Wolf Lord
Chapter One
By Mell8
-------------------
~The Ministry regulates werewolves. Already in 1637 there was a Werewolf Code of Conduct (PS16). Dolores Umbridge was instrumental in the passage of restrictive anti-werewolf legislation that Sirius said made it almost impossible for Lupin to get a job. (OP14)
~According to Scamander, werewolves have been shunted between the Beast and Being Divisions of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures for years. At one point, the Werewolf Registry and Werewolf Capture Unit were both in the Beast Division, while at the same time the office for Werewolf Support Services was in the Being Division.
--Taken from the Harry Potter Lexicon on Werewolves.
------------------
Present:
The wolf’s howl broke the stillness of the full moon night, arresting the chirping of the crickets and leaving behind total silence in it’s wake.
Wolf looked up at the huge yellow orb that dominated the midnight sky and smiled condescendingly with a barring of sharp teeth. He stopped the return howl from leaving his throat with little effort, as it was terribly demeaning to answer the cry of a common wolf, and loped off after his parents.
This was their last run together before he got on an airplane and went across the Ocean to attend Hogwarts and he wanted to enjoy it.
His father’s white fur stood out vibrantly in the green, late summer brush and Wolf easily chased after the flicking tail. His father jumped out of the way and mockingly snorted as Wolf skidded to a stop on his four paws to avoid crashing into the tree his father had just been scent marking.
An answering snort behind him made Wolf turn around and growl under his breath. His mother, a wolf such a deep red that she could be mistaken for a pool of blood in the right circumstances, stood on a small hillock behind him. She mockingly bowed her head towards her only son and leader of their pack before jumping down and tackling her mate.
Wolf lifted his tail in the air in an arrogant but joking dismissal and left his parents to their play. He had to check on the new cubs one last time to make sure they could control their wolves and would not have any problems while he was away. Then he had to make sure that his father and Ben, the second and third in the pack, knew exactly what to do if something went wrong.
In the morning he would be boarding a plane to London and would be leaving behind his werewolf pack for the first time since he had been born. Everything here must be settled so he did not worry while he was away.
He sniffed the ground and found Ben’s scent up ahead. With Ben and his father in control the pack would still be okay when he returned.
III
Wolf groaned as he stepped off the train and stopped a second to crack his back and stretch his face to the sky.
The smells here were so different than what he was used to. Everything was wet and had a moldy overtone from the water that made his nose writhe in disgust. At the same time the magic that imbued every scent make him want to change into his other form and explore everything further on his four paws.
He had long practice at ignoring the wolf’s cravings and was able to step forward and join the crowds of students streaming towards the road instead of transforming on the spot.
“Firs’ years this way!”
Wolf sniffed and grimaced. He could smell a half giant, but, if what his parents said was correct, an untrained half giant. As far as Wolf knew, Hagrid was the only being at this school with the capabilities to unearth the secret that he was a werewolf. A mere Witch or Wizard would never be able to tell but a giant had other magical powers that could discern his wolf identity; not that the Ministry allowed giants the means to use such magic...
Wolf smirked and made his way over towards Hagrid.
“Firs’ years!”
Wolf dodged around a group of smaller children and let his smirk shine coldly down in response to their shocked expressions. He knew intimately what had surprised them so much, after all it was his own body they stared, slack jawed, at.
He had his father’s height and was well over six feet, but instead of being lanky like the adolescent pictures he had seen of his mother’s various siblings, his thin frame was corded with muscle.
But the oddest and most astonishing feature was on his head.
He was a genetic anomaly, born only because of his parents combined magic and his own sheer will to live, even as an unborn fetus. Part of the anomaly had resulted in his strength in the pack at only sixteen but the other had manifested on his human form.
Exactly half of his body hair was the white blond of his father and the other half was the blood red of his mother. It was as if a line had been drawn from the top of his head, down the middle of his nose, and through his belly button. His left arm and leg were blond and his right, red. This included the hair on his head. But the oddest part was that the line where the two colors merged was a thick pink stripe of hair.
Wolf had shaved both sides of his head smooth with a spell and had left only the pink stripe to grow into a mohawk. It was frightfully clear that these sheltered children had never seen a hairstyle like his before.
“Hello,” Wolf called as he reached Hagrid. “Technically this is my first year here but I’m much older than the rest of the first years. Where should I go?”
The half-giant looked down at Wolf and smiled through his shaggy beard. “Now don’ worry. You take tha’ carriages an’ someone’ll be waitin’ for you. Firs’ years, over ‘ere!”
Wolf nodded and turned to follow the rest of the students around the bend in the road to where the carriages waited.
He was glad that he was downwind of the thestrals because they would have smelt him and gone wild with fear. Wolf climbed into an empty carriage and closed the door behind him.
The thestral took off and Wolf closed his eyes.
“I need to hide everything from these people,” he mumbled to himself. “I am here for one purpose only and revealing my parentage and my wolf to these incompetent fools would only hinder the completion of my goals.”
He pictured a room in his mind, one with walls made of cement and a door that could be locked behind him. In that room he shoved all the knowledge of his other self; everything that he did not want someone with the abilities of Legilimency to see should they decide to scan his mind.
He closed the door and covered it with mental chains and a padlock before opening his eyes.
When the carriage stopped he dismounted and made his way with the other students into the Entrance Hall.
He had just stepped through the giant wooden doors when a mousy brown haired woman appeared at his side.
“You must be Wolf,” she said with a smile that did not quite hide the shock in her eyes as she gestured for him to follow her down a side hallway. Her eyes skimmed curiously over his clothes and focused on his hair for a long second in which he could almost see lists of hair dying spells running through her mind. Her eyes finally caught that his uniform shirt was held loosely in his hands so she swallowed whatever caustic reprimand she had on the tip of her tongue and continued her speech.
“Welcome to Hogwarts! I’m Professor Granger-Weasley, of Charms class, and the Deputy Headmistress of this school. Now, Hogwarts is a magical academy for Witches and Wizards. We have four houses, Gryffindor, I’m head of that house, Ravenclaw-”
“I’ve done my reading,” Wolf said rudely. He had no wish to listen to this human prattle on in her know-it-all voice that made his sensitive ears ache. “There is no need for you to reiterate information I already know.” He sneered.
She huffed. “I’ll have you know that I expect a certain amount of cordiality in my classes. I will give you a reprieve tonight as it is your first day in the school but such behavior will not be excused again!”
She stopped outside of a door that did not block the smell of wet clothes and scared children that filtered from behind it.
“Now, the first years will be sorted first, then I will announce you to the school and you will be sorted into your house. You can take your year placement test tomorrow. If you have any further questions I’m sure that your housemates or your Head of House will be willing to help you.”
She opened the door and Wolf waited in the hallway while she gave a speech to the gathered eleven year olds. He followed silently as they made their way back into the Entrance Hall and waited just outside of the doors to the Great Hall when the first years were led into the room.
A ripped old hat sang a song and Granger-Weasley; he had to sneer at her name; pulled out a list and began to call out names. One by one the first years were sorted. He started, surprised, when Weasley, Molly was sorted into Gryffindor and watched curiously as his younger cousin joined a large group of red haired children at the Gryffindor table.
Apparently he had relatives that his mother did not know about. It was something to include in his next letter at least.
“Now, students, before I give you to our Headmistress for announcements I have a very special student to introduce to you all!”
Wolf sneered at her chipper tone and stalked into the room. His smirk grew at the shocked gasps and all eyes followed him as he stalked between the tables towards Granger-Weasley.
He was wearing a skintight black shirt with a pink skull (the same color as his hair) pulled tight across his hard chest. He still held the white uniform shirt in one hand but his current shirt combined with the non-regulation black jeans and his mohawk was enough to shock the entire hall.
“This is Wolf…” she paused and glanced down at the roll of parchment in her hands for the rest of his name.
“My name is Wolf,” he said coldly as he walked up to where she was standing. “I don’t have a last name.”
He settled gracefully on the three-legged stool and put the disgusting hat on his head. The brim barely touched the tip of his hair when a rip opened and shouted, “Slytherin!”
A table on the far side of the room clapped politely for him and, judging by their green ties and the snake adorning their robes, they were the Slytherins.
Wolf glided over to the table and took a seat in the middle across from a boy who looked like the leader of the group.
“Well, that was exciting!” An old woman stood in the center of the Professors table and addressed the hungry crowd. “Welcome first years, welcome Wolf, and welcome all returning students, to another year at Hogwarts. I am your Headmistress, Professor McGonagall. Now, I have a couple announcements. Mr. Filch has an extensive list of items that are banned from use in the corridors hanging on his office door. Included on that list are all items sold by Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes.” She smiled tightly around the room and Wolf wondered how she was still alive. He knew that Witches had a longer lifespan than regular humans but that still did not explain why a woman who had been ancient when his parents were in school was still alive and teaching now.
“The Forbidden Forest is still forbidden and is highly dangerous so please refrain from entering the trees. The centaurs are still not welcoming to humans.” Her reproving glare caught on the huddle of red heads at the Gryffindor table.
“Professor Lupin, your Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, is out tonight as it is the day after the full moon, but will be teaching tomorrow as planned.”
How weak, Wolf scoffed. A werewolf should welcome the change. If the human embraced the wolf, the wolf would not hurt the human body, rather, the wolf would give the human body advantages it would not normally have. Also, the wolf would never debilitate the human body so much that the human would have to spend time recuperating. Obviously this “Professor Lupin” had fallen to the stereotypes this society shoveled on werewolves. It was a wonder that he was allowed to teach with all of the negative stigma that surrounded his kind influencing parents against him.
Food appeared on the tables and Wolf filled his plate with enough to feed three normal people. He was hungry and if he didn’t keep his human side fed, his wolf would try to take over to hunt.
“So you’re Wolf.” The leader of the Slytherins said slowly.
“That is my name,” Wolf answered with a sneer.
“My name is Nott, Theodore Nott, after my father.”
“I’m Violet Nott!” A first year piped up from next to her brother. “You might have heard of our parents? Pansy and Theodore Nott?”
Wolf lifted his blonde eyebrow and sneered. “I’ve never had the displeasure.”
“Who are your parents?” A big, hulking boy said from the other side of the Nott boy. “I’m Goyle, Timothy Goyle. My parents are Gregory and Millicent Goyle. Purebloods of course,” he said stupidly.
Wolf sneered. “My parents are none of your concern. Nor do I care whether your parents were pure bloods or pigs, although I suspect the latter is true.”
A black haired boy with snapping green eyes laughed from further down the table. “Thank you so much for saying that. I’ve been waiting for someone to tell them off for years! I’m Cody Greengrass.”
Nott snorted. “He’s a useless waste of space. His mother was a whore who got herself pregnant without a husband.”
Cody just brushed away the bridle with long practiced ease. “Yeah, my Mum’s still single and she’s happy that way. These idiots care more about outward appearances and reputations than the person themselves. Ignore them.”
Wolf smiled over to Cody. “Thanks for the advice.” He glanced down the table and saw that a couple of people were nodding in agreement with Cody while others, the Nott siblings included, where glaring at the dark haired boy.
Wolf filled his plate with seconds and continued to eat. He watched the table as he ate and saw that it was pretty cleanly divided. The seats near the middle were all filled with students who supported Nott and his ideas of purebloods while the seats at both ends were filled with students who either disagreed or didn’t care either way.
Cody sat alone. Wolf guessed that it was because the boy was so vocal about his disagreements with Nott and the rest of the house was too afraid of Nott to openly side with Cody.
In fact, the longer Wolf watched Cody eat, the more sure he became that the boy was injured. He was only using his left hand to eat and kept his right arm firmly against his body. Wolf couldn’t smell blood or even what exactly was wrong with the arm because of the distance between them and the smells of the food disrupting his nose, but he was sure that he was the only student to notice.
Dessert came and went and the students began to get up from the table.
“Wolf!” The dark skinned Professor he had seen at the staff table called from the doors. Wolf shrugged apologetically at Cody and moved away from him to meet the Professor.
“Welcome to Slytherin.” The Professor said with a small smile as he led Wolf down a side passage into the dungeons. “I’m Professor Zabini, Potions, and the Slytherin Head of House. I wanted to finalize your sleeping arrangements before I take you down to your Common Room.”
Wolf nodded and followed Zabini into an office in the dungeons.
“Now, I’ve taken the liberty of placing you in the sixth year dorm since you’re sixteen. The exam tomorrow will test your knowledge of magic and your practical skills with a wand. What year of classes you will be taking depends on the results of that test and, unless you wish to switch, you may stay in the sixth year dorm despite the year level of classes you join.”
Wolf nodded coolly to Zabini. “I understand Sir.”
“Professor Granger-Weasley has also asked that I remind you to wear the required uniform from now on,” Zabini sneered hatefully, showing exactly what he thought of the Charms Professor. “Follow me,” Zabini finished. “I’ll show you to your dorm now.”
III
Wolf entered a room with four beds. One had the green curtains pulled shut. Boys getting changed for bed occupied two beds and the last one was empty and had his trunk at the foot.
“I’m Jeremy, that’s Prometheus, we call him Buddy,” the dark tan skinned boy on the bed nearest the door pointed first to himself then to the other visible boy, a pale skinned, brown haired, chubby boy who was struggling with his night shirt.
Jeremy brushed his dark brown hair out of his eyes and finally pointed to the closed bed. “You’ve already met Cody. He’s a strange one and Nott hates him so be careful.”
Wolf nodded. “I’m sure you already know my name.” The other boys laughed. “I’m going to tell you right now that I hate curfews so I’m probably going to be spending quite a few nights out of bed.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll make some excuse for you,” Buddy said with a slow grin. “As long as you look the other way for our little “indiscretions”.” Buddy winked and Jeremy shaped an hourglass figure in the air with his hands while thrusting his hips forward suggestively.
Wolf laughed. “It’s a deal.” He turned towards the covered bed. “The same goes for you, Cody. I know you’re still awake.”
There was a rustling of cloth and Cody stuck his dark head through the space in the curtains.
“Sounds good to me.” He said softly.
Wolf walked over to Cody’s head and whispered softly, “you might was to staunch the bleeding. If it gets any worse the other two might notice. And you should tell me exactly what caused it.”
Wolf watched as Cody’s eyes grew wide and he quickly slid out of sight again.
It was infuriating to Wolf that he could not place the scent of what caused the wound in Cody’s arm. It was familiar but in such a twisted way that he couldn’t place it.
With an inward snarl Wolf began to strip off his clothes in preparation for bed. He would find out what was wrong with Cody eventually but he was tired and still jetlagged from his long trip so further investigation would have to wait.
III
Past:
Ginny Weasley looked from at the giant chunk missing in her thigh to the dead creature bleeding at her feet with eyes brimming with tears.
She didn’t feel any pain and was ignoring the extensive bleeding. Instead, her mind was still focused on what had happened only a few seconds ago.
A giant wolf had dashed around the corner, had caught sight of her and, before she could point her wand, had taken a bite out of her leg. The Reductor Curse had destroyed the werewolf’s skull but the damage had already been done.
A werewolf had bitten Ginny.
How could she survive as a werewolf? How would her family cope?
Ginny felt a cold shiver run down her spine at the last thought. Her family would do the best they could; they loved her and would support her even if she changed into a wild and dangerous animal once a month. But buying one dose of Wolfsbane potion or even just the ingredients, many of which were illegal, cost more than her father made in a month and would tax her family terribly. How could she do that to them?
No, she loved her family too much to force them to suffer because she was a werewolf.
The tears flowed faster as this realization formed into a halfhearted plan. She would run away. Surely she could find somewhere where she would never be found.
Ginny wavered on her feet, both from blood loss and the knowledge that she could never see her family again.
Wouldn’t it hurt her family more if she disappeared? What if they thought she had died? That would make them suffer unnecessarily.
Ginny shook her head angrily. Those were weak thoughts from the baby inside of her that was not ready to leave the nest. No, if she wanted to save her family she needed to be strong. She couldn’t give in to any other influences.
Voldemort was dead; she had seen Harry kill him. Right now she could see her mother and father hugging the twins. Bill and Charlie were supporting Ron as her youngest older brother had shattered his leg while diving in front of a curse meant for Hermione. Even Percy was there.
Her family had plenty of support. Together they would survive if she disappeared. They would always wonder what had happened to her but they would survive. It would definitely be best if she left.
Ginny lifted her wand in a leaden fist.
“Take me away to somewhere safe; somewhere my family would never find me,” she whispered a soft prayer to her wand before twisting on her uninjured leg and Apparating.
She was in complete blackness. The air was being squeezed out of her lungs and the pressure grew the longer she hurtled through Apparition space. Ginny struggled to find air and knew that she was suffocating. Finally she popped back into the real world and as the bright light hit her eyes she fainted.
III
“You’ll survive,” were the first two words she heard once her eyes were fully open. Ginny blinked dimly up at the hospital green colored ceiling before slowly turning her head towards the voice.
“I’m Ben.” He was sitting on a chair at her bedside and smiled gently at her. His long russet colored hair, a shade so unassociated with the Weasley family orange that Ginny hardly noticed the color, was pulled back into a messy tail at the base of his skull. His dark brown eyes gently welcomed her.
“You gave me quite the scare, appearing out of mid-air like that. Plus you got blood all over my kitchen!” He laughed and swung his legs in the chair like an excited child. Ginny’s stomach growled and Ben laughed again. “So you’re hungry Wolf-girl? Makes sense since you’ve been unconscious for over two weeks. Wait right here. I’ll go get some soup for you.” He jumped up from his chair and scampered out of the room.
Ginny’s mind slowly began to focus on more than the fact that the wall color was horrid. Ben was gone for a full minute before she realized that he had called her “Wolf-girl”. How had he known?
She struggled to sit up and although she felt terribly weak she was finally able to manage it.
Ben bounced back into the room, carefully balancing a tray with a brimming bowl of soup on it in his hands. Somehow he managed not to spill a drop.
“Oh! You were able to sit up by yourself. You’re recovering faster than I thought.” Ben helped her sit up the rest of the way while balancing the tray with one hand before gently placing the tray in her lap.
Ginny grimaced at the yellow broth with a piece of soggy bread floating in it but slowly picked up her spoon and began to eat. After the fifth spoonful her hand was shaking too badly to hold the spoon.
“Here, Wolf-girl. Let me help.” Ben gently plucked the spoon from her grasp and helped her finish the rest of the bowl.
“Ben,” Ginny slurred tiredly, “why do you call me Wolf-girl?”
Ben smiled softly, “no questions for right now. I’ll tell you more when you wake up.”
Three days passed in much the same fashion. Ben would be there when she woke, would help her to the bathroom, she would eat, and then she would fall asleep from exhaustion.
She was able to eat the entire bowl without Ben’s help by the fourth day but fell asleep just as quickly.
It wasn’t until the sixth day that Ginny was strong enough to stay awake after eating.
“Ben, please.” Ginny looked up at the man. “See, I’m awake. I’m feeling much better, thank you. Now will you answer my questions?”
Ben looked indecisive so Ginny pouted. He finally gave in.
“All right, Ginny,” Ben sighed. “Let me tell you what I know, then you can ask any remaining questions you have.”
He waited for Ginny’s nod before continuing.
“My name is Ben and I’m the Alpha Wolf for the werewolf pack in this town. I know you’re a werewolf because I can smell it on you. I could tell the second you showed up in my kitchen.”
“Alpha Wolf?” Ginny asked softly. She was beginning to get tired again but didn’t want Ben to see because he would stop his explanation.
Ben groaned and rubbed his forehead with his fist. “You’re one of them, then?” He asked with a grimace.
“Them?” Ginny asked.
“What he means, Weasley, is that you live under the control of the Ministry of Magic where werewolf society has been destroyed and then warped into the diseased creation of fear the Ministry portrays it as.”
Ginny whipped her head around and gasped. A tall, white-blonde haired boy sneered at her from the doorway. His grey eyes snapped towards Ben.
“I’ve had enough with making chicken broth. She’s obviously awake so I want to make steaks…raw steaks.” He licked his lips.
“Malfoy?” Ginny breathed angrily but exhaustion was slowly creeping up and it was becoming difficult to keep her eyes open no matter how hard she fought.
“Shhhh, go to sleep, Ginny. We’ll talk again in the morning.” Ben gently pulled the covers up to her chin before shooing Malfoy out the door.
Yes, they would certainly talk when she woke up again, Ginny thought before succumbing to sleep.
Chapter One
By Mell8
-------------------
~The Ministry regulates werewolves. Already in 1637 there was a Werewolf Code of Conduct (PS16). Dolores Umbridge was instrumental in the passage of restrictive anti-werewolf legislation that Sirius said made it almost impossible for Lupin to get a job. (OP14)
~According to Scamander, werewolves have been shunted between the Beast and Being Divisions of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures for years. At one point, the Werewolf Registry and Werewolf Capture Unit were both in the Beast Division, while at the same time the office for Werewolf Support Services was in the Being Division.
--Taken from the Harry Potter Lexicon on Werewolves.
------------------
Present:
The wolf’s howl broke the stillness of the full moon night, arresting the chirping of the crickets and leaving behind total silence in it’s wake.
Wolf looked up at the huge yellow orb that dominated the midnight sky and smiled condescendingly with a barring of sharp teeth. He stopped the return howl from leaving his throat with little effort, as it was terribly demeaning to answer the cry of a common wolf, and loped off after his parents.
This was their last run together before he got on an airplane and went across the Ocean to attend Hogwarts and he wanted to enjoy it.
His father’s white fur stood out vibrantly in the green, late summer brush and Wolf easily chased after the flicking tail. His father jumped out of the way and mockingly snorted as Wolf skidded to a stop on his four paws to avoid crashing into the tree his father had just been scent marking.
An answering snort behind him made Wolf turn around and growl under his breath. His mother, a wolf such a deep red that she could be mistaken for a pool of blood in the right circumstances, stood on a small hillock behind him. She mockingly bowed her head towards her only son and leader of their pack before jumping down and tackling her mate.
Wolf lifted his tail in the air in an arrogant but joking dismissal and left his parents to their play. He had to check on the new cubs one last time to make sure they could control their wolves and would not have any problems while he was away. Then he had to make sure that his father and Ben, the second and third in the pack, knew exactly what to do if something went wrong.
In the morning he would be boarding a plane to London and would be leaving behind his werewolf pack for the first time since he had been born. Everything here must be settled so he did not worry while he was away.
He sniffed the ground and found Ben’s scent up ahead. With Ben and his father in control the pack would still be okay when he returned.
III
Wolf groaned as he stepped off the train and stopped a second to crack his back and stretch his face to the sky.
The smells here were so different than what he was used to. Everything was wet and had a moldy overtone from the water that made his nose writhe in disgust. At the same time the magic that imbued every scent make him want to change into his other form and explore everything further on his four paws.
He had long practice at ignoring the wolf’s cravings and was able to step forward and join the crowds of students streaming towards the road instead of transforming on the spot.
“Firs’ years this way!”
Wolf sniffed and grimaced. He could smell a half giant, but, if what his parents said was correct, an untrained half giant. As far as Wolf knew, Hagrid was the only being at this school with the capabilities to unearth the secret that he was a werewolf. A mere Witch or Wizard would never be able to tell but a giant had other magical powers that could discern his wolf identity; not that the Ministry allowed giants the means to use such magic...
Wolf smirked and made his way over towards Hagrid.
“Firs’ years!”
Wolf dodged around a group of smaller children and let his smirk shine coldly down in response to their shocked expressions. He knew intimately what had surprised them so much, after all it was his own body they stared, slack jawed, at.
He had his father’s height and was well over six feet, but instead of being lanky like the adolescent pictures he had seen of his mother’s various siblings, his thin frame was corded with muscle.
But the oddest and most astonishing feature was on his head.
He was a genetic anomaly, born only because of his parents combined magic and his own sheer will to live, even as an unborn fetus. Part of the anomaly had resulted in his strength in the pack at only sixteen but the other had manifested on his human form.
Exactly half of his body hair was the white blond of his father and the other half was the blood red of his mother. It was as if a line had been drawn from the top of his head, down the middle of his nose, and through his belly button. His left arm and leg were blond and his right, red. This included the hair on his head. But the oddest part was that the line where the two colors merged was a thick pink stripe of hair.
Wolf had shaved both sides of his head smooth with a spell and had left only the pink stripe to grow into a mohawk. It was frightfully clear that these sheltered children had never seen a hairstyle like his before.
“Hello,” Wolf called as he reached Hagrid. “Technically this is my first year here but I’m much older than the rest of the first years. Where should I go?”
The half-giant looked down at Wolf and smiled through his shaggy beard. “Now don’ worry. You take tha’ carriages an’ someone’ll be waitin’ for you. Firs’ years, over ‘ere!”
Wolf nodded and turned to follow the rest of the students around the bend in the road to where the carriages waited.
He was glad that he was downwind of the thestrals because they would have smelt him and gone wild with fear. Wolf climbed into an empty carriage and closed the door behind him.
The thestral took off and Wolf closed his eyes.
“I need to hide everything from these people,” he mumbled to himself. “I am here for one purpose only and revealing my parentage and my wolf to these incompetent fools would only hinder the completion of my goals.”
He pictured a room in his mind, one with walls made of cement and a door that could be locked behind him. In that room he shoved all the knowledge of his other self; everything that he did not want someone with the abilities of Legilimency to see should they decide to scan his mind.
He closed the door and covered it with mental chains and a padlock before opening his eyes.
When the carriage stopped he dismounted and made his way with the other students into the Entrance Hall.
He had just stepped through the giant wooden doors when a mousy brown haired woman appeared at his side.
“You must be Wolf,” she said with a smile that did not quite hide the shock in her eyes as she gestured for him to follow her down a side hallway. Her eyes skimmed curiously over his clothes and focused on his hair for a long second in which he could almost see lists of hair dying spells running through her mind. Her eyes finally caught that his uniform shirt was held loosely in his hands so she swallowed whatever caustic reprimand she had on the tip of her tongue and continued her speech.
“Welcome to Hogwarts! I’m Professor Granger-Weasley, of Charms class, and the Deputy Headmistress of this school. Now, Hogwarts is a magical academy for Witches and Wizards. We have four houses, Gryffindor, I’m head of that house, Ravenclaw-”
“I’ve done my reading,” Wolf said rudely. He had no wish to listen to this human prattle on in her know-it-all voice that made his sensitive ears ache. “There is no need for you to reiterate information I already know.” He sneered.
She huffed. “I’ll have you know that I expect a certain amount of cordiality in my classes. I will give you a reprieve tonight as it is your first day in the school but such behavior will not be excused again!”
She stopped outside of a door that did not block the smell of wet clothes and scared children that filtered from behind it.
“Now, the first years will be sorted first, then I will announce you to the school and you will be sorted into your house. You can take your year placement test tomorrow. If you have any further questions I’m sure that your housemates or your Head of House will be willing to help you.”
She opened the door and Wolf waited in the hallway while she gave a speech to the gathered eleven year olds. He followed silently as they made their way back into the Entrance Hall and waited just outside of the doors to the Great Hall when the first years were led into the room.
A ripped old hat sang a song and Granger-Weasley; he had to sneer at her name; pulled out a list and began to call out names. One by one the first years were sorted. He started, surprised, when Weasley, Molly was sorted into Gryffindor and watched curiously as his younger cousin joined a large group of red haired children at the Gryffindor table.
Apparently he had relatives that his mother did not know about. It was something to include in his next letter at least.
“Now, students, before I give you to our Headmistress for announcements I have a very special student to introduce to you all!”
Wolf sneered at her chipper tone and stalked into the room. His smirk grew at the shocked gasps and all eyes followed him as he stalked between the tables towards Granger-Weasley.
He was wearing a skintight black shirt with a pink skull (the same color as his hair) pulled tight across his hard chest. He still held the white uniform shirt in one hand but his current shirt combined with the non-regulation black jeans and his mohawk was enough to shock the entire hall.
“This is Wolf…” she paused and glanced down at the roll of parchment in her hands for the rest of his name.
“My name is Wolf,” he said coldly as he walked up to where she was standing. “I don’t have a last name.”
He settled gracefully on the three-legged stool and put the disgusting hat on his head. The brim barely touched the tip of his hair when a rip opened and shouted, “Slytherin!”
A table on the far side of the room clapped politely for him and, judging by their green ties and the snake adorning their robes, they were the Slytherins.
Wolf glided over to the table and took a seat in the middle across from a boy who looked like the leader of the group.
“Well, that was exciting!” An old woman stood in the center of the Professors table and addressed the hungry crowd. “Welcome first years, welcome Wolf, and welcome all returning students, to another year at Hogwarts. I am your Headmistress, Professor McGonagall. Now, I have a couple announcements. Mr. Filch has an extensive list of items that are banned from use in the corridors hanging on his office door. Included on that list are all items sold by Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes.” She smiled tightly around the room and Wolf wondered how she was still alive. He knew that Witches had a longer lifespan than regular humans but that still did not explain why a woman who had been ancient when his parents were in school was still alive and teaching now.
“The Forbidden Forest is still forbidden and is highly dangerous so please refrain from entering the trees. The centaurs are still not welcoming to humans.” Her reproving glare caught on the huddle of red heads at the Gryffindor table.
“Professor Lupin, your Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, is out tonight as it is the day after the full moon, but will be teaching tomorrow as planned.”
How weak, Wolf scoffed. A werewolf should welcome the change. If the human embraced the wolf, the wolf would not hurt the human body, rather, the wolf would give the human body advantages it would not normally have. Also, the wolf would never debilitate the human body so much that the human would have to spend time recuperating. Obviously this “Professor Lupin” had fallen to the stereotypes this society shoveled on werewolves. It was a wonder that he was allowed to teach with all of the negative stigma that surrounded his kind influencing parents against him.
Food appeared on the tables and Wolf filled his plate with enough to feed three normal people. He was hungry and if he didn’t keep his human side fed, his wolf would try to take over to hunt.
“So you’re Wolf.” The leader of the Slytherins said slowly.
“That is my name,” Wolf answered with a sneer.
“My name is Nott, Theodore Nott, after my father.”
“I’m Violet Nott!” A first year piped up from next to her brother. “You might have heard of our parents? Pansy and Theodore Nott?”
Wolf lifted his blonde eyebrow and sneered. “I’ve never had the displeasure.”
“Who are your parents?” A big, hulking boy said from the other side of the Nott boy. “I’m Goyle, Timothy Goyle. My parents are Gregory and Millicent Goyle. Purebloods of course,” he said stupidly.
Wolf sneered. “My parents are none of your concern. Nor do I care whether your parents were pure bloods or pigs, although I suspect the latter is true.”
A black haired boy with snapping green eyes laughed from further down the table. “Thank you so much for saying that. I’ve been waiting for someone to tell them off for years! I’m Cody Greengrass.”
Nott snorted. “He’s a useless waste of space. His mother was a whore who got herself pregnant without a husband.”
Cody just brushed away the bridle with long practiced ease. “Yeah, my Mum’s still single and she’s happy that way. These idiots care more about outward appearances and reputations than the person themselves. Ignore them.”
Wolf smiled over to Cody. “Thanks for the advice.” He glanced down the table and saw that a couple of people were nodding in agreement with Cody while others, the Nott siblings included, where glaring at the dark haired boy.
Wolf filled his plate with seconds and continued to eat. He watched the table as he ate and saw that it was pretty cleanly divided. The seats near the middle were all filled with students who supported Nott and his ideas of purebloods while the seats at both ends were filled with students who either disagreed or didn’t care either way.
Cody sat alone. Wolf guessed that it was because the boy was so vocal about his disagreements with Nott and the rest of the house was too afraid of Nott to openly side with Cody.
In fact, the longer Wolf watched Cody eat, the more sure he became that the boy was injured. He was only using his left hand to eat and kept his right arm firmly against his body. Wolf couldn’t smell blood or even what exactly was wrong with the arm because of the distance between them and the smells of the food disrupting his nose, but he was sure that he was the only student to notice.
Dessert came and went and the students began to get up from the table.
“Wolf!” The dark skinned Professor he had seen at the staff table called from the doors. Wolf shrugged apologetically at Cody and moved away from him to meet the Professor.
“Welcome to Slytherin.” The Professor said with a small smile as he led Wolf down a side passage into the dungeons. “I’m Professor Zabini, Potions, and the Slytherin Head of House. I wanted to finalize your sleeping arrangements before I take you down to your Common Room.”
Wolf nodded and followed Zabini into an office in the dungeons.
“Now, I’ve taken the liberty of placing you in the sixth year dorm since you’re sixteen. The exam tomorrow will test your knowledge of magic and your practical skills with a wand. What year of classes you will be taking depends on the results of that test and, unless you wish to switch, you may stay in the sixth year dorm despite the year level of classes you join.”
Wolf nodded coolly to Zabini. “I understand Sir.”
“Professor Granger-Weasley has also asked that I remind you to wear the required uniform from now on,” Zabini sneered hatefully, showing exactly what he thought of the Charms Professor. “Follow me,” Zabini finished. “I’ll show you to your dorm now.”
III
Wolf entered a room with four beds. One had the green curtains pulled shut. Boys getting changed for bed occupied two beds and the last one was empty and had his trunk at the foot.
“I’m Jeremy, that’s Prometheus, we call him Buddy,” the dark tan skinned boy on the bed nearest the door pointed first to himself then to the other visible boy, a pale skinned, brown haired, chubby boy who was struggling with his night shirt.
Jeremy brushed his dark brown hair out of his eyes and finally pointed to the closed bed. “You’ve already met Cody. He’s a strange one and Nott hates him so be careful.”
Wolf nodded. “I’m sure you already know my name.” The other boys laughed. “I’m going to tell you right now that I hate curfews so I’m probably going to be spending quite a few nights out of bed.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll make some excuse for you,” Buddy said with a slow grin. “As long as you look the other way for our little “indiscretions”.” Buddy winked and Jeremy shaped an hourglass figure in the air with his hands while thrusting his hips forward suggestively.
Wolf laughed. “It’s a deal.” He turned towards the covered bed. “The same goes for you, Cody. I know you’re still awake.”
There was a rustling of cloth and Cody stuck his dark head through the space in the curtains.
“Sounds good to me.” He said softly.
Wolf walked over to Cody’s head and whispered softly, “you might was to staunch the bleeding. If it gets any worse the other two might notice. And you should tell me exactly what caused it.”
Wolf watched as Cody’s eyes grew wide and he quickly slid out of sight again.
It was infuriating to Wolf that he could not place the scent of what caused the wound in Cody’s arm. It was familiar but in such a twisted way that he couldn’t place it.
With an inward snarl Wolf began to strip off his clothes in preparation for bed. He would find out what was wrong with Cody eventually but he was tired and still jetlagged from his long trip so further investigation would have to wait.
III
Past:
Ginny Weasley looked from at the giant chunk missing in her thigh to the dead creature bleeding at her feet with eyes brimming with tears.
She didn’t feel any pain and was ignoring the extensive bleeding. Instead, her mind was still focused on what had happened only a few seconds ago.
A giant wolf had dashed around the corner, had caught sight of her and, before she could point her wand, had taken a bite out of her leg. The Reductor Curse had destroyed the werewolf’s skull but the damage had already been done.
A werewolf had bitten Ginny.
How could she survive as a werewolf? How would her family cope?
Ginny felt a cold shiver run down her spine at the last thought. Her family would do the best they could; they loved her and would support her even if she changed into a wild and dangerous animal once a month. But buying one dose of Wolfsbane potion or even just the ingredients, many of which were illegal, cost more than her father made in a month and would tax her family terribly. How could she do that to them?
No, she loved her family too much to force them to suffer because she was a werewolf.
The tears flowed faster as this realization formed into a halfhearted plan. She would run away. Surely she could find somewhere where she would never be found.
Ginny wavered on her feet, both from blood loss and the knowledge that she could never see her family again.
Wouldn’t it hurt her family more if she disappeared? What if they thought she had died? That would make them suffer unnecessarily.
Ginny shook her head angrily. Those were weak thoughts from the baby inside of her that was not ready to leave the nest. No, if she wanted to save her family she needed to be strong. She couldn’t give in to any other influences.
Voldemort was dead; she had seen Harry kill him. Right now she could see her mother and father hugging the twins. Bill and Charlie were supporting Ron as her youngest older brother had shattered his leg while diving in front of a curse meant for Hermione. Even Percy was there.
Her family had plenty of support. Together they would survive if she disappeared. They would always wonder what had happened to her but they would survive. It would definitely be best if she left.
Ginny lifted her wand in a leaden fist.
“Take me away to somewhere safe; somewhere my family would never find me,” she whispered a soft prayer to her wand before twisting on her uninjured leg and Apparating.
She was in complete blackness. The air was being squeezed out of her lungs and the pressure grew the longer she hurtled through Apparition space. Ginny struggled to find air and knew that she was suffocating. Finally she popped back into the real world and as the bright light hit her eyes she fainted.
III
“You’ll survive,” were the first two words she heard once her eyes were fully open. Ginny blinked dimly up at the hospital green colored ceiling before slowly turning her head towards the voice.
“I’m Ben.” He was sitting on a chair at her bedside and smiled gently at her. His long russet colored hair, a shade so unassociated with the Weasley family orange that Ginny hardly noticed the color, was pulled back into a messy tail at the base of his skull. His dark brown eyes gently welcomed her.
“You gave me quite the scare, appearing out of mid-air like that. Plus you got blood all over my kitchen!” He laughed and swung his legs in the chair like an excited child. Ginny’s stomach growled and Ben laughed again. “So you’re hungry Wolf-girl? Makes sense since you’ve been unconscious for over two weeks. Wait right here. I’ll go get some soup for you.” He jumped up from his chair and scampered out of the room.
Ginny’s mind slowly began to focus on more than the fact that the wall color was horrid. Ben was gone for a full minute before she realized that he had called her “Wolf-girl”. How had he known?
She struggled to sit up and although she felt terribly weak she was finally able to manage it.
Ben bounced back into the room, carefully balancing a tray with a brimming bowl of soup on it in his hands. Somehow he managed not to spill a drop.
“Oh! You were able to sit up by yourself. You’re recovering faster than I thought.” Ben helped her sit up the rest of the way while balancing the tray with one hand before gently placing the tray in her lap.
Ginny grimaced at the yellow broth with a piece of soggy bread floating in it but slowly picked up her spoon and began to eat. After the fifth spoonful her hand was shaking too badly to hold the spoon.
“Here, Wolf-girl. Let me help.” Ben gently plucked the spoon from her grasp and helped her finish the rest of the bowl.
“Ben,” Ginny slurred tiredly, “why do you call me Wolf-girl?”
Ben smiled softly, “no questions for right now. I’ll tell you more when you wake up.”
Three days passed in much the same fashion. Ben would be there when she woke, would help her to the bathroom, she would eat, and then she would fall asleep from exhaustion.
She was able to eat the entire bowl without Ben’s help by the fourth day but fell asleep just as quickly.
It wasn’t until the sixth day that Ginny was strong enough to stay awake after eating.
“Ben, please.” Ginny looked up at the man. “See, I’m awake. I’m feeling much better, thank you. Now will you answer my questions?”
Ben looked indecisive so Ginny pouted. He finally gave in.
“All right, Ginny,” Ben sighed. “Let me tell you what I know, then you can ask any remaining questions you have.”
He waited for Ginny’s nod before continuing.
“My name is Ben and I’m the Alpha Wolf for the werewolf pack in this town. I know you’re a werewolf because I can smell it on you. I could tell the second you showed up in my kitchen.”
“Alpha Wolf?” Ginny asked softly. She was beginning to get tired again but didn’t want Ben to see because he would stop his explanation.
Ben groaned and rubbed his forehead with his fist. “You’re one of them, then?” He asked with a grimace.
“Them?” Ginny asked.
“What he means, Weasley, is that you live under the control of the Ministry of Magic where werewolf society has been destroyed and then warped into the diseased creation of fear the Ministry portrays it as.”
Ginny whipped her head around and gasped. A tall, white-blonde haired boy sneered at her from the doorway. His grey eyes snapped towards Ben.
“I’ve had enough with making chicken broth. She’s obviously awake so I want to make steaks…raw steaks.” He licked his lips.
“Malfoy?” Ginny breathed angrily but exhaustion was slowly creeping up and it was becoming difficult to keep her eyes open no matter how hard she fought.
“Shhhh, go to sleep, Ginny. We’ll talk again in the morning.” Ben gently pulled the covers up to her chin before shooing Malfoy out the door.
Yes, they would certainly talk when she woke up again, Ginny thought before succumbing to sleep.
Leave a Review