Of Fangs and Fur

Chapter Three:

Mundungus Fletcher walked into the alley as quietly as possible. He was meeting someone to talk about an illegal shipment of flying carpets. As he walked along the shadows in the alley trying not to be seen, he saw the moonlight land on something lying nearby and went to take a look. He had to bite his tongue to keep from throwing up at what he saw. There was blood all over the ground and the body of a young boy lay in the middle of it all.

'Well, whoever he is, I better see if he's still alive,' Mundungus thought, kneeling down to find the boy's pulse. As he reached for the boy's neck, he saw teeth marks still oozing blood. He turned the boy's head so he could check the other side of his neck, and saw that there were a different kind of teeth marks on that side.

'Damn, I best use his wrist,' he thought. He grabbed the boy's hand and found his pulse beating faintly.

'He's still alive,' he thought. Mundungus watched the boy's chest closely for a moment and saw it moving up and down in small, slow, erratic movements.

'Best take him to Arabella's and see if we can fix him up,' Mundungus thought. As he picked the boy up and prepared to apperate to Arabella's house, the brunette's hair moved away from his forehead and exposed a lightning bolt scar to the moonlight.

'Oh shit!,' Mundungus thought, 'It's Harry! Albus is not going to be happy about this,' and with that thought, Mundungus apperated the both of them to Arabella Figg's house.

"Arabella! Arabella, come quick!"

"Fletcher!! What in the name of Merlin are you doing here at this hour?" replied a kindly looking older woman, wiping her hands on the apron she wore as she approached him.

"It's Harry! He's been bitten by something! We have to call Albus!"

"What? Oh my goodness! Lay him down. I'll clean him up while you call Albus."

Mundungus laid Harry down on the couch and then turned to the fireplace. He threw in a pinch of floo-powder.

"Hogwarts, Headmaster's office."

When he could see the office, he started yelling for the headmaster.

"Albus!! Albus, it's an emergency!"

"Mr. Fletcher, what's the emergency?" Albus Dumbledore asked as he stepped into his office.

"It's Harry, Sir. He's been bitten by something. I'm not sure what, but there are teeth marks on both sides of his neck and he's lost a lot of blood."

"Where is he?" Dumbledore asked, sounding more alarmed than Mundungus had ever heard him sound before.

"I brought him to Arabella's house. That's where I am right now. She's trying to clean him up some so we can see what happened."

"I will go wake Madame Pomfrey and we will be there momentarily."

"Alright."

Mundungus ended the fire call and turned back to see Arabella's worried expression.

"Arabella, what is it?" he asked.

"Fletcher, I think, I may be mistaken, I hope I am, but I think he's been bitten by a vampire!"

Mundungus didn't get a chance to reply because at that moment Professors Dumbledore and Snape and Madame Pomfrey stumbled out of the fireplace.

"Let me see him," Madam Pomfrey said as soon as she was clear of the fireplace.

"What has the boy gotten himself into now?" Severus Snape said, scowling at Harry's unconscious form.

"He hasn't done anything, Snape. I found him in an alley. I think he was on his way home from work," Mundungus said, defending Harry.

"Work? The 'Golden Boy' Potter working? I don't believe it," Snape sneered.

"Believe it or not, Snape. It's true. I stop at the diner Harry works at every couple of days for dinner so I can check on him. The Dursleys ran out of chores to make him do so they forced him to get a job," Arabella replied.

"Albus," Madame Pomfrey said abruptly, "I need to get him to Hogwarts. He's lost a lot of blood. And I also need Professor Lupin to meet me in the hospital wing."

"I have a portkey here that will take you to the hospital wing, Poppy. And I believe Professor Lupin is already waiting there for you," Albus replied, holding a small paperweight in his hand.

"Alright. Severus, I will need you back at the school. It is imperative that he receive help as soon as possible," Madame Pomfrey said, preparing Harry for the trip back to the school.

"Of course," Snape replied, his eyebrows furrowed in thought.

Madame Pomfrey took the snitch from Albus and held it between her and Harry's hands. With a crack, they were gone.