Revised: August 5, 2021
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Defense Against the Dark Arts had quickly become everyone's favorite class. Lupin brought in Red Caps and Kappas to study, and they each proved to be just as intriguing as boggarts.
The only person who didn't seem to like Lupin was Snape. The potions professor was noticeably more surly thanks to the Gryffindors' boggart lesson. It had taken on his form for Neville, and to counter it, Neville had it dress in his grandmother's clothes. Harry had teased his professor, telling him he bet Snape looked good in a lace-trimmed dress and a vulture hat.
"You know, a handbag might be useful to carry potions," he said cheerfully. "Although I don't think red would be a good color on you. Too Gryffindor-ish."
"Three points from Slytherin," Snape snapped. To his annoyance, the brat merely grinned and sauntered off.
Harry's mood dropped soon after, though, when Snape approached him the morning of the first Hogsmeade weekend. "What do you mean I can't go?" he protested.
"The headmaster" — Snape sneered at this — "thought it would be safer if you remained here for Hogsmeade."
"Well, I'm glad to hear that the headmaster cares for my safety," Harry replied dryly. He went to tell his friends the bad news.
"We'll bring you a treat, okay?" Draco suggested.
Harry nodded, grateful but still disappointed.
Feeling dispirited, he wandered up toward the Owlery. He hadn't seen Hedwig much since arriving and thought maybe a visit would cheer them both up.
"Harry?"
Harry doubled back to see Professor Lupin looking around his office door.
"What are you doing?" he asked. "Where are Draco and Pansy?"
"Hogsmeade," Harry said.
"Ah. Why don't you come in? I've just taken delivery of a grindylow for our next lesson."
Curious, Harry walked in. A large tank stood in the corner of the office with a sickly green creature inside. It was pulling faces and flexing its fingers as Lupin approached it.
"Water demon," he said. "We shouldn't have much difficulty with him, not after the Kappas. The trick is to break his grip. You notice the abnormally long fingers? Strong, but very brittle."
The grindylow bared its teeth and buried itself in the weeds.
"Cup of tea?" Lupin said, looking around for his kettle. "I was just thinking of making one."
"Sure." Harry waited patiently as Lupin filled a chipped mug and handed it over.
"Anything worrying you, Harry?" he said, taking a sip from his own mug.
Plenty, he thought, but he didn't say that aloud. "No. But I was wondering why you stopped me from facing the boggart."
Lupin looked at him. "I thought it would be obvious."
The lack of denial took Harry aback. "Er, no."
"I thought it would be Voldemort. But it seems as though I was wrong."
"Actually, now that I think about it, I think it might have become a dementor," Harry told him. "But that wouldn't have been good either, I bet."
Lupin chuckled. "No. But at least we wouldn't have had to worry about it sucking your soul out."
Harry snorted and took another sip, carefully thinking over his next words. Something simple. "You know, it's too bad you weren't here last year."
"Oh? And why is that?"
"With the Chamber of Secrets and all those petrifications. Our last Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was, well..."
"An idiot," Lupin finished.
"Yep." Harry grinned despite himself. "Don't know why Dumbledore would hire him."
Lupin averted his gaze. "The headmaster works in mysterious ways."
I'll bet.
Silence gripped the room. Lupin's fingers were wrapped tightly around his mug. "Listen, Harry..."
Harry never found out what he had wanted to say; a clicking sound had him turning to see Dumbledore walk in.
"Headmaster!" Lupin exclaimed, dropping his mug. It shattered on the floor, the tea spilling out. "Is there something you need?"
Dumbledore smiled reassuringly. "Oh, I just thought I'd do Severus a favor and take your Wolfsbane to you myself." He set the goblet he was carrying onto the table.
"Oh." There was a strange note in Lupin's voice. "Thank you." He bent down to pick up his mug. "I was just showing Harry my grindylow," he said, gesturing to the tank.
"I see," said Dumbledore.
Harry looked at the goblet curiously. "Wolfsbane?"
"Professor Snape has very kindly concocted ut for me," Lupin explained, his attention on cleaning the spilled tea. "I have never been much of a potion-brewer and this one is particularly complex." He picked up the goblet and sniffed it. "Pity sugar makes it useless," he added, taking a sip and shuddering.
Harry nodded a bit. "What's it for?"
Lupin's eyes darted to Dumbledore and back, so quickly Harry almost missed it. "My... my transformations."
So Azure had been right. Lupin was a werewolf. "Transformations?"
Dumbledore spoke this time. "Indeed. You see, Harry, Remus is a werewolf, a creature who is viewed with suspicion." He laid a hand on Lupin's shoulder. "Not unlike you when everyone believed you were the heir."
"Ah." So that was his plan. To make Harry feel closer to Lupin. Well, that wasn't about to happen just like that. He set his empty teacup down. "The tea was lovely. Thanks for having me, Professor."
"You're welcome." Lupin smiled, but it lacked the usual warmth. "See you at the feast later."
Was Lupin on Dumbledore's side or not? Harry wondered yet again. He cast a sidelong glance up at the High Table. Lupin was eating by himself, not talking to anyone.
So far, Dobby had not found anything of suspicion regarding the teacher, but he agreed that there was something up with him. After Harry had left, Dumbledore had not said anything that could be construed as negative, but there was a noticeable tension between him and Lupin.
That aside, Dobby had grown to like Lupin, saying that he was very polite and almost always had a witty response ready. He also seemed to be the only teacher who managed to evade the Weasley twins' pranks.
Harry managed to push his concerns to the back of his mind for the time being and concentrated on the feast. Draco and Pansy had brought back some sweets they thought Harry might like. Personally, Harry found himself enjoying the creamy chunks of nougat and the pink coconut ice.
The Slytherins left for the dungeons, still chattering amongst themselves. They had barely gotten settled when Professor Snape was calling them back to the Great Hall.
"What's going on?" Tracey asked worriedly, falling into step beside him.
Harry shrugged, just as clueless as she was.
Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw looked confused as well, but the Gryffindors looked downright frightened.
"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," Professor Dumbledore told them as Professors McGonagall and Flitwick closed all doors into the hall. "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately," he added to Percy, who was looking immensely proud and important. "Send word with one of the ghosts."
Professor Dumbledore paused, about to leave the hall, and said, "Oh, yes, you'll be needing..."
He waved his wand twice, once to push the tables against the wall, another to conjure sleeping bags. "Sleep well," he said.
The Gryffindors immediately began passing on the news, raising alarm that Sirius Black had been in the castle.
"I wonder how he broke in," Draco said.
"Maybe he knows how to Apparate," said a Ravenclaw a few feet away, "Just appear out of thin air, you know."
"Disguised himself, probably," said a Hufflepuff fifth year.
"He could've flown in," suggested Dean Thomas.
"You can't Apparate in Hogwarts," Harry pointed out.
"You can't?" the Ravenclaw asked.
"It's in Hogwarts, A History," Hermione explained. "The castle's protected by more than walls, you know. There are all sorts of enchantments on it, to stop people entering by stealth. And I'd like to see the disguise that could fool those dementors. They're guarding every single entrance to the grounds. They'd have seen him fly in too. And Filch knows all the secret passages, they'll have them covered..."
At that moment, Percy spoke up. "The lights are going out now! I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!"
The candles went out, leaving only the lights of the ghosts that drifted about and the ceiling.
Harry slipped into an uneasy sleep. A few hours later, he was awoken by Snape's voice.
"It seems — almost impossible — that Black could have entered the school without inside help. I did express my concerns when you appointed —"
"I do not believe a single person inside this castle would have helped Black enter it," Dumbledore interrupted him.
"Didn't they want to help, sir?" That was Percy speaking.
"Oh yes," the headmaster said. "But I'm afraid no dementor will cross the threshold of this castle while I am headmaster."
Dumbledore left the hall quietly, leaving a slightly abashed Percy and a resentful Snape behind.
So, what did you think? I didn't like how the exchange between Harry and Remus didn't differ from canon. I mean, with all the changes I've made, you'd think the conversation would go a little differently.