Werewolves at Hogwarts

Chapter 25

Severus had never seen Remus in such a mess after a transition. The werewolf was cut and torn in every inch of his body. He had broken ribs and a huge, deep gouge on his shoulder that showed bone through the flesh. Amazingly enough, despite hardly being able to walk and having to swallow half a gallon of blood replacement potions, Remus was as chirpy as a grasshopper.

"You are either totally mad or the potions have you stoned," Severus commented caustically as he helped Remus up to his suite and into his bed.

Remus giggled and dabbed a kiss on his nose before flopping backward into the comfort of his own bed. "Nope, neither. Oh, Sev, relax, I'm fine, this lot is mainly superficial, no real damage except the shoulder which is healing already. Considering I took on twelve Alpha challengers last night and won every bout except the last one, I don't think I did too badly."

"You were in twelve fights? Merlin's balls, Lupin, are you insane? Whatever for?"

"Love, you know I am the Beta Prime to Hayborn for the massed packs and clans? Well. Last night Hayborn retired finally. Unfortunately, wolves don't get a nice testimonial dinner and a gold watch to see them out. Oh no, they have to be defeated by a Challenger who is stronger and more capable than they are. So that would be me."

"You are the Alpha Prime?" Severus didn't know if he should be horrified or impressed.

"Nope, only for the time it took to fight eleven challengers. All the Alphas present wanted to be the Alpha Prime, so I had to protect the position from all of them, beating them all back until our chosen candidate had a fair chance of retaining the position once she beat me. So, I took on the strongest and most physically able, putting them out of contention and making sure I have the respect of all, even the youngest alphas, before I allowed the new Alpha Prime to beat me. Since I was the strongest and was beaten, I dropped back to Beta Prime again and the new Alpha Prime stayed unchallenged at the top of the rock pile."

Severus glared at his friend and lover through narrowed eyes. "'She'? You were beaten by a female in the end?"

"I certainly was; a very strong and savvy bitch who will lead our people well into the future, better than some muscle bound idiot who has no idea of what to do with the position once he destroyed all the contenders. Who wants or needs another Fenfir? We need someone with brains, not brawn, to govern the massed wolves. Plume is ideal, bright, intelligent, a brilliant business woman, a ruthless politician and a fantastic negotiator. She will do well for us."

"You are mad, completely barking," Severus decided, painting some more healing potion onto the gashes he could reach easily. Remus turned to allow him to reach even more of the cuts and bruises, realising some of the coolness on his neck was not just the painting wand but Severus' lips too. He hummed his approval and leaned back against his mate, turning his head to drop a kiss on Severus' jaw line.

"Enough of that, you are sick listed," Severus reminded him.

"I'm a werewolf, I'm nearly all healed up already," Remus counteracted with a sly grin. "Besides, all that fighting makes me as randy as hell. It's like getting bitten all over again, only at an age I can appreciate the side affects."

Placing a hand in the middle of his chest, Severus pushed gently, making Remus laugh and lie back against the pillows in compliance. Much to his surprise, Severus pulled the duvet up and grinned down as he tucked his disappointed partner into bed then rose to his full height. "Go to sleep, you idiot werewolf, you are in no fit state to play silly buggers, not with cracked ribs and gods knows what else. It's only the adrenalin in your system keeping you on your feet at the moment. No doubt in a few minutes you will crash and burn."

"Bullshit," Remus lost the thread of his objection in a huge yawn. "I'm perfectly well and.... Oh dear, sorry about that, I seem to be...." He fell asleep in mid-sentence.

Severus grinned evilly; the vial of Dreamless Sleep tucked back into his robes again. "Silly, dear werewolf," he muttered as he left the room.

~~*~~

Marcia Edmunds wandered into her sister's bedroom and settled on the foot of her bed, offering the second mug of tea she carried to the older woman. Chris took it gratefully and groaned as every muscle in her body ached. Remus Lupin had promised to go easy on her and he had, considering how torn about he had been by the time she had challenged him. That didn't mean she had gotten off unscathed. He was a wily fighter and a hard opponent to beat, and he had made the fight look realistic, a little too realistic if the gashes in her neck and shoulder were anything to go by. Still, in the finish he had rolled over and offered his throat, and she had had a touch of revenge by making him sweat. She had seen the fear in his eyes as her jaws clamped over his wind pipe and his laboured breathing had become harsh and desperate. Then she had let him go again and watched the terror slowly morph into grudging respect.

"What's to do now, Sis?" Marcia asked after the level of tea went down sufficiently.

"Now I think we have to meet with Jonathon McCarthy and the rest of the leaders of the werewolf nation, and see just exactly what I have gotten us into." Chris drained her tea and flung back the covers, groaning as a muscle pulled. "God, I ache! Is my masseuse down stairs, as I asked?"

"She certainly is, with her herbal oils at the ready." Marcy grinned and followed her sister downstairs.

They had come a long way since the death of their parents twenty years ago. The gang of werewolves that had ripped out their parents' throats had also Turned them, leaving them injured and incapable of looking after themselves. Neighbours had helped until the first full moon when they had had to learn to cope with the transition on their own. Thank God there had been two of them to share the experience in all its terror and agony.

Chris had always been the stronger of them, and she had decided that she wasn't going to let the werewolves win. She had started the consultancy on the strength of her education and the conviction in her heart that she could succeed. And succeed she had, going from strength to strength until now, she was literally queen of the werewolves, as of last night. Marcia remembered the terror she had felt when it looked like Moony was going to win and she had found herself inching forward, ready to go to her sister's rescue if it came to that, but it hadn't. Chris had prevailed, as usual.

Marcy giggled to herself as the staff served breakfast and her electronic diary showed the appointments schedule for the day. They might be witches and werewolves and werewolf royalty, but the Muggle electronic diary was still the ruler of the roast!

~~*~~

Hedwig landed with a thump on the table beside Severus, a message attached to her leg. She was a very old owl and usually didn't carry messages any more, but this was important. Harry didn't dare trust it to Circe, his new barn owl. Severus undid the message, and politely asked the old owl if she wanted to go up to the owlery. The beautiful snowy owl looked at him as if he was mad and simply pulled her head down between her wings, and went to sleep where she stood.

Severus shrugged and opened the note, smirking at the agitated tone of the letter. Taking out a quill, he wrote a short reply to the effect that Remus was alive and kicking, and well enough to feel frisky this morning, even if he wasn't actually well enough to follow through. He knew that would make Potter blush a fiery red, as soon as someone read it to him. Re-tying the note to Hedwig's leg in satisfaction, he left the snowy owl to sleep while he wandered out and headed for his dungeon. The DADA master might be sleeping off the full moon, but lesser mortals still had to teach the dunderheads potions, despite the handicap of their lack of brain.

~~*~~

Ron studied the day's correspondence with a keen eye, looking for any hint of a problem in the non-human communities. There was not even a whiff of anything untoward, at all, anywhere. Not even a hint of a disturbance anywhere in the whole of the British Isles and that included Northern Ireland and Eire. That in itself was very odd, as Harry had owled him a frantic note saying the rumours hinted that Remus was hurt in a brawl the night before, and he thought it was a challenge for rank.

Taking a chance, Ron called his superior and said he was going to be out of his office for the rest of the day, and not to worry about him. Putting through a call to the Headmaster, he apologised for his early interruption and asked if he could come up to Hogwarts for a while, to see Remus. Dumbledore said of course he could, any time. Ron finished the call and then used his very Muggle mobile phone to call Desiree and tell her what he had planned for the day. She agreed that he should at least talk to Remus about the rumours, and wished him a good day. Before he could floo out the fire burst into life again, and Harry stepped through, tripped over the mat, and almost sprawled his length across Ron's office hearth rug.

"Gee, Harry, could you make a more graceful entrance?" Ron laughed, catching his friend and dusting him off.

"Probably not," Harry muttered ruefully. "Listen, have you heard? Remus was injured last night. I need to get up to Hogwarts as soon as possible and wondered if...."

"I just finished calling the Headmaster, and we have permission to visit Remus immediately," Ron assured him cheerfully. "Do you want to go immediately?"

"Yes."

~~*~~

Headmaster Dumbledore smiled at the two Old Boys who stepped out of the floo in his office. They had grown up well, despite the times they had survived. Harry's lack of sight still worried Albus, but there was nothing anyone could do for him, wizard or Muggle. Ron was another case altogether, having grown out of his diffidence and into his position. Oh, he still lacked self confidence in some areas, but he was a lot better than he had been at school. Shaking hands, the old man set out tea and treats before the younger pair, who fidgeted with impatience but were too polite to make comment.

"So, you heard about Remus' run-in with the other wolves last night?" Albus mused finally. "Might I ask how?"

Harry fidgeted with his cup handle, and then cocked his head most disconcertingly. "I got an owl from a contact saying that the big twelve had met and the power had changed hands, and that Remus had prevailed for a short time then had been severely beaten by a she-wolf, who was now Alpha Prime. Since my contact had no business being anywhere near the meeting, he was most cautious in what he wrote, and did not have full details."

Ron and the headmaster stared at Harry in surprise, but he didn't notice. "I see," Albus murmured. "Remus was hurt - but not as badly as he could have been - and was already on the mend by the time he managed to apparate back here. He didn't say much to anyone except that he was fine and needed to sleep. He is in his rooms and his pack is watching over him while Severus is teaching."

"Back together are they?" Ron asked with a faint smile.

"About time, I think," Harry nodded decisively. "They both deserve some happiness in their lives."

"Oh come on, Remus and Snape?" Ron yelped then clamped his hand over his mouth when he remembered where he was.

"Hey, Severus is a good man when you get to know him," Harry muttered defensively. "He kept our arses out of deep shite if you remember."

"Yeah, yeah, I know but, Snape!" Ron was grinning like a loon while keeping his tone outraged, but Harry knew him too well and slapped him in exasperation.

Albus chuckled at the by-play. "Do you want me to escort you to see Remus? He is in his quarters, not the infirmary. We thought it best to keep him away from the majority of the population."

"The Gryffindor teachers' area? Yes, we know where that is." Harry confirmed knowledge he shouldn't have, and grinned wickedly when Ron sucked a breath.

"Never-the-less I will escort you. Will you both join us for lunch?" Albus invited.

~~*~~

The boy beside the bed had his wand out as the door swung open, a terrified but determined look on his face. When he saw the headmaster he relaxed and smiled shyly at the old man's congratulatory smile. "And how are you, young Master Streatham?" Albus asked cheerfully.

"Good, Sir. Andy had to go to her Arithmancy tutor so she said I had to sit guard."

"Ah, and is Remus in need of a guard?"

The boy blushed shyly and shrugged. "I don't know, Sir, but Andy told me to sit guard."

Harry chuckled as he moved toward the bed and listened closely. "He's snoring so I guess he's alright," he murmured, feeling around for a chair which the boy hurriedly moved over for him. "Thank you, er..."

"Paul, Sir. I'm the youngest of the pack," the boy offered with a blink.

"I'm Harry, Remus is my godfather. It's good of you to look after him." Harry held out his hand and the boy shook it solemnly. "How was he this morning?"

Ron and the headmaster watched Harry's charm work its usual magic over the boy, drawing him out and setting him at ease. The headmaster let himself out again and Ron drifted over to look at the photos on the mantle shelf, seeing a couple of familiar ones of Hermione, Harry and him at school, at the Burrow and with their massed families. There were even pictures of Sirius, Harry's parents, James and Lily, and of Peter Pettigrew which made Ron's nostrils flare. He wondered why Remus would keep such photos, but he did notice Peter looked very sheepish and in a few he slunk away, as if he realised his older self was totally disgraced.

A couple of framed pen and ink drawings fascinated the redhead, one of a hand, the other of a much younger Remus who was obviously deep in concentration. Bending close, he almost let out an exclamation of surprise when he saw a very untidy 'Sevvy' printed in the corner of the drawings. Has Snape really drawn such delicate pictures, as the signature implied?

The murmur of Harry and the boy talking almost made him miss the click of the lock, but he swung around with wand in hand quick enough to catch the girl, who was trying to slip into the room unnoticed. She had her wand out, but she was not making any hostile moves as she weighed the situation almost professionally. The boy, Paul, suddenly turned and smiled sunnily at her, making her smile back somewhat cautiously.

"Hi Andy, how was arithmancy?"

"Awful!" The cut glass accents were very pureblood and Ron stiffened a little as she advanced, holding out her hand most properly. "Andrea Leger-Path," she drawled as she approached.

"Ronald Weasley," Ron introduced himself almost reflexively, realising Harry had risen at the first sound of her voice.

"Charmed, and...? Harry Potter, the Harry Potter who is Professor Lupin's Godson? The Alpha will be pleased to see you." She nodded charmingly, very much in control of the situation. "How is he, Paul?"

"He is very well, but would like a little hush while trying to sleep," the grumpy voice came from the depths of the duvet, and Remus emerged blinking from his nest of quilts. "Good God, it is Piccadilly Circus by the look of it. Harry! And Ron, how are you both? Paul, what are you doing here? I thought you were studying after moon not skiving off?"

"I was." Paul grinned, waving a battered exercise book at his alpha before passing a goblet over. "Professor Snape said if you don't drink it, he'd choke you personally."

"Ah, 'From Sir, with Love'," Andy murmured and Harry snorted laughter as Remus shook his head at her before downing the potion and handing the cup back to Paul.

"How do you really feel?" Harry asked as his godfather shuddered and settled back against the pillows, pushing his hair out of his eyes.

"Bloody awful if the truth be told, I had a busy night."

"We heard all sorts of rumours and stories, and considering what is happening in the werewolf world, we were worried for you," Ron said depreciatingly.

"I only have one godfather left and I'd hate to lose you, you know?" Harry added in off-hand tones that fooled no one.

"Ah, Harry, you nit-wit." Remus half hugged the man who was bigger than him now. "We had a dominance problem, that's all. The Alpha Prime is getting old and had to be replaced but we didn't want the usual upheavals, so we chose the successor and stacked the deck to make sure she took the post. Our new Alpha Prime is a very good choice, and well worth the few extra scratches it took to make sure she dominated."

"Phew, skating close to the edge, weren't you? Pushing a bitch forward?" Harry murmured, reseating himself. "How will the rest of the packs and clans take it? I remember when they went after you for being gay and daring to be Beta Prime."

Remus chuckled softly. "Times change, attitudes change. The relationship between dogs and bitches has come a long way since the war, especially after the way the bitches handled the assaults on the Death Eater strongholds and tore those bastards to doll rags. That garnered them a great deal of respect and in some cases reverence. We've also been shipping the worst of the rebels out to far away places so that the more conservative factions can take better control of our destiny, and it seems to be working. I expect there will be a few of the old school that will baulk at a female Alpha but then it will all pass once she puts a few of them on their backs. Listen Ron, have you heard of a wolf called Aura, er, human name Augustus Murphy, I think? The name comes to me on the breeze and with it is a hint that he is in part responsible for the disappearances of at least five people. I don't know whether that is true or not, but it might be worth pursuing."

"I'll get onto it," Ron promised. "So when are you coming out to see the kids again? They all miss you."

Remus smiled shyly and shrugged, enjoying the sheer normality of the conversation after the fraught politics of the last few weeks.