Harry Potter and the New Marauders (A Harry Potter Fanfiction)

The Patronus Wolf

"Uncle Ron had to do this once," Freddie complained, as he buffed away at some award that was extremely tarnished - and stubborn about coming clean.

Goyle grunted, but that was all he did. It seemed that having to spend detention with two Gryffindors was more of a punishment than he could stand!

"But just think, when we're done, you won't have to see any more of us," Freddie assured him.

"It can't be soon enough," Goyle agreed. "You know," he looked at Teddy, "For a Gryffindor, you did pretty good getting away from us. What I wanna know is how you did it, and without a wand in hand?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Teddy retorted.

Goyle blinked at him. "You know, Michael said you'd have made a good Slytherin. I think he might have been right?"

"I come from a long line of Slytherins, on one side," Teddy reminded him. "Who's ‘Mike'?"

"Flint."

"Oh."

"'Mikey'?" Freddie giggled. "Sorry!" He added hastily, wiping his brow. "Geeez, I'm tired already!"

"Yeah, but you're also a Mudblood-redefined, Lupin," Goyle sneered at Teddy, ignoring Freddie. "I mean, what? Part Hufflepuff-Gryffindor-werewolf-Metamorph-Slytherin - just what the heck are you?"

Both boys just looked at him. Hardly anyone ever used that word anymore, as it was good for a letter to your parents, a week's detention, and 100 points from your House if you did. That, and the fact that Goyle had used the word ‘redefined'.

"I'm annoyed," Teddy growled at him, realizing that it was just days from full moon, and that Jack was in bed, nauseous, from the Wolfsbane Potion. They had decided on a lead-up protocol for Jack, just as Remus Lupin had once endured. Teddy didn't envy Jack at all in that respect, but he was also very worried about how THIS change - seeing as how The Wolf had been aggravated last time - was going to turn out. He tried not to think about it as he polished a trophy with his Uncle Harry's name on it: "Most Exciting Quidditch Accident!"

About then, Argos walked in. "Problems in here?" He asked. "Harry sent me to check?"

"No, it's good, thanks," Teddy told him.

"You can talk to dogs?" Goyle scoffed. "Prove it, then, Mutt-mouth!"

"Argos, that last potion - shaken or stirred?" Teddy asked, "Wag your tail for shaken, shake your head for stirred?"

Argos wagged his tail and growled softly. Goyle just stared at him.

"Don't worry, he only bites things that taste good," Teddy assured him.

"So, you really don't know if you're a werewolf or not? How can you NOT know?" Goyle asked, keeping an eye on Argos, seeing as how Teddy had just proven that they could indeed converse.

"Well, you thought I was the dog, in class," Teddy replied, "Why can't you figure it out?"

Freddie just watched, amused, as his cousin ‘fenced' with Goyle. It was clear that Goyle was quite unarmed for such a battle of wits.

"It's like telling an idiot to go and sit in the corner in a round room - he'll be at it for days," Teddy sighed, when they were finally done.

"'Mikey'," Freddie was still snickering. "What a name for a kid like him! Nice of Madame P. to fix his teeth, though?"

Teddy didn't say a thing about that as they made their way back to their dorm room, after picking up their wands from Harry. It was getting on into evening, they still had homework to do, and their arms ached from all the buffing.