Werewolves at Hogwarts

Chapter 13

Breakfast was a subdued and all but silent affair, the number of empty places at the Gryffindor table mute testimony to the terrible miscarriage of the prank from the previous night. There were even one or two missing from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Seventeen people were out with asthma attacks, four with severe allergies to the ingredients of the oil, and three werewolves with chronic sinus burn.

Paul sat by himself, looking paler and smaller than ever, as Sally Drinkwater helped him to some breakfast. He almost jumped out of his skin when a looming black figure appeared behind him and a long, sallow hand put a small vial down by his plate. Twisting rapidly, he stared up at Professor Snape with growing terror.

"Put a drop on your collar every two hours, and if your nose pains you, take a deep sniff of the bottle. Put half a dozen drops on your pillow tonight and you should be feeling a lot better by tomorrow."

"I--I, yes sir, I.... Can I give some to Red?" Paul stuttered in surprise.

"Mr Watts has his own vial of neutralising solution," Snape said reassuringly as he moved away.

Taking a sniff, Paul slumped in relief as the burning pain in his sinus cavity eased dramatically. He looked up toward the teacher's table in time to see Snape hand a similar vial to the Alpha, who nodded gratefully.

Instead of moving to his own seat, Severus slipped into the seat beside Remus and urged him to use the vial immediately. He fidgeted while Remus complied; unsure of how to broach the topic he had to address, but unwilling to let it go. As the potion cleared Remus' head, he took more interest in how his favourite person was behaving, and had to bite his lip to stop his smile getting too wide. "Can I help you with anything, Severus?" he asked gently, turning to face the taller man with a smile.

"I don't know that you can, really, it's just.... Look, I was drunk on magically enhanced grog last night and I... I think I made a fool of myself, so I suppose you will want an apology now."

"Not at all," Remus replied cordially. "You were drunk, I'll admit, but if you were to tender the same invitation when you are sober, I would be delighted to take you up on it, I do assure you."

"Oh Merlin, I did proposition you, didn't I?"

"Most insistently," Remus confirmed with a widening grin. "And you were charming too, very hard to resist, but I did manage, but only because you were as drunk as a lord."

Severus blushed slightly and turned to fiddle with the cutlery. "I.... You said something about remembering, and blocking against Voldemort. What did you mean?"

"Severus, this is not the time or the place for such a discussion, believe me. I am not in good enough shape to cope with any problems that may arise. I suggest we wait until this awful stuff has worn its course, before we get into any major life changing topics. Don't worry it is nothing bad, I promise you." Lupin sighed as the long face opposite closed down totally.

Severus narrowed his eyes for a second then sighed too. "I'll accept that. I have been up for a few hours analysing the potion that was exploded in the Gryffindor common room. Most of it was a simple rotten egg stink bomb contained in a commercially produced spell globe. Unfortunately, the enterprising little bastards added a few not so salubrious ingredients such as essence of skunk, oil of Skallia and heart of garlic oil. Usually each ingredient by itself is enough to drive off even the most persistent enemy but, by combining the Skallia and the sulphurs in the rotten eggs, they made a sulphuric gas when exposed to air. That in turn reacted with the essence of skunk and made it sticky, layering it on anything it touched, including the inside membranes of lungs and sinuses."

"Was it deliberate, do you think?" Remus asked, taking another sniff of his neutralising agent.

"No, I think it was indeed a practical joke that has gone horribly wrong. However, you werewolves being so sensitive to smells, have caught the brunt of it and even worse, your Miss Path was actually hit with one of the globes, the mixture sticking to her skin and causing burns as well as stink. Anyone with an asthmatic condition was also badly affected and, between you and me, one of the Ravenclaws was taken out by the heart of garlic, being sixth generation vampire. Albus was not amused at all and--if anything--was inclined to seek out the culprits and expel them immediately. However, I hope that is not a position he holds to," Severus said quietly, taking a cup of coffee and burying his nose in it while glancing at Remus out the corner of his eyes.

Remus pursed his lips thoughtfully. "It was your Slytherins, wasn't it? And you know who it was. Oh, don't look so outraged, Severus, I can read you even when you don't like me to. If I do choose to support you in this, what will you do about it? I can't have a repeat of this sort of maliciousness, even if you are inclined to dismiss it as a mere prank."

"They will suffer," Severus promised softly, the retribution in his tone making Remus wonder if Albus wasn't the kinder of the two fates.

"Very well, it's a done deal."

~~*~~

Andy stirred, the movement making her feel sick again, the burning in her nose and lungs subsided to a dull edged ache. She had been dancing and laughing when something hit her and then....

"Malcolm!" she gasped, only to feel a hand holding her shoulder down.

"Lay still, Andy, I'm here," the hoarse voice beside her was not as reassuring as it should have been and she turned slightly to look at him. He looked gaunt and haggard with black circles under his eyes, even a scruffy, straggly beard on his chin. Beyond him, in the next bed, was a small dark haired figure, now sitting up on one elbow with a hopeful expression on his face. "She's coming around at last," Malcolm called, then coughed a little as Madam Pomfrey hurried in, scolding him.

"Get back to bed now you silly boy! I told you she would be alright, and you weren't to get up, now didn't I?" the medi-witch scolded, but without real heat. "How are you feeling dear?"

"Does 'ugh' cover it?" Andy joked feebly. "What happened, or is that just too cliché for words?"

Red giggled, also a little hoarse in the voice. "We got stink-bombed, and you tried to catch one in your teeth," he teased and ducked as Malcolm mock threw something at him. "Seriously, you got hit in the chest with one, and it stuck to you. We thought you were going to die, but Professor Snape made a really good potion to stop the burning and stuff."

"Yeah, he did. And Paul--clever little cub that he is--managed to get a clothes peg on his nose and roust out the first and second years before they were overcome in their beds by the fumes. Professor Dumbledore was going to expel everyone who took part in the raid, but I think he and the Alpha and Professor Snape cut a deal."

"Humm, that's probably a good thing. Oh come on Malcolm, it was probably a joke that went wrong. How would you feel if you played a joke and the consequences were tragic? How would your conscience deal with it?"

"Yes, but I'm not a Slytherin snake, am I?"

"No, you're a very gallant Gryffindork," Andy teased and watched the blush climb his cheeks. "Besides, being magnanimous when it costs nothing is always good for a favour and, as werewolves we need to build up our favour bank as big as possible."

"Very adult thinking, Miss Path," a new voice said smoothly, and Professor Snape appeared at the foot of her bed. "I see the potion has done its work well. You may need to treat the burn scars on your chest with some scar reduction creams, but apart from that I think it is just a matter of letting the healing do its work."

"Oh there you are, Severus," Madam Pomfrey said, bustling back with an arm full of pillows. "Did you want something?"

"Eternal peace and quiet? A villa in the South of France," Snape replied with a straight face.

Pomfrey gave him an old fashioned look, and he bowed slightly as he glided away, leaving the three students staring after him in shock.

"Did he just make a joke?" Malcolm asked incredulously.

"Not at all," Madam Pomfrey assured them as she tidied up Andy's bed. "He was merely answering my question to the best of his ability." She managed not to laugh aloud at their round eyed astonishment before Andy caught onto her teasing and giggled. "It must mean you are getting better my dear. He only grows less serious when he is relieved. Now, how would you like to try some Scotch Broth?"

Andy's stomach rumbled its agreement.

~~*~~

November's transition was quite difficult for the werewolves, three of them still weak from the fumes. Even Moony was lethargic and slow as he paced their area, checking his markers and refreshing a couple, before returning to the den area. Only Cloud was happy to play and run around, enjoying being the fastest and strongest of the pack for the first time. He pounced on Moony's tail, gnawed on Red's ear, and tried to burrow in between Sweetbriar and Storm to get them to play. Finally Moony whacked a Kong full of treats across the room and Cloud ran after it with a yelp of pleasure, amusing himself for a good two hours trying to scrape the little bits of biscuit and fresh mince out of the hard rubber toy.

"Remind me never to go into transition with a healthy cub when I am not up to par," Remus groaned as they all sat around the table in the Pack Hall as they had renamed the Shrieking Shack.

Paul giggled and made tea for his professor, putting the pot onto the table. "You'll all be better by Christmas Transition," he remarked then his face fell. "We won't be here for Christmas, will we?"

"Don't you want to go home for Christmas?" Charlie asked in amazement.

"Christmas yes, but not transition. It's always bad at home, and I think I would rather be here, honest!"

"You can come back here if you like," Remus offered. "I will be here and probably a few other students, so it won't be too lonely for you."

"I'll ask my Dad and Mum if you can come for transition at my house," Charlie said decisively. "I have a huge fenced yard, with lots of trees and a rope swing and everything. There's plenty room for both of us, and maybe your mum and dad can come too?"

"You think so? That would be the best!" Paul perked up considerably.

"I'm staying here for Christmas," Malcolm said flatly. "The parents have to go to America for my sister's engagement, so I'm sort of superfluous in the scheme of things."

"Mother is holding a New Year's Eve party, and I have to be there, so I will be spending transition in the cellar, as usual. Tell you what, Malcolm, why don't you come to my place for Transition and New Year, to make the whole thing bearable?"

"Would your mother agree?" Malcolm asked, perking up considerably too.

"Agree that I should have a good looking and suitable date for her precious New Year's Eve Party? Of course she will!"

"But what about you Moony, won't you be lonely by yourself?" Charlie asked suddenly.

Remus laughed, sipping his tea. "No, I plan to revisit a few old stomping grounds if I have no responsibilities here. There are a few fresh pack markings at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, so I will do a little investigating of my own." The gleam in their professor's eye made them grin back almost as feral as he was grinning. "So, that decided, shall we commence our homework?"