Werewolves at Hogwarts

Chapter 7

The boat trip was fantastic, even sulky Malcolm was impressed by the sight of the great castle reflected and enhanced by the still waters of the lake. The four of them stood close together on the wharf as an older witch approached, iron grey hair dragged back in a bun, and square glasses perched on her nose.

"Gather around please. I am Deputy Headmistress Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor House. We will move in an orderly fashion to the Great Hall where you will be Sorted into your Houses. When your House is called you will proceed to the proper table and take your seats. The Headmaster will give the welcome speech then the feast will begin. Now, follow me." She turned on her heel and led them away.

"Well, here goes, children," Andy bent forward to whisper, still looking cool and sophisticated even in her school robes.

"What if we don't get Sorted, what if they won't let us into a House?" Paul murmured nervously.

"What if the sky falls in?" Malcolm muttered only to be hushed by Andy.

"Then we'll have to start our own House," Andy said with such conviction the closest juniors turned to look at her.

"You can't do that!" a little black haired moppet said, scandalised. "You sit on the stool and the Hat tells you which House will suit you best. My parents were Gryffindors, so I hope I will be too, but I'm not really brave, so I guess I'll get Hufflepuff." The little girl sighed deeply then grinned. "I'm Sally Drinkwater."

"I'm Andy Path, that's Malcolm, Paul and Charlie. We're the werewolf contingent."

"Andy!" Malcolm protested.

"Well it's not going to be much of a secret in a couple of weeks, now is it?" she asked reasonably and grinned at the little girl who was staring bug-eyed. "So, I guess you just might be brave enough to get into the Gryffindors after all, Sally."

There was a distinct shuffling away from the small group but Sally held her ground, blinking then began to smile hopefully. "Do you think so?"

About to give a flip answer, Andy looked down at the hopeful little face and smiled back. "Yes, I do."

Before anyone else could comment the double doors were flung open and the stern teacher marched them down the central aisle under the massed eyes of the school. The teachers they had yet to meet were sitting at the high table, their Professor Lupin on one end. A black haired, sour looking man three places down said something quietly and Lupin frowned, shook his head in resignation then continued to smile pleasantly.

Paul was the first of their group to be called up, Andy and Malcolm being Sorted separately. He looked like he was going to the gallows as he plodded forward and hitched himself up onto the stool. He was so small, Andy's heart bled for the poor little guy. After what seemed like forever the Hat said 'Gryffindor' and the red and gold table cheered and stamped as he slid down and stared at his friends as he slunk over to the table. The rest of the first years moved away to leave a large space around him. Only Sally Drinkwater held her ground with a smile.

Charlie gritted his teeth but Malcolm held his shoulder steady. A few minutes later, Charlie barely put his rump onto the stool before the Hat called Gryffindor. Giggling, he slid to the floor and bolted in beside Paul, going to high five his new friend. When Paul didn't seem to know what he meant, Charlie grabbed his wrist and showed him how to do it.

Glancing up at Lupin, Andy saw that he firmly approved of the Sorting and the budding friendship. Malcolm was also checking with Lupin but he leaned forward and murmured in her ear. "That black haired guy is dangerous. He has done nothing but snipe at Lupin since we got here. Any idea of who he might be?"

"No, but I'm sure we will find out. And when we do, we may be able to cure his problem for him." Andy showed her teeth in what humans saw as a wide smile but the wolves saw as the snarl it was. Malcolm smiled too and drew back slightly as Andy's name was called.

The girl moved like a model down the centre of the hall and mounted the stool like a queen ascending to her throne. More than one set of eyes nearly fell out as she wriggled sinuously into place and smiled at Professor McGonagall, who was rather taken aback when the regal looking blueblood winked at her, having pegged her as a typical Slytherin.

The Hat also seemed surprised when it said Gryffindor. Taking her sweet time, Andrea Leger-Path, removed the Hat, smiled at it and rose to saunter over to the Gryffindor table. Half a dozen boys rose hurriedly and offered her a place, but she merely smiled at them sweetly and slid in beside the two little boys, giving each of them a hug before turning to see how Malcolm fared.

Malcolm faced the Hat with a sullen glare, Minerva wondering why he was so angry at the world. The Hat was also wondering what to make of the boy whose mind kept repeating. 'Let me be with my pack, please let me be with my pack.' When the Hat finally spoke, it replied softly so only he could hear. "Intellect of a Ravenclaw, dedication of a Hufflepuff, ambition of a Slytherin but for one who holds loyalty as a trait above and beyond you may go to," it paused for suspense, "Gryffindor."

"Thank you," Malcolm said softly as he rose and went to sit with Andy and the kids.

On the dais Remus smiled and nodded happily to the four all sitting together.

"Bloody werewolves, the lot of you, and it's typical that they would all be Gryffindors," that sly, snaky, beautifully velvet voice taunted once again.

"What's wrong, Severus? Do you have a headache or a stomach ache? Or perhaps you are hung over?" Remus said pleasantly and was rewarded by the tiniest tightening of his tormentor's eyelids. "You know you should get in contact with a good potions master and get yourself a hangover potion to cure that."

Severus ground his teeth at the solicitously delivered jibe then wished he hadn't. He did have a very healthy hangover that no potion in his arsenal seemed to shift. This served him right as he had downed a full bottle of twenty-one year old whiskey. Such disrespect for its quality brought its own punishment. "Who said I have a hang-over?" he sneered, trying to regain ground.

"You did. I can read you like a book, Sev, I always could." Remus smiled beneficently as Severus' temperature climbed visibly.

"My name is Severus. Who gave you permission to even use that, much less shorten it to such a ridiculous diminutive?"

"Actually, you preferred 'Sevvy' at the time but you eventually grew out of that one." Remus smiled reminiscently then frowned as the colour drained from the pale face before him. "Are you alright, Severus?"

Ignoring him, Severus rose and stormed out, his black robes billowing after him.

"And Lupin sinks the quaffle for ten points," Rolanda Hooch muttered as Dumbledore rose to give the notices and welcome speech.

"Welcome to another wonderful year at Hogwarts, and once again we are nearly all assembled to feast. A few things must be said. The Forbidden Forest is still forbidden. Please do not try to enter or you may find yourself eaten. It is breeding season for grindylows and the mer-people will attack anyone venturing into the lake so please do not swim. There are two holes in the courtyard that are in the process of being repaired. And now for more pleasant things! There will be a Valentine's Day Ball for third year and upward, to be held in the Great Hall. Only couples may attend, as usual. Next, I would like you to make our two new professors welcome. Professor Mosley will be taking you all for Herbology." There were cheers and applause for the diminutive man who was no bigger than professor Flitwick. "And Professor Lupin who returns to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts." Again there were applause, but a few Slytherins hissed. "Now, there are rumours that werewolves are about to invade Hogwarts...."

Someone in the body of the hall yelled, "He's already here, isn't he?" Someone else howled softly and some laughed uneasily. Professor Lupin merely grinned and raised his glass in acknowledgement of the jibe but was not at all put out.

"Settle down now children." Albus waved for silence with a twinkling eye and a smile for Lupin's insouciance. "Besides our very talented Professor we have also decided to integrate our own pack into Hogwarts life under Professor Lupin's expert care. As most of you are aware, Professor Lupin was the main liaison between the Wild Packs and the Order of the Phoenix, a task fraught with danger and uncertainty. Now, in peace time we hope to tap that expertise and use it for the good of Wizarding society."

Andy leaned over and whispered to Malcolm. "Wonder if he'll teach us to catch a Frisbee?"

Malcolm slapped a hand over his mouth to stop his sniggers while one of the boys further down the table frowned disapprovingly at the interruption. The younger boys were not quite so quick to cover and Paul barked a laugh before he stifled it. Shaking her head, Andy clipped all three of them playfully on the shoulders and earned yet another glare from the same boy. "Can't take you three anywhere, can I?" she muttered, still grinning.

Ignoring the interruption Albus continued his speech on how they were trying to improve werewolf and human interactions and that everyone was to do their part to make the experiment a success. Finally, he wished them all a wonderful year and waved his hands to produce a feast.

"What are you four playing at?" The boy with the glare demanded as soon as the food appeared.

Malcolm glared but Andy merely smiled, showing a perfect set of pure white teeth. "And you are?"

"I'm Chandler McDermott, Prefect for Gryffindor House," he said startled.

"How nice for you; I am Andrea Leger-Path, Family Leger, beta female of the Werewolf Pack of the Hogwarts," she said very clearly, toasting him with her glass of pumpkin juice. "I merely wondered if the alpha male would teach us any hunting skills this term, or perhaps he will wait until there is some snow to run in. Have you met the rest of the pack? This is our beta male, Malcolm Hollywell, and our two cubs Charlie Watts and Paul Streatham. Oh, is that caviar! How delicious, and toast points too, perfect. Do pass the dish, there's a darling, Malcolm."

The whole of Gryffindor had stopped eating and was staring at the very self contained and self-confident blonde who was carefully spooning the treat onto her plate. Seeing she was still the focus of attention she raised her eyebrows. "Well? What is it?"

"You mean you really are a werewolf?" the Prefect asked incredulously.

"But aren't you dangerous?" another girl further down the table asked with a shiver in her voice.

"Of course I am," Andy said matter-of-factly, "but I'm ever so civilised. I only bite at full moon, and only in very special circumstances. Most of the time I am fairly easy to get along with, unless someone interferes with one of my friends or pack mates."

"I think that applies to all four of us," Malcolm inserted into the discussion. "On that note, I suggest we eat as we are all being left behind. I don't know how you can eat that stuff Andy, it smells like rotting fish."

"I know, but I am addicted. I think my wolf was part cat," she complained as she helped herself to another delicacy."

Charlie laughed, spurting pumpkin juice and Paul barked again, his normal form of laughter, it seemed. "Or maybe he just ate a cat first," he whispered, and made Andy giggle and nudge him fairly solidly in the shoulder.

"Brat!"

~~*~~

Remus watched the children interact and how the tension rose and fell at the Gryffindor table until they were all eating at a fairly normal pace. Somewhat relieved, he began to eat his own meal, picking at the rare roast beef and excellent gravy.

"Aren't you hungry, Remus?" Minerva asked, enjoying her own meal.

"Sort of, oh, you know me, 'all care, and responsibility, too'. Seems my little wolf pack has all ended up in Gryffindor, which was not planned but it is a very good thing, I think."

"What do I need to know about them?" Minerva asked without inflection.

"The two older ones are my betas. Andrea is a pureblood, a wild child who bit off more than she could chew when she flaunted house rules and ran off with a village boy who proved to be a werewolf on the prowl. Malcolm is also a pureblood though of a more normal social order. His parents, who were terrified of him, have mismanaged Malcolm to the point of neglect. We need to win his heart and mind or he will be a candidate for the wild packs as quick as he can join them. Charlie, the boisterous boy, is just that, a boisterous little cub that has never been treated with anything but the kindness and firmness of a loving family. He is how I wish all werewolves were raised."

"Are you envious, Remus?" Minerva interjected sympathetically.

"Oh yes," Remus confirmed with a wry smile. "Paul is me, cosseted, protected and hidden away from all society in an effort to save reputation. No cruelty just a prime case of insecurity. I hope the four of them will become more than the parts."

"You will have to watch Severus or he will make their lives a living hell, if he takes it into his head that he hates them for being werewolves."

"Would he be so bloody minded? Cancel that, of course he would, if he felt the need to prove anything. How has he been coping, Minerva, since the war ended? What is wrong with him tonight anyway? Besides the hangover, I mean?"

"Severus had a hangover? Well, well, well! He rarely takes more than a single glass, won't even unbend that much as a rule. What is wrong with Severus? I have no idea how he has been coping and I don't think anyone has either. I don't think he has ever talked openly about himself or about what happened to him to anyone, not even Albus. Our boy was not a confiding soul to begin with and I think he is worse now than ever. Albus and I worry about him in his fits of silence or his moments of murderous rage. When the mood is on him he goes into the Forbidden Forest and well, I think he takes his temper out on the trees and rocks, mostly inanimate objects anyway. Maybe you can get him to talk to you while you are here. After all, you brought him back the second time, virtually single-handedly."

"I'm not a psychologist, Minerva. A head medi-wizard," he explained when he saw her look of blank incomprehension. "Besides, I don't think Severus can stand the very sight of me just now."

"Humph, he is such a contrary man, always cutting off his own nose to spite his face," Agytha Sinistra added her own comment with grim humour.

"No, he is true to his own beliefs, sometimes to the point of obsession," Remus said with conviction. "I'll try and talk to Severus but I can't promise anything. Besides, I have to have some sort of syllabus ready for Monday."

"The last one left his syllabus in the classroom, which I might add is in a terrible state," Minerva said grimly. "Filch cleaned out a lot of the mess, but its still pretty bad."

"What happened to the classroom?" Remus asked resignedly.

"Morton Parkinson tried to show the last NEWTs class how to defeat a demon. It tore him to pieces and was going after the students when Albus arrived to banish it. Consequently our last NEWTs class was something of a disaster."

Remus rubbed his face and sighed. "Looks like tomorrow will be a busy day and I have to see Albus before I can retire."

"Good luck," Professor Sinistra grinned without sympathy.

~~*~~

"Tea, Remus?" Albus offered, sitting across from the younger man in his office.

"Thank you, yes," Remus accepted pleasantly, content to wait until the Headmaster broached the subject he wanted to.

"So, how was your trip up on the train? Did you enjoy meeting the young wolves? Any insights into their personalities as yet, or is it too soon?" Albus twinkled as he sipped his tea, peering over the rim of the cup merrily.

Remus grinned back and sighed as he relaxed into the cushions of the armchair. "I have had some small insights but nothing too dramatic to report just yet. Malcolm will be a problem but not a big one. The youngsters will be no problem at all and Andy is a law unto herself, but not malicious."

Albus blinked then smiled. "Well done. Our assessments seem to be moving in tandem at the moment. However, there is something a little more serious we may need to address. Last week, even as the school board agreed to host werewolves at Hogwarts, two incidents reached the ears of the Wizengamot. They were quite serious incidents that may be a blow to all the good we have managed to do for the non-human species. Firstly, some nameless person sent a tip-off to the Aurors who intercepted a shipment of goods that were going abroad, recipient unstated. Inside the parcel there were ten cured werewolf hides. Wrapped within each hide was a pair of Goblin ears, a set of vampire jaws, the breastbones of a veela and the tailfins of a mer-person. The parcel represented the murders of fifty non-human people. Later that week someone sent an owl to the Ministry with an anonymous note. Basically it was a bragging letter saying that this was the only fate a non-human should be subjected to, not coddled and cozened and treated like real people."

"May Merlin preserve us!" Remus gasped, putting down his tea as he turned a sickly shade of green. "Were there any traces of who had sent the parcel?"

"I'm afraid not. All the Acclaro spells revealed was that each person had died by magic and not very cleanly. One of the hides was identified as Maxilan Hamilton, a werewolf who fought in the war."

"Wind Biter? My Gods, someone was very sneaky. Wind Biter was an old and cautious wolf who had survived a long time in the Wilds." Remus pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply. "Did they identify anyone else?"

"Not yet. The only reason er Wind Biter was recognised was because he had been retired to the Isle of Cardoul," Albus began but was cut off by a bark of bitter laughter.

"Retired to? Don't you mean imprisoned? I did not think you were one to speak in euphemisms Headmaster?"

Albus bowed his head and sighed. "Remus, I do assure you that the Isle of Cardoul has changed a lot in the last five years. There are houses and shops and the population is allowed to apparate onto the mainland except during the three days of the full moon. We have all worked hard for the improvement of the Wild Ones' lot while you have been away."

"Strange that, but what is the first thing that happened to me as I set foot in Diagon Ally for the first time since Paul Potter was born? Gorum thought to slip me a note of warning while disguised as a drunk. Here, read." He handed the grubby note over.

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

Albus read the missive then frowned as he glanced up at his newest teacher. "How reliable is this Gorum character?"

"Reliable enough to be a member of my Pack when I was running the Ilkley Moors pack during the War. He is one of the Wild Ones, having been bitten very young and losing his whole family in the attack. He was simple but he survived, grew up feral and still stayed away from the Dark but was not wholly convinced the Light was all that great either."

"Humm, I see, and what do you think this note means?"

"Just what it says, someone is skinning out werewolves and tanning their hides to make cloaks which were rather fashionable in the early part of the century. The interesting part is how they stay wolf even after death. I thought they destroyed the method before the rise of Riddle. If I may be allowed to see the skins I might be able to identify some of the markings or scar patterns," he offered, feeling sick to his stomach.

"I don't think it will be necessary just yet, Remus, but I will convey your very generous offer to the Ministry at the first opportunity. Now, drink your tea and let us move to more congenial topics, shall we?"

Remus made the effort and managed to be amused by the eccentric old man as they spoke for an hour on Remus' duties and responsibilities in the next three years.

~~*~~

His quarters were in the Gryffindor tower staff quarters, a bed-sitter with an attached ensuite bathroom. They were comfortable rooms, the summer sun coming in, in the afternoon to make the whole place inviting. He had brought little furniture in his hurried flight from his house, an armchair he favoured, his stereo system even though electricity was not available in Hogwarts Castle, and his collection of vinyl and CDs. His biggest box contained his books; a hundred heavily bound tomes and some of them very old books on a number of subjects. Mainly they were on Defence Against the Dark Arts, magical creatures and where to find them and some were considered Dark, demons and their Banishing. 'Which would have come in very handy last year, by the sound of it,' he thought as he positioned the book carefully. Glancing around the room, Remus smiled in quiet satisfaction. A few pillows and a rug would personalise the place in no time.

Crawling into bed he sighed when he thought of how much work he would have to do. He'd stuck his head into the DADA room, and pulled it out quite smartly. Obviously, someone had missed quite a few bits of the unfortunate teacher. The smell of corruption permeated the room and made the hairs on the back of his neck stand straight up! Still, even thoughts of that unpleasant task were better than thinking how many friends were to end up as skinned out and tanned clothing to adorn high born Purebloods or sold off as potions ingredients if this horrific trend became more widespread. It was almost unthinkable!