The Wolf's Howl

Fight

Shit I am so far behind on updates, please forgive me. I really hope you enjoy this chappie ♡

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Severus grumbled to himself as he strolled down the dark corridors. Again, it was not his time to do night patrols, but it was impossible to ignore Minerva when she gave him That Look. And so, here he was, walking the hallways when he had papers to grade and potions to criticize. 

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Seriously? Again? he thought as he turned and pulled out his wand. The full moon shone brightly through the windows, and Severus got a bout of deja-vu. 

Hurried footsteps rang out behind him, causing Severus to whirl around again. He was met with a flustered Potter striding towards him at a rather impressive clip, for a walk. 

Potter's hair was messier than usual, and his eyes still held the remnants of sleep behind his crooked glasses. The shirt he wore was buttoned on the wrong buttons, causing it to appear skewed. He wore black sneakers that were untied. 

"Professor," he said, sounding slightly out of breath. "Potter," the professor replied. Potter reached up and straightened his glasses. 

"Professor, you need to leave," he said, sounding alarmed. Severus sighed, annoyed at the scare he's already received from Potter. He really didn't need this right now. 

"I really should deduct points from Gryffindor for breaking curfew," he said, trying not to grind his teeth. Potter didn't even react, instead reaching for Severus's wrist and trying to pull him away. 

The Potions Master yanked his wrist out of Potter's grasp, confused and annoyed at the uncharacteristic behavior Potter was displaying. "What is wrong with you?" he asked, exasperated. Potter shook his head. 

"Greyback is going to attack and I don't want you getting hurt!" he exclaimed in one breath, grabbing Severus's wrist again. Severus pulled his wrist out of Potter's hand again. "How do you know this?" he asked. Potter groaned and facepalmed. 

"Because I can feel his presence. He's invading on my territory, and my instincts are telling me to protect the people I care about, and I happen to count you amongst those people!" he cried. Severus raised an eyebrow. 

"First, why do you care about me? Second, you yourself have investigated the safety of the entrances, and know that there is no chance of Greyback entering the school. Therefore, he cannot attack." Potter let out a low growl. 

"You trust in the security of spells and charms that can easily fail, as evidenced by the appearance of the Carrows. If the Carrows could get in, so can Greyback," Potter said. Severus paused, reluctantly admitting that Potter had a point. 

"Answer me one question," he said, raising an eyebrow. Potter rolled his eyes. "Fine, but we need to go, so make it quick!" he said agitatedly. "Are you Ajax?" Severus asked. Potter froze, his bright green eyes locking onto Severus's dark ones. 

"Er," came the intelligent reply. 

"Answer the question, and we can go," Severus prodded. Harry sighed and opened his mouth, but a loud snarl caused both of the men to turn towards the far end of the hall. Bright eyes reflected the moonlight as the werewolf slunk closer to the duo. 

"Shit," Potter muttered. "If you hadn't held us up, we wouldn't be here right now," he said accusingly. Severus rolled his eyes at Potter's childishness, and drew his wand. He glanced over to check if Potter had drawn his wand also, but was taken aback when he was met with a shirtless Potter instead. 

The red fabric hung from Potter's hand and fluttered to the floor as the young man released it. "Wha-?" he said in surprise. "I like that shirt," was Potter's reply. Severus frowned, trying to ignore the fact that Potter was, indeed, as built as he had appeared earlier. 

"And that matters why?" he asked. Harry gave him an incredulous side-glance before fixing his gaze on the approaching werewolf. "Can you step away, please?" Potter asked in a deadly quiet tone. Severus simply did as asked, aware of the change in Potter's energy. 

He could feel the magic jumping off of Potter's skin. It was mildly unsettling, but strangely addicting as well. 

"Don't be afraid to cast," Potter said. Severus was about to ask what he meant when Potter fell forward on all fours, body shifting, bones cracking, and dark hair sprouting from tan skin. Within seconds, the large black wolf that Severus had become so familiar with stood where Potter had been standing earlier. 

"I'll take that as a yes?" he said, slightly shaken. Potter looked up at him and gave him a 'you have got to be kidding me' look. "Ok, no need to look at me like that," Severus said again, feeling stupid. Potter shook his head, but was distracted by the advancement of Greyback. 

The large wolf snarled at the invasion of his territory, causing the werewolf to snarl back. Just as Severus comprehended what was about to occur, the dark wolf leapt at the intruder with a loud snarl. "Potter, no!" Severus yelled, but it was too late. 

The wolves collided in a snarling mass of fur and teeth on the floor, and Severus could barely tell where one canine ended and the other began. He pointed his wand at the animals, but couldn't get a clear shot. 

Don't be afraid to cast, Potter's voice rang in his ear. Severus took a deep breath and fired off a spell. "Impedimenta!" The spell struck the creatures, one of them yelping as his movements were impeded, the other one taking advantage of the werewolf's weakness and dragging the still body further away from the Professor. 

Too soon, the spell wore off, catching Potter by surprise. Severus cast another Impedimenta, but missed as Greyback's jaws came forward and clamped onto Potter's shoulder. SHIT, Severus thought. Potter yelped but shook the creature off in a burst of adrenaline. He managed to flip Greyback over and stomped hard on the werewolf's throat. 

As the werewolf struggled, Severus cast ropes around the creature, making sure that the ropes were laced with the silver that would weaken Greyback's fight. Potter jumped back as the ropes lashed around the other wolf and quickly changed back to human form. 

How Potter could save his pants but not his shirt was a mystery to Severus - not that he had looked. 

A "Stupify" made Greyback fall still as Severus walked over to Potter and checked the wound. Potter rolled his shoulder and cracked his neck. "I'm fine," he said. Severus raised an eyebrow. "You just got bit by a werewolf. You're not fine," he said. 

Potter chuckled. "I got bit in my Animagus form. Because I changed back so quickly, the venom was neutralized. I'm not going to become a werewolf," he explained. Severus mentally facepalmed. "Of course," he muttered. "Now go back to bed before I dock points for breaking curfew." 

Potter rolled his eyes. "Fine, after I saved your life, go ahead and dock points. I can't sleep after that," he said. Severus sighed. "Okay. But if you won't go back to sleep, then we're going to talk," he said. 

Potter shrugged, and Severus was very careful not to notice how the toned muscles flexed and became more prominent with the moonlight reflecting off the sweat on Potter's chest. Very careful. Potter walked over and grabbed his shirt off the floor where he had tossed it. Severus didn't admire the muscles in his shoulders and back, and he definitely wasn't saddened when Potter put the shirt on. Not at all.  

"Let's talk," Potter said.