FIC: Inevitable 58: Where, Wolf? (AB/HP)
Mar. 24th, 2006 06:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mhalachaiInevitable Fifty-Eight: Where, Wolf?
by Mhalachai
Disclaimer: Laurell K. Hamilton owns all things Anita Blake. J.K. Rowling owns all things Harry Potter. Only the story is my own.
Note: Full Moon Action chapter! Grab a soda and settle in! 8,304 words. And if the action feels believable, let me know, k? Kisses.
Previous parts here.
~~~~~~~
"Quiet!" Snape snapped, moving the desks to the sides of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom with a flick of his wand. The seventh-year students fell silent in a hurry. The professor stalked slowly down the centre of the room, staring down his nose at everyone. "What day this is?"
Harry, standing between Ron and Hermione at the back of the room, let out a tiny growl. That son of a bitch knows it's the full moon! he fumed.
Snape whirled around. "Potter!" he barked.
"What?"
"What day is it?"
Gritting his teeth, Harry said, "It's the full moon tonight."
Snape twisted out a smirk before addressing the class. "What manner of dark creatures come out on a full moon?"
Casting an apologetic look at Harry, Hermione raised her hand. As usual, Snape ignored her. "Potter!"
"What?"
"Answer the question!"
Harry drew himself up to his full height as he glared at Snape. "Lycanthropes of all kinds. Werewolves. Wereleopards. Wererats, wereswans, werefoxes, werehyenas--"
"Enough!" Snape cut Harry off. "What can be used to kill an attacking werewolf?"
"Besides talking it to death?" Harry snapped.
"Five points from Gryffindor, Potter. Now answer!"
Harry made himself unclench his hands. "Silver bullets usually," he said, trying to drag up any information on Anita's muggle methods of killing lycanthropes, and therefore useless to wizards.
"I'll take that as ignorance," Snape said, whirling away. "There is, however, a curse that can be used to injure werewolves but will not affect normal wizards, making it useful when you are faced with a werewolf in a crowded area."
Harry listened to Snape with growing incredulity. He's talking about that curse he used on me in the first class! What the hell is he doing?
"Pair up!" Snape moved through the room, pulling apart groups of students and rearranging them. "No, Weasley, you pair with Longbottom, let Potter show off to the Head Girl today," Snape said as he walked to the front of the room. "Everyone, pay attention!"
Harry stood beside Hermione while Snape demonstrated the wand movement for the curse. How can I ask her not to hit me with the curse? he thought frantically. I told them I'm not a werewolf, she's going to think it's safe to hit me with this curse! And it's Hermione; she never misses.
He was so deep in his thoughts, he almost missed hearing Snape say, "The incantation is 'Bolverk', with emphasis on the final consonant sound."
Harry's jaw dropped open. Bolverk? Bolverk?? Snape just made this whole damned curse up! That's not an incantation, it's the name of the werewolf pack's enforcer, like Anita!
"Begin!" Snape said.
"Harry, you need to move over there," Hermione said.
"Right." He hesitated, then spoke in a whisper. "Do you remember how you said the other day that you trust me?"
Hermione blinked at him for a moment. Come on, figure it out, Harry pleaded silently. He saw it in her eyes the moment the idea sparked. Her mouth opened for moment, then her gaze darkened.
"Yeah." He took his place across the room from Hermione, holding his wand out. "Do you want me to go first?"
"Yes," Hermione said shortly.
Harry raised his wand. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't afford to mess this up, not with Snape hovering so closely. Around him, all the other students had their wands up and were trying to cast the curse, but no one was getting it. Harry tuned them out and closed his eyes. He focused on the incantation. Jason said that when Anita had to go do Bolverk's work, she was really scary. Harry remembered how it felt when Anita was furious, a cold fury that promised pain and death to whoever or whatever stood in her way.
Harry's wand was moving before he even opened his eyes. "Bolverk," he said under his breath, pushing all the power he felt out through his wand. A great gust of wind slammed into Hermione, knocking her back into a desk. "Hermione!" Harry yelped. "Are you okay?"
She nodded, surprised and breathless. "I'm fine."
Snape interrupted whatever else she was going to say. "Back to work, Potter, Granger," he said with a glower.
Harry had no choice but to go back to his spot across the room. Hermione raised her wand, and Harry made himself stand still. If Hermione hadn't understood him, or she chose to fling the curse at him anyway, this was going to hurt like hell.
"Bolverk!" Hermione cried, messing up the pronunciation. Nothing happened. She shook her head and tried again, this time saying the incantation correctly, but the hand movement, which had previously been perfect, was wrong.
Snape, still hovering nearby, pounced. Within a few minutes, his verbal diatribe had reduced Hermione to the edge of tears, and Harry was about ready to kill Snape and damn the consequences. Ron tried to come over to Hermione's side, but Snape blew up and ordered Ron and Neville to the far side of the room.
Snape took points from Gryffindor and questioned Hermione's intelligence for the remainder of the class, but she was the only person in the room who never successfully cast the curse.
~*~
Not surprisingly, Hermione was the first person out of the door when class ended. Ron shot after her, leaving Harry to gather up her things.
"Showing up the Head Girl, Potter?" Snape asked silkily, watching Harry's every move. "It's a pity, she never learned that curse."
Harry kept his mouth shut, so angry at Snape for the way he treated Hermione during class.
"It's the sort of ignorance that could get her hurt--" Snape started to say, but Harry whirled around so fast that Snape took a step back, then recovered himself.
"Don't you threaten her!" Harry said.
Snape, his face even paler than usual, moved forward, too close. "But I'm not the one who's a threat, am I, Potter?" he said silkily.
Harry balled his fist up, aching to hit Snape, hurt him, but he managed to stumbled back and out the door before he did anything that could get him expelled. That's what Snape wants, me gone, Harry thought, anger pounding in his head. That's why he's doing all this, trying to get me to do something so I'll be expelled.
There was laughter down the corridor, and Harry heard Seamus shout "Bolverk!", followed by Neville's protests.
It's starting already! Harry through. People thinking it's a fun curse, it can't hurt, because no one's a werewolf, right? Only what if a real werewolf does step in the path?
Harry grabbed a passing fifth-year Gryffindor. "Clarence, did Snape show you any curses about werewolves in Defence class this week?" Harry demanded.
Surprised, the boy nodded. "He told us not to use it at all outside of class, though."
Harry let the boy go. If the fifth years know the curse, then so the sixth years, Harry realized, a cold ball of fear growing in his stomach. So what if Snape told them not to use it outside of class? Someone's going to use it anyway, they'll think it's funny, and Reece could get hurt! Hell, I could too. I How could I not notice that?
Up ahead, Harry saw Hermione leaning against a wall, Ron hovering protectively over her. She messed up that curse on purpose for over two hours. She's Hermione, she can cast it perfectly. Harry swallowed. She could cast it fine right now, if I needed her to.
Harry walked toward Hermione and Ron. "You forgot your things," was the first thing he said, even though it was completely unimportant.
Hermione didn't speak, only stared at Harry with some emotion he was afraid to name. Bracing his hand on the wall, Ron said, "What the bloody hell was that, today?"
Harry shook his head. "I need to talk to you two, come on."
He walked down the corridor, looking for a deserted classroom. He soon found an empty room and went in, not waiting to see if Ron and Hermione were behind him. He dropped his bag and Hermione's things on the ground by the wall.
As he started to undo his robe, the door to the classroom shut with a bang. "I believed you!" Hermione exclaimed, advancing on Harry. "You said you weren't a werewolf and I believed you!"
"Good," Harry said briefly, dropping his robe over his bag, and pulling his shirttails out of his trousers.
"Then what--" Hermione stared at him. "What are you doing?"
Harry unbuttoned his shirt. "What I told you, about not being a werewolf, that's true, but something in me changed last month. I should have told you, I know, but I didn't and it's too late and I need your help!" Shirt hanging undone, he pulled off his glasses. "I need you to cast that curse on me now, for real."
"Harry, what is going on?" Ron demanded, nothing joking in his voice now. He put his hand on Hermione's back as they both stared at Harry.
Harry shoved his wand into his pocket. "Look, the curse today, that's what Snape threw at me on the first day of class, the one that got my shoulder. He taught it to all the upper-level students! Everyone's going to think it's a big joke, but if I get caught in the middle, I need to know how to heal myself!"
"You said you weren't a werewolf!" Hermione said again.
"I'm not!" Harry raked his hands through his hair in frustration. "At least not physically! But there's something in me... I can't explain, I don't know how, but it's real! Just as real as I'm standing here. I need to be able to teach--" Harry stopped himself before he said something he shouldn't. Putting his hands on his hips, he took a deep breath. "Hermione, please. I need to know what I'm dealing with, and how to heal myself. I know you messed up on purpose today, and I'm sorry, but I'm asking for your help."
Hermione momentarily buried her face in her hands. "Is there anything else you haven't told us?" she demanded, her voice thick. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"Because it didn't matter then!" Harry met her accusing eyes, because it was easier than trying to figure out what to say to Ron, who was remaining very quiet. "I didn't know that Snape was going to do this!"
"Is there anything else that happened that 'doesn't matter'?" Hermione asked. "Anything else that's going to come back and haunt us later?"
"I don't think so," Harry said. "Look, we can talk about this later; I need to know how to heal myself before lunch ends."
"Why?" Ron said.
"I need to find someone, is all," Harry stuttered.
It was, however, useless. Hermione put her hands to her mouth, startled. "Oh!" She blinked hard. "Who is it?"
"Who's what?" Harry asked, his heart sinking.
"The other werewolf?" Hermione said. "It can't be anyone in the upper years, they'd have been hurt in class..." Comprehension was dawning on her face, and there was nothing Harry could do to stop it. "It's Reece!"
"That little kid?" Ron asked, confused. "You mean Dumbledore let that another werewolf in the school?"
"He's just a little boy, Ron!" Hermione said. "Harry, are you telling us that you need to know how to heal yourself, so you can teach Reece how to heal himself? That's OWL-level magic, he won't be able to get it."
Harry shook his head. "No, he'll get it. I'll also show him how to do a shield charm, but I first need to know I can even heal that curse with magic." He pulled his shirt off and threw it on top of his robes. "Okay, hit me."
Trembling with either emotion or fury, Hermione slowly drew out her wand. "Turn around."
"I'd rather you hit me in the front, so I can reach," Harry said.
Hermione walked over to Harry and grabbed his bare arm. Surprised, he let her spin him in place. He felt fingers on his back, where Richard had clawed him, and he craned over his shoulder to see what Hermione was doing.
"Did it hurt?" she asked, poking gently at the healed skin.
"Yes," Harry confessed. "But I was too afraid of dying to pay it too much mind at the time."
Hermione let him go. "Is there any way I can talk you out of this?" she asked. Harry shook his head. "Fine. Ron, go stand over there by him."
She walked across the room, making sure she had a clear shot. Harry tried to keep his breathing even, his hands loose at his sides and away from his wand. This is going to hurt, but it's okay, it's just pain, nothing's going to be too injured.
"Do you have a particular body part you'd favour?" she asked, lifting her wand.
"Not the head, and away from my heart," Harry instructed. "And, you know, above the waist." He gave Ron a half-grin, but Ron was looking so grim that Harry's immature amusement vanished. Right. "I'm ready."
Hermione flowed into the wand movement, saying the curse quietly. It was as if the air itself screamed as the curse flew across the empty space and hit Harry on the right side.
Harry went down heavily, the agony preventing him from blocking his fall. Pain, sharp and burning, pulsed in his gut. He gritted his teeth, sure that if he cried out he won't be able to stop. It seemed like it took him an eternity to deal with the pain enough to get his hands under him and attempt to sit up.
His first try failed, and he collapsed back against the floor. He blinked and made himself roll onto his uninjured side, then push himself onto all fours. He let his head hang down as he tried to swallow the pain down, then opened his eyes, hoping he wouldn't see a huge gaping hole in his stomach.
Blood, his blood, dripped down from the wound. Harry's whole world narrowed down to watching his blood drip to the floor, the pain in his gut, and his complete inability to think.
Hands on his back made him draw a deep breath that didn't hurt as much he thought it would. "Come on, Harry, sit back," Ron said, pushing until Harry sat on his heels.
Hermione was kneeling in front of them. "Harry, I'm sorry..."
Harry managed to shake his head. "It's okay," he breathed around the pain. Fumbling for his wand, he continued weakly, "Snape wasn't so powerful, that's good, right?"
"You're a right idiot, you know that?" Ron said, angry.
"Heard that before," Harry said. He looked down to make sure he was pointing his wand at the right spot, then cast the healing charm. He gritted his teeth, not letting himself cry out as his skin knit itself together under the glow of a blue-green light. Then the pain of the curse and the pain of the cure were gone, and he was left gasping for air.
Those first pain-free breaths were like heaven, then the after-effects of what had just happened began to set in, making Harry keenly aware of the ache along his hip and back. He shifted his weight until his butt was on the floor, and he could just rest.
"How can you say you're not a werewolf?" Ron asked, still sounding angry. He got to his feet and walked around, his movements jerky and angry. "What the hell are you playing at?"
Harry looked up. He couldn't seem to get enough air, and Ron's anger wasn't helping. "This isn't a game," Harry said coldly. "If this is what happens to me like this, what's going to happen to Reece? He's short enough for a stray curse to hit him in the head, not the chest or back! It's not going to be a game when he's laying bleeding on the floor because of what Snape's done, is it?"
"Snape wouldn't actually hurt anyone," Hermione said, but she sounded very uncertain. "Did he know you were a..."
"I'm not a werewolf," Harry repeated. "I can touch silver, I don't change shape, I don't want to eat human flesh. Sometimes I can feel something in my body, like a shadow of the wolf, but I'm not a werewolf!"
"There's nothing in the library on possible lycanthrope infections on children or grandchildren of vampires," Hermione said. "But that makes sense, if people like that, your mother, are viewed as pariahs."
"Great," Harry muttered. "Even Jean-Claude didn't know how or why I was like this, and he's a Master vampire." Too tired to move, Harry summoned his bag, and pulled out a handkerchief to mop up the blood on his skin.
"Did Snape know you were like you are?" Hermione pressed. "Was he trying to hurt you?"
Harry licked blood off his fingers before reaching for his glasses. "I don't think so," he said with extreme reluctance. "He was probably just showing off. 'Look at how smart I am! I can kill werewolves with a flick of my wand? Aren't I special?' "
"Harry--"
"I mean, what would happen if he cast that on Remus?" Harry continued, getting angry at Snape again. "And the Ministry wouldn't consider it that bad of a spell, because it only hurts werewolves. Don't they know anything?"
"I'm sure he'd never actually try to hurt Remus," Hermione said doubtfully. "Just like he'd never use it to hurt Reece."
"If he even knows the kid's a werewolf," Ron said. Both Harry and Hermione turned to look at him. "Have either of you listened to Ginny go on about Slughorn? He's a Potions Master. He's probably the one brewing the Wolfsbane potion now, not Snape. If Snape doesn't know about Reece, then why should he care about who knows a werewolf-specific curse?"
"Ron's right," Hermione said. "We have to do something."
"Like what?" Harry asked, getting dressed. "Tell the whole school that there's werewolf here? Reece'd be chased out before the rumor finished getting around."
"We could tell Dumbledore," Hermione suggested.
Harry shook his head. "He's not available. I asked McGonagall. I wanted to talk to him about the Horcruxes, but he's not around. She wouldn't tell me when he'd be back."
"I hate to interrupt this," Ron said. "But what's going to happen with Reece tonight?"
Harry shrugged. "Madam Pomfrey knows about Reece, so does Dumbledore. He'll be safe."
"What about the rest of us?" Ron put up his hand in a violent motion before Harry could protest. "So Reece isn't a threat normally, fine, but what about tonight? The night of the full moon?"
Harry glowered for another moment, then let himself slump down. He hated having to say it, feeling incredibly disloyal to Reece, but... "I can't see Dumbledore putting anyone at risk. I'm sure he's got a plan, a good one."
"Besides," Hermione said, "If he's taking the Wolfsbane potion, he'll be rather placid."
"Right," Ron muttered.
Harry sighed. "I have to go find Reece. And figure out how to teach him fifth-year magic in half an hour." He stiffly stood up, wobbling and light-headed.
"Do you want help?" Hermione asked. "I've got Arithmancy after lunch, but I can skip that."
"No," Harry said. "Reece doesn't know you, he might react badly. I'll figure it out."
Hermione and Ron exchange glances. "Are you feeling all right?" Ron asked.
"I'm fine," Harry said. "Really."
Hermione looked down at her hands. "I didn't believe you," she muttered.
"Huh?"
"I thought you were lying or something, I don't know." She crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "I was just so angry when I cursed you, but I never thought it would hurt you so much."
Harry blinked. "But I asked you to do it."
"But not that hard!" Hermione burst out. "Why aren't you listening?"
Helplessly, Harry looked at Ron. "She's trying to apologize for hurting you," the red-head explained.
"Oh." Harry tentatively touched Hermione's arm. "I asked you to do it, remember?"
"Why?" Hermione asked. "Why me and not Ron? He actually got the curse in class."
"I know." Harry searched around for an explanation. "It's just..." I knew you'd be able to hurt me, if it was necessary. Ron wouldn't have been able to go through with it. "If something bad happened, they were less likely to expel you than Ron. Plus, can you imagine what his mum would have done to him if he'd maimed me?" He tried to soften his harsh explanation with a wry grin. Hermione's expression didn't change.
"Come on," Ron said. "We should get moving. Lunch'll be over soon, and you need to get to Reece." He picked up his bag. "I wonder why the Sorting Hat put him in Hufflepuff?"
"Pack loyalty and all that," Harry said carelessly. "Remus never had a pack."
"You could have had a pack, if you stayed in St. Louis," Hermione said suddenly. "Were you going to stay, if you'd changed into a werewolf on the full moon?"
"Hermione--"
"No, Ron, I need to know!" Hermione glared at Harry. "If you'd been a real werewolf, would you have come back here?"
Harry had no idea what she wanted him to say, but some edge of her anger was rubbing off on him. "Yes, I was always coming back," he snapped. "I've got a job to do, remember? Find the Horcruxes and kill Voldemort?"
"Is that all we are to you? A way for you for kill Voldemort?" Hermione demanded.
"What?" Harry shouted, astonished. "Of course not! You're my friends! You're about the only family I've had for the last six years!"
"And then Anita Blake swoops in and we're not your family anymore?"
Harry gaped at her. "How is Anita suddenly part of this conversation?"
"You come back and it's Anita this, Anita that," Hermione said hotly. "It's like she's brainwashed you into not seeing--"
"Stop it!" Harry exclaimed. "Anita hasn't brainwashed me. She has nothing to do with any of this!"
"Hermione, don't you think you're overreacting just a little?" Ron said. "Yeah, she's a necromancer, but--"
"Ron--"
"Hermione, we talked about this," Ron said firmly. "About how we trust Harry? And about how Dumbledore would have brought him home in August if there was any danger?" He took hold of her shoulders and made her look up at him. "I know how you feel about necromancers, but we know Harry, and we don't know a thing about Anita Blake."
Harry stepped back, insides roiling. "I'll just leave the two of you alone," he said sarcastically. "Feel free to talk about me behind my back, you seem to anyway."
Ron let go of Hermione and glared at Harry. "Pull the bloody stick out of your arse, would you?" he demanded. "Yeah, we were worried about you! That's what family does! Don't you think it'd be easier if it wasn't? How Mum wouldn't spend every dinner at home very carefully not looking at Percy's old chair?" He flung his hands out. "I don't bloody care what you think we should and shouldn't do around you! Even if you're being the biggest prat in the whole damned school, we're not going to stop worrying about you! Now go find Reece and teach him how to protect himself! I'm taking Hermione to class."
Harry couldn't think of a single thing to say to that, so he left.
~*~
Harry found Reece as the boy was walking out of the Great Hall after lunch. He caught the back of the boy's robes and whirled him around, giving him a tiny shove in the direction of the classrooms.
"I was going to play Gobstones before class," Reece protested.
So close, Harry could feel the boy's animal side near to the surface, sending a wave of spine-tingling energy over his skin. It helped him clear his head. "Too bad. I've got to show you something."
The boy scowled, but went with Harry. Halfway up a staircase, he said, "Thanks for the candy last weekend. My dormmates liked it."
"You're welcome. What was your favourite?"
"The ice mice," Reece said, grinning wolfishly. "Felt just like real mice in my tummy."
Harry choose to let that one go.
"I didn't like those floaty ones, though," Reece continued, doing a tiny hop-skip. "I'm going to send my dad one of those blood suckers. They're neat. I ate one yesterday but had to stop."
"Why?" Harry asked curiously, ushering the boy into an empty classroom.
"It made me want to go hunting," Reece said. "Why are we here?"
Harry sighed. "Have you heard any new curses in the common room or the halls in the last few days?" Reece shook his head. "Right." Harry took a deep breath. "Snape taught the older students a curse today. On normal humans, it's like a burst of wind, but on a werewolf, it's designed to incapacitate. And it hurts."
Reece went still, his eyes huge in his face.
"So even though Snape told us not to use in the halls or anywhere except a fight, no one's going to listen. There's a very thin chance that you might be around some people when it's happening. I'm going to show you a way to shield yourself, and how to heal yourself if you do get hit. Do you understand?"
Reece nodded mutely.
"Okay." Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the item he'd retrieved from his dorm, the Viking knife Damian had given him in St. Louis. "First things first, I'm going to show you how to heal with a charm. Get your wand out," Harry ordered as he unsheathed the dagger
Reece pulled out his wand warily, staying where he was.
"Oh, come over here, I'm not going to cut you," Harry said, sitting down. "I'll show you how to heal, then you'll try."
Reece nudged over as Harry pushed up his sleeve and nicked his own arm. A tiny trickle of blood ran down his skin. "Why did the professor show everyone a curse that can hurt me?" Reece whispered, staring at the blood. "I thought he liked me. He gave me a point in class on Monday."
Harry laid the dagger on the desk. How could he explain to the boy that Snape hated werewolves? "I'm not sure what he was thinking," Harry said, putting on a brave smile. "Come on, watch this so you can try next."
Hissing in pain as the cut healed under his wand, Harry almost missed the fear lurking in Reece's eyes.
~*~
Harry sat against the window in the Gryffindor common room, bathed in the light from the full moon, and raised his eyebrows at Ron and Hermione. "Better?" he asked. "I can undress and go outside if you want me to prove it more."
"No, I've seen you naked enough today," Hermione said. Neville, who was passing by and overheard her pronouncement, stumbled over his own feet, then hurried away.
Ron cracked a grin, leaning back into the couch. "How did things go with the kid?"
"Fine," Harry said with a shrug. "Took him about an hour to get the healing charm and the shield charm. He ended up having to hold my hand to get the shield."
Ron gave him a look.
"To feel the magic, you perv!" Harry exclaimed, throwing a roll of parchment at Ron. "But he had to go to class, then. I hope he's okay."
"He's probably fine," Hermione said encouraging. "How are you doing?"
"Okay, I guess." Harry hadn't been able to settle down to anything all afternoon. After he'd finished with Reece, he'd wandered around the grounds for a while. He'd seen Hagrid and poked around the greenhouses, all the while wanting to just be able to shift into his Animagus form and run, as hard and as fast as possible. But there had been too many people and there was nowhere for Harry to go.
I should tell Ron and Hermione about my wolf, Harry thought nervously, fingering the dagger in his pocket. He hadn't had the time to stash it up in the dorm before dinner. I should have told them this afternoon, but I was so worried about Reece-- No, that's not it. He looked at Hermione as she settled against Ron, a book already open on her lap. There were faint circles under her eyes. I wanted to keep this to myself, my little secret. But maybe I can help them be Animagi as well. It would be dead useful.
He tried to compose a way to explain, but he was having a hard time sitting still and thinking. He bounced to his feet and walked to the windows on the far side of the tower, to look out on the darkened Hogwarts grounds. It was late, almost curfew, and the moon had been up for almost an hour. Some part of him wanted to find Ginny, to see what she was doing, but he shoved those thoughts down, mildly horrified as to the places his imagination was taking him. He thought instead about the moon, the night, and gradually his mind moved to what the werewolves and wereleopards would be doing back in St. Louis.
How's Reece doing? Harry wondered. Is he just lying around? Did they give him something to do?
The more he thought about Reece, the more obsessed he became. He's muggle-born, so he's probably never had the Wolfsbane potion before. Remus said it tastes gross... Was Reece able to finish it all?
"Harry?" Hermione said, appearing at his elbow. "Are you all right?"
Harry rubbed his hand over his face. "No," he said grudgingly. "I can't seem to shake this feeling, you know? Like something's happening."
Hermione appeared sympathetic. "Do you want to come sit down with us?"
Harry shook his head. "What I want is to go see that Reece is okay," he said quietly. "It could have been me in there, you know?"
"Well then," Hermione said briskly. "You've got a headache."
"I do?"
"Of course you do. You'd better go see Madam Pomfrey," Hermione continued. "I'll go with you, or else you're bound to get into trouble."
"Thanks, Hermione," Harry said, grinning widely. Impulsively, he leaned down and gave her a hug. She smelled warm and safe and familiar, and it was very reluctantly that he let her go.
She was smiling up at him, a little sad, but before he could ask her what was wrong, she was turning toward the portrait hole. "Come on, before I change my mind."
Harry hurried.
The corridors of Hogwarts were quiet and dark, but Harry could sense the quiver of motion in the air. There were Aurors about, and probably professors roaming the halls, making sure that no one was out past curfew. The portraits moved slightly, not asleep quite yet.
"Why do the portraits sleep?" Harry asked Hermione. "They're just paint, right? Why does paint need to sleep?"
Hermione gave him a strange look. "You're full of the oddest questions."
Harry shrugged, turning to walk down the stairs backwards to keep her in view. "Everything's sort of odd tonight. It just feels like everything's vibrating, you know?"
"No, I don't." Hermione paused, trying to find the words for something. "You do know that you're hotter than usual?"
"Why, thank you," Harry said with a wolfish smile.
"Not that!" Hermione seemed flustered. "Your skin, it's hotter than it should be. Are you sure you're feeling all right?"
"Yes, Hermione. I told you, things changed with me after what Richard did, but not all the way. You should have been in St. Louis, to see the full show. I swear, Nathaniel got hot enough for me to--"
A prickling sensation in the air permeated Harry's rambling, and he closed his mouth with a snap. He only just had time to step slightly in front of Hermione as a dark-robed figure rounded the corner up ahead.
The figure started back, as if surprised, then froze in the shadows for a moment. "Breaking curfew?" Snape said, tsking under his breath. "Why is it that you are so convinced the rules to not apply to you, Potter?
Harry let his hands fall to his sides. He and Hermione had stopped in a pool of moonlight, streaming in through the window in the castle wall, and where the light touched Harry's skin he felt energized, more alive. He breathed out through his nose, and waited for Snape to make the first move.
"It's not curfew yet, Professor," Hermione said nervously. "Harry's feeling ill. I was taking him to the infirmary."
Snape stepped into the light, staring down at Hermione with eyes black as ink. "Really, Miss Granger?" He looked from Hermione to Harry. "What I find interesting, Potter, is how you manage to convince your normally sensible friends to fall to such depths of stupidity at a mere nod from you."
Harry concentrated on the rise and fall of his chest, the air he breathed in, the stone floor hard under his shoes. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Snape sneered. "Ever the Gryffindor," he said before brushing past Harry.
Harry watched the man until he was out of sight around a corner, and only then let himself relax.
"One of these days you're going to say something that's going to get you expelled," Hermione said.
"I don't trust him," Harry muttered. "He's up to something."
"He's patrolling the halls like he always does, Harry." Hermione caught his arm and tugged him along. "But he's right, it's almost curfew. We'll go to the infirmary and then go back to the common room. Do you want to start working on your essay tonight?"
"What essay?" Harry asked, trying to push the meeting with Snape out of his mind. "It's Friday night!"
"That's no excuse to slack off on our homework!" Hermione exclaimed. Harry let her lecture at him for a few minutes as they wove through the halls of Hogwarts, encountering only the Bloody Baron floating in an alcove.
"But you do have to admit that it's dirty pool for McGonagall to assign us an essay due on Monday morning," Harry interrupted as they drew closer to the infirmary. "We haven't got Transfiguration class until Thursday."
As Hermione rolled her eyes, the hairs on the back of Harry's neck stood up, his whole body stiffening. "I'm sure that there's a--" Harry's fingers on her lips cut Hermione off suddenly.
"Something's wrong," Harry said as softly as possible, pulling out his wand. "Be quiet."
He went up on the balls of his feet as he crept forward, moving slowly, every sense alert for what had set him off. As he drew closer to the infirmary door, he saw that it was slightly ajar. Another step, and he scented the copper-warm smell of blood.
Oh, fuck. Harry raised his wand and peered around the edge of the door. What he saw made his heart skip a beat, and he only waited for a moment to make sure the room was clear before shoving the door all the way open and running as hard as he could to the other end of the infirmary.
Madam Pomfrey lay on the floor by her desk, a pool of blood around her head. As Harry fell to his knees beside her, she opened her eyes, gasping.
"The boy--"
"What happened?" Harry asked, helping her to sit up. Blood stained the side of her face and shoulder, but he couldn't see any wounds.
"Something hit me, from behind," the matron said, her voice growing stronger with each word. "I hit my head... Where's the boy? Is he here?"
Hermione dropped to the floor beside them, a cloth in her hand. "Do you mean Reece?" she said, panic creeping into her tone as she pressed the cloth against Madam Pomfrey's head.
"Where is he?" Harry demanded, bounding to his feet. Madam Pomfrey glanced toward the back of the infirmary, at a door Harry had never paid attention to before.
Harry bolted, already registering that the door was open. He put his shoulder against the wall, wand at his side, as he looked in the room.
The air held a stillness that told Harry the room was empty. He stepped inside, praying that Reece was just playing, was hiding somewhere quietly in some kind of game.
There was a huge metal cage in the middle of the room, and its door was wide open. A rumpled pile of clothing just inside the grate was the only sign anyone had recently been here.
Wand ready, just in case, Harry bent down to touch the cloth. It hadn't been torn or ripped. Reece must have undressed before he shifted, Harry thought. On the far side of the cage was a pool of clear liquid. Harry knew without touching it that it was the liquid that a shifting werewolf would give off as the change took him.
"Reece, where are you?" Harry whispered. There was no answer.
There was something wrong. It took Harry a moment to realize that the smell of the liquid wasn't as it should be. It shouldn't smell like anything, Harry thought, going around the cage to the far side. But it smells like someone threw up--
"Lumos!" Harry cried, aiming his wand at the puddle. Under the film of the shifter liquid were tiny lumps. He threw up, Harry thought, numb. He threw up before he shifted, and they would have given him the Wolfsbane potion just before he shifted!
Harry ran out of the room and back into the infirmary. "He's gone!" he said, skidding to a halt. "The cage is open and he's gone and I think he threw up the Wolfsbane potion!"
Madam Pomfrey tried to stand, but fell heavily against Hermione. Harry didn't have time for this.
"Hermione, get help!" he cried as he ran toward the infirmary door.
"Where are you going? Harry!" Hermione's scream followed him out the door, but he didn't stop. He wasn't able to find Reece's trail, not like this. There was no time to think or plan, just to react.
Harry shoved his wand into his sleeve and put his hands out in front of him, screaming in his mind the incantation to change into his Animagus form as he fell. Paws hit the ground, the world suddenly exploding with smells and sounds. Harry's nose went down, trying to find one scent out of a million.
The fresh smell of werewolf was heavy and thick on the floor. Harry bunched his legs under him and ran, following the smell silently. His only thought was to find Reece and stop him from hunting, for what else would a werewolf do on such a night?
The werewolf scent was interrupted by something, and Harry had to skid to a stop to make sure he knew what he was smelling. A tiny drop of blood marked the ground. Harry stuck out his tongue and tasted the blood: still warm.
Is it Reece's blood or someone else? Harry wondered. He smelled the carpet around the blood, but all he could smell was werewolf. Pointing his nose in the direction of the scent, Harry began to run again. The drops of blood came more frequently, thicker. Reece was hurt.
After a few minutes, Harry caught another scent. It was fainter than the werewolf smell, but thick enough that Harry knew whoever it was had been there recently. It was a smell that made Harry angry, although he didn't know why -- like herbs and sourness and darkness. Whoever it was, Reece was following it too.
Harry spilled into the darkened Entrance Hallway. At the foot of the stairs, he saw a person walking slowly in and out of the moonlight. Out of the corner of his eye, silent in the shadows, was a dark shape, too big and too wide to be human.
Putting all his energy into one last sprint, Harry tore down the stairs. The person must have heard him and turned, and the creature in the shadows took that distraction to leap.
Harry slammed into the werewolf mid-air, going down in a snarling pile of fur and claws. Sharp teeth descended towards Harry's throat, but he twisted around and sank his own teeth into fur and skin. The werewolf dropped to the side, crushing Harry against the ground, and Harry let go just as claws raked along his belly. Letting out an angry snarl, Harry kicked with his hind legs, gained leverage against the beast, then pulled himself on top of the wolf, putting his front paws on the wolf's shoulders and leaning forward to grasp the other creature's muzzle in his jaws, not quite breaking the skin. He growled low in this throat, a threat.
It was as if a switch had been thrown in the werewolf. He rolled onto his side and pulled his paws against his body, whimpering pitifully. Harry held the muzzle in his jaw long enough to ensure that the act of submission was genuine, before changing himself back into human form.
Harry straddled the shivering werewolf, one hand on the scruff of Reece's neck. Out of the corner of his now-human eyes he saw movement, and grabbed his wand out of his sleeve to aim at whoever was near.
Snape stood, wand pointed down at Harry and Reece, livid. "Move, Potter!" he shouted.
"Lower your wand!" Harry yelled, feeling Reece shrink back.
"Get away from that creature!"
"I'm not going to let you hurt him!"
The sound of running footsteps filled the hall, but Harry didn't move. His whole world had narrowed down to Snape threatening his wolf. Reece had submitted to Harry; that meant Harry had to protect Reece.
"Harry, put down your wand," Dumbledore's voice commanded from somewhere up the stairs.
"Not until he does!" Harry exclaimed. His body screamed in pain and tension, but he wasn't going to put down his wand until Reece was safe.
"Severus will not harm either of you, now lower your wand!" Dumbledore came into view.
Slowly, Harry let his hand fall to his side as he blinked at Dumbledore. There was something in the Headmaster's hand. The Marauders' Map Harry thought dimly. They'd never figured out where it went, after the fake Professor Moody had been caught.
"What happened?" McGonagall asked, from behind Dumbledore. How many people were there? Harry couldn't see them all and it was making him nervous. Reece shimmied out from under Harry and hunched beside him. He was as large as a small pony, but Harry leaned against him, and the werewolf whined and went still. "Goodness, Potter! What's going on?"
"An excellent question," Dumbledore said, his bright eyes watching Harry.
Above them, a scurry of feet, and Hermione came dashing down the stairs, Tonks on her heels. "Harry!" Hermione exclaimed.
Reece's head went up, tail still, then he lunged in Hermione's direction. Amid the shouts, Harry barely had time to grab Reece by the scruff of the neck. "Stop it!" Harry shouted, pushing hard until Reece was lying with his belly flat on the floor, Harry crouched over him. The young werewolf only had eyes for Hermione.
Oh, hell. "She's too old for you," Harry muttered into the wolf's ear. "I don't think Hermione should be here," he said, louder, to Dumbledore.
"Harry, you're bleeding," Hermione said, not moving.
"I'm fine," Harry said, concentrating on keeping Reece where he was. "Although leaving now would be good!"
Reece tried to crawl forward. Harry straddled the wolf's back and squeezed Reece's ribs with his knees. Harry knew that Reece was strong enough to stand up with Harry on his back, like a horse, but he was desperately hoping that the wolf was submissive enough not to try it.
"Tonks, please escort Miss Granger back to the Gryffindor common room," Dumbledore said over Hermione's protest. "We will take care of Mr. Potter."
Tonks took Hermione's arm when she didn't move, and began to pull her along. Hermione gave Harry one last wild look, then vanished up the stairs.
With the girls gone, the tension eased out of Reece's body, and he whimpered. "What now?" Harry said, climbing off the werewolf.
"Harry, how badly are you hurt?" Dumbledore asked, stashing the Map somewhere in his robes.
Harry glanced down. His robes were a tattered mess, and when he moved to undo them, pain screamed along his side. "You had to use the claws, didn't you?" he muttered to Reece, who looked as apologetic as possible. Pulling the robes off, Harry saw claw marks all down his chest. McGonagall gasped as Harry ripped his shirt open to examine the wounds. "Just scratches," Harry reported after a moment. "Most of them have stopped bleeding."
Reece butted his head against Harry's chest, then began to lick the blood away. Harry heard a flurry of motion, soft voices, but he tuned them out and focused on Reece.
"No more biting," Harry said, shoving Reece's head away. "Where are you bleeding?"
Harry had to use his wand for light, but he finally found Reece's wound. A tiny spiked metal object was lodged in the wolf's back hip, so small that there wasn't much blood. It was still bleeding, however, while the claw and teeth marks around it, where Reece had tried to gnaw it loose, had healed. Harry frowned. Reece should have healed by now, unless...
"It's silver," Harry breathed, horrified. "What sort of sick bastard would do that?"
Quickly, he reached for his ruined robes and dug out his dagger. It was steel, but it was sharp enough for what he needed to do.
"Harry, what are you doing?" Dumbledore asked.
"I'm going to help Reece," Harry said grimly. "Madam Pomfrey's still hurt, right? This can't wait until morning, not with silver." He grabbed Reece's head and made the wolf look him in the eyes. "This is going to hurt, but I'm going to help you. Do you understand?"
The wolf stared back, then lowered his head and whimpered. Hoping that was a yes, Harry picked up the dagger with one hand and his wand with the other.
"You cannot be seriously thinking about allowing this, Dumbledore!" Snape said incredulously. "That monster will kill Potter in a second!"
Reece twisted around and growled at Snape, his lip curling up over his teeth.
"Reece won't be killing anyone tonight," Harry said distractedly. "Can one of you levitate some light over here?"
McGonagall protested, but Dumbledore said something to her that Harry couldn't make out, then a ball of warm light floated over to Harry. "Will this do?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yeah," Harry said, pulling Reece over to him and patting the wolf on the head. "Reece, no biting. I'll be done as soon as I can," he said before he stuck his wand between his teeth to free up his hand.
Harry focused on what he was doing, cutting carefully into Reece's skin to see the tiny spiked ball. His hands slick with blood, as the werewolf twitched and whimpered in pain, Harry had never been so relieved in his entire life as when he saw that the spikes weren't barbed and caught in Reece's flesh. He held the cut open with one hand and used the other to grasp his wand, to slowly levitate the metal ball up and away. Reece stopped twitching as soon as the metal left his body.
"Put that in here, Harry," Dumbledore said. Harry looked up to see a small cup floating in front of him, into which he gratefully deposited the ball. Giving the wound one last look, Harry put his knife down.
"I'm going to heal this up now, okay? Like I showed you this afternoon, just like magic." Harry quickly used the healing charm to close the wound, then let his hand slowly drop to rest on Reece's flank.
He was so tired, and everything in him hurt. But, as Reece knocked his nose against Harry's chin, Harry realized the night wasn't over yet.
"Harry, can you bring Mr. Trevelyan back up to the infirmary?" Dumbledore asked, cutting into Harry's daze.
"The cage was open," Harry said, pieces of the puzzle beginning to fall into place. "Something hit Madam Pomfrey from behind, but she wasn't attacked by Reece. Someone did this!"
"I know," Dumbledore said. "For now, we need to get Mr. Trevelyan back to safety. Will he follow you?"
"Of course he will." Harry picked up the dagger and dragged himself to his feet. "Come on, Reece. Up."
The wolf rose to his feet, tail wagging slightly as he watched Harry's face.
"No, it's not play time yet," Harry said. "We'll go back upstairs, and we can play then, okay?" He wiped the bloody knife off on his ruined shirt, then slid it back into the sheath before putting the entire thing into his trousers pocket.
Reece nosed Harry's hand until he put his hand on the werewolf's shoulders.
"Harry, I will go first, and then you bring Mr. Trevelyan, do you understand?" Dumbledore said.
"Yeah, we get it," Harry muttered. He buried his fingers in Reece's fur and gave a gentle tug. "C'mon."
Harry went slowly, moving carefully out of respect for his wounds, and to keep a better eye on Reece. Luckily for him, the werewolf seemed to have no desire to bound off, but remained pressed against Harry's side as they walked past Snape toward the stairs.
It might have been a trick of the light, but Harry had never seen Snape look at him with such loathing as when Harry walked past, werewolf at his side.
...to be continued
by Mhalachai
Disclaimer: Laurell K. Hamilton owns all things Anita Blake. J.K. Rowling owns all things Harry Potter. Only the story is my own.
Note: Full Moon Action chapter! Grab a soda and settle in! 8,304 words. And if the action feels believable, let me know, k? Kisses.
Previous parts here.
"Quiet!" Snape snapped, moving the desks to the sides of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom with a flick of his wand. The seventh-year students fell silent in a hurry. The professor stalked slowly down the centre of the room, staring down his nose at everyone. "What day this is?"
Harry, standing between Ron and Hermione at the back of the room, let out a tiny growl. That son of a bitch knows it's the full moon! he fumed.
Snape whirled around. "Potter!" he barked.
"What?"
"What day is it?"
Gritting his teeth, Harry said, "It's the full moon tonight."
Snape twisted out a smirk before addressing the class. "What manner of dark creatures come out on a full moon?"
Casting an apologetic look at Harry, Hermione raised her hand. As usual, Snape ignored her. "Potter!"
"What?"
"Answer the question!"
Harry drew himself up to his full height as he glared at Snape. "Lycanthropes of all kinds. Werewolves. Wereleopards. Wererats, wereswans, werefoxes, werehyenas--"
"Enough!" Snape cut Harry off. "What can be used to kill an attacking werewolf?"
"Besides talking it to death?" Harry snapped.
"Five points from Gryffindor, Potter. Now answer!"
Harry made himself unclench his hands. "Silver bullets usually," he said, trying to drag up any information on Anita's muggle methods of killing lycanthropes, and therefore useless to wizards.
"I'll take that as ignorance," Snape said, whirling away. "There is, however, a curse that can be used to injure werewolves but will not affect normal wizards, making it useful when you are faced with a werewolf in a crowded area."
Harry listened to Snape with growing incredulity. He's talking about that curse he used on me in the first class! What the hell is he doing?
"Pair up!" Snape moved through the room, pulling apart groups of students and rearranging them. "No, Weasley, you pair with Longbottom, let Potter show off to the Head Girl today," Snape said as he walked to the front of the room. "Everyone, pay attention!"
Harry stood beside Hermione while Snape demonstrated the wand movement for the curse. How can I ask her not to hit me with the curse? he thought frantically. I told them I'm not a werewolf, she's going to think it's safe to hit me with this curse! And it's Hermione; she never misses.
He was so deep in his thoughts, he almost missed hearing Snape say, "The incantation is 'Bolverk', with emphasis on the final consonant sound."
Harry's jaw dropped open. Bolverk? Bolverk?? Snape just made this whole damned curse up! That's not an incantation, it's the name of the werewolf pack's enforcer, like Anita!
"Begin!" Snape said.
"Harry, you need to move over there," Hermione said.
"Right." He hesitated, then spoke in a whisper. "Do you remember how you said the other day that you trust me?"
Hermione blinked at him for a moment. Come on, figure it out, Harry pleaded silently. He saw it in her eyes the moment the idea sparked. Her mouth opened for moment, then her gaze darkened.
"Yeah." He took his place across the room from Hermione, holding his wand out. "Do you want me to go first?"
"Yes," Hermione said shortly.
Harry raised his wand. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't afford to mess this up, not with Snape hovering so closely. Around him, all the other students had their wands up and were trying to cast the curse, but no one was getting it. Harry tuned them out and closed his eyes. He focused on the incantation. Jason said that when Anita had to go do Bolverk's work, she was really scary. Harry remembered how it felt when Anita was furious, a cold fury that promised pain and death to whoever or whatever stood in her way.
Harry's wand was moving before he even opened his eyes. "Bolverk," he said under his breath, pushing all the power he felt out through his wand. A great gust of wind slammed into Hermione, knocking her back into a desk. "Hermione!" Harry yelped. "Are you okay?"
She nodded, surprised and breathless. "I'm fine."
Snape interrupted whatever else she was going to say. "Back to work, Potter, Granger," he said with a glower.
Harry had no choice but to go back to his spot across the room. Hermione raised her wand, and Harry made himself stand still. If Hermione hadn't understood him, or she chose to fling the curse at him anyway, this was going to hurt like hell.
"Bolverk!" Hermione cried, messing up the pronunciation. Nothing happened. She shook her head and tried again, this time saying the incantation correctly, but the hand movement, which had previously been perfect, was wrong.
Snape, still hovering nearby, pounced. Within a few minutes, his verbal diatribe had reduced Hermione to the edge of tears, and Harry was about ready to kill Snape and damn the consequences. Ron tried to come over to Hermione's side, but Snape blew up and ordered Ron and Neville to the far side of the room.
Snape took points from Gryffindor and questioned Hermione's intelligence for the remainder of the class, but she was the only person in the room who never successfully cast the curse.
Not surprisingly, Hermione was the first person out of the door when class ended. Ron shot after her, leaving Harry to gather up her things.
"Showing up the Head Girl, Potter?" Snape asked silkily, watching Harry's every move. "It's a pity, she never learned that curse."
Harry kept his mouth shut, so angry at Snape for the way he treated Hermione during class.
"It's the sort of ignorance that could get her hurt--" Snape started to say, but Harry whirled around so fast that Snape took a step back, then recovered himself.
"Don't you threaten her!" Harry said.
Snape, his face even paler than usual, moved forward, too close. "But I'm not the one who's a threat, am I, Potter?" he said silkily.
Harry balled his fist up, aching to hit Snape, hurt him, but he managed to stumbled back and out the door before he did anything that could get him expelled. That's what Snape wants, me gone, Harry thought, anger pounding in his head. That's why he's doing all this, trying to get me to do something so I'll be expelled.
There was laughter down the corridor, and Harry heard Seamus shout "Bolverk!", followed by Neville's protests.
It's starting already! Harry through. People thinking it's a fun curse, it can't hurt, because no one's a werewolf, right? Only what if a real werewolf does step in the path?
Harry grabbed a passing fifth-year Gryffindor. "Clarence, did Snape show you any curses about werewolves in Defence class this week?" Harry demanded.
Surprised, the boy nodded. "He told us not to use it at all outside of class, though."
Harry let the boy go. If the fifth years know the curse, then so the sixth years, Harry realized, a cold ball of fear growing in his stomach. So what if Snape told them not to use it outside of class? Someone's going to use it anyway, they'll think it's funny, and Reece could get hurt! Hell, I could too. I How could I not notice that?
Up ahead, Harry saw Hermione leaning against a wall, Ron hovering protectively over her. She messed up that curse on purpose for over two hours. She's Hermione, she can cast it perfectly. Harry swallowed. She could cast it fine right now, if I needed her to.
Harry walked toward Hermione and Ron. "You forgot your things," was the first thing he said, even though it was completely unimportant.
Hermione didn't speak, only stared at Harry with some emotion he was afraid to name. Bracing his hand on the wall, Ron said, "What the bloody hell was that, today?"
Harry shook his head. "I need to talk to you two, come on."
He walked down the corridor, looking for a deserted classroom. He soon found an empty room and went in, not waiting to see if Ron and Hermione were behind him. He dropped his bag and Hermione's things on the ground by the wall.
As he started to undo his robe, the door to the classroom shut with a bang. "I believed you!" Hermione exclaimed, advancing on Harry. "You said you weren't a werewolf and I believed you!"
"Good," Harry said briefly, dropping his robe over his bag, and pulling his shirttails out of his trousers.
"Then what--" Hermione stared at him. "What are you doing?"
Harry unbuttoned his shirt. "What I told you, about not being a werewolf, that's true, but something in me changed last month. I should have told you, I know, but I didn't and it's too late and I need your help!" Shirt hanging undone, he pulled off his glasses. "I need you to cast that curse on me now, for real."
"Harry, what is going on?" Ron demanded, nothing joking in his voice now. He put his hand on Hermione's back as they both stared at Harry.
Harry shoved his wand into his pocket. "Look, the curse today, that's what Snape threw at me on the first day of class, the one that got my shoulder. He taught it to all the upper-level students! Everyone's going to think it's a big joke, but if I get caught in the middle, I need to know how to heal myself!"
"You said you weren't a werewolf!" Hermione said again.
"I'm not!" Harry raked his hands through his hair in frustration. "At least not physically! But there's something in me... I can't explain, I don't know how, but it's real! Just as real as I'm standing here. I need to be able to teach--" Harry stopped himself before he said something he shouldn't. Putting his hands on his hips, he took a deep breath. "Hermione, please. I need to know what I'm dealing with, and how to heal myself. I know you messed up on purpose today, and I'm sorry, but I'm asking for your help."
Hermione momentarily buried her face in her hands. "Is there anything else you haven't told us?" she demanded, her voice thick. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"Because it didn't matter then!" Harry met her accusing eyes, because it was easier than trying to figure out what to say to Ron, who was remaining very quiet. "I didn't know that Snape was going to do this!"
"Is there anything else that happened that 'doesn't matter'?" Hermione asked. "Anything else that's going to come back and haunt us later?"
"I don't think so," Harry said. "Look, we can talk about this later; I need to know how to heal myself before lunch ends."
"Why?" Ron said.
"I need to find someone, is all," Harry stuttered.
It was, however, useless. Hermione put her hands to her mouth, startled. "Oh!" She blinked hard. "Who is it?"
"Who's what?" Harry asked, his heart sinking.
"The other werewolf?" Hermione said. "It can't be anyone in the upper years, they'd have been hurt in class..." Comprehension was dawning on her face, and there was nothing Harry could do to stop it. "It's Reece!"
"That little kid?" Ron asked, confused. "You mean Dumbledore let that another werewolf in the school?"
"He's just a little boy, Ron!" Hermione said. "Harry, are you telling us that you need to know how to heal yourself, so you can teach Reece how to heal himself? That's OWL-level magic, he won't be able to get it."
Harry shook his head. "No, he'll get it. I'll also show him how to do a shield charm, but I first need to know I can even heal that curse with magic." He pulled his shirt off and threw it on top of his robes. "Okay, hit me."
Trembling with either emotion or fury, Hermione slowly drew out her wand. "Turn around."
"I'd rather you hit me in the front, so I can reach," Harry said.
Hermione walked over to Harry and grabbed his bare arm. Surprised, he let her spin him in place. He felt fingers on his back, where Richard had clawed him, and he craned over his shoulder to see what Hermione was doing.
"Did it hurt?" she asked, poking gently at the healed skin.
"Yes," Harry confessed. "But I was too afraid of dying to pay it too much mind at the time."
Hermione let him go. "Is there any way I can talk you out of this?" she asked. Harry shook his head. "Fine. Ron, go stand over there by him."
She walked across the room, making sure she had a clear shot. Harry tried to keep his breathing even, his hands loose at his sides and away from his wand. This is going to hurt, but it's okay, it's just pain, nothing's going to be too injured.
"Do you have a particular body part you'd favour?" she asked, lifting her wand.
"Not the head, and away from my heart," Harry instructed. "And, you know, above the waist." He gave Ron a half-grin, but Ron was looking so grim that Harry's immature amusement vanished. Right. "I'm ready."
Hermione flowed into the wand movement, saying the curse quietly. It was as if the air itself screamed as the curse flew across the empty space and hit Harry on the right side.
Harry went down heavily, the agony preventing him from blocking his fall. Pain, sharp and burning, pulsed in his gut. He gritted his teeth, sure that if he cried out he won't be able to stop. It seemed like it took him an eternity to deal with the pain enough to get his hands under him and attempt to sit up.
His first try failed, and he collapsed back against the floor. He blinked and made himself roll onto his uninjured side, then push himself onto all fours. He let his head hang down as he tried to swallow the pain down, then opened his eyes, hoping he wouldn't see a huge gaping hole in his stomach.
Blood, his blood, dripped down from the wound. Harry's whole world narrowed down to watching his blood drip to the floor, the pain in his gut, and his complete inability to think.
Hands on his back made him draw a deep breath that didn't hurt as much he thought it would. "Come on, Harry, sit back," Ron said, pushing until Harry sat on his heels.
Hermione was kneeling in front of them. "Harry, I'm sorry..."
Harry managed to shake his head. "It's okay," he breathed around the pain. Fumbling for his wand, he continued weakly, "Snape wasn't so powerful, that's good, right?"
"You're a right idiot, you know that?" Ron said, angry.
"Heard that before," Harry said. He looked down to make sure he was pointing his wand at the right spot, then cast the healing charm. He gritted his teeth, not letting himself cry out as his skin knit itself together under the glow of a blue-green light. Then the pain of the curse and the pain of the cure were gone, and he was left gasping for air.
Those first pain-free breaths were like heaven, then the after-effects of what had just happened began to set in, making Harry keenly aware of the ache along his hip and back. He shifted his weight until his butt was on the floor, and he could just rest.
"How can you say you're not a werewolf?" Ron asked, still sounding angry. He got to his feet and walked around, his movements jerky and angry. "What the hell are you playing at?"
Harry looked up. He couldn't seem to get enough air, and Ron's anger wasn't helping. "This isn't a game," Harry said coldly. "If this is what happens to me like this, what's going to happen to Reece? He's short enough for a stray curse to hit him in the head, not the chest or back! It's not going to be a game when he's laying bleeding on the floor because of what Snape's done, is it?"
"Snape wouldn't actually hurt anyone," Hermione said, but she sounded very uncertain. "Did he know you were a..."
"I'm not a werewolf," Harry repeated. "I can touch silver, I don't change shape, I don't want to eat human flesh. Sometimes I can feel something in my body, like a shadow of the wolf, but I'm not a werewolf!"
"There's nothing in the library on possible lycanthrope infections on children or grandchildren of vampires," Hermione said. "But that makes sense, if people like that, your mother, are viewed as pariahs."
"Great," Harry muttered. "Even Jean-Claude didn't know how or why I was like this, and he's a Master vampire." Too tired to move, Harry summoned his bag, and pulled out a handkerchief to mop up the blood on his skin.
"Did Snape know you were like you are?" Hermione pressed. "Was he trying to hurt you?"
Harry licked blood off his fingers before reaching for his glasses. "I don't think so," he said with extreme reluctance. "He was probably just showing off. 'Look at how smart I am! I can kill werewolves with a flick of my wand? Aren't I special?' "
"Harry--"
"I mean, what would happen if he cast that on Remus?" Harry continued, getting angry at Snape again. "And the Ministry wouldn't consider it that bad of a spell, because it only hurts werewolves. Don't they know anything?"
"I'm sure he'd never actually try to hurt Remus," Hermione said doubtfully. "Just like he'd never use it to hurt Reece."
"If he even knows the kid's a werewolf," Ron said. Both Harry and Hermione turned to look at him. "Have either of you listened to Ginny go on about Slughorn? He's a Potions Master. He's probably the one brewing the Wolfsbane potion now, not Snape. If Snape doesn't know about Reece, then why should he care about who knows a werewolf-specific curse?"
"Ron's right," Hermione said. "We have to do something."
"Like what?" Harry asked, getting dressed. "Tell the whole school that there's werewolf here? Reece'd be chased out before the rumor finished getting around."
"We could tell Dumbledore," Hermione suggested.
Harry shook his head. "He's not available. I asked McGonagall. I wanted to talk to him about the Horcruxes, but he's not around. She wouldn't tell me when he'd be back."
"I hate to interrupt this," Ron said. "But what's going to happen with Reece tonight?"
Harry shrugged. "Madam Pomfrey knows about Reece, so does Dumbledore. He'll be safe."
"What about the rest of us?" Ron put up his hand in a violent motion before Harry could protest. "So Reece isn't a threat normally, fine, but what about tonight? The night of the full moon?"
Harry glowered for another moment, then let himself slump down. He hated having to say it, feeling incredibly disloyal to Reece, but... "I can't see Dumbledore putting anyone at risk. I'm sure he's got a plan, a good one."
"Besides," Hermione said, "If he's taking the Wolfsbane potion, he'll be rather placid."
"Right," Ron muttered.
Harry sighed. "I have to go find Reece. And figure out how to teach him fifth-year magic in half an hour." He stiffly stood up, wobbling and light-headed.
"Do you want help?" Hermione asked. "I've got Arithmancy after lunch, but I can skip that."
"No," Harry said. "Reece doesn't know you, he might react badly. I'll figure it out."
Hermione and Ron exchange glances. "Are you feeling all right?" Ron asked.
"I'm fine," Harry said. "Really."
Hermione looked down at her hands. "I didn't believe you," she muttered.
"Huh?"
"I thought you were lying or something, I don't know." She crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "I was just so angry when I cursed you, but I never thought it would hurt you so much."
Harry blinked. "But I asked you to do it."
"But not that hard!" Hermione burst out. "Why aren't you listening?"
Helplessly, Harry looked at Ron. "She's trying to apologize for hurting you," the red-head explained.
"Oh." Harry tentatively touched Hermione's arm. "I asked you to do it, remember?"
"Why?" Hermione asked. "Why me and not Ron? He actually got the curse in class."
"I know." Harry searched around for an explanation. "It's just..." I knew you'd be able to hurt me, if it was necessary. Ron wouldn't have been able to go through with it. "If something bad happened, they were less likely to expel you than Ron. Plus, can you imagine what his mum would have done to him if he'd maimed me?" He tried to soften his harsh explanation with a wry grin. Hermione's expression didn't change.
"Come on," Ron said. "We should get moving. Lunch'll be over soon, and you need to get to Reece." He picked up his bag. "I wonder why the Sorting Hat put him in Hufflepuff?"
"Pack loyalty and all that," Harry said carelessly. "Remus never had a pack."
"You could have had a pack, if you stayed in St. Louis," Hermione said suddenly. "Were you going to stay, if you'd changed into a werewolf on the full moon?"
"Hermione--"
"No, Ron, I need to know!" Hermione glared at Harry. "If you'd been a real werewolf, would you have come back here?"
Harry had no idea what she wanted him to say, but some edge of her anger was rubbing off on him. "Yes, I was always coming back," he snapped. "I've got a job to do, remember? Find the Horcruxes and kill Voldemort?"
"Is that all we are to you? A way for you for kill Voldemort?" Hermione demanded.
"What?" Harry shouted, astonished. "Of course not! You're my friends! You're about the only family I've had for the last six years!"
"And then Anita Blake swoops in and we're not your family anymore?"
Harry gaped at her. "How is Anita suddenly part of this conversation?"
"You come back and it's Anita this, Anita that," Hermione said hotly. "It's like she's brainwashed you into not seeing--"
"Stop it!" Harry exclaimed. "Anita hasn't brainwashed me. She has nothing to do with any of this!"
"Hermione, don't you think you're overreacting just a little?" Ron said. "Yeah, she's a necromancer, but--"
"Ron--"
"Hermione, we talked about this," Ron said firmly. "About how we trust Harry? And about how Dumbledore would have brought him home in August if there was any danger?" He took hold of her shoulders and made her look up at him. "I know how you feel about necromancers, but we know Harry, and we don't know a thing about Anita Blake."
Harry stepped back, insides roiling. "I'll just leave the two of you alone," he said sarcastically. "Feel free to talk about me behind my back, you seem to anyway."
Ron let go of Hermione and glared at Harry. "Pull the bloody stick out of your arse, would you?" he demanded. "Yeah, we were worried about you! That's what family does! Don't you think it'd be easier if it wasn't? How Mum wouldn't spend every dinner at home very carefully not looking at Percy's old chair?" He flung his hands out. "I don't bloody care what you think we should and shouldn't do around you! Even if you're being the biggest prat in the whole damned school, we're not going to stop worrying about you! Now go find Reece and teach him how to protect himself! I'm taking Hermione to class."
Harry couldn't think of a single thing to say to that, so he left.
Harry found Reece as the boy was walking out of the Great Hall after lunch. He caught the back of the boy's robes and whirled him around, giving him a tiny shove in the direction of the classrooms.
"I was going to play Gobstones before class," Reece protested.
So close, Harry could feel the boy's animal side near to the surface, sending a wave of spine-tingling energy over his skin. It helped him clear his head. "Too bad. I've got to show you something."
The boy scowled, but went with Harry. Halfway up a staircase, he said, "Thanks for the candy last weekend. My dormmates liked it."
"You're welcome. What was your favourite?"
"The ice mice," Reece said, grinning wolfishly. "Felt just like real mice in my tummy."
Harry choose to let that one go.
"I didn't like those floaty ones, though," Reece continued, doing a tiny hop-skip. "I'm going to send my dad one of those blood suckers. They're neat. I ate one yesterday but had to stop."
"Why?" Harry asked curiously, ushering the boy into an empty classroom.
"It made me want to go hunting," Reece said. "Why are we here?"
Harry sighed. "Have you heard any new curses in the common room or the halls in the last few days?" Reece shook his head. "Right." Harry took a deep breath. "Snape taught the older students a curse today. On normal humans, it's like a burst of wind, but on a werewolf, it's designed to incapacitate. And it hurts."
Reece went still, his eyes huge in his face.
"So even though Snape told us not to use in the halls or anywhere except a fight, no one's going to listen. There's a very thin chance that you might be around some people when it's happening. I'm going to show you a way to shield yourself, and how to heal yourself if you do get hit. Do you understand?"
Reece nodded mutely.
"Okay." Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the item he'd retrieved from his dorm, the Viking knife Damian had given him in St. Louis. "First things first, I'm going to show you how to heal with a charm. Get your wand out," Harry ordered as he unsheathed the dagger
Reece pulled out his wand warily, staying where he was.
"Oh, come over here, I'm not going to cut you," Harry said, sitting down. "I'll show you how to heal, then you'll try."
Reece nudged over as Harry pushed up his sleeve and nicked his own arm. A tiny trickle of blood ran down his skin. "Why did the professor show everyone a curse that can hurt me?" Reece whispered, staring at the blood. "I thought he liked me. He gave me a point in class on Monday."
Harry laid the dagger on the desk. How could he explain to the boy that Snape hated werewolves? "I'm not sure what he was thinking," Harry said, putting on a brave smile. "Come on, watch this so you can try next."
Hissing in pain as the cut healed under his wand, Harry almost missed the fear lurking in Reece's eyes.
Harry sat against the window in the Gryffindor common room, bathed in the light from the full moon, and raised his eyebrows at Ron and Hermione. "Better?" he asked. "I can undress and go outside if you want me to prove it more."
"No, I've seen you naked enough today," Hermione said. Neville, who was passing by and overheard her pronouncement, stumbled over his own feet, then hurried away.
Ron cracked a grin, leaning back into the couch. "How did things go with the kid?"
"Fine," Harry said with a shrug. "Took him about an hour to get the healing charm and the shield charm. He ended up having to hold my hand to get the shield."
Ron gave him a look.
"To feel the magic, you perv!" Harry exclaimed, throwing a roll of parchment at Ron. "But he had to go to class, then. I hope he's okay."
"He's probably fine," Hermione said encouraging. "How are you doing?"
"Okay, I guess." Harry hadn't been able to settle down to anything all afternoon. After he'd finished with Reece, he'd wandered around the grounds for a while. He'd seen Hagrid and poked around the greenhouses, all the while wanting to just be able to shift into his Animagus form and run, as hard and as fast as possible. But there had been too many people and there was nowhere for Harry to go.
I should tell Ron and Hermione about my wolf, Harry thought nervously, fingering the dagger in his pocket. He hadn't had the time to stash it up in the dorm before dinner. I should have told them this afternoon, but I was so worried about Reece-- No, that's not it. He looked at Hermione as she settled against Ron, a book already open on her lap. There were faint circles under her eyes. I wanted to keep this to myself, my little secret. But maybe I can help them be Animagi as well. It would be dead useful.
He tried to compose a way to explain, but he was having a hard time sitting still and thinking. He bounced to his feet and walked to the windows on the far side of the tower, to look out on the darkened Hogwarts grounds. It was late, almost curfew, and the moon had been up for almost an hour. Some part of him wanted to find Ginny, to see what she was doing, but he shoved those thoughts down, mildly horrified as to the places his imagination was taking him. He thought instead about the moon, the night, and gradually his mind moved to what the werewolves and wereleopards would be doing back in St. Louis.
How's Reece doing? Harry wondered. Is he just lying around? Did they give him something to do?
The more he thought about Reece, the more obsessed he became. He's muggle-born, so he's probably never had the Wolfsbane potion before. Remus said it tastes gross... Was Reece able to finish it all?
"Harry?" Hermione said, appearing at his elbow. "Are you all right?"
Harry rubbed his hand over his face. "No," he said grudgingly. "I can't seem to shake this feeling, you know? Like something's happening."
Hermione appeared sympathetic. "Do you want to come sit down with us?"
Harry shook his head. "What I want is to go see that Reece is okay," he said quietly. "It could have been me in there, you know?"
"Well then," Hermione said briskly. "You've got a headache."
"I do?"
"Of course you do. You'd better go see Madam Pomfrey," Hermione continued. "I'll go with you, or else you're bound to get into trouble."
"Thanks, Hermione," Harry said, grinning widely. Impulsively, he leaned down and gave her a hug. She smelled warm and safe and familiar, and it was very reluctantly that he let her go.
She was smiling up at him, a little sad, but before he could ask her what was wrong, she was turning toward the portrait hole. "Come on, before I change my mind."
Harry hurried.
The corridors of Hogwarts were quiet and dark, but Harry could sense the quiver of motion in the air. There were Aurors about, and probably professors roaming the halls, making sure that no one was out past curfew. The portraits moved slightly, not asleep quite yet.
"Why do the portraits sleep?" Harry asked Hermione. "They're just paint, right? Why does paint need to sleep?"
Hermione gave him a strange look. "You're full of the oddest questions."
Harry shrugged, turning to walk down the stairs backwards to keep her in view. "Everything's sort of odd tonight. It just feels like everything's vibrating, you know?"
"No, I don't." Hermione paused, trying to find the words for something. "You do know that you're hotter than usual?"
"Why, thank you," Harry said with a wolfish smile.
"Not that!" Hermione seemed flustered. "Your skin, it's hotter than it should be. Are you sure you're feeling all right?"
"Yes, Hermione. I told you, things changed with me after what Richard did, but not all the way. You should have been in St. Louis, to see the full show. I swear, Nathaniel got hot enough for me to--"
A prickling sensation in the air permeated Harry's rambling, and he closed his mouth with a snap. He only just had time to step slightly in front of Hermione as a dark-robed figure rounded the corner up ahead.
The figure started back, as if surprised, then froze in the shadows for a moment. "Breaking curfew?" Snape said, tsking under his breath. "Why is it that you are so convinced the rules to not apply to you, Potter?
Harry let his hands fall to his sides. He and Hermione had stopped in a pool of moonlight, streaming in through the window in the castle wall, and where the light touched Harry's skin he felt energized, more alive. He breathed out through his nose, and waited for Snape to make the first move.
"It's not curfew yet, Professor," Hermione said nervously. "Harry's feeling ill. I was taking him to the infirmary."
Snape stepped into the light, staring down at Hermione with eyes black as ink. "Really, Miss Granger?" He looked from Hermione to Harry. "What I find interesting, Potter, is how you manage to convince your normally sensible friends to fall to such depths of stupidity at a mere nod from you."
Harry concentrated on the rise and fall of his chest, the air he breathed in, the stone floor hard under his shoes. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Snape sneered. "Ever the Gryffindor," he said before brushing past Harry.
Harry watched the man until he was out of sight around a corner, and only then let himself relax.
"One of these days you're going to say something that's going to get you expelled," Hermione said.
"I don't trust him," Harry muttered. "He's up to something."
"He's patrolling the halls like he always does, Harry." Hermione caught his arm and tugged him along. "But he's right, it's almost curfew. We'll go to the infirmary and then go back to the common room. Do you want to start working on your essay tonight?"
"What essay?" Harry asked, trying to push the meeting with Snape out of his mind. "It's Friday night!"
"That's no excuse to slack off on our homework!" Hermione exclaimed. Harry let her lecture at him for a few minutes as they wove through the halls of Hogwarts, encountering only the Bloody Baron floating in an alcove.
"But you do have to admit that it's dirty pool for McGonagall to assign us an essay due on Monday morning," Harry interrupted as they drew closer to the infirmary. "We haven't got Transfiguration class until Thursday."
As Hermione rolled her eyes, the hairs on the back of Harry's neck stood up, his whole body stiffening. "I'm sure that there's a--" Harry's fingers on her lips cut Hermione off suddenly.
"Something's wrong," Harry said as softly as possible, pulling out his wand. "Be quiet."
He went up on the balls of his feet as he crept forward, moving slowly, every sense alert for what had set him off. As he drew closer to the infirmary door, he saw that it was slightly ajar. Another step, and he scented the copper-warm smell of blood.
Oh, fuck. Harry raised his wand and peered around the edge of the door. What he saw made his heart skip a beat, and he only waited for a moment to make sure the room was clear before shoving the door all the way open and running as hard as he could to the other end of the infirmary.
Madam Pomfrey lay on the floor by her desk, a pool of blood around her head. As Harry fell to his knees beside her, she opened her eyes, gasping.
"The boy--"
"What happened?" Harry asked, helping her to sit up. Blood stained the side of her face and shoulder, but he couldn't see any wounds.
"Something hit me, from behind," the matron said, her voice growing stronger with each word. "I hit my head... Where's the boy? Is he here?"
Hermione dropped to the floor beside them, a cloth in her hand. "Do you mean Reece?" she said, panic creeping into her tone as she pressed the cloth against Madam Pomfrey's head.
"Where is he?" Harry demanded, bounding to his feet. Madam Pomfrey glanced toward the back of the infirmary, at a door Harry had never paid attention to before.
Harry bolted, already registering that the door was open. He put his shoulder against the wall, wand at his side, as he looked in the room.
The air held a stillness that told Harry the room was empty. He stepped inside, praying that Reece was just playing, was hiding somewhere quietly in some kind of game.
There was a huge metal cage in the middle of the room, and its door was wide open. A rumpled pile of clothing just inside the grate was the only sign anyone had recently been here.
Wand ready, just in case, Harry bent down to touch the cloth. It hadn't been torn or ripped. Reece must have undressed before he shifted, Harry thought. On the far side of the cage was a pool of clear liquid. Harry knew without touching it that it was the liquid that a shifting werewolf would give off as the change took him.
"Reece, where are you?" Harry whispered. There was no answer.
There was something wrong. It took Harry a moment to realize that the smell of the liquid wasn't as it should be. It shouldn't smell like anything, Harry thought, going around the cage to the far side. But it smells like someone threw up--
"Lumos!" Harry cried, aiming his wand at the puddle. Under the film of the shifter liquid were tiny lumps. He threw up, Harry thought, numb. He threw up before he shifted, and they would have given him the Wolfsbane potion just before he shifted!
Harry ran out of the room and back into the infirmary. "He's gone!" he said, skidding to a halt. "The cage is open and he's gone and I think he threw up the Wolfsbane potion!"
Madam Pomfrey tried to stand, but fell heavily against Hermione. Harry didn't have time for this.
"Hermione, get help!" he cried as he ran toward the infirmary door.
"Where are you going? Harry!" Hermione's scream followed him out the door, but he didn't stop. He wasn't able to find Reece's trail, not like this. There was no time to think or plan, just to react.
Harry shoved his wand into his sleeve and put his hands out in front of him, screaming in his mind the incantation to change into his Animagus form as he fell. Paws hit the ground, the world suddenly exploding with smells and sounds. Harry's nose went down, trying to find one scent out of a million.
The fresh smell of werewolf was heavy and thick on the floor. Harry bunched his legs under him and ran, following the smell silently. His only thought was to find Reece and stop him from hunting, for what else would a werewolf do on such a night?
The werewolf scent was interrupted by something, and Harry had to skid to a stop to make sure he knew what he was smelling. A tiny drop of blood marked the ground. Harry stuck out his tongue and tasted the blood: still warm.
Is it Reece's blood or someone else? Harry wondered. He smelled the carpet around the blood, but all he could smell was werewolf. Pointing his nose in the direction of the scent, Harry began to run again. The drops of blood came more frequently, thicker. Reece was hurt.
After a few minutes, Harry caught another scent. It was fainter than the werewolf smell, but thick enough that Harry knew whoever it was had been there recently. It was a smell that made Harry angry, although he didn't know why -- like herbs and sourness and darkness. Whoever it was, Reece was following it too.
Harry spilled into the darkened Entrance Hallway. At the foot of the stairs, he saw a person walking slowly in and out of the moonlight. Out of the corner of his eye, silent in the shadows, was a dark shape, too big and too wide to be human.
Putting all his energy into one last sprint, Harry tore down the stairs. The person must have heard him and turned, and the creature in the shadows took that distraction to leap.
Harry slammed into the werewolf mid-air, going down in a snarling pile of fur and claws. Sharp teeth descended towards Harry's throat, but he twisted around and sank his own teeth into fur and skin. The werewolf dropped to the side, crushing Harry against the ground, and Harry let go just as claws raked along his belly. Letting out an angry snarl, Harry kicked with his hind legs, gained leverage against the beast, then pulled himself on top of the wolf, putting his front paws on the wolf's shoulders and leaning forward to grasp the other creature's muzzle in his jaws, not quite breaking the skin. He growled low in this throat, a threat.
It was as if a switch had been thrown in the werewolf. He rolled onto his side and pulled his paws against his body, whimpering pitifully. Harry held the muzzle in his jaw long enough to ensure that the act of submission was genuine, before changing himself back into human form.
Harry straddled the shivering werewolf, one hand on the scruff of Reece's neck. Out of the corner of his now-human eyes he saw movement, and grabbed his wand out of his sleeve to aim at whoever was near.
Snape stood, wand pointed down at Harry and Reece, livid. "Move, Potter!" he shouted.
"Lower your wand!" Harry yelled, feeling Reece shrink back.
"Get away from that creature!"
"I'm not going to let you hurt him!"
The sound of running footsteps filled the hall, but Harry didn't move. His whole world had narrowed down to Snape threatening his wolf. Reece had submitted to Harry; that meant Harry had to protect Reece.
"Harry, put down your wand," Dumbledore's voice commanded from somewhere up the stairs.
"Not until he does!" Harry exclaimed. His body screamed in pain and tension, but he wasn't going to put down his wand until Reece was safe.
"Severus will not harm either of you, now lower your wand!" Dumbledore came into view.
Slowly, Harry let his hand fall to his side as he blinked at Dumbledore. There was something in the Headmaster's hand. The Marauders' Map Harry thought dimly. They'd never figured out where it went, after the fake Professor Moody had been caught.
"What happened?" McGonagall asked, from behind Dumbledore. How many people were there? Harry couldn't see them all and it was making him nervous. Reece shimmied out from under Harry and hunched beside him. He was as large as a small pony, but Harry leaned against him, and the werewolf whined and went still. "Goodness, Potter! What's going on?"
"An excellent question," Dumbledore said, his bright eyes watching Harry.
Above them, a scurry of feet, and Hermione came dashing down the stairs, Tonks on her heels. "Harry!" Hermione exclaimed.
Reece's head went up, tail still, then he lunged in Hermione's direction. Amid the shouts, Harry barely had time to grab Reece by the scruff of the neck. "Stop it!" Harry shouted, pushing hard until Reece was lying with his belly flat on the floor, Harry crouched over him. The young werewolf only had eyes for Hermione.
Oh, hell. "She's too old for you," Harry muttered into the wolf's ear. "I don't think Hermione should be here," he said, louder, to Dumbledore.
"Harry, you're bleeding," Hermione said, not moving.
"I'm fine," Harry said, concentrating on keeping Reece where he was. "Although leaving now would be good!"
Reece tried to crawl forward. Harry straddled the wolf's back and squeezed Reece's ribs with his knees. Harry knew that Reece was strong enough to stand up with Harry on his back, like a horse, but he was desperately hoping that the wolf was submissive enough not to try it.
"Tonks, please escort Miss Granger back to the Gryffindor common room," Dumbledore said over Hermione's protest. "We will take care of Mr. Potter."
Tonks took Hermione's arm when she didn't move, and began to pull her along. Hermione gave Harry one last wild look, then vanished up the stairs.
With the girls gone, the tension eased out of Reece's body, and he whimpered. "What now?" Harry said, climbing off the werewolf.
"Harry, how badly are you hurt?" Dumbledore asked, stashing the Map somewhere in his robes.
Harry glanced down. His robes were a tattered mess, and when he moved to undo them, pain screamed along his side. "You had to use the claws, didn't you?" he muttered to Reece, who looked as apologetic as possible. Pulling the robes off, Harry saw claw marks all down his chest. McGonagall gasped as Harry ripped his shirt open to examine the wounds. "Just scratches," Harry reported after a moment. "Most of them have stopped bleeding."
Reece butted his head against Harry's chest, then began to lick the blood away. Harry heard a flurry of motion, soft voices, but he tuned them out and focused on Reece.
"No more biting," Harry said, shoving Reece's head away. "Where are you bleeding?"
Harry had to use his wand for light, but he finally found Reece's wound. A tiny spiked metal object was lodged in the wolf's back hip, so small that there wasn't much blood. It was still bleeding, however, while the claw and teeth marks around it, where Reece had tried to gnaw it loose, had healed. Harry frowned. Reece should have healed by now, unless...
"It's silver," Harry breathed, horrified. "What sort of sick bastard would do that?"
Quickly, he reached for his ruined robes and dug out his dagger. It was steel, but it was sharp enough for what he needed to do.
"Harry, what are you doing?" Dumbledore asked.
"I'm going to help Reece," Harry said grimly. "Madam Pomfrey's still hurt, right? This can't wait until morning, not with silver." He grabbed Reece's head and made the wolf look him in the eyes. "This is going to hurt, but I'm going to help you. Do you understand?"
The wolf stared back, then lowered his head and whimpered. Hoping that was a yes, Harry picked up the dagger with one hand and his wand with the other.
"You cannot be seriously thinking about allowing this, Dumbledore!" Snape said incredulously. "That monster will kill Potter in a second!"
Reece twisted around and growled at Snape, his lip curling up over his teeth.
"Reece won't be killing anyone tonight," Harry said distractedly. "Can one of you levitate some light over here?"
McGonagall protested, but Dumbledore said something to her that Harry couldn't make out, then a ball of warm light floated over to Harry. "Will this do?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yeah," Harry said, pulling Reece over to him and patting the wolf on the head. "Reece, no biting. I'll be done as soon as I can," he said before he stuck his wand between his teeth to free up his hand.
Harry focused on what he was doing, cutting carefully into Reece's skin to see the tiny spiked ball. His hands slick with blood, as the werewolf twitched and whimpered in pain, Harry had never been so relieved in his entire life as when he saw that the spikes weren't barbed and caught in Reece's flesh. He held the cut open with one hand and used the other to grasp his wand, to slowly levitate the metal ball up and away. Reece stopped twitching as soon as the metal left his body.
"Put that in here, Harry," Dumbledore said. Harry looked up to see a small cup floating in front of him, into which he gratefully deposited the ball. Giving the wound one last look, Harry put his knife down.
"I'm going to heal this up now, okay? Like I showed you this afternoon, just like magic." Harry quickly used the healing charm to close the wound, then let his hand slowly drop to rest on Reece's flank.
He was so tired, and everything in him hurt. But, as Reece knocked his nose against Harry's chin, Harry realized the night wasn't over yet.
"Harry, can you bring Mr. Trevelyan back up to the infirmary?" Dumbledore asked, cutting into Harry's daze.
"The cage was open," Harry said, pieces of the puzzle beginning to fall into place. "Something hit Madam Pomfrey from behind, but she wasn't attacked by Reece. Someone did this!"
"I know," Dumbledore said. "For now, we need to get Mr. Trevelyan back to safety. Will he follow you?"
"Of course he will." Harry picked up the dagger and dragged himself to his feet. "Come on, Reece. Up."
The wolf rose to his feet, tail wagging slightly as he watched Harry's face.
"No, it's not play time yet," Harry said. "We'll go back upstairs, and we can play then, okay?" He wiped the bloody knife off on his ruined shirt, then slid it back into the sheath before putting the entire thing into his trousers pocket.
Reece nosed Harry's hand until he put his hand on the werewolf's shoulders.
"Harry, I will go first, and then you bring Mr. Trevelyan, do you understand?" Dumbledore said.
"Yeah, we get it," Harry muttered. He buried his fingers in Reece's fur and gave a gentle tug. "C'mon."
Harry went slowly, moving carefully out of respect for his wounds, and to keep a better eye on Reece. Luckily for him, the werewolf seemed to have no desire to bound off, but remained pressed against Harry's side as they walked past Snape toward the stairs.
It might have been a trick of the light, but Harry had never seen Snape look at him with such loathing as when Harry walked past, werewolf at his side.
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Date: 2006-03-25 03:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-25 03:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-25 03:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-25 03:54 am (UTC)As for Hermione... that wasn't what you think it was. It has a lot to do with who was *with* Hermione, in addition to little pubescent werewolves. Oh, those teen years. Never was I so glad when I hit 20.
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Date: 2006-03-25 03:59 am (UTC)I saw a few typos, but otherwise, very cool chapter.
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Date: 2006-03-25 04:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-25 04:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-25 04:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-25 04:08 am (UTC)Thanks. My Snape isn't totally understandable, and has many layers of grey. Even Harry has to admit, however grudginly, that Snape is teaching them stuff (well, before the werewolf curse incident)
I'd also love to know what Dumbledore's thinking, at the end there . . because things have suddenly gone from him *allowing* Harry to take on an adult role, to Harry just taking charge and being more in control of the situation than Dumbledore was.
Nail? Head. Exactly. All Dumbledore would have been able to do in this situation would be to stun Reece. Harry took that a step beyond, became recognized as the dominant wolf, and now he is in total control of the situation without (much) bloodshed.
Typos are just my way of saying "holla" to my fans. Ahem.
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Date: 2006-03-25 04:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-25 04:11 am (UTC)The cuplrit in a few chapters. Next chapter, the consequences. Harry and Reece, Harry and Hermione/Ron, and Harry v. Dumbledore. Basically, this is the chapter when Harry becomes an adult in Dumbledore's eyes, taking responsability for Reece like he did.
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Date: 2006-03-25 04:13 am (UTC)Goddess, I am such a pervert.
Me and Dan just get finished watching GoF and I get on to see if anything's been updated, and low and behold, I get a nicely wolf-fur wrapped present. Yay.
You update so much, it's like a TV show that airs three times a week. It's great.
I can't wait to see how Hermione reacts to this.
I think I love you, by the by.
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Date: 2006-03-25 04:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-25 04:18 am (UTC);)
I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. I knew it was going to be a very intense chapter to write (like all my werewolf attack chapters are) and I had a fun time writing it.
Speaking of GoF, I should go finish watching that. I stopped it at the beginning of task 2 and started onto my Firefly DVDs. So shiny....
Ahem.
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Date: 2006-03-25 04:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-25 04:31 am (UTC)Oh, great chapter
We never got a sense of Harry's size.. I wonder if that is why Hermione freaked?? Although he could hold Reece's muzzle in his jaws... hmmm that is one big wolf.....
But who knew about Reece except his pack, Dumbledore, Harry, Ron &Hermione, and Pomfrey..
More question and bloody few answers!
excellent writing!
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Date: 2006-03-25 04:31 am (UTC)i like the dynamic between harry and reese - bit of a big brotherly sort of thing.
i know the full night is far from over - and also with tonks there, remus is bound to hear the news, and i am certainly looking forward to that *discussion*.
great chapter! i was anticipating it, and it has definitely lived up to it.
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Date: 2006-03-25 04:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-25 05:00 am (UTC)I was contemplating rereading this from the beginning (it's been a while and I like a refresher every now and then) and now I think I will. This was just... wow.
/fangirl moment
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Date: 2006-03-25 05:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-25 05:16 am (UTC)So, was his reaction some kind of territorial thing because he associated Tonks with Remus, or smelled him on her or somesuch?
All in all, a very good chapter, I was very excited to see you'd updated!
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Date: 2006-03-25 05:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-25 05:21 am (UTC)- Hikaru
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Date: 2006-03-25 05:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-25 05:43 am (UTC)