry Sir, I'll find him and...."

"Find him, will you? And how will you accomplish that feat of deduction when even the Aurors can't detect him?"

"I.... That is, he has to use magic sometime, doesn't he?"

"Well he managed quite nicely without it for five years, only Apparating occasionally and once a month doing healing charms and spells. Do you really think that he is suddenly going to advertise his presence to us by going on a giddy whirl of spells and charms?" There was an odd noise, like the grinding of very frustrated enamel then a low growl of disgust. "Oh, get out of my sight, you useless piece of shit! Damn the Dark Lord for getting anyone with an ounce of brains killed off! I need a better grade of henchmen!"